I try to return to the settlement, but the tunnels are too confusing. Carrying my unconscious guide isn't helping.
Eventually, I encounter one of the Cursed. They take charge of my guide, and someone takes me to brief the elders.
"Has the cult been exterminated?" asks one of the elders.
"No. They've abandoned the crypt, but it was a victory we didn't earn. It was all we could do to stay alive." A silence falls.
"Then I take it you didn't recover the artifact, either."
"It wasn't possible. The high magister targeted my guide first. He used a spell with the incantation 'Amplify Curse'." The elders begin to murmur.
"How did you determine the enemy is a high magister?"
"The others addressed him as such when they took him away. He didn't leave willingly." The elders continue murmuring for a time.
"This man will take you to your friend. He needs to rest for some time. Once he is able, you will return to recover the artifact."
We leave the elders' chamber and traverse some distance to a quiet dead-end featuring many cots.