Chapter 6: Nashkel Mines

"What are we doing here?" Zak whispered irritably from the trees as Kurent, bent half over, looked keenly at the fallow field.

"Can't you see?" Kurent said, "The scuffle took place here..." he pointed his boot at a spot, "And here..."

"I can smell it," Zak said, "And it's old. Three men died and the last seemed to have flown. Why?"

Kurent's eyes gleamed. "Can you smell magic?"

"No," Zak said, furrowing his eyebrows, "But I can smell something that seems to be a large insect."

"Ankheg," Kurent said with satisfaction. Rimn, who had been listening silently, looked mystified.

"One was probably wearing Ankheg armor," Kurent continued, "And when worn, it's the best non magical armor around - when sold, well, it fetches a hefty price. Where are the corpses?"

Zak shrugged, padding away from the field. He stopped after a while, and pointed down as Kurent hurried up.

Rimn saw three corpses, in a high state of decomposition. One of them was wearing a striking green, plate-like armor that was seamlessly made.

As he watched, horrified, Kurent knelt down and unbuckled the armor. The thief put down the plates and looked at his black shadow thief armor, and sighed. "I've gotten fond of this," he said, pointing at the armor, "And it's a shame to waste the armor. I suppose Rimn will have to wear it."

"It stinks of death," Rimn protested.

"It doesn't," Kurent said, "There's something strange about Ankheg. Only the padded shirt does, and you can use yours."

Rimn, unwillingly, tried it on, with helpful directions from both Kurent and Zak.

"I think that's the leg guard," Zak commented, pointing to a piece Rimn was unsuccessfully trying to buckle on his arm. Kurent doubled up in laughter.

"It's my first time wearing this," Rimn said, injured.

"I can see that," Zak said wryly.

He eventually finished, and noted that he did not reek of the stench of the corpses. When he turned Kurent was rifling their pockets.

"Kurent!" he protested. Kurent looked up.

"Don't give me that look," he said, "Money is money, and all the better if it's in my hands."

Zak chuckled. "A wonderful philosophy you have, thief."

"It's the philosophy of every thief and merchant. And lawyers as well," Kurent said, standing up. "I think that's the lot."

"It's very light," Rimn commented, turning around so he could look at his back. The green armor glinted with the sun, off the plates that were obviously naturally formed, but buckled together by superb craftsmanship.

"And it'd deflect any arrow or sword blow," Kurent said, "Thunderhammer's the only one in the region that makes Ankheg armor. His work is appreciated even by dwarves."

***

They passed through a subdued looking fair on their way. "Look for a tent that says 'Potions'," Kurent said as they walked through the gaily colored tents. There were strangely few people here, and what were here walked through hurriedly, with wary eyes.

"I wonder what they are afraid of?" Rimn asked.

Kurent shrugged. They were nearing the eastern end of the tents. "We'd double back to the second or so row," he said.

"What do we need potions for?" Rimn asked.

"Obviously, if you two get injured in the mines," Zak said.

"Won't you as well?" Kurent countered.

"Perhaps," Zak said, "But the wolf heals fast, and I cannot be killed in that shape."

"Ah," Kurent said, pointing to a red and blue tent with a large sign on it. "Here we are."

***

The Nashkel mines stood before them in a large and deep pit. Rickety staircases creaked their way down to the reddish sandstone bottom, and emancipated looking miners walked around. Rats were everywhere, as well as sharp-eyed cats, and the clink of pickaxes formed dull background music.

They walked down the staircase, and saw a large black mouth of a mining tunnel. Six Amn soldiers stood outside it at attention, holding their spears. A sour looking man walked out from the shade of a hut towards them.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked in a high voice.

"We were sent by Gherrum Ghastkill for the mines." Kurent said.

"Oh. That's all right then. We've had troublemakers coming down lately, and I wanted to verify your identity. Well then. Good luck to you all." The nervous man said, gesturing towards the cave mouth, then went back into his hut.

The adventurers exchanged glances before approaching the Amn soldiers. One of them stepped out of ranks, lifting his helmet slightly in a salute. "Good luck," he echoed gloomily, "It's a bad business in there and no mistake - three or four groups been going in and never came out. I'd suggest you go to the last few levels - the first one's safe. It's the only one with anyone left in it, and soldiers are guarding it. The rest are left unguarded and that's where the demons lie."

"Well, we'd be going," Kurent said, "Thank you."

The soldiers nodded, and with chorused "good lucks" cleared the way, and they ventured into the dank interior.

In the inside, firelight from torches glinted off the reddish walls, throwing dancing shadows and flickering patches of light. Here, the pickaxes also sounded, and there was an occasional squeal as a loaded cart rumbled over rusty rails. Miners walked around inside, mumbling frightened, unintelligible noises to themselves as they walked like disconsolate spirits around a grave.

There was an occasional Amn soldier holding his spear nervously and always gave them a salute before warily watching the darkness.

The rank fear was unsettling, and they harbored mixed feelings when they located the brightly-lit lift to the level below.

"Turn around," Zak said indistinctly, "I think I wish to Change."

"And how are we going to carry your stuff?" Kurent demanded, as the lift ponderously started to creak down.

Zak appeared to consider this. "The staff will teleport my stuff to my home," he said, and the staff flared a sullen red before subsiding. "Later I will tell it to return them. Rimn will hold my staff."

"Why not ask it to go to your home as well?" Kurent inquired.

"That way I won't be sure if it'd come back," Zak said dryly. "Turn your backs."

***

When the lift rumbled unsteadily to a stop, the wolf stepped out instantly, whining at the oppressive atmosphere.

Rimn was next, self-consciously holding the large staff, and Kurent last, looking around carefully at the dim lit passage.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," he said in exasperation. "Anything may be hidden in the shadows - traps, kobolds, even an ogre. Tell the staff to light up the place."

The wolf cocked its head to the side, then turned to the staff and growled. The staff flared again, then settled for a bright white light that blatantly showed up every single crack and fracture of the rocks.

"Much better," Kurent said, "No point skulking in dark passages if there's no other way."

Rimn looked up at the close ceiling. Fragile looking supports were at the walls, but he seemed to be able to feel the large weight of all the stone pressing down on him.

"I know what it is like," Kurent said sympathetically, patting his shoulder. "Let's get this over with."

They ran into their first kobolds a while later in the maze of tunnels. Emboldened by the fact that they had archers, the shrieking, leaping creatures hung back and shot at the group while Kurent and Rimn retreated into side passages. The wolf was already leaping and growling. After the growling stopped, they walked out, and they saw three dead kobolds, the forth in panicked flight with the wolf close on its heels. It rounded a corner, and the wolf growled briefly and paused for Kurent and Rimn to reach it.

Then it lunged in, Kurent cursing at its impatience. Rimn let fly with a crossbow bolt, catching one of them with enough force between the eyes to throw it backwards several feet. The wolf was shaking the life out of an archer, and Kurent had taken care of one more, running the last through with his rapier.

"Kobolds," Kurent said disdainfully, and sighed. "They can't have come here all alone in force - someone must have made them. Want to place a wager that that person is on the last level of the mines?"

"How would you know that?" Rimn asked.

"These things always happen," Kurent said airily, "S'fate."

Rimn was grumbling as they continued down the passages. They dispatched a few more groups with relative ease, and located the lift to the next floor.

"I can't imagine why they couldn't have used only one lift for all the levels," Rimn said.

Kurent shrugged. "A seam of rock beneath that's more resistant than the rest. Superstition. Who knows? Men who spend most of their time underground aren't entirely sane."

There was a strange snuffling voice in front of them, and they were startled to see that the wolf was coughing. Then, on closer inspection, they realized that that was its way of belly-shaking laughter.

"Oh." Kurent smiled. "Dark elves are mad, of course. All elves are."

The wolf's coughing fit became more pronounced.

***

The third mine opened to a very unlucky sight - a dead miner. Kurent rolled his eyes, and pulled the lever on the mine lift hopefully. It didn't budge.

With a sigh, they ventured into the level. The kobolds were even bolder, and they spotted a few crude traps that were shown up starkly by the bright flare of the staff.

Leaving a haphazard trail of dead kobolds behind them, they found the next lift cleverly hidden in a secret passage, though the secret passage was so obvious in the bright light - a thin, defined line against what looked like a rock wall.

After some probing, Kurent located the switch and the stone rolled back ponderously. They stepped into the lift.

"What's this about secret passages?" Kurent groused, "Someone's been reading too many horror novels."

Rimn merely smiled, a trifle nervously.

***

They went into the fourth level, and stood looking out over a large subterranean river, its water throwing up eerie patterns of light from the reflection of the flare of the staff. From their platform, there was one more, unsafe looking stone bridge over the river, to yet another path carved into the surface of the cliff opposite. There was a dark entrance there.

Their path went on northwards until it curved out of sight, blocked by the rock on the opposite side of the river. Then there was a sound on the very edge of healing, a scuffling, scratching sound, and Rimn found himself being pulled back into the elevator by Kurent. Two arrows, flaming a bright and magical red, thudded deep into the rock where they had been standing. They could hear an enraged roar from the wolf, and a few frightened squeals and another defiant kobold bark, then silence.

Cautiously, Kurent and Rimn emerged, to find the wolf sitting near the kobold corpses on the other side, nonchalantly watching them. They crossed, and Rimn looked at the bodies with interest.

"Why do they have black markings?" he asked at last. The kobolds, instead of the usual reddish brown to black scaly hides, these had black streaks over bright red bodies.

"Kobold commandos," Kurent said grimly. "And our man should be in that entrance now."

The wolf nodded stiffly and growled at the staff, which flared brighter indignantly before settling down.

"Don't insult it," Rimn admonished the wolf, which made a derisive sniff, padding silently to the entrance.

They entered to yet another divided tunnel. From one blew a breeze that promised the fresh scent of grass and the cool wind, the other with an artificial light at the end. Rimn shrugged, and started forward.

Kurent caught his shoulder and pointed down. There were many cunningly concealed lines on the ground, probably traps. The thief took out several complicated looking instruments, and delicately worked on the lines, cutting something here, and lifting something there.

After what seemed ages to Rimn, they were advancing down the tunnel, to a crude curtain under an arch. The tunnel stretched onwards to darkness.

They entered to see a large room with many luxurious velvet cushions and expensive carpets. Magical globes of light hung on the ceiling, and here and there were large, gold bound chests. There was a soft bed at the far end, the blanket a rich red with beautiful gold stitching. There was a set of oaken drawers next to it.

Standing in front of a chest was a tall man, in priestly robes holding a staff. He had a shock of dark brown hair and eyes of the same hue, which stared at them malevolently. "Well," he said in a tone of tense resignation, "So Tazok sent you to kill me?"

"Tazok?" Kurent asked in astonishment.

"Adventurers then," the man said, "I am Mulahey, priest of Cyric. You won't escape this place alive!"

"They all say that," Kurent smiled, and the wolf growled agreement.

"Minions!" the man cried in a high, mad voice, "Come and protect me!"

Then he stepped backwards and started muttering, his fingers tracing an arc in the air, but the wolf was faster yet. He went down shrieking, with the wolf's muzzle buried in his throat, but Kurent and Rimn had turned to the entrance.

There was a horrid sound of bone clicking on rock, and more dog-like yammering that sounded like kobolds.

Kurent sighed, and stepped out, followed by Rimn. "Blast them!" Rimn told the staff, but the light went out.

"Damn." Kurent said fervently.

But then it returned in a new ferocity that caused them to shield their eyes in a cry of pain. When the spots cleared, the army of skeletons had disintegrated into sad heaps, and the ten or so kobolds running around, blinded and yelping in fright. Kurent ran through the first one smoothly.

When they had returned to the room, the wolf was finished with Mulahey, and was scrabbling at a chest. Kurent touched the lock.

"Newfangled equipment," he muttered irritably, then located a set of lock picks in his clothing.

Fifteen minutes later, he had unlocked every chest in the room, and they got on to looting.

The first chest revealed an elaborate, purple bladed sword, with even more elaborate carving and curly designs on the hilt. A bright emerald glowed on the middle of the hilt, surrounded by bright sapphires. It came with a sheath that had a design with gold stitching on it of the moon and stars.

Rimn took it out, his eyes shining. Kurent sighed. "Yours, lad," he said, and Rimn excitedly buckled it on. "We'd ask some mage about it later. Probably magical."

Kurent also went through Mulahey's pockets, finding a simple gold ring with a stone that glowed red when he touched it. He hastily put that in his pocket. He also pocketed the holy symbol of Cyric from Mulahey, and took all the baubles and money that he could find.

The large chest where Mulahey had been standing in front of yielded many letters. The most interesting one read:

Mulahey,

The mines have to be vacated in time due to instructions from the Boss. Meet soon at the Bandit camp to discuss strategy.

P.S. Issue instructions to your creatures - a group of annoying adventurers have to be eliminated. They are the Master thief Kurent, a dark hooded figure that the Boss identified as Asur's Guardian and especially a young man known as Rimn. They sometimes travel with a wolf-like animal.

Tazok

"Master thief?" Rimn asked numbly. It was the only question he could think of now.

"Oh yes," Kurent said, "I'm part of the Baldur's Gate Guild. You're a popular fellow."

"But why?" wailed Rimn.

"No use asking me," Kurent said, "Now let us find this Bandit Camp. I've got a score to settle with Tazok."

"What kind of score?" Rimn inquired.

"Revenge," Kurent said shortly, "The best type. Let's go."

The wolf padded out of the chamber, and soon they were out of the other exit to feel the cool wind on their faces, and a dark cloak of velvet night over wilderness.

The other:

Sarevok,

I am most interested to continue out mutually attractive bargain. The group has, to my knowledge, not yet been detained or destroyed, but that will be amended soon. The Iron Throne's assistance has been very useful to us, and the required messenger has been sent.

Tazok

"Most interesting," Rimn said. "So, we go to Cloakwood?"

"Has there been any doubt in the matter?" Kurent said outrageously.

"What about the gnolls and the hobgoblins?" Neira asked.

"Why, we'd leave them, of course," Kurent said, shaking his head, "Though they like to hoard gold, we'd have to make sure our prey does not escape its cage."

"You're the most single-minded human I've met other than a village idiot," Zak observed, and Neira laughed a clear, ringing laugh.

"Why, Zak!" Kurent said, in mock horror, "Are you calling me a village idiot?"

"No," Zak smiled, "You're an educated village idiot."

"Well," Kurent said with dignity, while Rimn stifled a snigger, "This village idiot is going to Cloakwood. Are you coming?"

"We don't have any choice, do we?" Rimn said amiably, following Kurent out of the room. As an afterthought, the thief searched the corpses and pocketed the baubles, and also the scrolls.

They stepped out into a camp of disarray, and walked calmly off into the welcoming forest.