Warrior Priest of Dmon-Li - Brian Pratt [103]
As he pauses there in the flow, Jiron says, “You okay?”
He just shakes his head. How can he explain to them just how much this nauseates him? Taking several more steps, the muck making a sucking sound every time he pulls his foot out, he makes it over to the bars.
Standing there in front of the bars, he begins to consider the best way to get through them.
“James!” Miko whispers urgently.
When he turns back to look at Miko, he sees him pointing down the sewer where it continues. He glances to where he’s pointing and sees a light coming toward them. Quickly canceling the orb, he plunges them back in darkness as they watch the light approach.
A lone man is approaching, the flickering of his torch becoming brighter with every step he takes. They can hear him muttering to himself as he walks along the ledge, the same ledge Miko and Jiron are standing upon.
As he continues looking at the approaching man, he sees a shadow begin to move toward him. A glint of reflected torchlight from a knife blade tells him Jiron is moving to intercept the man.
Wishing there was another way, he stands there silently as Jiron moves closer. Then there’s a cry as the torch falls into the sewer and is quickly extinguished. “It’s okay now James,” he hears Jiron say.
The orb blossoms into light once more and he can see Jiron moving back toward them. He sees James looking at him and he says, “He’s not dead, just unconscious.”
Relieved, James turns back to the bars and begins to work the magic to bend the bars enough for them to squeeze through. When the bars begin bending, a vibrating noise can be heard coming from them.
Once the noise stops, James glances back to them and says, “Let’s go.” He squeezes his way in through the bars and then stands there as the other two make their way through the filth and join him on the other side. Then he again uses the magic as the bars begin to move back into place. By the time he’s done, his head is beginning to hurt and his breath is a little labored. Turning back to the others, he says, “That was tougher than I thought.”
“You alright?” Jiron asks, concerned.
“I’ll be fine,” he assures him. “Let’s go.”
Jiron again leads them as they move down the sewer. James is certain they are passing under the wall of the keep area, or soon will be.
This section of the sewers has no ledges upon which to walk. The sewer here is not as deep as the other had been either, much to their relief. They pass by another set of rungs leading up and Jiron pauses as he glances back to James.
James shakes his head and says, “Let’s move further in toward the keep, that one would probably come out in the outer courtyard area. We need to find access into the main keep.”
Jiron nods and then turns back as he continues down. Several more sets of rungs come and go before they decide to stop and investigate.
“Just go up and see if you can tell where we are,” suggests James.
Placing his hand on one of the rungs, he replies, “I understand.” Then he quickly climbs up until he disappears into the darkness.
A thud can be heard above them, probably from a trapdoor or something that he had to open in order to leave the sewer. Several minutes pass before they hear a quiet thud again and soon see Jiron descending the rungs.
“These rungs lead to the basement of some kind of home,” he says. “I didn’t move too far into it before finding a window. We’re about a hundred feet south of the walls of the Keep itself.”
“Good,” James exclaims. “Let’s move on then and try to find the one we need.”
Nodding, Jiron again takes the lead. When they come to a junction of sewer passages, he moves to follow the one that’ll bring them closest to the Keep. They follow the new passage for a little over a hundred feet when a set of rungs becomes visible ahead of them.
“This might be it,” Jiron says as they reach them.
“Go up and see,” James tells him.
Jiron quickly climbs up into the darkness and then they hear his voice calling down, “It’s clear, come