[A powerful mage lies dead on the ground in front of you.]
[To your left, a wiry troll is breathing heavily with the effort of combat. Tsui. His eyes are fixed on the melted access panel that has the both of you locked inside this storage container. He curses under his breath and begins to pace. You clutch the Shiny Object close to your chest.]
[It's a stone. Red jade, about the size and shape of an ostrich egg, with gold wire inlays. Protective talismans hang off of the jade like a grass skirt, crinkling against you as you hold it. It's really beautiful. You might have admired that beauty more if you weren't about to be destroyed by a horde of triad security guards. Well paid, well armed triad security guards.]
[Through your gloves you can feel the stone pulsing, as if it has a heartbeat.]
[Your escape routes are blocked. You are outnumbered. You do the only thing you can think to do: you hand Tsui the Shiny Object. He seems eager to take it from you, cradling it in his arms like a newborn baby. Colors swim beneath the surface of the stone as the door is breached.]
[You will never forget the sights and sounds of this night.]
[The things that spring forth from the ground are covered in open wounds, slick with gore and riddled with pustules of plague. Bony protrusions sprout from their shoulders and backs, as if they needed more reasons not to be approached. They sink their gnarled teeth into the flesh of the guards, tearing through armor like butter. They claw open great gashes, streaks of crimson and white where the bone shows through.]
[They tear those poor fools limb from limb.]
[You watch this with horror and awe. Tsui seems satisfied, almost comfortable. He is at home with this twisted artifact in his arms. You stare at the pile of bodies, torn asunder and mangled beyond all recognition. They barely look human. If not for the errant arm or leg sticking out of the mess, you might mistake it for a melted wad of flesh and bone.]
[When the devil rats fade into the shadows, you gather the rest of the team and leave. You put this night behind you. You think you've learned something, but you aren't sure what.]
ii. all hell broken loose (cw: descriptions of gore)
[To your left, a wiry troll is breathing heavily with the effort of combat. Tsui. His eyes are fixed on the melted access panel that has the both of you locked inside this storage container. He curses under his breath and begins to pace. You clutch the Shiny Object close to your chest.]
[It's a stone. Red jade, about the size and shape of an ostrich egg, with gold wire inlays. Protective talismans hang off of the jade like a grass skirt, crinkling against you as you hold it. It's really beautiful. You might have admired that beauty more if you weren't about to be destroyed by a horde of triad security guards. Well paid, well armed triad security guards.]
[Through your gloves you can feel the stone pulsing, as if it has a heartbeat.]
[Your escape routes are blocked. You are outnumbered. You do the only thing you can think to do: you hand Tsui the Shiny Object. He seems eager to take it from you, cradling it in his arms like a newborn baby. Colors swim beneath the surface of the stone as the door is breached.]
[You will never forget the sights and sounds of this night.]
[The things that spring forth from the ground are covered in open wounds, slick with gore and riddled with pustules of plague. Bony protrusions sprout from their shoulders and backs, as if they needed more reasons not to be approached. They sink their gnarled teeth into the flesh of the guards, tearing through armor like butter. They claw open great gashes, streaks of crimson and white where the bone shows through.]
[They tear those poor fools limb from limb.]
[You watch this with horror and awe. Tsui seems satisfied, almost comfortable. He is at home with this twisted artifact in his arms. You stare at the pile of bodies, torn asunder and mangled beyond all recognition. They barely look human. If not for the errant arm or leg sticking out of the mess, you might mistake it for a melted wad of flesh and bone.]
[When the devil rats fade into the shadows, you gather the rest of the team and leave. You put this night behind you. You think you've learned something, but you aren't sure what.]