Strena Quester Final Part

 The Swamp Town

It had been three days since they left the dwarf mine when they arrived at a swamp. They walked down a path and soon came to a town made of wooden and clay huts and buildings with straw rooms all without windows. The people walked to and fro, all of them pale and hollow eyes and dangerously thin. To the right was an empty tower that had bare floors and a circular thatched roof.

“Why are we here?”

“We need to get to Animéga so we need to travel on the water and taking a public ship will be too risky. So we’re going across the rivers that lead close to there.”

She nodded as they reached a doc. There was a bony man with hollow eyes and an aged look on his face. Which were brown and he had silver streaks in his hair.

“Are you the questers that we have asked for?” He asked in broken West.

“No.”

“Well, are you Questers?”

“Yes.”

“Then will you help us?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“We do not have the time for this.”

“But, if you do this, then you will have a free boat trip, food and other supplies!”

“As long as it does not take too long.”

His eyes lit up.

“Good! Good!”

“What is it, sir,?”

He looked down at Strena. His eyes widened, he looked stern for a moment as he looked at the rest. Almost like he was analyzing them.

“Hurry up with it!”

“Well we want you to retrieve something called the Raining Monkey. Which is known to have something that brings water where we pour water on it.”

“So it brings the rain?”

“Yes.”

He nodded.

“Alright. We will do it.”

“Brilliant!”

“Where is it and why is it there?”

“We had a cruel leader that took all we had and sold it all! Yet he took the Raining Monkey to his temple to stop us from going after him. He died last year and we can not find it!”

He nodded.

“Right.”

“So where was he buried?”

“In the old temple.”

He said, pointing to what looked like a mountain but, upon a closer inspection, they could see a temple that was made of stone with a coat of greenery and moss. 

He nodded.

“Then that is where we will look first!”

So they soon set off and walked by the river. They all kept an eye on the water in case snakes or crocodiles were at the river bank. They all were able to arrive before the sun rose in the noon sky. So they stopped for a quick lunch.

Once that had eaten they looked at the temple only to find that there was no door to be seen. So they all looked at the walls only to see that there was not even the appearance of an entrance! Then they came to a set of stones and checked them. Once they had reached the top and looked down. They saw a gap under a sacrificial altar.

Then Chashathrophogh looked in as Strena looked at the top of the walls.

“Spill the blood,

Enter the floor.”

That was when she looked down, already knowing that was why he was pale and why none of the town was able to get the Raining Monkey. Also it revealed just how cruel this leader of theirs was 

They all look at each other.

“Cerpheres.”

“Isn’t he the only one here that can heal?”

“We will find another one!”

“Alright!” He purred, almost disappointed. He pulled a knife and licked it. “Please, do make this interesting.”

Knowing that this would lead nowhere, Strena pulled out a knife and walked to the altar. She bit her lip and slit her hand with a stifled scream. Then the ground shook. They looked at her as the ground lowered. She kept her hand above the altar as it became lower and lower. Yet she did all that she could to keep it in place despite the feeling of getting colder. She started to sweat and her face drained of colour.

Then Cerpheres placed a hand on hers. Her hand healed as he cut his hand. Then squeezed on the blade. Then he placed his thumb at the bottom of the wound until they reached the bottom.

They all dived off the ledge. Then Zaryb picked Strena up as they looked ahead. They all looked down to see a carpet of bones. They all looked up to see the monkey at the top. It was made of sapphire with eyes made of lapse lazuli.

They all walked up to it to see that there were several bones in front of them. Yet as they approached the bones began to rise. Yet, once they reached the monkey, the bones combined. Then they looked back to see that there was a pentagram on each bone. Then it lounged upon the group. They all dived out of the way.

Then it dived at Strena as her hand touched the monkey. The next moment she felt it’s hand around her throat! She gasped out for air and she felt her head becoming lighter and lighter. Her vision became blurry and she was seeing stars as things started to become darker and darker.

Then Chashathrophogh and Zaryb hit the back as Bash and Leonardo touched the monkey. Then the skeleton dived at them. Bash pulled out her bow and fired at the pentagram in the back bone. Yet that was all that fell. Then Zaryb flicked out several tiny daggers at the other ones. Yet it still went to Leonardo. Yet Bash pulled it off and threw it to Chashathrophogh which put his foot on the monkey’s head and shot out several ice darts at the pentagram on the chestplate. Then Zaryb shot several tiny daggers at the rest of the spinal bones. Bash shot at the legs and Zaryb took out the feet bones.

Strena used the last of her stamina to charge at it and took out Orion and Darkector and used their power to take out the rest of the skeleton before she passed out.

✴️

When she woke up next Strena woke up on a brown barge. She looked out as she went to get up but she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Down girl. You lost a lot of blood. So that would not be a good idea.”

She nodded.

“What happened?”

“Well, we were able to get out but-”

Then she saw Chashathrophogh next to her. He too was pale and completely unconscious. His face was green and he was sweating.

“He and Cerpheres had to put some of their blood in you. Which covered the blood loss yet it did get to him. But don’t worry. Cerpheres was able to heal the worst of it. Still he has survived worse.”

“And?”

“Me and Bash were able to get this barge. Now we’re rowing to the next place.”

She nodded before she closed her eyes again.