My vision snapped back to this dimension. Time resumed its relentless march, which had paused while my consciousness was elsewhere.

Bailey’s eyes were wide, and he stood frozen in shock. Again. I felt a low rumble beneath my feet, and the rodents scattered in a frenzy. Some bolted, others frantically dug deeper into the earth.

I tugged on Bailey’s sleeve. “Let’s go! Quick!” I closed my eyes, extending my senses. Using the memory of that unfortunate rodent, I relied on hearing and smell to navigate the maze-like tunnels.

We reached another open area, finally stopping so Bailey could catch his breath. We were well clear of the fog now; Bailey checked his device before pulling off his mask.

"I'm not even gonna bother askin’," Bailey said, gasping for air, a strained smile on his face. "I'll just assume it's one of your… magical somethin's."

“We have to get out of here quickly. There’s something else in these tunnels,” I explained. “Something that eats those rodents for lunch. It’s also the source of the rumbling.”

"The cause of the quakes? Eatin' those giant Umbrynus for lunch?!" Bailey exclaimed.

“Probably not all the quakes, but it definitely eats more than one for a meal,” I clarified. “Remember those large caverns and tunnels? Some are natural, some dug by the rodents, some by the ancient Mesoselenians, but most of the bigger ones we were in? Those are this creature’s work.”

"What...what's it like?" Bailey asked, his voice trembling slightly.

“I don’t know. All I know is the slithering sound it makes and the awful smell—the smell of death,” I said, patting Bailey’s shoulder to reassure him. “Don’t worry, it’s not hunting us for lunch; we’re too small for its appetite. But we still need to leave. I know the way, but I can’t tell which direction is out. Any idea?”

Bailey consulted his device again and pointed. "It's… somewhere that way." We rested a little longer before venturing back into the tunnels.

Those rodents were impressive diggers, creating hundreds of decoy nests to avoid becoming a meal. Though, clearly, it wasn't a foolproof strategy.

Bailey and I continued through the tunnels, carefully avoiding any with a blue glow. That marked their territory and served as a deadly warning to intruders.

We encountered the blue fog a couple more times, but now that we were prepared, it wasn’t much trouble to avoid it.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, crawling, and climbing, we finally emerged at the bottom of a massive sinkhole. The crescent moon cast a dim glow through the dissipating fog.

"We actually made it!" Bailey cried.

“We’re still kind of underground, but at least we can see the sky. We were down there for almost a day,” I said, glancing around.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

We made our way to the edge of the sinkhole. "That’s quite a drop,” Bailey observed, looking up.

“Yeah, not gonna be easy…” I replied. “How far are we from where we started?”

That's a good stretch. We must be under a mountain. We've come a long way today." Bailey said, examining the readings on his device.

“Okay, you should rest for the night before we make this climb,” I told Bailey.

We set up a makeshift tent for him, where he promptly crashed. I stayed up for watch. A few unwelcome visitors popped by throughout the night, but I managed to take care of them all.

As the sky brightened, the sinkhole began to awaken and come to life.

Bailey slowly emerged from the tent. "That was a good night's rest. Thanks."

“Alright, now for the hard part,” I said, looking up at the cliff face.

"There's a funny smell about..." Bailey said, sniffing the air.

“Don’t tell me…” I took a sniff, and an awful stench assaulted my nostrils. “We need to move! Now!”

Before we could even think about starting our climb, the ground around us shook violently. A massive, pale white, dinosaur-like head erupted from the earth. Then, an equally massive lizard-like creature hauled itself completely out of the ground.

"That's what's been eatin' the Umbrynus?!" Bailey whispered.

“Yes, I believe so,” I replied. “Recognize it?”

"No idea. Doesn't look like anythin' I've ever come across." Bailey shivered slightly.

The dinosaur-lizard slowly moved toward us, its eyes locked on me… How and why was it coming for us?!

Why?! Do I smell or look like those rodents?!

I shielded Bailey, backing us against the cliff wall. Readying myself for another battle. The creature moved closer, but it didn’t charge or attack. It just very gently and slowly advanced.

It slightly opened its mouth, and a long tongue emerged, gently wrapping around me, as if…sensing my presence. It quickly retracted its tongue.

“Aheehehe,” it tilted its head back, gargled, and then spat two golden ores from its stomach, right in front of us.

"Concentrated Adamantine ore?!" Bailey exclaimed, his eyes wide with confusion. "Is it...is it givin' it to us?!"

“Stay back,” I whispered to Bailey. As I crept closer, my hair flared with that iridescent light again, like a disco ball had exploded on my head. This startled the creature, making it stumble back a couple of steps.

Strands of glowing hair snaked out and enveloped the ores. As they did, I felt a denser aura of energy thrumming around me. Time slowed again, like someone had hit the slow button on the universe, and that tingling sensation returned to my scalp.

Driven by an irresistible curiosity, and maybe a touch of madness, I slowly reached out to touch its head. It tilted its head down towards me in response, as if anticipating my touch. The moment my fingers brushed its rough hide, more strands of my glowing hair joined, as they made contact with the creature, fragmented memories flashed through my mind like a slideshow.

*******

Through a glass window, the younger Dr. Keyser worked tirelessly in his lab.

A glass container held a swirling blue liquid—and something that resembled an embryo.

I looked for the orangey gold rocks for Dr. Keyser.

Digging and carrying machine parts to a magma chamber.

The glass contrivance of blue liquid now contained a fully formed body. Val.

I fled the lab.

Digging and feasting.

Seeing the machine within the magma chamber again, deep underground.

The machine looks like it’s gotten bigger.

The machine looks like it's bloating up.

Fear… a bone-deep, primal fear… filled me.

********