I woke early while Aela was still asleep. We had camped at the edge of a large atrium-like structure I had not wanted to explore while tired, but somewhere so rich with plantlife had to have a water source.

I took both our skins and stole out of the tent. I moved slowly and quietly. The thing about watering holes were that they attracted predators too.

As I moved around the atrium, winding around giant mushroom stalks and huge lichen growths, I spied a pond with dimly glowing algae. I found its source a short distance away—a thin waterfall. One side was ridged with rocky outcroppings along a wall, the other side slightly more approachable. I went around rather than climb down. I was halfway through filling the second skin when I felt a slight rumble in the earth, from below.

My instinct was to freeze. Intuition, and the vision of breaking rock, told me to move. I sprang across the fall, clung to the wall, the waterskin between my teeth, and pulled myself up to a ledge, and kept climbing, until I perched on one of the outcroppings like some kind of fleshy gargoyle. I pulled the skin from between my teeth and held it in one clenched fist. I turned to watch the earth break and part. A large insectoid creature broke from the earth, surging upward. It looked like some kind of great beetle. All its attention was on the water as it waddled over to it. Its big incisors clicked and it busied itself with the pond. I watched, not daring to move, lest I draw attention to myself.

Water trickled from the skin, over my fingers. I relaxed my grip by degrees, realizing I was gripping it too tight.

As soon as it had finished, it seemed to stretch a bit, then head back toward the tilled earth, where it plunged back inside. I stayed entirely still for about another minute, then climbed back down to finish filling the bottle.

I drank deeply, and made my way back to Aela, going the long way around the atrium. A huge pit opened around the other side of the space. Standing at the edge, I had to find the strange desire to leap. I shook my head and stepped back from the space, only then seeing the cleverly hidden and partially overgrown set of stairs within the stalactites. The steps looked like they were carved for giants, each lovingly and artistically constructed, with such skill that it looked like a natural part of the stone.

Fascinated, I peered up at them. The stairs twisted around an enormous stalagmite in the atrium's ceiling, and disappeared at the top of it. I wondered if this had been some kind of garden for some underground giant in the past.

The stairs were overgrown with lichen and sprouting mushrooms, but a path had been worn down the center. Something was regularly using it, something small enough that they had haphazardly installed ramps, crude rope ladders, and blocks to serve as steps along the center without a quarter of the skill of the original carvers.

What were the creatures?

My natural inclination was to climb them, but I had better get back to Aela. As I turned, I heard the clank and bang of armor above me. I looked up, then ducked out of sight. I stayed still, watching the progression as it moved slowly down, snaking around the stalactite, until I could get a clear view.

The dog-like reptilian kobolds were armored in slapped together but well-fitted pieces, carrying forged weapons. They marched in a strange orderly rank and file. The one in charge had a plumed helmet. They were very well-equipped for kobolds.

Fascinated, I watched carefully as they patrolled around the large hole, but went in the opposite direction of Aela. I hurried back toward her.

She was away from the tent, her back against the wall, eyes wide in the dark, and it took me a moment to remember that she couldn't see well.

I said quietly, "Aela."

She visibly relaxed. "Valac. I didn't know where you went."

I said, "I went to get some fresh water. Sorry, I thought you'd sleep through it."

She scowled, but cast her cantrip. She shook her head. "I thought something had happened."

I grimaced. I had caused her pain and fear, and I could have so easily avoided it. I said, "I won't do it again." I passed her the full skin and she drank gratefully. I said, "There's a path. I think it's the one we need, but I suspect there might be a warren of kobolds. Let's try to sneak past."

Easier said than done in her chainmail, but after a brief discussion, we decided it was worth the risk; she would need the armor if we were seen. We packed up the tent and ate a cold meal before we set out.

We helped one another up the stairs, each keeping an eye out for the kobolds from below, and above. I expected a sentry at the top, but there wasn't one.

We poked our heads above the lip of the stair to behold a small civilization made for giants, at one point.

It looked like the original buildings were made by giants, then resized again for dwarves, then fell destitute for centuries until the kobolds moved in. It was overgrown with glowing lichen and luminous sporing mushrooms that cast the cavern in eerie pools of blue.

The cavern contained a variety of buildings and tunnels, the giant-sized hovels turned into multi-story homes for dwarves. A strange blending of the two cultures.

The most activity, by the smoke, came from one particular area. Not knowing exactly what we were looking for, I wasn't inclined to head toward it. Best to get somewhere else. As I looked around, Aela pointed. She whispered, "That's a wizard's tower."

I knew what she meant; if there was a cure for lycanthropy, we'd find it either there, or wherever we might find a temple. Not seeing where a temple might be, at least from where we were, we wove our way toward the tower.

The kobolds were not particularly on guard here, most of them congregating around where the fires were on the other side. The occasional two-kobold patrol walked around the mostly barren streets, but we avoided them easily. The patrols were non-existent near the tower.

Why?

I frowned. I whispered, "Aela, don't you think that things are going a little too well?"
She said, "Tymora can bless anyone."

I shouldn't have expected anything else. I withheld my sigh. I wasn't about to lead us in through the front doors if it could be helped. The foot of the tower was mostly bare of other dwellings, save a squat building at the bottom. This building looked like it was occasionally trafficked—the door didn't stick and moving it didn't raise a cloud of dust. Once Aela was past, I shut the door. A set of stairs went down and, not really knowing what we were looking for to start with, we walked down the more dwarf-sized steps.

Aela stayed at the top of the stair while I went ahead to scout.

There were fixtures for torches, but the wood had long ago rotted. I stopped short at the bottom when I saw the cells. Most of them were dismantled, as if the kobolds needed the iron, but a few still stood. There was a person in one of them. He looked human, but he seemed to see well enough in the dark, by the way he turned toward me. He was reasonably well-dressed.

I looked back at Aela and gestured her down, then looked back at the man. I said, "Get caught by kobolds?"
He shrugged. "It can happen to anyone."

He did not look like he had been here long. I said, "Who are you?"

He dropped his arms to his knees. "I'm not sure we're on a first name basis yet, tiefling."

Aela tugged on my sleeve. "If they use this as a cell, they might come to check on him. We should go."
I was shocked. "You want to leave him here?" If she had a reply, she did not want to voice it in front of the stranger. I looked back at him. "We'll come back for you. Sorry, but I don't know you well enough to trust you."

"Not unwise." He stood up and walked to the cell door. He leaned against it. "But if you don't, I'll start screaming, and they'll come to investigate."

Aela's mouth pressed into a thin line. The easiest way to deal with him was either kill him, and quickly, or to subdue him and make sure he couldn't. Either still held the possibility of a lot of noise. And I didn't like leaving a person behind.

I sighed. "Fine." I went to the lock and removed a set of picks.

He was quiet a moment as I worked, then he said, "We should rescue my other associate. They have him in the alchemy lab in the tower."

I paused. "There's someone in the tower?"

The lock clicked open, but I didn't move for him to walk past me. I said, "Without guards? Why hasn't he come to rescue you?"

He eyed Aela and myself. "Because we didn't have a way out, no supplies, and no weapons. In the Underdark. He was trying to stash those things but I haven't seen him in a while."

Aela frowned, but I couldn't read anything out of the ordinary with the story. No visions either, and I was already agitated.

I said, "What's your name?"

"Reyne Andrews," he said. "I'd shake your hand, but—" He glanced at the bars between us, then back at me. At my collar.

I took a step back, trying to put my misgivings aside. I was doing the right thing, helping someone in a bad position. He had threatened us, but he was probably afraid of being left here; I can't say I wouldn't have done the same. I said, "Valac. This is Aela."

Why did he look familiar?

She said absolutely nothing, awkwardly silent. I let Reyne lead the way up the stairs, keeping myself between Aela and he.

A skull.

I almost missed a step and fell on my face. A skull could mean anything. It wasn't even necessarily to do with Reyne. I was afraid of getting caught here, afraid of becoming a lycanthrope. Skulls long represented fear and death.

I brushed it aside with effort. Reyne opened the front door a crack, looked around, then stepped out. I did the same, because I didn't trust him yet. He said, "No way in but to climb the tower or the front door."

I looked up the tower, dismissed the idea, and went to the front door.

Despite their massive size, they were perfectly weighted to swing open with relative ease. I thought some minor enchantment must rest on the door to keep it in such fine working order. The mosaic that had been on the floor was damaged, but it looked like some arcane artwork. We walked up a set of stairs, and I realized that the tower was not just a tower; it branched off into what I now realized was the surrounding rock.

I had to stop thinking of the Underdark as being like the surface. You could hide all kinds of rooms and whole buildings out of sight.

On the third floor, Reyne stopped suddenly. I nearly ran into him. "What's—" I looked past him. Three undead stood guard. They creaked, two holding rusted weapons, the other holding a greatsword.

Reyne grimaced. "That's what happened to my sword." He sighed, shaking his head. "Fuck, I knew all three of them. Nothing for it." He glanced at me. "Got an extra weapon?"

I didn't have much, especially not for someone that used a greatsword, but I drew and handed him my rapier. "Best I can do for you."

He made a face. "We're relying on you, then, Aela."

She nodded grimly and the three of us charged. We did not have the creature's attention until we crossed the threshold to the floor.

Three rotting heads jerked toward us. Aela said, "Break the bones. The rapier won't do much." She hurried forward. They converged toward her. She raised her holy symbol aloft, reciting a prayer. Two turned from her. The last swung the greatsword. My sling swung around and the stone hit the undead's arm. I heard bone snap and it lost its two-handed stance on the blade, giving Aela an opportunity to duck back and grab her shield. Reyne ran around behind it.

It popped right out of existence. All three of us froze, looking around. I said, "It's around somewhere."

Aela said, "We don't have the time to look, the other two will turn back."

I nodded. "Let's concentrate on one of them."

Reyne, closer, picked one. Aela attacked on the other side. I stayed at range. The other scrabbled at the wall, but couldn't get further from Aela. When the skeleton crumbled, I swung my head around back toward the other.

The vanishing skeleton appeared in front of me. The big sword swung. It hit me with the flat of it and knocked me to the floor. I rolled and it shambled over to me, raised the sword. I tensed to roll to the side and Reyne snuck up behind it. Using the hilt of the sword, he smacked the back of its skull. It came away with a smattering of dead blood. As he pulled back to smash it again, it vanished. He offered me a hand to pull myself to my feet. I took it unthinkingly and grabbed another sling bullet. Aela looked around. It was impossible to guess where it had gone now.

We had to get to the other. Reyne kicked it, knocking it to the ground. Aela smashed her mace against its ribs with a sickening crack. With it on the ground and thrashing, I didn't have the best opportunity to use the sling, so I ran toward it. I brought my heel down on its bone hand. It lost its grip on its shortsword and I pushed it away with a flick of my tail.

It scrabbled to get up with all of us trying to bring it down.

The vanishing skeleton appeared, running at Aela. She turned, too slow. She brought her shield up, anticipating a blow of its sword, but two bolts of force flew out. They took her in the stomach and knocked the wind out of her, but this time, it stayed visible.

Reyne jumped over the skeleton, leaping into melee with it, so the two of us could finish the other. He ducked and parried, weaving around it, anticipating its swings until we could join the fight. With all three of us, we prevailed, then it was quiet. Bones lay strewn about the floor.

Aela groaned. "Ow," she said.

Reyne bent to look at his sword. I took back my rapier and cleaned it off. I looked over the bodies. "I'm sorry about your crew," I said.

Reyne glanced at them, as if he had already forgotten them. "We all knew coming here would have risks." He sighed. "I suppose there's no use bemoaning what happened to them."

Aela swiped at her brow. She said, "It stinks. I just need some air. And some water."

When I looked up, she inclined her head slightly, toward the stairs. I glanced back at Reyne, who was strapping his sword to his back, which looked like an involved process. I went with Aela, uncorking my waterbottle. She kept her voice low, "That skeleton was a Baneguard."

My brow furrowed. "An undead of Bane?" I whispered.

Her eyes flicked toward Reyne, then back at me. "Kobolds worship dragons. Not Bane."

Or something that did worship Bane was pressing these kobolds into service. If the skeletons were here, and the kobolds were keeping someone a prisoner above, they had a way past the skeletons. Something wasn't adding up.

Reyne said, "The door is hidden. We'll have to figure out how to open it."

I stepped away.

Reyne looked from me to Aela. Whatever conclusion he came to, his expression was inscrutable. He scratched at his close-cropped full beard.

The three of us looked around the chamber. Reyne said that his friend had described the door to him once, but he wasn't sure where it was.

Aela found the outline of the door. A minor vision showed me a gauntleted hand touching a brick to open it. The brick in question had a slight indentation from many hands touching it over the centuries, now that I looked, and it pushed inward when I touched it. The door swung out, the hinges hidden inside.

We walked past, up another set of stairs. A branching hallway implied more rooms beyond, but we kept to the stairs. Some old scuffed wards no longer held magic. Reyne swept into the next room confidently, announcing our arrival to the lone occupant. "My lord. Good to see you well." Reyne grinned.

My vision was subtle—the odd sensation of walking directly into a spider's web.

The other man looked up. He was human, working under the light of candles around the room. The old laboratory seemed still semi-functional. He had several books open. He looked at Aela and me. He said, "Who is this?"

I stepped around Reyne. "We're from Bryn Shandor. We came here seeking a cure for the lycanthropy that plagues the town."

Reyne seemed a bit surprised. The other, not as much. His bright green eyes took me and Aela in. "Maybe someone like you could do it. A cure, you said?" He stood up. "Yes, there's a cure mentioned in the books. I didn't brew it." He looked at what he had, walking around the room absently as he took inventory. He was dressed finely, his clothes free of wear or tear. They must not have been here long. He lifted a jar off of a shelf, looked at the label. "I think I have everything here that I need." He flashed me a grin. "Give me a moment." He selected bundles of dried herbs, jars, a box from a cabinet, setting them on one of the tables. "Reyne, a little help, please."

Reyne gave me a long-suffering look.

I said, "Maybe we should just take the recipe and go—"

The other waved me off. "No, no. These things are delicate."

Reyne said, "Shouldn't have told him."

I glanced at the windows. There didn't seem to be any real rush, but I did worry about the kobolds finding out Reyne was missing.

The other said, "Did I get your names?"

"Valac and Aela." I gestured. "You?"

"Visatrax. The wizard." He did not look up. "Say. There are a couple halls here that the kobolds can't enter. You might find something that would help us. It is a wizard's tower."

Reyne said, "Think I'll stay here." He glanced at me. "Someone's got to keep him on track."

Aela stepped back to the door. Visatrax said, "It will take me a while to brew this anyway."

I nodded and turned around. We did not speak until we were a floor below the pair. She said, "Valac, I don't like this."

"He's making us a cure," I whispered.

She frowned. "Why the Baneguard? We don't know anything about either of them."

I sighed. This place was making her paranoid. I said, "We found Reyne in a cell. Visatrax was stuck in the tower."

"And isn't that convenient?" she said.

I fell silent, but I didn't have a retort. Nothing had felt right since we entered the old city.

We walked back down to the branching wing. Much of it had crumbled, due to disrepair or earthquakes, various damage, but a few rooms were still open and dusty. All the way at the end of the long, twisting hall was a nearly empty room. Within, there was a narrow well in the floor. Above the well floated a black sphere. We froze, but the sphere wasn't really doing anything. Just floating there.

As peculiar as it was, you'd think it would be guarded or sealed, or at least feel more like it was a real artifact. Yet it floated there as if it were an ordinary thing to do.

I crept over to it, kept my head low, and looked into the well.

The well had ran dry long ago, if it had ever connected to a water source. About fifty or so feet down, I thought I saw the dry bottom.

Aela kept staring at the dark sphere. A little experimentally, I grabbed my bow and reached toward the sphere with it. Aela drew in a gulp of air sharply.

Nothing happened, exactly, when I touched the bow to the sphere. The bow didn't sink in and the dark didn't expand. I just touched the bow to it and it shifted, then compressed into an exact, perfect replica of my bow, but black. With my other hand, I reached out and grabbed it. I stepped back from the well. It felt the same. Same weight.

Aela said, "What is that?"

I said, "I'm not sure."

She frowned. "Was that what they were after?"

I frowned. "I don't know why I wouldn't just give it to them. What do we want it for?"

She shifted, looking around. "I just don't like this."

I put both weapons away. "We have to get a cure, Aela."

She sighed. "I know. It's just—" She made a face and looked back at me. "I feel so far from my god here."

I walked toward her and gave her a sympathetic smile. "We'll be back to the surface again soon, Aela." I started past her. As we walked back down the hall, I said, "I could use a snack." We sat down on some rubble. I chewed on a stick of jerky.

She had a hard travel biscuit and a couple pieces of dried fruit. She offered me one of the latter and I turned it down. I said, "Tiefling. I can't stomach almost anything but meat."

She popped it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "That sounds awful."

I chuckled. "It's supposed to be a curse." But I couldn't tell her how her pain and sadness was something I could taste in the air, better than any spice or bread.

Aela glanced at me. "If you could break that curse too, would you?"
I chuckled. "And be able to eat other things? That sounds great."

She frowned. "No, I mean. What if you could just be human?"

My lips parted in shock and for a moment, I could not even speak. The idea sounded not only preposterous, but blatantly speciest too. I knew she didn't intend it that way. Or if she did, she did not understand that that was how it came across. I tried to put my thoughts into words as I chewed. I swallowed only when I had a reply. "Why would I want to be human?"

She said, "Well, to be free of Asmodeus's curse."

I just didn't know how to explain to her that I never felt like it was a curse. "I am happy being a tiefling, Aela."

"But what if you didn't have to be?"

I stuffed the last bite of jerky in my mouth and stood up. "We should get going."

Every time I thought I liked her. Every time I started to wonder if I had feelings for her, she would start blathering about her religion, or say something asinine like that.