The Underdark

[luciandevine]

"You sound very sure of yourself." The voice that came from behind Damek was deceivingly soft. He turned his head just enough to see the dark elf that had been fighting in the arena striding towards him and Grothar.

"Master Grothar. May I suggest a feat of strength?"

Damek's body tightened a little at the statement. Even though it sounded simple enough, he knew that nothing was as easy as it seemed in the underdark.

"I am listening boy."

"Let him prove himself against Charuizidaielay."

"Old Char?" Grothar smiled wickedly. "What do ye say freak? Fight Old Char?"

Despite his best efforts, Damek's fists tightened into fists at the word freak. His emerald eyes flashed briefly as his anger surged to the surface. It took a couple seconds, during which Damek's emerald gaze was locked with that of the druegar's. "If it will get me to the surface, then yes, I will do it." His fists were still clenched, as he spoke.

[Shin]

The dark elf leaned over to whisper something Damek would be unable to hear into Grothar's ears. Grothat gave a nother nod and gestured towards a half dozen of his guards who immediatley entered the ring and began to clear people away from it's outer edges, following behind the guards the Dark Elf paced the outside of the ring placing single lit candles around it's permiter.

"No one has fought Old Char in a few years." Grothat explained to Damek. "Ye might as well relax, the ritual will take a few minutes for the elf to set up."

From the side another druegar approached Damek, this one clad in earth tone robes with a wicked looking mace tethered to his side. "Ye dont know what yer doing." He whispered, making sure to keep his back Grothar, stareing out into the ring as he watched the elf. "Thurs a reason for the safety measures you see being employed..a reason.."

"Enough!" Grothar shouted above the priests whispers. "Take yer place in the ring son of a demon." He gestured towards Damek. "And pray to whatever god ye worship."

[luciandevine]

Damek then watched as the dark elf leaned leaned over to whisper something he couldn't hear to Grothar. Damek then watched as a half a dozen guards started clearing out the spectators on the outer ring of the arena. following behind the guards, was the dark elf placing single lit candles all along it's perimeter.

"No one has fought Old Char in a few years." Grothar explained to Damek. "Ye might as well relax, the ritual will take a few minutes for the elf to set up."

Despite himself, Damek's curiosity was perked by the scene unfolding before him.

Meanwhile, another druegar came at Damek from the side. Damek didn't pay him too much attention, though he was smart enough to keep a wary eye on the wicked looking mace he had tethered to his side. "Ye dont know what yer doing. Thurs a reason for the safety measures you see being employed..a reason.."

Damek had never seen the likes of this ritual before, and the precautions they were taking weren't lost on him.

"Enough!" Grothar shouted above the priests whispers. "Take yer place in the ring son of a demon." He gestured towards Damek. "And pray to whatever god ye worship."

Damek let his gaze settle on Grothar once again. He was a very patient man, but Grothar's constant insults were starting to annoy him. Damek then shook his head, pushing his frustration aside. Damek's gait was calm as he strode past the circle of candles into the arena. He settled into a loose stance, holding his staff in his upper arms. Damek wasn't sure exactly what Charuizidaielay looked like, or what he was going to do, but he wanted to be as prepared as possible.

[Shin]

A commotion from the stairs drew stares from the patrons anxiously awaiting the fight. The sound of a dwarf being tossed down a flight of stairs followed by the loud sounds of plate mail and chain mail scraping together as a dozen dwarfs wearing the cites rustic bronze and brown colors of the city guard came barreling down the stairs.

At the first glimpse of a the guards the basement went into a frenzy. A planned commotion. Several dwarfs came angrily at the city guard, waving there arms wildly and demanding answers as to why they interrupted their match. Several more flipped over tables and began brawling with one another, right into any path a guard would attempt to take to get to Grothar.

The master of the chaos was just as quick to remove himself from danger, he moved with the quickness of a serpent dodging around tables and rushing towards a concealed door on the opposite end of the room as the stairs.

Drakketh paused in his work to note the rush of city guards down the stairs. Disappointment briefly flashed across his beautiful elven features, but only for a moment it quickly turned into a devious smile.

"Do come with us?" He shouted at Damek as the first dwarfs were tossed aside by the city guard. He moved lightly ans swiftly, maneuvering around bodies and tipped over tables towards where Grothar was making his escape.

[luciandevine]

Damek was ready for the fight. His body was taught, his senses alert, and his mind prepared. Then a loud commotion on the stairs drew his attention. As he turned to look, he saw at least a dozen of the town's guard barreling down the stairs, their armor clanking and clinking, making a tremendous racket.

Even more surprising however, was that when the guards reached the bottom of the stairs, what had once been a calm atmosphere exploded into a giant brawl. For the first time in his life, Damek was confused beyond belief. He was rooted to the spot, just staring at the commotion. Then, in the back of his mind he heard a voice shout to him, "Do come with us?" He turned to see the drow moving swiftly through the crowd of people and tables.

Damek didn't have time to think, only act. A couple of his long strides had him to the spot where he had discarded his cloak. In a moment's time, he had reversed his direction and was sprinting after the drow. A quick flurry of motion had his cloak on him once more, and it was streamed out behind him as he ran through a hidden doorway after the drow. There was nothing for him to do now but trust the drow, a thought that was far from comforting.

[Shin]

The dwarfs helping Grothar escape were hesitant to let Damek pass, but they didn't stop him. If they feared anything more then Grothar it was the people Drakketh represented and because of that they wouldn't dare stand against the Drow and in this case Damek.

The door opened to a narrow worked stone-hall way, narrow for a dwarf but Drakketh easily sprinted down the pitch black hallway his abnormal blue eyes glowing softly in the absence of light. He assumed that Damek would have a way of finding his way in the dark, the man was traveling in the underdark after all.

Descending deeper and deeper the hallway eventually gave way to a large oval room where Grothar stood with a handful of guards looking over a map. The room about a dozen doors, each leading to a different place. The dwarfs argued over which direction to go, not paying Drakketh or Damek any attention.

He held up his hand signaling Damek to stop beside him. "Stay by me and you'll be safe."

He didn't explain himself, but his eyes flickered briefly over the doors and then above. A smile lingering over his face, a smile that was all but impossible to see in the darkness that was the underdark.

[luciandevine]

Damek followed Drakketh through a door. The door led to a pitch black and narrow passageway. Despite how narrow and dark the passageway was, Damek saw easily, his green eyes almost shining in the dark. He sprinted after the drow, wondering to himself exactly what he was getting himself in to.

Demak followed Drakketh until the passage opened into a large oval cavern with about a dozen different doorways leading in every direction. Grothar stood in the center of the room with a handful of his guards. There was a map laid out, and the dwarves were arguing over which direction to go in. None of them paid attention to either the drow or the stonechild.

Damek stopped when he saw Drakketh hold up his hand. "Stay by me and you'll be safe." Damek wasn't worried about his own safety for the most part, but he saw the drow's gaze flit over to the doorways and above them. It didn't take a genius to understand the meaning of that gaze. Inwardly, Damek wondered what he had gotten himself in to.