After a few hours resting, Morrigan pulled out another document. "The team hunting you follows a predictable pattern. Two on active patrol from sunset to midnight, two resting in the warehouse. They switch at midnight and dawn. Tomorrow night, the active team will be checking known associate locations, trying to track your movements."
"Which gives us an opportunity," I said, understanding where this was leading.
"Indeed. The patrol team is vulnerable when they're away from their base. Catch them at the right location, and you can isolate one for questioning. Much easier than trying to assault their warehouse directly."
Kira was studying the patrol routes Morrigan had sketched. "This assumes we can predict where they'll be and when."
"They follow established patterns," Morrigan said. "Professional but predictable. They check the same locations in roughly the same order each night. Your old rooms, known associates, places you've been seen." She tapped specific points on her rough map. "If you position yourselves here, at the junction of Copper and Third, you'll have them isolated from backup and multiple escape routes if things go wrong."
"That's still a professional assassin we're talking about subduing," I pointed out.
"I never said it would be easy," Morrigan replied. "But it's your best chance of clearing your names. Word against word won't work, but a captured assassin with documented contracts..."
"That would be hard for even corrupt officials to ignore," I finished.
A soft sound echoed from deeper in the sanctum. Not loud, but distinctive. The scrape of stone against stone, like something heavy shifting in the darkness.
My Threat Assessment skill spiked, and I found myself reaching for my Kobold Fang Dagger.
"Morrigan," I said quietly, "how sure are you about those upper levels being safe?"
She was already moving toward her weapons, her casual demeanor replaced by sharp alertness. "Sure enough. But dungeons have a way of evolving when left unattended."
Another sound, closer this time. Something was moving in the deeper passages, and it didn't sound like settling stone.
"Well," I said, drawing my dagger, "at least we're back to problems I understand. Monsters trying to kill us are refreshingly straightforward after conspiracy and corruption."
Another sound echoed from the deeper passages, closer this time. Not the scrape of stone settling, but something deliberate. Purposeful. The darkness ahead seemed to swallow our light crystals, and I could feel something watching us.
"How deep does this place go?" I asked, drawing my Kobold Fang Dagger.
"Seven levels, according to the original surveys," Morrigan replied, pulling a wicked-looking curved blade from beneath her robes. "But I've never ventured past the third."
Kira hefted her hammer, testing its balance. "What happened to Archmage Torrhen's expedition? You said none of them came out."
"The official report claimed they were overwhelmed by dungeon monsters in the deeper chambers," Morrigan said, her eyes fixed on the passages leading downward.
A low moan drifted up from the depths, barely audible but unmistakably human. Or something that had once been human.
"That doesn't sound like a monster," Kira observed grimly.
I strained my senses, trying to pick up more information. Something alive down there, possibly multiple somethings. Whatever we were dealing with, it wasn't a simple dungeon creature.
"We should investigate," I said, surprising myself with the words. The old Jin would have been looking for the nearest exit by now.
"Are you insane?" Kira stared at me. "Unknown threats in the deep levels of an abandoned dungeon? That's exactly the kind of situation smart people avoid."
"Smart people, yes," I agreed. "But if there are survivors down there from Torrhen's expedition, they've been trapped for fifteen years. We can't just ignore that."
Morrigan was studying me with those calculating eyes. "You've changed, Jin."
"Maybe," I said. "But ignoring potential survivors because it's dangerous doesn't sit right anymore."
Another moan echoed from below, followed by what sounded like words. Distorted, barely recognizable, but definitely an attempt at communication.
"Help... please... down here..."
Kira's expression softened. "Damn. You're right. We can't just leave them."
Morrigan eyes glittered with interest. "The truth about the Forgotten Sanctum would be quite valuable to the right buyers."
We gathered our light sources and made our way toward the passage leading to the fourth level. The stone stairs were worn smooth by age and carved with symbols that hurt to look at directly. Our footsteps echoed in the narrow passage despite our attempts at stealth.
The fourth level was immediately different. The air was thick and humid, carrying a fetid smell like rotting meat mixed with something chemical. The walls were covered in a thin layer of slime that reflected our light crystals with an oily sheen.
"This level definitely isn't cleared," Morrigan whispered. "Look at the walls."
Scratch marks gouged deep into the stone, too large and irregular to be made by human weapons. Some were fresh, the stone dust still bright. Whatever lived down here was still active.
"Help... help us..." The voice came again, echoing from deeper in the passages. "We're trapped... please..."
Kira suddenly said, "You know, some monsters mimic human speech to draw prey."
"Why didn't you tell this sooner.." My voice stopped abruptly.
A skittering sound answered the voice, like massive insect legs on stone. Then another, coming from a different direction. We weren't alone down here.
We moved forward cautiously, our light crystals creating a small bubble of visibility in the oppressive darkness. The passage branched ahead, and I caught a glimpse of movement in the left tunnel, something pale and multi-legged scuttling away from our light.
"Cave spiders," Morrigan identified. "But wrong size. They should be tiny, not..."
A spider the size of a large dog suddenly dropped from the ceiling directly above us. Kira's hammer came up instinctively, catching it mid-fall with a wet crunch. Dark ichor splattered across the walls.
"Definitely wrong size," she muttered, shaking spider parts off her weapon.
More skittering sounds echoed from the darkness around us. We were surrounded.