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At
the Mouth of the Cave . . .
"Well,
what now?"
"According
to the directions, we just head in. Krusk? Anything to add?"
The half-orc
stopped for a moment, thinking, then he recited in a sing-song voice,
"The passage leads down, down and around. Do not turn, do not vary. When
you reach the floor, the key shows the way."
He blinked
and looked at the others.
"All right,
then. Naull, I guess we'd better use some light."
Krusk went
into the cave first. He didn't need light to see, but the humans did.
Alhandra brought out a small lantern from her gear and lit it. Naull
debated lighting a torch as well, but she could always cast a light
spell if they needed it. Walking behind Alhandra and in front of Regdar,
she could see fine.
The passage
descended, as the notes indicated it should. It was rough going at
first, but as they proceeded father into the darkness, the passage
actually widened and the descent became smoother. Before they'd traveled
a hundred yards, the passage was so wide they could easily walk three
abreast.
Something
about the darkness stopped them from spreading out. To Naull, the whole
place felt eerie. Krusk moved at the edge of the lantern's light, but
the three humans stayed close together. When the passed the first side
passage--a narrow opening to the right--Naull wrinkled her nose at the
foul smell.
"I hope
there aren't orcs in here," she said, then clamped her mouth shut.
Her voice
echoed in the darkness.
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