Argosy of Blood, Chapter 3
Progressing cautiously through the Undercity, the group met Prospero and Bloodbeard in the tunnels of the undercity and decided to join forces. Everyone struggled their way past blood-crazed giant rats and through a secret passage under the river. At this points, the pirates decided to cut their losses and leave the tunnel to tend to Acrimonius' infected wounds. Athicus used his oil-soaked shirt to start a fire for torches. Prospero knocked down the newly built wall using sorcery, thus avoiding the haunted catacombs. Prospero pulled the retractable bridge down using sorcery, thus avoiding the pool of man-eating electric eels. Irem found the secret door leading to Lazuli Tower. Athicus VERY narrowly avoided falling into a 40'foot deep spiked pit trap and nearly dying as a result. Irem pulled him to safety by unravelling his shirt into a rope. Afterwards, Irem disarmed the trap. Soon afterwards, Prospero used sorcery to save Irem from nearly choking on poison gas when Irem failed to disarm another trap placed in the door. Irem eventually managed to disarm the trap and open the locked door. The group scaled the secret escape passage in the Lazuli tower all the way to the top. Athicus examined the rooms of the tower with an ingenious periscope system.
The group entered the bedchamber of Amen only to find a bound slave-girl. She refuses to respond to questions. Jewelry and necklaces are looted from the drawers. Papers and notes are stolen from the desk. Athicus descends to the lounge chamber below and is attacked by six concealed Shadow-Guard warriors. He retreats up-stairs. Two Shadow-Guard make it up the stairs and are met by Athicus and Hessan. Valerius pushes the heavy bureau into the stairway, blocking the path. The two Shadow-guard at the top of the stairs are quickly dispatched.
The other two Shadow-Guard scale the wall outside using climbing hooks and claws. Irem fights one dangling from his shirt-rope. He is further injured and his rope is cut, so he climbs back into the bed-chamber. The Shadow-guard follows and does battle with Prospero. The Shadow-Guard is put down with Irem's mighty bow, stumbles out the window, and falls to the courtyard below. The second Shadow-Guard warrior attaches his climbing hooks to the wall outside another window and takes shots with his bow, swinging from one side of the window to the other for different angles and better cover. He is eventually killed by Athicus and Valerius, his body hanging limply from his climbing apparatus.
The group cautiously descends to the next level, searching for the sixth Shadow-Guard, who is nowhere to be seen. The shouts of Amen's guards can be heard ascending the stairs of the tower.
To Be Continued...