The journey back was made in contemplative silence, and through a different tunnel than before. The musk of age felt less overpowering this way, and the air fresher. Slowly the distant echo of water faded into nothingness, a sign that they were moving away from where the Niafi cut a serpentine path through the heart of the City.
A chittering echoed to the left of the man, and he paused in the darkness to peer down. Though even his eyes could not pierce the darkness, he'd tread enough footsteps to know the piddling movements of his little rat friends. They cared not for the sanctity of this place. To them, these ancient tunnels were just like all the pathways in Essyrn. It was an oddly liberating concept.
The sound of the rat also meant that they were near the exit. Up ahead, the wall would seem uneven and segmented to the touch, as though its architect had meant it to be climbed. "Be careful here, the stones are worn to the touch. Follow my lead closely." And with a slow but practiced ease he began scaling the wall in complete utter darkness, toward the hidden exit above that blocked the forgotten palace from the bazaar above.