"This area was popular for its emerozite, which is what they used to make gemcoins. Now’days, emerozite’s so scarce that it’s worth more than ten coppers. So your silver pieces each have the value of ten pieces of green glass."

Kyri pretended to be interested in the hunk of green crystal that Choppiri was waving at her. She had Unicorn under one arm and a torch in the other hand. She rocked back on her heels as the dwarf explained the tunnel’s history. She was impressed that so much information could pertain to an elongated hole in the ground.

Choppiri lead her to a small rope fence across the tunnel’s diameter and began to explain what was past it. "When they were drillin’ in hopes of extendin’ the space, the ended up breaking through into a big cavern. You may have seen the main entrance to it when you arrived, but it’s a-swarmin’ with as many big hungry beasts as the rest o’ the place.

"There’s this rumor about some really valuable jewel hidden down there, but it’s not a natural mineral. That jewel’s gotta be some stupid rumor, but lotsa stupid people have gone into the cave looking for it. None them’s ever come out save some elf that stumbled to the entrance and bled to death ‘fore anyone could help ‘im."

"A jewel?" Kyri asked. Success.

"Yep. Even if it’s down there, it ain’t worth risking your life." He waved his torch for emphasis.

"What sort of animals are in there?"

"Lotsa things. Bats are common. The smaller ones come in here all the time, but there are some huge ones back there. The place doesn’t strike me as being big on plant life, so they’re pro’ly carnivorous. There’s some big felines in there too…. Someone mentioned a gorgon but that’s unlikely…. Might be dragons down there. And the cockatrice are famous."

"Cockatrice? What are those?" Kyri asked.

"A cockatrice is a white venomous bird that defends itself by peckin’ whatever provokes it. Whatever it pecks is infected with the venom. This type o’ venom—wuzzit called? Petramirafisomething, or whatever—it turns a person to stone. Like a statue. To the best of anyone’s knowledge, that’s the equivalent of dead. If it weren’t for them cockatrice, we’d have a lot more idiots goin’ in there and gettin’ eaten by the other stuffs. They scare away the semi-stupid folks."

"How far away is that cavern entrance?" Kyri asked.

"Mmm… ‘bout twenty yards?"

"…May I keep this torch, sir?"

"We offer little pieces of iron as a souvenir."

"I’d rather have the torch."

"Suit yourself…." His eyes nearly popped out of his head when Kyri picked up the edges of her skirt and swung her leg over the rope. "Hey, Missy! That rope’s there for a reason! There are hungry things past that hole, but they come this-a-way sometimes! Get back here!" He jumped the rope and jogged after her.

"I need that jewel, sir. It might be magical."

"Magical?! There’s a new one!"

Kyri reached the gap in the wall and began to enlarge it by poking at the soft dirt.

"That’s supposed to help keep the critters out!" Choppiri snapped.

"I’m sorry," Kyri said, "I’ll try to fix it when I get through."

"Why do ya want that jewel so bad?!"

"I… don’t want to talk about it," Kyri asked. I want to save the world? That’s not why.

"You’re not listening to me…" Choppiri grumbled.

"I’m sorry, sir."

Choppiri emitted a growl. "There’s a steep drop past that hole. Since… you’re so determined… I’ll help you down fer your own good." He took a rope with a grappling hook out of his pack. "Ya won’t do good at dodgin’ them cockatrice if you’re all bruisey and whatnot."

Kyri smiled gratefully. "Thank you." She latched the grappling hook into the dirt and slid down the rope after Unicorn.

"I’ll leave this here…" Choppiri said, adding, "Crazy nutcase…."

Unicorn hopped onto Kyri’s head to give her better use of her staff and torch. Kyri shuddered as her torchlight revealed the movement of a large beetle on the cave wall. There wasn’t much to see save dirt and rocks, but there were distant squeaky sounds and an unpleasant musty smell. She advanced warily through the tunnels.

"I hope this isn’t a big maze down here…" Kyri said worriedly as they reached a fork in the tunnel. It’d be nearly impossible to find one little orb in a huge dark creep insect-filled maze.

"You can’t go wrong with right," Unicorn piped up.

Kyri considered. There was no reason to go left. She was aware that the faint squeaks had gotten louder, but they echoed too much to determine their origin. She stared down the right path, pressed her lips together, and walked in that direction.

She looked around nervously as she walked. She was very positive that the squeaks were much louder. The tunnel was widening as well. The ceiling rose and the ground lowered. Suddenly the sounds seemed to come from directly above her. The torchlight was swallowed by the darkness and reveal nothing, so she fought the urge to turn back and walked rigidly on.

She inhaled deeply, ignoring the cavern’s musty scent. Mama always said, ‘Courage gets you through things; courage gets it done,’ she thought, holding her breath. She was reminded of her mother, and she blinked forcefully to fight off her tears. She silently repeated, Courage gets you through things; courage gets it done. Courage gets you through things; courage gets it done….

A rat-sized piece of the shadows flitted across the floor inches from her foot. The suddenness made her jump, scream, and drop the torch. Unicorn lost her balance and landed on the floor near the still-lit torch.

Kyri, temporarily traumatized, heard Unicorn say something about the shadowed thing being some sort of rodent; she stood where she was, twitchy, wide-eyed, and frozen with start.

"Kyri!" Unicorn hissed, bringing her to partial sense. Kyri followed her gaze upward and nearly fainted at the sight of many pairs of orange glowing eyes.

The creature that owned one pair detached its hold on the ceiling. It feel a ways before it spread a set of wings that spanned across more than six feet. Kyri let out another scream and dropped to her knees as the creature flew over her. The creature’s companions took flight, and the air was filled with the sounds of flapping wings and high-pitched calls.

One of the beasts hovered down and slapped at Kyri with its large leathery wings. She cringed and curled up, whimpering. Unicorn bounced into a rock and used her quick burst-like ricochet to ram the bat in the head. It was knocked to the ground where it landed hard. Its wings crumple beneath its impact and made a few snapping noises. The sounds of the other bats blared to a higher volume as they became frantic.

"Kyri!" Unicorn snapped, "You have a staff for a reason!"

Kyri wiped off her tears with a dusty hand. She tightened her fingers on her staff and edged toward the torch. She stood shakily and braced herself in the dome of illumination it provided. Many bats swooped down upon her. They made a quick swipe with their feet or claws, usually missing, and flew back up. Kyri readied herself and slammed the top of her staff into an approaching bat. It flapped wildly and darted away.

After a few more whacks, a sudden horrible sound ripped through the cavern. The bats emitted a blood-chilling scream in unison and quickly made themselves scarce.

It was too sudden for Kyri to have scared them away. Unicorn had been fighting with her oddly powerful ricochet technique, but she seemed confused as well. Kyri jumped as a statue of one of the larger bats fell to the ground. It was a perfectly carved piece of stone depicting the bat’s flight, but the thin wings were smashed into gravel as it slammed into the dirt.

A bird scarcely larger than a pigeon landed on the statue’s cracked body. It was white with long blue-tipped feathers on its crest, wingtips, and tail. Its beak curved slightly to a sharp point, and its black eyes blinked innocently. It cocked its head to the side and looked at Kyri with apparent thoughtfulness.

"Is that a…?" Kyri asked.

The cockatrice flapped and cried out. Similar calls answered, and about five other white shapes appeared and began to fly in a circle. The first cockatrice took flight and swooped up at Kyri. She ducked while waving her staff at it. She snatched up the torch and waved it at the other birds to drive them away. One of them swerved and dived at her face.

She dropped her staff as she felt its talons clawing at her cheek. The cockatrice made a quick upward sweep of its head, and its beak left a vertical line of blood in her skin. The bird shrieked. They all backed away and continued their circular motion.

Unicorn rubbed against her leg and asked, "Did its beak scratch you, Kyri?"

Kyri felt her cheek and looked at her blood in fear. A wave a panic made her shiver. Her fingers felt very stiff. It’s just my imagination, she told herself. She painfully flexed her bloody hand.

"Pick your staff up so we can run," Unicorn said. She tensed as if she was about to bounce. "Use the torch to keep them away."

Kyri picked her staff up in her blood-covered left hand and got ready to run. Unicorn bounced and used the ground for another forceful ricochet. Her bullet-like motion scattered the birds, and Kyri darted through the opening. They made a beeline for the tunnel from which they came.

Kyri stumbled and fell. She could hardly bend her knees, and her stiff fingers seemed to be adhered together. Unicorn bounced back to her as the cockatrices caught up and continued to flock overhead. They were very patient.

"Come on, Kyri," Unicorn coaxed, "Get up. You can do it…."

One of the cockatrices squawked. A few of them parted from the circle and returned with a rock in their talons. Kyri squeaked in pain as the rocks were tossed onto her. Unicorn bit her sleeve and tried to pull her, but she wouldn’t move.

A cockatrice cried out as it was knocked out of its flight. It fell to the dirt with a bloody gash digging through its carcass. A few others were chopped out of the air. Kyri forced herself to sit up, ignoring the cockatrices’ new target. Unicorn’s horn glowed as the little creature prepared to help her heal herself.

By the time they were done with their magic, the birds were all dead or frightened away. Kyri looked up to see Aikel offering his hand her. Her stiffness caused by the birds’ venom had been replaced by the stiffness caused by fatigue. She wavered as he helped her up, and she grabbed his shoulder for balance. She felt him flinch as her hand collided with uneven flesh that was hot, wet, and sticky.

"You’re hurt," she mumbled, observing his other wounds. A few were covered with badly wrapped bandages. Pegasus was fairly uninjured, but he looked worn and tired.

"We came in here with what those dwarves called the main entrance," Aikel said, "There were some nasty things, but it’s no big deal."

Even in the dark, Kyri could see the wetness in his eyes. He was almost in tears from the pain. She looked at Unicorn, who made a nodding motion, and the two of them concentrated on a spell. Aikel started to speak, but he fell silent as Kyri pressed her glowing palms against his collar bone.

He blinked as he watched his skin seal itself up. He saw Kyri swoon, and he put his hand up to steady her.

She flashed an embarrassed grin. The grin shifted to a small giggle as she said, "You look like a half-raveled mummy…!"

He didn’t disagree with her, seeing as he had put on his own bandages, but he rolled his eyes for lack of a better response. He sighed and said, "Well, I assume you’re down here for the same reason we are, so we might as well get it over with together." He noted the accidental hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Alright…" Kyri said quietly.

After a moment of conversing, they determined that they come from different paths in the same tunnel. That direction led to both exits, so they’d have to go the way Kyri and Unicorn had been going before the bats had attacked them. Aikel tried to use Kyri’s torch to relight his own, but it refused to hold more than a few sparks. He took the lead with Kyri’s torch and gestured for the others to follow him.

After a few minutes of walking down the tunnel, Aikel heard Unicorn say something to Kyri. He looked back. Kyri was a few yards behind him, mostly shadowed. She was gripping her staff and walking slowly, hobbling almost. Unicorn was on her shoulder looking worried.

"We don’t have all century…" Aikel stated curtly. He spoke it more quietly than he’d meant to, and he didn’t think she’d hear him clearly. Yet she seemed hurt, and her sad blue eyes drilled through him when she looked up. He shivered and said, "Come on…."

She sped up enough to stay behind him. He glanced at Pegasus, who was flying at his side. The little creature looked concerned. Aikel pressed his lips together worriedly. Kyri let out a small gasp.

There was a tail on the ground a few feet ahead of Aikel. It connected to a large brown quadruped that was resting against a rock. The creature had its head raised and looked at them through gold eyes that were tired but wary. The feline bristled its shaggy fur and started to stand.

"I… think we woke it up…" Pegasus whimpered. The cat growled and crouched. Aikel traded the torch to his left hand and reached for his sword.

The cat lunged. Aikel swung his blade at it, but it shoved past him. It startled Kyri into the tunnel’s wall, swiping at her with its claws. She whimpered and tried to hit it with her staff. Aikel swung at it again, slicing its ribs. Kyri screamed as the claws ripped her skirt. Unicorn slammed into the beast’s head.

The cat backed away from the onslaught and observed them. After a moment, it turned and jogged down the tunnel. Kyri slid down the wall and came to a rest on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Aikel asked her, sheathing his sword. The response was a squeaky groan.

"You’re hurt?" Unicorn asked, rubbing against Kyri’s knee, "Come on, we can heal you."

When Kyri moved, Aikel saw the wound that ran down most of her left thigh. She positioned herself in front of Unicorn as she always did while healing.

"Concentrate," Unicorn reminded. It took longer for her to transfer the energy to Kyri. The sphere of light that formed in the girl’s hands took time to grow. She seemed to give the light a weak shove into the wound.

"Are you okay…?" Aikel repeated after a moment.

Kyri forced herself to stand, and she hobbled over to the rock the cat had been leaning against. She sat on it and hugged her staff close to her.

Aikel observed her leg. It was unwounded, though her skirt was torn from mid-thigh to the bottom hem. He wondered why she’d picked that time to sit down and said, "Uh… we should probably go…."

Kyri repositioned her staff as if she’d need it to stand, but Unicorn stopped her. "She’s gotta rest awhile. She just used three spells in a short amount of time. It really drains her."

"Hmm…" Aikel grumbled. He progressed through the tunnel for a few feet and leaned against the wall. Through the corner of his eye, he saw Kyri look up at him with a sad pleading gaze.

Leave it to a girl to act so dependent, he thought bitterly. It would be biased for him too judge all females that way, but it just figured that he’d be stuck in a cave with the weak and helpless weirdo….

After several minutes, he let out an impatient sigh. Kyri forced herself to stand, but still quivered and clung to her staff.

"Are you ready?" Aikel asked blandly. Kyri nodded, her stance wavering. Aikel said, "Let me see your staff for a minute." He moved toward her and held out his free hand.

She look at him uncertainly. She leaned cautiously against the wall, gripped it with one hand, and held her staff forward.

He pushed it back toward her, bitterly saying, "You can’t even stand up on your own. Sit back down before you hurt yourself."

"I’ll be okay," Kyri mumbled, looking hurt. Pegasus and Unicorn looked at her worriedly.

"You’re about half-recharged," Aikel snapped, "You’re too weak, and you’re going to get hurt again. What if that happens in a spot more dangerous than this? What if we have to do some climbing?"

Kyri sat back down and stared at the dirt beneath her. A tear slid down her cheek, but she tried to hide it by letting her hair hang in the way.

Aikel went back to his spot and sighed. "Look. I’m not going to leave you here or anything."

She nodded and tried to hide a sniffle.

After an hour and a half of waiting, they were ready to continue. Kyri could walk without support, but she occasionally found herself having to jog a few yards to keep up with Aikel and Pegasus. They began to enter another large cavern, and she put out extra effort into staying close to the torch’s light.

"What’s that noise…?" she murmured worriedly.

"I dunno…. Probably something with really huge teeth," Aikel answered casually, "For all I know it could be right behind us… ready to snapped your head right off…."

Kyri gave a terrified whimper and pressed herself against him while rubbing her neck. He stopped walking and gave her an annoyed glare.

"Aikel, have some compassion," she heard Pegasus whisper, "Can’t you tell she’s scared enough?"

"I’m not scared," she countered before Aikel could respond. She saw him roll his eyes. "I’m just being cautious…."

"Right…." Aikel said sarcastically, trying to edge away from the physical contact he had with her. He continued walking and left her hurrying to catch up.

She was sure she’d heard something. Something like a large creature walking slowly in the soft dirt. It could be just beyond the torchlight. Anything more than five feet away was invisible. And it could have a reach of more than five feet.

As tense as these thoughts made her, she nearly fainted when Aikel stopped and caused her to bump into him. She looked up expecting to see his disapproving glare. Instead he was looking into the shadows to their left.

He squinted, trying to see. Pegasus and Unicorn fidgeted as his eyes widened. The torchlight was reflected in a pair of large yellow eyes. Kyri whimpered and saw Aikel’s eyes widen further.

"Oh, sh…!" His exclamation was swallowed up by the creature’s loud echoing roar. He unsheathed his sword and swung it as the beast lunged forward. In the vagueness of the torchlight, Kyri could see a reptile that dwarfed the one she encountered in the woods. The brown-scaled dragon gave Aikel a warning snap. He held the torch toward Kyri and told her, "Stay back."

She took the torch and watched him ready himself. The dragon’s head snapped forward for another attack. He dug the end of his blade into its muzzle. The beast bellowed in pain and drew away.

"Come on!" Aikel grabbed Kyri’s wrist and ran with her. Unicorn was being carried under the arm she used to hold the torch, and Pegasus was flying behind them. The far end of the cavern narrowed into another tunnel, and they ran for it. Kyri’s arm hurt as Aikel pulled on it. He ran much faster than she did.

The dragon ran after them and used its impossibly large wing to slap them from behind and knock them forward. Kyri dropped her staff, the torch, and Unicorn as she stumbled and fell. Her head made a painful collision with a stone.