Kron ran up to me with wide, horrified eyes and peered down the hole. “Murr Yell if you’re alive and awake!”
There was no answer.
Even if he was dead, he was a catfolk with nine lives. He’d come back. “I have to go down there and save him.”
We had left the rope tied to the pillar. During our break earlier, I had brought in the line and coiled it. It wasn’t long enough. I pulled out my own rope, which was standard for every adventurer to carry even when other climbing gear wasn’t. I used the knot elves used for situations like this and double check its tightness.
Kron handed me his rope, and I repeated the process.
Fortunately, Val left his harness nearby, figuring that it would be a hassle to put it away when he could mine. While I didn’t need the harness for myself, I might for Murr if he was unconscious. So I grabbed it and put it in my inventory.
I tossed the coil of the rope down the hole. It unwound as it disappeared into the darkness below.
Kron frowned. “I take it I’m staying up here to pull you both up? I might be a golem, but I don’t have that much strength.”
“You’re not alone,” I said. Grab Val. Between the two of you, I’m sure you can do it.”
He bit his lip, then pulled out a small crate of mixed potions. “We don’t know what’s down there.”
“Sure we do. Dead bodies.” I grinned.
“Not funny.”
“I’m hoping they made a good cushion for our rogue.”
He shoved the crate into my chest. “Bring this with you. They’re my best healing and stamina potions. Run if you can, fight if you have to.”
I nodded and placed the crate in my inventory. It separated out into the various potion slots. Since the lone crate was taking up a slot, I handed the empty crate back to him.
Without thinking too hard about it, I clamped the rope between my feet and slowly allowed myself to drop down the side of the hole. Once I was hanging in midair, I loosened my feet, leaned back, and quickly descended. This was just like back home... only, absolutely nowhere like it. Lowering myself into an abyss like this was creepy as hell.
When I was two-thirds of the way down, I noticed the pile of dead bodies we’d dropped down here. They were covered in tiny pink mushrooms, which barely gave out any glow. It was no wonder we couldn’t see them from the top.
But the biggest one of all was the giant body of Mrs. Dimcrab. The fall must have killed her because she wasn’t moving. That was when I saw the head of pink. Somehow, he must have wiggled free from her claws at the last minute and used the bodies as a cushion before rolling to a stop at the edge of the corpse pile.
I quickly dropped down the rest of the way. A pile of rotting corpses did not make for the best footing, and it reeked like... a pile of dead bodies. Maybe rotten seafood? There were flies buzzing around the place. But I ignored them and started awkwardly running down the bodies, ignoring where my foot squished too deeply in places.
Because I needed to make sure Murr was still alive.
When I finally reached his supine body, I knelt down next to him, pulled out a small mirror, and placed it next to his nose and mouth. If this didn’t work, I’d check for a pulse. Fog clouded the glass. Too little. But he was still breathing!
“Murr?” I whispered.
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