Vambran nodded and motioned for the mercenary to proceed. Horial went first, followed by the lieutenant, and Adyan brought up the rear. As Vambran set his feet down, he could tell by the feel of it that the floor was hard-packed earth. Other than that, he could discern nothing. Once all three were inside, they stood together in the darkness, trying to let their eyes adjust to the gloom. As they waited, Vambran listened intently for any telltale sounds that might provide a clue as to whether the thugs were there or not. It was totally quiet. Even after several minutes, it was still too dark to see anything clearly, but Vambran felt confident there was no one besides the three of them inside the building.
Vambran reached into his coin pouch and pulled out a single Sembian raven, then he found by feel the gold emblem of Waukeen he wore on the chain around his neck and grasped it firmly.
'Watch your eyes, boys,' he said softly. 'I'm going to shine a little light on things.'' He uttered the words of a quick and specific prayer, directing the magic onto the silver coin in his other hand, and instantly, the surroundings were bathed in soft white light, as if the lieutenant held a torch high in his hand.
The trio of mercenaries were standing in a jumble of crates and barrels, stacked haphazardly all around them and high enough that they couldn't see anything beyond the containers. A narrow walkway filed between two stacks and deeper into the environs of the warehouse. Vambran motioned for them to continue, and Horial filed into the gap and wound his way along the path, the other two close behind.
Perhaps ten paces through the walkway, it emerged on the other side of the stacks, right in the central part of the warehouse. The rest of the place, or as far as the dim light would reveal, was filled with more of the same. Rows of crates, boxes, and barrels lined either side of the long, narrow building, with a wide path running down its center and a row of thick square posts in the middle of that to support the ceiling high overhead. On the near end, where the trio stood, all the equipment needed to salt meats was spread out. Overhead, an assortment of already-cured meats hung from the rafters, ready to pack for shipment. A small door was set into the wall nearby. Vambran assumed that it led into a large smokehouse, and indeed, he could detect the odor of wood smoke strongly there.
'So? Where are they?' Horial asked softly as he and Adyan fanned out, peering among the stacks of boxes and crates. 'You're absolutely sure it's in here,' the sergeant asked again.
'Yes,' Vambran said, pointing toward the far end of the warehouse. He could still sense the dagger's location through the use of his divine magic. 'It's down that way,' he said.
Nodding, Horial set out in the direction Vambran had indicated, and the other two fell into step with him, still watching and peering everywhere the light reached.
'They must have dumped it and lit out,' Adyan drawled as they advanced. 'Because there's no one… '
The words died in the man's throat as the first body came into view.
'By the Lady,' Horial gasped, staring down at the corpse.
The body was of a man, and Vambran thought it might have been one of the thugs from the previous evening, though he couldn't tell for sure, because its skin was covered with hundreds of tiny, bleeding wounds. Each mark was in the shape of a three-sided star, no larger in diameter than the girth of Vambran's index finger, but the blood that leaked from them pooled around the victim. The man's skin was sallow when it wasn't stained crimson, and his form looked emaciated.
'Something sucked all of his blood out,' Vambran said grimly, stepping closer.
The light from his silver piece revealed the next corpse, a little farther on. It was in the same condition. As the lieutenant advanced along the broad walkway between the corpses, he spotted two more. One was draped across a single crate, the man's back exposed through a shredded shirt, and the other was slumped in a sitting position next to the crate, a club lying next to his outstretched hand.
'What in the Nine Hells would do that to a man?' Horial rasped, nudging one of the bodies.
Adyan made a strangled sound as he held his nose and asked, 'What's that wretched smell?'
The hair on the nape of Vambran's neck prickled. He spun back to Adyan and tried to call out, 'Watch yourself!' but he wasn't quick enough.
A dark form, its whole shape writhing, lunged out of the shadows from between two stacks of crates. It grabbed at the mercenary. It took Adyan in both arms and hugged him tightly, dragging the man backward into the darkness.
CHAPTER SEVEN
'Help him!' Vambran shouted, even though he didn't think he could be heard over Adyan's screaming. The bulky thing that had gotten a hold of the soldier was backtracking steadily, obviously strong enough to keep Adyan in a bear hug and drag him at the same time.
Horial leaped forward, yanking his short sword free, and tried to get in close enough to stab at the creature, but the path between the crates where it was retreating was too narrow, and Adyan's body served as a shield. The sergeant advanced, keeping his blade ready for any opening.
Cursing his stupidity, Vambran looked for some way to get over or behind the monster that had a hold of his friend. The stacks of crates were high there, but not too far down, he could see where they were staggered. He might be able to work his way to the top, but if he ran off with the light, Horial wouldn't stand a chance of getting in close and pulling Adyan free.
Deciding quickly, Vambran tossed the glowing coin into the press so that Horial could fight on, and he sprinted in the direction of the lower crates, pointing a finger up near the top of the stacks and speaking the phrase that would summon the flaring light. Instantly, the warehouse was a little bit brighter, and Vambran had no trouble finding his way. Reaching the nearest low crate, he launched himself on top of it and sprang to the next stack, jumping hard and grabbing at the edges to pull himself higher.
Adyan was still screaming, though his voice was both weaker and more muffled than it had been initially. The lieutenant was running out of time. He worked his way up and up, then finally reached the top of the crates and leaped from stack to stack, causing some of them to wobble dangerously. As quickly as he could, Vambran advanced toward a gap in the stacks he could see against the wall. The sounds of the struggle emanated from that point.
When he finally reached the edge of the closest stack and peered down, Vambran realized that he was a good fifteen feet above the floor. The thing was there, humanoid in shape, but the lieutenant could not spot any sort of skin. Instead, the beast was covered in a writhing mass of black, slimy worms. It was thick and bloated, with a rotund stomach bulging out in front.
No, not worms. Leeches, Vambran realized, and saw to his horror that dozens of them were attached to Adyan as he slumped in the monster's arms. That was what had attacked the thugs, sucking their blood and leaving them as drained husks. Horial was there, bobbing and weaving, looking for a good opening with which to lunge in and stab at the creature with his sword.
'Let go of him, you stinking thing!' the sergeant shouted and darted in, thrusting once, quickly, and backing away again.
The creature retreated a step, and Horial, emboldened thinking that he had hurt the thing, tried his attack again. The next time, though, the beast was expecting it and swung one of its huge, writhing arms out and bludgeoned the mercenary in the face. Horial staggered backward from the blow, and the monster advanced another step, dragging a now-limp Adyan with only one arm.
Vambran saw his chance. He crouched low, his sword out and held point downward with both hands, and dropped over the edge of his stack of crates. He plummeted toward the monster, aiming the tip of his blade at the base of the thing's thick neck. He had aimed perfectly, and it looked like a solid strike, but somehow, the creature sensed that he was there and sidestepped out of the way, swinging Adyan's form around to protect itself.
Vambran was forced to jerk his blade out of the way at the last second, ruining both his aim and his fall. He hit the floor hard, bouncing sharply to one side and tumbling onto his back. He grunted from the impact, losing his breath. Gasping, the lieutenant scrambled backward, dragging his sword with him to get clear of the threat.
The leech-covered monstrosity flung Adyan's body aside and turned to face Vambran, advancing toward him. The thing had no face. There was definitely a head-shaped bulge at the top of its shoulders, but that was the extent of its humanoid appearance. There were only the writhing, wriggling leeches where eyes, a nose, and a
