Breaker took the rope and lowered Throld hand over hand, down and into the opening the dwarf had blasted in the mountain's side. Once Throld arrived safely he dropped the rope and faced the wall, establishing two firm handholds before stepping off of the precipice. Breaker's enchanted boots clung to the cliff face like a squirrel's claws to coarse bark, and he navigated the treacherous climb with confidence. As he reached the gash in the mountain's side he had to make his way around a large rocky outcropping, and did so by simply releasing his handholds and walking down the wall. He swung into the opening and landed next to the dwarf.

"You wear some truly impressive boots, Master Breaker," Throld said, gazing down at the demigod's enchanted footwear.

"They were a gift from Geoffrey Rythadine's father," Josh said quietly, gazing down the darkened tunnel into the mountain's heart, "designed to help me stop him."

"Well, I certainly don't envy young Mister Rythadine," Throld said with an exaggerated shiver. The dwarf dipped into his well-packed haversack and assembled a torch from a spare bit of firewood he'd saved, some cloth, and a few drops of oil. The torch cast flickering shadows down the hallway as they ventured deeper into the mountain with Throld leading the way. The dwarf nattered on about how such mountain strongholds were typically designed, while Breaker listened past his rotund voice and the sounds of their footsteps. He heard a slight grating movement ahead, but not accompanying breaths or heartbeats.

They rounded a gentle bend in the tunnel and the torchlight illuminated a grinning skeleton. It bore sword and shield and ran at them with a silent scream, accompanied only by the clicking of its bony feet on the stone floor.

Breaker reached over Throld's head and caught the skeleton's face, his fingers jabbing into its eye sockets. He smashed the reanimated creature three times against the hard rock wall and then released it in a shower of broken bones. The smashed skull fell atop the dusty pile, still grinning in the torchlight. A few fingers of eldritch mist flowed out through its mouth and disappeared down the tunnel.

"It seems we are alone, and yet not alone," Throld said, peering down at the remains. The dwarf drew his dragon-belcher and advanced anew. He led the way into a large squarish chamber with no ceiling. A plethora of passageways exited the room on all sides, and a winding stone staircase climbed up the center, extending into the darkness above. A strong musty smell hung in the air, causing both adventurers to breathe through their mouths.

Josh felt drawn towards the spiraling staircase. It stood to reason that the throne room would be at the top of the mountain, and Rythadine would be... would he be there? Could he expect to find anything more than a crown-wearing skeleton seated on the Tiered Mountain's throne? Finding out Rythadine was dead would not be the same as killing him. Josh flexed his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. Perhaps the rest of the mountain deserved some exploration... perhaps he would find some more of these skeletons to slake his wrath upon.

"Well, Master Sartet," Breaker said, gesturing around at the bevy of corridors, "I defer to your better judgement. Which way shall we go?"