What Goes On In The Dark (Powers)

Let me preface this by saying nothing I’d so far encountered in this godsforsaken land could have prepared me for today. Not even the events of yesterday.
 
I was awoke sometime in the early hours of the morning by Marushka, usually something I’d be welcome to see any other day, but as soon as she woke me, she began asking me question after question. I took it she had been awake for several hours at this point, unable to sleep with everything going on in her mind. I can’t say I blame her. She began to speak of more personal things, and of course, about why I came to the temple. The truth of it was far more simple than what I told her, for a feared she’d admonish me for the truth. Why was I suddenly worried about her thoughts of my motives? I care for her, is the obvious answer, though the one I have extreme difficulty admitting aloud.
 
Finally amidst her questions I let slip what I was trying to hide. She asked me why I never said anything before. I don’t recall the non-committal answer I gave her, but the truth was that I was afraid. I didn’t want to let something like that slip, and be vulnerable. What if you didn’t feel the same? What a fool I’d be, and we still have so much more time to travel together before this ends, one way or another. I tried to hold my face in such a way as to cover the scar Strahd gave me, but she moved my hand away. It was.. comforting. She didn’t shy away, or even grimace at the sight of it. She didn’t come out and say she felt the same way, but that might be because Elaine’s creepy dead-ass was just sitting there in the dark listening to us. I swear one of these Chandlers are going to be the death of me.
 
We just sort of sat together on the bed for awhile until the rest of the party awoke and we finally descended the stairs after Kasimir and Adrostos. We made our way into a large chamber that contained many of the, what I surmise to be, amber sarcophagi. A massive construct of a knight holding what appeared to be a glaive stood sentry in front of a door that was small even in the space between the legs of the statue. The door itself was flung open, and we could see Kasimir and Adrostos battling in the next room. Eerika and I snuck though (I have no idea HOW), whilst the other 4 teleported the distance. The statue turned at that; I believe detecting the use of magic within the chamber.
 
Still under the effects of Marushka’s invisibility spell, I took the time to go exploring the chambers relatively undisturbed. I left the others to deal with the fallout of the two men. I honestly believe Adrostos stood no chance if Kasimir sincerely desired to kill the man to get what he wanted, and I had no love loss for Adrostos at this point all things considered.
 
Now I was come to the real reason I came. The voice. The voice of the Hunter I heard back under Krezk had told me to speak with it again here in exchange for the free passage it had granted us earlier. Of course I understood it could very well be a dark power, but all the more reason to uphold my end of our deal, yes? All it asked was to speak, and so I would. I went around touching the various sarcophagi and listening to the words they spoke in my mind. Eventually I found the one I had spoken to prior, and it offered me the power over beasts. It was.. tempting. But only just so. I already felt myself accomplished in my profession, and I was quite capable of handling every time of beast I had yet come across.
 
But more than that.. I made you a promise, didn’t I? And true to my word, I declined its offer. I did not even ask for the powers’ cost. It did not matter. The only deal I would have accepted would have been one that guaranteed your safety. I care not to lose you as we have lost the others. I will do anything to prevent that.
 
During the commotion of it all, I went back into the prior room, and studied the gigantic construct for any weakness should it awaken further and prevent us from leaving. I heard that vampire appear again, apparently from one of the sarcophagi in the furthest room. I kept an ear open for any signs that a fight with it was about to break out, but thankfully none did.
 
I saw not what happened next, but my other senses caught it plainly. Adrostos sacrificed himself to bring someone back, still unknown as to whom, only that it would be his lover. I heard the last breath of Bryndon escape his body and felt the hairs on my neck raise as I sensed an undead horror rise in his place. I shan’t forget the feeling. Like the lich whose bedroom we’d been borrowing above us, I felt the same presence now where Bryndon once was.
 
It was only a few moments later when Marushka and Eerika came out of that room, both practically in tears, and the three of us went back upstairs. I unabashedly put my arms around Marushka now, to comfort her even in some small way, knowing how the “death” of two of her companions would affect her, and now also Eerika who looked a level of distraught I’d never think to see on her always-cheery face.
 
I led them both upstairs to the bedroom and let the girls just rest and deal with what they had just witnessed. As something of a test, I picked up a nearby book and scooped some of the old lich’s ashes into it, then chucked the book into the teleportation circle that still sat upon the floor in here. It disappeared, but unfortunately I was not able to detect it elsewhere to hopefully track where it led. Dissatisfied with my test, I went back to Marushka to hold her further. For my own comfort this time, as well as hers.
 
It didn’t take much longer for Elaine, Bryndon, Oswald, and Kasimir to come back up the stairs. Bryon had already began losing his previous physical form and begun his transformation into a lich. Indeed, he was already walking on new skeletal legs that grew from his stumps. In the discussion that followed, Elaine decided to take it upon herself to see where the teleportation circle went, and stepped in before anyone could stop her. It was only moments later when I received a magical message from her stating she was in Strahd’s grand hall. Lovely. In what at this point seemed like an odd burst of compassion from Bryndon, he pleaded and argued that we follow to save his sister.
 
Normally, I would have agreed, but the events downstairs took its toll on the lot of us, especially the magic users. Simply put, we would need to rest and recooperate before we would be ready to encounter Strahd. I gave my opinion as such to the group, and everyone agreed. Everyone except Bryndon. Dissatisfied with my answer, he stepped into the circle to follow his sister.
 
I know the desire to jump head-long into danger to save a loved one, but this was not a journey we could rush into crossbows blazing. We could do nothing more but rest at this point, and leave this place afterward. At the entrance to the temple, I disoriented the Roc long enough for Kasimir to cast fly on us and we flew down the side of the mountain with expedience. We made our way East towards Castle Ravenloft, only to encounter Ezmerelda once more. She welcomed us and gave us passage in her armored wagon. It would cut days off our journey. And at the least we’d have a safe and defensible place to rest on our way. On the eve of our first night I write this, with Marushka sitting beside me, resting against me as I her.
 
I will get us out of here, or die trying. One way or another, I’m not leaving your side.