You rest up and are ready to roll again in the morning.
However, Logan remains weak. His effective strength is 3.
By the time you have relearned your spells you have all healed for one hit point. The exception is Stiff, who is now fully regenerated.
When you are ready, you return to the elevator and descend again to the open area where you battled the rust monsters and the will-o-wisp. Here is the description, again:
You are in an open courtyard area, surrounded by high rock walls for the most part. To your right, as you face east, a wall runs south for 30', then east for 60' (stream flowing into this wall in 40'-50' section; passage running south in last 10' section), then north for 10', east for 10', north for 20' (door), west for 10', north for 10', west for 40' (passage running north out of first 10' section; stream flowing out of north wall in 2nd 10' section), then north for 10', west for 30', south for 20' and east for 10' to close up. The wall behind you is of white painted metal, with a vertical track running up it...for the elevator platform that just delivered you here. Looking up, you see a square metal enclosed span, which bridges the courtyard some 50' overhead. The elevator platform came out of an opening at this end of it...right over your heads. The far wall of this open area is also of metal, too. The bridge overhead connects to this wall. The rest of the courtyard is enclosed by rough-cut stone walls.
A stream bisects the courtyard, some 40' distant. It flows from north to south down a rectangular-shaped channel. A stone bridge spans it.
The dead rust monsters are still here.
You search the area, and find 90 gems (100gp each).
Vardui continues to yammer about going down the tunnel that the stream flows into or out of (there seems to be no current to speak of), so you head over there.
As you stand overlooking the tunnel entrance, though, two more will-o-wisp float out of it and move to attack you!
"Must be a nest of them," mutters Vardui, backing up.
"Any priests here that can banish the effects of an undead's touch ? I just don't seem myself even with breakfast," the elf mage/fighter comments. He tries to take off his ring.
The ring will not come off.
"Bring it on, baby," Logan says as he unsheathes his weapons and cuts into the closest wisp.
Logan is too weak to heft a weapon.
Logan backpedals as he feels unable too unsheath his swords.
"Do we have enogh left to fight them? If not, then let's get out of here, and return when we have recuperated and the spell casters have relearnt their spells," Oh Well calls out to the others.
"I agree, Oh," Logan replies, trying to get out of there as quickly as he can.
"Any spells effective on the wisps ? I am a little limp in the wrists today." Logan says with his usual humor despite his grave situation.
"We can take 'em!" says Vardui, as he and Stiff open fire with magic missiles.
His first spell blasts into a will-o-wisp.
Stiff lets loose with his magic missile finger into the two Wisps ( up to 5 spells worth at 8 missiles per spell), as he and Vardui put on quite a display of fireworks. Stiff blows away his 'wisp with two spells, while Varui's takes three. In the meantime, Woody os dodging attacks from the last one.
As you finish those off, four more come floating out of the tunnel entrance.
Stiff turns invisible again, and backs up, as he starts another spell. Vardui also backs up, but keeps firing magic missiles as the will-o-wisp fan out to attack.
Vardui's next magic missile spell is ruined, as he is zapped for 11 hit points of damage.
Logan tries to melee another approaching 'wisp, but is too weak to do so. He is zapped for 12 hit points, leaving him in very poor condition.
Al goes to help Logan, and nails the 'wisp twice.
Oh Well dodges an attack, then fans with his longsword once, but connects with his second swing.
Woody also dodges another spark, then nails the last 'wisp but good, twice.
Logan tries to flee, with a 'wisp in hot pursuit. He gets zapped again for 9 hit points and falls in a pool of blood.
The will-o-wisp hovers over him.
Suddenly a wall of stone appears and covers the entrance to the tunnel.
Vardui manages to loose another flurry of magic missiles as he is zapped again for 8 hit points.
Stiff pops into view again as he starts shooting more magic missiles. His first spell really softens up the one on Oh Well.
Oh Well is hit for 9 hit points, and fans twice.
Stiff then brings his dreaded finger to bear on the 'wisp attacking Vardui. It is left barely flickering.
Woody misses with his first swing, dodges a spark, and then connects.
Stiff launches his fifth spell in the past minute or so, kills the 'wisp over Logan and sends his last missile into the creature attacking Vardui. Still it lives.
The elf then unloads another spell and kills his foe. He sends his remaining missiles at the will-o-wisp on Oh Well, but does not quite do it in.
Oh Well then finishes it off with his sword., and Woody does likewise against the last one.
All of the monsters are dead, and you pause to catch your breath. Logan is unconscious and bleeding.
There is a door plus two passages on the far side of the bridge to be explored. Also, there is the now walled up tunnel that the 'wisps came out of.
Woody keeps an eye out for any more monsters. He also takes a close look at the floor, walls and such to see if there are any tracks he knows.
He spots the tracks of a large reptile...which he identifies as a hydra. They cross over the bridge over onto the northern section of this area.
"I should leave that worthless ruffian to bleed, but Thor would look ill upon me."
Al approaches the elf and prays, "oh great Thor, please heal this fool as he has helped your servant in the past." as he casts a cure light wounds and will cast another one if he is not awake.
It takes two spells to bring Logan back to consciousness...and even then he is very weak, and will be out of action for 4 days, unless some high powered healing is applied.
"I believe we need to rest, first for this fool, and I need to restore my spells from Thor." Al chimes in after healing Logan.
Stiff keeps an eye open for more wisps, as he has one more spell effective against them.
He says to the party in general, "We must evacuate and this time really heal up. Apparently this is no cake walk. I can heal us all, but I will need time to recover unbothered. Shall we go back to where we last rested? I know it is not the best, but better than here, unless you want to investigate a little at this time. I have put up a wall of stone until we find out if there are more wisps in that tunnel. Although if there are more, they may be able to reach us through other connecting tunnels, that is why I think it best to rest now, fight later."
Stiff says to Al and Logan, "Poor Logan, he has somehow aquired a ring of weakness. Hmm, too bad only really high level spells can rid anyone of it. I could do it, but I think the health of the party should come first as I plan to use a wish spell to get the party back into good health, after that I would have to relearn wish and cast it to rid Logan of that cursed item he wears, then I need to relearn again after an appropriate rest. All of this taking something like 2-3 days. Of course a couple of you could search and report whilst I was doing all this."
"I think Stiff is right, this ring must have caught something..damn.." Logan mutters as he coughs in pain from his wounds. "Anyone have a remove curse? I would prefer that than removing my finger." he says in a weak voice.
"I can cut it off for you !" Al offers with a wide smile.
"No thanks, big guy, you would probably take off the whole hand with your aim."
Vardui says, "We could try to teleport out of here and back to the castle. I have one spell, but I couldn't take everyone."
"Take the elf with you, and I can fly back, if its not too far." Al says, looking at Logan with disdain. He, then, smirks at the the fact that the elf has lost his tongue in his predicament.
"We don't know where we are," comments the elf.
"Take the more injured ones," Oh Well remarks. "If we have to, we will wait it out until you come back." Scratching his head, he thinks, "Hey Stiff, can't you wish us all back to the castle?"
In the end Vardui teleports you all back to the castle in Demon's Neck. It takes him several spells, but at last you are back safe and sound with Orlon and company. At this point everyone who went in is pretty nicely beat up, except for Stiff.