AN: Heh. Things have been morbid lately! So very morbid! And I was thinking a lot about it. I have ideas, lots of ideas, for that which would take place after the Underdark, but precious little by way of plans for what to happen during, beyond the normal plot. That struck me as wrong. I'd be racing through the plot bits, and then spending more time on fluff. So why not transpose the fluff onto the plot, and just have a richer Underdark? It's taking fiddling… but all will be explained, and hang on, because I've been hit by ideas now… it's all coming together…
Chapter 101: A Rescue
"A mysterious creature or person who may help us… living in the Underdark… in a pitch black cave where we need a special gem to navigate it… does anyone else here think that this is a poor idea?" Edwin asked lightly as the party trooped out of the Svirfneblin city in file, Harrian and Jaheira in the lead – the former using the map, the latter using infravision.
"Goldander said that they might be able to get us into Ust Natha," Imoen reminded him. "And I don't see anyone else offering to help us, or giving us any alternatives. Not even a Red Wizard with a superior intellect." She smirked at him as he glared back, then glanced over towards the two in the lead. "Seriously, though, Eddie's got a point," Imoen continued, ignoring Edwin's surprised, irritated, and suspicious look. "How do we know we're not just running into danger."
"This is the Underdark," Jaheira pointed out. "Everywhere is danger. We see no alternatives, and as we saved the Svirfneblin from that balor, I sincerely doubt they would send us into any extreme danger."
"Knowingly, anyway," Anomen muttered. "They were far too vague for my liking. Why all the secrecy? If they are sending us to this Adalon at all, whoever he, she, or it may be, then I see no reason for leaving its nature shrouded in mystery."
"Maybe to protect themselves? Or it. Or us," Harrian guessed. "We won't know until we find this Adalon, whoever they are, and anything beyond that is just pure hypothesising without anything to back it up. You're going to wind yourselves up and panic over possibly nothing."
"Or possibly something serious," Edwin interjected. "You cannot seriously expect those runts to be entirely forthcoming with us. There is something very important we are not being told, and I sincerely dislike walking into the face of the unknown so unnecessarily."
The party came to a halt as Harrian paused, turning to the Thayvian and giving him an evil glare. "Nobody asked you to come along with this, Edwin. You don't like it, you can leave, now. I'm sure a Red Wizard of your intellect can find his own way out."
Edwin glowered, straightening up to his full height, which was actually a few inches over Harrian's fairly average stature. "No, you did not ask me. I came along on this trip because this is supposed to be my payment. There are riches in the Underdark; riches none of us can imagine, and you promised them to me. I would like to remain alive to enjoy, or even receive, my payment, and walking into a pitch black cave which holds an unknown creature in it with only a small… rock… to light our way, does not inspire me with confidence," he snapped back.
"You're coming along, under my leadership. You either carry on, doing as I say, and receive your reward, or you refuse my leadership. That in itself will be breaking the deal, and then you can leave, no reward, as is fair," Harrian spat.
Anomen stepped up slowly, raising his hands to try and calm the two bickering men down. "You are both right, and you are both wrong," he started diplomatically. "Edwin, Harrian is our leader," the cleric continued, a little coldly. "We have followed him this far, and we trust him. There is no alternative to what we have been presented with, and unless you have a better idea, I would suggest that you remain quiet and do not question his leadership."
Harrian was smirking as Anomen turned to him, but the smile died quickly as the Helmite carried on with his rampage. "Whereas you," he carried on, "have to see Edwin's point. We're following you into the very depths of the Abyss with this escapade, and we have all already had to abandon a good deal of our common sense to do so. This is becoming madness after madness. Just because we have no alternatives does not mean that caution must be abandoned," he lectured.
There was a long silence as both Edwin and Harrian eyed Anomen cautiously, and the cleric took a step back as both of them opened their mouths, probably to let loose with a few choice phrases.
Before they could, however, Haer'Dalis – who had been silent throughout the entire exchange, standing a few metres away from the party, looking fairly intense – spoke up, frowning a little. "My raven, there are… people… some distance to the east. I believe they are heading in our direction."
Harrian paused, then glanced swiftly over at Imoen. The pink-haired mage nodded slowly, then shifted her hands in a brief, elaborate pattern as she muttered something under her breath and disappeared instantaneously. Harrian glanced over at the others. "Hide. Get in shelter. We'll see what, or who, Immy finds."
The party scurried off to take cover behind a nearby outcropping of rocks, holding their breath, weapons at the ready. There was a long silence until some hurried footsteps could be heard, and Imoen materialised in front of them.
"Drow," she panted, having obviously been running. "A raiding party, or something. They've got slaves with them… not many, but some. Maybe three slaves? There's a captured troll. And eight or so drow… And they're headed in this direction."
Harrian paused, nodding. "Ambush," he declared at last. "They outnumber us, but we'll have the element of surprise. Edwin, Imoen, Haer'Dalis; get spells ready to hit them first of all. Try to avoid hitting the slaves. Anomen, Minsc – be ready to go in first of all. Focus on the drow. Jaheira and I will be right behind you, aiming for the slaves."
There were no questions as the party shifted their positions, ready for the attack. Harrian peered around the rocky corner discreetly, watching the drow approach slowly. Imoen had been correct indeed; there were eight drow, three slaves – all elves, as far as he could see – and one large, captured troll, who persistently tugged at his bindings. They would have to be careful of that one.
"On my signal," Harrian whispered, pulling a throwing knife from his bandoleer and fingering the tip lightly. There were some slight murmurs of comprehension from behind him as the tension thickened, everyone coiled tight, like springs, ready to burst out and unleash hell at a moment's notice.
The drow had been busy pulling at the troll and kicking the slaves to pay too much attention to their surroundings. Evidently they were quite comfortable in this environment; they had no obvious fear of illithids or beholders nearby, and were at ease as they travelled, probably along a regular route.
Thus the throwing knife which appeared almost from nowhere and embedded itself in the throat of the lead drow took them entirely by surprise. They had no time to react, however, as a fireball erupted in the ground in front of them, exploding viciously. There was a split-second's respite, followed by a barrage of magic missiles thudding into two drow, who had already been injured by the fireball's blast, and fell like rocks.
Anomen and Minsc charged forwards, the priest surrounded with a holy, protective light, the Flail of Ages already twirling dangerously in his hands. They ploughed into the first rank of drow like a hot knife through butter, Minsc's Warblade flashing with each swipe at a dark elven skull.
Harrian launched himself into the fray, pulling out both of his swords, the Daystar cutting into a drow's neck, Peridan slashing across another one's chest. He was headed towards the slaves, Jaheira at his back, fighting her way through also.
But as he watched and grew near, he could see the troll yank his hands apart, breaking the bonds weakened by constant tugging and a fireball's flames. Before Harrian could get there, the creature turned to the shrieking, bound, slave next to it and bodily ripped them apart.
The drow in charge of the slaves, already looking terrified by the assault from the adventurers, stared in shock as the monster broke his longsword in half with one easy twist. The drow gaped for a moment, then went to flee, pushing a second slave in the troll's path as a distraction.
The slave died as quickly as the first, and the drow met an end on the tip of Jaheira's fast scimitar, cut down even as he tried to run away, leaving, for now, only Harrian and the remaining slave.
A clawed fist, aimed at the elf's head, was stopped by a slash from the Daystar. The troll roared in pain, but was not deterred. Harrian quickly sheathed Peridan over his shoulder and took his blade in a two-handed grip, pushing the slave back a little roughly and placing himself between her and the monster. It would take fire, acid or poison to bring this beast down, and Harrian had none of them.
A second slash was easily deterred, and Harrian launched forwards with a stab of his own, catching the beast lightly in the chest, knocking it back as it let out a brief bark of pain. The fight with the drow around him faded from his consciousness, as he was dimly aware of Jaheira battling drow, Anomen and Minsc wreaking havoc, and the spellcasters behind him bringing down individual enemies.
Harrian dodged quickly to avoid a claw, pulling the dagger from his boot and slashing at the troll's arm yet again. He needed to end this fight now, but didn't have the means to do so…
He paused, kicking at the troll to knock it back for a moment, then turned swiftly to the last remaining slave he was defending, passing her his dagger quickly. "Free yourself, and get back with my friends behind the rocks," he told the elf quietly, before turning and again deflecting a blow from the troll as it roared with fury.
He heard no reply from the slave, and as he launched himself forwards one last time, driving the Daystar through the troll's chest in an attack he knew wouldn't kill it but hoped would at least bring it down, the last thing he had expected was for the elf to intervene in any way.
But she did, as a magical flaming arrow cut through the darkness and hit the troll in the face, setting the creature alight as Harrian pulled back swiftly, watching the monster burn and fall to the ground.
There was silence for a long moment, broken only by a dull thump as Anomen dispatched the last of the drow with a well-time swing from his flail. Edwin, Imoen and Haer'Dalis emerged from behind the outcropping of rock where they had been taking shelter and throwing their magic at the drow, as the party stared dumbly at the havoc they'd wreaked.
The elven slave turned to Harrian, shock and something approaching delight on her face. "You s-saved me! I was sure those horrid d-drow would take me t-to their vile city where they would do… who knows w-what," she declared with a slight stammer, looking as if she was about to throw her arms around him there and then.
Harrian smiled at her brightly as he evaluated the woman before him. He couldn't deny that she was attractive, even with Jaheira skulking in the background. Long, blonde hair – even if it was a little dirty – framed a face which was adorably delicate, even for an elf, and even through the darkness he could see a pair of bright blue eyes shining hopefully at him.
His smile broadened a little, and he nodded slowly. "I am glad we could help," he assured her with certainty. "A pity we did not intervene sooner, or perhaps your comrades would have survived also. I am sorry."
The elf frowned slightly, sorrow tugging a little at her expression as she looked at the two bodies, then back at Harrian. "I did not know them. They were already captives when the drow attacked the circus caravan." She paused a moment, looking pensive. "I am called Aerie, and again I thank you for your timely intervention, or I… I would be dead, for sure. You are adventurers, headed for the surface?" she asked hopefully.
Harrian shook his head. "Adventurers on a quest down here, I'm afraid. My name is Harrian Corias. My friends and I are hunting for two individuals we believe to be in the drow city of Ust Natha. We need to go there." He also paused for a moment. "We…we have no means of getting you to the surface right now. You evidently have some magical skill… if you joined with us, we will take you with us when we return to the surface, and then you would be free to go as you wish?"