The next day, the party returned to the shrine of the Death Cult. They were met by one of the adepts and eight skeletons. Seeing the four bakemono, the adept asked the party to wait while he summoned the supreme leader. As soon as the adept was out of sight, Ginjo attacked the skeletons, swiftly dispatching two of them. The rest of the party joined him in laying the bones definitively to rest; then they quickly made their way to the receiving room in which they had met the supreme leader the previous day. When they arrived, a group of four adepts were busy summoning a large group of skeletons and zombies. Ginjo led the attack against the adepts and their minions while Sukh, accompanied by Shek and Sheng tore through a series of smaller rooms until they found the supreme leader in his private chambers, starting to don his armor. Relying on his evil powers, he was able to incapicate Sheng and Shek, but Sukh fought with determination and courage, slashing at him with his sword and smashing up the furniture while driving him forcefully into a corner and killing him
Out in the reception room, Ginjo concentrated his attacks on the adepts while the sohei fought the skeletons and zombies. Using superior tactics, the four of the sohei held the bulk of the mindless undead at bay, allowing only one or two to fight at once so that they could be destroyed by the other sohei.
When the battles were over, the party declared an uneasy victory. The supreme leader was dead and most if not all of his minions had been destroyed. But there was no sign of Irak. While debating what to do next, who should run into the room but their "friend" Pana. His robe was torn and his face bruised. "They're coming!" he cried. "The other priests! They're going to kill us all!"
Sukh pointed his sword at Pana's throat and demanded "Where is Irak?"
Pana didn't want to answer and didn't need to. A heavy clanking sound announced the arrival of four more skeletons in rusty armor, followed by three priests in red robes and three zombies. Ginjo ordered the sohei to adopt an defensive position against the skeletons charge. Then he made a counter attack routing the three priests whose flight was hampered by their own zombies. In the confusion of battle, Sukh noticed that Pana had disappeared. Quickly deciding there was one place where he could have gone, Sukh dashed through the reception room and into the chambers of the supreme leader-- sur enough Pana was there, looting the body of his fallen master. "It's what he would have wanted." Pana found a handful of coins and gems at Sukh and pushed a panel to open a hidden passage.
Out in the hallway, the sohei destroyed the skeletons and Ginjo killed one of the priests while the others ran away. Ginjo backed away from the attacking zombies and ducked half way behind a corner so he could fight them one at a time. They were much slower than his flashing blade and he quickly cut them down. As the last of the zombies fell to the floor, a previously hidden door opened and Pana dashed out. Ginjo brought him down with a flying tackle and began punching him while the sohei gathered around to cut off any attempts to escape. Sukh emerged from the hidden passage and the party threatened Pana with death if he wouldn't take them to Irak.
Pana agreed. He led them down the wide smooth echoing corridor and down a flight of rough steps into a darker, cramped dungeon. The passage here was narrow and twisting, and he led them through a series of barred doors to a small chamber. He open a small window so that Ginjo could the legs of a chained woman inside, then handed him a set of keys. Ginjo opened the door and rushed in, but the woman was not Irak, but a horrible monster with snakes for hair. Ginjo stopped himself sort but the valiant Sheng met the eyes of the monster and was turned to stone.
Sukh and Shek seized Pana and pulled his arms behind his back before he could even think of running. He pleaded his ignorance, and begged for another chance to prove himself, but with a more immediate crisis at hand, they simply held him tightly and ignored his argument.
The snake-lady offered the party a bargain. Her freedom in exchange for the elixir that would restore their friend. Sukh flatly refused. "We don't trust you and we won't free you until we have the elixir." Ginjo resolved the stalemate by charging at the woman, and braving the snakes until he found the elixir. They restored Sheng and left the snake woman, reasoning that she could not be trusted.
Pana led them deeper into the dungeon and to a larger chamber filled with devices of torture. Irak was there. So was the torturer; he had a few words with Pana, then grabbed his axe and rushed at Ginjo. Pana called upon his dark magic and transfixed Sukh. Ginjo dodged the totrtured's axe and drew his sword. Sheng and Shek fell on Pana. With Sukh unable to speak and Ginjo engaged in mortal combat with a worthy foe, there was no one to answer Pana's last cries for mercy and he was swiftly killed. Ginjo, tired and bloodied from his fight with the skeletons and zombies might have fallen under the heavy blows of the bloodthirsty torturer, but the sohei came to his assistance and killed his wicked foe.
Ginjo broke the chains to free Irak. Meanwhile, the bakemono practiced their recently learned healing arts upon Sukh and massaged his limbs until he was able to stand and move again.
The party carefully traced their steps out of the dungeon and into the open air. It was late afternoon and many of their number were in no shape to make a forced marched to Pasar. They climbed higher up the canyon and far enough from the caves that they felt relatively safe and made camp. The most wounded slept while the bakemono tended to them. In the morning, they hiked back to Pasar. The party thanked the bakemono for their assistance and the bakemono thanked them for giving them a chance to redeem themselves. They would not return to the caves but they knew they would not be accepted in human society. Instead they would build a hut deep in the forest and live out their days according to what they had learned from the kindly and forgiving Gunjar.
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