The sound of water dripping from stalactites echoed through the cavernous depth. Pale white things with too many legs scurried away from the dim green light given off by the crystal in Amina's deep brown hand. She swallowed, eyes flicking to each and every opening in the cave walls. Waiting for something to leap out at her. Her hand curled around the hilt of the heavy curved sword tucked into her silk sash. A spear or glaive would have made her feel better, but in the tight depths of The Underneath, a tulwar was more effective. Not that she would need it for much longer if everything went as she hoped.
Allowing herself a moment of rest, she pulled out her waterskin and took a swig. It was surprisingly warm in the caverns; a lava flow nearby, perhaps? She tucked an errant lock of black hair into the braid running down past her shoulders. The scales of her armour were stifling, but she couldn't afford to go unprotected down here. The corpses of a few lizardfolk and troglodytic orcs left in her wake were evidence of that.
A particularly loud drip made Amina turn sharply, her heart pounding as she pulled her sword loose. Forcing herself to breathe and unclench her jaw, she cursed herself. Everything made her jump. And not just down here, but on the surface as well; shadows made her heart quicken, people forced her to shrink into herself, the faintest scrape of steel set her nerves on edge. Even in her own home, she was afraid of some faceless enemy breaking in and doing unspeakable things to her. She was alone in that big house, after all. No one would hear her scream.
She was going to change that.
Her tulwar tucked safely away, Amina held the green crystal in front of her and picked her way over the uneven rock. It couldn't be far now. There were no directions given, only vague notions of things glimpsed in the dark, but the flies in her gut were buzzing faster and faster. Her heart practically leapt into her mouth when a spot of bright marble glimmered under the crystal's light.
The stone was perfectly smooth under her fingertips. It was comforting. Real. She followed along the half-covered walled, skipping over cracks and blemishes as she searched for the entrance to the ancient complex. Smoothness gave way to wrought brass filigree and bas-relief, covered in centuries of turquoise verdigris. There had to be a way inside: a door, a handle, a lock...
A button.
Part of the metalwork gave under her fingers, and she excitedly pushed it. The entire cavern rumbled as a section of the once seamless wall twice her height, and thrice her width slid back. Amina winced as the cavern was flooded with a new light, much brighter than her crystal. A few quick blinks to adjust and she stepped forward into the ruins. The door rumbled back into place and then she was enveloped by an eerie silence.
Was this the right place? There could only be so many marble ruins down in the caverns of the Underneath, but still, the incessant doubt nagged at her mind. And even if this was the place, what next? What horror awaited her down here? Would she even find what she needed? Swallowing, she turned back to the door, eyes flicking over the complicated -and surprisingly well-maintained- mechanism of gears and clockwork that had moved it. This was a bad idea. This was a terrible idea! Her nerves were getting the better of her again, and the desperate need to run was flooding her-
Who are you?
It was not a voice, but still, it spoke to her. Like it skipped her ears and went straight for her mind. Amina turned, looking around the ruined entrance hall with its floating, white orbs of light until she spotted a figure. Tall, spindly, dressed in flowing black robes with a high collar, the silhouette oozed superiority and dominance. Each step it took echoed around the hall, the light glinting off the wrinkled, greyish-purple skin. Its head was bald, with two intelligent black eyes peering out from either side of a noseless face. Where a man would have a mouth, the creature instead had four tentacles, each reaching past its sternum, which wriggled and probed the air just in front of it.
Answer.
It intoned in her head.
"I-I..." Amina didn't know if she should be thrilled or terrified. Terror was winning, and she tried to pull herself back towards the clockwork, but... she couldn't. Not because of her quest, but because she physically could not move her limbs. Like she was stuck fast in amber or paralysed below her neck, no part of her responded to her will. "What is going on?"
I asked you a question. Answer, and I will release you. Perhaps.
"My name is Amina. I am from the surface world."
I could tell as much.
The creature looked Amina up and down, and its eyes softened from hostility to indifference. Amina almost fell over as she regained control over her body.
Why have you come here?
"I have come for you."
To slay me? You would not be the first. Nor do I doubt you will be the last.
"No, I-!" Amina stopped, her throat tightening. Her hands rushed to it, trying to claw away an invisible force. "Ghk! Please...!"
Pitiful. Your body is tempered, but your mind weak. I could leave you but a shell if I so desired.
"I... don't come to... slay you..." She choked out. "I need your help!"
The creature raised a hairless eyebrow. The grip on Amina's neck dropped away entirely, and she gasped for stale air.
What would a surface dweller require from me?
"I need a... a service."
I am not some artist you can commission.
"I have come so far for you!"
Then your journey was for nought. Unless you can offer me something, I must bid you farewell, Amina of the surface.
The creature turned and began to walk away.
"W-wait!" She tried to run after it, but her feet were stuck firm. She tugged and grunted, watching in panic as the figure moved back towards the archway it had emerged from. "You did not hear my proposal!"
Nor do I need to. The whims of mortals are no concern of mine.
"Please! I... I am scared."
