The Start of Chapter II

"A cult?" The young elf leaned forward, taking an apple from the pile. Dried fruit was tonight's dinner, a gift from Dustin to his new friends, bought with what little you could call saving he had on his person. Druids were not exactly known for their love of wealth or material goods, and he was no exception.

"Yes, a cult of evil and malice! I will wipe them from the face of the Earth for what they have done to the innocent!" Amy took an aggressive bite out of a dried pear. The barbarian could feel a cloud over her group; a sadness that seemed permeate through the group anytime they were reminded what had set them forth on their travels.

That night had stained the memories of the group with a ghastly yellow tint. The sign was hard to forget, and what Asfour had told them even more haunting; the idea that they may be cursed to bring about something so horrible as Hastur himself. Even with the owl's words of comfort that the curse may not be of any real threat and that the cult goers were likely not a big deal in the scheme of things, what they had done to Mr. Sam made the team all more than cautious to their possible dangers; it made the group angry.

"If you think a cult and some weak God is going to take away my will, then they don't know I serve the greatest God to ever walk the...whatever it is God's walk, you know?" Rafa looked at Dustin with a confidence that made the young druid proud to call this new group home. When the archdruid had told him that they likely could not send agents of the order to assist the young band of adventurers, he had pleaded for some way for the order to show them support. After all, without them a powerful undead would still be on the loose.

Heroes. That's what these rat catchers wanted to be called. They wanted people to look up to them when they were nothing but murders, thieves. They pillaged tombs, they worked for whoever could throw the most gold their way, and they murdered anyone who proved to be to talkative for their liking. Dustin had seen it time and time again, as soon as they learned he had no spare gold they turned their back on his noble quest. Not these brave explorers, though. Worse yet they had set to work here for need of money because they had been cursed by an evil cult? These were the good men and women he had long been seeking. "I swear," Dustin spoke up, "I will do all I can to protect you. The order of the hourglass is set against the unnatural, and bringing the dead, or their God, from that side to this one will not be permitted." He saluted.

Rickert rolled his eyes. He bit into a dried pear, swallowing before speaking up. "Look, I don't know what that cult wants, but as soon as we get rid of them we'll be big. You know? Rich. Plus, probably a good idea to get rid of any group like that"

"It is not for the money, but for the good of everyone!" Amy slammed her hand down on the small table between the group. Golios jumped a bit, before chiming in "Yeah man, we gotta stop 'em, you know? Plus, heading back to Cairo will be nice, I'll be able to see my old teachers, Catherine..." He trailed off, lost in thought.

Miranda at this point looked up from the small sleeping bag she had been in. "So you'll be going back to Cairo? I'll be able to see my father again?" She had stuck to her story told to the group back at the magical rocks they found her in; she claimed to be the daughter of the governor of the southern area of the city, Zamalek. Sadly not even Golios knew if her story was true. Rickert had done the rounds on the outside asking if any major news had come out of Cairo, but there didn't seem to be any big stories about a missing daughter of a government official, and that's typically the kind of news that makes it to this kind of crowd.

The four friends looked back to each other. "So, what is our next move then?" asked Rafa. Dustin piped up "I would follow you into the very heart of Carcosa; to the last circle of hell! Where you choose to lead, I will follow." The team debated for a bit before deciding this is the kind of major decision that required a good night's rest to think on. An unexplored dungeon to the east of Mughamara, an odd town warned against visiting by Mrs. Sam, and Cairo and the cult near the sea. What would their next move be?