Path of Dragons-Chapter 52Book 8: : Unsuited

Everyone stood on the low cliff, staring out at something that should not have existed, especially so far beneath the surface. By Miguel’s estimates, their weeks-long journey through the maze of tunnels and caverns had taken them miles belowground. And yet, looking out at the landscape stretching before him, he could have easily convinced himself that he stood on the surface.

The terrain was characterized by a sea of waist-high grass, the monotony of it broken up only by a few scattered trees here and there. In the distance, Miguel saw a river snaking along for miles and miles until it disappeared from his field of vision. The location alone was enough to beggar belief, but every so often, a subtle breeze would blow through the area, rustling the grass. When it did, a wave of luminescence lit the area in a subtle purple glow.

Up above, Miguel saw gliding bird-like creatures he couldn’t identify. The ceiling was hidden, though. It was too far away and obscured by clouds and twinkling lights that resembled stars. Instinctively, he knew they weren’t. In fact, something told him they were likely examples of more bioluminescence. And yet, it was difficult to remember that when looking up at them.

“I didn’t expect this,” he breathed, wishing Trevor was there to see it. He’d have loved to run across such a savannah.

“No surface dweller ever does,” came a melodic voice. Miguel didn’t need to look her way to know that the dark elf prisoner – Ektara – had spoken. Her hands were bound, but otherwise, she was free to move about. After all, there was nowhere she could go. “The Hollow Depths are a wonder.”

“Damn wondrous, alright,” said Colt. “Now, what kinda dangers should we expect down there, ma’am?”

She gritted her teeth, but after taking a deep breath, she said, “Please do not address me in such a way.”

“Yes, ma’am. The dangers?”

“There are many predators lurking in the grass. Rock snakes are the deadliest, but there are voidstriders as well as stonebeaks.”

“That’s a whole lotta words I don’t understand,” Colt remarked.

The dark elf glared at him, then sighed before launching into an explanation. The rock snakes’ name was literal, and they were snake-like creatures made of gathered rock. Apparently, their venom could turn limbs to stone. The stonebeaks hunted the creatures, and from what the elf described, they were flightless birds that could grow as tall as a man. Because of their preference of prey, their beaks were incredibly durable, and they could hammer through rock with ease.

“And the voidstriders?” asked Miguel.

“They are feline, with two large tentacles emerging from their necks,” she explained. “Those are sensory organs meant to guide it through the nether and –”

Colt interrupted, “The nether?”

“The other side.”

“Still not gettin’ it,” Colt said.

“Teleportation skills require a connection to the nether,” she explained. “Normally, it is impossible to perceive the other side. The voidstriders can. When threatened, they retreat into the nether, only to pounce when you least expect it. If you draw the ire of a voidstrider, the only option is to set a trap, and when it attacks, hope you survive long enough to sever those tentacles.”

“Ah. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Colt said, patting her on the shoulder. “Seems they’d be the most dangerous, though.”

“They rarely hunt large game, and only when they are desperate. They are delicate, finnicky creatures that do not pick fights they cannot win.”

“Like a cheetah,” Miguel supplied.

“I do not know what that is,” the dark elf responded. If she’d been human, she might have rolled her eyes. As it stood, she just flicked her eyes disdainfully in his direction.

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Miguel clutched his fist. Though Ektara had been less than forthcoming about everything else, she had been relatively helpful with regard to their destination, likely in the interests of survival. If they wandered down the wrong tunnel, the entire group could be killed – including her.

But that didn’t mean he liked her.

She wasn’t just dismissive. She looked at them with an undisguised sense of superiority. That display of arrogance would have been impressive if it wasn’t so annoying. Still, she was a necessary evil, and without her help, the group would have spent years wandering the tunnels.

If they managed to survive that long.

The caves and caverns leading to the Hollow Depths weren’t just populated by mushroom monsters or huge and aggressive creatures made of rock. No – the maze of tunnels played host to a wide variety of deadly threats ranging from reptiles that spit caustic goo to insects whose stings, if left untreated, could kill a Warrior after only an hour. As a result, Lala had been quite busy.

“How far?” asked Colt.

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“We must cross the plains, then circle the Far Sea. Only then will we find the exit you seek.”

The only reason she had agreed to help at all was because they’d promised to release her when they found their way to the surface. Miguel wasn’t certain if anyone intended to keep that promise – after all, she was the enemy, and the dark elves had earned quite a bit of enmity by attacking unprovoked – but thankfully, that wasn’t his choice to make.

He was just another soldier. A strong one, but not someone anyone would put in charge. He relished that role, largely because he didn’t want to be the one to make those sorts of decisions. All it took was a single glance at Katis to reaffirm that notion. The dwarven woman bore her responsibilities stoically, but the weight of everyone’s fate clearly wore on her.

“That don’t help a bit, and you know it. How far, elf?” asked Katis.

“At least a hundred miles to the sea. Perhaps twice that to circle it.”

“I swear, talkin’ to you is like pullin’ teeth,” Colt said. “You know we’re all in the same boat, right? We die, you die.”

“I am well aware of my situation.”

“Piece of advice, then – act like it,” Colt stated.

After that, the group got moving. Dismounting the cliff wasn’t difficult. It was only fifteen feet tall, so most of them could simply jump. The others used ropes, and soon enough, they were all on their way.

Entering the grassland was an exercise in anxiety. Not being able to see potential predators was difficult enough, but the sheer strangeness of the environment certainly contributed to their collective trepidation. Still, Miguel and the others marshalled their courage and continued along.

The first attack came after only fifteen minutes, when a group of stonebeaks set upon them. The creatures were a little bigger than emus, with short, stubby beaks that could shatter bone with ease, and they came in a group of more than a dozen. Fighting them off took everyone’s combined efforts, and even then, the battle left a few people grievously wounded.

Lala immediately got to work, but it wasn’t long before her ethera ran dry. Thankfully, she’d managed to heal the most life-threatening injuries. So, Katis made the choice to keep moving while Lala regained her ethera.

After that, they experienced all the dangers the savannah had to offer. Not only were they attacked by the creatures the dark elf had described, but they ran afoul of plenty of other beasts as well. Even as Miguel fought shoulder-to-shoulder with his companions, he spared a thought for his previous experiences. If he’d been alone, it was likely that he never would have been attacked so frequently.

Unfortunately, he was part of a much larger group, and they seemed to act as a lodestone for bestial activity.

He didn’t have much time for idle thoughts, though. Instead, as they carved a path across the plain, he was forced to focus on the task at hand. The first few hours were the worst, but it wasn’t long before they encountered their first voidstrider.

The attack came as a surprise when it pounced on Lala. Thankfully, Colt was right next to her when the creature bit into the back of her neck, and he reacted swiftly, severing the creature’s sensory tentacles. They waved through the air like whips, four or five feet long and barbed with sharp hooks. Colt dismembered them in two strokes of his sword, which sent the monster reeling. It twitched and tried to run away, but Miguel was there before it could flee.

One attack, and its head rolled free.

But by that point, the damage was done. Lala survived, but not without losing a significant amount of blood. She used her healing spells to keep herself alive, but it was clear that unless they stopped – and soon – she wasn’t going to make it.

So, Katis gave the command to make camp.

The first order of business was to trample the grass so nothing could sneak up on them, which they followed by erecting their tents and establishing sentries. Their defenses weren’t the stoutest, but in their current situation, it was the best they could manage.

For his part, Miguel took one of the sentry posts, where he remained throughout the night, which was characterized by a slight darkening of the bioluminescence far above. It still wasn’t dark, but it wasn’t quite as bright either.

So it went for the next eight hours until Lala announced that she was ready to move. After that, they broke camp and, with the Healer surrounded by Warriors, they continued on their way.

It took almost a week to reach the sea, and each day was punctuated by more attacks. They only lost a couple of people along the way, but every fallen Warrior weakened their morale and decreased their chances of survival. Miguel didn’t know either of the casualties except in passing, but both had friends among the survivors.

They took it stoically, but even Miguel could tell that they weren’t far from breaking. He’d seen it before when he and the others had fled Easton, so he was well aware of just how far people could be pushed.

The sea in question was more like a large lake, and it thankfully featured fresh water. Unfortunately, it also hosted even deadlier beasts. Mostly, they stuck to deeper waters, but there were crocodile-like creatures that hunted closer to shore. So, when the group began their journey to circle it, they remained extremely wary. In addition, they didn’t camp close to the water, instead retreating a few hundred yards.

That was a good thing too, because like a watering hole in a savannah, it was a frequent meeting spot of dangerous creatures. The only reason the group wasn’t destroyed was because there seemed to be a tentative truce near the water. Whether that was simple instinct, priorities, or evidence of higher intelligence wasn’t clear, but everyone was thankful for it nonetheless.

Of course, that wasn’t to say they weren’t forced to fight anymore. The trip around the lake was fraught with danger, and the group lost three more people over the next two-and-a-half weeks.

But then, at last, they found the tunnel the dark elf claimed would lead them to the surface.

For three more days, they traveled upward. Sometimes, they were forced to double back and retrace their steps, but for the most part, their way was unobstructed. Or at least that was the case until they found another cave-in.

Miguel knelt next to the pile of rocks, looking at a single limb extending from the rubble.

“Dark elf,” he said.

“Illythiri,” Colt interjected. “Dark elf is a slur to them.”

“Oh.”

“Elf’s fine,” the Samurai provided. “It’s the ‘dark’ part that gets ‘em riled up.”

Isaak, who stood nearby, said, “What are we going to do?”

As he spoke, he looked back the way they’d come. About half a mile back, the others had set up camp while Miguel, Colt, and Isaak looked for a way through. There wasn’t one, meaning that they were trapped.

“I don’t rightly know,” Colt admitted, removing his hat. He’d taken being trapped underground better than most, but it was clear that it had begun to wear on him as well. People weren’t meant to live so far beneath the surface. “But we need to figure it out soon. The rest ain’t gonna last much longer like this.”

With that in mind, they headed back to the camp, each one wondering what might come next. There was no way forward. They couldn’t go back. If that didn’t change – and soon – the Hollow Depths would be their tomb.