The air was growing noticeably fresher, a good sign that he was walking in the right direction. Lux did his best to remain stoic upon this discovery. Although there was nobody around to witness it, he feared that if he allowed for relief to get a hold of his face, it would inevitably open the gates to all his other barely repressed emotions as well - namely anxiety, claustrophobia, and loneliness. And the moment he stopped masking those, that he knew, he would have no other choice but to succumb to them. Fake it 'til you make it. A mantra that had saved his life before, and would now save it again. Survival was a battle won with the mind.
When the path split in half before him, the half-elf closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and decided to pick the left one. In the faint, gloomy light of lichen and other mushrooms crawling along the tunnel walls of the underdark, his skin seemed almost green, like a creature lurking at the bottom of a murky lake. A fire would have certainly helped cozy up the place, but he did not dare to light one. Nobody who belonged in the Underdark needed fire to find their way around. He might as well have banged a couple of pots together while screaming at the top of his lungs 'HELLO! HERE I AM! QUITE THE SNACK, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF! WANT A BITE?'. Hell no. For this one, he would have to rely on his mother's blood and the superior sight it had gifted him with to conquer the ever present darkness.
He was a fool, no doubt about it. A fool in love, but those were usually worse off anyway. To leave behind the safety of his home, a bustling city full of sunlight and hidden opportunities, and exchange it for the road, blisters on his feet and this dank and dark place full of alien wonders and deadly traps. He could have hitched a ride with one of the traders and traveled straight to Neverwinter or Waterdeep or Baldur's Gate. Somewhere with taverns and shops and people who did not know him, who had yet to be dazzled by his charms and bewitched by his artistry, and would finally - finally! - give him a chance to be the person he knew he could be. And yet... The thought of just walking off like that without telling him had been unbearable. Well. After a good month without seeing the light of the sun, perhaps it was just a little more bearable now.
Was that the sound of water he heard? Not the echo of that noisy moisture dripping form the ceiling, but an actual flowing stream of water? Lux stopped to listen to the darkness around him. Somewhere, right up ahead, the faint soughing sound of water vibrated against slick stone. Lady Luck, be with him now! Could this be the river by the crystal cave he had passed on his way from above? His lips twitched treacherously. Fine. Maybe he could allow himself to show just a little sign of hope.
He started walking again, pace quickened like his heartbeat, until another sound made him stop in his tracks like an umber hulk blocking his path. The sound of footsteps that were not his own.
