The two similar figures are Sonya and Johanna. They seem to be guarding a huge cracked hole. Their tents are set up against the wall of an abandoned home. The approaching steps of Shang and Nazeebo alerted them to stand guard.

Shang: Yo.

Sonya: Oh, it’s you. Who’s that masked guy beside you? A new monster?

Sonya lowers her axe.

Nazeebo:...

Shang: Err… This is Nazeebo, the witch doctor. If it’s not for him, it will take days for me to find you guys.

Sonya: Witch doctor? I thought the Umbaru would never step out of their jungles.

Shang: They don’t?

Sonya: The only way for them to be wandering outside the homes would be either they are sent out for training or they are banished by their tribesmen. You don’t look like the type who is being sent out for training, am I right?, Witch doctor.

Sonya looks at Nazeebo.

Nazeebo:... There is nothing I need to tell you.

Before the tension builds up, Shang coughs to interrupt them.

Shang: Wait, I believe Nazeebo will tell us if he wants to. Right now, why are you guys here and where are the others?

Sonya: Three days ago, while we are walking around, we found the body of Haedrig’s apprentice around this abandoned place.

Sonya says as she points to a grave with a wooden tombstone.

Sonya: Valla got curious about the whereabouts of his stuff and went down into the huge hole.

Sonya looks at the huge cracked hole.

Shang: And then Kharazim and Eucliwood followed suit?

Sonya: Kharazim went down two days ago in search for Valla. Eucliwood went down yesterday, saying she senses a lot of Essence down there.

Shang’s thoughts: Essence… are they trapped in a huge fight?

Shang: Nazeebo, Can your spirits search them?

Shang says while he turns to Nazeebo.

Nazeebo nods and takes out his ornamental dagger. He then grabs the blade with his bare hand and pulls the dagger, releasing the blood.

From the small pool of blood, two ghastly figures rise from it and enter the cracked hole.

Johanna offers to heal his hand but Nazeebo rejects it as his hand heal itself after he is done.

Shang’s thoughts: Blood Ritual… are they the same as Blood magic? I will look at it some other time.

Nazeebo:.... Hmm? Hmm.…

Shang: How is it?

Shang asks Nazeebo.

Nazeebo: The spirits have located your necromancer friend. It seems she is busy with something. As for your other two friends, I assumed they went further down as there is an invisible force preventing the spirits from going there.

Shang: Which means… We have to go down too… Sonya and Johanna, can you guys still keep guard?

Sonya: We don’t have a problem with that. If not for your spatial rings, we will mostly die due to lack of provisions. Now we can even stand guard here for a month.

During the trip to find Deckard Cain, Shang has passed them spatial rings so that they don’t have to carry extra weight when they are fighting.

Shang: Nazeebo, Do you mind coming along?

Nazeebo: Gladly.