(William)

William had heard many stories about the Forest Cavern. On the map of Scar, it dwarfed all other caverns combined. Ivan had told him that most of the city’s food supplies came from there. They had orchards, farms, grain fields, and herb gardens galore. The forest in the cavern teemed with wildlife and the lakes were full of fish. Before the war, Scar had been a major food exporter, especially during the long winter season.

They exited the tunnel, entered the Convergence Hub, and rode straight ahead toward the Forest Cavern.

“This is the longest tunnel,” Ivan explained. “But since we’re on horseback, it won’t take too long to get there.”

I shouldn’t have waited for Ivan. I should’ve just flown there myself.

The riders sped past a group of workers who were heading in the same direction. The workers cheered and waved when they saw Lin. She returned their greetings.

The Scaran’s really like Lin, William mused.

The winding tunnel descended, and they slowed as they rounded a curve. They rode for about half an hour, before the tunnel ended and the party emerged onto a colossal balcony.

William gasped. He was speechless.

Before him was a vast forest with meandering rivers as far as his eyes could see. The cavern dome soared thousands of feet above him, and the floor was hundreds of feet below. A massive rock formation rose in the distance and disappeared into wispy clouds. The enchanted sky was far above.

So… this is the mountain under the mountain. He gawked.

“Scraps, this place looks like another world.”

William surveyed the vast forest until his gaze settled on the small mountain. Jagged rocks bulged from its surface. It reminded him of the silk floss tree, which had spikey thorns protruding from its cone-shaped trunk. A stone bridge extended from the small mountain all the way to an opening on the cliff side. Torrents of water gushed out of the opening, surging along the stone bridge. The deluge cascaded down, creating a breathtaking waterfall. The curtain of white foam poured into a vast azure lake below.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” said Ivan. “I’ve been here a few times and I still have a hard time believing that it’s real. The enchanted sky in the other caverns follows the regular day and night cycle. The Forest Cavern is different. The days here are longer. The ability to control the enchanted sky is a huge agricultural boon. Long-day plants flourish here.”

William nodded but was not really paying attention. He heard something about advanced agriculture and sustainable produce before his mind took a detour. The rumbling sounds of tragons drew his attention. A line of carts filled with barrels pulled up onto the platform. The lead tragon hissed to a stop, and workers immediately started unloading the barrels. The workers rolled them into a nearby aqueduct and the current swept them toward the city. At the edge of the balcony, lifts moved up and down, carrying even more people. The place hummed with activity.

“So, you see, this is one of the supply distribution terminals,” Ivan finished his explanation. “Come on, William. Let’s get going.”

The boys turned their mounts and headed down the long ramp. They picked up speed and caught up with the others. Tragons occasionally zoomed past them as they continued their descent toward the cavern floor.

William noticed that some of the workers used the fast-moving tragons instead of the lifts.

I wanna ride a tragon again, he thought.

They reached the ground level of the Forest Cavern, and a girl ran toward them.

“Good morning,” she chirped. “My name is Sarah Clay. My father, Herald, wanted me to let you know that everything is ready for you.” She placed two fingers in the corner of her mouth and whistled loudly. A bear hustled out of a nearby field and loped toward her. She grabbed the bear and swung her leg around. “Follow me!” She led them down the road.

William’s gaze kept drifting toward the distant waterfall.

“They call that waterfall the Silverlace Cascade,” Ivan told him. “It’s part of the Elma River.”

“Wow, I still can’t wrap my head around the size of this place. Even the lake that we saw from the platform was massive.”

“Yeah, that’s Hermit Lake. It’s the second largest fresh water source in the kingdom after Lake Resan. One day, we should go fishing there.”

Hmm, I wonder how long it’ll take me to reach that lake if I fly, William mused. “Ivan, I wish you could shift. Both of us could fly anywhere and we’d have the best adventures together.”

Ivan smiled. “We’ve been on a big journey ever since we left the farm. You don’t need to fly to have an adventure if the adventure is in your heart.”

“Ugh!” William made a sour face. “Keep those lines for the girls in Pike.” He snickered. Before Ivan had a chance to respond, William narrowed his eyes and exclaimed, “Hey, how did she beat us?”

Arms crossed, a sly smile on her face, Rose was propped against a well. She stood in the middle of a large field and an older man was setting up a table behind her.

As he got closer, he saw her lean down to pick up an animal from the ground.

“It’s a spite badger,” Claire squealed in delight. William was surprised by her exuberant reaction to that animal. Everyone knew that spite badgers were mean critters. The last time he had seen one, it had chased him away, growling the entire time.

William dismounted and headed toward the well. The wellcurb was tall, so he had to grab the ledge and pull himself up. He peered down the shaft and tensed.

So dark and deep. He inched back from the opening. He did not know why but wells gave him the willies.

“Gather around and grab a bite,” Rose called out. “Come on, dig in. We’ve got plenty of food and you can eat while I talk.”

William’s eyes lit up and he bounded toward the table. He grabbed some bread and cheese but glared at the eggs.

“Everything is ready for us to start digging,” Rose continued. “We’ve estimated the distance from the forest edge to the well in Pike. Reaching the well behind me is our objective. First, we needed to establish the most efficient shift for digging. Lin and I have already done plenty of research. During our testing, we discovered that the spite badger was the fastest digger.”

Rose scratched the badger behind its ear. “This little guy is an exceptional burrower. The spite badgers use their long, thick front claws to break through the ground, while their back legs kick out the excess dirt behind them. We compared the spite badger to many other diggers, and it was no contest.” She cooed to the ugly varmint. “This cutie was the fastest.”

Next, the group discussed various augmented shifts to further boost the digging speed.

Then, they had to learn the shift. Lin, who had been assisting Rose for the last week, had already mastered it. William managed the transformation on his first try. It took a bit before Mary and John got the hang of it. Poor Claire continued to struggle.

“Claire and I will stay here a bit longer,” said Rose. “The rest of you follow Lin to the starting area. You need to practice your digging. Make sure to leave plenty of space between your burrows, since you don’t want your tunnels to cross. Also, you’ll need to burrow down at least eight feet before you start digging straight ahead. That approach will closely match our plan for Pike. The additional depth should provide adequate clearance under the base of the wall fortification.”

“Got it! Eight feet down, dig in a straight line and don’t cross the streams,” Mary acknowledged.

“Not streams.” John shook his head. “She said tunnels, you knucklehead. Sheesh, sometimes I can’t believe that we’re related.”

“Meh, whatever.” Mary shrugged. “I’ll call ‘em streams if I wanna.”

Lin wasted no time and hopped on her stallion. “Follow me,” she commanded. The twins raced after her.

“Lin, I’ll be right behind you,” William called out. “I gotta talk to Rose.”

“Make it quick.”

William was getting accustomed to Lin’s disposition. At times, she was abrupt and bossy. Once he got past that, he found that she was hardworking, loyal, and caring. She was like a tart apple. The first bite was sharp and sour, but after a few more bites, there was a rich and satisfying flavor.

“Sure thing,” he called back after her.

William pulled Rose aside and whispered, “With Toby and Ivan being gone a lot and some of our classes being canceled, Claire and I have spent more time together. In the evenings, we would often practice magic. I’ve seen the magical threads that she weaves, and they’re vibrant and thick.” He paused.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“You know, I think she’s terrified of making mistakes because of the accident with her brother’s eyes. That disrupts the flow of her magic. I’ve tried different things to help her out. Laughter seems to work best. It makes her forget that she’s afraid.”

“Laughter is a useful tool.” Rose nodded. “Ah, that reminds me of a quote from Lord Lucas’s book, Luminary Wars – ‘Laughter is the path to illumination. Laughter leads to joy. Joy leads to happiness. Happiness leads to harmony.’”

“Scraps, that’s deep…” William rubbed his chin. “I’ve got an idea. Let me try something.”

“Sure, go for it.” Rose looked amused.

William swaggered toward Claire. “Hey, Claire. Have you seen a bald badger before? I’m trying to recall what they look like.”

“Oh, yeah, they’re common around my hometown. They’re brown, but the fur on top of their head is shorter and lighter. That’s how they got their name.”

“Well, I was thinking of using the bald badger shift instead of the spite badger,” William said seriously. “Though I’m still having a hard time visualizing that shift. I’m going to transform, and I want you to tell me if my shift looks good. Let me know if I mess up.” William stilled himself, furrowed his brows in concentration, and shifted.

Claire stared at his transformation in astonishment and then burst out laughing. A fat badger danced in front of her that had absolutely no hair on top of its head. Rose chuckled.

“Stop it, William!” Claire pleaded between bouts of laughter. “You were not supposed to actually make it bald.”

William shifted back and continued dancing for a bit longer. He finally stopped and took a bow. He waved and scampered off toward his horse, feeling rather pleased with himself.

He caught up with Ivan, Lin, Mary, and John. The group crossed two other fields before they reached the starting point. He turned around. The well looked like a tiny speck in the distance.

“Spread out,” Lin instructed. “I’ll start my burrow right here. Don’t forget to dig down at least eight feet before you level off. That’s about four body lengths of a spite badger.” She gave each shifter an enchanted belt pouch. “These have booster bars and other goodies. You can wear the pouch around your waist after you shift. Use them when you need them. So, any questions?”

“What if I’m afraid of the dark?” asked William. John covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

Lin raised an eyebrow and sighed heavily. “Are there any intelligent questions?”

“We’re good.” Mary elbowed John in the ribs before he could ask a stupid question.

Lin wasted no time. She shifted, dug furiously, and quickly disappeared.

Mary and John wasted time as they argued about different tunneling techniques. Eventually they shifted and started digging as well. William noticed that their void pendants glowed briefly during the transformation as their clothes were sucked in.

He cringed as he remembered the time when John had forgotten his void pendant.

William was the last shifter in the group to transform and start digging. He had watched the twins and tried to learn from them. After all, he wanted to make sure that his first attempt at burrowing did not go as badly as his first attempt at flying. Smashing things with his face was no fun. He reminded himself that failure was not necessarily a bad thing. One of his brother’s favorite quotes was that failure was a good teacher.

His claws allowed him to easily crumble and scoop the earth. It took him some time before he became accustomed to kicking and moving the lumps of dirt behind him. With practice, he managed to establish a good rhythm. The tunneling mechanics became routine as he got more comfortable with the new shift. His heightened sense of smell allowed him to detect a dung beetle larvae nest above him. A house made of poo was not his idea of a respectable dwelling.

It's bound to attract crappy neighbors, he mused.

He continued digging and heard dozens of earthworms tunneling around him. The occasional squeaking noises he picked up were probably from random rodents.

His senses were so acute that he even heard the other diggers that were ahead of him.

Scraps, he thought. Lin, Mary, and John are kicking my butt. I don’t want to be the last badger.

William renewed his focus on digging. He had been frantically burrowing for some time when he realized that he would not be able to maintain this pace for much longer. He had closed the distance with the others, but he was getting tired. He had no choice but to pace himself.

To be the fastest badger, he needed a new strategy.

Ugh, he groaned. Strategy is a word that Ivan always uses.

His brother examined a situation from multiple angles and looked for different solutions.

Just cuz’ he’s right about planning doesn’t mean that I have to like it.

William decided to strategize. He spat a little dirt out of his mouth, hunkered down, and started to noodle around.

He carefully examined each step of the digging process. The first step was breaking the earth, which took the most effort. Next, he scooped the dirt and shoved it behind. Then, he kicked the dirt further back. Periodically he had to back up to clear out the buildup of excess soil. The last stage was the most time-consuming.

Why carry the dirt when I can Levitate it.

The solution was obvious. Levitate the soil while maintaining his shift. It proved tricky at first, but William was determined. He finally got the hang of it, but it had stalled his progress and put him way behind the others.

It’s time to unearth my new strategy.

He was now able to focus on crumbling and scooping the dirt. There was no need to run back-and-forth along his tunnel.

The others are about to eat my dirt. His whiskers twitched as he grinned.

He felt smug every time he heard the other badgers backtracking through their tunnels. Clearing the dirt behind was tedious and he no longer had to do it. The feeling was as gratifying as the times he had gotten Ivan to wash his dirty dishes.

He made good progress and eventually took the lead. He noticed that the others had slowed down, and he wondered what they were doing. Their digging sounds gradually diminished, and he could no longer hear them.

For the first time, he was more acutely aware of the engulfing darkness around him. A feeling of uneasiness settled in his chest. He fought the urge to dig straight up. Initially, he had found the earthy smell around him comforting. It had reminded him of freshly cut wood and being out hunting with his brother. The pleasant perception changed as he sensed an element of decomposition.

His mind drifted. He visualized himself digging under a vast graveyard. He was surrounded by decay and rot. It was an overpowering, vile sensation. He stilled, trying to stop himself from puking.

The burden of the mission weighed heavily on him. Thousands of lives depended on the success of his brother’s plan. Thousands of lives depended on how fast the shifters could reach the well. He had been digging for at least an hour and he knew that he had only covered a small fraction of the distance to the well. At this pace, it would take days to get there.

William realized that he was starting to panic. He recalled the STEPS technique that his aunt had taught him.

“S” is to stop whatever I’m doing. He sat down on his furry rump.

“T” is for taking control of my breathing. He put a paw on his belly, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. He repeated that for a few minutes, until he felt calmer.

“E” is to ease my whole body and relax my muscles. Well, that’s easy!

He started with his neck and his shoulders.

Squeeze and release.

He worked his way down to his feet.

Squeeze and release.

Ahh, that feels better already.

“P” is for staying in the present.

What’s my goal at present? I need to dig as fast as I can to reach the well. So, concentrate only on that.

The last “S” stands for start.

Let’s get to it!

No longer distracted by the scent of decay, he doubled his efforts. After another hour of work and a booster bar break, he realized that he was still moving too slowly. He was ahead of the others, but leading the group no longer mattered to him.

A voice in the back of his head kept nagging him, You’re digging too slowly. You’ll never make it.

The voice became an endless echo, resonating in his head. It was really irritating! William clawed into the dirt more forcefully, trying to silence the stupid voice. It mocked him. His frustration grew and grew.

Fuming, William punched the dirt in front of him. An explosion of earth sent him flying backwards. Feeling dazed, it took him a moment to realize that he was lying on his side. His heart thumped loudly, and his ears rang.

Rot and ruin, what just happened? He got up, shook the dirt off, and cast Body Glow.

His eyes widened. With a single punch, he had somehow created a large burrow.

(Lin)

Lin heard a muffled explosion that shook the earth around her. The bang was followed by an eerie quiet. She turned around and scurried back through her tunnel. She reached the start of her burrow, hopped out, and shifted back to her human form.

“What was that?” Lin cried out.

“I don’t know,” Ivan replied.

John popped out of his burrow and shifted. “Did you hear that?”

Mary appeared a moment later, covered in dirt, and looking frantic. “What on earth was that?” she blurted between coughing fits.

A raven swooped down and shifted. “Claire and I felt an earth tremor.” Rose looked around. “Where’s William?”

Lin walked toward William’s burrow, leaned down, and looked inside. She heard a couple of muffled bangs and then silence. A burst of earth flew out of the tunnel. Rose’s quick reaction kept the rubble from pummeling her in the face. She redirected the flying dirt with Levitation.

Earth continued to stream out of William’s tunnel. The group stared in disbelief.

“What’s he doing?” asked Mary.

Ivan shook his head. “A while ago, he began Levitating the dirt, but nothing like this.”

“How?” John pointed at the fountain of dirt that was spewing from William’s burrow.

“I knew he’d find a way to cheat,” Mary declared.

Rose stood with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and a puzzled look on her face. She gazed at the burrow for some time. She watched the geyser of earth steam out of William’s tunnel. “If I’m not mistaken, and I don’t think I am, William is using a new spell. And… it’s definitely not Nature magic.” She tilted her head to the side and shifted her ears. Her lips moved as though she was speaking soundlessly.

John looked quizzically at Lin and raised his eyebrows. Lin just gave a half shrug.

“Just give her some time,” Lin whispered.

“Aha!” Rose cried out. Without another word, she shifted and flew away.

“Uhh, what’s she doing?” John looked at Ivan.

“She’s onto something. Let’s follow her.”

Ivan hurried over to his horse and took off after Rose. Lin shifted and flew ahead of the pack.

She did not have far to go. She found Rose kneeling with her head against the earth and an intense expression on her face.

“But of course,” Rose exclaimed. “It’s brilliant!” She chuckled, got off the ground, and continued to talk to herself, “When was the last time that I saw that spell?”

“What spell?” asked John who had just caught up to them.

“Ohhhh, that’s right! It was a duel between Victor Restic and Alecta Jade. She would’ve won that match if not for a well-timed Light Shield.”

“Rose, what are you talking about?” John asked emphatically.

“I think he’s using Shatter Touch. It’s a spell from the Shadow school. It’s usually used to incapacitate an opponent in hand-to-hand combat. William is using it as part of his excavation rotation.”

Lin shifted her ears and squatted down. She heard faint thumping sounds coming from underneath them.

“Well, none of us can do that”, Lin exclaimed.

Rose looked at them. “We’ve got our digger!”

(William)

Keeping a shapeshift, Levitating dirt, and using the “Ground Smash” spell required a great deal of concentration. William was pleased with the name that he had given to his newly discovered spell. He was absorbed in what he was doing, so it took him a while to notice that he had company. People followed him aboveground. He heard giggling and muffled conversations.

With his new strategy, the next hour of digging passed quickly. He took occasional breaks to eat his booster bars, but for the most part he pushed onward.

A few hours later, the group above him became rowdy. He sensed a large area ahead of him with no earthworms, beetles, or any other underground critters. He smelled the water before he reached the well. He heard cheers when he burst through the brick barrier.

Claire squealed right after he “Ground Smashed” the brick wall of the well. The bricks fell into the water with a loud splash. Exultation surged through him. He shifted and flew up.

Even though he was covered in dirt, everyone hugged him, even Lin. He was exhausted but a big smile split his face.