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tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today
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It falls, illuminating the walls as it goes. At thirty-five feet down Tencednil can make out a square hole in the wall, about four feet on each side. It quickly widens into a room, but she can't make out the interior from this angle.

At forty-five feet she can see another hole, shaped identically to the last one. At sixty feet the rock impacts the water. Strange things are shadowed on the wall, and the light goes out.

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"No platform, but we might be able to do the necessary acrobatics. Do you know which of the holes we need to take?"

To the familiar: "You could see into that top hole, it's not an illusion? Was there anything moving inside?"

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The familiar rings a light tone, then a dark one. Yes, No.

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"Top hole is real, at least, and maybe safe. Do I need to check the bottom one or the water?"

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"No. If we're in the right place it's the top one we want."

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In that case, she will wait and follow behind Mika. No reason she should be the first tasty meat bag anything lurking here jumps on.

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They climb down the ladder, one-by-one, with Mika leading. The square hole is about a foot away from the ladder. Everyone makes it across fine. It leads into a small square room with three exits. Anton consults the map and they continue onward.

They're no longer adjacent to the sewage, and the terrible smell slowly fades away. As they move deeper, the stone brick walls become old and cracked. The tunnels grow longer and stranger, winding back on each other. The maze is long.

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Twenty more minutes deep, at a four-way crossroads, Tencednil feels her familiar become alarmed.

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Oh dear. Is there anything visible in the nearest 30 feet?

"Ware! Something is off here." ("Nudge me towards the closest.")

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Her familiar nudges left. With it's help, she can make out—

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Two goblins, sneaking towards them. A moment passes. "They zees us!"

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Getting the first strike in in combat is really no different from getting ahead of whoever you're talking to in a conversation, when you know what you're doing. If you know what the idiots are about to look for, it's not hard to get there first. By the time they've realized she's talking about them, Tencednil is already in motion.

A shift of her weight, a minor twist, and they're in range. Color Spray.

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The goblins have just started to charge, and then they're stunned! and blinded! and unconscious!

The others can hear two thuds as both bodies hit the ground.

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Mika had started to run, but he skids to a stop to avoid the blinding light. "Looks like that got 'em."

He walks over and slits their throats. "Ehh, they've nothing good, just shoddy gear and a few pinch."

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Perfect. A good introduction, and getting both of them is at least a bit impressive. Probably.

"Alas. If these things are coming from behind, we may want earlier warning next time — do either of you have familiars with functioning senses that can be looking behind as we walk ahead? My friend here can, but it's best up close."

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"I've got a bonded item. Anton's familiar is back in our dorm doing... other things." He looks relieved, probably because the goblins are dead.

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"Well, my friend here might provide us some earlier warning if it's looking back as well." The light does technically reach farther than its object sense. Slightly. Ten extra feet will not be relevant, and even that is asking a bit much of it, but they make do with the tools they have. 

('Other things', hmm? As long as it's not going to be her problem.)

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The maze continues. Anton guides them through another ten minutes of winding passages, then through a trapdoor and down a twenty-foot ladder. The stone cobbles and bricks have faded almost completely, replaced with tunneled cave walls. This place is less of a classic maze but no less strange for it, with tunnels of every shape, many going nowhere at all.

Eventually, they hear a soft rumbling in the distance.

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"We're getting close. That's got to be the river, and in the caves past it is our illusory wall."

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The tunnels widen into a cavern, with a river splitting it into thirds. The water is murky, but it doesn't smell like the sewage from before. There's a few plants on the dirt at the edges of the river. The sound of insects can be heard faintly.

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Mika looks around as they cross the cavern. "Seems like we're about ta be getting wet."

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"Don't remind me."

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"I don't suppose you thought to bring Prestidigitation? This really should be only momentary."

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"Yes, I have it, it's just unpleasant to think about."

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And this is why you want silk. Clothing which catches all the water that falls on it and hugs it close rather than letting it slide to where it's wanted is foolish.

Still, they do have to go through one way or another if they want to get there. She can handle being a bit wet.

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