“Who are you guys?” Rixam asked.

“They’re my comrades. I was planning on getting kidnapped, so they could follow and learn the location of the poachers' base in this city.”

“Ah, so that’s why you didn’t want them killed, huh? My bad.”

Dreiki pat Rixam’s back, “Nothing to worry about! There’s always other days, but I think the two of you would know the information we’re after, right?”

Savekio sized them up, “Venator children eh? Reckless ones too by the looks of it.” he said, looking at the skewered xio, “Now that one of them’s dead, we’re going to have a more difficult time figuring out everyone involved. I’ll hide the body-”

“Oh, allow me, please.” Gornax said, stomping the ground and opening a ten foot deep pit. He slid the xio off the spear’s shaft in a grotesque squelching display that lasted just a bit too long. The xio was unceremoniously tossed into the pit and closed up.

“It’ll take a little bit before they find him.”

“Not unless they go searching with some earth users like yourself.” Savekio said, “But it should buy us enough time to proceed.”

“Who are the two of you?”

“The name’s Loktiir.” Savekio said.

Rixam nodded, glancing over to Luna, “And you?”

Luna simply turned her head.

“Quiet one, huh?”

“Rixam and Gornax, was it?” Savekio started, “What do you know of the trafficking in the area?”

“For one thing, we know they’re a menace to these streets. And for another, we’ve got a good idea of where some of their hideouts are,” Rixam said.

“Can you lead us to one of them?” Dreiki asked.

“Sure, but one thing first, why should we follow you? As far as I’m concerned, an old xio and two children is hardly enough to storm those poachers. Me and Gornax can barely pick them off by surprise, and there’s a lot more crawling around the back alleys than we know what to do with.”

Rixam wasn’t cynical in his words. He spoke as if he was worried for the three of them. “Appearances can be deceiving, and that’s exactly why the three of us can get past their defenses and attack from within.”

“Even if we catch them by surprise, I want to avoid blood on my hands.”

“Every moment spent in hesitation is the blood of a child being spilt over our own,” Savekio interjected, “Your concern is admirable, but I’m not that old just yet.”

“Even if you’re not-”

“I got an idea, Rix,” Gornax spoke up, seeing a stalemate, “Why don’t we test them? We know the kind of strength we’ll need to take down those poachers, and they’re claiming they’ve got it. We’ve got information they need, so why not have them prove themselves?”

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Dreiki raised his eyebrow, “How do you want us to do that?”

“Two minutes. I want to see if the little ones can survive for two minutes in a fight with me and Rixam.”

“And how do you propose I prove myself to you?” Savekio asked.

“Oh that’s simple. However long the two of them last, you gotta beat the both of us in half that time. Sound fair?”

A smile curled on Savekio’s lip, “Come now, you’re being far too generous. If you want to be sure, then make it five minutes of survival, and give me ten seconds.”

Gornax whistled, “Ten seconds to finish both of us? You’re pretty confident, pops! You’re either going senile, or you’re the real deal. Let's compromise, then. You beat our challenge and we’ll tell you what you wanna know. If you three can achieve your challenge, then we’ll follow your orders without question. What do you think, Rix?”

Rixam crossed his arms, seemingly reluctant to bet his freedom on a match, “They won’t get that far. If they lose our challenge, then they gotta do what I say.”

“Leave it to you to try and get some new recruits for your ‘rebellion’.” Gornax snickered, “So, do we have a deal?” he said, extending his hand.

Savekio turned to Dreiki, “Argo, do you think the two of them would be useful to us?”

Dreiki paused. Why was he asking him? Savekio was a much better judge of a person’s strength than he ever could have been. It hit him quick, Savekio was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

“From what I’ve seen so far, helping me like they did, and with the strength they have, they’re more than useful to us.”

Savekio nodded, taking Gornax’s hand, “We’ll take you up on your offer. Please show us to your dueling grounds.”

Gornax smirked, “Right this way, and watch your step.” He clapped his lower arms together and opened up the streets behind them. A seep decline into an inky black tunnel waiting patiently to swallow them up.

“Can’t have the guards breaking up our match, so we’ll go to our own hideout.” he said, sliding down below. Rixam stood by the entrance and gestured, “After you.”

“Is the base underground?” Dreiki asked.

“Yup! Gornax found it a couple months ago and gave it a few renovations here and there. It’s pretty cool.”

Dreiki slid down. It was surprisingly warmer under the ground than it was outside. He lit a flame in his palm to see a dead end with Gornax sitting atop a rock. He waved, waiting for Rixam to come in last before closing the ground up behind him.

“You might’ve been right about that Poacher. I think I ought to bury him deeper.” He said, gesturing to the lifeless head poking out from the wall nearby. The solid rock deformed and curled around the lifeless corpse, pulling him deeper below. Gornax made the earth look like water with how easily it swallowed the xio.

It made Dreiki realize where he was, and what he was about to do.

He was going to have to survive against this highly skilled earth magic user underground for five whole minutes.

“Scared?” Gornax said, looking back.

“Nervous, more like.” Dreiki admitted, “But I won’t be turning back now.”

Gornax let out a boisterous laugh that echoed in their small pocket of air beneath the ground, “Honesty, and courage. I guess you were just acting when we saw you in the bar, huh?” He walked forward, “Stick close now, I’ll get us there soon enough. Lemme know if you need more room Rix!”

The soil fell back into place behind Rixam, almost catching his heels as he walked, “You’re fine for now, I’ll yell.”

“Alright, time to go a little deeper, then.”

The path steepened. Down deeper and deeper. Dreiki swallowed. No amount of training would save him if this pocket collapsed. He could only think about being buried alive. He looked to Luna who appeared to be having a far worse time of it. And for her sake, he faked his courage.

“Hey, it’ll be alright.”

“As if I don’t know that already!” She said, looking away from him in a huff.

Dreiki could see the most subtle of smiles curling her lip. Luna had her own way of faking her courage, it seemed.