The Cure - I

[PepsiWhirda]

By the time Whirda exited the building onto the main street, night had fallen. Her sharply honed senses drew wire taut, like a bowstring poised to fire. She sensed nothing in the Stygian alleys, noticed no movement along the thatched rooftops. The drow were meticulous, patient creatures, but Whirda could see no advantage in allowing them this much time to evaluate their surroundings. Each minute they waited would only make excising the stubborn primes more difficult.

Blues emerged and walked up to her, looking shaken. "They could show up any minute. What should we do?"

For the first time, Blues looked to Whirda for guidance, trusting her knowledge of the drow to guide them to a safe resolution. However hard they both fought it, a friendship seemed to be forming between them.

"There's no loyalty amongst the drow," she said. "Nor is there mercy. They will not throw down arms to save one of their own. They will not hesitate to kill you, regardless of your preference for nonlethal blows. Every time you leave one of them alive is an opportunity for them to sneak up behind you and take your head from your shoulders."

Her harsh words took Blues by surprise, but the preteen machine knew they carried truth. His power had grown drastically since his arrival in the Omniverse, so much so that he sometimes forgot his actions had consequences. The impermanence of death had a tendency to lure primes into complacency. Blues had no intention of being its latest victim.

Whirda continued while Blues chewed her words. "Kill them, don't kill them... that's your decision. Make it wisely. If they come, they will be moving in small packs. The drow don't fight in large groups. They prefer small units they can trust. If we can dispatch them quickly, that will be to our advantage."

"We'll need a safe place for interrogation," Blues said. "Somewhere they won't find us while we figure out where the tarrasque is going."

Whirda nodded. "I already found it. The inn," she said, pointing to the building, "has a storeroom in the back, with a larder underneath. Smells like a dwarf's codpiece, but we can conceal the trap door. As long as we keep our guest quiet, there should be no issues."

"And once we have the information we need?" Blues asked.

"I think the beast is still close by. Why else would they have bothered to follow us? They don't want us to ruin their surprise. Once we know where it is, and more importantly where it's headed, then we'll decide on a plan." Whirda set her jaw. "Did you find anything useful?"

"Uh, no... nothing," Blues managed. "Empty, like we expected. But I don't think the tarrasque got them. This thing is the size of a warship. If it was here, we would be able to tell."

"I had the same thought," Whirda murmured. "Still, the drow followed us here for a reason. Let's make sure we find out what it is on our own terms. For now, keep close. Let's check inside these other buildings, see if there's anything useful. We'll benefit from knowing all we can about our surroundings."

"How do you plan to capture one of them alive?"

Whirda smiled. "I've learned a trick or two recently. Just follow my lead."