Before I get into the story, let me tell you a short one. The scene in the last chapter about 'Just to annoy you,' came from a real life experience I've had. A friend and me were walking to another friend's house. It was about three miles. After two, my friend asked why we were walking. I said that I liked the scenery. He said 'No, really,' and I said, 'Just to annoy you.' The reason really was to annoy him; we could have gotten a ride.
They had made it to the entrance to the underdark. Artemis Entreri felt a sense of dread as they neared the tunnel. It had been a long time since he had been in the wretched place.
Entreri couldn't really place what it was that he didn't like about the underdark. Was it the overwhelming darkness? It had been at first, but now he supposed it was the underdark's inhabitants. He had the magical ring Jarlaxle had given him to see in the infrared spectrum, and had learned how to interpret heat patterns.
It was the drow he disliked. Now, with Dantrag and Uthegental dead, he was quite possibly the greatest fighter in Menzoberranzan. He chuckled at the thought, then remembered his partner. He had trouble even thinking the word. Partner.
Entreri had never had any partners, or masters. Other's station didn't matter to Entreri. They were one of three things, employer, target, or bystander. That had all changed with Menzoberranzan. Now, out of twenty thousand, even though he could outfight all but maybe five, he was twenty thousand and one. Everyone was a master.
Then Bregan D'aerthe had come to the surface. After Creshinibon had been destroyed, and only Jarlaxle remained, Entreri had found a partner.
His partner was worried, wondering about the strength of Kimmuriel's artifact. How easily would Kimmuriel be defeated? Part of Jarlaxle knew that he could defeat Kimmuriel, and the other part wasn't so sure. How was he going to do it? If Kimmuriel controlled most of Bregan D'aerthe, Jarlaxle would have few allies.
How was he supposed to take on all of Bregan D'aerthe? Of course, he had left some backup plans incase something like this had happened. But most of them involved a member of the mercenary band. He couldn't be sure that any of them were still loyal to him.
Jarlaxle had already decided to ask Gromph for help. Gromph and Jarlaxle had formed the drow equivalent of a friendship. They didn't necessarily like each other, but they both disliked the spider goddess, Lolth, and were unsatisfied with their rank in the drow city behind the females. They shared the same views, and ones as radical as these in people of their level of power created alliance.
But Jarlaxle didn't know if Triel and the matron council supported Kimmuriel's rule, and if they did, he didn't know how much help he could get from the Archmage. Suffice to say, it would make Jarlaxle's job much harder.
The group came to a fork in the tunnel. One way led to Menzoberranzan, the other to Blingdenstone, home of the Svirfnebli. Valas turned down the one leading to Menzoberranzan, but Jarlaxle stopped.
"Valas," He called. Valas turned around. Jarlaxle said, "First we are going to Blingdenstone to get some aid in our quest." Valas looked visibly annoyed. "The deep gnomes won't aid us." Jarlaxle flashed a smile. "You forget; I am Jarlaxle."