Merisiel strides over and cracks open the door. "Nobody's home...hello...what's that." His eye gleaming he pushes open the door. Ezren follows slightly cautious still. "Why don't you come with me"
Ezren glances at Merisial as his hand reaches for a giant Ruby sitting on an altar between two statues. He feels rather than hears a groan.
"MERISIEL DON'T!"
Flame engulfs the whole room as the statues breath a torrent of fire at the center of the room, directly at Merisiel. Leaping back, coughing and stumbling blindly Ezren clutches his cloak to his mouth and nose, trying to gasp in air. "MERISIEL!"
A form staggers out of the dark swirling ash and dust. Merisiel's hand is glowing and burnt, as is his face and upper body. He falters and drops to the ground. Dashing forward Ezren beings chanting in a low voice while moving his hands in strange patterns and touching burns with his palms. Slowly Merisiel's breath comes back and his wounds reside slightly. He sits up.
"Well at least I got it" he hacks out.
"You...are...the biggest idiot...moron….greedy son of motherless goat I've ever seen…."
"Thanks?...Ezren! Heal yourself too" Merisiel's eyes take in the burns on Ezrens arms and legs.
"I'll be fine...just hold still."
Half an hour later the pair stand.
"Can we please use maybe just a little more cation?"
"Yea….sorry….again"
Breathing heavily Ezren clamps Merisiel's shoulder "One day you'll get hit so hard I can't heal you….let's make that day far away ok?"
Merisiel's eyes shift away. "Let's go out that side door"
Cracking open the next door Ezren scans the room, squinting at the huge cobwebs and goblin corpse hanging in them. "There's something here...or it was recently."
"A goblin?" Merisial's voice is barely audible.
"Yea but that's not what I meant" Ezren whispers back.
Taking in the scene the duo creep into the room, barely noticing the skitter small spiders at their feet.
"You feel that? We're being watched"
"Keep your eyes open" Ezren slides slowly closer to the webs looking left and right, the deep shadows not giving way to his small torch. They almost have a supernatural appearance.
"I feel something close but these shadows are too dark...they just keep dancing"
"EZREN! IT'S NO SHADOW"
The darkest shadow in front of Ezren gleams red and white as its teeth and eyes swing towards his chest. A spider the size of a horse leaps and latches onto his shoulder, sinking venomous fangs deep inside. Arching his staff Ezren drives it into the spider's face, sending it tumbling. Collapsing and breathing heavy he struggles away. Merisiel sprints to his side, fumbling with the small potion. He uncorks it and has just enough time to apply it to Ezren, setting him into a stable position before he is pounded into the wall by the spider. He stabs like a demon into its head and legs as it shakes him in its deadly grasp.
"EZREN! EZREN! GET UP!"
Ezren staggers to his feet and drunkenly runs away, spinning at the far wall.
"MANARAK!!"
A huge green ball or energy bursts from his palm straight into the spider's back. It rears up howling in pain. As it does it shuffles to the right just enough, just enough to see Merisiel.
"Ezren…" His hand flutters, his mouth twitches, his eyes roll. "Ezren please...run" Ezren watches as time crawls by, as Merisiel's fingers contorted and his mouth coughs one last time. He slumps to the floor. Eyes wide with horror and pain, staring at his only friend and companion.
"MERISIEL!" Ezren's ears hear nothing as he coils like a spring. His eyes see only red as he locks gazes with the spider. He shoots forward like a spear. His staff whirling, a blur of momentum. He slams into the spider, their bodies a tangle as they duel. When they finally roll to a stop Ezren's staff clatters to the ground. His chest heaving with blood everywhere. He strains to look behind him, gasping for air with his lungs and hands.
"I'm….sorry…..Meris" Ezren's breath fails. His eyes dim to nothing.
Slowly the spider slinks into the shadow. Dragging its latest victims into its maze of webs.