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. The flush
of rapture tinged his cheeks, and a supernatural glow
burned in his eyes. His appearance alone was almost
enough to convince me that some divine force was at work
here.
The priest gestured to me, and I fell into step behind
him. I noticed as I emerged from the room that two ranks
of acolytes stood, waiting silently, their expressions
concealed behind those featureless masks.
We followed the black-walled, torch-lit passage for a
distance I estimated as more than a mile. Finally, the
narrow passage led us into a much larger chamber. The
yellow glow of torches was lost in the vastness of the
space. For a moment, I thought all was blackness, but as
my eyes adjusted, I realized that a sullen crimson glow
emanated from all around me - pools of molten rock,
bubbling and flaming.
"My temple!" proclaimed Erasmoth.
The first thing that struck me was the size of this
cavelike expanse. Judging from the distant echoes of our
footsteps and the dim glow of the pits of lava and deep
wells of burning coals, I could guess that we stood in a
vast room.
The floor was smooth beneath my feet - as if hundreds
of hours of labor had been expended to polish the natural
rock to an unnatural perfection.
My next observation, as we stepped away from the
tunnel that had led us here, was an unpleasant - almost
nauseating - odor. I was reminded of the thick, close air of a
charnel house. I gagged convulsively. For a moment,
Excellency, I was quite overcome, and would have fallen, if
not for the supportive grip of the priest upon my arm
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