Descent into the Depths of the Earth (greyhawk)

by Paul Kidd

  “Why, thank you.” She gave a watery smile. “I’lltreasure it always.”

  The guards opened the way to the pyramid and idol. There seemed to be no way to avoid it. Mincing past a collection of human remains, Escalla slowly flew out over a moat filled with giant leeches that were kept at bay only by a narrow little wire mesh fence. Jus glanced at the leeches, dragged a protesting Polk into the water with him, and waded toward the pyramid with Private Henry splashing clumsily at his heels. Revolting leeches fully three feet long reared from the water outside the fence, their sucker mouths probing and puckering, sending Escalla whizzing high above Jus with her legs tucked up out of harm’s way. She flew backward, her eyes on the leeches, and so managed tobump her backside into something sticky, hot and wet.

  She had reached the pyramid. Escalla stared rigidly ahead of herself, reaching behind her rear. Something wet, congealing and hot clung to her bottom-and a big, dripping, solid something was right at her back.

  “Jus, it’s a corpse, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” The sound of his voice revealed that his fury wasbarely in check.

  “I think I just shoved my bum into its chest cavity.”

  “Yup.” Jus climbed slowly and steadily up the pyramid. “Lookslike it.”

  “I’m gonna puke!”

  “Don’t.” His face savage and his black hell hound skinbristling, Jus clambered heavily up to join his friend. “Do nothing suspicious,not until it’s time to fight.”

  The pyramid steps were awash with blood. A foul cascade had poured down from the base of the huge idol above, dripping over the steps and oozing slowly into the moat below.

  At the upper platform of the pyramid, the lobster-headed idol loomed. Blood had been smeared over its claws and breasts, and a heart had been placed in each open claw. A clamshell at the monstrous image’s feet held votiveofferings. There were shells and basalt figurines, images carved from bone or chunks of brilliant coral. Hanging upside down on the edge of the platform was a sprawling corpse, a figure whose whole chest had been torn open to feed the monstrous goddess above.

  The last group of kuo-toa pilgrims had already departed, heading down the far side of the pyramid. Jus swiftly knelt beside the corpse, wiped blood from its still-warm face, and stared at it in thought.

  Escalla had painfully levered herself free, fighting an urge to scream.

  “You, ah, you found… found something?”

  “It’s one of the half-orcs from Sour Patch.” Jus turned thedead creature’s face. “Still bruised from where I hit him.”

  “Oh.” Escalla had worries of her own but felt somehow vaguelyresponsible for Sour Patch. “Do you think the slaves all ended up here?”

  “Doubtful. The drow are in charge of them.” Jus let thehalf-orc’s head slump back onto the cold stone steps. “They may have given someof the captives as a bribe to the kuo-toa.”

  “So some might still be alive here?”

  “Perhaps.” The Justicar could hardly hold out much hope.“Cinders?”

  Smell kuo-toa. The hell hound’s eyes seemed more cunning,more feral when he hunted prey. Smell drow. Human smell a bit. Little bit smell.

  Standing to look out across the cavern below, Escalla watched the guards at the northwest tunnel exit. The girl turned, flicked her glance across the votive bowl before the idol, then reluctantly edged closer and peered inside.

  Quick as a weasel, she darted her hand in and snatched a trinket from the edge of the seashell.

  “Hey!” The girl held a treasure in her hands. “Look. Avotive!” The other adventurers surrounded her as she showed them her prize.“It’s hair, faerie hair.”

  The lock of hair shone like pale gold. The strands were long and fine, and tied about an elven finger bone. Escalla held the hair up against her own. They were almost a match, shade for shade. The girl’s humor left herface as she stared at the hair strands in thought.

  “Now we’re getting warm.”

  The Justicar squatted down beside Escalla, his hand resting on her back. Grave, intelligent eyes watched Escalla with her find. “Could youlink it to a specific person?”

  “No.” The faerie carefully stored the evidence away. “Not ina court of law. Who’s to believe me when I say I found it down here? But it’sgiving me some crystal clear ideas.”

  Polk and Henry were waiting. With a glance over her shoulder, Escalla leaned in to whisper in Jus’ ear. “Keep Cinders watching out for anysign of a faerie.” The girl flicked a glance at Henry. “And, ah, let’s keep ithappy. The kid’s been looking a little pale.”

  Escalla seemed white as a ghost herself. Jus let her feel a warm squeeze of his hand. Cinders teeth gleamed in manic goodwill as the ranger rose. He turned to talk quietly with Private Henry. Escalla drew in a breath and turned around to survey the cave. She felt her antennae freeze.

  Two titanic kuo-toan priests stood at the edge of the platform, staring wordlessly at the party through their huge fishy eyes. Sheathed in blood, the monsters stood in silence. Escalla waved to them, received no response, then cleared her throat to attract the attention of the menfolk just behind her. “Ah, guys? Guys, we may have a problem.”

  19

  Apparently suspicious of why the party was loitering, the twohuge kuo-toa had come to escort them off the altar. Still, they ignored all of the travelers save Escalla. To the faerie, they spoke in their snapping, vicious tongue, crouching like mad carnivorous nightmares over the dainty faerie. The kuo-toa bid Escalla a farewell, then turned and left their guests standing alone and unguarded in the room.

  The northern side of the huge temple had been carefully sculpted into palatial apartments. The rooms were perfectly squared with high ceilings rippled by an eerie underwater light. Walking slowly up sand-scattered steps, the Justicar and his companions might have been in a palace under the sea. Jus walked over shells and dried seaweed, past the gnawed remains of grizzly cannibalistic meals, and halted at the edges of the hall.

  Escape lay only thirty yards away. The northwest tunnel opened into the underdark but was guarded by a team of kuo-toan warriors. On the sands just outside the palatial apartments, a group of them sparred carefully with weapons while a gnarled instructor taught the arts of the backstab and the garotte. The creatures paid no attention to the visitors behind them. Escalla looked about uncertainly, shrugged, then pointed to an entrance just beyond.

  The new room had definite possibilities. At the far wall, two tall statues of the lobster-headed goddess flanked an ugly throne that had been studded with pearls. The throne depicted fish skulls and drowning humans being torn apart by crabs. The walls were carved into horrible bas-reliefs, the rippling lighting had taken on a darker, more sinister hue.

  Sitting on a platform smothered with blood, the throne faced the massive temple cave. It clearly gave a wonderful view of sacrifices, executions, and the occasional leech attack. Escalla edged forward to the threshold. There were kuo-toa soldiers crouching in the corners of the room. One thin, misshapen creature crouching at the foot of the throne held a conch shell trumpet. Pillars carved to look like columns of fish-infested skulls held aloft the ceiling. Six taller, grimmer guards lurked by the columns-all watchingEscalla and her companions in silence as the girl crept timidly into the room.

  Escalla rapped her knuckles against the doorframe, clearing her throat and giving a smile as she caught the attention of the guards.

  “Um, hello.” Escalla advanced a little farther into the room.The fish simply stared, their fangs gleaming and their faces devoid of emotion.

  At the foot of the throne, a huge clamshell pool glinted in the light. Within it, tiny fishes swam, and brilliant sea shells gleamed. The shells caught Escalla’s eye. The girl edged a tad closer, gave a nervous,placatory wave to the guards, and peered into the pool.

  “Jus, what do cone shells look like?”

  “They’re sea shells, and they’re conical.”

  “That’s great, Jus.” Unamused, Escalla put her fistson her hips
as she hovered, glaring back at her friend. “Can you tell when ashell is venomous, or can’t you?”

  “Just hold it to your ear.” The Justicar walked forward,apparently ignoring the guards. “If you hear the ocean, it’s harmless. If itkills you, it was a cone shell.”

  “Funny.”

  Funny! Cinders’ grin twinkled like jagged mountainpeaks.

  The pool held quite a few interesting life forms-tiny blueringed octopi and sea snails with conical shells. Giving the pool a cautious glance, the Justicar kept carefully clear.

  “Don’t fall in.”

  “Well dub!” The faerie made a droll little face. “Anyother good advice?”

  “Yes. Go talk to the chamberlain.”

  Stealing silently in from a side entrance way, a hunched, thin kuo-toa came onto the dais. The creature’s eyes swiveled independently,taking in Polk and Henry, Escalla and the Justicar. The black presence of Cinders and the faerie’s golden hair seemed to impress the creature, and it madea simple little spell pass with its hand.

  The creature spoke, its cruel fangs clacking. A disembodied voice, eerily suave, feminine, and calm, drifted out from somewhere in midair. “Greetings, air child. We had not looked for your return so soon.”

  Biting her lip, Escalla decided that the creature was talking to her. “Well, I just can’t keep away! You know how I love this temple.”

  The fish creature bobbed, its savage voice gargling. It made motions with its hands, and the female voice echoed from above. “Your gift ofsacrifices has gained you great credit with us. May we assist you?”

  Escalla took on a sly look, hid it with a false blonde innocence, and clasped her hands together. “Well yes. Just a little thing fornow.” Escalla blinked brightly. “Do you remember me borrowing a deadly coneshell from you a while ago?”

  “Yes.” The fish creature bobbed. “In return, you paidus with the hearts of many upworld slaves.”

  “Oh, how very… outgoing of me.” Escalla looked a littlesick. “Anyway, silly me-must have slipped my mind-but can I just trouble you fora receipt?” The girl gave a polite little clasp of her hands. “It’s for myrecords, you know?”

  Not quite comprehending, the kuo-toa simply stared. Escalla signaled Polk for a piece of parchment and a pen, then flew over to present them to the fish creature. “It’s an upworld thing! Sorry. Don’t mean to be a bother.”

  “It is necessary?”

  “I’m a faerie. Would I lie to you?” Escalla put the pen intothe creature’s clawed hands. “So if you could just write out my name and theexchange deal… you know, ‘We, the temple of the sea goddess, acknowledgethat we gave a venomous cone shell to so-and-so for the purposes of an assassination…’ That kind of thing.”

  “So-and-so?”

  “You know… my name.” A true mistress of fast talk, Escallawas beside the kuo-toa, helping it write out the receipt. “Just scribble it inthere. My full name. Nice and legal.”

  The kuo-toa scribbled its foul script, then paused. “Please write in your name.”

  “No, you do it. Just put it in here.”

  “I do not recall your alien name. Phase refresh my memory.”

  Frustrated, Escalla tried fishing for ideas. “Well, it’s justI forget what name I left with you guys. I have so many! Let’s see what jogsyour memory.” Escalla tried her mother’s name. “Let’s try Ifurela, LadyNightshade. No? How about Tielle?” The girl watched carefully, but the kuo-toanever twitched. “Lord Faen? Lord Ushan?”

  With a sinking feeling, Jus made ready to strike with his sword. Above him, Cinders was stoking his flames. Escalla waved her hands, making less and less as she went on.

  “Otiluke? Tensor? Bigby?” The girl threw up her hands. “Comeon. Gimme something to work with here!”

  The kuo-toa turned and began to write. Relieved, Escalla fell back toward her friends and whispered avidly in their ears, “He’s doing it! Imean, she’s doing it! We’re getting a receipt!” The girl gave a hugegesture of relief. “So that’s it! We get the receipt, and we run for home. Nodrow city!”

  With his eyes nervously fixed on the kuo-toa, Henry cleared his throat. “What about the captives from Sour Patch?”

  “Yeah, too bad about that reward.” Escalla shot a guiltyglance at Jus and Henry. “Ah, I mean too bad about all those poor souls, butthey’re in the clutches of the drow, man. Nothing we can do about it. Can’t behelped!”

  “We’re going after them.” The Justicar stood with his feetplanted and his eyes seeing every tiny little movement in the room. “We need toknow why your murderer is taking human slaves.” The big man’s voice echoed likethe slamming of a tomb. “They have a date with Justice.”

  Escalla seethed, going into a grumbling sulk. “I just knewhe was going to say that!”

  Benelux gave a self-righteous glow. I knew it also. He is made of purer stuff than you.

  Further retort was halted as the kuo-toa held up the finished receipt and stared at it with its eerie eyes. The creature came toward Escalla, who rubbed her hands in anticipation.

  “Here we go!” Posing, Escalla elegantly reached out for theslip of parchment. “And now, for your listening pleasure, ladies and gentlemen,the murderer is…!”

  A huge bubbling roar came from the far side of the room. Escalla whipped about to see a mammoth kuo-toa dressed in golden chains. Standing in a secret door that opened beside the throne, the monster’s voicethundered and was echoed calmly by the disembodied voice above.

  “This is not the faerie that we have trained! This one ismale. It has no mammary glands!” The kuo-toa scribe whirled, staring atEscalla, the receipt crushed hard in its hand. Outraged, Escalla lost her temper.

  “What do you mean no mammary glands! Hey! You fish reject,what the hell do you think these are?”

  “You are a different faerie.” The newcomer angrily waved aclaw. “Why are you here?”

  Stumped for ideas, Escalla turned to face her friends. “Gotme there. Guys, anyone got anything more to say?”

  Wag-wag-wagging his tail, Cinders grinned in glee. Yes.

  “What?”

  BURN!

  His first blast smashed three kuo-toa off their feet. The creatures screamed as the noxious oil on their scales caught fire. Gleefully thundering a vast column of flame into the kuo-toa, Cinders made a noise of insane enthusiasm, sweeping fire all across the enemy.

  “At least he has no problem with commitment!” Escalla blasteda fireball into a knot of onrushing guards. “That’s great, pooch! That was realsubtle!”

  Burn! Burn fish! Burn palace! Burn idol! Burn cave!Cinders fur stood on end, flame streaming from happy teeth. Burn!

  The scribe screamed and launched himself into the air, clawed hands reaching to rip Escalla from the sky. The girl’s eyes bulged as she wassnatched and squeezed like a grape. An instant later, the scribe’s hands weresevered by Jus’ sword. Croaking, Escalla thudded to the ground, her ribs almostcrushed and the dead hands still pinning her tight.

  Above her, Private Henry screamed a panicked war cry and parried a harpoon that would have pinned Escalla to the floor. Angrily fighting free, Escalla struggled out of the dead grasp and spat her hair out of her mouth. Something blurred past her, a spear smashed sparks from a pillar beside Henry, and Escalla fired another fireball in reply.

  Jus had already taken the arm off a huge kuo-toa, kicking backward to smash another monster’s knee as he whirled. Behind him, Polk madethe brilliant move of opening his portable hole, diving inside, and reaching back out to fold up the hole.

  Two of the lesser guards hurled themselves at Private Henry. Rushing at him, the monsters hurled heavy harpoons straight at the boy. Imitating the Justicar, the boy managed to smash one huge spear out of the air. The second missile tore the whole sleeve of his mail shirt, ripping a line of blood along his arm. With a roar the boy whirled and swung his sword. To his astonishment, the sword blade bit into flesh, and the fish bellowed in agonized rage. It struck at the boy, had its blow blocked,
then whirled backward as Henry cleaved his blade down into the monster’s skull.

  Overjoyed, Henry turned to the next monster and struck wildly down. His sword blade hit the kuo-toa’s shield-and suddenly stuck fast to alayer of glue. The kuo-toa roared and twisted the weapon from his grasp, raising a spear to plunge it through the boy.

  The kuo-toa’s head suddenly exploded as Escalla smacked itneatly with her pencil-slim lich staff. The corpse jerked like a mad puppet, leaving Escalla staring at the magic staff in astonishment.

  “Hot damn!” The girl reached out a hand to the dazed Private Henry. “You allright?”

  “Um…”

  “Yeah. All glory to King Um! Whatever, kid. Now’s notthe time!” Escalla picked up Polk’s folded portable hole and shoved it down hercleavage. “Time to run!” A horn was blowing, summoning more kuo-toa. “Jus! Packit up, man. Time to flee!”

  Roaring and cursing, Jus was surrounded by kuo-toa guards, all of them reeling away from the white blade. One lunged in with a pole arm, lost the business end of the weapon to Jus’ sword, then jerked as a massiveblow opened its guts. Another slashed with its claws, ripping Jus’ shoulder. AsCinders sheeted fire to incinerate a ring of guards, Jus trapped his attacker’shand, slammed one hand against the monster’s arm and snapped its elbow. It fellback, screaming as Benelux ripped through its chest. The sword twisted, whipped out, and flicked up looking for targets all in a single horrid blur.