Paul Kidd - Descent into the Depths of the Earth

The kuo-toa leader gurgled something to its followers, and the fish men resumed their ungainly march down the passageway. On seeing Escalla’s companions, the creatures saluted casually with the middle fingers oftheir hands spread wide, a salute both uncomfortable and strangely silly. Jus gravely returned the gesture. Polk and Henry did the same, and the creatures continued on their way toward the river and the ferryman.

Jerking with ill temper, the sword Benelux gave a cold growl. Kuo-toa. Assassins! Murderers! We should find their nest and eliminate them all!

“We have a prior task.” Jus settled the sword through hisbelt. “Racial genocide is not my mission.”

Do you call yourself a warrior for law?

“No. I’m only interested in Justice.” The Justicar tookEscalla onto his shoulder as he spoke. “These fish men have done nothing worthyof my attention.”

From Jus’ shoulder, Escalla stretched and yawned.

“Hey, Spiky! Ease up!” Escalla peered down at the sword.“You’ll get wrinkles. You have to expand your emotional horizons. Make a promiseto tell yourself a few jokes in between kills. It worked for me!”

Benelux merely seethed.

Jus tugged at Escalla’s foot, quietening her down as thetunnel opened out into a titanic, echoing cave. An open space more than a hundred yards wide yawned in the gloom. A weird blue light swam like reflections in an ancient sea, and an alien world took hold upon the underdark.

A sinister, stepped pyramid arose at the center of the cavern. The mound served to raise a horrible idol high above the cavern floor-ablood spattered thing shaped like a naked woman with the head and pincers of a lobster. The claws were opened in the same gaping salute used by the kuo-toa in the halls. A still-bleeding human heart was wedged into one of the claws, and an ocean of blood seemed to have poured down the pyramid. Guarding the approaches to the idol were kuo-toa priests and warriors, creatures who even now tore the eyes and organs out of human victims who had slid lifeless down the blood-soaked stairs.

Escalla stared, quite ashen, and felt her skin turn strangely numb. “Now they may have just crossed the line.”

Private Henry crept forward, staring at the shrine-thecorpses and the fish men feeding wetly on their prey. The boy’s hands grippedmore tightly at his crossbow.

“Human sacrifice…?”

“Human sacrifice.” Jus seemed to swell, his huge, bristlingframe turning carnivorous and savage. To the Justicar, no crime was worse than preying on the weak. The kuo-toa suddenly seemed in need of Judgment.

Escalla saw Jus’ stance and felt a cold chill of panic asshe expected him to begin slaughtering the kuo-toa. There were a dozen in sight, but countless carved doorways opened onto temples, barracks rooms, and even palaces.

“Jus! Deep breath! Don’t go all apocalyptic on me!” Thefaerie whacked Jus across the helmet. “I need to clear my name here! This is aprime place for evidence collection!”

“I know.”

“Kill fish later. Help disturbingly attractive yet strangelyinnocent faerie now.” Hastily ushering the group into cover behind an outcrop offungi, Escalla gathered Henry by her side. “Henry, Spiky, brief recap. Yourstruly here has been wrongfully framed and accused of a crime. We’re here toprevent a miscarriage of justice and protect one of the world’s most pricelessbeings from harm-namely me!”

Do tell. Benelux seemed to glow with pure sarcasm. Whowould ever have placed you as a criminal?

“Hey! This is serious!” Escalla whacked at the swords sheath.“A faerie cavalier has been offed, and whoever did it is a faerie who likesusing the underdark as a private holiday home. Whoever murdered Cavalier Tarquil used a marine cone shell. If these fish men down here are an assassin cult, this is probably the place the cone shell came from.”

Brilliant. The magic sword gave a sniff. With wisdomlike that, you should bottle it.

“I’m warning you!” The faerie faced the sword, her antennaestiff and her little fists balled. “I can still find a rust monster! So justshut up and keep your eyes open for evidence. We’re looking for clues-anythingto show that someone’s been getting his murder equipment from the kuo-toa!”

Hmph! The sword gave a droll little sneer. Such as asigned receipt in triplicate? “One cone shell, please return by Godsday.”

“Sounds ideal.” Escalla gave a snort, then hitched up thebelt of her little black dress. “Jus, if you had a lending library for coneshells, where would it be?”

“Somewhere near where assassins are trained.” The Justicarloomed in the tunnel like a feral nightmare. “Look for a marine water pool. Allthe other water here is fresh.”

“Hoopy.” The faerie briskly clapped her hands and rose upinto the air. “Well, let’s just go into the shrine and act like we’re here asguests. No one has seemed interested in stopping us so far.”

Private Henry gave a nervous blink. “The fish seem to likeyou.”

“Just as long as that doesn’t involve feeding on myintestines, I’m happy.” Escalla led the way into the terrifying cavern. “Followme, people, and try to look like we see human sacrifices twice a day. Jus, no sword stuff until we get some evidence in my hot little hands.”

From a side passage, more kuo-toa appeared. The creatures approached the guards at the pyramid’s base, exchanged the strange salute,tossed money into a giant clam shell, then removed little tokens that were hung about their necks with string. One of the visitors moved to a second shell and seemed to pay far more money. The guards hooted in approval and hung the donor with a somewhat flashier token-a bright red crab claw. The visitors immediatelyproceeded to climb the pyramid to pay homage to the idol.

The guards looked over at Escalla, Jus, Polk, and Henry, fixing them with their huge, emotionless eyes. The fish men made no immediate move to sound an alarm. Girding her narrow waist and hoisting her rather understated bosom, Escalla steeled herself for the ordeal to come.

“Here goes.”

She flew over to the kuo-toa, opening her hand in the local salute. The kuo-toa responded, and one guard addressed her in a language made mostly up out of jaw clicks and gashing teeth. Escalla kept her smile and gave an easy wave of her hand.

“Sure!”

The kuo-toa spoke again, and Escalla fluttered over to the big clamshell basins.

“I totally agree! But it might rain on Moonday. Best cover uponce that bad weather sets in!” The girl waved a rather nervous, reluctant Polkforward. The teamster was looking up at a seven-foot tall kuo-toa that was eating wet chunks of a human liver. “Polk! Get your shanks over here and get thepurse open!”

“Portable hole.”

“Whatever! Just get us some cash!”

Escalla peered into the more expensive of the two offering basins, then stuck her head into the portable hole after Polk had partly unfolded it. She flew inside, entirely disappearing from the outside world as she entered a weird little space about ten feet square. Sure enough, rolling about in one corner of the hole there were a few small gems and baubles. Escalla grabbed a few of the less impressive items and popped back out into the light. She dropped a pair of little pearls into the basin, trying to indicate that she was paying for her entire group. The kuo-toa gave the same savage hoots of approval, then proceeded to hang stinking crab claws about the necks of everyone present. Escalla took one sniff of the partly mummified claw and a pained expression crept onto her face.

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