Drake diligently followed Gigi out the window. While she was able to jump to the ground expertly, he had to make his way down the trellis slowly. She waited for him, frowning while impatiently tapping her foot.

“We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up,” she said, picking up the pace. Drake tried to match, but he was having difficulty even with his longer legs.

“What exactly are we going to be late for? The fight?” She cut through a neighbor's yard, and Drake stepped over to a flower bed to continue.

“Yes, but more importantly, our ride to the fight.” She motioned for him to follow her down a dirt path that led out of town.

“Wait, where are we going? You never said,” Drake questioned.

“You never asked. We are going underground, though.”

“Wait, what?” He stopped walking. She spun on her heels and stared daggers into him.

“What part of we will miss our ride do you not understand?” She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him hard. Drake followed as quickly as he could.

“No more questions until we are on that damn lizard.” Drake now had nothing but questions after her last comment. However, he stowed them away for later. Together, they made their way out of town and into the forest. The sun began setting as they walked amongst the increasingly vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges in the trees and carpeting the forest floor. The soldier was growing more confused as they journeyed deeper. Was the fight outside in the middle of the woods? That seemed somehow strange to him. Darkness was beginning to creep in through the trees as they arrived at what looked like a mining camp to Drake. One that had been forsaken long ago.

Then it hit him: this is what she meant by underground. The bottom dropped out of his stomach. He eyed the timbers that made up the camp structures. They looked tired and ancient. Gigi seemed to pay them no mind and made a straight shot for the mouth of the mine, breaking out into almost a run. Drake grimaced and ran after her.

He eyed the portal to the underworld with wary eyes. The yawning mouth scoured into the dirt seemed to go on endlessly. Drake did not like the prospect of going into these mines, but he hated the idea of letting Gigi do this alone, even if he was the one trying to keep up with her. She darted into the void; her form evaporated into darkness almost immediately. Drake cursed and followed.

While a darkened mine would send many men to their deaths, he wasn’t especially concerned. While his gifts did not extend to night vision, he could use the shadows to feel his surroundings. His eyes may have been blind, but he could put together the path before him in his mind little by little. He could sense Gigi just before him, and then she was gone.

“Gigi,” he called out in light panic.

“Relax! I’m down here. There is a rope. Watch your step.” Her voice echoed up at him. He sighed and knelt, looking for the rope. His abilities found it before fingers did, but shortly after, he grabbed on tight and lowered himself. He could feel a breeze on his cheeks; even without his powers, he could tell they had entered some massive space. However, with his gifts, he could feel the enormity of the chamber they were suspended in and the beginnings of the labyrinth that lay beyond.

The rope seemed to go on endlessly to Drake. His arms were tired, and the constant swaying was nauseating. Then he could sense the bottom. The rope terminated neatly at the bottom of the cavern floor. He heard Gigi jump off with a grunt, and soon Drake could join her. Sweaty, tired, and perhaps a thousand feet under the ground, he had no idea what to expect next.

“What now?” Drake huffed.

“Just watch,” she said. He heard her slinging her duffle bag down.

“You know I can’t see in the dark, right?”

“Really? Then why did humans build all these mines?” She questioned as she rummaged.

“Because some men value ore more than their kin’s lives,” Drake sighed.

He tried to feel the totality of the mines they were in. However, it would have taken him days to map the seemingly endless twists and turns they found themselves in.

Gigi pulled out something from her duffle and then lit a match. To reveal the lamp beside it, she lit the wick and walked over to what looked to Drake like a bench. The goblin walked over and took a seat putting the lit lantern at her feet. Drake looked at her in bewilderment.

“I thought we were in a hurry?” He asked with confusion.

“Yeah, we are, but all we can do now is hurry up and wait for Qarl to show up,” she said, crossing her arms impatiently.

“Who in the seven hells is Qarl?”

“He’s actually a human like you, from some kingdom south of here,” she said.

“You mean Paxia?” Drake asked with mounting dread.

“Yeah, could be, why do you care?” She questioned. In the dark, Drake swallowed hard.

“No reason,” he lied.

It was then that the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. Drake gripped onto the bench as Gigi jumped up.

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“Finally! It took him long enough,” she yelled over a deep crashing sound coming from further in the tunnel. Drake used the darkness to try to feel what was coming toward them. It was hard to get a reading on it, though, as it was moving quickly and seemed huge and endlessly long like the cavern.

Then, a beam of light cut through the darkness, blinding Drake. He raised his hand to cover his eyes, but it was too late. When the spots in his vision dissipated, before him stood an enormous wall of white flesh; it was dimly illuminated by the multitude of lights that hung off of it.

It took Drake a moment to really understand what was before him. It was not a wall at all but a gargantuan, pale reptile. Long ropey limbs were purchased in rock ledges near the cavern wall. From what Drake could see, the beast appeared to have no eyes, only skin-covered sockets.

“Move it!” Gigi called back at him as she began climbing a ladder up to the top of the creature. Drake shrugged and followed her up the side of the enormous lizard. The pair emerged from the ladder and onto some kind of wooden platform. Drake looked around. Before him sat a few rows of benches under a a leathery canopy. The seats were lightly occupied by various races, none of the riders looked friendly. The benches themselves seemed to be crafted out of some kind of bone. They gleamed with polish in the torch light.

“You’re late, Qarl!” Gigi exclaimed.

“Or, maybe you were just early,” a gravely voice called back. Drake looked toward the sound of the stranger. From out of the darkness emerged a grizzled-looking human. He wore a hard hat with a small flame affixed to the front for light. A long black and gray beard was growing down to his chest, with small braids here and there. What stood out to Drake the most was the distinct limp the man carried.

As he hobbled closer, it became clear why. What looked like an iron rod was sticking out of his thigh, acting as a kind of peg leg.

“Got my fare?” He stuck out his gnarled hand expectantly.

“Yeah, yeah,” Gigi sighed, then reached back into her duffle. She pulled out a slightly crushed-looking box and sharply gave it to him.

“Oh, what have we got here?” He took the box and opened it cautiously. Rows of neatly lined, if smooshed, apple fritters sat waiting to be devoured. “Fare accepted.” He motioned for her to take a seat.

Then Qarl stepped up to Drake. His rod made him tilt to the right, but Drake could tell he was still staring him down. The light from the helmet shone directly into the soldier's eyes, blinding him again.

“Don’t recognize you, lad,” Qarl said with curiosity.

“He’s new. He’s with me,” Gigi explained, taking a seat. She criss-crossed her legs, pulling them up onto the bench.

“Fella still needs to pay the fare,” Qarl said flatly.

“I just gave you the fare!” She protested. Qarl shook his head.

“You gave me your fare. He still needs to pay.” Qarl stuck out his thumb at Drake. “I mean, he’s a fairly suspicious fella. Can’t let just any old criminals on old Gus.”

“Gus?” Drake asked.

“That’s the name of our friend here.” He tapped the floor with his rod.

“Ugh, what is ‘Gus’ exactly?” Drake prodded.

“We need to go!” Gigi groaned.

“Well, the miners called them whitetails,” Qarl acted as if he hadn’t heard Gigi. “On account of the fact you usually only saw their tails before they disappeared into the tunnels,” he said, waving his hand at the grandeur of the space around them. “More educated folks say they are a species of Bojak that went into the caves and never came out.”

The soldier nodded as if he understood, but he did not. “What do you need for me to ride?” Drake asked with concern.

“Got anything worth a green worm’s slime trail?” Drake looked at him blankly. “Gold, money, valuables, son.”

“Umm, I don’t have really anything. I’m…new here.”

Qarl studied Drake’s face. Finally, a small smile broke under his bushy beard. “Then I got an idea!” Qarl exclaimed. He returned to the makeshift captain’s chair and motioned for Drake to follow.

“You’re going to pay me with your story, Lad.” Qarl hunkered down into the chair.

“It’s really very boring!” Gigi interjected. Qarl chucked.

“Knowing you, I find that hard to believe,” Qarl said, thumbing his nose at her with a smile. “Now, lad, what’s your story?” He picked up the reigns and whipped them. The colossal creature began to rumble to life.

Drake felt fear congeal in his chest. If this man really was from his homeland, this could be a problem. He wasn’t sure where to begin or what to say.

“Any day, lad.”

“Well, what do you want to know?”

“Let’s start simple. What’s your name and where are you from?”

Drake looked at Gigi and frowned, unsure of what to do. She met his pleading eyes, shrugged, and motioned for him to answer. The soldier drew in a deep breath and slowly blew it out.

“My name is Drake,” he said, needing a surname. His eyes darted around, “Stone, Drake Stone.”

“Ahh, Drake that name takes me back,” Qarl said wistfully. “You must be from Paxia too, lad!”

Drake tried to swallow but found his mouth very dry. “Why do you say that?” He did his best to keep the nerves out of his voice.

“With a name like that? Where else would you be from? Your parents must have named you after the Shadow Drake, am I right?”

Gigi’s ears twitched, and she suddenly stood up straighter. “The Shadow Drake?” She asked, looking at her companion.

Drake grimaced. The innocent remark brought a tide of emotions crashing back onto him. The mother and father he never knew, given a name that he would never say. Drake missed his brother and would have given anything to get him back.

“Yeah, they were,” he whispered, trying to keep the sadness from his voice. Qarl nodded.

“They are gone, aren’t they?” Qarl asked solemnly. Drake nodded.

“Are you a soldier?” Drake’s eyes went wide with surprise and horror. Had he figured him out so quickly?

“I was.”

Qarl looked from Drake back to Gigi. “But then you found her?”

Drake gave a small smile. “She saved me.” Qarl nodded and lit up a half-finished cigar before chomping down on it.

“Who in the seven hells is the Shadow Drake?” Gigi interjected.

Qarl laughed. “Gigi! How uncultured. You don’t know the Swords of Paxia?” Gigi’s mouth twisted in concentration.

“Wait, you mean the immortal warriors supposed to protect that kingdom? They can’t be real,” she scoffed. Drake said nothing.

“Oh, they are very real,” Qarl said ominously.