Vikram kicks the dirt. It had only been a few minutes since his two companions had begun their mission but he was already lonely. A particularly kickable rock caught his eye. With a hefty slap it landed with a oddly satisfying rumble. In fact several pebbles nearby shivered as a small earthquake rustled the small clearing. Looking around, he noticed a small plume of dust rising above the ridgeline where he staged.

"It would seem that would be the signal"

    Rubbing a soft scaled charm hanging on his abdomen began the transformation. Running up the slope towards the temple he leapt and bounded off several boulders with exceptional agility. Seeing the ensuing scene his guess was correct. Two cultists, two fiends, (all of which seemed ready to fight) and a dust cloud settling around a collapsed pillar. Wait...didn't Zarius say there were three cultists? Coward must have run already. Muade was markedly tussling with a nearby burly looking culty boy.  His tiger form was imposing, a quarter ton wall of muscle began sprinting at the nearest imp.

    The fiend was luckily distracted by the fallen pillar, as it only had a moment to brace its obsidian halberd against the incoming growling missile. A solid clawstrike ripped across its chest as Vikram threw it to the ground with the impact. Poised atop the devil, ready to strike, it eked out an utterance in its struggle.

"Žᵒ𝐊Ќ𝐈ş 𝐏q𝐮𝓴𝔁"

An immense amount of heat surged from the imps skin, leaving burns on the pads of Vikrams paws. A yowl let out as he backed away, the imp regaining its footing.

Devilish mutterings were uncomfortable partner to Maude's discomforting task. Exposed stone and loose dirt served respite to his trek. Crawling as to keep out of sight was never pretty work. He was thankful that his aim wouldn't be the crux of this plan. Leaving that much to Zarius would make the pattern, if he delivered. For a very believable lie or an honest truth. Vikram would deliver either way.

The pack dragging behind him required gentle tending. It slowed the passage but there was no telling what might happen once conflict began. There was also no telling how many could be inside. The cultists were one thing but the crimson imps could be more trouble than he could handle. He was a brawler at worst and a grappler at best. Handy with a bow or crossbow but no expert. These looked to be weathered warriors with a cause and demons from realms beyond his imagining. Hopefully they had no magics of their own to wield. If he were to die here the least he could do was take a few down with him.

Reaching the opposite side of the temple, Maude drew the rope slowly to himself and recovered his belongings. He armed himself for the confrontation. A crowbar would do. Perfect lever for a flip or two. Loud crack and rumble alerted him to things proceeding with a loud following thud. The accompanying crunch made very clear how effective the makeshift projectile had been. He leapt to his feet and sprinted forward.

Sand and dust had billowed up from the crash of old stone upon sand and rock. One cultist, in a fit of coughing, fumbled for their weapon while the other shielded their mouth and nose with weapon already drawn. The imps seemed unfazed by the circumstances as they glared up to where the assault had come from. A feral growl tore out from the direction of Vikram but he'd no time to investigate as he tossed a stone at the coughing cultist's head. It knocked him from his feet and sprawled him onto the ground, momentarily choking, with a new bleeding head wound. Maude kicked at the sand beneath his feet to deliver a new plume of the fine grit onto the last cultist. What little vision they may have had was obscured for moment enough that the scout could hook crowbar beneath the shielding arms pit. Using his momentum and a sharp tug over shoulder, he sent the cultist flying overhead for a breath and a half. They collided with the ground on their back with a groaning wheeze.

Taking advantage of the two incapacitated parties he quickly placed the downed cultist into a choke with the crowbar. He pulled it tight while pressing his back against his target's. Maude would use this one as a shield against whatever the imps had in store for them. Suddenly he became very aware of a large cat beside him. One that most definitely wasn't there before the fight began. He huffed in discomfort.

"Incoming."

Zarius drops down between Vikram and the imp, having stepped off the roof without much worry about the fall from the roof.^[1] He lands heavy on his feet then quickly swings a fist into the burning hot imp.^[2] He follows the up with a boot to its jaw.^[3] The imp staggers back then cracks its jaw back into place, its burning eyes glaring at the tiefling as it spits black blood across the sand. 

"Ash-skin, you interfere in what you do not understand." It hisses in a demonic tongue. 

"My apologies, no time to talk." He replies in its native tongue before jumping forward and throws another punch at the imp. 

The imp dodges this time and bares its fangs at him. It waves its weapon in a circular motion as a burning ring of fire sprouts from the ground and entraps the tiefling and tiger man, separating them from Maude and the other imp.^[4] 

Zarius' eyes lock onto the imp as the spell is cast and he rushes forward as it brings its halberd across to cleave him.^[5] He ducks under the strike and tackles the imp to the ground as it screeches in fury. He grabs onto the imp's weapon and tries to wrestle it from its grip as they tumble across the ground and near the edge of the wall of flames. 

---

[1] Cats Grace
[2] Hands are Weapons
[3] Two Piece
[4] Ring of Fire (imp)
[5] Sworn Enemy

    Devilry! in its most literal form. The flame tongues licked at the tattered tents they encircled. Zarius and the devil twirled and fought on the ground over the hellish black halberd. Disbelief was the only thing crossing Vikrams mind in the moment. A man spoke the devils tongue, its hiss reverberating through the conflict strewn air like steam escaping a Caydanlık. Devil speaks only purpose was to consort with fiends, this mysterious man with powers ethereal was attempting to trick him.

    His tiger form faded away with an orange mist to find the turbaned man watching the tussle before him on the ground. These magical sorts always believed they had the wool over the worlds eyes, tainted tricks lay behind each word. A magician had tricked him before, and that led to his early retirement. Never again. Vikram held his sword with a strong grip and walked forward. His palms screamed at the still lingering burn from the imp now wrestling with the tiefling. The skin peeled around the hilt of the heavy blade as he dragged it towards the pair on the ground.

    The scimitar lifted high in the air the orange red of the flames reflecting in the steel of its curved blade. The smoke stung his lungs as he yelled out with a wrathful voice.

"You devil, you traitor of peace! Begone from this realm!"
   

    With that, he brought it down. All might he could muster into the strike. The Sol Stone was too important to risk wavering now.

Erupting walls of fire encircled his allies and one of the imps. Much more worrying was the burst of burning air which flushed the floating particles of sand from his vision. An infernal shout followed and purple light flashed between Maude and the remaining imp. A sharp sting shot through the crowbar as crackling blacks and purples engulfed his human shield. With a sharp inhale he quickly released them both and, with a kick, shoved the convulsing cultist into the magical flames beside them. The now grinning imp locked eyes with Maude then flicked his gaze to something behind him.

The scout dropped to a knee as the sounds of a swinging blade slashed overhead. He threw his elbow back into the gut of the second cultist, now recovered from the earlier toss. Elbow thunked ineffectually against breastplate and an uncomfortable buzz traveled up to his fingers from the impact. The cultist barked an order to whoever could still hear them and swung down with the hilt of their blade, striking Maude in the neck. The awkward hit sent blood rushing to his face and ears as he drove a shoulder into the swordsman's exposed chin. The crack of teeth smashing together unexpectedly loosed another cry from the cultist as Maude used the opportunity to place his adversary between himself and the magic slinging devil.

A cry from Vikram reminded him that he was not alone in this fight despite how he currently felt. More impish mutterings began to fill the air as the cultist swung wide to catch up with Maude's footwork. He ducked under it again and cut in with a quick jab, thudding into their left eye socket. A wild slash found purchase across his left shoulder as first blood spilled into the sleeve of his gambeson. He stole a glance at the devil to see its mutterings had halted and its claws had grown into long black knives. A grotesque cackle loosed from its lips as short legs carried it swiftly into the melee fray.

Zarius glances over his shoulder as he sees the glimmer of Vikram’s raised sword reflecting the flames raging all around them. Keeping his hold on the imp’s glaive, he quickly throws his body weight to the side and pulls the imp over on top of him with his feet planted firmly against the imp’s torso.

Vikram’s sword comes down fast and slices deep into the imp’s back and it lets out a pained shriek. Stinging black blood splatters across the ground as the human’s sword is dragged down through the fiendish creature’s back.

Zarius twists the weapon out of its loosened grip and kicks the imp back onto the ground before raising the polearm up and pinning the imp down by impaling it in the chest. The imp gurgles black ichor and flails in a mad attempt to escape, but slowly its movements become slow and labored until it stops moving. The angered burning light in its eyes fading into dull ash.

The tiefling huffs then side-eyes Vikram, keeping his guard up since he is not entirely sure if the human would have stayed his blade should he not have maneuvered the imp between them.

“Good work.” He comments simply, but keeping the man in his periphery as he scans their surroundings.

The ring of flame slowly starts to dissipate with its summoner now removed from the conflict.

    Vikrams dusty grey brow furrowed as his eyes narrowed at the dark tiefling, with a short exhale of air through his nose. Potential allies were better than certain enemies. The enemy of my enemy and all, though it would be wise to stay a keen eye on him. A devilish cackle from across the campsite took his attention back to the fight. It would seem Maude had been getting into his own kerfuffle here in camp. He saw the imp charging, obsidian claws raking the ground towards the fray. Without a hesitation Vikram fell into a heavy sprint, scimitar dragging in the sand in a similar fashion.

    Intercepting the cackling demon from his course to slash at his travelling companion, he swung his sword upwards and into the imps path. It caught the devil directly in the chest, knocking it back and sideways with the momentum of the swing. It twirled and tumbled into the sand as Vikram continued to advance towards it. The demon reached out with a pitch black claw before he arrived, pulling at the magic in the ground below Vikram to entrap the man in a prison of rock and stone. 

    Cramped, dark, and inescapable was the jail now surrounding him. Like several wedges of earth all pulled together to make a tall tent around the bearded bullish traveller. Quite the pickle to find himself in with such an important objective in the balance.

Green eyes flicked from imp to cultist as both stepped forward haltingly before the flames vanished and allies rejoined the fray. The imp leapt at the chance for more chaos while its counterpart froze. Locking eyes with Maude, the two stood still. Perhaps searching for weakness or intent. For the first time he got a good look at his adversary. Slate-brown eyes under thin black brows, olive skinned, undoubtedly masculine. Their equipment well kept. Blade gleaming held to point at their enemy.

"Killers and thieves?" He says, looking between Maude and Zarius. His voice is smooth and low. The bleeding head wound from earlier was caked with dirt. "You trade no words and offer no quarter?"

The imp collapses from Vikram's slash but quickly retaliates, capturing him in stone. It snickers at a joke none but itself knows as its otherworldly gaze sweeps across the fight for a new target.

"You think us traitors of peace before even speaking?! One cannot betray that which was never offered." The cultist snaps his fingers and steps to the side as a mirror image of himself stands where he once did. The thrum of magic enters the air as the dual swordsmen stand at the ready. "I'll return what's been given."

Zarius wastes no time in coming to Vikram’s aid. They couldn’t afford to be down a fighter now at such a crucial moment. The only thing standing between him and the turbaned man was the snickering imp. The fiend turns to face the tiefling, its pointed, bloodied teeth gleaming in the cold sunlight until it steps back into the shadows cast by the building and becomes harder to see.^[1]

The brawler runs forward regardless, keeping his sense keenly tuned on his surroundings as he gets within striking range of the stones which imprison Vikram.^[2] Just as he closes the gap, the imp reaches out with a clawed hand and rakes his poison covered claws across the thiefling’s arm.^[3]

Zarius’ attention snaps onto the imp and the burning sensation from the touch radiates a heat throughout his body. Blue light, like embers beneath his dark skin, starts to emit as the poison is burned away and the claw marks rapidly heal.^[4] A plume of smoke escapes Zarius’ lungs before he lunges forwards at the imp and slams a fist into the side of its skull, sending it back reeling and clutching its head.^[5]

Quickly, the tiefling turns his attention back on the stone around Vikram. He takes a deep breath and slams his fists into the rock surfaces, cracking them and causing them to shatter into a pile around Vikram’s feet.^[6] He reaches in and pulls the human out of the rubble before turning back to the imp. 

"Let us finish this!" He says over his shoulder to Vikram. 

---

[1] Cloak of Shadows (imp)
[2] Fighters Sense
[3] Toxic Touch (imp)
[4] Spell Drinker
[5] Stunning Blows
[6] Hands are weapons

    It was quiet in the prison. A refuge from the chaos outside, as cramped as it was. Vikram could neither move nor see, inky darkness surrounding him. Peaceful almost. Slowly, an aura light revealed itself at the periphery of his consciousness. He could feel the waves of bathing warmth washing over his mind, a prevailing sense of calm and quiet justice feeling its way into his awareness. Vikram found it difficult to describe, nor put into any context he was familiar with. 

    A reverberant impact on his stone prison awoke him from his impromptu meditation. Another, and the earthen coffin shattered irreparably, A charcoal grey hand reaching in and pulling him from the abyss. It felt as though a hundred years had passed in his entrapment, though in reality it was only approximately six seconds. As if by reflex, rearming himself with his handy dandy scimitar Vikram threw himself back into the fray.

    "So be it!" He said, dashing forward and aiming low. Momentum carried him into a slide across the sand and under a poisonous swipe of the imp. He kicked a leg out as he passed the imp, entering into a tight and rapid spin right behind the currently distracted cultists as well. Vikram lashed out with the sword as he arrested his spiral, catching both the imp and the one cultist in hamstring. The cultists both came to a knee, clutching their legs, though the imp fared significantly better. how curious.

His enemies distracted, Maude took in the sight of the wounded cultist for any discrepancies. Perfectly mirrored images. Each face scrunched into a pained grimace. White knuckled grip, tightly holding their one-handed blade. Disheveled and dirty cloak draped over a new wound for the duplicate swordsmen. Pooling beneath one, however, were the results of the slit heel. The cultist turned to swipe wildly at their new aggressor. As blade swung wide, Maude capitalized on the opening. Charging at the otherwise occupied enemy was made simple by his allies handiwork. He took advantage of his momentum and palmed the back of the cultist's head before driving it into the craggy earth with the added might of his weight. A sickening thud and crunch followed as Maude's forearm and side were painted with the man's viscera.

Standing again, he followed this up by stomping on the imp's exposed bleeding heel while hooking his arms beneath his adversary's own. His fingers interlocked behind the creature's head and he tightened his grip to set the lock on the diminutive fiend. He cast his eyes about for either ally.

"Do it!"

Suddenly the crimson skin of the monster began to emanate an awful heat. First uncomfortable on his palms and then, very quickly, searing. The stench in the air could have easily been the grime coating his off-hand melting away or his skin itself doing somewhat of the same. He let out a grunt passed gritted teeth to help him power through the pain and maintain the hold.

Zarius doesn't leave Maude waiting long. He closes in quickly and grabs the grappled imp by its horns. The heat emanating from the demon burn his hands but he ignores the pain and sharply twists its neck until the vertebrae in its neck snap audibly. The heat starts to subside as the infernal light leaves its hateful eyes and its body hangs limp in Maude's hold.

The tiefling steps back and surveys the area. They had dispatched all the cultists and the imps at this point and their bodies laid strewn across the ground. 

"Good work." He comments to the two men. They had proven their worth so far, now it was time to figure out how to get inside the sealed structure before them and retrieve the artifact. 

Scouting around the building, Zarius finds a set of stairs on the side which lead up to a gap in the wall. 

"There is another way in over here." He says quietly to the other two.

If the opening was so accessible it was possible more cultists and demons were already inside the building. Proceeding cautiously was their best bet, though with the ruckus they caused outside it was unlikely they would get the jump on anyone a second time. 

The tiefling turns invisible once more and scales the staircase before peering inside the darkened space.^[1,2] Inside, it appeared to be a large chamber with two figures near the stone slab which leads outside. One of the figures wears a cloak and has their ear pressed up against the wall as if listening for any conversation on the other side. The other figure, another imp, anxiously waits with its eyes locked on the opening where the invisible tiefling stood. Zarius backs out and around the corner so the imp's line of sight was blocked before he drops his invisibility. 

"There is another person and imp inside." He whispers to the two men. 

---

[1] Invisibility
[2] Dark Vision

"Yes, good work everyone" He sputtered, holding his knees to catch his breath for a moment. An entrance up the stairs to the left of the temple, simple enough. What was two more enemies. Vikram dissolved into mist as he assumed his kitty cat form, dashing towards the stairs and jumping into the hole. Inside was indeed two more enemies, the imp with an obsidian spear trained on the hole. It jabbed at the teeny kitty cat and missed, clinking against the rock. It cursed in its devil tongue as Vikritty cat dashed through its legs, assuming his natural form on the opposite side of the temple.

    Both of them turned to the old man, weapons ready as he stood in the golden mist, slashing his sword against the sandstone floor in a taunting fashion. The imp was the first to take the bait, charging with its spear at waist level. Vikram caught the edge of the spear shaft with his scimitar, deflecting it high and to the left, before bringing his sword back down to slash into the meat of the infernal creature.

    Recoiling in pain, it reached out its fiendish claws and screeched in devil speak, another dastardly spell. A wave of dark energy emanates from the imp as it waves its hand, crashing into Vikram and pushing him against the wall before he collapsed to the floor in immense pain. The cultist also seemed to have been caught up in this force of devilish evil, though seemed to be taking it significantly better than Vikram. As the Death Wave ended, it was apparent the cultist had some sort of magical energy surrounding him, a purple silhouette emanating about a half inch around his body.

The sounds of dark magics and scraping blades forced Maude to act. Though he'd no means of defending from these sorts of attacks, nor bypassing whatever defenses they may craft, he wasn't one to let brothers in arms face hardship alone. Bounding through the small entryway and across long forgotten rubble he crashed into the back of the cultist first. With a great heave, the purple wreathed zealot was launched into their ally as the pair tumbled into one fiendish pile. He then delivered a swift kick to the head of the cultist before they'd chance to recover.

"Get up!" Instigating the downed couple relieved the sting in his palms and shoulder slightly. Though, the momentary comfort of the action was swiftly replaced with the exact opposite. The imp now gripped tightly around Maude's ankle with its sickly black digits and sneered. The appendage darkened with a black haze and his gut immediately disagreed with the action. Seeing no other option for placement of his sick, he decided to vomit in the face of the foul creature. Let it have the results of whatever magics it'd enacted upon the scout.

"Fuck. What've you done to me." He groaned out and fell onto his back, curling in on himself in agony.

Zarius lets the two men race forward into the fray. Might as well conserve his own strength for whatever else was inside this strange temple. At least, that was what he was initially planning until Maude was brought to the ground by a spell. He sighs and re-enters the space, flipping upside down and sticking his boots to the ceiling.^[1]

Walking across the ceiling, Zarius gets above the imp and lets himself fall down onto its back as it attempts to get back on its feet. It hisses in protest until the tiefling repeatedly bashes the back of its head in with his fists.^[2] Eventually, the imp lies in a bloody pulp on the ground and the brawler steps off and checks to make sure the cultist was also down for the count.

He looks at Maude and Vikram, both badly afflicted by the attacks. There was little he could do about the magic they were subjected to, but he could help with their physical injuries. Taking some time, he gets his medical kit out and helps them treat their more superficial wounds to at the very least stave off any infections.^[3]

After that is done, he looks around the room they were in and notes the two levers on either side of the front door. He walks over and flips one of the levers and there’s a dislodging of the front stone slab as it opens wide to let daylight stream in.

“Hm.” He looks at the other lever and the other stone slab which barred them from continuing on deeper into the ruin.

“One of you want to do the honors?” He asks, gesturing to the lever.

---

[1] Spider Silk Boots
[2] Hands are Weapons
[3] Medical kit