The site of the entrance to the underground was in a secluded section of the city. The buildings stood as derelicts, having long since shut down their operations.

Checking his map, he scanned the vicinity. The entrance was in the alley behind one of the derelict buildings. But, when he turned the corner into the alley he saw nothing to indicate an entryway to the world below.

He paced up and down the rundown road where the tunnel entrance was supposed to be. But, no matter where he looked, he didn't see what he was looking for. Taking out his gemstone wand, he cast the purple light around himself.

Then he saw it. Under the glow of his gemstone wand, an outline on the wall of one of the derelict buildings shimmered. The outline coincided with the bricks of the wall and stood a head shorter than the golem.

Coming up to the wall, Clay braced his weight against the outlined bricks. He felt the wall tense under his pressure. But, the hidden entrance refused to give way.

Clay began pressing against the bricks individually, hoping to uncover a locking mechanism. Eventually, one of the bricks just beyond the shimmering outline gave way and collapsed into the wall.

This time, as Clay leveraged his weight against the wall, the hidden door gave way to his pressure. Inch by inch, the golem pressed the door deeper into the wall until it began to slide to the side.

With a crack in the wall presented, Clay dug his fingers into the crack and pried the door to the side until he made an opening he could fit through. He slid into the alcove while the door behind him pressed slowly back into its place in the wall.

Finding himself in the unlit tunnel, Clay waved the wand out in front of him. The light chased the shadows deeper into the dark corridor.

The tunnel was carved from the solid bedrock of Jaskar city. The smooth walls pressed in on the golem as he crouched under the low ceiling. The tunnels had been designed with the short stature of dwarves in mind.

With a last look at the sealed door to the overworld, Clay began his progress deeper into the cave system.

As he progressed deeper into the tunnel, he found many offshoots from the central tunnel he was following. Wondering just how complex this tunnel network truly was, Clay persevered in his journey.

Along the way, he found several unlit torches fastened to the walls. It seemed like this tunnel wasn't used recently.

The further into the honeycombing tunnels the golem walked, the more graffiti he noticed on the walls. He saw the images of bearded faces plastered over the wall. Several images depicted the soot-faced drow elves in various obscene positions. It was apparent that the dwarves of the under city held animosity towards the ruling class in the world above.

Continuing, Clay walked out into a small cavern. From this cavern, multiple tunnels branched out. He was beginning to wonder how he would find this Hamor character in the network of tunnels in the city.

Without anything to indicate the proper path, the golem split the difference and chose the tunnel in the middle of the room. This process continued for some time as Clay walked from one small cavern to the next.

Finally, he found one such small alcove that was lit up with torches. The warm orange light mingled with the purple light of his wand. Other than the presence of the lit torches, the golem saw no other signs of activity in the cavern.

Approaching the off-shooting tunnels, Clay searched for signs in each. Down one of the tunnels he heard the sound of footsteps. Whoever it was, they were getting closer.

Clay hurried to get away from the tunnel where the footsteps were coming from. Hiding the wand beneath his clothes, he walked into the shadows of one of the tunnels.

"It seems Daernog failed to bring in the guy he put a bounty on." The voice echoed through the cavern.

"Aye. Guess it wasn't worth the hassle."

Clay edged closer.

"Hamor's pissed. He's been sending scouts into the plains. He's not ready to give up getting his hands on the golem."

"Really? It's just a dumb rock."

Clay felt himself bristle at the tone they were using regarding him.

"Well, I don't know much about golems. But, this one seems special. It looks like a human."

"Never heard of something like that. But then, I've never seen a golem before."

The pair of dwarves stood in the small room cut from the stone. Clay watched tensely, waiting to see if they would turn into the tunnel he had hidden in.

"How can they be so sure it's a golem? It might be an earthen."

"No. If it were an earthen, it would like us."

"Well, at least it's not a drow."

"Aye." Clay listened as the footsteps receded into the distance.

The dwarves were still hunting him in the desolate wilderness of the Orgas plains. Even if he had continued along the South road, he would have encountered another party from Hamor's gang. He was glad he'd returned to finish things in Jaskar.

Returning to the cavern, Clay scanned the tunnels. He watched the backs of the dwarves as they went about their business. Turning to the path they had come from, he drew the gemstone wand and proceeded into the dark tunnel.

Driving forward into the abyss of Jaskar's underworld, Clay was prepared to smother the light in his hand at the slightest sign of activity ahead.

He began to hear sounds echoing ahead of him. Not footsteps. Rather, these were the sounds of the city above.

The path brightened ahead as he approached. Slowing to a crawl, Clay edged his way towards the light. He heard men and women hawking their wares to passersby.

Breaking free of the shadows, Clay put away his wand and walked out into a large cavern. This one couldn't be compared to the previous caverns. All around there were buildings carved straight from the bedrock. The building stood between one and three stories tall. Even the tallest buildings in this subterranean town had free space on their roofs, enough for him to stand comfortably.

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The streets that meandered between the buildings were narrow, with only enough space for three men abreast.

As Clay surveyed the underworld, he noted that it was predominantly dwarves who walked the narrow streets. A few humans were present. And a few races he didn't recognize. Walking amongst the inhabitants of this underworld, Clay nearly bumped into a snouted man with tusks.

The golem was bewildered by the sights and sounds of the bustling undercity. There was more illumination in this cave than in almost any part of the city above. Lightstone was used in abundance in the creation of this cavern, it shone down from the ceiling overhead, as well as from the sides of buildings. And torches burned at intersections in the tight streets.

Clay sniffed the air, grilled meats sizzled over a flame nearby. He was surprised to find far more activity underground than above.

He received a few conspicuous looks as he navigated among the buildings. Dwarves. He had to wonder, just how many of the Black Bishop gang had seen him above ground in Jaskar?

Realizing he didn't have time to wander idly in this new venue, Clay began searching the crowd for any sign of where he should go next.

Not far ahead, he saw three dwarves standing conspicuously at the entrance to one of the taller buildings in the cavern. Clay hid around the corner of a nearby building and observed the men. They wore steely-eyed expressions as they manned their post. They observed every passing pedestrian in the same unfriendly fashion. As he stood observing the men, he saw a dwarf approaching them. The dwarf appeared familiar to Clay's eyes.

It was Mumfry. The dwarf who'd been with Daernog when he'd proposed a partnership.

The dwarf casually walked up to the men and they opened the door for him. One of the dwarves joined Mumfry as he entered the building.

Clay was convinced, this was Hamor's gang. He didn't know if he'd find the gang leader inside, but he didn't have any better leads than this to follow.

As the door shut behind them, Clay made his move. Trying as hard as he could not to look like an aggressor, the golem walked up the street toward the building. The steely eyes of the guards glared at him as he approached.

Every step he took brought a new level of anxiety as he approached the pair. Due to the narrow streets, his proximity to the men was assured. As he continued to walk, he saw the men place their hands on the axes they had at their waists. He was five strides away from them. Four. Three. Two. Clay lunged forward.

As he lunged forward, the pair of dwarves loosed their weapons. Wrapping his gauntleted fist around the nearest dwarf's axe handle, Clay firmly gripped the bearded man's collar with his free hand. The second dwarf raised his axe, preparing to bring it down on the golem.

Shifting his weight, Clay handily lifted the dwarf in his hands off the ground as he hurled the man into his fellow guard. The two bearded men collided with a loud smack. The second man's head snapped back into the stone wall behind him.

The dwarves fell to the ground in a tangled mess as Clay pried the axe free from the fallen dwarf's grip. His hands-free of the dwarf, Clay pummeled his stone fist into the skull of the disarmed dwarf. The two men were incapacitated.

Testing the axe in his gauntleted hand, Clay surveyed the fallen men. Satisfied that they wouldn't be getting up any time soon, he moved to the door.

He cracked the door open and peered inside. His assault on their hideout had not gone unnoticed. The door burst open as bearded men came rushing through the open portal.

Surprised by the onslaught, Clay stumbled back into the alley as dwarf after dwarf piled out after him.

Brushing aside a dwarf, the golem drew his sword. Axe in one hand and sword in the other, Clay stared down at the glaring dwarves. This engagement would not be bloodless.

Glinting steel and iron weapons shown in the crowded alley. The dwarves were ready for him.

"You made a big mistake!" one of the short men barked at him.

"Kill this blighted oaf!"

The hoard before him bristled as they built up their courage against the massive figure before them.

One of the dwarves broke ranks and charged the golem, his axe raised overhead.

Clay caught the approaching axe with his axe and brought the steel sword down in a solid motion. The dwarf gawked wide-eyed as the blade cut deep into his skull.

For a moment nothing happened. The charging man seemed to be waiting for something.

"Son of a whore!" One of the dwarves behind him cried.

The moment came to an end as the man collapsed to the ground, blood spraying from his head.

As one, the gathered dwarves charged.

Clay pried his sword free from the dead man and impaled another.

He felt the bite of an axe blade cross the chainmail of his shoulder and tried to pull his sword free. But, in the tight space of the alleyway, he failed to pull his sword free.

Swapping the shorter axe over to his main hand, Clay began to deflect incoming blows with his gauntleted fist.

The golem barely managed to deflect the incoming attacks as he was pushed back.

Retreating from the dwarves, Clay gave himself the space to raise his axe overhead. A wide-eyed dwarf fell as he drove the weapon into the man's chest. A wet gurgle escaped the man's mouth as he breathed out the last of his air.

Sensing the danger of a blind rush on the large man before them, the remaining dwarves relented. But, the hatred in their eyes convinced Clay that this was hardly over.

This time it was his turn to go on the offensive.

Prying the axe free of the bloodied chest of the fallen dwarf, Clay advanced on the halted mass of dwarven bodies.

Seeing the stone-faced man approach, the hatred on their faces turned to fear. A few of the dwarves gathered in the front and turned back to look for a path of retreat. But, in the tight space of the city's alleyways, there was no escape.

The dwarves raised their axes in a defensive posture, hoping to forestall the golem's attack.

Mindful of the nearby walls, Clay took a swipe with his axe at the handles of the presented weapons. The wide blades of several axe heads tumbled dangerously to the ground. Startled dwarves danced as the blades fell at their feet.

Clay pounded his gauntleted fist into the face of a startled dwarf. The stunned man collapsed forward as the golem slashed through the neck of another of the defenseless dwarves.

Now, the members of Hamor's gang were overwhelmed by terror as the merciless golem cut his way through the packed men. The men in the rear of the column realized the doom that was coming for them and began to flee into the building they had come from.

Clay continued his bloody path through the scrambling dwarves. The short men had given up trying to fight and were busy shoving and pulling at one another, trying to get out of the golem's path. But, no matter how hard they tried, the alley was too narrow for any but the farthest away to flee.

Cutting his way through, he saw the hilt of his sword jutting out from the chest of the man he'd impaled before being driven back. Swapping the axe to his gauntleted hand, Clay reached for the sword with his main hand.

Seeing the opening in the golem's defenses, one of the hard-pressed dwarves took his dagger and brought it down on Clay's exposed forearm. The blade chipped away a chunk of Clay's stone skin. The dwarf was dumbfounded.

Wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword, Clay gave a mighty tug of the blade. His sword swung out in a wide arc, biting into the belly of the dwarf who'd stabbed him. The dumbstruck dwarf doubled over, grasping the bloody red streak across his abdomen.

His sword free, Clay hacked with both weapons into the mass of bearded men.

The dwarves were in full retreat. And, Clay's blades bit into the open air as the bearded men fled.

The dwarves had fled behind the doors of the building. Clay came up on the heavy doors and stood, his chest heaving as he drew in and mechanically exhaled the air that circulated in the cavern.

Sheathing his sword, Clay took the axe in his hands and brought it down heavily on the doors before him. He heard the frantic yells of the dwarves on the other side of the door as they barred the entryway. Clay continued to hack away at the splintering wood.

Snap.

His axe snapped at its neck.

Casting aside the broken weapon, Clay picked up another of the fallen dwarve's axes and began again to chop away at the splintering door.

As his progress continued, Clay realized that they were reinforcing the blockade from the inside.

Frustrated by the fortifications, Clay gave up his efforts to break into the Black Bishop hideout.

With a final hack at the door, the golem left the axe in the barricade.

Realizing how much blood he'd spilled, Clay looked at the corpses of the fallen dwarves. He hadn't realized there had been so many of them until he'd stopped his attack.

The human-like golem felt sick. His attacks had been fueled by passion. But, his passion spent, he was disgusted by what he had done. Everywhere he looked, red blood oozed out onto the ground.

This wasn't like the basilisks. These were people, not beasts. And, he'd cut them down as if they were no more than beasts.

Stepping over the bodies of the dead, Clay walked to the end of the alley. The sounds of life that had filled the under city when he'd first come down amongst its citizens could no longer be heard. The ordinary folk had fled at the first sign of conflict. Clay was alone with the dead.

He took a breath as he walked beyond the carnage. Finding the trail back the way he had come, Clay left the town of Jaskar's underworld behind.