The flickering light of the lanterns cast long shadows that danced with every step we took. Our footsteps echoed in the long-empty tunnel that seemed to have no end. Despite having come here centuries ago, I had never walked the tunnels like this before. I had always used a carriage drawn by my undead. The journey had been swift and monotonous.
Everything was so different now. Walking slowly through the dimly lit mountain of stone gave the caves an ethereal feel. The darkness seemed to press in on us from all sides as if it wanted to devour us completely. To conserve what little oil we had, only a couple lanterns could be lit at any one time. Otherwise, our supplies might run out before we reached the exit. I shuddered to think about our fate if that happened.
These tunnels were not just one straight line. Dozens of smaller branch tunnels led to the abandoned mines picked clean of anything valuable centuries ago. If we lost our light and had to walk this path blindly, wandering into an old mineshaft would be a death sentence. There was no telling how deep those winding shafts reached, and they were even less stable than the main tunnel and we passed more than one mine shaft that had completely collapsed.
For now, all we could do was keep moving forward and stick to the areas that looked safe. it was impossible to tell what time it was, but I guessed that by now it must be morning. We had walked the entire night, barely resting for a few minutes the entire time. Everyone was tired, but nobody wanted to risk staying in this place longer than we had to.
Even without the constant risk of a cave-in, there was still Irene’s undead. I had no doubt that right now they were trying to dig into the collapsed tunnels and chase after us. Now that her army had gathered, she would not give up the pursuit just because some rocks and dirt blocked her path. We had to make it out of the caves before they caught up to us, or we would have to collapse the tunnels behind us again. That was not a gamble I was willing to take twice.
“Are you sure you know where you are going?” Donte whispered as he walked over to me. His eyes were flickered between the distant shadows ahead of us and the many side tunnels that led to the mining shafts. “Something feels off about this place. The air feels… strange.”
“Probably,” I replied with a casual shrug, “It has been hundreds of years since I was last here, but I remember that if enough to know we continue straight after entering. This part is easy. It is the second half we need to worry about. There is a large natural cavern at the center of the mountain. The path splits into more than a dozen paths there. We will have to choose the right tunnel there, or risk getting lost. Once upon a time, there were signs to direct travelers, but after so many years I am guessing the wood has long rotted away.”
“What do we do if-”
Donte was interrupted as the back doors to our wagon burst open. Esben strode out with a big smile on his face as he took a deep breath and shouted, “Good morning, everyone!” Esben paused for a moment as he looked around at the dark caverns and his dour men trudging along. “Why is everyone so gloom? Perk up, men. We are on a grand adventure! Most of us even survived. We should be celebrating, not acting like some just kicked your favorite pet.”
A weathered mercenary I recognized as Habil, walked up to Esben murmuring something under his breath before speaking up. “Captain, we really need to talk about us continuing this job. These people have taken us underground… Underground! We do not even know if there is a way out or not. The land of the dead is not a place for men to tread.”
“Calm yourself old friend,” Esben replied as he places his arm over the flustered mercenary, “It is not so bad here. It is better than that job down at the southern coast. Compared to two months of rain as we guarded the reconstruction of that old fort, this is nothing. At least we are dry, well-fed, and not under constant threat of bandit attacks.”
“You think getting driven underground by a horde of fake Vaktare is better? We lost the wagons holding all our food supplies during the cave in you slept through. At least we were getting paid for that disaster down at the coast. We are doing this job for what? Your pride? Now, we will starve in the dark, deep in this unforgiving land. Our corpses will never be found and we will never be able to fight against the Great Demise!”
Esben coughed uncomfortably as he glanced at his men. “Listen Habil, I know you do not like being underground, but we agreed to do this job. I have no intention of going back on my words now just because we had a single setback. I will continue until the mission is complete. If you do not like it, you are always free to leave. You if you want to wander these caves alone without the only people that know anything about them, be my guest.”
Habil took a step back from Esben as he nervously stared into the dark void of the cave outside the flickering light from the lanterns. I saw him swallow nervously as he shook his head. “No, I am sorry. I let my fear get the better of me. I know we need to stick together in times of hardship. I have followed you for all these years, I will not abandon you now. I just…”
“I know Habil. You do not have to say it. Underground is no place for men. When we get out of here, I promise, no more missions that send us underground unless we have no other choice.”
Habil nodded solemnly as he rejoined the other mercenaries walking in front of the wagon. Esben gave a confident smile as he stretched his stiff muscles for a few moments before moving towards where Donte and I walked behind the wagon. He gave a cursory glance at the sling on my right arm as he spoke, “Seems like I slept through quite the harrowing escape. How are you kids holding up.”
Donte grimaced slightly. “Honestly, I can understand your friend a bit. This place gives me the creeps.”
“Don’t mind Habil’s superstitious nonsense,” Esben replied with a hearty laugh, “He has a problem with confined spaces. Any cave would be the same to him. I am not really sure why, but all men have their fears. I will not fault Habil for his.” Esben then turned to look at me, “What do you think girl? Are you afraid of the monsters lurking in the shadows deep underground?”
“Actually, I have always liked it underground.” I said, rubbing the back of my head with my good hand as I walked, “Something about places like this has always made me feel comfortable, especially natural caves. The air is cool and the way time and weather have worn away at the rock always fascinated me.”
“Really?” Donte remarked looking at me in surprise, then started rubbing his chin, “Now that I think about it, back at Nebula Tower, there was that giant underground cavern where you kept-”
I stomped on Donte’s foot, causing him to yelp in pain and nearly trip. Donte was about to protest the abuse when I silenced him with a glare. The mercenaries already had enough suspicions about me. I did not need Donte to add more with his careless speech.
Esben gave a hearty laugh. He did not comment on Donte’s slip up, but I could see Esben’s eyes twinkle with excitement as he glanced at me. “I am more inclined to side with Donte here than you. For the Kala people, the underground is not a place for the living. However, I can understand your side as well. These caverns are incredible. How long do you think they took to build something like this?”
“From what I remember… reading… the man who built this place started when he developed an innate talent in his teens, he did not finish the first tunnel all the way through the mountain until he was in his fifties. The process sped up after that as the area became a central trade hub for the region and more valuable metals were discovered during the digging. I do not think the creator ever stopped digging right up to the day he died at over one hundred years old. Almost everyone called him crazy or at the very least, he was unnaturally obsessed. Many claimed he was searching for a great treasure buried deep underground, but he could never find it so he just kept digging and searching until his death. There are rumors that the great treasure is still here, hiding underneath the mountain, just waiting for the next ambitious man to dig it up.”
“That is amazing!” Donte jumped excitedly. “What kind of treasure could drive a man to such lengths?”
I shrugged, and immediately regretted it as my injured shoulder screamed at me in pain. I took a deep breath, waiting for the pain to elapse before I continued speaking. “I would not put much stock in that rumor. From what I heard; the treasure was something that was fabricated to draw more people to the mountain to assist in the excavation. There was never any proof that something was actually hidden here. I think the original creator just wanted the money from the mines and the tolls he charged every person that walked through these passageways. He died an extremely wealthy man. Very few treasures could measure up to his personal wealth.”
“Doesn’t that just mean the treasure here must have been truly amazing? If he was that rich but still searched for it tirelessly it must have been really incredible.”
I shook my head with a sigh. “Do not believe every rumor you hear. People lie for their own benefit all the time. If you believe them, you could waste your entire life chasing an illusion.”
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“But if you just dismiss them all, you could miss something incredible. I think I would rather chase after an illusion and live an exciting life full of legends than reject everything just because there is no proof and live a grey existence devoid of any magic or mystery. Some of those incredible legends might actually be true!” I saw Donte’s face turn red and his next words came out as barely a whisper that only I could hear. “After all, I found you.”
Esben gave Donte a big smile as he put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I like your way of thinking kid. Sometimes believing in a legend is more fun, even if it’s not true. You and I will show all those doubters how awesome we are when we find a real living legend. Then, all the girls will be throwing themselves at us because of how amazing we are.”
Donte nodded silently. His face was still visibly red despite the dim light of the lanterns.
“Don’t expect that to happen anytime soon,” I replied, coming to a stop and placing a hand on my hip, “Girls are not that shallow.”
Esben started laughing hard at that, hunching over and practically wheezing as he patted Donte’s shoulder with a few hard slaps. “I am a man that can change his looks to anyone you can imagine. You think I do not know how shallow girls can be?”
Donte pulled away from Esben’s grip as he softly mumbled a reply. “Not all girls are like that.”
“Too true, too true,” Esben replied, straightening up. he seemed visibly troubled for a flash before his normal jubilar expression returned. “But the girl that loves you for who you are inside without a care for anything else is even rarer than those legends and myths of old. If you ever find one, treasure them, because even a mountain of gold is not worth one moment by their side.”
Donte walked in silence as he stared at the ground. Esben was completely undisturbed by the awkward atmosphere he had created as he kept up with Donte’s pace.
“Tell you what kids, I will make a bet with you. I like bets.”
“You still owe me an axe from the last bet you made,” I said dourly.
“Ha! True enough. All the more reason for another bet between us.”
“I am not giving up my knife no matter what your bet is.”
“No, no, this is just for fun. Nothing that serious. It is something of a long-term bet that none of us may ever win. I want to bet on whether or not we first find a legend from old or if any of the three of us can find a true love that cares nothing for looks, wealth, or power.”
“That a pretty high bet,” I replied with a frown, “What are the stakes?”
“If someone finds true love first, the other two will give that person half their total assets in wealth as a wedding gift, but if we find a true legend first, the discoverer gets to make one absolute request of the other two.”
I narrowed my eyes as I glanced at Esben. “You seem pretty confident to risk half your wealth like this. It does not sound like this is a bet just for fun.”
“Bets are only fun when the stakes are high. Otherwise, the bet is pointless.”
“We agree!” Donte blurted out before I could say anything.
I bit my lip as I glanced over at Donte. I could not fathom what he could be thinking right now. shaking my head, I sighed. “Fine, but I have to add two conditions. First, the legend cannot be anything recorded in the Church of the Realms. Second, the request cannot be anything that we disagree with morally.”
Both Donte and Esben looked disappointed at my additions to the bet, but I felt this was something I needed to add for my own safety. Knowing Donte, he might just try and claim me as a legend and win right away. Esben also paused and he probably already had something in mind as a legend when he suggested this bet, but even though the two boys hesitated for a moment, in the end, they agreed to my conditions, and the bet was formed.
“Alright! I am definitely going to win this!” Donte shouted excitedly, and before anyone could stop him the boy had already run off to the front of the group and started peering down the mining shafts as if he was going to find the legend of the mountain right now.
I shook my head and Esben chuckled. “He has spirit. I will give him that. Are you not worried he might actually find something?”
“What is there to find? These tunnels might have been abandoned for the past few hundred years, but before that, this was one of the most populated trade routes in the empire. Hundreds of thousands of people passed through here every year. If there was anything, they would have found it by now.”
Esben and I traded a few jokes about what constituted a legend as we continued to walk down the tunnel, but less than an hour later I heard a shout from the front of the group. Donte’s gasped in surprise as he reached the large natural cavern that had once been the junction point that split the different tunnels the cut through the mountain.
What lay before our eyes was not the simple large cave I remembered. The moment we exited the tunnel, it was as if we had stepped into a different world. No longer dark and foreboding, the high roof of the cave was lit up by long vines covered in a white glowing fruit that pushed away the shadows. The ground was a sea of thick green moss that felt as if we were walking on a mattress. A glowing blue butterfly flittered in front of my face before landing on a delicate blue flower with glowing white veins. It was as if we had walked into a dream.
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