Technically they were still slaves of course. In the drow city they were in, all non-drow races were considered slaves. But fortunately the princess they had rescued had some standing with the powers there, and she sent along two drow guardians to see them through the long and perilous trek to Outside.

The two were relatively benign, at least by drow standards. They met Kreet, Kallid and Sigmundurr outside the tavern the next morning, not deigning to venture within the slave-infested common room.

"You three are to be escorted out of the Underdark," Urmelena said unceremoniously when they stepped out of the doorway, "by order of the Princess. She requests that you be allowed some time to gather any belongings required, and not be harmed on the journey. How long must we wait for you?"

Kreet could sense Sigmundurr's already growing anger, but she'd seen him hold it in check before when badly outnumbered. She gave him a glance that he returned with a squint.

"We're ready now. We will follow your lead."

"I am Urmelena. I will lead," she replied while indicating the other guard. That is Houndril. He will follow. You three will remain between."

"Are we allowed weapons?" Sigmundurr asked.

Urmelena laughed. "Are you a comedian, human? That was surely a joke, yes?"

Sigmundurr muttered something under his breath, but Kallid spoke up. "Um... he means when we get to the Outside. We'll need weapons Outside!"

Urmelena looked down at the kobold and snorted. "What on earth would you do with a weapon, kobold? You'd hurt yourself!" But then she looked back towards Sigmundurr. "When we get there, I'll provide you with something. Not until then."

Kreet nodded, more at Sigmundurr than at their 'escort', and then they began. Each of the three carried a backpack of provisions, as well as part of Kreet's remaining gold. The guards carried a small pack at their belt and canteens in addition to their spears and blades. With that, Urmelena began their journey through the streets of the underground city with Sigmundurr following her, the two kobolds behind and the silent Houndril close behind them.

"How far is it, did you say?" Kreet asked Kallid in their native language as they stumbled along to maintain pace with the larger people.

"I've never been myself, of course. But I understand it's about two days away, if we're going by the Stairway. Farther otherwise of course. You really don't know where you are, do you?"

"I was born in some caverns, but they didn't connect with the Underdark," she explained as they passed crowds of drow and the occasional slave train.

There were other slaves that weren't bound of course, but this was undoubtedly the domain of the drow.

Their leader turned her head back to look at the kobolds. "Talk now, small ones. Once outside the borders of this city, there will be no more talking. Understand?"

"Of course, my lord," Kallid said in deference.

The drow smiled at that and turned back, satisfied.

"I am no Lord, but you may call me Lady, though I am not nobility. But, for our purposes, I will be your Lady until our journey is complete. If we are attacked, you will follow my orders. My command is to get you to the Outside alive, but accidents happen. Do not attempt to cross me."

Kreet looked up at Sigmundurr. He wasn't protesting, but did she see a flash of anger in his eyes? Probably. She just hoped he would hold it in till they could get out.

Though the pace was erratic for Kreet, who seemed to either be always walking too slowly or trotting too fast, she had gotten used to it in her days as a true slave before being freed from the manacles of the slave trains. She knew this was a life that many, if not most, kobolds were brought up to expect. Like Kallid, they didn't protest. It was expected. They were born servants and would die servants, or they would live the even shorter lives of the wild kobolds like her family had been.

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It was a particularly insidious form of slavery, in that for the most part they were treated well. The drow could be stern taskmasters certainly, but were no more sadistic than other races towards their kobold slaves. For their part, the kobolds didn't exactly complain either. It was a rare kobold indeed that chose to escape from their masters since doing so also meant the loss of regular food, housing and the dangers of the Underdark which they understood all too well. Most kobolds would argue that it was a complementary relationship and totally natural that they should do the bidding of their obviously superior masters.

Even Kreet had to admit to an ingrained sense of inadequacy. She did have pride in her accomplishments, especially rising to the rank of Cleric, but that pride was made all the more important by the fact that she had risen above what anyone expected a small kobold might achieve. What she expected she could achieve! But now, seeing her friend Kallid as the simpering slave to these mere guards made her realize her own inherent racism against her own kind, and she didn't like it. She couldn't blame Kallid - it was the only life he knew. She couldn't blame the drow for the same reason. But she could blame herself. She should know better by now. She had been treated, if not precisely as an equal, at least as a friend by other races. A kobold lacked the strength and the build that the drow and humans possessed, undoubtedly. But there were other things.

She held Kallid's hand and he smiled at her sincerely. She would teach him this. Eventually. But for now, they needed to follow these guards. They left the lights of the city behind them slowly, climbing a ramping pathway with a sheer drop to their right. Even her sight couldn't penetrate the darkness above them where they were presumably heading. Up and out. It had been a long time since she'd seen daylight and she wondered how Kallid would react to it.

He didn't seem nervous anyway. If only he would stop looking at her quite that way - like she was something more than he was. At most she might have been a foot taller, but still far shorter than Sig or the drow. She knew he appreciated her more human-like form, but it was likely more due to the varied and healthier diet she had been privileged to eat. She suspected that any kobold female might well carry breasts like hers - her added height too - if they had that privilege as well. As for her too-wide hips... Well, that seemed to be native to the females of kobold species regardless of diet. She'd gotten used to that. She was average in that department from what she'd seen of the other female kobolds she'd met, and that made her feel better. She had been around humans far too long.

But Kallid looked at her like some sort of goddess. At least he'd stuck up for himself and not agreed with everything she'd said before. She didn't want the father of her children to be nothing but a lap dog. So there was hope there. She couldn't see herself falling in love with someone that just worshiped her. It had its benefits,to be sure, but that would be a hard way to live the rest of your life. Still, she would do it anyway if she were pregnant. He wasn't a bad kobold, and he did have something in his face that appealed to her. She could imagine worse fates than to bring up a clutch with this little guy.

Finally they reached the top of the long incline and turned left into a wide tunnel where they stopped at a stream to rest. Sigmundurr whispered something to her, but she didn't catch what he said, but Urmelena stood up suddenly and struck him across the face.

"No talking, human. You are not in the city any longer."

Kreet stiffened, watching Sigmundurr rub his chin and eye the drow. She wasn't sure how much Sigmundurr could, or would, take of this. It was not his nature to accept such without complaint. His eyes were hard as he stood up slowly and stared back into the drow's face. For the first time, Kreet really looked at the two. Both drow and humans made her and Kallid look puny, but the drow could not compare with the mass of Sigmundurr. She'd seen him in action. An opponent might misjudge his mass for fat, but that opponent would be sorely mistaken. But Urmelena's eyes flashed at his defiance and she stood her ground, not changing her grip on her spear, but Kreet saw her muscles bunch.

Houndil stood up, if only to remind Sigmundurr of his presence. It was a tough position for a drow male, Kreet had come to understand.. The female was almost always the leader of any pair, and the male had to be careful that he didn't offend her by usurping her authority. Though he might be all too eager to help, she had better want his help or he would be punished for assuming she needed that help. Kreet wasn't surprised that he still hadn't said a word. That seemed to be the norm when a male drow was in the presence of a female superior.

Although he was larger than Urmelena, he was still too thin to be a proper threat to the big man. Only their spears and blades evened the odds. Yet it was enough apparently. Sigmundurr looked away and sat back down, and the moment had passed. Urmelena snorted and went back to eating, and Houndil sat back down behind them.

"Not yet," Kreet thought. "But the moment will come, if I know this man. And I'm not certain I know who will win. Worse, I'm not sure who I want to win."