"Just jump!" Dil called up to me from the boat below. He should never have said that.
It was a four foot drop to the boat – and the rancid canal – below, but it felt like a mile. I hate water and I always have, so you can surely understand why jumping into a small and seemingly-unstable boat would fail to fill me with joy. Dil stood in the center of the craft, off to one side, and held the single oar; he had made it look so easy, jumping and landing gracefully, lightly, like a cat. It was probably his elven blood. Bastard. Nonetheless, at this point, I figured that I could probably make the jump and land it somewhat gracefully, despite the fact that there wasn't much room left for a landing and the boat was inching away from the side of the wall with every passing moment…
"Right…" I grumbled and swallowed heavily, positioning myself for the inevitable jump. The damn shack-of-a-boat was moving away from me, dammit! I peered down at the green-tinted sewage water below and wondered just how deep the canal was.
Dil frowned, "Go!" He cried impatiently.
I took a breath, closed my eyes and jumped. My feet hit something hard and narrow and I heard Dil swear; I was rocked backwards at once and I opened my eyes as Dil lunged for me. The sudden motion was too much for the already-tipped boat and I slipped and fell over backwards into the water, taking the small craft with me.
It was as I scrambled underwater that I realized that I had jumped and landed on the edge of the boat. Bravo, Malkat. You are a champion. There was an idle clap in my mind at this point. Finally, I resurfaced and took a deep breath, which was a big mistake because my lungs were instantly filled with extremely vile air. Right near me, Dil – who'd also been launched into the sewage water -- was busy turning the flipped boat right-side-up; the oar floated by me and I picked it up.
"Good job." The half-elf bitterly growled at me and pulled himself up and into the boat. Once aboard, he scowled as I handed him one end of the oar.
I ignored the comment and pulled myself to and onto the boat with Dil's help. For a moment we just sat there, soaked and smelling of excrement and waste. Being soaked has got to be the worst feeling ever. I looked up from my lap and met Dil's gaze.
The rogue closed his eyes and furrowed his brow, "No, don't say anything. I feel like killing you right now." He said and pried the oar from my hands, "Let's just get moving." He sighed and opened his eyes again, then slid the oar into the water. There was a clunk sound and I assumed that the oar could reach all the way to the bottom of the canal – which probably explained why the oar was so long, and why there was only one and not two of them. We could literally drag ourselves through the sewers.
Quietly, we led the little boat deeper into the winding tunnels of the underground. It was interesting to wonder what part of the city we were beneath and how it all connected, and besides…the boat ride was rather soothing, now that the fear of falling in had been brutally stricken from my mind. The first stretch of canal was a long one, leading a few hundred feet before turning off into two other paths.
Dil was brooding. The cut on my neck was burning worse now, thanks to my recent dip in the ever-so-cleanly water. I pressed my hand over it and wished I had something clean to bandage it up with.
"If that gets infected, they'll have to amputate your head." Dil commented, breaking the silence; he stared out in the direction of the upcoming break in the canal, "What a shame." He smirked.
I dropped my hand into my lap and stared dully at him, "Are you done?" I drawled. This guy reminds me of Desther…ouch.
Dil didn't budge, "Just lowering your self-esteem." He replied curtly.
I made an indelicate sound, "Thanks for kicking me when I'm down, Dil. Always appreciated." I quipped and looked in the direction he was facing. We were coming up to the break now, and the canal split into two directions: left and right.
Dil pulled the boat to a stop, "Your welcome, Kat." He replied, his eyes searching. He looked to the right and went still.
"I'll—" I started to retort but Dil motioned for me to be quiet, his back turned to me. I leaned to the side to look past him and searched the right-side of the turnoff as he did. There were voices in the distance; I couldn't hear what was being said, nor could I figure out how many voices I was hearing. But I did hear voices.
Dil turned to face me; he was smiling grimly, "Callik is here." He declared and started to push the boat in the direction he'd been staring in.
I raised an eyebrow at the man's back. He heard Callik? Or was his mind playing tricks on him? Never mind…it was probably the elven blood again. Maybe I had sewage water in my ears and wasn't hearing right…not that I could recognize Callik if I heard him, mind. I found myself staring at the little points of Dil's ears, poking out from under his drenched hair. Just how much could he hear? Freak.
We crept along the canal, listening to the voices that guided us to our destination. This stretch was much shorter than the last, and at the end of it was a dead end. However, upon closer inspection, one could see a break in the wall on the right side – right near the end of the stretch.
As we neared that very break, I took out my crossbow and loaded a couple darts; I was ready to bet my life that the second we'd pull into view, a half-dozen of Callik's men would rush out at us…or better yet, shoot arrows at us. We were quite quiet as Dil pulled the boat up alongside the right wall, so as to keep some kind of cover.
We stopped about ten feet from the break and listened. Curiously, the voices we could now clearly hear came not from right near us, but from further on. There were many voices – all male – but only one was heard more often. I easily made out five separate voices during the short time I listened closely. There was an argument going on.
Dil looked over his shoulder at me and grinned, then motioned for us to disembark and get back onto ground level through the break in the wall. We moved the boat as close as we could, and thankfully the ground level was not as far from the water level as it had been in the last room, thus making it fairly easy for us to just climb up.
The break in the wall was about three feet wide; right beyond it was a brightly-lit corridor that turned off to the left almost immediately. The floor was sprinkled with rock and mineral debris, along with shallow puddles of sewage water.
Dil zipped by me and quietly drew his sword; he peeked around the corner ahead and motioned to me that the way was clear. I hurried over to him, hefting my crossbow nonetheless, and looked down the rest of the corridor. It led to a heavy iron door behind which all the voices I could hear were coming from.
Eager now, Dil crept over to the door and after trying it, he swore quietly and began to fumble for something inside his leather jerkin. He pulled out what looked like a busted stick of metal and leaned over the door. As he worked, I looked over my shoulder and re-sheathed my crossbow. I was pretty damn sure that Dil was going to just walk into the room and jump Callik (if that was even remotely possible), and if – when – he did that, I would be ready with a spell that would even out the odds a bit.
A clean 'click' signaled to me that Dil had successfully picked the lock on the door. He looked back at me and shoved his pick back into his shirt. I nodded and he tried the door again. A single thought rung in my mind as he pulled open the door: this is the stupidest thing I have ever done.
The room beyond was of odd construct. Right through the center was a shallow trench that divided the room in two; the sewage water flowed in from one end of the room and poured through a grate on the other side. Planted right in the trench and all the way along its length was a steel gate that reached up to the ceiling. There were some crates piled up against the far wall.
On the side of the gate that Dil and I had came in on, there were four men in red – one of which was yelling at the people on the other side. Opposite them (and us), on the other side of the gate, were three other men. By his stance and position, it could tell which man was being yelled at, though I did not have the time to fully examine anyone before trouble started.
As expected, Dil walked into the room like he owned the place; I considered staying behind but followed him in anyway. He came to a halt when one of the men in red turned to look at us.
It was the one that had been screaming; he was tall, with broad shoulders and greasy black hair. He smirked at the sight of us, "What's this, Vengual?" He asked almost teasingly, his voice gruff, "Admirers? New recruits?" He laughed and his three cronies sized Dil and I up.
I assumed that that was Callik. As such, I allowed myself a moment and looked over to the other side of the gate. The man standing in the forefront was almost a caricature; with a neatly-trimmed goatee and pointed, graying mustache, wide, mid-calf boots and elegant garb, he was not someone that would go unnoticed.
"Why, hello there Dil, my boy!" The eccentric man called out cheerily as I stared at him. By the sheer charisma this man exuded in his voice and dress, I came to the conclusion that he was the precious Vengual.
Dil frowned and held Callik's dark gaze, "What's going on, Vengual?" He asked his patron without turning, "The whole district is looking for you. What in the nine Hells are you doing down here with him?" He demanded, his fingers flexing around the hilt of his sword at his side.
Vengual laughed, "Why I thought I'd come to make a deal, my dear boy." He answered, his voice betraying no anxiety or fear or anything besides good-natured amusement. I have to admit I was a tad confused at this point. I was expecting to find Vengual bound and gagged. Or dead.
"What deal?" Dil snapped at once, "You'd—" He started but he was roughly cut off by Callik, who unsheathed his sword and shot him a dire glare.
"None of your business, maggot!" The tall rogue barked and shoved Dil's shoulder. The half-elf bounced back at once, snarling. Callik's three men instantly unsheathed their own weapons and moved towards Dil.
At the sight, I turned to look at Vengual. The man was staring at me. He tilted his head in Callik's direction and made a chop gesture at his throat. I looked over at Callik; he was staring at me and his men were restraining Dil. Oh God. He saw me, didn't he? I looked over at Vengual again and the man just smiled at me. Beside me, Callik had followed my gaze. Oh God.
No choice now…
I mumbled a few words and before me appeared an armored skeleton; the creature dashed out at Callik, heavy sword in its polished-bone grip. Behind Callik, Dil cried out and there was commotion. I hurried to get out of the way and backed myself up against the gate in the center of the room. I racked my brain and found a second spell that would be of use – even moderately – and began to cast. When I reached the climax of my incantation, I waved my arm out at the feuding men and waited. Barely a second later, two of the three men on Dil turned on each other and the other went after Dil.
I pulled out my crossbow and frowned. The group of men, minus my skeleton, were now under the effects of a Chaos spell and would randomly attack whatever is nearest to them. I would have to stay out of the way until the effects ran out, and pray that Dil would be the last one standing.
Callik's minion was no match for Dil and the half-elf cut him down in exactly three hits. Like a crazed man, Dil went on to the next-closest person – Callik. The tall rogue spun around to face Dil just as he sent my skeleton crumbling to the floor under a flurry of hard blows. Further down from them, the remaining two of Callik's men hacked madly away at one-another; one of them had a bloodied side.
Callik could hit hard. When he spun on Dil, he swung his blade in a sharp upward, backhanded diagonal sweep and Dil had just the reflexes to jump back out of its way before it neatly severed his arm and part of his shoulder. From my vantage point, I could almost feel the momentum of that swing. Dil jumped right back into it, of course, and attacked Callik with a series of almost teasing pokes and thrusts. The half-elf's show of finesse swordsmanship was wasted, however, as Callik's own counters were bent on disarming and overpowering. The tall rogue lord fought like a man pressed with time; every time his blade met Dil's he would swing outwards forcefully, and as soon as Dil left himself open in the slightest or hesitated a moment, Callik would launch a cleaving swing that Dil would have to scramble to avoid.
A cry from the side pulled my attention from Callik and Dil. One of Callik's two men had killed the other and the victor was heading in my direction. I hefted my crossbow and fired; the heavy bolt knifed through the air and buried itself in the oncoming man's throat. I breathed a sigh of relief and watched him drop to the ground. As quickly as I could, I then strung up a second bolt and returned my attention to Dil and Callik.
I danced about until I was behind Callik. When his broad, red-clothed back was in plain sight I fired. Callik roared as the bolt bit into his flesh…it was enough to give Dil all the time in the world to finish him off. And he did. All I saw was a slender blade burst through Callik's back and pull right back out again; then the rogue lord fell to the floor in a heap and I was left facing Dil – who was soaked in sewage water, sprinkled with blood, and panting. He looked up at me and spun his sword.
Alright…and apparently still under my Chaos spell, too.
Dil grinned and dashed for me, leaping over Callik's motionless body. I scrambled back towards the far wall, spouting the words to a dispelling dweomer. The spell went off just as I backed myself against the wall; Dil, who was by then but a few feet from me, stopped dead in his tracks and frowned deeply, the effects of Chaos lifting. There was a moment of silence, and then a voice called out.
"Well done, well done, well done!" Vengual cried, clapping, from off to the side.
My chest heaving and my mouth still open, I looked over in the direction of the gate and just stared, unable to find anything to say. Before me, Dil regained his senses and shot his leader a fierce grin.
