“Take the mana potion,” said Rich to Kai. Kai looked ragged. He had drained his mana to nothing. He gratefully took the potion and downed it quickly.

“I hate rats,” Kai muttered.

“Me too,” said Alex.

“We are lost,” said Taylor. They had run through the tunnel for a few minutes after flooding the path behind them. At a few spots along the way, Taylor had sprung up plant barricades on the off chance that some remaining mole rats tried to chase them.

“We aren’t lost. We just need to head East and upwards. We will find our way out from there,” said Alex.

“And what way is East exactly?” asked Eric.

“It doesn’t matter what direction is East. We are still stuck down here. Or at least have to stay down here until our assigned monster is slain,” said Rich. “Let’s focus on searching for the monster. We can worry about leaving later.”

“Where are we supposed to find the monster? Do you even know where we are? I don’t want to be a downer but after collapsing tunnels, opening more. I think we are lost now,” said Alex.

“Look. We’ve got two paths we can take in this tunnel,” said Rich. He looked to the side. The water had turned part of the tunnel they had come from into a cliff. “We can’t go down that anymore and I wouldn’t want to anyway with the mole rats still sniffing us out. That leaves the left path or the right path.”

"Alright, let's think about this logically," said Kai, trying to calm everyone down. "We know that we've been traveling mostly West since we entered the mine, right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So, if we continue in that direction, we should eventually find our way out. Right, so let’s think this through. Does anyone have any clues or any reason to choose one path over the other?” Kai continued.

Eric chimed in, “Well when we entered the mine, the instructions and map said that the monster we're looking for tends to reside in the lower depths. So, maybe we should choose the path that seems to descend deeper?”

"Neither path looks like it slopes much. I say we split up," suggested Rich. "One group takes the left path, and the other takes the right path. That way, we can cover more ground and increase our chances of finding the monster."

“But we can’t communicate while we are separated,” said Alex.

“We’ve already lost too much time. We can meet up in 30 minutes and report back what is found,” said Rich. “Whoever’s path is more promising then we can take that one.”

“I have to agree with Rich,” said Eric. “We have already been in the mine for most of a day. We need to manage our time effectively.”

“Teams will have to be uneven, but we will make do,” said Rich. “Eric you will lead Taylor and Kai down the right path. Alex and I will check out the left path. Keep track of time with the torches. If you run into any diverging paths always take the one that seems to slope downward the most.”

“You two with me,” said Eric. He grabbed his bag off the ground and slung it onto his shoulder. Taylor and Kai followed soon after him.

Rich glanced at Alex and gave him a reassuring smile before gesturing toward the left path. As they entered the dimly lit mine tunnel, the sound of their footsteps echoed in the still, musty air. Rich took the lead, his amulet illuminating their way.

Alex couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. "Rich," he began, his voice a mere whisper, "I know we had to split up, but wouldn't it have been better to have a ranged fighter on each team?"

Rich gave a soft chuckle, his eyes never leaving the path ahead. "You're not wrong, Alex," he said. "But in this situation, I need you instead. Besides, these tunnels are narrower so bringing one of the others along wouldn’t work well if we had to fight. If something does happen though you have enough knives to throw one of them. You’ll do fine."

They continued down the path, the flickering torchlight casting eerie shadows on the tunnel walls. Alex appreciated Rich's confidence in him but still couldn't shake the feeling that his powers were lacking compared to the rest of the team.

"So, how do you think we're doing in the Tower?" Alex asked, trying to steer the conversation toward something more positive.

"Honestly, I think we're making great progress. We've managed to overcome every challenge so far, and we're learning more about the Tower's secrets and I’ll be leading a team in the top guild. We are not the best yet but we by no means are falling behind. In a day or two I’ll be on the second floor. It's exhilarating, don't you think?"

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Alex hesitated, weighing his words carefully. "It is, but sometimes I feel like I'm not contributing as much as I should be. I mean, my powers just don't seem to be as strong as everyone else's. I’ve been improving but I hit roadblocks. It should be better on the second floor but for now, I am not complete. Not following my assigned path. I want to access magic. My magic."

Rich slowed his pace, turning to face Alex. "Hey, we each have our place that will benefit the team as a whole. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Your place is right here with me. I am sure that we can find the best way for you to serve the team. Despite everything else you have taken on the role of a rogue quite well and while not the strongest or fastest you are good with your knives.”

Alex nodded, the warmth in Rich's words slowly erasing his doubts. "Thanks, Rich. I just wish I could be more like you – confident and optimistic, no matter the odds. You seem to know exactly what to do."

Rich laughed, a genuine, hearty sound that reverberated through the tunnel. "Trust me, I have my moments of doubt too. As for my excellent on the fly thinking it comes from years of practice. Before I did this and was in the Tower I worked in management for a business. It was my job to find the optimal tasks and decided on long-term goals for each team. If they weren’t working well then it was my job to find the best solution. But we're in this together, and we'll get through it as a team."

The pair continued following the single-track path. They only had to deviate once and split off to the left side once again. The path looked the same on all sides. The rock walls were chipped from monsters that had created them with their claws and other biological tools. As they rounded a bend, Rich and Alex were met with an unexpected sight. The tunnel had collapsed, leaving a gaping hole in the ground that stretched as far as their light could reach. The drop was far, too far for them to consider climbing down. It was a dead end. The tunnel dropped off abruptly leaving no further room to go forward.

Rich approached the edge cautiously, peering into the abyss below. "Looks like we'll have to find another way," he said, his voice tinged with disappointment. "We can't risk going down there. Maybe we could get down if we had the tools."

Alex joined him at the edge, staring down into the seemingly bottomless pit. "You're right. We should head back and regroup with the others. Maybe they've found a better route." He got closer to the wall and put a hand on it. “Maybe we could have Taylor use her plants as a path down for us?”

“The walls are solid rock. I see very few cracks for her to grow the plants and it would be very mana intensive. If I knew how far the depth was we could probably do it.”

As the two discussed their options, Rich's expression suddenly shifted to one of cold determination. He glanced sideways at Alex, his eyes narrowing. Before Alex could react, Rich swiftly drew his sword and slashed at Alex's bag, severing the straps, and sending its contents spilling out onto the tunnel floor. The edge of the blade grazed Alex's shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Rich, what are you doing?!" Alex exclaimed, shock and confusion evident on his face.

Rich ignored his question, and with a powerful kick, he sent Alex stumbling backward. Alex's foot slipped on the edge of the cliff, and he desperately grasped at the air, trying to regain his balance. He managed to catch hold of a small outcropping, his fingers digging into the cold rock as he dangled over the edge.

Rich towered above him, his face twisted into a cruel sneer. "You're a pathetic excuse for a mage, Alex. We don't need you slowing us down anymore. You see I am destined for better things and for that I need better teammates. Or at least one better teammate. We need someone who can heal us, someone who won't waste our precious healing potions. Won’t drag us down. You see as part of the agreement with the Seekers I am dropping you. Quite literally in this case."

"Please, Rich," Alex begged, his voice trembling, "I can just leave your team. Go off on my own. Anything. Just give me a chance."

But Rich only laughed, the sound echoing through the cavern. He raised his foot and stomped hard on Alex's hand, causing him to scream in pain. “That will not be part of the plan. Unfortunately for you, I can’t disband you from our team until after we complete this quest, or you die. And it would be best as far as explanations go if you died. We encountered one of Kai’s muddy tunnel paths. It caused the path to be far too unstable. You fell. As you are doing right now, I could not save you. Eric will back me up on it.”

“He was with you in this plan?”

“Of course. He needed to lead away the others so that we could be alone. Luckily for us, we have this pit to drop you in. Otherwise, I would need to cut you up and leave you to some mole rats. Far too messy though and time-consuming. This is a much more believable possibility and can be verified if I cared to return here but I won’t because I am running on a schedule. One that I am late with.”

Desperate, Alex tried to summon his magic to help him. He focused all of his energy, attempting to call forth a bolt of lightning to strike Rich and force him back. But his concentration wavered under the pressure, and the lightning refused to come. Only a singular spark traveled between his fingers.

Rich scoffed at his futile efforts. “Even close to your death, you fail at using any power. Because you have none. So pathetic.” Rich then raised his shield and slammed it into Alex's already injured hands. Unable to maintain his grip any longer, Alex lost his hold on the rock, and his body began to plummet into the abyss below.

As he fell, Alex's heart raced, his thoughts a chaotic whirl of panic and disbelief. He reached out, trying to grab onto anything that might halt his descent. His fingers brushed against the jagged rocks, but they slipped through his grasp, unable to find purchase.

His body collided with an outcropping, sending a jolt of pain through him, and momentarily slowing his fall. He reached out again. The rocks did not hold him up and slipped through his fingers. Alex tried to summon his magic, do anything really. His mind raced and focused on ignoring the pain in his hand and shoulders. For a moment it worked but it was too late. He hit the floor with a thud.

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You have left the party.

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