Theo tapped his foot, glaring at the many people gathered in the town hall’s meeting room. There were too many people here for a decision he had already made. Aarok headed the table, a frustrated look hanging on his face. Gwyn, Gael, and Alise looked sheepishly off to the side, joined by their gaggle of administrative aides. It was only by the good graces of Drogramath himself that they had only wasted a few hours of the day debating something that was already decided.

“I’m not here to scold you like school children,” Theo said, looking at each of his head administrators. Each turned their gaze away. “Make your case briefly, or I’ll dismiss it.”

Alise stood, gritting her teeth. It didn’t pass Theo’s notice that she glared at Gwyn for a moment too long. “Our concerns are for the town’s safety.”

“Then do something about the dungeons,” Theo said, already having the retort on standby. “Or the Zagmoni assassins. Or the damned undead banging on our front door. Alise, sit down. Gwyn, please stand and state your concerns.”

Alise sat down, deflating in her chair. Gwynestarea Whisperstream rose, standing tall and proud like her Elven cousins. She was a Half-Elf from Veosta. An intensely intelligent woman who only ever made the town better. Theo waited for his Wisdom of the Soul messages to roll in as she spoke.

“The deep places of the world are better left where they are,” Gwyn started. There was no lack of confidence in her voice. She spoke with genuine conviction. “I didn’t expect the archduke to view a brief conversation as a roadblock. I’m voicing my concerns and nothing more.”

“You’ll have to be more specific for me, Gwyn,” Theo said. “When I want to dig a hole, I want it dug that day. I assume you read my proposal.”

“I have read it,” Gwyn said, looking at him with defiant countenance.

Theo liked that. Gwyn was going to overtake Alise as the lead administrator soon. He was excited that someone in his employ had the fortitude to stand up to him like this. The Wisdom of the Soul message that followed was enlightening. She was hiding something about her ancestor’s homeland. The Tarantham Elves knew something about the underground areas of the world, and she was holding back.

“Fenian has offered his services,” Theo said. “I’ll remind you he was selected by two different gods as their champion. What is it you know about the underground caverns?”

Gael stood, his face pale. Theo shot him a glare, but he didn’t relent. “If you’ll allow me, archduke.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“House Wavecrest has no experience with the underworld. But we’ve all heard the tales.”

“Think about it logically,” Gwyn said. “What monsters lurk in the darkness? Monsters that haven’t been disturbed for… how long, exactly?”

Theo was just happy that they were bringing up good points. His first impression of their waylay was one of obstinate administrators. Instead, they brought some good points. The hard edge of his anger faded into pride. “Aarok, what do you think?”

Aarok shrugged his massive shoulders. “I would have shut them down if they didn’t have good points.”

“Luras?”

“They’re skittish,” Luras said, chuckling. “But I’m happy to give caution when it’s due.”

Theo clapped his hands together. “I’m surprised and excited by the caution. Our administrators stepped up to take control of a situation they perceived as dangerous.”

“So, what?” Aarok asked. “We’re not digging?”

“Oh, we’re digging,” Theo said, gesturing for everyone to rise. He had a good feeling about this idea. Drogramath felt close at hand today. It was as though he had something to say. “Off to the temple.”

Theo dragged a procession of administrators and adventurers behind him, marching them directly to the temple. The moment he set foot in there, he felt that familiar presence. When he approached the dais this time, he knew it would work. “Who better to judge our decision than one of our patron gods?”

“Aren’t you one of our patron gods?” Aarok muttered.

“But this one is impartial,” Theo said, holding his arms out to his sides, palms up. He closed his eyes, whispering in Drogramathi. “Drogramath.”

What little light filtered through the open windows in the temple dimmed. Flicking purple fire sprung up around the raised platform, then the ghostly image of Drogramath appeared. Theo looked up with a smile on his face, his eyes lingering on the god’s broken horn.

“How dull,” Drogramath said, letting out a sigh that stirred the flames. “You’ve dragged me out of important experimentation… for what? Permission to dig a hole? Dig as many holes as you want, champion.”

“Did Tworgnoth place the artifice containing my familiar in that spot specifically?” Theo asked. “Did he want me to find the cavern?”

One of Drogramath’s brows raised. “No shit.”

“What will we find down below? Danger?”

Drogramath sighed again. “I see what you’re doing, champion. Fine. To appease the minds of your people, I’ll say it. Tworgnoth placed the artifice where he did so that you would dig below. The caverns are connected throughout the world and contain many dangers. And many treasures. The area directly under Tworgnoth’s artifice is occupied by a race of creatures friendly to all Dronon. Now, may I please go?”

“Thanks, Drogramath,” Theo said.

Drogramath only glared back, then waved his hand. The spectral image of the god vanished. The alchemist turned on the spot, shrugging. “Does that satisfy your concerns?”

Gwyn smiled, shaking her head. “Yeah. That works for me.”

“Me too,” Gael said.

“Can’t get clearer than that,” Alise chuckled.

They would have reached that conclusion eventually. Summoning Drogramath to dispel their fears might have been a cheat, but it worked. Gwyn and Gael seemed especially reluctant to accept Theo for his word. That was moderately concerning. Not because of their trust for him, but their fear for whatever it was underground. Tresk poked into the alchemist’s mind, dipping in to get a feel for the situation.

All good? She asked. Can we go to the caves now?

Almost, Theo responded. Aarok has a few things to sort out. I imagine he will call our forces into action. Just in case.

Another chance for the man to flex his big old muscles, Tresk said.

Theo nodded as though the Marshling could see him nod. He departed from the temple, leaving his administrators to sort themselves out. It wouldn’t do to hold their caution against them, so he dismissed the matter in his mind. Instead, he focused on what Drogramath said and the god’s behavior. It was almost as though he had called a friend who was in the middle of baking a cake. Nothing special to see here. Just a mortal communicating with a god.

Unlike the myths on Earth, the gods in this world worked differently. If a god wanted to smite a person here, they needed to send agents. Balkor made the mistake of bringing his heavenly body to the mortal realm, which resulted in his death. The alchemist had already decided that ‘god’ wasn’t a good title for them. Well, Khahar was a god if ever there was one. But everyone else up there in the high heavens? Nah.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Makes you think,” Theo said, wandering toward the mine. “How messed up is the god system?”

He got a few concerned looks from those citizens passing by, but none offered responses. The alchemist stopped in on Nira and her smeltery operation. She was sitting on a log, watching her people work with a faint smile on her face.

“Theo,” she said, nodding in his direction.

“Nira.”

It was mesmerizing to watch folks working the smelter. Sparks flew from the crucibles as they poured molten metal. Waves of heat washed from the building like an unstoppable tide. The warmth it brought would have been a comfort in a tundra, but here in the swamp? It was stifling. A strangulating blanket of heat that brought beads of sweat to Theo’s forehead in moments. He couldn’t figure out how the people working here had tolerated it before his cooling gel. They sat in silence for long moments before he stood.

“Gotta go.”

“Sure.”

Aarok gave the order to the adventurers to assemble at the mine a half-hour later. Theo met up with Fenian outside the entrance to Dead Dog Mine shortly after that. He smiled, watching as the Elf moved around without issue. The topical, limb-regeneration goo did its job well and there was no sign of lasting damage. He was ready to be thrown through the realms, a task the alchemist felt he could do. If he should do it was another matter, but he tried not to concern himself with those problems.

“Ready for… whatever is inside?” Theo asked.

“There’s nothing on the other side,” Fenian said, shaking his head. “Your people are worried about nothing.”

“Drogramath said there was a race of people down there that liked Dronon.”

“Well, I’m not aware of such people.”

“Guess you can’t know everything.”

Theo walked away before Fenian could retort. He met with Aarok and his guys, then had a brief meeting with Gridgen. The miners had a bottle of [Tunneling Potion], reserved for just such an event. Most notably, the alchemist didn’t see the administrators around. That put a smile on his face.

“We do the heavy lifting,” Aarok said, noting the expression on the alchemist’s face. “They make the decisions.”

“Hmmm.”

A procession entered the mine. Theo, Fenian, Sarisa, Rowan, Tresk, Alex, Luras, and Aarok led the way to the lower levels. They broke off near the lower level. The adventurers prepared the area for combat while the alchemist applied several simple wards to the iron gates. He double-checked the daggers in his inventory, bringing several out just in case things got weird.

“As always,” Aarok said, his booming voice commanding the attention of all those gathered. “We’re sticking our hand in a hole. We don’t know what’s in that hole, but we don’t care. Broken Tuskers don’t look before they leap, do they?”

That got a chuckle out of the group.

“Unless there’s an undead dragon in the cavern, we’re fine,” Fenian said, laughing. No one else laughed. “There isn’t an undead dragon down there. Trust me. But… maybe? Just kidding.”

“Words of confidence,” Aarok grumbled, holding a bottle of [Tunneling Potion] out over the hole. “Ready, Fenian?”

“I’m ready,” the Elf said, withdrawing his rapiers from nowhere. They filled the tunnel shadows and blue-silver light that battled against one another.

Aarok tipped the potion over the hole, then stepped back. Fenian fell into a combat stance, holding his left rapier to the side and his right one leading. The potion ate away at the stone in moments, creating a circular hole that went straight down. When it ate through the last layer of rock, the tunnel was filled with the smell of sulfur and an intense heat. It rushed forward, wind howling for a moment before subsiding.

“Everyone good?” Aarok asked. A murmur blew through the crowd. Everyone was fine.

Theo tilted his head to the side, clutching a dagger. “I heard something. A voice.”

Fenian nodded. “It sounds like a man. Speaking… gods, I don’t know what that is.”

Theo edged closer to the hole. Tresk grabbed him by his new gambeson and held him. He could sense her intent to keep him from falling, and poked his head over the edge. A strange sight greeted him. Below was an amalgamation of rocks with a beady set of eyes staring up. His brow knit tightly when the rocks waved.

“Hello?” Theo asked, uncertain.

The being responded with a rapid series of words. The alchemist only caught a few of them, then stepped back. “There’s a pile of rocks. Talking. It kinda sounds like…”

“Like someone chewed up Toru’aun’s language and spat it out,” Tresk said with a chuckle.

Theo leaned over the edge again, listening more intently this time. The rock creature below continued speaking rapidly, never even taking a breath between words. As it spoke, the alchemist understood more of the language. It wasn’t his mind unraveling the complexities of a Dronon tongue, though. The rock was speaking a heavily accented Dronon tongue. This wasn’t the language of Toru’aun.

“Do you speak Drogramathi?” Theo shouted back. “Or Bantari, Taranthian… English? Russian?”

“The language of the sand!” the rock-thing shouted back in horrible Russian.

Theo leaned back, looking at his friends with a flat expression. “Another one of Khahar’s jokes.” He poked his head back over the hole, continuing on in Russian. “I hope you’re friendly.”

“Yeah, we’re super friendly,” the rock said. “The cat told me to stand in this tunnel, so I stood in this tunnel.”

Theo sighed. “How long have you been standing in the tunnel?”

The rock-man counted on his fingers, then shrugged. “I dunno!”

“My name is Theo. I’m the archduke of the alliance on the surface.”

“Igor! A pleasure to meet you, horned one.”

Theo backed away from the hole again. “Alright, Khahar brainwashed the rock people so they would be friendly to me. Someone fetch me Zan’kir and Zan’sal. And a ladder.”

Several adventurers ran off, heading up through the tunnels. Theo poked his head back over the hole. Tresk tightened her grip on his clothes. “Are there more of your people down there?”

“Oh, yeah. We have an entire city. Thousands of people like me,” Igor said. “We had a war going the last time I was home.”

Zan’kir and Zan’sal arrived, carrying a ladder between them. Theo updated them on the situation, then requested that they escort him into the hole. They shared a confused look, then agreed. Igor seemed incredibly friendly. The alchemist’s Wisdom of the Soul popped up a few times, agreeing that the rock dude had no ill intentions. The adventurers placed the ladder in the hole.

“I’m coming down,” Theo shouted into the hole. “Could you make some room?”

“Absolutely!” Igor said. When he moved, the cave was filled with scraping sounds. Like rock on rock.

It only made sense to send Fenian first. He didn’t speak Russian, but there were few things down in the hole that could best him in combat. Zan’kir and Zan’sal went next, followed by Theo, Tresk, Rowan, and Sarisa. When the alchemist’s feet touched the ground of the cavern below, he cast his eyes around the area. Light filtered through the circular hole above, providing a halo of light where they stood. He got a better look at Igor, who seemed to be little more than a vaguely humanoid shaped pile of stones.

“Denizens of the sands!” Ignore exclaimed.

“He speaks the holy language,” Zan’sal sneered.

“Come! Follow me! We’ll see my people together. Down this tunnel.” Igor gestured vaguely and the group followed.

Fenian led the way, but he had placed his weapons back into his inventory. Tresk melted into the shadows, then ranged ahead. But it didn’t take the group long to find the exit of the tunnel. They came out into a darkened world that sprawled on forever. The cavern they exited into was lined in places with glowing fungus. Flying creatures could be heard overhead, somewhere in the distance. Flickering on the horizon, miles away, was an arrangement of lights that defied nature. The alchemist narrowed his eyes, focusing to see the edge of walls. A city under his town.

“That’s a sight,” Fenian said, staring into the distance. “I retract my remark about there not being a dragon.”

“What?” Theo asked, giving the Elf a concerned look.

Fenian pulled Theo down, pressing their cheeks together. “In the city’s center, there is a dragon.” His voice had an edge like a sharpened dagger. “One of the metallic kind.”

“Abort mission?” Rowan asked.

“You guys freaking out about our dragon?” Igor asked with a rocky chuckle. “She’s been protecting the Stonehome for thousands of years. Only wakes up when there’s danger.”

Theo got the impression that the dragon had been there for longer than that. He didn’t know exactly when Khahar had enacted his plan, but it was at least ten-thousand years ago. Likely more. The alchemist had been led here by Khahar, which meant it was a good thing. At least, he hoped it was a good thing. Before proceeding forward, they paused near the tunnel’s exit and sent their people forward to scout. That gave him some time to ask Igor about his people.

The rock-people didn’t have a name for themselves, but they had adopted the culture seeded by Yuri. But the dragon had interested Theo the most. It didn’t pass his notice that Fenian had locked his eyes on the beast from the start, glaring at it as though it owed him money for one of his trade deals. The alchemist pulled the Elf aside while his people scouted.

“Explain dragons to me,” Theo said.

“They aren’t real,” Fenian said. His eyes never left the dragon. “They’re stories the Elves tell their children. Something to be afraid of if you misbehave.”

Theo gestured to the vague form of the dragon in the distance. “Yet, there is a dragon.”

“It is a concerning fact that was concealed from me. Which makes it dangerous and important.”

From what Igor said, the dragon was a protector of the stone people. She acted as their leader and protector. Underground, there were caverns like this that stretched throughout the entire world. Civilizations that never saw the light of day called the deep places home. Deep versions of all the surface-dwelling races made their lives down here. Wisdom of the Soul offered a few suggestions, but nothing solid. Just guesses, like echoes in the vast caves.

“Can we meet the dragon?” Theo asked, turning to Igor.

“Of course! She’ll be happy to see you.”