Chapter 20 - Part 10

The worms were long and thin, and the same color as the dust that they lived in. Coiled individually, they wouldn’t have been even as large as a loaf of bread, but there were about fifty of them. If not for Ois’ ability to detect the residual evil in them from their fiendish breeding, Delegado would have stepped into the nest and died.

“That’s my last alchemical weapon,” Ois said as a combination of alchemically created fire, cold, and electrical discharge destroyed the worms. “Why did we have to use all of them?”

“Because we noted on our travels that the fiends all have different resistances, and we don’t know what will work,” Orphan said, throwing the last vial of acid. “What’s our inventory, Delegado?”

“I have forty-seven arrows,” the half-orc said. “Eighteen of them have magial enchantments. I’ve got my two daggers, all of the caltrops that we’ve salvaged, about six bags’ worth, half of it adamantine-tipped, a barkskin potion Pienna gave me, and three Jorasco potions. Plus my sword, obviously. Ois?”

“My daggers,” she said. “Two magical daggers with holy enchantments, and four masterwork daggers. I have my sword, my symbol, a holy water flask, two Jorasco potions that close wounds, another that stops poison, and another that provides a restoration of sorts from certain undead attacks. Plus, of course, the feather fall vial that Orphan so thoughtfully gave me. I have a pair of sunrods left other than the one I hold.”

“One shiruken and three daggers, plus my sai,” Orphan said. “Well, let’s hope that we don’t find any other surprises waiting for us before we exit the sewer.”

“Looks like you needed me,” Ois said. “Their poison may not have affected you, warforged, but Delegado would have died.”

“Let it go,” Delegado said.

“No gratitude from you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You only get that look in your eye when you’re feeling insecure,” Delegado said. “Orphan already accepted your usefulness, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

She pursed her lips. “Very well then, let’s go.” She turned to follow Delegado, and Orphan wondered about the strange relationship between the genders of the biological races.