Touch of Honor

Touch of Honor: A Red Web - Chapter 10

     Lemli noted that Spruce, considerably more irritated than before the orcith's spell, punched a shallow hole into the wall every few hundred feet. Lemli couldn't decide whether this was to help mark the way or to release whatever frustration had built up over whatever he saw.

     After every punch, Spruce would look at his hand with a disgusting curl of his lips.

     Lemli didn't pry as to what vision affected the monk. He was somewhat relieved but equally as concerned that the monk had not inquired about his own vision. Lemli knew that if only he had seen something from the orcith that the monk would not take a breath to stop his prying. Lemli couldn't decide whether to feel offended or to feel pity. No. Certainly not pity. It was entirely his fault. He brought what he saw upon himself. On me too. Lemli felt his eye twitch as he involuntarily groaned.

     The two of them walked into a familiarly massive opening after being lost for what seemed like hours. Combined with the orcith's spell, which Lemli still blamed Spruce harshly for, they had no sense for how long they were lost in the twisting tunnels and compact halls.

     They were far closer to the underground sea now, the scent of salt carried by the wind blew to them.

     The water stretched for miles, so long that the half elf's eyes could not reach its end. His nose was so overwhelmed with the smell of salt that he would not be able to distinctly observe any other scents. He held his nose with one hand until he acclimated to the salty air.

     Spruce noticed this and discreetly took a whiff at his under arm. The human then turned his gaze to the ceiling, or sky for all he knew, as his eyes could not reach its top.

     Even Lemli would mistake the impossibly high rocky ceiling as a night sky, adorning flakey stars or white.

     Above them, we're floating, glowing lights that danced and pulsated a whitish hue on top of the water. They started to surround the two, giving off a faint but noticeable and much appreciated light. They floated like stars in the sky, moving slowly across the dark above.

     One such dancing light floated towards Spruce in its ball form. It passed right past his face, no center or body to be seen. Just a light, but without it, he would be blind. He gave the light a faint smirk as if they could understand his gesture of gratitude.

     Through the corner of his eye Lemli looked at the monk. So even a savage such as him can appreciate something beautiful.

     There was no balcony preventing any mishaps, accidents or pushing into the great underground sea, but there was a large, gray brick staircase. It too was void of any railings but the steps were so large that falling off them would be uncommon. Each step was large enough for Lemli to lay flat across without falling to the next one if he so wanted.

     The stairs led to a similarly gray platform in the shape of a hexagon slightly above the water. In its center were two pillars that curved inward at their tops, chains hanging from them. Attached to the chains was a prisoner, who Spruce could not discern from their distance.

     Lemli, being blessed with superior visions could. "Is that a—" Before he could finish his observation, Spruce flung himself down the steps of the large, gray stairs with hurrying feet.

     Lemli rushed after him after releasing an annoyed groan.

     Spruce leapt down the great stairs, at least four at a time until he reached the bottom. The waves were so loud he couldn't hear Lemli calling out to him, not that he would listen. He was fixated on one thing. A prisoner in the spider's lair. It could be. He stopped at the bottom. His hopes were quickly dashed.