<div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/agj2T4I.jpg)<br/><br/>(http://i.imgur.com/KzDJuUK.jpg)<br/><br/>(http://i.imgur.com/KV72Q5h.jpg)</div><br/><em> "You take it Bo.  The next one Shugar can have if she wants, but since we're her defense right now, it makes sense to me that you'd receive something to hopefully improve your chances as we go along.  I already have a couple of magic items, and your armor was eaten by those damned slimes anyway.  So please, help yourself, and let's go find that key." </em>Zerxel said waving at the dwarf.  She nodded and cracked open the chest, peering inside.  Her face looked momentarily confused, then surprised as she reached in and pulled out something very small, tossing the chest to the ground.<br/><br/><strong>"Is it?  A real... yes... yes it is.  Moradin's hammer, twasn't expecting something so valuable in the camp of gnolls."</strong>She held up the small purple stone to the light and it shone brightly.  It also seemed to have it's own inner glow that pulsed slowly.<strong>"Nur'gogan, a blessed stone.  Legends say that they were formed when Moradin's sweat struck the ground and mixed with ash from his forge.  This... this was meant for me."</strong>Then holding the gem in the palm of her hand she drew forth her spear and in one swift motion slapped the gem firmly against the flat of the spear blade.  There was a flash of light, powerfully bright, that stung Zerxel's drow eyes for a moment and left a floating afterimage in it's place as she tried to blink away the ghostly flash.  When she did the spear looked much the same as before, but with the small purple gem embedded in the blade itself, looking for all intents and purposes as if it had always meant to be there.  But Bo's face was split from ear to ear with a wide grin.  That grin lasted for quite a while as she carefully re-donned what little armor she had left.  But somehow, based on her own clothing, Zerxel had a feeling that the skimpy scale mail offered far more protection than it appeared.<br/><br/>Zerxel turned to Shugar and asked,<em> "Which reminds me.  I don't think you ever said what you know about this floor, if anything.  I get we were kind of preoccupied, but if you have anything to add to what little we know ourselves, it'd be a great help to all of us in the end."</em><br/><br/>Shugar nodded her head as she adjusted the fluffy tail at the small of her back.  She shifted her backside slightly, striking a small seductive pose as an eyebot zipped around her hips to view the preserved fox tail that hung between the ample curves.<strong>Yes, I did get distracted,</strong>she admitted in her high pitched voice,<strong>Sorry about that.  Yeah, so I figured out a few things about this level.  Like, there's these buildings that sort of are there and aren't there.  If you go into them they become 'more real' somehow, and even if they don't there's some buildings that look like they are old and belong here, and I've heard noises coming from inside them.  I've avoided those buildings.</strong>Bo shot Zerxel a look, one that for a moment seemed annoyed, but then slowly changed to a sly grin, and it was likely that she was recalling their encounter with the slime.<br/><br/>Unaware of the subtle look between the two, Shugar's high voice continued,<strong>"Other than that, I came through this level very close to one of the exits of this level."</strong>She pointed east, towards one of the four massive gates that could be seen in the wall that ringed the upper most part of the city.<strong>"When I checked my compass, and spoke the word exit, the compass pointed towards that door.  But later as I moved through this... this city... and I was closer to that door,"</strong>she pointed at the massive gate to the north of them,<strong>"the compass was pointing towards that gate, not the one to the west.  I'm not sure what that means, sorry.</strong>She gave a gentle shrug.<br/><br/>Bo jumped in at that point holding her own compass in her hand,<strong>"Well I say we get moving, the key is still in the same location and we've got most of the day ahead of us, plenty of rations, water, and even some wine.  An if I'm tae' be honest, I'd like tae get movin if yer both ready?"</strong>