The heavy, stale air of the cave squeezed his lungs. Dinin walked forward, not paying attention to the difficulty breathing through the mask covering his face. His squad followed closely behind their commander through narrow passages that cut through stone like wormholes. The narrow path of the lost passage led the group of Drow out of a closed cave system into a small open cave located next to a cliff. The air felt fresher here, and the sound of an underground river cut through the deathly silence of the Underdark. Dinin looked around, his sharp ears picking up unfamiliar vibrations in the air.

"Stop," he said curtly, taking an inaudible step forward and listening intently. The vibrations strengthened, becoming more explicit, almost palpable at his fingertips. Dinin's pale pink eyes sparkled in the darkness of his hood, searching the cave air for any hint of warmth. Everything appeared gray, cold, and lifeless in his infrared vision. He squinted, frozen in position.

A heat signature suddenly materialized in the middle of the cave, and Dinin's hands darted behind his back, pulling twin swords from their scabbards. The signature, small at first, increased dramatically before exploding in brightness that forced him to squint against the glare. Dinin shook his head, chasing away the flashes dancing before his eyes.

Beholder. It appeared right in front of him, hovering in the air with its huge eye rolling wildly. Its gaping mouth with three rows of teeth opened, releasing a piercing howl that echoed off the walls and made Dinin wince at the volume. The dark elf crouched, blades thrust forward, then darted straight at the Beholder while his squad remained frozen in the stone passage, watching their commander face the horror alone.

"What's up?" shouted Dinin, deftly dodging a spell beam. The Beholder howled again, wildly rolling its many long appendages topped with small eyes. One of Dinin's subordinates, a Drow named Malaggar, finally stepped forward, drawing his dagger. The others followed, drawing their weapons, ready to fight. Dinin twisted and jumped around the Observer, attempting to cut off one of its appendages. When his sword sliced through the ugly flesh, separating an appendage from the body, the Observer screamed and pointed two appendages at Dinin.

The Drow tensed, ready to dodge spell beams as the creature trembled, spewing rays from its remaining appendages. Dinin jumped back, dodging, then suddenly bumped into Malaggar's back.

"Why are you standing there?" Dinin asked angrily. "Fight, damn it, fight!"

Mallagar replied with silence and a strong push to Dinin's back.

"No!" was all Dinin managed to exclaim, feeling his body weaken instantly. He fell to his knees, panting heavily. The last thing he saw as his eyelids closed was the rapidly retreating backs of his subordinates.

Malaggar... the bastard.

The Beholder spun, waving its appendages before pushing Dinin off the cliff with one meaty tentacle. Dark waters swallowed his weakened body, preventing him from crashing against the rocks below. The turbulent current carried him forward, slamming his body against rocky shores and the river bottom. Dinin tried moving his limbs but the curse struck by the Beholder was too strong. The underground river plunged downward sharply, and Dinin collapsed into dark waters, hitting his forehead painfully on submerged rocks. Blood flowed, blurring his eyes before being washed away by the water hitting his face. His limp body rushed onward until the river calmed, flowing into a small underground lake.

Dinin's weak form washed up on the shore. He coughed, attempting to move slightly, but his body wouldn't respond. He could barely open his eyelids. The greenish bioluminescent light of moss and mushrooms on the walls suddenly dimmed as a silhouette appeared above him.

"Get out," Dinin croaked, trying to wave a hand that only managed a slight finger twitch. He heard unintelligible muttering from the figure wrapped in layers of an enchanted robe. Weakness slowly left his body, strength returning to his fingers as anger distorted his face behind the mask. As soon as he felt his hand clench into a fist, he lunged forward and grabbed the creature in front of him by the neck.

A woman. The disdainful thought flashed through his mind at the sight of her delicate face. A wave of rage overwhelmed him at her frightened expression.

"Why did you save me?" he asked aggressively, tightening his grip on her neck. "Didn't they teach you idiots from the surface not to get close to drow?"