"Reginald! Are you there?" Urt thrust the torch into the hole, but only succeeded in making spots dance before his eyes.

    "Where would I go?" came the answer, after a short and slightly worrying pause.

    "You stopped talking, I can''t see you there. It''s all dark."

    "I had noticed. Throw the light down would you? I can hear something moving about."

    "Probably that rat again," Urt suggested, letting the torch drop.

    "It''s a bloody big one then," Reginald answered, neatly catching the illumination.

    With the scene now lit, Urt could see his colleague standing ankle deep in what could optimistically be called water. The narrow passage was constructed of crumbling stonework that had seen better days. The slime that coated the walls was probably the only thing holding it together.

    "Anything?" he called down.

    "Well, I need a new pair of shoes for sure. Other than that, I can''t see anything more horrible that you would expect. Come on down, the water''s lovely."

    Urt made a face, but seeing little choice rolled over and slid backwards on his stomach into the hole made by his companion until he was hanging from his fingers. Taking a deep breath, which he quickly regretted, he let go.

    A short drop later he was ankle deep in it.

    "So? What do you think?" Reginald asked, as if he had invited Urt into his living room.

    "It stinks down here," the necromancer replied, gagging slightly. He looked around at the lack of scenery.

    "You''re telling me. I have a far better sense of smell than you remember?"

    "Do you have the treasure?" Urt asked, remembering to focus on the important stuff.

    Reginald indicated the dagger, which tucked into his waistband. He passed Urt the pouch, which the mage fixed to his belt as securely as possible. After a moments thought, he opened it up again, rummaged around in it, and drew out the silver ring, which he slid onto a finger.

    "Are you looting the loot already?" Reginald asked. "How about my share if so?"

    "No, hush now, I owe a favour to someone. Hold on a second, hopefully he''ll still be able to hear me down here."

    Whilst Reginald looked on with bemusement, Urt held up his newly bejewelled hand and muttered something under his breath.

    Nothing happened, and Reginald had just opened his mouth to make some sort of comment, when there was a movement of air and a slight murmur. The ring glowed for a second.

    Urt nodded, satisfied, before turning and looking at his companion again, who just raised an eyebrow. "I told you, repaying a debt," he said.

    "Fine," said Reginald. "Now what then?"

    "Now we move," Urt replied.

    "Fine. Which way then, oh mighty wizard?" the wolf asked, swinging the torch up and downstream. Both directions appeared to be the same in detail.

    "One way''s as good as another," Urt said. He pointed. "Downstream may be easier to walk through at least." he looked at his companion. "Lead on."

    "Of course." Splashing as he went, Reginald moved off. Keeping a slight distance in case the torch ignited some methane, Urt followed.

    "There''s an inn ahead," Yu Sod said, appearing next to Redthorne from nowhere.

    "Will you please stop doing that!" the mage said, nearly falling off his horse in shock.

    "Sorry." His bodyguard shrugged. He didn''t look it.

    "Bah. Come on then, and try not to kill anybody this time."

    "Those were thieves. They didn''t deserve the clean death I gave them." The stocky man slipped ahead as Redthorne kicked his mount in the sides, urging it onwards. It was getting dark, and he was in dire need of a soft bed. He''d forgotten how hard travelling could be. "Well try and perform your executions out of sight next time," he grumbled. "I dislike having to cast magic on the militia. They were only doing their job after all."

    "Ours is the Greater good," Yu replied, jogging along like a panther. "We cannot allow these minor distractions to impede our Divine quest."

    Redthorne rolled his eyes and didn''t reply. The Archemage had ?ssigned his top man as bodyguard and general ?ssistant for this quest. Unfortunately that meant recruiting from the ranks of the Order''s guards, which were taken from a brotherhood of slightly insane warrior priests. As fighters they were second to none, but they had a very straightforward view of the world and took an extremely sharp view with anyone who didn''t agree with it.

    By the time he looked up at the darkening sky, and then down again, the monk had disappeared. Probably slinking through the undergrowth waiting to pounce on some poor innocent merchant.

    The lights from a building ahead distracted him from his companion, and he urged his horse into a mild canter, which made him grit his teeth. Three days on the road had hardened him somewhat, but he wasn''t getting any younger, and his tailbone was bruised and sore.

    "My lord?" he asked.

    "Look after my mount lad," Redthorne said, climbing with no small difficulty out of the saddle. "You may take my bags inside, but see you touch nothing or my friend will be very annoyed."

    "What friend my lord?"

    "Me." Yu Sod was suddenly next to the boy, glaring down at the poor youth, who let out a girlish yelp of horror.

    "S… sire. As you say." The lad led the horse off quickly, no doubt to get away from Yu Sod as much as anything.

    "You enjoyed that," Redthorne said accusingly, as they made their way to the entrance of the main building.

    "I take no p???sur? in scaring young children," the monk replied, absently tapping one of the blackened knives that were strapped to his leggings.

    "Liar."

    ~ * ~

    "Did you hear that?" Reginald ???ked an ear.

    Urt listened for a moment, but then shook his head. "Probably that rat''s family," he said.

    "Have you seen any rats down here?"

    "No, but it''s a sewer, there are bound to be rats," Urt retorted.

    "Unless something''s eaten them," Reginald pointed out.

    The two stopped walking and listened more intently. Water splashed behind them. Something was approaching. Whatever it was, it didn''t sound like it was a rat, unless it was the size of a pony and being dragged along.

    "I think we should speed up our exploration," Urt said.

    "Agreed."

    "Give me the torch," Urt said, taking the dwindling light from the wolf.

    The two broke into a trot, or at least a fast paddle. The dubious content of the liquid no longer seemed quite so important.

    "It''s gaining!" Reginald said, speeding up. Urt didn''t reply, saving his breath for running. The giant dragged pony-rat, or whatever it was, sloshed closer, easily keeping pace.

    The old tunnel forked. Making a random choice they chose the left one. Several minutes later they stopped short. The sewer had come to an abrupt dead end.

    "It''s a dead end!" exclaimed Reginald. "Who puts a dead end in a sewer? How does that work exactly? Where does all the sewer stuff go?"

    A gargling sound from behind interrupted the werewolf''s complaint, and they both turned. Urt held the torch out, whilst Reginald wielded the recently acquired dagger.

    "What in Dreg''s name is that?" asked Urt.

    "I don''t know, but it doesn''t look friendly," Reginald replied, a quaver in his voice. "At least we know who ate all the rats."

    The thing that was approaching completely filled up the sewer tunnel, and this also gave the pair the answer to the un-asked question of where the slime on the walls came from.

    It came from the enormous blob of semi-transparent green goo that was slithering towards them. They stepped back, until they were pressed against the wall.

    "Between a rock and a soft place," m??n?d Reginald.

    The slime slowed down as it approached, as if unsure what they were. A slight bulge in the forward portion split apart, to reveal what could have, in another creature, been a mouth. It gargled something.

    "It''s going to eat us!" Reginald said. "Quick! Blast it with a fireball!"

    No magic remember?" Urt replied. "Use the enchanted dagger on it!" He shoved his colleague forward, so Reginald practically fell into the beast. In panic, he took a swipe with the knife, slicing a small piece off the blob.

    A dark light sparkled around the weapon and surged up the wolf''s hand before sinking into his arm. At the same time the blob made a noise like a blocked toilet.

    "I think you injured it!" Urt said. "Try again!"

    Reginald swung forward once more, but this time a tentacle emerged from the slime''s main mass and batted away the weapon, which bounced off the wall and fell with a splash into the dirty water.

    "I''m disarmed!" Reginald said, backing away. His form began to shift.