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.The Claw wasn't frightened by much, not even the thought of his own death.But finding the woman he loved torn to shreds on the floor of the Cellar would be more than he could handle.He placed the disk on the floor and readied himself.There was only one way to find out if she was still alive.And the faster he got there, the more likely he could save her.Giving the disk a spin, he watched the colors blur and melt into one another.They lifted off the surface, seemingly knitting together in midair.A shimmering portal formed beside the disk.It swirled, a giant replica of the spinning trinket, suspended over the ground by nothing at all.Picking up the disk, the Claw stepped through the portal—out of the palace and into the Cellar.As soon as both feet touched the ground, the portal winked out of existence behind him.The chamber he had entered was completely dark.It smelled damp and musty, like the mineral caves under the ruins of Castle Trinity, and the only sound was of dripping water, somewhere off in the distance.The Claw slipped the portal disk under a flap of fabric beneath his belt then unfastened his left gauntlet."As you wish, Princess Mariko," he said, and the sigil on his palm lit up.The Claw found himself standing inside a long, narrowJroom.Patches of fuzzy yellow mold covered the walls and floor.The few flagstones still visible were worn and broken, missing altogether in many places.Pools of dirty water had collected in the divots.The light from Princess Mariko's magical gift reflected off their surfaces, illuminating the dripping cracks in the ceiling.The Claw took in the whole chamber, swinging his palm from one end to the other.The portal had brought him to the inside of a sealed room.There didn't appear to be any doors or windows—no way out at all."First things first."Kneeling down, the Claw retrieved a small dagger from his boot.Using it to puncture the leather on his off-hand gauntlet, he cut a square hole in the palm—the same size as the illuminated sigil.It took him some time.His gauntlets were well-crafted, and the leather resisted being severed.But eventually he succeeded.Satisfied with his work, he returned the gauntlet to his left hand and made his way down to the far end of the room.The stones on the floor moved and shifted under his weight.It seemed they hadn't been walked upon in some time.As he drew closer to the end, it looked as if there had at one time been a door leading out of this chamber, but it was now all bricked up.The yellowish mold seemed thin here, giving way to more of the foul water.A large puddle flooded most of this part of the room, growing ever bigger from the slow drip in the ceiling.Stopping at the edge of the puddle, the Claw scanned the bricked-up doorway with his illuminated palm.The brick was a different color than the rest of the wall, but it wasn't new by any means.Turning his attention to the ceiling, he scanned the crack that seemed to be the only way in or out of here.The puddle below him thrashed violently, splashing filthy water in every direction.Something wrapped around his legs, and he lost his balance, pulled from his feet.One moment hewas standing, the next he found himself looking up, his body soaked, lying flat on his back in the puddle.The water rose from the ground around him, forming into a pair of huge hands, and they swung down on the Claw, hitting him squarely in the chest.The air rushed from his lungs.Rolling to one side, the Claw scampered to his feet, turning to face the black, watery hands.Around those hands, a humanoid formed, lifting itself straight out of the puddle as if using the water to create a body.Its features were dull and ill-defined, slowly taking on more shape.Finally, standing in a pool of water only half the size that it once was, the Claw faced what looked like a drow woman.Not yet having caught his breath, he took a feeble swipe at the newcomer.Without moving, the woman's body turned liquid, dripping away from his strike and avoiding the attack.The Claw stumbled, his momentum moving into his swing, and he was rewarded with another pair of vicious blows, this time to the head.The counterstrike from the watery creature sent him tumbling to the corner of the room.Tucking his head, the Claw rolled with the fall, coming up against the wall with his feet and stopping himself from smashing into the mold.Kicking away, he quickly got back to his feet, circling away from the creature.Though it had the form of a female dark elf, this was no drow.The creature's body was fluid, oozy.Not quite water, but it could reorganize itself as if it were liquid.The Claw had heard of such beasts, but he thought they were just the ramblings of drunken adventurers, telling tall tales over an ale at the inn.The watery thing lunged, reaching for his right hand.The Claw backed away, bringing all four blades of his left gauntlet squarely down on the creature's shoulder, severing its arm from its body.The arm splashed to the floor into a puddle of goo that resembled a jellyfish washed up on a beach.The creature screamed and pulled away, grasping at its stump
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