<div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/5kURcC7.jpg)</div><br/>A part of Zerxel's mind was telling her not to leave.  Stay in the grotto, there was food there, it was warm, she could be very comfortable.  Even the slowly moving vines seemed soft and inviting as she pressed through the grotto to leave on the opposite side that she'd entered.  The temperature of the air cooled slightly and grew a little dryer as she passed down a long winding coridor, and the slight haze on her mind faded with each step that she took.  She realized now how insidious the rapevine's scent could be.  They might not be dangerous the way gobbers or ghosts could be, but it was easy now to see how a contestant could be seduced by their subtle aroma.<br/><br/>After a while the cavern like walls smoothed and were eventually replaced by more classic walls of cut block.  The occasional torch mounted on the wall, glowing with illusionary light, would have been just enough for a human to see clearly, but of course Zerxel's keen drow eyesight let her pick out every detail.  She was wary of more traps, but found the passage somewhat clear.  The long winding tunnel began to slope upwards and finally let out into a series of interconnected rooms, each with heavy wooden doors blocking passage to the next room.  Mindful of traps, Zerxel chose a door that led in the direction of Malefactus, and continued on.<br/><br/>Most of these rooms seemed empty, but there was signs that there had been passage through them already.  Blood stains marred some surfaces, though no corpses were found.  She knew that if another contestant had come through and dispatched a creature, the judges of Cyril would have removed the bodies quietly, unseen.  It did however give her a reminder that there were several other contestants in the dungeon, any of which she might be competing against.  Her travel speed was slow, as she was careful to check for traps, and indeed found more than one, but that had already been triggered by another contestant.  She also noted that no door would stay open, and even atempting to open a door would cause any other doors in the room that were open to quickly and quietly shut on their own.<br/><br/>Her sense of unease was growing, as room after room, easily a dozen or more, passed without incident, until finally she was startled to find a room not empty.  As she pulled open a door and entered the newest room, decorated to look like a dining hall, though no food was present, a voice called out,<strong>"Hold there!"</strong>Zerxel spotted a blonde human girl sitting in one of the chairs.  Apparently Zerxel's entrance had taken her by surprise, as she looked like she'd been trying to take a little bit of a break.  The woman's name escaped her at the moment, as it wasn't one of the girls from her bunk, but for some reason the idea that the woman was a minor noble from an unimportant human house flit through her mind.  The wickedly sharp silver dagger clutched in the girls hand also caught Zerxel's attention as she glared up at Zerxel,<strong>"I hope you mean me no harm..." </strong>the girl seemed to be trying to remember Zerxel's name,<strong> "Zerxel... or is it Xara?  I'm sorry I can't recall."</strong>