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The woods were cold and dark as Alkali, Xander, Draggor, Serathin, and Zen quietly rode down the path. The group had been ambushed twice; once by a pack of goblins that had slated them for supper and another by a group of ravenous worgs. Zen had several of their hides rolled up on his horse as they rode until the darkness began to overcome their path. Though the moon was out the thick canopy of leaves above made travel by it next to impossible, and after several days of intense riding they all were looking for a break.

"Alkali, I can hardly see even with the torches," Draggor commented as they continued to pick their way along the path. "At this rate we may have to camp on the road itself, I think the forest is too thick to find a clearing."

The ferret only responded with a grunt as he peered ahead, looking for any sort of acceptable ground to set up camp. The demonspawn was correct as his nightmare steed began to stumble occasionally as he and Serathin took the lead. When he looked over at the hybrid his eyes were completely black save for the glowing green of his irises as he used the powers of the shadow to see in the dark. "I really don't like the thought of being on the road with King Pandez on our tails," Alkali commented. "Any fire we light on this road is going to be a beacon for anyone traveling on it, and I'd rather not attract any attention at all, whether from monsters or our pursuers."

"Maybe if we didn't have to stay in that city so long waiting for you to create items for us to control the lycanthropes we would have more of a lead," the barbarian in the back spoke up. "Just sayin'."

"Oh don't give me that, you liked being in control," Alkali shot back. It had been true, though, that they had spent longer than they should have in the city, but after the blackguard necromancer had taken the alpha werewolf's soul it was either create the enchantments to subdue the otherwise rabid pack of lycans or just leave and have the city descend into complete chaos as they slaughtered everyone. Plus he had to make an additional charm for their recently cursed party member, Serathin's fingers still playing with the magically-imbued werewolf fang around his neck as his free hand pointed ahead.

What the draconic sabrewolf found was a decent-sized clearing only a few feet off the beaten path, everyone breathing a sigh of relief as they were able to finally rest for the night. Once everyone had gotten set up and a fire to chase the chill of the night away they allowed themselves to relax for the first time since they entered the woods. Once everyone had eaten they had all set about to their various tasks; Draggor continued to study the map of Ka'Le while Alkali and Xander continued to tinker with the soul shard containing the alpha werewolf's soul and Zen and Serathin played cards while betting with a small pile of gold on each of their sides.

"So tell me ferret," the fox asked once he had lost to the rogue once more. "Now that we are within reach of the power of Ka'Le, do you care to share what you plan to do with such a thing?" Alkali and Xander both stopped their discussion and even Draggor looked up from the map. "Did you not think I wouldn't find it strange that a necromancer such as yourself would look for something that is all about life and nature?"

"First of all, I'm a former necromancer," Alkali attempted to clarify, though the small chorus of muttering and groans caused the ferret to pause before continuing on. "Anyway... the power of Ka'Le is something that needs to be destroyed, the world was fine when it was gone and it'll be fine once it's gone again."

"Seems a bit harsh if you ask me," Draggor spoke up. "Magic is magic, whether it's primal, entropic, demonic, draconic, or anything else. Just because it happens to be a type you don't like doesn't mean it should be destroyed, since you are a former necromancer and such."

"I actually agree with Alkali on this one," Xander rebutted. "There's already been one kinda culty druid group that we've come across that wants the power for themselves, who's to say there aren't more? And sure if King Pandez got it then he would probably use it to make the kingdom flourish, but how long would it be until our neighbors grow jealous of it and want to take it for their own, probably darker, uses? We've all heard of wars that were waged for less, it's best to just get rid of it and the temptation it brings."

Serathin scoffed and looked up at Xander with a small smirk. "I didn't realize we were doing this in order to help the king out," he said. "I'm sure he'll give us all a big hug and a medal after he catches up with us once we destroy it, definitely not take us back to the capital and have us all hanging from his balcony once he's done with us."

"So why are you here then, thief?" Draggor asked.

"Because I don't do half-measures," Serathin replied with a shrug. "If I'm in for a copper then I'm in for a platinum, plus I really am curious to see what's going to happen here... and ancient cities tend to have valuables that their previous owners would no longer lay claim to." There were a number of snickers as the rest of the group called him out on his motive, which only caused the sabrewolf to smirk and roll his eyes. "Given my newly acquired condition I need all the help I can get, too, and Zen here is an expert on such things."

"How about you then, Zen?" Alkali said as he looked at the barbarian. "Why are you here still?" Just as the fox opened his mouth Alkali quickly pointed a finger at him to interrupt. "And don't just say because you're a barbarian and you go where you want."

Zen's muzzle opened and closed a few times in response, then after a few second of contemplation finally looked down at the campfire. "My tribe lived next to the sea in the south," he said after a long sigh. "They all knew that I had this monster inside of me, and though they tried to help I ended up just wandering off on my own, eventually becoming a hunter. One day when I came back after a very long journey I found the whole tribe gone without a trace, I looked everywhere and the only thing I came up with was an artifact that our village chief had to mark him as such. I didn't know much about it except that it concerned Ka'Le and went to the capital to try and find out about it, which is where I ran into Serathin who agreed to help me out in exchange for my help to him."

There was a little more idle chatter before the group decided to turn in for the night, Alkali and Xander taking the first shift on watch as the rest of the group slept. Eventually everyone took their shift with Draggor and Zen on the last watch, the dark forest eventually becoming illuminated once more. As the other three woke up when the light of the sun streamed through the canopy they found the demon and fox a few steps outside of the encampment looking down at the ground. The others went up to them and saw what piqued their interest, half a dozen tracks freshly made in the mud just outside the light of their campfire.

"Looks like lizardfolk," Zen commented as they looked around at the surrounding area. "This must be their home territory or close to it, no way this many of them could have gotten here without us knowing unless this is their turf. Guess they were interested more in what we were doing than attacking us, which is a good thing."

"Perhaps we should follow them," Xander suggested. "If they do know this area then they might have a better way through this forest, like with the huscoons in the mountains."

"As long as we don't have to do another puzzle room," Zen remarked. Everyone went back to their campsite and, after a check to make sure nothing was taken during the night, walked their horses as best they could through the thick underbrush while the barbarian followed the tracks. Though the travel was slow the fox insisted that they were making good time, though it was hard to tell when the sun was almost completely blocked out overhead.

As they moved further into the forest the chill that had surrounded them throughout the night continued to persist as they moved. All five felt slight unease from their surroundings, looking around even when nothing was there. The chill eventually turned to a light fog that blew through the thick tree trunks, forming eddies and swirls in the air as the barbarian kept his nose to the ground. More than once they wondered if straying off the path was the right idea but continued forward anyway, at least until the barbarian quickly motioned for them to stop.

"What's the matter?" Alkali asked. "Lost them?"

"Nope," Zen replied as he put his hands into the air. "Found them."

When the rest of the party realized what the fox was insinuating they sighed and also raised their hands up. The bushes around them rustled as several olive and forest green-scaled creatures rose up with their weapons drawn. It quickly became clear that they were surrounded, the five of them falling back into a tight circle as they continued to circle them. Though their spears were pointed at them they didn't make a move to attack, they merely stood there as though waiting for something.

"Nice job seeing this trap, Serathin," Draggor muttered as the stand-off continued.

"For the last time, this type of situation is not a trap," Serathin replied between clenched teeth. "This is an ambush, they are two completely different things!"

The hybrid raising his voice caused the lizardfolk to jump slightly and their spears twitched forward in their direction, causing the five adventurers to hold their hands up even higher. All of them tried to communicate with the reptilian men to ask them what they wanted, but none responded to their inquiries as they continued to hold their position. Alkali stepped forward slightly and tried to communicate non-verbally, but as soon as he moved towards them they quickly responded by gesturing with their spears to move back once again. The ferret shrugged and began to think about what sort of spell he could cast to help get them out of this situation when a voice called out from beyond the forest line.

"I wondered where half the village had run off to," the cloaked figure said as he walked towards them, the lizardfolk waving and hissing at them before it made similar sounds back at them. "I take it none of you speak the tongue of the wild folk, do you?"

The rest of the group looked at Zen, who frowned and shook his finger at them. "Not all barbarians are wild, ravaging people who only interact with the other wild tribes of the world." When they all continued to stare at him the fox's frown deepened and he crossed his arms. "I only know a little and haven't spoke it in a long time."

"Well I'm glad at least someone here does," Alkali stated as he gestured to the cloaked creature. "Can you please tell them that we mean them no harm or something like that so we can put our hands down? My arms are starting to get tired."

The mysterious figure turned towards the group of lizardfolk and once again made several strange hissing and growling noises, which appeared to do the trick as they lowered their spears and the tenseness of the situation left them. "I have to apologize for my friends here," he said as he pulled down his cloak, revealing the face of a male tiger with a grin on his muzzle. "Life has been very tough of them ever since the rift opened in the ruins of the city they used to call their home, and given the nature of the threat they often call upon me to see if something is real or not. My name is Nizzbit by the way, a monk of the Crystalline Gaze."

Once everyone introduced themselves they began to ask the tiger about what's going on, only to have him stop them and suggest they continue their conversation elsewhere. The others agreed and their former attackers became their escorts as they were led through the forest. It wasn't long before the thick brambles and bushes they had been fighting with most of the day gave way to an open forest floor, the trees growing even larger the further in they traveled. Finally they reached the settlement of the lizardfolk, though they didn't need Nizzbit to tell them that it had been created with great haste.

The monk led the rest of the group to a large tent with an aqua blue eye decal painted on it, Xander informing them that it was the mark of the order their guide belonged to as they filed in. "So I know you five have a lot of questions but I have one of my own first," the tiger said as they all took a seat. "I can tell you all have traveled rather far to end up in my neck of the woods, what has brought you here in the first place?"

"It's a rather long story," Xander admitted, taking the lead for their group on the conversation. "Needless to say our travels have brought us here to your village and will continue onwards further into the hills that surround this forest."

"Well this isn't really my village," Nizzbit replied with a laugh. "I am here because of the trouble that the wildfolk tribes have been having in this area. If the path to your destination is truly further into the hills then I'm afraid you might be out of luck, that is where this tribe came from and they just escaped that area with their lives, as you can see."

"Yes, you mentioned something about a rift," Xander continued. "What happened?"

The tiger sighed and sat back in his chair. "I had traveled to this place in order to help the wild tribes of this region with some problems they've been having with their crop yield management," he explained while everyone else sat and listened. "This particular group of lizardmen had settled themselves in the ruins of an ancient city. I was helping get all their affairs in order and getting things done on time when suddenly this tear in the planes gets ripped open, at first I thought it was just a small rift that accidently formed, but soon some of the tribe began to go insane. Before anyone could get a handle on what was happening nightmarish creatures started to appear from the rift and started to attack people."

"Sounds like an Aberration gate," Draggor commented.

"Whatever it was the villagers hardly had time to pack up and evacuate the city they had called home for so many years," Nizzbit continued. "This was several days ago and these people are scared to death, especially after the madness they saw on leaving. Many of their tribemates didn't make it out, and those that went to scout the area never return."

"If this is an Aberration gate then the problem doesn't just stop here," Draggor explained. "If it's not dealt with then it's going to keep spreading as whatever madness that caused it grows more acclimated to this plane. Soon this whole area is just going to be infested by them, which means that if we want to get to where we need to go, we either go now or turn back."

"We can't just go around it?" Zen asked.

"These things spread pretty quick," Draggor replied as he shook his head. "The time spent going around it just gives it a chance to grow bigger and would probably outpace us."

"Nizzbit, could we have a chance to discuss among ourselves for a second?" Xander asked, the tiger nodding and stepping outside before the dragon continued. "We're between a rock and a hard place guys, no doubt King Pandez is hot on our trails after our little werewolf detour, even with the deal we made. If we turn back now then we may as well give ourselves up."

"You know... that may not be a bad thing," Alkali mused, the others all turned to look at the ferret as he stroked his chin. "I remember when I was still welcomed in the Arcanum Library that they typically call the destruction around Aberration gates as madness storms with the gate being the eye of it. Now like any storm if we could push through it to the other side then suddenly we have a very good blockade between us and them, King Pandez would never allow something like this to fester in his kingdom, and by the time he took care of it we'd be to Ka'Le and back."

"Traversing a madness storm is no easy task," Draggor responded. "A regular storm you have to deal with the elements. A madness storm is spectral creatures, hallucinations, and other incorporeal threats. I may have a few spells to help protect us from the brunt of it, but there's a lot that can go wrong here."

"Well, what does everyone think?" Alkali asked to the group. "Do we try to continue forward and push past the threat, or do we wait here and give ourselves up to King Pandez when he inevitably arrives?"

The others looked at one another, no one speaking up as they scratched their heads or otherwise stalled for time. "Look, you know I'm with you," Xander finally spoke up. "If you're doing this then so am I."

"I suppose this may be better than being caught by the royal guard," Draggor followed.

"In my opinion I think this is a very dumb idea," Serathin stated as he crossed his arms. "But it's no dumber than the other dumb ideas we've done so far, so why not? Let's see where this rabbit hole takes us. Zen?"

"Are you kidding?" Zen replied with a grin. "I'm not going to stay behind and miss out on all the fun."

Once everyone was on board with the idea they began to plan their trip, bringing in Nizzbit to get a lay of the land between them and the rift. With Ka'Le so close it was easy for Draggor to finish the map and plot a course, one that took them directly through the city that the monk had warned now crawled with all sorts of terrifying creatures. Once they were done with that they asked if they could spend the night with the tribe so their warlock could research the spells they needed, a proposition they thankfully accepted. When they told the lizardfolk what they were about to do many of them said they were insane, but before they went to bed they were approached by three of them that offered their assistance to help.

The five awoke the next morning to a dreary, overcast sky, as though the weather itself knew what they were about to do as they packed up their gear. They said goodbye to Nizzbit, who wished them well on their journey, and then began the hike further into the wilderness. The three lizardfolk that accompanied them immediately proved to be a boon as they took the lead and guided them through the woods. It wasn't long before the sounds that normally filled the atmosphere disappeared, which left only silence as they wearily pushed forward while on their guard.

A few hours into their travels the lizardfolk told them they were getting close to the city now, and the group could feel it. The air around them had a chill to it that wasn't there before and more than once their heads snapped around to catch something they thought they saw out of the corner of their eye, only to see nothing there. Their guides also grew more anxious as well, though for the lizardfolk they had seen what horrors lurked beyond the veil. As they continued to press forward a fog began to settle on all of them which only added to their paranoia while they walked.

Suddenly Serathin let out a cry and jumped back, nearly running to Zen as something shifted in the mists in front of him. Everyone immediately stopped and drew their weapons, the two lizardmen moving a few more feet before they pulled out their spears as well. For a few seconds everything there was completely still, and then the mist moved once again with something that floated in it that everyone immediately turned to face. Draggor whispered something in the arcane tongue, then raised his palm in the air and everything shimmered with a prismatic light, including the transparent creature that hovered around them that looked like a jellyfish mixed with a bird that had four glowing eyes.

"A Druul," Draggor whispered. "It's a parasitic aberration, one that possesses people and turns them into crazed monsters. If it doesn't have a meat puppet, though, it's harmless."

"Harmless except for that whole possessing thing," Zen muttered as he eyed up the creature.

"Relax," Draggor replied. "I warded us from such things back at the camp, if it even tried to do that to us it would likely destroy itself before it could chew through my magic."

"Thanks for that," Xander said with a slight sigh of relief. "You remembered to get the lizardfolk too, right?"

There was a momentary pause and everyone turned to Draggor, whose face was twisted in realization as his head turned towards the two lizardfolk that were still on their guard. Almost as if it could sense the warlock's error the Druul floated away from them and towards the unprotected men, ignoring the spears they swung at it as it darted forward. Once it was close enough the creature took its spectral tentacles and impaled them into the lizardfolk's chest, the warrior's eyes open wide in both shock and horror as the aberration lowered itself into and disappeared inside his scaled chest. The other lizardfolk looked at his friend in concern as their body nearly fell forward once the monster vanished completely.

"He... could still be alright," Draggor mentioned just before the possessed lizardfolk's entire body convulsed and arched back, his eyes rolling back into his head as the flesh in his chest began to swell. In a matter of seconds a giant blood red eye opened in the middle of the lizardfolk's chest, the sound of bones and muscle could be heard snapping as they could see multiple snake-like objects slither just underneath the reptilian man's skin. Another alien eye appeared in the middle of the lizardfolk's forehead as well as his original eyes turning completely corrupted, as well as a thick, blue ooze that began to leak from his muzzle.

The other lizardfolk ran forward in a desperate and ill-thought out attempt to rescue his friend, only for one of the possessed creature's arm to shoot up and stab in the throat with long, thick claws that had grown out of his bloody hands. The second lizardfolk gurgled as he was suspended in the air, then went limp. It didn't stay that way for long, though, as the body was dropped to the ground it began to convulse as well, then slowly rise up as several bright blue tentacles pushed their way out of the former lizardman's mouth and flailed in the air. The two transformed creatures immediately turned their attention to the five others, their possessed bodies pushed forward by the creature that inhabited them.

Before the could get too close the monstrous lizardfolk with the eyes suddenly stumbled backwards as it screeched in pain, a black dagger sunk square into the one on his chest. It was quickly joined by a second, then a third from Serathin as he formed them from the shadows. At the same time Alkali pointed his sword and it lit up with a green light that shot out at the second creature, limbs writhing from the effect of the necromantic magic inflicted upon it. Despite being critically injured and weakened they continued to run forward, their bestial claws outstretched towards them until they suddenly caught fire only a few feet away from them. Draggor's hand remained outstretched until the two bodies stopped twitching, he and the others looking down at the mutated remains of their lizardfolk guides.

"Alright, so if the tribe asks we were heading to the city and they wandered off and we never saw them again, got it?" Xander explained, everyone else nodded and stated agreement before they moved on. As they moved forward they saw several more Druul flutter around, but thanks to the demonspawn's protections they either didn't notice them or didn't care since they were immune to their attacks. The scenery also had begun to warp around them as well, trees bent in unnatural angles or shrubs with many different hues that weren't found in nature. All the animals that had been in the area likely had fled, Draggor explained, which meant they would not be a problem as they ventured deeper into the madness storm.

Finally the five made it to the outskirts of the city, the group able to see the ancient stonework set against the unnatural purple and green hues of the sky as they came up over one of the hills. "I don't believe it," Xander said as he pulled out a spyglass to examine it better. "I think that's Alahar."

"Alahar?" Zen said in question. "You know that pile of rubble?"

"Well, stories of it," Xander said as he put the glass away. "Back in ancient times this kingdom had pushed all the way to the other side of the mountains, a border that while we still claim, we don't really defend much. In any case, a war broke out between the kingdom and a number of barbarian tribes that had taken residence up in the peaks. Now before the armies had a chance to mobilize the united tribes pushed their way deep into the kingdom, including sacking the city of Alahar. It's said; however, that a group of mages managed to keep the barbarian tribes at bay for nearly a month before they were finally overrun and Alahar was sacked for its provisions, which gave the kingdom armies enough time to mobilize and turn the tide of the war."

"Amazing," Serathin stated as he peered down. "But if that's true then why didn't our kingdom take Alahar back once they pushed the tribes out?"

"The city was probably a total loss at that point," Xander said with a shrug. "Plus the kingdom probably learned its lesson about spreading out so far and condensed their cities to be more easily protected. Eventually the location of the city became lost to the wilderness, and to think a tribe of lizardfolk had found their way into it after all those years."

"I'm more concerned about what's currently occupying it," Alkali said. "What's the chance we're going to run into more nightmare fuel when we get there?"

"Very likely," Draggor replied with a sigh. "Even in this early stage I can guess that aberrations besides the Druul are able to manifest themselves down there without the need of meat puppets, though if what the tribe said was true and they suffered heavy casualties, then there's plenty of them walking around, too."

"And no way we can go around?" Alkali asked.

"Not if the tales of Alahar are true," Xander spoke up. "The whole reason the mages were able to effectively defend the entire city is because it's built in the only flat area that doesn't descend further down into the surrounding valley, and no doubt impassable terrain."

"That's fine, I didn't need to sleep anymore in this lifetime, anyway," Alkali sighed as he pulled out his blade. "Let's go."

The five continued down the overgrown road to the city gates, attempting not to alert anything that may lurk nearby. With his ability to jump through the shadows Serathin hopped up to several of the taller trees and scouted for the rest, more than once quickly alerting them to stop as a much larger spectral creatures passed them by. The game of cat and mouse continued until they reached the city gates that were thankfully open. When they looked inside; however, any optimism they had that they could sneak their way through was completely crushed.

At least a dozen Druul-infested lizardmen continued to walk about the city, their multiple glowing eyes looking around as they stepped over the carcasses of those they had killed. They weren't the only creatures that were around either, as they watched they saw physical manifestations of creatures that appeared to be born out of pure insanity. Monsters that couldn't possibly exist in real life lumbered around, from troll-like giants with all manner of limbs and deformities to spindly spider-like creatures that skittered around the ground searching for prey. The entire courtyard was so infested that they were practically bumping into one another, which caused the group to pause and retreat back into a guard house that appeared to be secure.

"I think I may have found the one place I can't go," Zen admitted once they were sure they were safe.

"Well there's no way we can fight through that," Alkali sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "Any possibilities of a magical solution?"

"Even if we could, teleporting will more than likely get us sucked into the rift," Draggor said. "The only other thing I can think of is a mass banishment spell, but I don't have the means nor the capability to cast something like that. How about you?"

Alkali shook his head and Xander shrugged his shoulders. "I have an ability to banish creatures not of this plane, but the range is only those who can hear me," the dragon explained. "Even if I did get it off, not only does that only barely make a dent in our problem, but everything else in the area is going to know where we are."

"I think once we get to the buildings themselves we could have a much better chance of sneaking through, it's just the courtyard that's the problem," Serathin said. "If there was some means of creating a large enough distraction that it would pull all the creatures away, then we could make a run for the nearest house and sneak our way through the alleys. The problem is no matter which way we run it you're looking at a couple of minutes of being exposed, which means it has to be one huge distraction that can't originate from us."

As everyone looked down and thought about it a grin began to form on the ferret's muzzle, his face growing more excited as he clapped his hands together. "I have an idea," he said gleefully. "I know exactly what we can do to cause a remote distraction, and best of all it'll probably last longer than we need it to!"

The others looked at each other wearily as Alkali stood up and rushed outside, the rest of them following suit as he returned to their previous perch just outside the entrance to the courtyard. It didn't take them long to realize what the necromancer was so excited about as they looked out once again at the number of dead bodies scattered about. Since they had already died the Druul had no way to possess them, which meant they were ideal candidates for the ferret's magic. After Alkali took a count of the number of corpses on the field he told everyone else to step back before he took his sword out and concentrated on it, the green energy intensifying as glowing runes appeared on the blade from hilt to tip before he took it and stabbed it down into the ground.

The dirt beneath them shook and all the aberrations stopped dead in their tracks as they felt the sudden surge of magic. Before any of the creatures had a chance to try and investigate the cause, the bodies that littered the courtyard suddenly began to shift and twitch. Their eyes glowed with an unearthly green as they slowly shambled to their feet, but as they did so their bodies began to grow even bigger. The magic that reanimated their dead limbs also caused them to swell with new strength, the claws on their fingers growing longer just like the teeth that grew into deadly, jagged fangs. By the time they had gotten to their full height the zombies had grown by several feet and hundreds of pounds of muscle before they leapt forward with animalistic fury.

As the battle broke out between the aberrations and the zombies everyone just looked at Alkali, who couldn't help but giggle to himself as he watched his creations begin to tear into the other creatures. "Really Alkali," Draggor chastised. "You took the alpha soul you stole and used it to make... werewolf zombies?"

"Is it not super effective though?!" Alkali gushed. "Look at them! I'm so happy I could cry!"

"Cry later, we got to go!" Zen shouted as he ran through the entrance, Serathin and Xander hot on his tail with Alkali and Draggor right behind them. It appeared for the time being their distraction was a success, not only did every creature in the courtyard get drawn into the fight between them and the zombies, but the augmented undead had held their own against the scores of aberrations that fought them. By the time the five reached the husk of a building that one of the lizardfolk had used as a shop; however, most of the undead had been dismembered, eventually getting finished off as they moved their way through the alley between the destroyed buildings.

Despite the effectiveness of Alkali's zombie attack it seemed to put the rest of the monsters on high alert, which made it more difficult for them to travel through the ruined city. More than once they had to double back due to a particularly large creature that blocked the way, or because it opened into a large space that would have left them exposed. Nearly an hour passed before they even got to the halfway point, and by that time the sun had started to set which would only increase their danger. When they reached the middle of the city, though, they had a bigger problem, which came in the form of the main street that essentially cut through the entire town that they had to cross while completely out in the open.

As they quietly debated where to go next Xander stared at one building in particular, a large one that seemed to be almost completely intact despite everything else crumbling around it. The fact it was so important made the bard wonder and he scoured his mental archives of information on Alahar to try and identify it. The name of the building was on the tip of his tongue but the voices of the others kept interrupting his process, he quickly turned to the others and told them to shut up for a second before he turned back towards it. While the others stopped and stared at him Xander finally got the epiphany he needed and told them all to head towards that building.

Everyone pushed their way forward as best they could, but with as many creatures that wandered in the streets it wasn't long before they were spotted by a Druul-infested lizardfolk. Before it had a chance to charge them Draggor shot a beam of fire at it, which quickly immolated it before it got close to them. The discharge of magic and screech the Druul let out drew the attention of more and they found themselves running for their lives for the heavy wooden door of the huge building. When Xander got there he found it open enough for him to get his fingers in the crack and swing it the rest of the way to allow everyone else in. The last to enter was Zen, who punted one of the smaller creatures across the road before he pivoted inside and slammed the door shut with his impressive strength.

"Well this isn't good!" Zen shouted as he held the doors shut until Serathin grabbed a broken piece of wood support and helped him wedge it in. "I know we had to keep going, but what in all the planes got into the dragon to cause him to suicide sprint like that?"

Xander gave a look at the fox and then back up at the vaulted ceiling of the huge stone building. "I remember what this building was called," he said as he quickly stepped inside, his feet softly echoing as they hit the marble floor beneath him. "It was called the Hall of Voices, it was where they would gather the people to give city-wide decrees and news to everyone. If the legends are true then we just have to find the right spot..."

A loud crash down one of the hallways caused everyone to get into a ready stance, Alkali running forward with his sword drawn. "Well wherever it is find it fast!" he shouted as he took his sword and skewered the aberration that had gotten through another doorway. "We aren't going to hold out long in a place like this! Everyone else try and secure the area as best you can!"

While everyone else spread out and barricaded and closed doors as best they could Xander continued to move through the hall. His ears twitched as he listened carefully to the echoes that his feet made, then when that wasn't good enough he began to sing a single note out loud. The rest of the group continued to look at the dragon in question as he kept moving back and forth, his pitch rose and lowered with his steps as he moved further into the large pavilion. As he passed by Alkali and Zen they managed to secure one of the doors, only to hear another one get smashed open further down the hall.

"They're breaching the north wing!" Serathin shouted.

"Not if I can help it!" Draggor shouted back as he ran up to where the aberrations charged forward and created a heavy wall of fire between them. "Keep helping Xander, I'll make sure none of these abominations get to him!"

The hybrid saluted him and ran deeper into the hall just in time to see several of the aberrations fly down, their entire forms nothing more than shriveled heads with wings where their ears were. "We got fliers coming in from the ceiling!" Serathin shouted as he threw his shadow daggers at them, one of them screeching before they fell to the floor behind Alkali and Zen who were tag teaming an amorphous blob of a creature that had squeezed its way in through the broken door. Everyone began to fall back from the entrances as more of the creatures managed to push their way through into the Hall.

Finally Xander found what he was looking for; an echo of his voice that he clearly heard. When he continued to move forward and heard where the direction was coming from he soon realized that what he was looking for would be found at a large, slightly decayed column underneath a huge dome. "Of course it would be up there..." the dragon grumbled as he rubbed his head before he looked back at the others. "Serathin, do you think you can jump up there and help me get up?"

Serathin looked at the pedestal, then up at the ceiling. As two fliers dive bombed the hybrid he dived into one of the nearby shadows, reappearing in the darkness of one of the slightly fallen arches that adorned the roof. As he started to fall down towards the pedestal; however, the shadows formed dark tentacles that wrapped around the rogue as he did. He let out a shout as it tried to pull him back into the darkness, as he was brought upwards he took out his purple-tinged blades and slashed them to pieces to allow him to fall again.

The draconic sabrewolf hit the stone platform with a loud thud as the eldritch shadow fell around him. Once he managed to catch his breath Serathin anchored the rope to the column before he dived back down to join in the fray once again. Xander grabbed it and began to pull himself up, though more than once he was almost stopped as one of the flying abominations streaked by him. One even managed to draw blood and almost caused him to fall, but he managed to brace himself against the stonework with his feet until he could get his other hand back on the rope once again.

"You need to get your scaled butt up there soon!" Alkali shouted as he slashed two of the tentacled possessed lizardfolk, then used his sword to suck the life force out of them to fuel his magic to dessicate three more. "We're getting pinned down here and there's more coming!"

The ferret and the others had their backs against the pillar as Xander finally made it to the top of the pedestal. When he looked around he saw that the different halls that connected to the main room were actually stylized into the maw of giant ancient creatures like the feral dragon of his ancestors. It was a fitting tribute, but as he was nearly knocked back by a bone spur shot by one of the aberrations that had been quickly dispatched by Draggor's magic. Xander took a deep breath to steady his nerves and then proceeded to unleash his most powerful and devastating attack.

"Hark and let me tell you a tale," Xander said loudly, his voice reverberated through the grant building and the architecture served to carry it even further. "It's a story old as time, yet so unbelievable that you won't believe your ears that you heard such stunning words. Prepare yourselves for such highs and lows of of elation and devastation that you'll wonder how it all managed to happen from the humble start of a rabbit, three chickens, and someone who wasn't paying attention when they were baking bread..."

The story that the bard weaved caused the battle to stop dead in its tracks as the abominations all looked up to the dragon as he weaved his story. The other members of his group just looked around impressed and in confusion as the horrors from beyond the abyss focused completely on the blue-scaled dragon. Those with actual identifiable facial traits could actually be seen with tears in their eyes, Zen glancing back and forth uncomfortably between two Druul-possessed Lizardmen began to openingly cry. Xander's oration also began to have a profound effect on the creatures as they began to disappear from their plane of existence, as well.

When Xander finally finished his magic had done its work, and the ancient structure carried that banishment spell throughout the city. Even the rift itself was no match for the release of power as the infested city was cleansed completely. When he was finished Xander collapsed, sliding off of the pillar and falling towards the ground. Fortunately Alkali foresaw the dragon's power drain was there to catch him in his arms as the others looked around in shock.

"So... it's over?" Zen asked as the creatures he had been fighting had dissolved before his eyes while the others nodded their head. "Why didn't we just do that in the first place?"

"Well he said his ability only worked on those who could hear him," Draggor replied. "Here everyone can, it even overwhelmed the rift itself." The demon walked over to where the rift had been he bent down and picked up a stone that looked like it had the night sky trapped within it. "A rift stone..."

"Did Xander create that when he closed it?" Serathin asked.

"No... no this was what caused the rift in the first place," Draggor informed them as he rolled the magical artifact in his hands. "This planar tear was not natural, someone created it for something... whatever it was, though, it must have been something important to unleash such a nefarious plague here."

"At least the lizardfolk will get their city back," Zen pointed out. "Should we go back and tell them it's safe now?"

"Not a chance," Alkali said, summoning his horse and putting the unconscious dragon on the back of it. "With this city as a marker it means that we're only a few days away from Ka'Le, and nothing is going to stop us from getting there now."