Chapter Fourteen
The direction they had been keeping was strictly western, and they had covered the distance quickly and efficiently with the drow's expert guidance. No more encounters had been had, save for a few aimless umber hulks, the fight giving Torri the perfect opportunity to make up for her previous failures and prove that she wasn't as worthless as she had appeared. The ring they had collected, which Nirra was wearing, proved very useful in that situation. Also, the drow soon turned out to be not only a fighter, but a quite skilled magic user as well.
Later, Solaufein stopped them at one point on the edge of a vast precipice, its depths reddened and steamy, which took them to the conclusion that magma lay somewhere below. The group took a few moments to catch their breaths, rest their feet and look around, the light offered by the current environment a welcome change to the surfacers.
"I would suggest that we now shift directions for a while," Solaufein began, the same professional way he had led them on this far.
"I'm sure you would know better," Knave replied diplomatically. The mage had taken the responsibility and lead of the three surfacers for a while, since Nirra wasn't the type to want it, and Torri had refused to speak to the drow anymore. He was doing quite a good job. "However, may we get an explanation of the reasons behind this?" he continued.
Solaufein nodded. "If we keep going west," he began, "we will run into some elven Temple ruins, which were bound to be guarded anyway, but there is a war going on, as you may be aware. The catacombs link the temple with the Underdark and..."
Knave nodded. "I see where it's going," he interjected. "The drow are bound to be using that course to go out."
"Yes," Solaufein confirmed promptly. "We must avoid that exit. I know another way, but we will need to go around the catacombs... which means winding a longer way to the southwest and then only a short bit to the northwest."
"We could always fight our way through, for an alternative," Torri muttered, having finally decided to interfere. She and Nirra had been listening carefully.
"No!" the gold elf was quick to oppose her friend. "We've had enough fighting, Torri. I can't even cast any more than two spells today, at most."
"Same here," Knave sustained her point, shaking his head. "No, we will take the longer path, as suggested." He quirked an eyebrow Torri's way, regarding her ironically. "However, though it's an interesting perspective, you're not chained to me... go on and fight if you're so eager."
The moon elf grumbled a few words, suddenly filled with such obvious and explainable love for her human companion, but they didn't need to clearly hear her decision to know what it was; they simply ignored her and started off in the new direction, away from the precipice. She followed begrudgingly, keeping an eye out for anything that might convince them to go the other way.
The following hours were spent in silence, save for the few times they needed to briefly consider their course again, and they saved their words even there. Finally, when they were all aching and weary, the dark began to grow thinner, in a way that was so familiar to the surfacers – daylight was close. If any of them – Torri, especially – might have still, somehow, illogically suspected Solaufein of leading them into any traps, that eroded the doubts completely.
The moon elf sighed with relief and took the lead completely, following the spiral corridor that wound upwards, and in moments she was standing by a crack in the wall, bathed in sunlight. A smile formed on her lips as she came out and reveled into the warm sensation, breathing the fresh outdoor air in deeply. The setting was that of a small plain, with a river crossing it nearby and a forest in sight to a direction that Torri thought to be the Northeast. Doubtlessly, some remote outskirt of Tethyr, quite close to the ocean.
Torri turned back to face, once again, what was no longer an exit, but an entrance for her, just in time to respond to Nirra's smile with one of her own, as the gold elf emerged from between the rocks. Knave followed shortly, and Torri's smile faded to allow the moon elf to glare at the mage and let him know she hadn't forgotten... things. The two shared most of Torri's relief to be out for a change and to know that they didn't have to leave the surface again, at least for a long time, if not necessarily forever.
Solaufein was the last to step out, and he did so testily, with exaggerated caution; only then did the party notice he had been preparing for such a trip, since he wasn't wearing or carrying any drow-made items, that would crumble into dust as soon as they saw the sun. His eyes closed almost instantly, blinded, and he could only reopen them, halfway through, when he looked at the ground and his long white hair fell along the lines of his face, casting some shadows. Tensely, he withdrew back to the semi-darkness of the cavern and continued to eye the surface world warily from there.
Nirra chuckled. "It's safe," she told the drow, soothingly, as she turned to plead with him. "I promise." That only made Torri roll her eyes at the familiarity she had already developed with him, though it was nothing unusual to see in Nirra.
"I wouldn't call it safe," Knave remarked. "But not for reasons too different from why the Underdark isn't safe."
Solaufein sought their eyes, trying to draw the courage to come out from their lack of concern, from their own comfort with the surface. However, what he could see when he looked up, before the sun blinded him again, was a huge azure surface, flat and stained with white here and there; it all seemed like it would want nothing more but to collapse upon him.
"That cannot be the moon, could it?" he asked disappointedly, pointing to the direction he had last seen the golden disk, while his head was turned the other way.
The two mages only exchanged quick glances and just couldn't hold back from laughing anymore.
"Don't be stupid," Torri scowled, displeased with the confusion of her beloved moon with the sun. "It's daytime.. the moon appears at night."
The drow looked relieved by the confirmation of what he had hoped to be true, while Knave was rolling his eyes and turning to give Torri a reproachful look. "You go live down there for a couple of centuries, and then we'll see if you remember," the human addressed her, sarcastically.
Meanwhile, Nirra had resumed her plea, but the drow was still unsure if he wanted to come out or not, still reluctant and afraid that there might be danger out there for him alone, things that didn't hurt them because they belonged, but would destroy one who did not. Of course, he did not say so, too proud to do that, but that was the impression nature, so colorful and noisy out there, made on him.
Torri eyed the scene amusedly, not gracing Knave's retort with an answer. Quickly, she turned away to hide the smirk forming on her lips; maybe she knew just how to draw the thing out. "You can rot in there for all I care," she said icily, composing a solemn expression to look at her two companions with. "Can we go now?" she continued in a bored and impatient fashion.
If Nirra's pleas hadn't been successful so far, the moon elf's arrogance instantly effected the proud drow. He glared at her for a split second, then stepped out, his remaining hesitation well hidden behind a mask of determination. Once in the light, he stood still and tense, almost ready to suffer an attack from somewhere or something invisible and unknown. When nothing happened, he did relax, but only a tiny bit.
"Fine," Torri sighed dramatically, trying her best to look disappointed by Solaufein's success, although she had amusedly inspired it on purpose. "NOW can we go?"
"Maybe you'd like to stay with us for a while?" the gold elf addressed the drow, and Knave nodded his approval, smirking Torri's way defiantly. The moon elf muttered something, but no one minded her.
"I..." Solaufein staggered uncertainly. "I didn't think you would have me."
"Well, we would," Knave shrugged. "Torri isn't entitled to any opinions but mine, so we're good." He chuckled, as the moon elf was rolling her eyes anew.
Nirra patted the drow's shoulder comfortingly as he thanked her, before turning away and coming to her friend's side. Knave soon joined them, and the three of them scoured the area, Torri for the second time, the others for the first. Suddenly and out of plain nowhere, the field darkened visibly, as if a curtain of faint shades had befallen it. Behind them, Solaufein startled and hurried to come closer to them for at least the illusion of safety.
"What. In the world. Was THAT?" Torri inquired, from no one and nothing in particular, one of her eyebrows rising as she pointed up at the suddenly cloud-filled sky.
"No idea," Knave looked about worriedly.
All of that only caused further distress to the drow, and Nirra, although alarmed herself, hurried to cling to his arm and pull him even closer to the others, assuring him that although unusual, such an event was not completely unlikely to occur.
"Yes, it is," Torri snapped, turning to contradict the gold elf. "Did you even look at these clouds? They seem... artificial. Magically conjured."
"Nothing of the sort, I'm sure," Knave gravely interrupted her, making his way over to Nirra, all in a fashion that suggested he knew something the moon elf didn't. "Can we please have a word in private?" he asked of the gold elf, imperatively.
For a moment, Nirra looked surprised, but when her eyes met the serious expression on the mage's face, there came a surprising spree of understanding, and she detached from the drow. The two of them began to walk away in the general direction of the forest.
"What?" Torri's jaw almost dropped in outrage. The next moment, however, insecurity got the best of her. "Wait! What is it that you haven't told me? ... Nirra?" she started off tentatively, attempting to follow the two.
Knave turned for a short moment, not halting his movement, and waved her off. "Nothing," he replied meaningfully. "For now."
Torri stopped halfway through her first step and set her foot back down. "You're NOT leaving me behind with the d..." she began to protest vehemently, but Knave's sustained look sent a shiver down her spine and caused her to bite her tongue and wince at the pain in an attempt to hold any other words back. Satisfied with that, the mage turned away again, and the discussion started animatedly.
"Just wonderful..." Torri muttered darkly, staring at their departing backs, conscious of the drow's presence behind her.
"I'm sure there must be a good reason why..." Solaufein began, trying to appease her to an extent.
"Shut up," she snapped, shaking her head. "Let's just follow." She started to do just that, but then paused and added some more, because of his reluctance to do as she had asked. "... At a safe distance, of course," she rolled her eyes with a substantial amount of contempt.
Only then, the drow moved to follow her, not without glaring first, for as long as the suddenly diminished quantity of light allowed him to. They walked at a slow pace, keeping the distance always and allowing the other two to lead the way, and they said nothing at all, due mostly to Torri's general hostility.
Nirra and Knave seemed to have much to talk about, and at least part of it was composed of pressing matters, for they looked worried and continued to glance around all the time. Soon, they reached the edge of the forest, and the moon elf could only wonder what the hell they still had to say to each other when they stopped there and sat on an outlying tree stump.
Solaufein came to a halt a few feet away from Torri's standing grim form, and shifted his weight uneasily. Obviously, something was troubling him, and the moon elf didn't fail to notice, though she pretended she hadn't.
"Why?" he finally decided to ask, all of a sudden. "The hatred... for the drow," he explained afterwards, when she turned and eyed him sharply.
Torri shrugged, studying him intently. "What else could I feel?" she dismissed her desire to just flip him off and ask to be left alone. "I have only scars from them... nothing good to change my opinion at all."
He sighed wearily, looking away. "I suppose I cannot blame you for anything."
The reaction caused Torri to flinch shortly, and she nervously began to dust off her shoulder plate, seeming to just then notice there was dried blood left atop of it. Indeed, she had not been expecting so much... understanding? She began to scrape the formerly-sticky substance away, much more concentrated on it than needed, so she didn't notice when Knave gestured for them to come over.
Solaufein cleared his throat, finally daring to interrupt her absorbed state of mind. "We should go," he pleaded. "They are done discussing."
"Ooh, the miracle happened," Torri snorted, and was much friendlier, though still warningly distant, when she went past him and headed off for the other two. He just followed, pretty content with that small result.
Once she was by the tree stump, Torri eyed both of her seated traveling companions gloomily, awaiting an explanation. When none came, she accentuated the request by placing a hand on her hip and raising an inquisitive eyebrow.
"All you need to know right now," Knave finally indulged to answer, "...is that we are in great danger."
Torri blinked, then promptly and mechanically turned to face Nirra, waiting for her to elaborate. Surely her friend wouldn't just leave her in the dark like that, worried and insecure.
The gold elf avoided her friend's gaze, and looked to Knave for support. The mage's stern expression seemed to have an immediate effect on her. "I am sorry," she murmured, then steadied herself to continue. "You'll have to wait until we reach Suldanessellar. Please."
"But..." Torri began, confused to no means of an end, but their mournful expressions stopped her from going on with her objection. "Fine," she concluded begrudgingly. "Have it your way."
Just then, to top it all, it began to rain with huge, heavy drops that fell to the ground clamorously. All of them were soaked in no time, along with everything else around.
Knave stood up, and looked around, apparently trying to form an idea of where they were. They had been walking to the northeast and now the forest stood tall, thick and close, almost inviting.
"In there," Knave pointed firmly.
"Great," the moon elf muttered. "If we're lucky, we can get struck by lightning."
"We should be able to find caves," the mage impatiently told her off. He headed away, and Nirra stood to follow immediately.
"Caves where?" Torri sarcastically combated him. "In trees, maybe?" That only brought her the amused smile of Solaufein, as the drow passed by her, and she hurried to tag along, since the others weren't waiting.
"No," Knave replied simply, without turning. "There should be a clearing nearby, with a huge rock in its center. That has been carved through by weather and forest creatures, as well as a pack of dwarves seeking some artifact."
"Typical," the moon elf snorted.
They kept on walking, soon in the growing darkness of the forest, where water hadn't properly come down to the ground yet, due to the thick curtain of branches and leaves above their heads. For that, at least, they were thankful.