Chapter 14
Eilistraee looked upon her lost and struggling follower with kindness. No creature threatened his life while he slept, nor any drow from Ched Nasad, hunting him down for the bounty surely placed on his head. Sab'vrae awoke to sore legs and a throbbing bicep, which began to bleed again once he moved. Grumbling, Sab'vrae ripped off his sleeve, tying it tightly around the wound as a makeshift bandage. Checking his body for any other injuries and finding none, the drow peered over his ledge, cautiously scanning the tunnel.
He sighed, blowing his hair aside, contemplating his next move. "Goddess, what shall I do?" he asked somewhat rhetorically, leaning his head back against the stone. He reached into his shirt, finding her book. Flipping through the pages, he knew he had no light to read it by, but just imagining the words on the paper gave him comfort. He stopped, feeling paper of a different texture. Lifting the folded document, Sab'vrae wrinkled his eyebrows in bemusement.
Finally, he recalled the odd scrap as one of Erel'kiira's parting gifts. "She said it would help me to the surface if I needed to go, but how?" the dark elf mused to himself. Despite the complete lack of light, he unfolded the paper, eyes widening in surprise at the site.
A map! A detailed map, written in infrared ink, enabling him to view it in ultraviolet vision. Obviously enchanted as well, for it showed his exact location in relation to Ched Nasad. A green arrow pointed down the tunnel to the left of his cave. Sab'vrae stuck his head out once more, looking in the direction the map pointed. Perhaps it showed him the nearest route leading to the surface?
Surely, what else would it be? Making one last inspection of the area, Sab'vrae held his cloak to his body and levitated back to the ground. Pushing his piwafwi aside slightly, Sab'vrae unsheathed his simpler sword, the one without a red glow. Holding the map in his free hand, the drow crept quickly, yet carefully, down the deep stone tunnel.
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Matron Bhin'ree flung a small wooden statue of herself against the stone wall, shattering the artwork.
"May Lloth consume my wretched son!" she fumed, tugging at her snake whip. Dilaere backed away from the matron, deciding to stay silent for the moment. "All my careful plans, unraveled by this fool! I'm surprised House Nasandra hasn't eliminated us yet!"
The weapon master cleared his throat lowly, "If I may, mistress? They've already called the situation 'even' with us, seeing as the young fool supposedly fled into the wild. By now, I'm sure one of the many creatures out there has eaten him. Besides, the Nasandra have five more daughters, most much more capable than Talab'riia was."
Bhin'ree glared angrily in his direction, but held her whip in place, "True, but I can literally feel Lloth's powers draining from my soul. Round up some of our soldiers, Dilaere, especially the officers. It's time to make some sacrifices. Once I regain a fraction of Lloth's favor, I'm going to make you a very, very busy drone. There's much clean up left to do, thanks to my dead son."
"Of course, mistress." Dilaere bowed and exited the room. From that moment on, neither of them spoke of Aleanani's elderboy by name again.
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Holding the precious map in his teeth, Sab'vrae desperately battled a drider. "Blessed" by their goddess, Lloth, drider were former drow who failed special tests of skill and loyalty given by the Spider Queen. As punishment, Lloth transformed them into a hideous creature -- a large, headless spider with the upper body of a drow in its place.
Dodging the drider's scimitars, Sab'vrae dropped into a roll, lopping off one of its eight legs. The creature lurched forward, screeching. The dark elf took the chance to spring up and impale its spidery abdomen, steaming blood and acid pouring from the wound. Quickly removing his blade before any permanent damage could befall it, Sab'vrae stepped back from the screaming drider. Worrying the sound might attract more predators, the drow swung his glowing sword, cleanly lopping off the monster's head. The drider slumped, toppling over next to its rolling head.
Sab'vrae took a moment to examine his body. Covered in multiple cuts, but nothing serious, he sighed through the paper in his mouth. He sheathed his swords and removed his shirt and tore the remainder of it to shreds. Taking the pieces, he wrapped them around his more serious wounds, most of them on his torso. Gathering his wits, Sab'vrae plucked the map out from his lips, slightly damp from his saliva. This didn't ruin the markings in any way, thankfully.
Grasping the paper between his dark hands, Sab'vrae continued to follow the marked trail. The drider wasn't the first monster he'd encountered in his nearly month-long trek, but it was the first one that caught him off guard. In his travels, Sab'vrae ran across three Hook Horrors, a few giant spiders, and one Umber Hulk. Using the element of surprise, the drow managed to dispatch them with little effort, save for the Umber Hulk, a large, beetle like creature on two legs. It took two stabs to the monster's eyes before the dark elf managed to subdue it completely.
His stomach rumbled in hunger. Instantly, a purple arrow pointed in a direction opposite the green marker, but much closer to his current position. Weeks ago, Sab'vrae had quickly learned the purple arrow was an indicator of the nearest safe food or water source, both rare resources in the Underdark wilds. The drow adjusted his course accordingly, reaching an illuminated cavern an hour or so later.
The light came from the low glow of a rare Underdark species of moss. Sab'vrae carefully inspected the bright plant, recalling his environmental lessons back at the academy. Finally confirming it as a non lethal growth, the drow yanked the moss from the wall, biting off a piece. He chewed the strangely appetizing moss in his mouth for a long moment, swallowing with a large gulp. He gathered a few handfuls more, wrapping them up in a spare shred of his shirt, tucking it away into his pants pocket. Walking towards the center of the cavern, he found a small pond of clear water.
Closely examining its contents and double checking with his map, Sab'vrae found the water also safe, truly something hard to come by in the underground. Without a flask or glass, he simply dipped his hands in the liquid, bringing it up to his lips. He slurped the fresh, invigorating water, its wonderfully cool touch sating his parched mouth. Sab'vrae drank a few more handfuls before standing. He stretched his sore muscles and continued on, following the green arrow once again.
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Seeking shelter in hidden caves and abandoned settlements during his times of rest, and venturing the multiple caverns and passageways of the Underdark during his waking hours, Sab'vrae made slow progress towards the surface. Already he noted the change in the air quality and temperature. He drew ever closer, his six week journey coming to a close. Offhand, he wonderful if the trip took longer than the raid party simply because he traveled alone, or perhaps because the map showed him the safest route, not the quickest. Most likely, both played a factor.
His well worn leather boots scraped against the stone. A light breeze caressed his face and hair. The stony ground mingled with soil as the ground slopped. Sab'vrae glanced at his map, then rolled it up, tucking the paper away. An opening into the surface world was only a few hundred yards ahead. Quickening his pace, Sab'vrae made his way to the top, squinting his eyes as bright light began to invade his infrared vision. Finally reaching the cave opening, Sab'vrae stepped out into the sunny midday world.
It never occurred to him just how blazing the star known as the "sun" could be. And, in his excitement, the drow forgot to switch to the light spectrum.
Howling in pain, Sab'vrae covered his throbbing eyes, brilliant red and white colors temporarily blinding him. He sunk to his knees, groaning. After a few minutes of enduring the agony in his skull, the dark elf concentrated long enough to switch his vision to the light. The red heat glow leaving his bluish orbs, Sab'vrae held his hand over his eyes, shadowing them as he attempted another look at the world.
Despite the shift in spectrums, the surface light still stung his eyes, though not nearly as bad now. He pulled his piwafwi's hood over his head, relieving some of the discomfort. Sab'vrae squinted at the landscape before him, speechless.
How different and wonderful this foreign world appeared in the day! Above him rose rocky mountains intent on touching the light blue skies. Lush, dark green blades of grass covered the earth in every direction, only interrupted in the spots where great leafy trees grew.
His long, keen elven ears detected every twiddle of every raven, every hawk, falcon; the low purr of a sleeping wildcat; the snap of a twig once a wolf trampled it in its daily run. Never before did the dark elf feel so happy, so content at his environment. The cerulean dome above stretched on into forever, filling him with the feeling that no matter how far he climbed, never could he reach the top, reach a limit.
Unable to find another outlet, Sab'vrae threw back his head and laughed. Long, joyfully, and hard until his sides could withstand his merry movement no more. His sides aching, the drow plopped down onto the grass, feeling the blades scratch at his skin. He inhaled another deep breath of wonder, fresh air. If fate allowed it, the fighter decided he would never set foot in the Underdark again.
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Before and during his time in the academy, Sab'vrae spent many hours studying the environment of the surface world, a subject that always held a firm interest in him. Many of his teachers and peers scoffed at his knowledge in the area, proclaiming it useless outside of a surface raid. For some time, Sab'vrae pondered if they had a point, but now he never appreciated his bookish understanding of the Lands Above more.
Once the bright, painful sun set over the hills, darkness fell quickly. Overhead, the full moon gleamed brightly, preventing the need to use the ultraviolet spectrum. Finding shelter under a "cave" of bushes and trees, Sab'vrae gathered multiple twigs and dead leaves, starting a small campfire. Upon establishing his temporary base of operations, he set out to hunt for food.
Luck smiled at him when a jackrabbit dashed across his path. It stumbled to the ground a moment after, a sleeping dart lodged in its hindquarters.
"I apologize, creature," Sab'vrae said earnestly, picking up the sleeping animal by the scruff of its neck, "but I need to eat, and meat's a good source of protein." He flicked his concealed dagger across the rabbit's throat, ending its life quickly and painlessly. Sab'vrae carried the dead animal back to his camp, beginning his work.
The dark elf dug his knife under the rabbit's skin, past the muscle and near the bone. He slid the blade through the skin, cleanly removing the unnecessary fur. Once the skin stuck to the meat and bone no more, Sab'vrae placed his meal on a large, freshly plucked leaf. He sharpened a stick to a point, impaling the rabbit's body on it and held the food over the fire. Occasionally, he rotated the skewer, ensuring all sides of the meat were cooked thoroughly.
He jumped when his long ears noted the low plucking of harp chords. He glanced at his surroundings, but saw nothing. Sab'vrae returned to his dinner, finally finishing the roast. Taking the same leaf, he tugged the hare from the skewer, using the plant as tableware. The dark elf bit into the soft, tender meat and tugged, ripping off a chunk of food. He chewed substance for a while in his mouth. Not bad. I could eat more of these if need be.
Plucking of a fine-tuned harp filled the air again. Sab'vrae chanced another look, and this time spotted a cloaked figure slowly approaching him.His fingers inched towards his sword's hilt, but he made no offensive move, as the approaching creature did not make any threatening advances of its own.
It stopped just within the soft orange-yellow glow of the campfire, and Sab'vrae recognized the figure as a tall, female elf. Though the hood of her simple cloak covered her head, he could easily see her face, and was quite surprised to discover she was drow.
Something about her made him relax his grip on his sword, however. The beautiful dark elf smiled at him kindly. Her very body seemed to radiate a sense of comfort and protection. Breaking the relative silence, the woman spoke.
"Good evening to you, traveler," her gentle and sweet voice greeted, "Would it trouble you much if I joined you and shared a meal? I have not had much luck in searching for food this night."
Raising his eyebrows in curiosity, Sab'vrae slowly nodded, motioning to a nearby rock, "Um, sure. Seat yourself." Gracefully, the elven woman brushed past him and settled herself down on the stone. Pulling off a large piece of rabbit meat, he handed the food to his visitor, "It's not much, I'm afraid, but hopefully it'll fill your stomach enough for now."
She graciously accepted the meal, tentatively chewing on the tender meat. "It is more than enough, thank you."
"You're welcome." Sab'vrae murmured, politely holding off the myriad questions swimming about in his head. His guest turned her gaze to the lit skies, the bright silvery moon shining overhead.
"Such a lovely night," she noted, her eyes somewhat distant. Sab'vrae noted then her cerulean eyes reflected his own. Blue wasn't an uncommon eye color in dark elves, but he was more accustomed to red and yellow eyes in his kin.
"It… is certainly different than what I'm used to." He admitted, nibbling his dinner as he looked at the night sky with her.
"You know, there is a druid grove not far from here, to the east." He blinked in surprise, glancing back at the drow woman, "They are well attuned to nature. Most of its inhabitants are surface elves, and will be suspicious of a drow approaching. However, if you disarm yourself before them and show them your necklace, I am certain they will welcome you in."
Sab'vrae gasped, fingering his Eilistraee symbol, examining it. It now hung around his neck for all to see, ever since his shirt had been reduced to shreds. The melodious ring of a harp filled his keen ears. He looked up, finding his visitor gone and a low, silvery glowing orb.
"I thank you for your kindness and hospitality," the woman's voice echoed about the campsite, "I hope you find the druid grove a good home, at least for now." Her voice faded into the night, along with the silver essence. Sab'vrae's heart pounded in his ears, his breathing increased at the realization of his divine visitor.
"No, thank you, Dark Maiden," he whispered to the trees, holding his necklace close to his heart, "for all the protection and kindness you have given me."