A chill ran down her spine as Dala stared at the blackened entrance to the underground labyrinth. Blackened clouds filled the sky as the sound of constant thunder lingered. Unsheathing the sword from her scabbard, she took a good look at the simple metal blade. The look of uncertainty in her eyes reflected from the dulled blade. She had heard all the stories of this vampire alchemist and the crimes she had committed against nature. Gritting her teeth, she remembered why she was here and pushed herself forwards. The wind howled its warnings but she never looked back.

Her pack was heavy with multiple magic and non-magic items. Without any real magic herself, she was forced to rely on her training and whatever items held magic. Though she was confident in her abilities to survive on her own, she knew that this place was likely beyond her level. Everything she could need was packed in her bag, from food to weapons to even a tent if she were ever to become lost. Dala descended down the echoing staircase, listening carefully for signs of threats or the undead. Before entering the catacombs, she spotted an inscription on the wall that read,

"E morte, ad vitam." She muttered, "From death to life… Geez. They weren't kidding when they said she was obsessed."

Just as she finished speaking, a small rock fell from the cracked ceiling above, making her jump. Realizing she aught to stay quiet to avoid the undead, she walked silently into the catacombs. The first thing she noticed was the stench of ash and decay. The second was the glowing crystals inside hanging metal lanterns lighting up the ancient corridors. Something about them made her wonder if they were related to the undead roaming the endless halls. Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out her Wayfinder's widget and compass, knowing she would be lost without them. She continued onwards.

After turning a few corners the teenager suddenly heard a ghastly howl from down the darkened hall. She jumped behind a pillar connected to the wall, shrinking herself down to the floor, and covered herself with a black cloak. Her heart pounded in her ears as the ghost slowly crept closer. The empty eye sockets gazed at its surroundings and its head was misshapen.  Soon it passed her by, phasing through the wall. Dala waited a few more seconds then pushed herself to her feet, moving in the opposite direction. If there was one thing Dala had learned over the years, it was how to blend in the environment, else die.

"Keep going." She muttered softly to herself.

Time passed and she was nearing the end of the catacombs. She had done a lot of dodging and hiding, in an attempt to avoid the undead. Dala's face was dirty and she smelled exactly like her surroundings, of rot and ash. Suddenly, the teenager stopped. Sounds of footsteps drew near form around the corner. Realizing there wasn't anywhere to hide, she held up her sword and planned to attack the second this undead reared the corner. Then she stopped. The sound of footsteps was loud but the sounds of heavy breathing was even louder. The undead didn't breathe. That was something she knew. Dala peeked around the corner and saw someone… alive!

"Don't you know only the dead walk these catacombs?" She asked with a small smirk.

He had been tracking the movements of earth golems that had been spotted out in Railoch weeks ahead. If golems were present, then their masters were close by. They were similar to the ancient machines that wandered the valley, attacking anything they saw. And just like them, golems who weren't under someone's control were incredibly dangerous. The creation of golems was a basic thing for alchemists and artificers, but he didn't care for them. Maybe if he needed help with heavy lifting, but the components to make animation core weren't cheap. The old fashioned method required precision in the engraved commands, which gave a large margin of error. Golemancy was a symbol of one's academic and arcane prowess, like how the wealthy wore the biggest gems they could find even if it looked garish. Following the soil that fell off a roaming golem, Raizel found himself before what looked to be an old crypt. Inside he nearly choked from the stench and stale air, and then a wraith rushed him–only to be jerked back by some unseen force when it tried to escape through the opened doors. It shrieked and flailed before that force dragged it back, and it dissipated into mist when its energy was exhausted.

This place seemed to go on forever, like some accursed maze created by a psychopath. It was too pragmatic to be a necropolis, so he wasn't sure why it was built this way. "Maybe I should've bought myself a magic weapon specialized for undead." He murmured. Polearms were good for hitting things without getting close. The atmosphere inside the corridors weighed on him like a heavy quilt filled with stones. Alchemical scripts were carved into the walls, and they were focused on keeping things inside than keeping outsiders from coming in. They were very complex, with multiple layers. Wards nested within wards, with binding seals too. The longer he walked around the more he started to feel a dull headache. It would spike at random intervals, making it harder to focus. But he pushed himself to keep going, and noticed the pain would trigger when he got closer to the crystals that were the only source of light here. Staying too close released a wave of nausea that made him back up. 

Carefully he looked around to see if any undead were nearby. If he was quick, maybe he could smash them. Having a light source that seemed to make you feel worse wasn't worth keeping. But the sound might attract enemies, so ultimately he left them be. Walking faster when passing by them was a temporary solution. In the silence, there would be agonized groaning and sobbing every now and then. Hopefully he'd find the end to this awful place soon. The air quality was probably horrible, making it harder to breathe. As he approached where Dala was hiding, he was surprised by a voice that sounded..human. The boy visibly jumped at the sound, and turned to see a familiar face. "I'd say the same for you. Huh, didn't expect to see you here of all places." It had been a while since they were in Baltil. Things happened, time passed, and the artificer thought that was the last time they'd meet. But here they were. "What a coincidence." He took out a slip of paper with an inked magic circle on it and handed it to her. "It's a weak-warding spell. It'll at least buy you a few seconds when the undead are repulsed by it."

"Here of all places? Wait, have we met?" Dala asked as she put her hand to her chin, "…Oh right! You're golem boy! We met during the dragon rampage."

It had been a while since that incident and she hadn't seen him since. Her memory had never been the greatest when it came to names or faces. The fact that they met again was a little odd but the fact that he was an artifact hunter, or at least that was Dala's assumption, it wasn't completely unexpected they would meet here. When he pulled out a slip of paper with a magic circle in ink, she eyed it suspiciously. Over the years she had learned not to take out free help, especially when it came in the form of items. Usually it was cursed jewelry that had taught her that lesson. After some thinking, she took the slip of paper.

"You really think I'm going to take that without paying you?" She said, putting her hands on her hips, "In exchange for the warding spell, I'll help you find your way here. I have a compass and one of those wayfinder widgets."

She pulled out the wayfinder and showed it to him. It revealed all the places she had already been and had proven its worth by saving her from being completely lost. After showing him, she put the weak warding spell into her pocket. Dala had no clue on how to use warding spells herself so it was just something she would have to pocket and see if she could sell later.

"Well let's head out before the undead arrive." She said before looking back to him, "Unless you want to keep wandering around here lost."

The teenager didn't actually know if he was lost or not. Dala was just making a guess judging on his reaction to the wayfinder and compass. If he expected her to turn back just because of the potential danger, he was dead wrong. But having another human face around when trudging through the muck and stench of the catacombs made the journey much more bareable.

He didn't argue when she said she was going to pay him back so they were even. There were times when he would refuse help, but this wasn't one of them. He could tell she meant it, and that was what counted. "Fair trade–but I'm not planning on leaving just yet. I'm planning on going in further." In Railoch, Iskander himself took the time to explain certain details of the Crucible to those who planned on heading in. Raizel had been listening in at a distance, not wanting to be noticed by the older man. Zets'Ki brought back bad memories. Even if Iskander didn't recognize him, he wasn't interested in letting that happen. "From the intel that lich and angel hotshot were giving out, this place should have a path leading towards the center. It's supposed to be a research complex, but this looks more like an artificially created necropolis." Having so many types of undead in a small condensed area wasn't normal. 

"Anyways, even if I can't reach the center, I'll try to get as close as possible. There's alchemical formulae built into the stonework. If I have to turn back I can at least wreck some of them on the way." He wasn't an expert in alchemy by any means, but he did know the fundamentals thanks to a book his older sister gave him out of the blue. Raizel remembered her self-satisfied smile as she handed the heavy tome to him with both hands, telling him to hide it so his other siblings wouldn't ruin the pages. It cost her a pretty penny and she hated when her gifts weren't taken care of. But…she was the closest thing to a sibling he had in that madhouse. "Clandestine research in a big place like this can't be anything good. It's preparation for something big." Alchemy in a sense was twisting the rules of the natural world to achieve what was otherwise impossible. Something very tempting for the ambitious and amoral.

He covered his mouth with his shirt to stifle a cough. The musty air was awful, and it didn't get better with time. "By the way, keep an eye out for those crystal lanterns. There's something off about them. Staying close to them makes you sick." He took out a hammer in case they ran into any undead they couldn't hide from. The dead didn't feel pain, so all hits against them needed to be lethal.

"Good. Cause I don't plan on leaving either." The teenager.

When he talked about the alchemy stuff, she was completely lost. If it was battle strategies, what to do about tax evasion, politics, or how to steal something then she would know exactly what to do. Alchemy? It was never something she had to learn for survival or for her future. But she just nodded her head as if she understood and listened. From what she heard, it sounded like they would be breaking stuff, hitting undead, and generally causing a ruckus wherever the magic was. 

"Sounds like a good plan, Golem Boy." Dala said with a smirk, "Thanks for the warning about the crystals. I knew they were giving out bad vibes." 

The last time they met she didn't have much time to admire the giant hammer. It was a two-handed weapon with a spike on one end and the hammer on the other. A weapon like that would be able to cause blunt damage and stab someone. After being distracted by the sharp weaponry, Dala regained her focus and looked at the wayfinder. Giving him a nod, she started walking down the hallway towards a path that she hadn't been down and that he probably hadn't been in. They passed several halls and turned a few corners until they arrived down one single darkened hallway. There were three undead standing. Two skeletons and one rotten undead corpse. 

"You take the skeletons and I'll get the undead." She said quietly. 

Dala waited for his reply then dashed forwards towards the undead. Before it had a chance to spot her or do anything, she sliced at his nick, cleanly taking off his head. Unfortunately for her, just because the head was gone didn't mean the creature was defeated. The creature lunged at her but she was too nimble for the headless undead and dodged from its grasp. With another swing of her sword, she managed to partially cut off one of its legs, causing it to fall over. For good measure, she cut off an arm too just in case it got grabby.

Once they both dealt with the three undead, Dala explored the area that they seemed to be guarding. It appeared to be a dead end with a pile of flesh, skin, torsos, and other rotten body parts piled up against the wall. There was so much that the actual wall couldn't be fully viewed. An idea came to Dala's mind when she saw the strangely piled rotten flesh. The teenager reached out and pulled the torso from the pile, revealing a doorway hidden behind the bodies. 

"I guess the undead don't know how to block a doorway properly." She said, "And they lost the door somehow." 

There was enough space for both her and Raizel to crawl through. She would have uncovered more but they were in a hurry and didn't have time to get through all  of the pile. Dala wasn't keen on crawling through rotten body parts, but she knew how to get over things like that quickly. Living on the streets of Vilpamolan for a while had taught her that sometimes, you just had to do deal with disgusting surroundings. The teenager crawled through and got to the other side then looked at Raizel. 

"Aren't you coming?" Dala asked, "Don't worry about being clean. I have some soap and water if you need to clean up after it."

It looked like he hadn't been in this place long enough to lose his sense of smell, that was for sure. Smashing up the enemies so they couldn't get back up, the pair cleared the way to find a small opening that led to a brighter area. There were decomposing bodily remains here, and he wasn't sure if it was due to the low pathway or if the undead finally fell apart in this spot. Crawling through mud was miles better than this. Raizel closed his eyes for a moment to prepare himself. He had to to this, this was the only way ahead. "Yeah, I'm coming. At least we don't need to worry about being followed after we're through." Crouching in with arms in front, he half-dug his way until he reached the other side. Immediately he squinted his eyes as the light level drastically increased. It wasn't as bright as daytime, but it was already better-lit than the catacombs. He stopped holding his breath once he stood up.

This new area was much cleaner than the previous place they came from, the air quality here was a major improvement too. No weird lights that made you nauseous. Looking around, there were a lot of walls flanked with reinforced metal doors. It was oddly quiet and the place felt deserted. A faint smell of alcohol lingered in the air, and not the kind that you found in taverns or pubs. "Well…we're here. I don't know if anybody else has made it this far, so might as well take the chance to clean up." They might not have the chance later. Not thinking about things until they were necessary was something he had learned to get by. This wasn't the place to falter. 

"Hey, don't you think this place keeps getting weirder? Who'd think that behind those catacombs filled with undead there'd be this?" He motioned to the relatively spotless area they were in. No strange symbols on the walls, just corridors and metal doors as far as he could see from here. There was something about those doors that didn't sit right with him too. There were so many of them, and they weren't easy to open or break down. You couldn't tell what was on the other side. Come to think of it, what was this place anyway? Was this place really safer than the area they had just left?

The halls were oddly clean and the silence was almost deafening. It appeared to be empty but something in the back of her mind was telling her this next section would be far more dangerous than the walking dead they faced earlier. The woman they were after was a powerful necromancer who scared both angels and the dead. Skeletons, ghosts, and other creatures were only the start.

Dala didn't know if there were undead more powerful than ghosts or skeletons but she had a feeling, this woman had other creatures at her beck and call. Raizel was through the corpse tunnel and suggested cleaning up now, while they still had the chance. The teenager gave him a nod then handed him half of the soap and an extra waterskin she had been carrying around. Taking the other half of the soap, she cleaned herself up as much as she could. She didn't care much for appearances but she knew having rotting flesh on her body would probably get her sick.

After cleaning herself up, she looked towards the rest of the hall. There were metal doors with numbers on a label above the door. The labels were in a language she couldn't read but judging by the way they were used, it looked like some sort of numbering system. There weren't any windows for a person to look into the rooms and the doors were sealed shut and locked. Raizel then brought up something she had been thinking about. Why would there be catacombs with the undead, they have such a clean set of hallways? Even as an aesthetic decision, it would be a pain to get in and out of this place without dealing with all those spirits near the entrance. Maybe this woman had a back entrance? Some sort of teleportation system so she wouldn't have to walk all this way just to get to the rooms she needs. Dala approached one of the doors and gave it a little tug, only to find it was locked.

"It's like an inn and a jail combined." Dala commented, "Wait, I have an idea."

Dala quietly approached one of the metal doors and pressed her ear up to the door, trying to see if she could hear someone on the other side. After hearing nothing, she knocked three times on the door, loud enough for anybody who might be inside the room to hear. There wasn't an immediate reply so the teenager allowed herself to relax. But then there were three knocks, on the other side. Dala quickly backed away from the door.

He wasn't sure what she was planning, but he was behind her at a safe distance as she tried to see if she could hear anything. Raizel raised an eyebrow when Dala knocked on the reinforced metal door. "It's probably empty." He said, only to hear something knock back from the other side. He could've sworn his heart skipped a beat at that moment. Holding his breath, his entire body broke out in a cold sweat. "Now I wish you hadn't knocked." This was definitely more of a jail. But for who? Maybe it was a good thing the doors were locked. There were sounds of heavy footsteps echoing in the distance, slow and rhythmic with a faint rumbling. He tapped her on the shoulder and lowered his voice to a loud whisper. "Something's coming this way! We need to move!" Now that he had time to observe the area, Raizel realized this place was just as bad as the catacombs–there weren't many places to hide. They could take a chance on going the opposite direction from the incoming steps, or they could try something else. 

If this was a prison, then there would be guards. But if one was showing up now, then that could mean they were only patrolling. It was likely that the cells were impossible to escape, so there was no worry about things getting loose. Listening in on the dull thudding steps, whatever was coming was very slow. They still had some time to scout out the area past this corridor of cells. Staying close to the walls, Raizel took out a locket with a small flickering flame within. Opening it, a tiny flame elemental the size of a wisp was released. "Nuri, I need you to head in that direction. Come back immediately if you see anything heading this way." He pointed in the direction of the slow heavy footsteps. Nuri could act as an extra pair of eyes in case danger was close. Since it was so small, it could hide out of sight if it felt threatened. Splitting up right now wasn't a good choice. He'd prefer to stay as close to Dala as possible so they could cover each other's backs.

The direction he headed opened up into a large laboratory facility. The astringent alcohol smell was even stronger here, but what lined the walls made his stomach turn. Large glass tanks big enough to hold grown men filled with bubbling fluids entering through pipes protruding from the immaculate stone contained grotesque and distorted looking creatures half-suspended in the liquid. Most were unrecognizable, some of the tanks were empty, but a few had specimens that were definitely humanoid. One had chalk-white skin stretched taut over gangly, bony limbs that were too long for a bipedal being. Its body proportions were off, with parts being unnaturally long. The 'arms' had the same skeletal structure of a bat's, but with patches of feathers hanging off them. Its feet were bent and claw like, while its head was hanging low. Its face–if it had one–was completely covered by a head of bleached stringy hair. And just a moment ago, he thought things couldn't get worse than crawling through rotting flesh. 

"…Gods." For someone who was born in Parvpora, this was the one time he felt no other words could best describe how he felt. Whether it was an unspoken prayer for protection or a cry for mercy, it summed up the sentiments of seeing this horrible display. "Those things used to be people." Conflicted feelings about what exactly was in those cells and what the catacombs outside were too much to handle. What if the undead they fought back there were people who had escaped from this area? How long did they wander out there after realizing there was no way out? The doors probably could only be opened from the outside or by individuals with certain permission if that was the case. If people were kidnapped and stripped of their belongings before being brought in here, then there was no way for them to escape. Turning his attention away from the walls, he found the rest of the room was full of surgical equipment and metal tables long enough to hold a cadaver. There were shackles attached to the surfaces. 

A creaking noise started, and Raizel looked up in alarm only to see Dala and himself. Nuri wasn't back yet, so maybe the coast was clear. The thing that was making those heavy footsteps might've turned back, so it was probably safe to backtrack and explore the other–


The pipes connecting to one of the tanks was broken as a distorted figure wrenched its way out of its glass chamber, shards and fluid going everywhere. It fell to the floor, struggling to stand as its oversized limbs made it unbalanced. Remnants of vestigal, skeletal wings protruded from its spine as it braced itself with its hands and feet. Staggering, it raised a misshapen horse-headed skull with a sickly light shining in its eye sockets. With a shrill shriek, it started lunged at the two just as Nuri was flying in. The flame elemental was in a panic, but it didn't need to explain why–as the ground began to shake violently. "RUN!!!" He screamed as he dashed towards the way heading further in to the complex, past the chimera. The horrid amalgamation tried to follow after them, but as they looked back they heard the sound of grinding stone as a massive earthen golem charged in to grab the creature in a strangle hold. Its bony limbs flailed helplessly as it was dragged away in the direction of the cells, buying the two time to flee.

A chill ran down her spine as she realized this place was a strange prison. Dala had been in jail cells many times but this place… it went beyond even the worst of prisons. Isolating people had dangerous effects on their minds and were one of the cruelest things a person could do to another. The worst part was the fact they couldn't let these people out, or else these people… or creatures could kill them. This sort of cruelty reminded her of someone she once knew. But she knew HE had nothing to do with this. He would have been more discreet. Whoever this woman was, she needed to be taken out.

"Yeah. I really wish I didn't do that." She agreed with Raizel.

Now they knew there were people or something in each room. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder and a loud whisper in her ear. She almost jumped but she quickly realized it was Raizel and they needed to move. Dala carefully and quietly as she could, followed Raizel's lead. Pressing up against the wall like him, she kept her ears and eyes alert. Whenever Raizel looked one way, she would look the other to cover all sides. They kept moving until they came across the open large laboratory facility. The scent of chemicals and alcohol stench the air and when she spotted the large glass tanks, she slapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from gagging. Many tanks were empty but there were some that had… creatures in them. One was thin and had boney limbs along with patches of feathers. Another was massive and large with large gaping empty eyes, its eyeballs had been attached to its hands. In another tank was a mangled body that almost looked human. This creature had a mouth for a head while its arms were cracked, woven through its own skin like it was sown that way.

Dala couldn't speak, her own words taken away at the horrid sight. The teenager thought she had seen the worst of humanity in the streets of Vilpamolan but this overwhelming sight made everything else in her life seem like it was nothing. These people could have been anybody. Even…children. There wasn't any way of recognizing them. Any sense of humanity had been stolen away through experiments and alchemy. Acid climbed her throat as she was forced to look away to keep herself from puking. There was medical equipment covered in white goop, likely the blood of whatever these things were. Some of the floors had specks of blood that stained the ground before it had been cleaned up. These people could have been kidnapped from all over Parvpora or even all of Revaliir. How many families never knew what happened to their kin? Maybe it was best if they never found it? A disturbing thought occurred to her. Is this what could happen to them if they weren't careful? Death was something she had been prepared for when entering this place. But this… it was a fate worse than death. This was no longer just about stopping this woman, it was about survival.

When she heard that creaking noise, her eyes were wide with fear. That fear she had kept in the depths of her heart and the one thing she tried to pretend she didn't have, it was too strong to ignore now.  They needed to get out of here before one of the guards came around. She didn't want to be put into one of those tanks under any circumstances.

Glass shattered and flew through the air as fluid poured into the room. The sopping wet creature fell to the floor and struggled to get to its feet. The skeleton horse head stared at them as skeletal wings pulled out from the spine, popping and cracking. A shrill shriek pierced the quiet air and the monster lunged at the both of them. Dala bolted from the scene, running further into the complex and past the chimera. Dala looked back for a moment, only to see a giant earth golem charging at the creature and snatching it by the throat. It turned and dragged the monstrosity towards one of the cells. She bolted around the corner and continued running until her legs were screaming for her to stop. Only then did she pull on Raizel's sleeve and yanked him to slow down.

"I- I need to" She quickly caught her breath, "I need to check the wayfinder. We can't get lost in here."

Pulling the wayfinder from her bag, she quickly figured out where they needed to go. They had backtracked a bit while running but it gave her enough information to know what general direction they needed to go to avoid the lab and the golem. She couldn't see the entire floor, as the wayfinder would only show where she had been, but it was enough to let her know where to go next. Her eyes glanced towards Raizel, wondering how he was doing after seeing the lab. She reached out and gently grabbed his hand. Her movements were cautious and careful as if she wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Focus your thoughts on how to beat her and survival." She said with a serious expression, "We can't risk thinking about anything else."

To Dala, this was the most comforting thing she could come up with. The teenager had been in death situations before but nothing like this. Yet in those situations, she always pushed herself to focus on survival and never reflect on the past. It was the only way she survived back then and would be the only way for her to make it out now. The teenager freed Raizel's hand and focused on finding the best route with her wayfinder, which wasn't easy when she couldn't see what was up next.

"Let's try this way." She said pointing to the right, "We'll be heading south this way." 

He was gasping for air as the two stopped to catch their breath. Raizel didn't know how far they had ran and if the golem knew if they were still here, but there was no time for that now. Slumping to the ground, his eyes were wide as he stared ahead. Was that really the work of an alchemist? How was that any different from necromancy or some other ungodly sorcery? The artificer felt his hand being grabbed and quickly looked down to see it was Dala's. "Focus your thoughts on how to beat her and survival. We can't risk thinking about anything else." She said. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. There wasn't any other way but forward–towards the person responsible for this madness. "Alright, let's go. I don't hear anything following us, and at least we know those golems focus more on the things being kept here over intruders." Just how deep did this place go? How many more areas would they have to survive through in order to get to the heart of the matter?

"We should probably take anything we find that can be useful while we're here. Normally alchemy deals with mixtures and potions, so there's plenty of equipment to use as weapons." He knew about people dabbling in the more magical side of alchemy, but it was nothing close to this. He didn't want to even imagine how and why these experiments came about. There were more empty halls and more cells. If it weren't for the wayfinder's widget, they could easily get lost and disoriented with how everything looked the same. There were more tanks, this time empty. The work tables had equipment and surgical tools like the previous area, but with metal cabinets that likely held components or other reagents. The stinging alcohol smell wasn't as bad here. Maybe that was because this area hadn't been used recently. From the way this portion was set up, the alchemist in charge was a very meticulous individual.

His eyes noticed pipes near the ceiling that were easy to overlook with how much machinery and equipment were present. They were leading further down but he couldn't see where they were coming from. In a large glass decanter with a stopper, Raizel spied a metallic liquid similar to quicksilver. It must've been something important, as the container was protected inside a see-through panel. Having a weapon with a longer reach would probably be best at the moment, so he took out his hellfire whip. Even though his hammer would deal more damage, the sound might attract those golem sentries with all the glassware here. There were charts on some of the walls with diagrams depicting winged humanoids–probably angels. Reading the shorthand and notes didn't bring him any closer to understanding them, aside from an uncomfortable level of detail on 'flaws' and issues that came up. Even though this area was clean, Raizel felt as if this place hadn't been in use for a while. He couldn't guess for how long, as there weren't any ways for him to check. Looking back at Dala, he asked while keeping his voice low. "How's the map coming along? See any patterns in how this place was built?" If possible, they could try to take the most direct path towards wherever the alchemist might be.