How the hell did I wind up here? Odette wonders, hiding in the darkness as the duergar of the deep marches past her thankfully not noticing her. Oh yeah, Lady fucking Kima and the fucking dragon whores!

Odette grips her holy symbol in one hand, now attached to a leather string around her neck in comfort as she thinks about how she got here; the group Lady Kima and her formed had run into the mines, almost getting arrested by the dwarves of Kraghammer only to run into abominations and creatures who have never seen the light of day attacking them left and right and then the bloody duergar ambushed them.

In an attempt to save Lady Kima, she took a blow that was meant for the halfling and had her pushed into a harsh moving river, down a waterfall, and going unconscious. When she awoke she had no idea where she was.

For what has felt like months in the caves, Odette searched in hopes to find Lady Kima and mayhaps her comrades. Only to find bodies and the armor of her old mentor in a pile about to be discarded in a stream of lava.

Despite wanting nothing more than to take her blade and kill as many duergar bastards as she could before her own death, she knew that she needed to take the armor and bring it back to the surface so that the Order knew what has happened to Lady Kima, especially the Lady Allura; she above all deserves to know what happened to her. And so with a heavy sigh and heart, she took the armor, putting it into the bag of holding, and began her journey to getting the hell out of this nightmare and hopefully make it to the outside.

Though the more she became lost in the dark, the more writings she drew on the walls in case others ever find themselves lost... or find her body.

Odette sits against a wall, chewing on the very last of her jerky, keeping her eyes on the shadows around her. She cannot fathom how long she has been down here and gods she began to understand why her... why Drows left the underground and took on the sunlight just to be away from this cage. Being a half-Drow, one doesn't stop hearing the horrid stories of how the Drows came to the world nor how they should have stayed on the earth and never come out.

Odette herself has never come across an actual Drow willing to talk to her so she really didn't know whether they were as barbaric as people make them out to be or they were simply clans living on the earth minding their own business. Though from the way her own human mother abandoned her in a garbage heap as a babe, one can only assume how horrible they are.

Besides the point, she needed to get off her ass and get back to the surface before she starts contemplating if dwarf meat is edible to her palate... and that was a question that was sneaking into her mind quite lately or she would be if it weren't for the brown bear in armor sniffing at her hair grumbling... wait-

"... What?" she mumbles in shock looking up at the bear with wide eyes.

The bear replies with a huff as if it to was surprised to see her in the shadows and yet he continues to sniff at her hair and forehead, nudging a bit with its wet nose as she tries to comprehend what was before her. Bears were not found in the deep caves, in fact, this particular bear was more of a woodsy bear than a cave bear plus the armor gave away that it was not an ordinary one.

Slowly, despite her brain yelling at her 'no touchy!' Odette places a hand into the fur gently, feeling the warmth coming from this being, gently caressing the softness that nearly brought a tear to Odette's eyes as she welcomes it. The bear didn't seem to mind and even seem to nudge her gently as if encouraging her to pet him more.

In the last shred of her sanity, she gave the bear a hug. However when her hand felt stone Odettes looks at her hand and sees a familiar face made of stone.

"Lady Kima?!" she exclaims.

"Is my burning foot giving me hallucinations or is there someone hugging Trinket?" an unfamiliar voice asks, snapping Odette into focus as she backs further away from the bear and summons her double-bladed scimitar, though out of spells and barely alive she will defend herself.

"Whoa! Never seen that kind of weapon before!"

"Holy shit!"

"I cast mage armor!"

"I get my gun at the ready!"

"I have my arrow aiming straight at the figure beside my darling Trinket!"

"Hey hold on hold on they don't look like a dwarf right?"

"Wait!"

What does Vox Machina See

They see a scarred, jumpy, and half-starved Drow or half-Drow woman standing at the ready to attack anyone who came near the bear or her with her two-bladed weapon. Standing at 5'11, rather small for a half-Drow, dusky skin and armored though it was covered in blood and gunk from the things she has been killing for the last few weeks. What they notice the most about her was her yellow eyes that remind Keyleth of the wolves that lived in her forest when she was a child and a mark on the right side of her face that looked like scales. Long wild wavy white hair that reaches down to the middle of her back. There is also a holy symbol hanging from her neck that was of Bahamut that they found back in the camps that Lady Kima and perhaps she left behind.

"Wait! That symbol around her neck!" a sweet voice stops her friends from attacking.

Blinking against the light that is now around her, Odette squints her eyes and stares at the people in front of her; three half-elves, two gnomes, a human man (and a partridge in a pear tree!) and they seem to be carrying a stoned dwarf and followed by a mind flayer that had a mettle helmet on his head.

Looking back to the bear she asks. "I assume you are with them then?"

Surprisingly the bear nods making Odette smile a little before looking back to the group, not really relaxing but flipping her scimitar in the air and making it disappear before their eyes.

"That was actually cool." The Gnome lady comments with a smirk on her face as she walks forwards. "I'm Pike Trickfoot."

Odette gives a long stare at the smaller stoned figure attached to the bear for a moment before looking down at the Gnome and slowly kneeling down to the woman. "My name is Odette, Odette Navarre, that stone figure... is it the Lady Kima?"

"Uhhhhh." Pike looks back to the statue that was tied in rope. "Yes, we had a run-in with basilisk back in the Emberhold-"

"Where was she?" Odette interrupts.

"She... she was in the prison, being-"

"She was being tortured by the duergar but we finished him off real good-" the male Gnome comes in sounding rather boastful to Odette's ears.

"... You mean to tell me that while I searched all over these caverns and even that bloody castle she was in there the whole time." Odette could feel her blood boiling, she had searched that fucking castle from top to bottom not once finding Lady Kima, and these... people who look like they have only been in the caves for a couple of days... just happen upon her by chance!?

"You went in there alone... and survived?" This time it was the male half-elf who asks this question as he hisses in pain, cringing as he leans on the Dragonborn statue.

"You would be fucking surprised how amazing one can be without other people around especially when you smell like brimstone and blood," she remarks before looking over the elf himself. "Though I think you are halfway there."

"Look, right now we just got out of a mess at the stronghold and we need a place to hide and heal." The red-headed elf speaks up. "I just made a fake terrain that only lasts an hour so."

Odette nods, getting up from her kneeling position to stand beside the bear, and once again reaches out to pet it. "Yes well, I would like Lady Kima to come back for sure, the old lizard knows how much shit she owes me."

"Old lizard?" Pike mutters looking at the others who shrug.

"So, you all are?" she asks as she begins to untie the stoned Lady Kima from the bear, Trinket's body.

This time it was a human man with white hair who stepped up to the plate while everyone else began to settle down.

"I am Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III." he introduces himself.

(yes I remembered and pronounced it all!)

Odette blinks at the names before turning back to the stoned Lady Kima and gently placing her on the ground before collecting the rope and giving it to Pike who was still beside her.

"You know Pike, this is Scanlan Shorhalt, Vax'ildan, his twin sister Vex'ahlia, the stoned Dragonborn is Tiberius Stormwind he is a Dragonborn but is disguised as the Duergar dwarf god when he was petrified, we do have another companion but he was taken by the queen of the duergar he is Grog Strongjaw, I don't suppose have you seen a goliath barbarian wandering around?" He finishes looking over to Odette as he sits down while she took all the information in.

She shakes her head and states "All I have been seeing are those duergar bastards, abominations, and even a couple of ogres."

"Those abominations wouldn't happen to be the creatures sown together with other parts and look hideous as shit?" Scanlan asks nervously.

"That would be them." she nods.

"Shit." was his reply.

"And I suppose the mind flayer behind you is an ally of sorts cause if not you should get your weapons." Odette nods to the noodle face behind them.

"Oh no, that is Clarota!" Keyleth explains smiling at him. "He is an outcast and is trying to free his people from whatever is controlling them."

Odette raises an eyebrow not believing it a second. "Uh-huh sure, so since he hasn't been gorging himself in your brains and that makes him an ally?"

Scanlan goes to open his mouth but pauses before closing his mouth and turning to look at the others.

"Gods you paladins!" Vax sighs exasperated "Look as we told Lady Kima we have accordance with Clarota, whether or not he turns against us is not an option right now for we are in deep shit and need all the help we can get. So please if you are joining us, just let it be."

"Plus you are a Drow! how do we know you won't betray us! For all, we know you could be working with the Druergar!" Keyleth asks crossing her arms and frowning at Odette as if she was offended that she would say such a thing about the mind flayer.

Silence fell as everyone who wasn't stoned or Odette turned to look at the red-haired with astonishment.

The piercing yellow eyes made Keyleth wilt a bit as Odette stares down at her. "Well, first off redhead I am not a paladin, didn't reach that rank. Second, in case you were deaf for a few minutes there, I know Lady Kima, that alone should put your mind at ease or the fact that your bear companion hadn't ripped my head off at first sniff."

"But how does a half-Drow join the ranks of the Order?" Percy wonders out loud. "No offense but I have never heard of such a thing."

"Neither have we." the twins say synchronized.

Odette stiffens a moment before shaking it off. "Ask the Order of Bahamut, though after they banished me I can only guess they got rid of any evidence of my existence in the order."

"You were banished?! Why?" Pike asks with genuine concern rather than hostility.

"By pretty much what you all said; I'm a Drow in the eyes of some of the Order and the thought of such a thing being a captain or being a knight of Bahamut just stains their beds at night with fright. So I was banished, I am only here cause Lady Kima who was my mentor and friend has asked me to join in her quest to get rid of an evil entity somewhere here." She explains.

"And how are you here and was not with Lady Kima in Emberhold?" Keyleth asks suspiciously, gripping her staff.

"We were ambushed; got a blow to the head trying to save Lady Kima. Unfortunately, I slipped and found myself in a rushing river hurdling down a waterfall. Came to... some time ago, I have been trying to find Lady Kima ever since, however, every rock and cranny here looks the same and after my attempt at Emberhold well let us just say I never want to enter a cave ever again if I survive this." She finishes as she gets up, and she turns to the others. "Do what you must, I will take care of Lady Kima."

Odette picks up her stoned companion takes her to a corner where places her friend, kneels down, and begins thinking of how to fix Lady Kima as everyone sat down and went from debating with each other, and the more she heard, the warier she was becoming of them. It did help though that Trinket the bear sat next to her keeping her warm as she looked through her emergency scrolls... Whatever she had left anyways.

"So we have some time, let's regroup." the human, Percy tells the others with a sigh.

"I think we should probably-" Vex gets interrupted by Keyleth.

"Wait, here's what I am afraid of!" she says. "If we sleep we could lose Grog's trail. He could be nearby right now!"

"We're not much use to anyone right now." He points out to the rest of the group.

"Let's just make a decision right now to leave Grog and continue on." Scanlan suggests.

Odette loses focus.

"What?!" Keyleth exclaims.

"No!" Pike shouts frowning at her fellow gnome.

He shrugs giving them a grin as he says. "Let's just forget about him, he was a good friend-"

"What?!" Vex looks at him wide-eyed.

"We'll have a toast to him." he continues.

The Girls frown at the gnome. "Scanlan!"

"We'll sing about songs of his memory!" he adds. "Within a few days, we'll forget he ever existed."

"You are shitting with us right!?" Keyleth asks as if praying she was mishearing the gnome.

Percy sighs. "Scanlan, no one else wants to go to a whore house with you. You'll be going to whorehouses alone."

Scanlan thinks for a moment, crossing his arms before shrugging. "Alright, fine."

Vax looks to their new guest to see her staring wide-eyed at the lot of them looking a bit gobsmacked while Trinket, as if embarrassed by them looks away from Vox Machina, staring at one of the walls.

He almost sighs out loud. "Great first impression Scanlan, she thinks we are horrible beings."

The group froze and look over at her wide-eyed expression as Pike goes over to her to reassure her.

"No Odette pay no mind to Scanlan! he jokes-"

"Actually-" he was interrupted by a smack to the back of the head by Vex.

"Really just if he ever says anything, just ignore him please." Pike pleads to look up at her.

Apparently, this gnome has the best puppy eyes in the world cause Odette could feel herself soften a bit before giving a wary glare at Scanlan before returning to her spell though she had a feeling she will not get around to it with this lot.

"I may have a suggestion." Vax raises a hand looking at his sister. "My foot hurts, but I'm not too bad how is everyone else?"

She sighs. "I'm okay."

"We could go look." He tells them, looking to the others.

"Or maybe I can use my tracking and see if I can catch a scent? Grog does smell." She proposes.

"I can use my beast sense; that is one more thing I can still do, I could theoretically, we could use Trinket." Keyleth throws in another suggestion.

"We need to undo the stone that has taken over Tiberius and Kima." Vax reminds them.

"We have basilisk blood so maybe I can synthesize a potion?" Percy thinks out loud looking through his bag.

Odette shakes her head and tells him. "You use basilisk stomach acid, not its blood."

He pauses in his search to look over at her. "Really?"

She nods. "A halfling village in the mountains had a problem with a basilisk nest, they always keep it on hand for in cause someone was petrified. I am just sorry I didn't take a few potions when I got rid of the problem."

"Well, dammit." He cursed, placing his pack down.

Pike walks over to Tiberius and casts Greater Restoration on him before anyone could say anything else.

Tiberius going from the moment in the heat of combat where he felt his muscles intensify and tense up not answering his command as he looked angrily at a series of duergar that have just been blown up by a fireball, to cold taking him over and as the cold fades he was suddenly now in the center of a gargantuan cavern surrounded by all of his friends.

Odette watches as the stoned form of their friend fades through the stone.

"Tiberius!" Keyleth cries in happiness bringing him into a hug.

"Good job Pike!" Vex hugs Pike.

"I was so worried about you!" Scanlan says in sarcasm.

"Or we could cast a spell, that also works well." Percy mutters.

"I didn't know if that was going to work!" Pike says.

Odette just gives up altogether on concentrating with all this noise and simply leans against Trinket, giving his ear a scratch as she watches the group.

"What the hell is going on?" the Dragonborn in dwarf disguise asks looking around himself. "Whoa, what happened to all the other little dwarves, and who is this half-Drow lady?"

"Oh, you don't have to do the accent anymore." Scanlan says waving his hand at his friend.

Vex winces as his voice echoes. "You probably should keep your voice down Tiberius."

"This is Odette, she apparently is a companion to Lady Kima." Vax answers the question nodding to her.

"Are you stuck like this?" Scanlan asks looking a the dwarf.

"No, I could change back anytime I want, but I really like how I look." Tiberius says this as checks himself out.

Everyone laughs while Odette smirks.

"Are we going to rest?" Pike asks the others.

"I think we should." Percy says looking to the others.

"Wait what about Kima?" Scanlan points out. "It looks like our friend there is about to pass out soon so I do not think she will be able to be of any help to Kima... no offense."

"None was taken." She mutters. "Really I think I am out of mojo right now and if you could help me Lady Pike I will return the favor somehow.

"Oh just Pike will do Odette and of co-"

"We have to find Grog!" Keyleth shouts.

"Shush!" everyone hisses back.

"I know we have to find Grog!" Vex whispers to her fellow half-elf, gripping her shoulders. "But we have no spells! If we do find him, we can't do anything!"

'They just keep going in circles don't they?' she thinks feeling the old Lizard nod in befuddlement. It made Odette snort, Bahamut; the Platinum Dragon is being befuddled by a group of insane individuals! Oh, what the Order would do.

"Clarota, What do you think we should do?" Tiberius asks.

This made Odette open her eyes and raise an eyebrow at the dwarf before turning her head to the mind flayer just waiting to see what it would say.

Said mind flayer is currently staring at the statue of Kima making Odette tense a bit as he turns his gaze to her there's a brief bead of thought behind his eyes and the voice sinks into everyone's minds making Odette shiver a bit not liking another person in her head.

"We may be able to leave her here for safekeeping." He thinks to them.

Tiberius scoffs while everyone else shook their head seeing the though tired-looking half-Drow glare at the mind flayer.

"Then you leave me behind as well, I would love to witness the look on Lady Allura's face when you tell her abandoned Lady Kima for a mind flayer." she snarls at the lot of them.

"We are not abandoning anyone," Percy assures her. "She gave us this quest and we will see it through, be Lady Kima petrified or otherwise."

"You know I have heard of Half-Drow intimidation from others but I do not think I have ever seen eyes as piercing as yours Lady Odette." Vax comments, tilting his head at her.

His sister looks at him oddly as Odette closes her eyes again, not relaxed but still resting her eyes.

"Perks." she simply says.

"I knew you were going to say that! A different option. Oh, and thank you Pike!" Tiberius hugs the little gnome.

"Your welcome Tiberius!" she smiles in glee as she returns the hug.

"If you insist on bringing her and the Half-Drow, then we should do it soon. We should not be leaving anything behind." the mind flayer hisses in their thoughts. "Traces of our passage."

"Hey, Pike mind just giving me the story of how you came to be here quick?" Odette asks the gnome. "Before you unstone Lady Kima."

"Oh! Yes sorry, Odette!" Pike apologizes before running over and giving her the lowdown as Vax looks over to Clarota.

"Where did your kin take our big friend?" He demands.

Clarota thinks for a second and says. "It was not my kin that took him but the duergar. If anything, I imagine he might be residing within the infernal city, though if they've taken him elsewhere I do not know the way of the ask-skins."

"But Kima does." Tiberius says looking back to the stoned halfling.

"We should wake her up." Vex nods.

"Pike can yo-"

Pike of course was already on it after she told Odette everything that had gone down from Kraghammer, Odette scoffed at the dwarves' less than helpful information on their behalf, from attempting an attack on the camp to reaching Emberhold and getting Lady Kima to the battle in the hold to now.

"Huh and here I was worrying over what I was going to do when I was out of food." she mumbles.

Pike laughs before reaching out and touching Kima's shoulder.

"No, wait Pike!" Odette surges forward grabbing the gnome and casting the last spell of shield, wincing in pain as she held the gnome close to her and out of harm's way.

Kima, who is in mid-battle with her greatsword in the air, as soon as her flesh returns to her, finishes her swing and it does bang into Odette's magical shield and deflects the blow. Odette can see Kima for a second panting, slowing to normal breathing as she looks around herself.

"Easy easy." Vax puts his hands out to her.

"Calm down!" Pike says.

She throws the blade to the ground and repeats. "I am so sorry!"

"It's okay! You were mid-swing I get it we are fine, Odette got in between us before any damage could happen!" Pike explains smiling up at Odette.

What Odette didn't realize is that Scanlan has dubbed her his new best friend for saving his beloved Pike.

Kima reaches around and pulls her symbol of Bahamut from her around her neck and just clutches it for a second before going frozen and slowly with wide eyes looking back at Odette. "Odette?"

Odette, knowing her mentor for many years can hear the crack in her voice. "Hey? Didn't I tell you it was dangerous to go a-"

She was interrupted by the halfling Paladin tackling her to the ground.

"Ooof!" she grunts as her backside slams into the ground.

"Oh thank Bahamut, thank him and every god in the plains of existence!" She whimpers gripping the half-Drow tightly. "I saw you fall into the river I saw-"

"Hey shh." Odette slowly hugs her old mentor back. "I am alright... sort of not much worse for wear but still alive and kicking."

"Well, I guess this proves that Odette was telling the truth." Scanlan voices, looking over to a frowning Keyleth.

Lady Kima steps away from Odette smiling up at her before looking over to the others, doing her best to wipe the tears. "What happened?"

"Um." Vex begins, still recovering from the near attack on Pike's life and the sweet reunion between Odette and her. "You were turned to stone, the king got killed, the queen took Grog, we don't know where."

"And Clarota was really helpful to us." Scanlan adds looking at both Odette and Kima.

"Actually, Clarota got you out of that castle alive." Vex says with a grin at Kima.

Kima and Odette turn around and glare at Clarota briefly with a look of confusion and mistrust while Clarota just slowly shrugs as if he too didn't know what the fuck he was thinking.

"You honestly would not be here if it weren't for the illithid." Vax looks to Odette, she can only guess to say the proper name of the mind flayer. "It's true."

Kima glances at Vax and gives under her breath. "And there's a good chance none of us may be here if it gets its way down the road."

She straightens up and says a little louder. "Nevertheless, I thank you, it is good to know at least took one of their top champions down. The fact that the queen still exists is worrisome, as least what I seemed to gather is she had the true reign over most of the duergar down here."

"What?" Keyleth looks away from Odette to look at the halfling.

"Do you know where she would be at?" Tiberius asks.

"Where did she escape? How did she take him?" Kima returns looking at them.

"She disappeared with our goliath friend." Vax says.

"She bounced away!" Tiberius scoffs.

Vex suddenly gasps. "Oh my gosh. Wait did I Hunter's mark the queen?"

Vax nods. "Yes, you did."

"Did I?" she repeats looking at the others.

Everyone else nods or vocally affirms.

"I can use my Hunter's Mark to track her!" she exclaims smiling at everyone.

"You can?!" Scanlan asks excitedly as everyone cheers. "How long does it last and how does it work?"

"That was just 30 minutes ago." Vax says.

"I know, but we all have to rest." Scanlan nods over to Odette who now has crawled over to the slumbering bear and proceeded to cuddle it.

Vax and the others smirk in amusement at the scene before them, even Kima had to snort.

"Of course, it is a beast she becomes best friends with." She mutters looking away.

"It maintains up to eight hours!" Vex notifies them.

Scanlan groans. "Eight hours? We have to rest!"

Pike nods in agreement. "Because we need to heal, I am pretty low."

"Um let us just say." Scanlan nervously looks over to their cleric. "If my health was in the numbers I am at two."

Pike blanched at her fellow gnome.

Keyleth waves her arms in the air. "Okay. Theory? Proposition? Proposal. What if we use your Hunter's mark, figure out where she is, get there, camp out nearby, tackle it in the morning?"

Vax shakes his head. "I think we should all rest up for a moment. I think Vex'ahlia and I should go out for an hour or two just to see which direction- I mean, they are not going to Emon."

"I've got Hunter's Mark! Just stay put, footless!" Vex scolds her brother, smacking his shoulder.

"Wait a minute what happened to your toe?" Tiberius asks in concern looking at Vax's foot.

"You're not stealth anymore. You got a busted foot, you're at disadvantage on everything." Scanlan tells his friend, was about to sit next to Pike when she rises from where she was sitting and makes her way to Odette to sit beside her.

"I was pretty awesome 30 minutes ago." He was saying to Tiberius. "Now I'm just slightly less awesome.

Odette snorts making Pike giggle.

"Can we at least heal you up, before you go?" Scanlan suggests.

"Yes just give us one second." Vex asks exasperated at her stubborn brother before she takes a moment and steps beyond the boundary of the illusion momentarily, closing her eyes and concentrating on that small blip of nature-based divine energy that she lent and grappled onto Queen Ulara with.

Vex recalls her face, and strangely her scent; In a weird way, the bestial nature of her connection with Trinket and nature, the scent is a very strong means of tracking and the scent of a duergar is a very terrible mix between salty brine and earth. She recalls the stronghold, she begins to see a trace where all of the sudden her path in the stronghold is fading and is cold. A new path has opened up in the center of the duergar city at the base of the stronghold.

It seems to have moved slightly in that direction, but she couldn't pinpoint where and is currently at rest somewhere in that vicinity.

"The city, they're close," Vex whispers to the others and begins explaining exactly where she is.

"Oh good, so we can sleep now?" Odette asks.

"I have a theory." Keyleth speaks up.

Odette growls shoving her face into Trinket's tummy.

"I have a new skill that I've recently learned and was practicing a lot when I was with the Earth Ashari while we were gone for the past six months. They taught me the ways of the earth elementals."She explains.

"Oh, that's fun!" Tiberius comments with a smile.

Keyleth becomes a little nervous as she says. "So, and as an earth- but I am still new at it."

"That's okay, we all start somewhere." Pike assures her friend.

Everyone did their best not to laugh out loud at Pike's oblivious comment.

"Thank you, Pike." Keyleth says slowly.

"You're welcome." Pike smiles brightly at her.

"Thank you. I mean I am a little self-conscious about it still, but I can travel through the earth." she continues.

"And pop up perhaps where she is?" Vex catches on.

"Ooh, like a little gopher." Tiberius says with a smile.

"All of us or just you?" Vex asks the important question.

Keyleth shakes her head. "Just me, but I could get inside."

Vex sighs. "Well, but then you will be alone, surrounded by duergar and Grog."

"Well, I am not talking about right now." Keyleth says. "If we do some sort of flanking thing."

"Well, it does sound useful." Vax says to her.

Percy agrees and looks thoughtful. "It is, it is going to be useful."

"I'm wondering if we can make a tunnel, though. I can theoretically—okay, theoretically we could rest and I would keep all of my spells and use all of my magic focus to tunnel us out, depending on how far we are going. We can do an underground approach." She finishes.

"If I may." Odette holds up an arm. "We are alright underground, we would be making a cave within a cave and after being lost here for... months and I can only guess you do not know your ups and down here that we would all either get lost or end up in a lava pit so ya that is all I am saying."

"Yeah, I agree with the no landing in lava thing." Scanlan nods not looking all for it.

"Perhaps, but concretely, right now we need nappies." Vax declared.

"Yeah." Keyleth sighs.

"Let's nap." Vex agrees.

"Let's sleep." Percy commands about to lay down.

"But what if they leave while we sleep?" She asks worryingly.

"And what are we going to do if we find them?" Percy asks as he starts to begin to feel the same as Odette as he looks over to Keyleth.

"I think we will be fine because she needs to rest as well. We hurt her pretty badly." Vex reminds her.

"I think it is safe to assume she's brought Grog back to her seat of power. Why would she go anywhere else? She's at her strongest where she is." Vax says before both the twins realize that she was not even listening to them.

"I am listening." Percy assures the twins. "I think they're staying."

"We are going to rest." Scanlan tells Keyleth to give her a look before he looks for a place with Pike and Odette.

"Okay. Alright." Keyleth sighs again.

Odette waits in silence for her to change her mind again and if she did, Bahamut be damned she will use her antler crown thingy as freakin eye-poking weapons.

"We got to sleep, Keyleth," Vex says. "We got to sleep."

"I know, you're right I see what you are saying but we need to..." Pike began to say.

"Grog will be fine." Scanlan says.

Pike points at Scanlan. "He at a two!"

"I'm so mad at him! Why did he get stolen?" Keyleth pouts, crossing her arms.

Kima comes over, puts her hand out a little bit, and says. "It's alright, he's a strong one he can handle himself. If I could survive what I've been through and if Odette can survive down here, he can do far better than that. Rest is good, I think we need to take some time, to discuss our plan of attack, and our current direction, and decide on how we'll move forward.

She glances briefly over to Clarota, who's now further back towards the wall just sitting in this meditative state.

She looks back to the others. "So, let's rest."

"Brilliant idea." Percy agrees with a smile.

Vax puts up a hand. "One last thing before we lay our heads down for the night. Pike, do you have any salve or anything you could help me put on my foot, or could your god help with my little toe?"

"I could help you with some natural medicine stuff, maybe." Keyleth volunteers.

"It stings a bit." He says looking down at his burnt foot.

"You can do it Pike!" Vex cheers as the gnome cleric get up leaving Odette and the bear napping away.

"I'm ticklish." Vax warns with a grin.

"Is there any way I could assist?" Keyleth asks.

Kima nods to a sleeping Odette. "If you can get sleeping beauty over there to wake up she could probably help."

Pike shakes her head. "No from the way she looks and clutching Trinket right now she needs all the rest she can get, we have only been here for a week or so, you two have been down here months."

Kima lets out a huff of air before saying. "Aye that we have but I think with his foot you need all the help you can get."

Pike pauses for a moment before letting out a small sigh and nods.

Kima turns and slaps Odette on the ass she made her bolt away from her fluffy pillow.

"Mother of fuckers!" Odette exclaims making everyone snort in amusement.

"I like her." Scanlan says smiling.

"Odette, they need help in healing Vax's foot." Kima said calmly in the face of a snarling Odette.

"Unless you are too tired in which we will totally understand." Pike throws in biting her lip a bit.

Odette's furious face turns into a sleepy one when her eyes rest on Pike, blinking slowly before looking over to the male elf who looks up at her with a hesitant smile. She sighs before nodding to the gnome and makes her way over to the man before kneeling down and taking his hand.

"My goodness Lady Odette." Vax exclaims. "We've only just met!"

"Shut up." She mutters closing her eyes in concentration as she begins to hum.

Vax blinks staring at her as she completely ignores him and wonders what song she was humming, the pain must be getting to him cause he swore saw a shadowy figure wrap around Odette like a snake.

"If we're going to rest, it doesn't hurt to try." Pike says to the others walking over to Vax

Vax lifts up his foot near his sister's face with a grin.

Automatically response of disgust on Vex's face proved that Vax did it on purpose. "Why do you keep putting your foot up near me?!"

Keyleth giggles as she begins building positive chi... Percy is getting his bed ready for rest while Vex kept an ear out for anyone to come near and Tiberius looks through his sack for his food portions to snack on.

Scanlan sighs getting up to walk over next to Pike. "I'm going to try and inspire you to help with the healing if that is alright."

"Please do." Pike replies with a grin before looking back at Vax's foot.

All the healers convene, and Scanlan begins to sing as Keyleth lights some sage.

Wherever you go

whatever damage they've done

we will be right here waiting to heal you

No matter what hit points you take

or how your foot breaks

we will be right here

waiting for you.

Pike takes the healing energy she has gathered from her own nature-based casting, she infuses the healing spell. As she finishes the spell, she can see where the mostly-gone second small toe has grown to a full toe and there is a small stub where the little one is.

"You've got a toe nubbin!" Vex coos jokingly.

"Hey man, we got a little stub." Pike comforts Vax. "A little bit, it'd gonna take time, that was just a little manicure that we did real quick."

With that Odette let go of Vax's hand and looks over at the group. "Can I sleep now or are there others to heal or is the redhead going to make us go in circles about not sleeping again?"

Keyleth huffs in offense while everyone else shakes their heads, instead of going to her fluffy pillow she chooses a corner away from everyone and lays on the cold hard floor.

Scanlan walks over to Kima and says. "Lady Kima, I think we're all going to take a rest and you as well, correct?"

Kima looks over her shoulder to Odette then looks back and nods. "I think I should."

He nods before giving her a look. "We can trust you while we're all asleep not to do anything to any of our companions, correct?"

"If you're worried about the mind flayer, I'll be keeping an eye, but nothing beyond that." She reassures him. "Remember: he has to make the side-step, the wrong step before I take action. Trust me and know that if I were to strike a blow, it's at his own poor choice and actions."

"That first part of what you said rhymed." Tiberius says tiredly, smiling at her.

Looking at Kima Scanlan can see she is legitimately concerned about Clarota, but also understands that at this moment, it has not done anything to necessarily draw her blade.

"Lady Kima, Clarota, may I suggest you take the first watch, I would have had Odette join you Lady Kima but she appears to have gone to dreamland." Vax says with a smirk.

There was a silence between the two of them as they look from Vax to each other and back.

"Oh my god, what if they start fucking?" Scanlan whispers super quietly to the others.

That got everyone biting their lips though thank goodness Kima and Clarota didn't hear them or there would be a very dead gnome bard within seconds.

"So it's going to be that sort of evening, excellent." Percy says to himself with an amused grin on his face.

(Liam looks to the readers with a grin and says "Rated M for mature.")

As Clarota's image shimmers and vanishes the last thing they hear is. "Should you insist."

As everyone starts following Odette's example and were all going to sleep, Kima's still sharpening her sword and she stops for a second to look up at everyone and says. "Everyone, I'm sorry you've lost your friend. If he lives, we shall find him."

"He will live." Vex says determinedly.

"And we will find him." Percy guarantees.

Scanlan looks doubtful but quickly changes his face when he sees Pike frowning at him.

"No, he will, Scanlan! You just calm down." She admonishes him.

Lady Kima continues. "But if they have indeed taken him prisoner and Emberhold is lost, there is only one place they would bring him: Yug'Voril."

Vex's eyes widen as she looks over to Pike. "With the dude with the black horn!"

"Considering the mess that you've made since entering their realm of living and work." Lady Kima smiles in amusement at the lot. "You'd make a great gift to their current standing demigod. If we aren't able to find him within the city, I think that may be the next place to look."

"Once again, are you afraid they're going to take him while we're asleep? Is this a genuine concern? Is this something we should move on now?" Keyleth asks.

Kima is very thankful Odette was in deep sleep now or this redhead would have had a rock thrown at her by now and looking to Vex. "Not as long as you're keeping concentration, we should be fine."

"I am concentrating so hard." she says with a nod.

"We're busted up." he reminds Keyleth again.

"There's legitimately nothing to be done." Percy says rubbing his face in genuine tiredness.

There's a softness that hits Kima's face and there is a bit of a quiver to her chin and she says. "The guilt I feel for unknowingly putting you all in danger for my sake is immense. It's not enough that I dragged Odette here with me, it's because of me and my actions that you even delved this far and nearly lost life and limb, merely at the behest of Allura and... I want you all to know that I appreciate it. I really, truly do."

Tiberius smiles. "That's great! If you can mention that to Allura, that'd be wonderful."

Kima stares at him for a moment before saying. "I would really appreciate it to speak to Tiberius."

He begins to mumble a spell and returns to his Dragonborn self. "I would really appreciate it if you mention that to Allura. I'm trying to get into her good graces and whatnot."

She chuckles a moment. "Alright. Allura is a good friend, well we've known each other for... gods, 15 years now. Since we defeated Jorgan, the Scourged Rider, together. But she has always had more of a political mind than I do, so, when we were both offered a seat on the council of Tal'Dorei and Emon she stayed, and I... I'm a woman of action, and I knew my destiny was out in the world."

"We share something in common, Lady Kima. I, too, have left my home and land because I did not want to sit on the council of Draconia. With blessings from my father and such, I gained ambassadorship on a mission for them, but really, just so I could-"

Her eyes have glazed over and are staring off into the distance.

"What about Odette?" Keyleth asks narrowing her eyes at the sleeping figure in the dark corner of their corner. "How do you come across someone like her?"

Kima looks over her shoulder at the figure before looking back and a smile that actually reaches her eyes. "With all the luck in the world."

"She said that she was banished by your Order." Vex states. "If she was, I am surprised that you would bring her along in this."

Kima's smile fades as she looks down at the greatsword. "Were it up to me, that woman over there would have been a knight and sister by my side, but... Bahamut has other plans for her I am certain-"

"What were her charges for banishment?" Scanlan asks with a raised eyebrow.

Silence fills the air before Kima sighs. "Some of the leaders of the order have.. charged her with the treason of murder but there weren't enough evidence and they had no choice but to choose banishment, I myself do not have the full story on what happened since I was away but I swear by all I am and will be, Odette Navarre is a good woman and friend if you just give her a chance."

She looks back to Tiberius. "I will speak to Allura of your honor and deeds, Tiberius. We try and have drinks and swap stories every few months. She's a good one."

"Yes, I think so." Tiberius agrees with a smile.

She takes a moment to herself and looks at the rest of the group and says. "The cruel king, who dealt the final blow?"

"You took out a king?"

Everyone looks over to the voice and sees Odette had apparently awoken from her short nap and has placed herself beside Kima.

Vex immediately points to the male Gnome.

Scanlan clears his throat. "That would be the kingslayer, me."

"... Boy howdy." Odette gapes at the gnome.

Lady Kima steps up and walks over to Scanlan and puts a hand on his shoulder and gives a stern look in the eye and shakes his shoulder, being a halfling she was not much taller than him.

"Good, the cruel king is down, and I thank you for that." she walks back to the little perch on the rock at the side of the wall and says. "He tried to break me, relish in his false superiority. Dragging hooks across my flesh, underestimating the will of a servant of Bahamut-"

"Are you congratulating us for being murderers? Is that what you're doing right now?" Keyleth interrupts with a frown.

Odette was really did not liking this woman. "Are you regretting killing a king who is torturing poor souls and making Lady Kima feel bad about it? Is that what you are doing please do continue I would love to hear the story behind that."

Lady Kima lifts a hand to Odette, in other words telling her she got this and not to worry. "Murder and justice are two entirely different things and the deities of all good saw to it that this King's time was limited."

Keyleth snorts. "Are you suggesting now that we control the wills of the deities?"

"No, but we enact them, as long as we work within your plans to keep us safe." Kima replies.

"I can look like them-"

"That's mighty bold and presumptuous of you." she says

The twins are staring at their fellow half-elf with a 'The fuck is wrong with you?!' while the others look around themselves nervously at the conversation.

"My life has been given to guidance of the platinum dragon, who has seen nothing but the positive direction for all of your species, mine and the rest of humanity, that exists in the material plane. You would do well to not disrespect one who looks out for you, even though you may not look up to him for guidance. The reasons these lands that you grew up in are safe and free, as much as they are, are because of the sacrifices of my brethren who came before me under his light and guidance. I am not saying you to worship him- each one has their own gods choice. I just say, show some respect."

"I do show respect, Lady Kima. I show respect when I feel that respect has been earned." she sneers.

"Keyleth." Vex hisses.

"She's royalty, you have to understand." Tiberius says.

"Oh... great we have a princess in our mists." Odette mutters.

"We're all a bit cranky, maybe we should just turn in." Scanlan suggests nervously.

"I watched as they executed my companions, I thought I saw my dear friend here fall to her death in the waters! The wondrous men and woman who came down to these caverns at my side with my coin in their pockets, with the promise of justice. And they laughed as they cut their throats before me, hoping it would be able to crack me. It was Bahamut's strength that held me there." Lady Kima stood before the redhead, staring down at her.

Keyleth clears her throat. "Lady Kima, I am not saying that what we are doing here is not just. I only wish that you understand- and I humbly thank you for your appreciation and thanks for coming down here to rescue you, but you are correct. We have lost a friend, someone with who we have been through a lot, way more than we have been with you. So, before we start boasting congratulations and you start thanking us, why don't you wait? And we'll see what happens when we all get out of here first."

Vex and Vax lean over to Keyleth whispering harshly at their friend. "She's suffering from PTSD. Why are you poking the badger?!"

"Keyleth! Maybe we should calm down and go to bed!" Vex adds, narrowing her eyes at Keleth.

Lady Kima takes a step forward towards Keyleth and as they look up at her face, there's a tension, but they can see now that she stepped near into them, towards what little bit of light seems to cascade through the cavern, there are tears streaking down her face.

Pike was looking worriedly from Lady Kima to Keyleth to the still shaking Odette.

"They tried all they could to break me, but I knew my destiny would not end here. I have a destiny that does not end here." she says.

Pike pops out of nowhere and slowly hands her a handkerchief before walking away.

Percy decides to step in as he too eyes the other paladin who was now looking at Keyleth like when Trinket got protective over Vex. "Lady Kima, as I'm sure you know, grief speaks before sense-"

"All I'm saying, Lady Kima, is that after what we've done and what we have been through and the lives and the blood that even I have on my hands, you had better be worth it." Keyleth says.

Percy sighs. "Let us wait for worth and talk of might until we are reunited."

Lady Kima puts a hand up towards Keyleth. "Child, let me explain to you why we are here. As while you may have stepped into the pretense of keeping me out of harm's way, there is a purpose that I and now all of us serve, here in the Underdark. Now, I've been on this journey for more than a year, traveling wherever the wind took me, finding where my gift would find an end to suffering, justice to the wicked, and comfort the downtrodden. I'd just returned from the frozen tundra northeast of these Cliffkeep mountains-"

"It was fucking cold." Odette says.

"Heading to meet with Allura, the same friend who brought you here." Lady Kima continues though throws a small smile at Odette before turning back to the others. "And my vision came to me, I'm sure you're familiar with visions. The great platinum dragon bestowed upon my humble self a dream. I saw an ancient vision of the great and terrible god of undeath himself: Orcus. His crimson, leathery skin and endless wings rumbling through the Abyss itself. He had chosen a champion, one that would unite the material world and the heart of the Abyss, bring a doorway of oblivion to our world."

Lady Kima sighs looking about the cavern itself. "He cut from his own head two of his terrible black horns, placing them upon the brow of this chosen warrior, his avatar to these realms, granting him power no mortal should ever have. I saw heroes, long forgotten, rise up to destroy this shadow champion, losing much in the ensuing battle. Loss, far more than you or I will ever know. The body of the avatar was burned away, but the horns of Drowus remained; Untouched by flame, blade, or divine judgment. These keepers of the horns had a title that time has taken and the whereabouts of the artifacts that had been, thankfully lost as well!"

She turns back to the group looking at each and every one of them. "Until the next dream dispelled my confusion. I felt a crackling entity of immense power, who had discovered of the holding vaults, never meant to be found. This creature obsessed, spent all their attention to unlock the promised treasure within, and over time, they did. One of the two horns had found a new champion, one who now resides deeper within the Underdark here; One we've now known to be called K'varn. This one has united the illithid and the duergar alike under a banner of madness, expansion, and mockery of life. I've seen these experiments, as have you. This is what I came down here to dispose of, once and for all."

The halfling turns around and walks up beside Odette, placing a hand on her shoulder, shaking it in companionship. "I asked Odette to join me, and I hired some of the finest warriors in Kraghammer for this, all of whom have been slain or worse. That guilt weighs upon my soul, and this very quest, whoever this K'varn monstrosity, it holds the horn of Drowus upon its brow! My visions have told me that we must destroy it and must do so soon. If it had already unlocked the artifact's true potential, Kraghammer would be a ruin before even arrived! But it's only a matter of time. We must end K'varn and retrieve this horn and return it to the Tal'Dorei council to discuss how to seal it once more, hopefully for all of eternity."

"Your friend's loss is a terrible thing." Kima says to them. "But we will try to find and should we not, understand that his sacrifice was not in vain. For we're here not to save one but to save thousands, hundreds of thousands of lives if we succeed. So we sleep, we rest, we find your friend and we destroy this, this abomination, this anathema."

"Lady Kima, I only hope you do not eventually become what you fear so much... Goodnight" Keyleth turns away, turning herself into a minx, and goes off in the corner and curl up in a corner.

"Sleep tight." Scanlan whispers.

Kima picks up her blade, sits back down, and goes back to sharpening her blade.

"That went well." Percy says laying back down.

"Pike, I'll cuddle you for warmth, if that would help?" Scanlan offers his fellow Gnome.

"It's already so hot in here with all the lava and stuff, I would just prefer to sleep alone I am sorry!" Pike says politely.

"That's fine, that is what I meant." He assures hiding his disappointment as the other shakes their head at him.

"Scanlan, I'm very cold." Vex says playfully at his friend.

Scanlan gives him a look as everyone chuckles. "You know what? We better let that foot heal. We better let it heal."

Vex giggles. "Trinket, go sleep with Vax."

Vax nods to his sister. "That's a good idea, come here, Trinky, Trink!"

Trinket looks at his former cuddle buddy as if asking if that is alright and Odette had to smile at the bear.

"Indeed, go to him he probably needs you more than I do, thank you though." She tells the bear.

"Can you speak to animals?" Pike asks.

Odette snorts. "No! No not even close but your bear seems like a very intelligent being plus it helps that he can use his body language as well."

Trinket seems to puff his chest at the compliment before making his way to Vax.

"Who wants nibbles?" He asks the bear taking out a few meat jerkies for the bear.

Trinket comes up and curls up next to Vax after eating the jerky.

The evening goes by, thankfully uneventful, Odette did not know what lay ahead for all of them but with everyone looking to the mind flayer more than Lady Kima herself Odette had no choice but to keep an eye out for herself and Lady Kima until otherwise.

Occasionally, everyone stumbles out of their rest, keep an eye out, the beacon still resides.