Sorry it took me so long to update, but I caught a really nasty cold, so writing anything was the least of my worries, but I'm over it now!

Chapter 29--Into the Depths

The reached the bottom of the stairs which were dimly lit and covered with fungus and grime. "Must be the low rent district," Drizzt snorted, making a face at the foul stench that filled the air.

Kylia snickered softly behind him. "Anyone care for a guided tour?" she asked then paused thoughtfully. "You know it just hit me that we haven't eaten for hours and I'm starved."

"How can you think of food with this stench?" Galen asked.

"I'm famished too," Drizzt remarked.

Shandra shook her head. "Sometimes you two are beyond my comprehension," she said.

"We're Drow, we're supposed to be mysterious and intriguing," Kylia said, batting her eyelashes coyly at Tarion.

Drizzt barely managed to hide a snicker. He took his pack and began digging through it. Pulling out a leather wrapped bundle, he opened it to reveal dried meat and dried fruit.

He studied it ruefully. "It's not going to be an elegant meal," he said.

"That's alright, we can change that once we're done here. I haven't had an elegant meal for a long time," Kylia said. "Let's pause here to eat."

Everyone agreed, so they found a place to sit down and Drizzt passed the bundle around. Dried food wasn't the most exciting meal, that was true, but at least it was filling. After a brief rest they gathered up their things and moved on with the hunt.

The further they went the more unpleasant it got. Mold and fungus lined the walks and the floor. The stench seemed to get worse the further they went.

"I'm glad we ate before we got down here, because right now food is definitely the furthest thing from my mind," Drizzt grumbled.

"Mine either, I'm too busy trying to keep down what I ate," Kylia said.

They came to a fork in the path, one led to the right and one led to the left. "Which way?" Shandra asked.

"Perhaps we should split up to search both," Galen suggested.

"No, that wouldn't be wise. We need to stick together," Drizzt said. "We'll search one way then check out the other if we need too."

"So which one do we start with? Left or right?" Tarion asked.

Drizzt moved forward into the opening of the right tunnel and peered down it, pausing to listen then repeated the process with the left one. "We should start with the right," he said.

"Why is that?" Galen asked.

"I'm not sure, but somehow that's the feeling I get," Drizzt said.

"Then we'll do it. Let's go, we're wasting time," Shandra said.

They headed cautiously down the right hand hall, watching warily for anything unusual or strange. Drizzt led the way, moving as silently as a shadow, but the effect was ruined by the armor Shandra and Tarion wore. After listened to the clanking of their footsteps Drizzt stopped. "Can you or Kylia do something about that plate mail? Everything down here will know we're coming from that racket," he said.

"I can fix that problem," Galen said. He chanted and gestured for several minutes. "Now try it."

Shandra and Tarion moved forward and this time there wasn't a sound.

"That's better," Drizzt said. They walked another hour then spotted a door in the wall. After checking for traps, Drizzt opened it.

What happened next caught them all by surprise. The minute the door opened something leaped from the room, slamming into Drizzt with brutal force and sending him flying into the wall. He crumpled to the ground, conscious, but dazed.

"Drizzt!" Shandra yelled. She drew her sword and lunged at the thing.

Cliffhanger! R/R please! By the way New York is really cool!