Chapter 2: Krummel Marora

The distance was vast from capital Niliphy to the great canyon of Krummel Marora - almost the same distance from Serepike to Niliphy itself. But thanks to Tob's modified wagon, it only took Roselie and himself 5 days to travel to the mining town of Surion on the north side of the ravine. The wagon was made of a sturdy yet light wood, reinforced with steel corner plates and painted with a weather-resistant and water-proof sap harvested from pine trees. It used to be an open wagon used in transporting mining goods and equipment, but Tob added a roof made of canvas. The wheels were even better - Tob added natural rubber to the rim of the wheels to produce drag and absorb shock from imperfect grounds and there were 4 disk brakes, all connected to a pedal on the coach box to slow down the wagon if need be as there were 3 horses pulling the carriage.

As the sun was in its prime, Roselie saw the first smoke column rising from the mining settlements near the grand canyon. And then another, and another. The closer the wagon got, the livelier the surrounding sound that Roselie heard - the sound of metal clashing against stone, the endless chit chat, the creaking of wooden cranes carrying great loads of ore, the sizzling of red hot metal being casted, the clanging of blacksmith's rhythmic forging,... The dwarven town almost sprawled out unexpectedly, Roselie didn't notice where the town started, but before she could think twice about how bizarre the scenery was, her wagon was already traversing between the busy road.

There were dwarves everywhere. Their faces were blemished with black and gray dust, their hands blackened and full of calluses, but their beards were kept relatively clean as those were the pride of any self-respecting dwarf. 

Roselie could see many stores trading in ores and tools, torches and lamps, and every other store was a food stall selling grilled meat of sorts - a fantastic snack to go with beer, miner dwarves' favorite. 

As Tob skillfully guided the carriage through the sprawling streets of Surion, Roselie had a strange feeling, almost a realization - although the town was still bustling with activities, there was a heavy atmosphere blanketed over the settlement. 

This was no doubt, in Roselie's mind, a town riddled with undead problems. In fact, Roselie barely caught a glimpse of dwarven soldiers clad in heavy armor and wielded spikes - a guarding force much more secure than that of an usual mining town. And before long, Roselie's ride came to a gradual stop in the yard of the largest building in the area - the Surion church of Tempus.

Tob asked Roselie to join him on the brief meeting with the slayer team inside the church - for Roselie to gather more up-to-date information on the situation. The church building was the largest building of the settlement, but it was not grand in anyways compared to other churches of the continent. But it was kept surprisingly clean from the coal and stone dust from the local mining activities - Roselie caught sight of two dwarves hanging from a rope and pulley system to clean the large tinted windows. 

After saying a word of prayer, Roselie followed Tob inside to meet up with a group of two paladins and a cleric, all clad in armor plate or chainmail, wielding greatswords and flails. 

"Tob! Finally, you're here!" A male dwarf said and waved to the gray bearded paladin

"Yeah I'm back, and I brought back the right hand of Lathander with me 'ere!"

"No I'm…" Roselie attempted to refute the statement, but the group cheered loudly and beckoned her in. As much as she didn't want to, it would be incredibly rude of her to not say a word of introduction before cooperating with them, so Roselie bowed and introduced herself as the newly appointed ArchDeacon of the church of Lathander and asked for their introduction.

Roselie had never interacted with worshipers of the other gods, actually, if she thought deeply about it, she had never interacted much with other adventurers either. She had friends and fellow worshipers from the church, she had her adventuring party - that was it. 

In her first few days after becoming a copper adventurer, Roselie had no quest done. The quests posted in the frontier town of Serepike were far too dangerous for a newbie cleric to attempt alone, and Roselie was far too shy to ask any party for her to join in - a terrible predicament. Most parties would turn a blind eye to Roselie too, as her shyness and diffidence meant that Roselie was an inexperienced adventurer - and to entrust your life, literally, to an inexperienced healer was a scary thought. 

If Harrison the human warrior hadn't invited her that day, she might have caught the next carriage back to her hometown and became a small town chapel cleric. She always giggle without fail every times she remembered Elluin's horrified reaction to Harrison's sole reason of picking Roselie: "If we don't get a healer, we cannot complete this damn quest today and the highwayman will strips me of my armor and sword to pay for our debt!"

After the introduction, Roselie committed to remembering the dwarves' names, with far more effort as she couldn't tell the dwarves apart. Tob was their leader, with his characteristic gray beard and armor with purple silk mantle. Keghood and Copperjaw were two paladins under Tob, and they looked unfairly similar with brown and neatly tied hair and braided beard. The only aspect that Roselie could reliably tell them apart with was the weapon they wielded. Keghood was a greatsword user while Copperjaw was wielding a strange weapon - a large sword with serrated blade, the blade was divided into two main parts and attached to mechanical parts unknown to Roselie. The last dwarf was a female cleric named Kerry, wearing a chainmail under a priestly brown cloak and wielded a flail with three heavy, spiky weights - a lethal weapon not to be underestimated, the blunt attack could heavily damage armor and shield while providing great range for the user. 

"Well… nice to meet you all." Roselie shyly nodded "Let's get into details about the horde. I heard from Tob that there was an undead wearing … holy garments?"

Copperjaw ran his fingers through his beard "Aye. I saw that thing with me own eyes on a raid in the Tytionos settlement west of here. It looked like a 'uman, but ye know, undead. And it was wearing a black vestment, 'at and all. It also 'ad a staff."

"Did any of you directly fight it?"

"Nay." Keghood crossed his arms "It raised the dead from the town's graveyard and quickly disappeared. Our 'ands were full protecting the town from the impending 'orde, so none of us gave chase." 

"Aye it was messy, that attack." Kerry nodded "The town was in shambles when their loved ones rose from the earth and attacked them, no less."

"Adding to that, some undead stole goods from the town and retreated too, they must have been ordered by their leader."

"Goods? What kind of goods were those, sir Copperjaw?"

"Aye let me remember… wax candles and chalk stone."

Some incredibly weird items for undead, no, for anyone to be stealing. Roselie frowned upon the reveal, something was not right. Why would some undead need candles, they could see in the dark and could detect life essence easily. And chalk stone… What would they do with chalk stone?

As Roselie pondered on the matter, there was loud banging on the church door and a guard called for Tob. Quickly, Tob returned with haste and announced that the undead were on the move again. Multiple zombies, skeletons and a giant undead ogre appeared in the ravine and collapsed multiple mineshafts. Casualties were high as the miners were still working down the mine. A terrible combination - deep, dark ravine with narrow paths, stagnant air and an undead infestation.

"We must help them, immediately!" Tob ordered while turning to Roselie "Will you come with us?"

"Of course!" Roselie said, not allowing herself a second to rethink. She was a Silver ranked adventurer and an ArchDeacon of the church of Lathander - there was no chance she would back down before undead threats while there were still many helpless innocents still trapped.

===

The holy envoy consisting of 3 paladins and 2 clerics arrived at one of the entrances to the mine below the grand canyon. Roselie was enthralled by the tall, large cranes made of giant logs and metal, of which mechanism allowed the miners to transport ores or stones from deep below the mine to the surface. The cranes were anchored to the ground with multiple long metal bolts and 4 thick, long metal cables, as well as a giant stack of stone slabs wrapped in canvas and nets acting as a counter weight. 

There were other curious mechanisms installed on the side of the ravine, too - as Roselie noticed multiple wooden structures resembling a thin scaffolder, holding a wooden booth with chains and pulley systems. They were a type of elevator used in transporting miners quickly from and to the mines using counterweights and a locking mechanism.. However, both the cranes and the elevators were currently dead quiet as Roselie's current party spreaded the crowd of evacuated miners to the sides and slowly approached a guard dwarf, who was desperately holding something over the edge of the canyon.

"You there! Help me pull a man up! He was injured!" He shouted as soon as he caught a glimpse of the approaching group. Sweat beads dripped down from his reddened forehead and cheek, his beard was moist, both from sweat and saliva. There was a large dent in his back armor. The three paladins helped the guard pull on a flimsy rope until an unconscious dwarf appeared at the edge. But after the torso was … a crimson pile of flesh - his lower half was crushed violently, flesh and his organs spilled out in the open. The man was deceased from shock and blood loss long ago, indicated by the coldness of the body and the color of his face.

The group gasped. Of course, the image was shocking, to say the least. 

"Dear lord Tempus… what have they done…" Kerry whispered under her breath, her hand squeezed the holy symbol on her neck.

Roselie was scared stiff.

The dwarf currently laying dead there was alive mere minutes ago.

Now, he was already cold.

Kerry the dwarf cleric kneeled down and prayed.

"How many men are still fighting down there?" Tob asked the stunlocked guard.

"I… uh… 5 of my men went down and evacuated as many miners as we could. There were many dead miners, but we … helped most to escape to the surface. 4 of my men should still be fighting. Please… please help them…" 

The guard was on the verge of tears, his hands clawed on his cheeks leaving red marks behind. Tob kneeled next to the deceased, placed a palm onto the corpse's face. "You fought bravely and protected the unarmed. Tempus will surely welcome you into his immortal army, friend. Rest in peace and serve him well." 

"Men. We are going down there." Tob ordered, and quickly the party rejoined at one of the elevators. The guard also came with the group while Keghood consoled him.

"Listen, buddy. We need you to focus and keep the elevator running. You get us down there as quickly as possible, and remain vigilant for our signal to pull the elevator up. We are getting your men out and dispatching the undead. Are you clear?"

"... Aye. Aye! Get in." The guard took a moment before wiping his teary eyes and focused "Go and slay them all for me. For my men. And Tempus bless you."

The wooden elevator cabin was wide enough for 4 fully armored dwarves and Roselie to stand comfortably, there was a metal screen on the roof for ventilation, as well as reinforced windows for safety. 

The dwarves were great inventors and builders - these contraptions were the proof of that. Roselie thought about how life in Serepike would improve if they had elevators, but quickly removed that idea from her mind - Serepike only had homes on the tall trees, built by the elves - most stores and buildings of importance were built on the ground for easy access. 

But the weight of the situation finally got to her. Her legs felt weak, her hands were moist with sweat, uncomfortably squeezing on her staff.

"Aye. The undead are stronger this time around. Everyone be on your guard. Prioritize the wounded and survivors, get them on the elevator and get them out first, then we have the whole mine to ourselves for battle." Tob raised a finger and talked to the group in a commanding voice. Roselie found his brave and confident voice soothing, easing her anxiety for the upcoming battle. A patch of hair stuck to her cheeks from her cold sweat. "Copperjaw, tactics?"

"Mmm righty. Me and ye - Copperjaw pointed to Keghood - will hold back the horde. Leader Tob, ye buy us time from the undead ogre, if it is still moving. Kerry and Lathander girl, ye two heal the wounded and pile 'em on the 'vators. Are we clear?"

All agreed to Copperjaw's plan. It was a clear and concise plan - exactly what they needed in the chaotic battle. 

The elevator creaked once and stopped in a well lit area, but the stench of fresh blood and the rotting of undead permeated the surrounding area. Sounds of battle, nay, struggle, could be heard deeper in the mines.

"Aight, weapons out and move forward!" Tob said, unsheathing his longsword "Roselie and Kerry, I see some wounded to the left, take care of them."

Copperjaw and Keghood quickly followed their leader, leaving the clerics behind for healing and evacuating - they have to hold the horde back for now. Copperjaw tightened the bracers around his wrists and held his weapon aloft. It was a special weapon, designed and built by his own grandfather - a switch axe. 

It was essentially two weapons fused to one - a greatsword and a battle axe, and could be altered between easily with a squeeze of the trigger thanks to the spring loaded mechanism built on the weapon itself. It was heavy, but a well placed hit could cut through the toughest of stone. 

There was blood on the stone walls, many undead bodies littered the mines filled with cuts and slashes - the guards were not amateurs. Yet Copperjaw knew an undead ogre might be too much for 3 men to handle without healing or divine support. 

"Up ahead!" Keghood announced as a dwarf ran towards them. His armor was torn apart, blood and other liquid covered his whole body.

"Please! Gery is still in there!" He moaned, his breath ragged and erratic.

"Aye! Go to the 'vators, there are clerics there to heal you. Go quick!" Keghood said and let the man through. He had been through hell, and they were heading straight towards it.

The 3 paladins reached a large room before noticing the horde was there. Multiple undead swarmed a guard dwarf - his left arm was mangled, broken and useless. He thrusted his spike ahead and pulled back with difficulty - he was exhausted. There were multiple zombies and ghouls and skeletons, some were the freshly slain miners, but no sign of the undead ogre. Another guard dwarf could be seen lying dead in a pile of coal, his face and body damaged beyond recognition. 

All three immediately ran forward into the frey as some undead had caught sight of them and started to alert others of their presence. Copperjaw let out a fierce war cry and plunged his switch axe into the skull of a ghoul, shattering it immediately with the weight. Keghood and Tob also swung their weapons wildly, slaying undead left and right. 

"'Ey ye! Run towards the vators! We will take care of these! GO NOW!" Tob yelled at the guard before grasping his holy symbol locket and whispered a word of prayer "O' mighty Tempus, grant me your strength and guide my blade through these fiendish undead!" As if his prayer was immediately heard, his body glowed a warm light under the effect of Tob's spell: Protection from Evil and Good.

Tob pounced into the horde and threw a wide haymaker, knocking several skeletons down before he crushed their skulls with his heavy stomps. Copperjaw skillfully sidestepped a ghoul and rammed the pommel into its rib - even the pommel of his weapon was sharpened into a lethal shiv. The ghoul cried out in pain before Copperjaw grabbed its head and slammed it into the blade. 

Two zombies rushed him, but he was calm. He could not retrieve his switch axe from the ghoul corpse fast enough, so he let go of the blade and pulled a metal lever on his left bracer as a mechanism sprung out two thin but sturdy metal blades, held both ends by a string - a hidden mini crossbow. 

Copperjaw loaded a bolt from his torso belt and fired seconds before the first zombie could bite him. The bolt plunged into its head, severing the skull from the cervical vertebrae as the black foul necromancy energy dripped out of its orifices, leaving it slumped and dead. The second one rushed him from the side and clawed at him, yet its fingers found no purchase on the metal plates. The zombie was a turned miner and Copperjaw skillfully pulled a dagger from his side and crammed it straight into the creature's ear. He would have gone for the neck, but he didn't want to accidentally slash the dead man's beard.

Tob jumped two steps backward, allowing Keghood to take the brunt of the horde. His left arm was covered in claw marks and bruises, his sword caked in rotten meat, blood and fat, rendering it blunt and ineffective. "Conserve your spells for now, only cast some essentials! The ogre and the undead leader are still missing!"

Tob popped a greater healing potion's cork and gulped the purple liquid down as his wound magically closed up and healed. He dodged a rushing skeleton, blocked its club attack with his shoulder pad and slammed his blade into its skull. He pushed the neutralized skeleton away before wiping his blade on a canvas covering a pile of ore, yet before he could step away, a loud explosion deafen his ears, a bright light blinded him and multiple large stones slammed into his body from the side as all the air was forcefully ejected from his lung.