The makeshift torches took little time to construct, and soon they each stood with an unlit torch in hand and one tucked into the various belts and garments of clothing for use if they needed it later. Teryn glanced around at the group, flint and steel held above a torch Daisy was holding over the hole.

“Ready?” she asked. They all nodded, several of the group gulping in their nervousness as they did so. Teryn struck the steel with her flint, sending a cascade of sparks over the cloth wrapped torch. It did not light with the first strike, so she struck them again and again until the cloth finally took and a bright flame quickly spread over the head of the torch.

She took a breath and dropped the torch down the hole. Everyone leaned in to try to see what happened. The torch fell, illuminating a circular shaft of stone, the walls covered in years of grime and muck. Black iron rungs studded the side of the shaft, forming a ladder down.

The torch fell about thirty feet before hitting water and going out with a quick fizzle. They listened for any movement or sign that something was down there, but were only greeted with silence.

“Seems safe enough,” Devin said. “I’ll go first.” He held out his torch and Teryn lit it. Passing the torch around, everyone lit their torches before handing his back to him.

“Don’t come down until I give the ok. I’m going to go down and take a quick look. When you come down after the ok, don't follow each other too closely, you’ll burn your asses on the torches.”

His comment prompted a few half hearted giggles. He took a deep breath and bent down, lowering his body into the hole. His feet connected with the rungs and he started to lower himself further. He grabbed the first rung with his good hand, holding the torch in his mangled right hand.

With difficulty, he managed to step down several rungs, then let go and quickly grabbed another below it with his left. His awkward shuffle brought him lower into the hole and deeper into the darkness. The smell of the sewer became much stronger, washing over him and making him wish this wasn't so strenuous so he could breathe through his nose and only smell the fetid air, rather than taste it too.

He spat as he climbed down, finally coming to the bottom rung. Glancing down, Devin saw water spinning slowly in an eddy. To his left the small passage opened up into a larger tunnel, this access ladder sat on the side of a large sewer throughway. Holding tight to a rung, he lowered himself into the water, praying it was not too deep. The cold water, along with other things he did not want to even imagine, slipped up over his boots, coming to shin height before he felt solid ground. He let go of the rungs and stood in the water.

Thrusting the torch forward, Devin peeked into the larger tunnel. It ran both left and right in a straight line. Several rats swam away from the sloshing of his boots and the bright light of his torch as he stepped into the tunnel. A very light draft of wind tickled across his face, heading towards the left. The water followed the same pattern of lazily drifting to the left.

Devin turned back into the small alcove that the ladder descended into. The water swirled in a small eddy. He tried not to look too hard at the things caught in the swirl that bumped against his legs as he trudged through the water back toward the ladder.

“Any news, Devin?” Teryn called down to him, her face just visible in the small ring of light above him.

“It’s safe to come down here, there's nothing except me, some rats, and the waste of the rich assholes of the city.”

“Literally, huh?” Murton's bald face poked into view. Devin winced, both at the stupid pun and the sight of the dwarf without a beard. Murton was never a pretty man, but seeing him without his copper beard was just plain agony. He could not imagine how the dwarf felt.

Teryn started to lower herself into the hole when Devin called up, “You might want to trim your robes or anything hanging low if you can. The water is about mid shin height and full of all sorts of nasties. It would probably be best if we did not track anything with us.”

Teryn raised herself back out of the hole and disappeared from view. A wide bottom filled his view as Murton lowered himself down instead. Since he was able to use both hands and knew it was safe, he made much better time than Devin and was down in a matter of a few seconds. He leapt off the last few rungs and landed with a small splash in the water.

“That's how you descend a ladder!” he proclaimed, the water rising to his knees. Devin flicked some of the particles that had come up with the splash off his legs and stomach, trying to hold down the bile in the back of his throat. Murton’s leap had awakened smells in the water Devin would not have wished on his worst enemy, Bronn included. He turned away from the dwarf as another body appeared above and started down the hole.

Sloshing back into the main sewer line, Devin stretched his back. The tunnel was tall enough for him to stand comfortably, looking at it now though, he was a bit concerned for Griff. The tall man would likely have to stoop slightly. Luckily, he should not have any problems with the width of the tunnels. Another splash behind him announced a new member of the group had arrived.

Shia stumbled past Murton from the alcove towards Devin. By the flickering torchlight he saw her face was as pale as the marble from Bronn's compound. Her eyes widened and she turned to her right, narrowly missing Devin with projectile vomit. He winced and turned away, shuffling toward the opposite wall to avoid the vomit coming downstream into him. To be fair, that would probably be the best thing floating around in the water currently.

As she finished her dry heaves, Shia wiped her mouth and glanced toward him, “Sorry about that. Murton is splashing around in there and waking up something rank.”

“I swear, something is wrong in that man’s head,” Devin said, giving her a pat on her back. She shuddered slightly and gulped. Devin took his hand back slightly, preparing to move.

She waved at him, managing a weak smile, “I’m good, nothing else to throw up in there.”

“You’d be surprised what your body can scrounge up when faced with some nasty shit,” he returned her smile.

“What is that gods forsakens dwarf’s problem!” Teryn stormed out of the alcove. She had tucked her robe between her legs and managed to tie it up, leaving her with what looked like a baggy pair of shorts on.

“He’s in there,” she continued, waving her hand back at the alcove where several splashes and one set of laughing was coming from, “Splashing around and talking about adding to the mess. I swear, when this is done, I will make him wish he had stayed in the care of Bronn!”

“Don’t worry Teryn, once we are out of this Murton will get what's coming to him. He’s acting like a damned child through all this. I get that he got tortured, and likely faced the worst of it since he cannot help taunting everything around him, but damn.” Devin shook his head and he watched the alcove. Murton had finally stopped splashing around as Daisy walked out, with Griff descending shortly behind her down the ladder.

“Are we all ready to go?” Devin asked as the final three joined them in the main tunnel. Just as Devin had feared, Griff had to stoop slightly to avoid his head scraping against the years-old slime of filth that had caked along the roof.

“Ah, not quite,” came Murton’s voice as he shuffled near the entrance of the alcove.

“What now? Another of your ill timed jokes?” Teryn asked, glaring at him.

“Well, actually, there's an issue of, uh, relieving myself that I need to take care of.” The dwarf actually looked slightly embarrassed by the discussion, his already ruddy cheeks turning a deeper red.

“So pee, we won't watch,” Devin said, turning to address the rest of the group.

“It's something a bit more,” Murton piped up. Devin closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Of course he would have to take a shit. You never hear about people stopping for bathroom breaks in the tales of heroes from his childhood. It figures his own ridiculous adventure would be marked with someone pooping in a sewer tunnel.

“Fine, do what you need to, we will move out of the way so you can finish.” Devin said.

Murton turned back toward the alcove and started to sidle in.

“Wait, why are you relieving yourself in there? Head downstream so we don't get caught in whatever it is you are about to birth!” Teryn said, prompting a chorus of snickers from Shia and Daisy.

Murton's head popped out from the alcove, “No way. We haven’t been down that way yet and I am not getting killed by some strange sewer monster with my pants around my ankles. I'll pop a squat against the far wall here. The water seems to be stuck so we should be fine. I’d recommend moving a few paces downstream for my own comfort though.”

He waved his hand at them as the group shuffled down stream slightly.

“Absolutely ridiculous,” Devin muttered. “What a fucking shitshow this whole thing has been.”

After a few moments of awkward silence between the group members, Murton popped back around the alcove and walked toward them.

“Ready to go?” He asked them, beaming with his broken grin at the dour faces.

“Let’s just get out of here.” Devin said. “I doubt the Argenti would follow us down here if they managed to find the warehouse above-”

“They won't-” interrupted Daisy.

“But if they do,” Devin continued, giving Daisy a tired glance, “Or if they send some poor agents after us, I want to be long gone and on our way to your city. Sound good to everyone?”

They nodded at him, their faces tired and near breaking. Even Griff, ever the stoic one able to keep an impassive facade through everything they had been through these past few years, was showing the strain. His eyes cried out in their exhaustion. Devin wondered what they had done to him in the Room. He would not ask, if Griff wanted to share he would let them know.

Devin blew out a long sigh through the corner of his mouth. His right hand still hurt. He managed to ignore the pain most of the time, but when they stopped for a moment, times like this, it came rushing back, reminding him he was mangled. How could he hold a dagger again? He wouldn't be able to hold his again, he had no idea where they were taken when he was taken. It was surprising Murton and Griff weren't making a bigger deal out of losing their gear. At least Devin was able to keep his armor.

Devin turned down the tunnel and waved toward the group. They trudged off through the filthy water toward what would hopefully be their freedom and escape.