The group of adventurers take a few seconds to regain their bearings after the teleportation. As their eyesight adjusted to the dim light of the cave, they spotted the two trolls that were guarding the entrance. Now that they were so close, they could see that one of the trolls was wearing a sign around its neck and a tall pointed, multicoloured hat.
The Sign:
Smeared across the troll's face was a huge glop of white icing. Looks of total surprise crossed both trolls' faces as they gaped at the group.
"Ya-hoo-ieeeeeeee!"
Before anyone could react, Rasor let out a bellow and charged the troll on the left. He slammed full force into the troll and the two tumbled from the entranceway into the ravine below. The party could hear Rasor's and the trolls' yelps as the fell through the air.
"Rasor!" Ophyllia leapt forward as the rest of the party surrounded Bart.
The big stoney brute looked a bit sad.
"Hmmm, this last birfdae ?"
He pointed to himself and pulled off his party hat and waited very dejectedly for The End. Torner, sword held high, looked questioningly at the rest of the group. He'd never heard of a sad troll. TymeKeeper moved to the front.
"Well, it doesn't have to be your last day. You could help us instead."
"Me help you - then you kill me?"
TymeKeeper shook his head vehemently and waved his hands.
"No, no, no. You help us and then you'll be free of 'M' and can come back to town with us. No one here will kill you."
TymeKeeper didn't add that the townsfolk might not see it quite the same way.
"We can be friends."
Bart looked slack-jawed at the sage.
"Fff-riends ? Friends ? Tee-he. Ho-hee. Ha. Ha, ha! Ha, ha, ho, hee!! Ah, ha, ha, ba-ha, ha, ooooh, ho hee!!!"
Bart had doubled over in guffaws so hard that he had givin himself the hiccups.
"Oooo < hic > you a funny man. Should do comic routine for troll relief."
He wiped tears from his eyes.
"Hmmm - an' you're wrong - we're not stone trolls; < hic > we're latex trolls."
When the TymeKeeper looked confused, he added,
"Made to look like rock - but bouncy soft."
Ophyllia spun on him. "Hey! How'd you know we said that!'
"Me ain't got wax in ears. < hic > Could hear you all the way across ravine."
Morgan had joined Ophyllia at the ledge of the cave and looked down to where Rasor and the other troll had gone over.
"Look Ophyllia!"
Both girls peered down into the ravine. Sitting atop a now flattened latex troll was Rasor. Looking none the worse for wear. The ½ orc hero's fall had been cushioned by the troll - and the stacks of crates below the cave entrance. Rasor scratched his head and looked up. He grinned a ear splitting grin at the girls. As he lurched to his feet, the crate he (and the unfortunate troll) had fallen on groaned and broke into pieces. Rasor's arms flailed out to each side to keep his balance.
Everyone had gathered now at the cave's ledge - even the hiccuping Bart.
"Can we go now?"
Gramps, Danidar, and TymeKeeper comforted the girl as best they could. Bart spoke up as the group gathered together again.
"Me show you the way down."
"How do we know we can trust you?"
Gramps moved protectively in front of his granddaughter.
"How do we know that you're not leading us into some kind of trap?"
Everyone turned to stare at the latex troll.
"I can tell. He's a good troll."
Lytra stepped forward and held out her hand to the troll. Her new powers gave her the ability to sense people's auras. Though she couldn't read minds, she could tell if someone was evil or not. Bart was definitely not evil.
"Never thought I'd be saying that." She grinned as Bart took her hand. "Show us the way down."
"Besides,.." Ophyllia tapped on Gramps' shoulder, ".. We've got the map."
She winked at her former teacher and pulled the parchment from its hiding place - right from the front of her gold lame bustier.
"I don't trust anybody who dresses like I do - well - except Teeny."
Torner had taken a position next to Lytra. He kept giving her sidelong glances from time to time. He was sure that Lytra had been Babette only a few moments before the gargoyles had attacked. But there was no way that this could be Babette. She was a simple, naive, barmaid. This woman was intelligent, witty, and could kick purple butt with that sword of hers. It occurred to him that maybe he could trick her into revealing her real identity, but he knew in his heart that this would be dishonest. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him. If not, Then so be it. He tromped along beside the warrior woman, confident in her abilities.
Abruptly the path came to a dead end. They had worked their way down three levels and had come to an giagantic open pit. The walls curved away into the unseen distance. The floor and ceiling were beyond sight.
"So Bart, how do we get across? Or did we take a wrong turn?"
Lytra looked behind them thinking about the many twists and turns that had gotten them this far. She didn't like the thought of having to backtrack their steps.
"Don't know," the troll whispered, "never been here before. Never met 'M' or been anywhere near his quarters. Big man don't trust trolls." Bart grinned a sharp toothed grin.
Ophyllia moved to confer with the warrior woman.
"The map shows this cavern - if the scale is right,.." she squinted into the blackness, "..ummm, maybe a couple of miles across?"
"Miles!?!" Lytra huffed and put her hand on her hip.
Torner raised his eyebrows - that pose looked just like something Babette would have done. Maybe Lytra was Babette's smart sister.
".. And according to the map, this way is the only way down into 'M''s lair."
The group gathered around Ophyllia and studied the map. She shoved the map into Danidar's hands and moved away from them.
"Guys, put away those lights - just for a moment. I want to see something."
After a few moments of grumbling, the non-infravision seeing folks put out their lamps. Total darkness enveloped them like a glove. Ophyllia stood on the edge of the tunnel, staring out over the cavern. Danidar had moved beside the bard.
"There must be a way across."
Torner turned to Lytra.
"Can you teleport us across?"
She shook her gorgeous red head.
"Too risky. And I don't know how big the area is."
"Oh."
"No - look.." Ophyllia pointed to the walls of the tunnel. "..There's a pattern here. Letters."
Gramps put his lantern closer to the walls for a look.
"Hmmm, looks like ancient elven. TymeKeeper, can you read this?"
TymeKeeper scrunched his face in concentration.
"Um, er, uh, maybe, let's see."
Danidar stepped between to the ancient men and scowled.
"Why don't you ask an expert?"
The elven priest cocked his eyebrows at both of them and took the lantern from Gramps.
"This is Elprynianen script, dated, oh, about 239 BVE. But the letters are scattered all over the walls in no particular pattern. Hmmm, let's write down what we have and maybe we can figure out what it says. It could be the key to getting across."