Early the next morning, we were summoned to the command tent. When we arrived, Captain Zak'Sho and Cho'Maw the masked mage were waiting for us.

I could tell by their faces that the news was not good.

"What's the news?" I asked.

Zak'Sho stepped forward, his expression grim.

"It is the lack of news," the captain said, "There is still no word from the Pathfinders. The ground-dweller Nightclaw led a team into the caves to hunt demons that escaped the rift, but they have not yet returned."

I frowned, "Do you think something happened to them?"

"It is a possibility," Zak'Sho answered. "It has been over a week since their departure. We have sent scouts, but they went missing too, and there is still no sign of the Pathfinders or Nightclaw."

"What can we do to help?" I asked.

The captain gestured at the masked mage, "Cho'Maw has knowledge of these caves. I would like you to accompany him into the tunnels to search for the Pathfinders."

Cho'Maw stepped forward and bowed, his mask obscuring his face. "I would have preferred good ven'thik warriors by my side," he said, his voice muffled by his mask. "But the captain insists that they are needed here to guard the village."

"So you were left with us," Flint said.

"It's the captain's orders," the mage replied. "Personally, I'd rather not babysit, but who am I to question the genius decisions of our fearless leader?"

I looked at the others, they all wore grim expressions. It was clear this mage had no love for humans, or maybe we had managed to piss him off without realizing it.

"We will do what we can," I said.

"That will just have to be enough," Cho'Maw said. He stared at us for a moment and then clapped his hands together, "Go now, fetch your gear, we leave immediately."

With that, the mage turned and left, his robes swirling around his ankles.

"He seems nice," Flint said, sarcastically.

"Did you sleep with his daughter?" Elia asked.

Flint shrugged, "Who can say they all look the same to me."

The captain's antennae twitched. "Be careful in the tunnels," he said. "Cho'Maw has a reputation for being reckless."

***

The hike through the mountains to the cave entrance was uneventful. Cho'Maw said it was a day's walk from the village, he set a quick pace, walking in silence and keeping his eyes fixed on the path ahead.

I watched the mage closely, trying to get a feel for what kind of person he was. But it was impossible to read him, with his face covered and his posture stiff and unyielding.

Flint walked next to me, his gaze fixed on the sky above. Eliaria trailed a little way behind, her eyes scanning the trees for any signs of danger.

We paused for lunch at midday, and Flint opened up his portal and poured a thin stream of river water from it to quench our thirst and ease our aching muscles. The mage only snorted at us, choosing to remain standing while we ate and drank.

When we were done, we continued the fast march and just as the sun began to set we saw the cave far in the distance.

As we neared the entrance, the air became cooler, and the ground grew rockier. I shivered, and pulled my cloak tighter around my shoulders.

Cho'Maw raised a hand, halting the group. "Movement ahead," the mage said.

"What is it?" Eliaria asked, her voice low.

"A single demon," the mage replied. "Something is very wrong, though."

I squinted, trying to see what the mage was seeing. I could just make out the outline of something standing in the shadows of the cave entrance.

"What do you mean?" Flint asked.

"There should be no guard," the mage explained. "Our information led us to believe that the demons were escaping into the caves."

"A guard implies that there is a purpose behind them coming to this cave," I said, thinking aloud.

"Exactly," the mage said, "the Pathfinders should have killed the guard already."

"Maybe the Pathfinders didn't come this way," Eliaria suggested.

"Unlikely," the mage said. "This is the most direct route into this system of caves. They would have passed through here."

"Well, if there is a demon waiting for us, I can take care of it," I said.

The mage turned and looked at me, his mask obscuring his expression.

"This is a second wave demon," the mage said. "It has no wings but it does have a great sense of smell. It must be killed without alerting the others."

I nodded, understanding his meaning. "I can be discreet."

***

I crept along the wall of the mountain, keeping downwind of the cave. I had the highest [agility] in the party, so I would be the best candidate for scouting.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and the demon hiding in the shadows was revealed. Cho’Maw was right, it was not the same type of demon that we had faced on the battlefield. Instead, it was smaller, with a hunched back and spindly legs. It had no wings, and its face was hidden beneath a hooded cloak.

It didn't move as I approached, and when I was only a few feet away, it still showed no signs of noticing me. I drew my dagger, and prepared to strike. As my hand tightened around the hilt, a flash of movement caught my eye.

The demon's head snapped around, and its hood fell back, revealing its face. Its features were twisted and grotesque, like it had been stuck together with spare parts by a drunk artist. It was looking at something to the right of the cave.

A deer stepped out of the woods, its eyes wide with fear. The demon must have smelt it before it had even appeared in my vision.

I froze, watching as the deer stepped cautiously into the shadows. Its ears were flat against its head, and its nostrils flared as it smelled the air. Then, in an instant, the deer bolted, leaping through the air and disappearing into the darkness.

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At the same moment, the demon's head swiveled in my direction. It opened its mouth, and before it could let out a cry, I shot forward with every ounce of speed I had and plunged my dagger into its neck. A fountain of dark blood spurted from the wound. I caught the creature as it collapsed, and dragged it away from the entrance.

"That was too close," Cho'Maw hissed as he emerged from the shadows.

"Yeah," I whispered back, "It almost gave me a heart attack."

The masked mage shook his head. "Your stench. It was too strong. If not for the deer, it would have sensed your presence earlier."

I shrugged, "I bathed a few days ago."

"I meant the smell of a human. We need to hide our scent or risk being attacked by every demon in these caves."

"How can we do that?"

I shouldn't have asked. Cho'Maw bent down and with a small knife cut open the dead demon's stomach. Its insides were dark and wet, like rotten fruit.

"Put your hands in," he said.

"Uhh. Can we do something else?" Flint asked.

Cho'Maw pointed the blade of his knife at him, "Do you want the demons to smell us or not?"

"I guess we're doing it," I said, kneeling next to the dead demon.

I dipped my hands in the guts, and rubbed the foul-smelling slime over my cloak.

Eliaria followed suit, and we soon all stank of rotting demon guts.

Cho'Maw stood aside and gestured for us to continue into the caves. "Now, the real fun begins," he said.

Flint groaned, "You've got a warped idea of fun."

***

The air was thick and filled with an eerie silence, broken only by the echoes of our footsteps. The passageway was narrow and littered with rocks. It twisted and turned, leading deeper into the mountain.

Cho'Maw led the way, we carried no torches, in case the light gave away our location. Our eyes quickly adjusted to the gloom, but even so, it was difficult to make out anything beyond a few feet.

The walls of the tunnel were covered in strange markings that seemed to react to our presence, flickering and pulsing as we passed.

"What are they?" I asked, tracing my fingers across the wall, feeling the cool stone beneath my fingertips.

"They are not ven'thik writing," Cho'Maw replied, "I cannot read them."

"I don't recognize them either," Eliaria said, bumping into me.

"Let's just get moving," Flint said, "It gives me the creeps."

"Agreed," Cho'Maw said.

I stepped carefully over the loose rocks and pebbles that littered the floor, making sure not to make a sound. But as I walked I had the strange feeling that something was watching us from the darkness.

Eliaria moved next to me, and I felt the warmth of her body press against my side. She gripped my arm, her nails digging into my skin.

"I don't like this place," she whispered.

"Neither do I," I said, taking her hand in mine, "just be ready, anything could happen."

She nodded and squeezed my hand before letting it go.

Flint moved beside me, his hand clenching his staff. He glanced at me, his expression serious.

"You think we can trust him?" he asked.

I looked at Cho'Maw. His mask hid his face, but I could sense the tension in his body. Something about him made me uncomfortable. I couldn't shake the thought that he could be the one who was summoning the rifts. He was the only mage I knew in the ven'thik squad, and what was he hiding behind that mask?

"We don't have to trust him," I said, "we just have to keep an eye on him."

Flint's jaw clenched, and he nodded, turning his attention back to the path ahead.

As we made our way through the tunnels, I began to hear a scratching sound. At first, it was faint, but as we got closer, it grew louder and louder.

"What is that?" I asked.

The masked mage didn't answer, he just kept walking, his eyes scanning the darkness ahead.

Flint glanced over his shoulder, his eyes wide.

"We need to get out of here," he said.

Something moved in the shadows, but when I tried to focus on it, it was gone.

"What's wrong?" Cho'Maw asked, his voice a hiss.

"Something's in here," I said.

Cho'Maw stopped, his head tilting. He listened for a moment, then continued. "Just the wind," he said. "There is nothing to fear."

"It's not the wind," Eliaria said, her voice quivering.

I strained my eyes, trying to see into the darkness, but it was no use. The tunnels were too narrow, and the darkness was too complete. Fear threatened to grip my heart, but I pushed it aside. I had no time for fear, if I gave into it, I would be jumping at every shadow. Even though I tried to suppress the fear, a small voice in my head kept telling me that if we did not get out of the caves soon, we would die.

"Just keep moving," Cho'Maw said, his voice steady, commanding.

The scratching sound was getting louder and louder, and now, I could hear a strange hissing sound.

I stepped on something soft, and felt my foot sink into it.

"What is it?" I asked, trying not to panic.

"Nothing," Cho'Maw hissed. "Keep moving."

"Fuck this!" Flint said.

I felt a hand grip my shoulder, and I spun around.

The masked mage was standing behind me, his eyes glittering in the darkness.

"Don't be afraid," he said, his voice low and raspy. "The creatures in the darkness are more afraid of you than you are of them."

He took a step forward, and I could see his eyes through the slits in his mask. One eye was human, the other a compound insectoid.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.

Sparks flew as Flint lit a torch. Light filled the cavern and for a moment, I was blinded.

"Put that out!" Cho’Maw hissed.

"Go to hell, bug boy," Flint said.

Through my blurred vision, I was sure that I saw tiny creatures scurrying into the darkness. I blinked away the stars in my eyes and saw that I was standing on what remained of a ven'thik scout. The fingers were gnawed to the bone and the chest cavity had been torn open.

I felt bile rise in my throat, and I struggled to hold it down.

Eliaria gripped my arm and leaned into me. "They are everywhere," she whispered.

All around us, I could see the shapes of the ven'thik scouts. Half-eaten and torn to shreds.

"What happened to them?" Flint asked, his voice trembling.

"The demons," Cho'Maw answered. "The first wave had these little ones that ate the dead, the larger ones came later."

I felt my skin crawl at the thought that there were hundreds of these creatures watching us from the darkness, waiting for us to die so they could feast on our remains.

"How do we get out of here?" Eliaria asked, her voice quavering.

"We aren't leaving," Cho'Maw said.

"Like hell we aren't!" Flint said, raising his voice.

Cho'Maw whipped around, the flames from Flint's torch illuminating his mask.

"We came to find the Pathfinders," the masked mage said, his voice a low growl. "We are not leaving without finding them."

"They are already dead," Flint said, his hand tightening around his staff.

"Then we will know," Cho'Maw said.

I stepped between the two, "What aren't you telling us?"

"Nothing," the mage replied.

"Bullshit!" Flint said. "You have a personal stake in this. You volunteered for this mission."

Cho'Maw glared at Flint, but did not respond.

"Tell us the truth," Eliaria said, her voice firm, "or we will leave."

The masked mage turned and started walking away.

"You can leave if you want," he said, "You ground-dwellers are all the same, cowards that run away at the first sign of trouble."

"What did you say?" Flint growled, taking a step towards the masked mage.

I grabbed Flint's arm, holding him back.

"We are not leaving," I said, my voice calm and steady.

Cho'Maw turned, his eyes burning with rage.

"We are not leaving," I repeated.

I met Cho'Maw's gaze and said, "We will come with you, but if your secret puts any of us in danger, I will cut you down where you stand."

The masked mage stared at me for a moment. I was sure he was weighing my words, seeing if I was telling the truth. After what felt like an eternity, he nodded.

"I can respect your resolve," he said. "I will not put you in unnecessary danger. But, we must find the Pathfinders. It is, as you said, I have a personal stake in finding them."

I didn't bother asking him what his stake was. I knew he wouldn't tell us. I also noted that he didn't say he had a stake in rescuing them, only in finding them.

I’ll have to keep a close eye on him.

"Fine," I said, "let's go find these Pathfinders."

***