Chapter 3

Serosa'ruth stumbled slightly, but quickly regained his balance as he landed on damp, stony ground. His eyes began to glow red in intense heat vision, using the infrared spectrum to scan the surrounding area. Ky'itae and Saeola arrived shortly after him, and the druid noted with a mental sigh that the portal was a one-way trip; at least, he surmised, without another incantation -- probably a different one -- to reopen it. He shrugged to himself and the women, "Well, no way to go for now but forward."

Saeola landed not so gracefully on her bottom and grumbled under her breath, rubbing her sore rump with a scowl. She then blinked at his words and glanced behind her. Nothing. "Well, this looks promising," She said flatly, turning away to glance at their surroundings.

Ky'itae, her own eyes glowing -- though not nearly as brightly as Serosa'ruth's -- in heat vision, scanned the walls. "Well, there's more drow glyphs here, so we might be able to exit from here, but it probably is a better idea to search around first."

Saeola's own Darkvision kicked in and she also surveyed the area, pulling herself to her feet as she did. But all she could do was confirm what Ky'itae and Serosa'ruth had already pointed out. "Yeah. After all, we came here for a reason... To see if the person who created that creature is here."

Serosa'ruth kept one arm up to grasp his sword hilt, the other to use the wall as a guide and support. The elven male peered around a corner, his eyes narrowing. "Hm. There's a few armed skeletons down there," he whispered, "A strong sign that we're either in a cursed crypt or a necromancer's lair, though from the lack of tombs, I suspect the latter. Too bad I don't have that trunk club with me. Swords are even more useless against these guys than the flesh golem. Cutting through bone won't work... we'll just entangle our blades. Hm..." He stroked his covered chin.

Saeola frowned. "Well... is it possible to disable them at least so we can get by? I can shoot off an arm or leg easily from here." She shrugged her shoulders so that the case of arrows on her back clattered together very softly to emphasize her point.

"You'd have to launch at least two or three arrows together to get enough force to--" Before the eldest adventurer could finish, Ky'itae silently charged forward, one of her steel boots in hand. Coming up behind the patrolling skeletons, the elf woman used her boot as a hard bludgeon to knock the skulls from their bodies. Most collapsed with the removal of their heads, and those that remained Ky'itae quickly beat into submission. Within moments, all six guards littered the ground. Ky'itae turned to her companions, smiling smugly as she placed her boot back on.

"...Or we could do that." Serosa'ruth muttered.

Saeola stared for a long moment then cracked up, desperately smothering it with a slender hand. "Yeah, that was definitely more effective." She flashed Ky'itae a victory sign and a goofy grin. "I like the way you think, girl."

Ky'itae returned the gesture with an even goofier smirk, "Well, that makes two of us. Methinks I nearly gave Mr. Nature's Wrath here a heart attack. Suck it up, Serosa'ruth, we women can hold our own down here."

Serosa'ruth shook his head and continued down the hall, grumbling about proper tactics.

Saeola followed, still chuckling, and whacked Serosa'ruth rather hard on the back. Of course, it probably felt no stronger than a normal hit to him. "Sometimes you plan, other times you just kill and plan later."

The concealed elf continued to mumble incoherently and indignantly.

The ranger laughed and hurried to fall into steps beside Ky'itae. Although she really had nothing to say, she didn't feel like wandering through this place with a muttering incoherent male.

"Don't mind him," Ky'itae chuckled, "From what I know, he's had years of military training, so he's very anal about these things." The brown-haired elf grinned.

She grinned back, giving her a thumbs-up. "I guessed something like that. Still... He's gotta learn that planning can be a waste of time sometimes." She bent her arms behind her head and turned her eyes to the ceiling. "Sometimes you don't have the time."

"You can still think in a moment without killing needed time." The male half-snapped.

"Isn't that what I did?" Ky'itae smirked.

"... Be silent."

Saeola just laughed again and shook her head.

Serosa'ruth rolled his glowing eyes, "Women..." He halted, squinting his eyes at the passage ahead. "Saeola, are you good at disarming traps?"

She stopped walking and glanced over her shoulder at him curiously. "Yeah. Why, one up ahead?" She glanced ahead and squinted, attempting to spot it.

"A lot of them. A few magical. I can try to break down the magic on some of them, but I'm no wizard, so I doubt I'll be able to do much."

She nodded and took out an arrow, eyes focused on the trap she had just spotted. She notched the arrow, pulling back, aimed and fired a perfect shot.

A click signaled the trap's deactivation. Serosa'ruth pulled a small dagger from his boot and groped along the wall, using the blade to deactivate the minor triggers.

Her eyes scanned for more traps as she notched another arrow. She found one, aimed and fired. Another click resounded and she smirked. "Piece O' Cake."

Serosa'ruth twitched. "Don't... move... your... foot..."

Saeola flinched and froze every muscle in her body. "Ah... dammit..."

"... We got anything heavy to replace her foot on the plate?" Ky'itae asked, backing up slightly.

"Sorry, I don't have anything heavy enough," Saeola replied in a low whisper, as if speaking loudly would set off the trap.

Serosa'ruth scanned the ceiling and walls, finally finding the armed weapon connected to the pressure plate. "Saeola, back up when I give you the signal, then jump backward as fast and far as you can."

Saeola nodded and braced herself, every muscle in her body tightening and ready to spring.

The druid fell a few paces back, then swung his arm down, "NOW!"

She lunged, bolting to the side as fast as her body allowed.

A large pendulum blade sped towards the ground, slamming into the stone just as the ranger's feet cleared the area. Serosa'ruth tapped it with his foot. "Hm. Pure iron. Guess they really wanted to get the point across, ne?"

"...I really hope that wasn't a bad pun," Saeola groaned, pressed up against the wall. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and peeled herself from it. Rubbing her forehead, which she had accidentally smacked against the wall.

"This is an axe-like weapon, not a sword-like device, so it doesn't have a 'point' so much as a bladed edge." Serosa'ruth corrected.

Saeola rubbed the back of her neck, trying to work out a kink that had appeared. It cracked loudly. "Oh, pardon me..." She muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes with a grin.

"Okay, Mr. Anal-Retentive, let's go." Ky'itae grabbed the collar of the druid's cloak and dragged him along the path. Serosa'ruth watched the elf fighter's feet and froze.

"...Ky'itae?" He twitched.

"What?"

"Your foot's on another pressure plate..."

"WHAT!"

Saeola's eyebrow twitched.

Serosa'ruth removed Ky'itae's hands from his cloak and walked on. "Just kidding."

Saeola practically fell over. "Don't DO that!" A pouch containing something hard collided with the back of Serosa'ruth's head. Before his head could completely lurch forward, Ky'itae added to the blow by elbowing the male in the ribs, sending him tumbling over.

"DAMMIT, SERO!"

The wall ahead rumbled. Serosa'ruth looked down at the loose stone slab his knee had just pressed in and released. "Aw shit."

Saeola's eyebrow twitched again. "Well, I believe this is part where we run." She glared at the male elf, a glare that promised death if they got out of here alive.

The wall began to slide towards them, as did a new wall behind them, which blocked off their exit back through the entrance.

"Dammit! We've gotta get out of here!" Saeola cried. And that was only possible by continuing forward right? There had to be another way out...

Serosa'ruth clambered to his feet, his fingers and lips rapidly moving as he quickly cast a spell, tossing his hands in the direction of the women and then himself. A soft, gray aura soon emitted around each adventurer.

"Walk through the wall," he said, pointing at the moving stone in front of them. The women looked at him incredulously.

"Are you insane!" Ky'itae asked, slackjawed.

"Just do it, dammit!" Serosa'ruth huffed, dashing forwards towards -- and into -- the rock.

It was an odd feeling. It felt hot and cold at the same time. And while Saeola really didn't trust this..."If I die... then the Hells won't even compare to what I'll do to you in the afterlife!" She shouted, waving a fist threateningly before taking a deep breath, closing her eyes, and running in after him.

Ky'itae followed the others through the thick wall, feeling the same odd sensations and the strangeness of... melding into the rock. The path seemed to last less than a moment and at the same time, forever. However much time had passed, the elven fighter found herself around a bend from the moving rock slab, and out of the trap. Serosa'ruth leaned against a wall while Saeola attempted the same, only to fall into the rock and reemerge with a yelp.

Now she clung to the floor like it was her only anchor. "Mind warning me next time?" She grumbled, glaring up at Serosa'ruth. The glare quickly faded and she frowned. "Hey, you okay? You don't look so good..."

"...I just remembered I haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning."

She made a face. "Is that all? Jeez..."

The male's stomach rumbled loudly to attest his proclamation. He sighed, patting his empty stomach. "What I wouldn't do for some roth meat right now..."

She sighed, sitting on the floor cross-legged now. "Hold on... " She began to dig within her pack and after a moments search, pulled out some bead wrapped in cloth. "Eh… This is all I have. Will it do?"

"Just give me a small piece, it'll be more than enough."

Saeola nodded and broke the bread in half, giving him one piece and placing the other piece back into her bag. Now she could only hope they didn't get stuck in this place for more than one day. She didn't have enough supplies for that and given the outside, there would be no hope in finding food, either.

Serosa'ruth ripped his piece in half and gave the other to Ky'itae. "Here."

"I'm not hungry." The moon elf shrugged.

"Then save it for later." the druid warrior insisted. Ky'itae sighed and took the bread, nibbling on the end a bit. "So, what now?"

Saeola sighed and shrugged helplessly. "Beats me. I think the most obvious thing to do is just keep walking." She pointed to the path ahead, mostly hidden in darkness. "Actually, it's the only thing we can do, seeing as how this is the only way to go now."

"True enough... or so it might seem." Serosa'ruth walked along the rock wall, tapping various sections and running his fingers along the edges, "Keep your eyes peeled. I can feel a small shift in the air nearby, and it's not coming from the path ahead. There's probably a hidden doorway around here."

Saeola stood from her spot on the floor and dusted herself off. After fixing her quiver on her shoulder to a more comfortable spot, she turned her green-brown eyes to Serosa'ruth. "So we're looking for a door, then." Saeola moved to the other wall and also traced slender fingers along the rough surface, feeling for this doorway. "Ah, are you certain?"

"Not all doors are obvious. Not all are even true doors, but simple openings once activated. Trust me. I've had my share of experience in wizardly magic and cave tracking." He assured the ranger.

"Yeah, I'm sure..." Saeola muttered, too concentrated on finding this opening to really reply. She continued along the wall, feeling the surface, pressing on the stones it was made of. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for exactly. Was something suppose to open or-- Her hand suddenly went through the wall as if it wasn't even there and she gave a startled yelp of surprise, taking several steps backwards. "Er... I think I found it?"

The two elves came over, inspecting closely. Serosa'ruth's eyes narrowed in what seemed to be the glint of a smile. He gave a pat on Saeola's shoulders. "Nice work, ranger." He complimented, cautiously stepping through the invisible pathway.

Saeola smirked after him, although secretly enjoyed the praise, and stepped in after him. Here's hoping this isn't a trap, She thought as she emerged on the other side.

Ky'itae followed the two nature guardians and found herself in a narrow, dimly lit passageway. Serosa'ruth crouched down, inspecting the ground. "This passage looks like it gets fairly frequent use." His eyes had since shifted back into the light spectrum, returning to their usual blue as he scanned the lit walls. "Those flames appear to be magical, too. Probably to save on wood for lighting this area."

Saeola examined the area curiously, blinking a bit at the sudden light, though dim. There really wasn't much to examine, she discovered after a brief moment, but she found the magical flames interesting. "Hm... So, I guess we follow this?"

"With caution, yes." Ky'itae nodded, turning around to check the entrance. "It's still open, so we might be able to exit this way if the need arises. I'll hold up the rear." The young elven woman unsheathed her bastard sword and kept her attention behind the small party.

"Alrighty," Saeola said, unsheathing her short sword just in case. She figured if they met anything nasty in this narrow corridor, a sword would be more handy than her arrows.

Serosa'ruth kept both his enchanted blades unsheathed, one glowing white, the other red in the dim lighting. His body remained tensed, as if ready to spring into action at a second's notice. The trio came to a fork in the path, at which the leader paused to contemplate their choices.

Saeola followed Serosa'ruth silently, green-brown eyes keeping a sharp look out for anything that may decide to jump out at them. She paused when Serosa'ruth did and she watched his back calmly, curiously. There was something she couldn't place about him... something almost foreboding. But she was probably imagining it. He was such a nice guy. Her eyes then moved away from him to curiously examine their possible paths.

Serosa'ruth turned his head around and nodded at Ky'itae, who nodded back. The elven woman squeezed passed nature's two servants and entered the left passageway. "I'll be right back."

"She's checking briefly for any traps or dead-ends." Serosa'ruth explained to Saeola. "She's gotten a fair amount of cave experience thanks to our orc-hunting, and we usually take turns waiting at a fork while the other inspects one cave for a short while. Usually, if no clear landmark or source of wind can be found within a hundred yards, maybe two, it's a dead end."

Saeola offered him a kind smile, eyes still staring down the path Ky'itae had disappeared down. "Ah, I see. That's pretty impressive. You two are a great team."

"I'd like to think so. We've only been traveling together for about... a year now? We've mostly stayed near the mountains and forests within a hundred miles of Triboar, trying to help clear out the recent orc infestation."

"Only a year and already you can read each other that well? I guess 'impressive' isn't a strong enough word after all. I admire it, though. I've never been one to work well with others."

"Well, I'm sure we haven't gotten each other figured out perfectly at all yet," Serosa'ruth chuckled, "especially since we elves tend to be slow to earn and give total trust to another. I think a big part of it is thanks to the fact we've both had fairly extensive military training before we went adventuring."

"But still... I spent time with a fellow ranger once when I was still learning the paths. Two, three years together and never were we able to read each other that well." She huffed suddenly at the memory and her face twisted into a disgusted look. "He was such a jerk. I'm glad he finally wandered away."

Serosa'ruth chuckled slightly, then paused, "Forgive me if this query seems too personal... You can ignore it if you wish, but... You are a wild half-elf, right? No doubt your kind are very rare, if not almost nonexistent. Perhaps you feel alone and are hard pressed to find a synch with others due to this feeling of alienation from most anyone you meet?"

She opened her mouth to snap at him for being nosy, but stopped when she realized he was right. Well, that was part of the reason, anyway. The other was that many people had told her to her face that she was hard to get along with sometimes. Saeola chuckled lightly and shrugged at him helplessly. "I guess you hit the nail on the head with this one."

Serosa'ruth nodded his head slightly, "As I said, I apologize if I seemed rude, but a word of advice from someone who knows what he's talking about: You're not the only one who feels that way. It can be difficult, but if you search hard enough, you can find those who will accept you for you, regardless of your heritage."

"Hm..." She muttered and gave him an odd look. There was a pause before she spoke up again. "You say you understand... So how about you? Where do you reside from and... What are you, exactly, to understand?"

The elven male's green eyebrow's raised as if contemplating a response, when Ky'itae reemerged from the path.

"There's a door at the end of the hall," she noted, "Probably magically warded. Think you guys can try to disarm, dispel, and unlock it?"

"I can try to dispel it, but I doubt I could unlock all of its magics." Serosa'ruth admitted, "especially if it's strongly warded. Well, let's take a look, shall we? Lead on, Ky."

Saeola frowned at the interruption, but let the issue go. She would have another chance to ask him, she hoped. Her sword, which had been hung loosely at her side, was brought up to a more offensive position. "Right. Lead the way."

The moon elf led the others down the passageway, directing them where to step over traps and avoid other triggers. Soon, the trio came to a stone door at the end. Serosa'ruth inspected the passage carefully, rubbing his covered chin.

"Hmm... yes... I can sense a few powerful wards on this. I can dispel some of them, I think. The others... Well, we'll figure that out later." He chanted lowly, his gloved fingers weaving the patterns of a spell. A low purple light exploded outwards from the center of the door; much of the magical aura faded with it.

"Well, now how do we take care of the other wards? Best to be rid of them before attempting to disarm the other traps." Ky'itae reminded.

Saeola had watched silently, always fascinated by magic. She knew only a few spells herself, but her magic was not her strong point. She then shrugged helplessly at Ky'itae's comment. "I may be able to disarm the other traps, but I don't think I can do much to get rid of the wards."

Ky'itae rubbed her bare neck in thought. "You know... most of these kind of wards are one-time things before the owner has to recast them... Anyone got a spare piece of armor or something heavy enough to smack the door hard?"

"I might have something..." Saeola pondered. She abruptly sat down cross-legged and dug through her pack once again. After a moment's search, she pulled out what appeared to be a cheap piece of armor that one would place on the arm. "...Wow, I've just got everything in this pack, don't I? I don't even remember this thing... But I don't think it's heavy enough."

Ky'itae weighed the gauntlet in her hand, "Hm. Well, it's metal, if old and somewhat weak, but it should do. Back away, everyone." Serosa'ruth, already keen on her intentions, quickly moved away from the door, pulling Saeola back with him. She managed to grab her pack before Serosa'ruth had pulled her away, muttering about it being full of junk as she hastily closed it and turned her attention to Ky'itae.

Ky'itae backed up a bit herself, then stretched her arm back, flinging the old gauntlet forward with all her might. She ducked right before the armor hit the door, and wisely so. The moment of impact sent and electric surge through the door, one that sizzled through the air just above Ky'itae's head. A few minor explosions went off near the door, then all was quiet.

"Well, if anyone's home, they certainly know we're here now if they didn't before. Let's get moving." Serosa'ruth urged.

Saeola winced at the loud explosions and backed away more. When all was quiet she sighed softly and then chuckled at Serosa'ruth's comment. "Yeah... and I doubt they'll be happy about us breaking in." She steadied her sword before taking the lead, stepping gingerly through the door and scanning the area carefully.