Days of the Scorching Sun 4/5

 

The Rescue of Kaz

As the adventurers rested momentarily in the shade of a fractured dune, an envoy from Sobek’s floating palace appeared, bearing grim tidings. Kaz, their captured comrade, was shackled to a makeshift execution platform. Cultists of Set had begun a ritual to sacrifice him and fuel the growing power of their curse. Without hesitation, the adventurers mounted their flying carpets—gifts from Sobek’s emissary—and soared toward the execution site.

The scene was harrowing. Kaz, battered and bound, stood defiant even as the executioner raised a gleaming axe. Surrounding him were chanting cultists, their voices rising to a fever pitch as a venomous cobra slithered at their feet. The adventurers struck with precision and fury. Arrows flew, spells crackled, and blades danced. The cultists fought to the death, but the adventurers proved their equal. Laurence cut through the executioner’s dark devotion, while Kali’s magic neutralized the serpents that guarded Kaz’s chains.

With the final blow, Kaz was freed, but his strength was nearly spent. Nearby, a chest held his confiscated gear, protected by a dark magical trap. Kali deftly disarmed the trap, returning Kaz’s armor and weapons to him. Though victorious, the group was reminded of their mortal limits as they trudged forward into the relentless heat.

The Dying Caravan

Hours later, the adventurers stumbled upon a heart-wrenching sight. A caravan of merchants, their wagons shattered and their camels collapsed in the sand, lay dying under the unrelenting sun. The merchants begged for aid, their parched voices cracking. Their cargo of rare silks and spices meant little when weighed against their lives.

The adventurers faced a difficult choice. Their own supplies were dwindling, and assisting the merchants would delay their progress toward the Statuette of Shar. Still, they could not ignore the suffering before them. Sharing his limited resources, Laurence shared his water. A pack of jackalweres were stalking the merchants and the adventurers volunteered to dispatch them.

The battle was brutal. The jackalweres’ hypnotic gazes threatened to incapacitate the group. Kaz, reinvigorated after his ordeal, cleaved through their ranks with unrelenting strength. As the last jackalwere fell, the merchants offered the adventurers weapons an adamantine blessing—gift of profound value for what lay ahead.

The Suspended Garden

The journey continued into the shimmering dunes, where reality itself seemed to waver. Before them rose an awe-inspiring sight: a magical, suspended garden spiraling into the sky, its crystal steps glowing faintly under the endless sunlight. The adventurers began their ascent, each step an act of defiance against the laws of nature.

Vultures sent by Set swooped down, their talons raking at the adventurers as they tried to tip them from the steps. Riding the enchanted flying carpets, the adventurers distanced the vultures and raced to the top of the suspended garden.

At the apex of the garden stood the Statuette of Shar, glowing faintly with shadowy light. However, its resting place was not unguarded. A stone gargoyle, imbued with Set’s dark magic, leapt to life as the adventurers approached.

The battle was intense. The gargoyle’s stone skin resisted most attacks, and its claws tore through the adventurers’ defenses. However, with their adamantine blessed weapons and clever teamwork, they chipped away at the creature’s defenses. Laurence’s unyielding axe and Anton unbreakable resolve turned the tide, while Camroan’s divine magic kept the group on their feet.

As the final blow shattered the gargoyle, the Statuette of Shar was freed from its bindings. A cool breeze swept through the temple, healing the adventurers’ wounds and lifting their spirits. The sun, dipped ever so slightly toward the horizon.

Yet the adventurers journey was not over yet. The curse of Set is still taking lives through the desert kingdom of Calimshan. Abu chattered nervously as they prepared for what lay ahead. Will the curse of Set finally be broken, or will the desert claim them as it has claimed so many before? Only time will tell.