Adrian: Baldur's Gate

"No torches," Jessa whispered in the darkness. "You'll set the sewage aflame."

Xzar mumbled something, and a ball of magical light floated up from his hand.

"I suppose this means fireballs are out too," said Edwin in a sour voice.

"And lightning bolts," Adrian agreed mournfully, stroking his armor's chest emerald. The armor was dissapointed too, he could sense it. It had kept quiet for a long time, but he still knew it was there, a mind of it's own.

The party began trooping down the long tunnel, feet making unpleasant squelching sounds in the muck.

"DisGUSting," said Viconia, wrinkling her nose.

"Dont tell me they don't have sewers in the Underdark?" Adrian asked her.

"Oh yes," she agreed. "But we don't need to go down into them. We tend to be scarier than whatever's down there. Besides, if a few peasant children are lost, so what? Culls the herd."

"How charming," Jessa muttered dryly.

"No worse than a cave where a monster makes it's lair," said Kagain. "Which is not to say I like it."

They continued on in silence for several moments, no noise save that of their passage through the muck, and the occasional drip of water from the roof.

Adrian was consciously aware of the fact that the entire city was above them; all those lives and plans going on literally above their heads. He supposed Viconia felt taht way all the time now, with her entire past literally beneath her.

Viconia frowned. "Hear that?"

"What?" said Jessa.

"Stop a second."

The party stopped. Viconia stomped her foot rythmically on the tunnel floor. There was a strange echo to it, a resonance...

"There's another open chamber below these sewers," the Drow said, certainty in her voice.

"An entrance to the Underdark?" Adrian asked her.

Viconia shrugged. "Possibly."

"Now is not the time," Edwin pointed out.

"Yes, he's right. Let's move on," said Adrian.

It was about twenty minutes later they met their first challenge. A small group of kobolds with fire arrows, nothing special. But their leader was a little more than that; a spellcaster of some power. The kobolds were annoying, but no real trouble once they closed with them. Thankfully, none of their flame arrows hit the sewage while still lit. Adrian was amazed they had survived this long without frying themselves.

Then he couldn't move; he was paralyzed by one of the leader's spells. Before he could cast again, Jessa closed and hacked the annoying creature down.

"Thank you," Adrian gasped when he could move again.

"Your skills are impressive," Edwin said in an oily voice.

Jessa slapped his hand, gently. "Oh, stop." But she was smiling as she said it.

"Nowhere near our goal yet," said Kagain.

"No," Adrian agreed. "I think we'll be down here for a while."

Viconia's reaction to this was unprintable, but Adrian found it amusing.