Fetri scrambled across the dirty tunnel to keep up with the longer legged human so he would not be left behind. Whoever they were searching for seemed important enough to him and his god would certainly not approve leaving this girl along in the tunnel with that fiery knight and his mood swings.

“Oi, lass, who are we goin’ ta save again?” Fetri was still struggling to keep up and was forced to hike up his clerical robes in order to not trip, which greatly increased his speed. He must have been too far behind for her to hear because Celeste had not turned around. “Lass, who are we—”

He was interrupted by Celeste’s answering of his question. “Oh she’s just… a friend of mine Fetri.”

The dwarf noted the hesitation in her voice, but he did not blame her for not trusting him. “Whatever ye say lass.” Fetri looked back behind them to where the other half naked elf was running after them. “Ye know that one?”

Celeste looked back at the monk who had caught up with them by that point. “I know him as well as you do.”

Fetri turned the newcomer who was trotting along beside him. “So, what are ye doin’ here?”

Now that the dwarf was busy talking to the other newcomer, Celeste turned to face forward and nearly bumped her nose into the mithral dragon head on Korbin's breastplate.

"Can you feel Vivienne now? Are we at least closer?" The genuine concern in his voice nearly broke her heart, had he not said it so coldly, as if a frozen wind hissed through his teeth... so typically Korbin. Celeste even thought she could feel the air grow colder around him, but maybe that was just the cavernous surroundings. It certainly was uncomfortable, though.

"I- I don't..." her words stumbled. What in the hells was wrong with him. Something was different, but she couldn't point her finger at it.

"Focus, Celeste, please! I... fear we may be too late."

"Well, very . . . very well," said Celeste. "I think . . . I think she's somewhere below us. Not too far now. There should be some manner of egress nearby . . . or at least I hope there is, as this cave might collapse at any second."

"I'll find it," Korbin said, with the sort of stout resolution that she both loved and mourned in him.

Celeste searched around them for a secret door or pit or hidden tunnel. She had the keen senses of her half-elven parents, and had refined her searching abilities with diligent study and focus. Korbin, who was not quite as perceptive, cast around as well, his movements looking increasingly harried.

Talk to him, Celeste thought. Talk to him, or he's liable to break any moment. You can't very well help it he's sweet on your best friend . . . if you don't want him going insane, best learn to live with it!

As she searched, Celeste spoke to Korbin in reassuring tones, trying to placate him.

"If I read those rat-men's minds correctly, they took her to . . . it's hard to say. Some sort of gathering place. A communal worship place, where homage is paid to . . . Ilbrandul? That can't be right. Ilbrandul is . . ."

Her eyes widened and her cheeks went very, very pale.

"What?" said Korbin. "What is it?"

"Ilbrandulin worship has grown . . . fearful cruel since the Time of Troubles. Many believe . . . oh gods, no."

Korbin laid his hands upon her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the face. "What is it?"

"Many scholars believe Ilbrandul is an aspect of Shar, the Lady of Loss, Queen of Shadows," said Celeste. "If they've taken her to an Ilbrandulin worship center, then she's . . . she's sure to be sacrificed to the goddess of darkness!"

PART III

Vivienne Thann was a lovely woman: young, flirtatious, a little nubile, and with a certain innocent cast to her character that attracted darkness like sweet milk attracts starving cats. Or cheese to rats, as in this case.

And as such a woman, Vivienne had had her share of incidents almost culminating in her sacrifice to one dark power or another. Usually there was some poisoned wine or food, or a handsome dark stranger, or at least a tragically misunderstood guardsman to seduce and leave locked in the cell as she escaped.

Tragically, there were none of these things: just Vivienne, stripped mostly naked, leg and ribs broken, tied to an altar as a series of wererats built up a stack of kindling all around. They chanted and sang as they worked, and the chittering was making her teeth grind very, very hard.

Time was running short.

"I'm not certain you should be burning anything in these cramped environs," Vivienne noted. "Smoke will bunch up and choke you . . . not to mention really ruin your decoration scheme."

The wererats weren't listening, though. They shoved splintery boards under Vivienne's arms and legs, apparently so that they would bring the fire to her.

Then something wet and unpleasant hit her face, and she spat and gagged before she realized what it was: lamp oil. [i]Could be worse,[i] she thought. [i]*Has* been worse, on many occassions. Don't these rodents know the proper way to do a burnt offering?[i]

Of course, it might be different for one they meant to raise as a phoenix. Vivienne had never paid too much attention to her religion tutor at lessons--she'd been more interested in staring at his excellently formed chest and wondering if his vows included chastity or just celebacy. (Neither, as it turned out.)

Gods, what would her grandmother Thann say if she could see her like this?

"Typical," Vivienne mused.

******

"Korbin, wait!" Celeste called through the tunnels, hurrying after him.

She was glad she'd worn the pink leather skirt, even if was getting dusty and ruined in these caves. Her boots would never forgive her, though--those would be the first thing Vivienne bought her out of thanks after they rescued her.

At the moment, though, matters were more pressing: Korbin kept running on, blindly as far as Celeste could tell, not saying anything or pausing when she called out. It was damned frustrating, and would probably get them both killed. The stubbornness of that man . . .

pop

Celeste slipped and fell hard on her rump. Nothing broke (though it hardly felt pleasant) and she sat there, dazed, feeling at the floor and wondering why she'd slipped. It was quite smooth, except for pebbles to provide traction. No cracks or grease or anything. Her head felt heavy and her limbs a bit fuzzy.

There was another pop sound, and Celeste reeled as though struck by a blast of air. Her head wasn't capable of forming coherent thoughts anymore.

Something was moving in the shadows, floating toward her as though on air and not on feet. It was shaped vaguely like a man in tight black attire, but something was wrong with its beard, which seemed to be moving.

The creature came closer, into the glowing light of Celeste's psicrown, and she saw its purple octopus face for what it was. The illithid seized her in its clawed hands, drawing her up by the collar of her vest.

"Aari'el!" Celeste screamed.

The four tentacles squirmed and caressed the edges of her cheeks.

Fetri ran as fast as his stubby legs would carry him but the two humans soon pulled ahead and he grumbled indignantly. He watched with a sigh as Celeste turned a corner ahead of him and disappeared from his view. “Damn nuisance.”

His staff banged against the ground with every other step and echoed dully throughout the rocky corridors. Fetri heard a scream as he rounded the next corridor and quickly stopped and slowed his breathing. The dwarf peaked around the corner and brought his head back quickly. He saw Celeste being drawn up by the Illithid, a beast he knew all too well.

Fetri wracked his mind for a good spell to use against one and decided on something quick and simple before it was too late. He picked three stones off the ground and cast a clerical spell on them. [cast: Magic Stone]

Fetri rushed into the oval chamber and tossed a stone at the tentacle head of the Illithid. It struck the squishy head with much larger impact than would have been expected from such a small object. It did little damage but managed to distract the creature from Celeste’s face, or her brain, rather. Fetri ran directly behind a stalagmite and hid there instead of continuing out the other side.

His caution was well founded and he saw the air shimmer as a blast of pure energy passed through where his body would have been standing. As it were, the shot missed but another followed simultaneously and cracked the stone pillar.

Fetri rolled from behind his wall and tossed the last to stones which were grabbed with telekinetic force from the air and tossed back towards him. His staff snaked out and knocked one off course but the second struck his legs and nearly knocked the sturdy dwarf over.

Fetri cast one final spell continuously and sunk into the ground at his feet [cast: Meld into Stone]. He heard the Illithid snarl as its newest prey sunk into the solid stone but quickly returned to woman gripped in its tentacles.

What it did not notice was the dwarf emerging from the stone behind it.

The dwarf silently emerged behind the creature and made ready for his next attack. He began concentrating hard on his next move when he began hearing a trampling sound building up behind him. The pebbles on the ground under him shook nervously as the drumming crescendo continued its rapid approach. Before he expected it, a furious flash of deep purple flew right in front of him, nearly breaking his focus.

The Dragon knight rushed into the illithid like a raging, armour-clad bull- ramming his right shoulder into the creature's spine. He heard a satisfying crack and the monster stumbled forward, releasing Celeste from its grip. The poor girl flew a few feet landing less than gracefully on the cavernous floor. Korbin would have apologised, but the angry underworld creature now turned its attention to the new threat. It whirled around to strike the knight but he thankfully managed to duck under it. Korbin did not want to know what would have happened had that seemingly innocent slap hit him.

With all the fury of a dragon rising to the attack, the Cormyrean sprang upward driving his fist into the tentacled head. Shards of broken ice fell to the floor or flew everywhere across the chamber. Korbin's fist shone with a surreal blue flame, icy vapors floating upward from his clenched gauntlet.

He knew that against this adversary he would not last long in a fist fight but he had to draw it away from Celeste before he could draw his sword.

Freed of the illithid's grasp by Korbin's rush, Celeste found herself on the ground. Her rump smarted and her brain was reeling from the blast, but at least she could concentrate--once she pushed aside the awful slithering memory of the tentacles sucking her face. Yick!

Now the valiant Sir Korbin was face-to-face and hand-to-hand with the mind flayer, and she knew unless he drew his sword, he stood little chance. Why hadn't he--it was to protect her, Celeste realized! She tried to bury the swell of desire that accompanied that thought, and focused on how to help in the combat. Also she liked puppies quite a bit. Cute, fuzzy puppies. Mmm.

Focus, Celeste told herself. FOCUS!

Surely she had some power that would help, but with her mind fuzzy from the after effects of the illithid's blast, her aim would not be true. She could attempt to snare one of the beasts with her telekinesis, but she'd be as likely to harm her friends as her enemies. What could she . . .?

Ah, of course.

[manifest mindlink]

Well met! Celeste thought to Korbin and Fetri both, linked as they were by the power of her mind. I just thought you should know . . . I like puppies!

No, that wasn't it . . .

Try just to knock one unconscious, so I can probe it for puppies--I mean, probe it for V!

Surely the illithids would know something of her--how many psionic folk could be down in these halls?

It only occurred to Celeste *after* she had that thought that it might not have been wise . . .