By the time Anthony returned, his invisibility had faded. As he neared their hiding spot, he conjured a small flame to signal his safe return.
The sudden appearance of firelight in the distance startled the group, but they quickly realized it signaled their Master's return, allowing their tense hearts to finally settle.
This was their mission's primary combatant - if he fell, their chances of success would plummet.
Seeing the obedient youths who had waited dutifully, Anthony raised a finger to his lips before leading their Retreat deeper underground.
The Drow had triumphed, sending the Deep Gnomes into frantic retreat. Yet none could predict whether fleeing Gnomes might stumble this way, or if victorious Drow would expand their search radius.
Prudence dictated withdrawing several hundred yards.
During their withdrawal, Anthony conducted a mental combat simulation.
If pursued by Drow, could they fight?
The answer was undoubtedly yes.
While the underground passages favored the Drow, Anthony's darkvision and the narrow tunnels would maximize his Dragon's Breath effectiveness.
A single sacrificial decoy could draw their formation into perfect position - one well-placed Dragon's Breath might eliminate a dozen Drow.
After consuming magical snacks and that energy-rich Demon Heart, he'd regained three Dragon's Breath uses - more than enough for this engagement.
Eliminating the vanguard would allow ambushing their high-tier priest. Without their primary spellcaster, the remaining forces would crumble.
Against unprepared opponents, such tactics were feasible.
The remaining Drow forces - one mediocre Spellcaster and twenty-some melee fighters below level 10 - would fall easily to coordinated spells.
Yet this plan contained two fatal flaws.
First and foremost: that purple-eyed brat favored by Lolth - the future Legendary Ranger Drizzt Do'Urden - might unleash hidden potential when cornered.
Drizzt's combat capabilities remained enigmatic. In this early growth stage, his performances fluctuated wildly between:
Being knocked unconscious by a single Deep Gnome punch
Struggling against mutated crustaceans
Nearly dying to random lightning strikes
Yet his brilliance shone equally bright:
Solo slaying multiple Hook Horrors
Whittling down a mid-tier Earth Elemental
Slide-tackle-executing a Drider
Speaking of Driders - those Lolth-cursed, venomous abominations weren't foes Anthony would engage in melee combat.
If these fluctuations spanned years of growth, that would be understandable. Yet Drizzt's extremes occurred within minutes of each other.
His combat style shifted unpredictably.
Anthony's earlier assessment placed Drizzt around level 10, certainly no higher than 12 - merely a Menzoberranzan youth without his legendary experiences.
In short, this Chosen One defied conventional measurement. His existence embodied pure narrative convenience.
Perhaps this was a true protagonist's privilege?
Yet Anthony felt temptation stirring.
Were they merely observing historical events without consequence?
Or had they truly Crossed into pivotal moments where their actions could reshape reality?
The former scenario permitted any recklessness.
But if the latter... What chaos might erupt across the Material Plane if he incinerated Drizzt with Dragon's Breath?
The thought thrilled him.
Turbulent waters bred opportunity. Let taller figures bear the fallout - in any chaos, Anthony would find amusement.
Having completed his calculations and their withdrawal, Anthony asked with mischief: "Yoda, during your trials, did missions affect reality? What tasks have you completed?"
Yoda startled, initially concerned about Drow detection. But trusting his Master's judgment, he answered carefully: "Master, I don't fully understand your question. My first Trial Mission involved clearing a haunted mine infested with orc-goblin alliances."
"My second trial became a seven-day siege in an Ancient Castle after discovering a Healing Ring was actually a Trap. We exhausted most Consumables barely surviving until extraction."
Anthony pressed: "After missions, did you revisit those locations in reality?"
Yoda scratched his bald head awkwardly: "The Trial Grounds visit different worlds, and the Timeline is chaotic. I never considered this question."
"Then have you encountered any famous Legendary Figures during missions? Did you try to kill them? Would that affect our Original World?"
Hearing this, Yoda pondered before answering: "The places we visit are separate from their original worlds. For example, this is Toril, but the Toril in missions exists independently from the main Material Plane's Toril. It's more like we've entered the Timeline of a Heroic Epic. Nothing we do here affects the main Material Plane."
"However, if you humiliate a Legendary Figure here, and the next trial is still in Faerûn, that Legendary Figure will remember your insult. Next time you meet, they won't give you a friendly look—they might even hunt you down."
"Killing them is also extremely difficult. Though I've never encountered them myself, my teammates have said even in their weakest states, most Legendary Figures are under the protection of deities. Attempting to kill them is nearly impossible and risks angering their sheltering deity."
"And deities are a Faction we absolutely cannot provoke. Here, they remain as powerful as in the main Material Plane. Worse, no one knows if the Trial Grounds has ties to other deities. If it does, even returning to the Original World won't save us from being hunted to the ends of the earth."
I see.
Though the Overworld remains unaffected, Anthony grew even more excited. He desperately wanted to know what would happen if someone like Drizzt were erased from existence.
Which brought him to the second challenge.
Who would serve as bait?
Anthony looked at the group. "Earlier, I scouted and confirmed it's the drow hunting others. There are dozens of them. Do we engage or wait here until tomorrow when we head to Menzoberranzan?"
Silence fell. Everyone blinked as if they hadn't understood.
Anthony pressed on: "Staying put is self-explanatory. Let me outline the Battle Plan if we fight."
"If we engage, I'll need bait to lure the drow here. Then I'll eliminate them swiftly. The bait earns an extra 10% of the spoils of war. Thoughts?"
All heads lowered, as if studying the Worms slithering unseen through the dark earth.
No one spoke. Anthony fumed. Was his Battle Plan really so flawed?
He was a Red Dragon genius!
His gaze landed on the Paladin.
If no one else would speak, surely the paragon of justice would step up?
Tegal met his Master's stare and sighed. "Master, you know me. I fear neither death nor hardship in the name of justice. But this Underground World is full of Evil creatures. Their conflicts benefit the world regardless of who dies. My sacrifice should serve a worthier cause."
Damn. Had he accidentally enlightened this brat? Anthony turned to Yoda.
Sweat beaded on the veteran goblin's forehead. He knew exactly how dangerous luring Enemy Forces could be. "Master, you know me. I'm a goblin—utterly lesser beings. The drow wouldn't even acknowledge my taunts. It'd backfire, maybe even make them suspicious."
Fair point. Anthony shifted to Zad.
Zad grimaced. "Master, you know me. Look at this fat. I'm winded after three steps. Even if I tried baiting drow, their agility would catch me long before I reached the ambush point. The mission would fail."
Useless. Anthony eyed Dagger.
Dagger removed his cloak, revealing himself as a young tiefling with a lame foot. "Master, perhaps you don't know this about me, but as a child, with no parents, I survived by theft. One winter when I was five, poverty cost me four toes to frostbite... And as you've seen in past battles, while I excel at Hidden movement, I've no talent for bursts of speed or agility."
Fine. A cripple. Anthony shifted his gaze to Little Witch.
Lolo looked utterly baffled. She pursed her lips in displeasure: "Why're you staring at me? Since when do Spellcasters do this sort of work? If you expect me to lure drow into an ambush, we might as well charge in and die gloriously. At least that'd be a meaningful death."
Anthony sighed. "Right. Message received. You're all paragons of competence. Fine. Rest tonight. We head for Menzoberranzan at dawn and finish this first task."
The moment the words left his mouth, the group brightened like festival lanterns. They scurried to pitch their Tents in the nearest suitable spot. Anthony watched the ragtag band celebrate, darkly amused. Just wait till tomorrow. I'll have you all weeping.