Part 5
Kaladox, the guide, waited patiently as they arrived. At 5'0", he was tall by the standards of his race. His species was long-lived. He was considered a young adult at the age of 75. His skin was pale blue and his hair was long and silvery-white, trailing down to the middle of his back in one long braid, which was the standard fashion among adult Mitzelgranian males. His eyes were bright blue, a rare occurrence. Most members of his species had gray eyes. Kaladox wore a jerkin made of some sort of thick hide and leggings also made from the same material. He had a sharp dagger in a hilt on his belt and he carried a heavy backpack.
Kilroy and the twins had blasters. Infinity had a large walking-stick which could double as a staff. She also carried a glowing green rod. It would be dark in the tunnels.
All of them carried backpacks laden with supplies. Infinity made the introductions and Kaladox led the way into the mines.
It was cold and damp. Oil lamps hanging on the cave walls provided dim light. The sounds of Mitzelgranian miners working below them echoed through the tunnels. Suddenly Kaladox spotted a giant arachnid. It was large enough to block their path. Its red eyes glowed malevolently in the darkness.
"Careful! One drop of the creeper's poison is enough to kill a small child. It'll make you extremely ill," their guide warned before taking his dagger out of the hilt and darting forward.
Those with blasters aimed and fired. Kilroy missed the first time. He'd always considered himself a good shot. The spider screeched as the twins' blasters hit. Infinity struck it with her staff, causing greenish slime to squirt everywhere.
"Ick! Watch out," she exclaimed.
Kaladox thrust his dagger into the spider's soft shell and was rewarded with a hiss and being sprayed with sticky webs. Kilroy fired his blaster again and hit it this time, dead center. The spider dissolved into a pile of slimy goo in a few seconds.
"The blood of that creature is highly acidic," Kaladox explained as he freed himself from the webbing. "It can eat through nearly everything except solid rock and Venusium. How the creepers survive is a mystery."
Venusium was a metallic alloy made up of titanium, adamantium, and a few elements only found on the planet Venus. It was both expensive and difficult to make. Venusium was known for being extremely rare and nearly invulnerable. Nothing short of a nuclear warhead could dent it.
They continued on the path. For a while, everything was quiet. Then Kilroy heard a screeching noise and asked, "Are there bats in these caves?"
"Oh, yes," the guide answered. "There is the normal variety of cave bats, and then there are dark bats -- filthy, disease-ridden things -- and there are vampire bats in the lower levels. They aren't truly vampires, mind you, but they can suck your blood out if they sink their fangs in. So be careful." As he spoke, there was a loud flapping of wings and screeching as the cave bats approached.
"Great," Kilroy said. "More target practice."
There were only four cave bats, but they were much harder to hit than one disgustingly large spider. Infinity screamed when the leathery wings of one bat brushed across her hair. She swung her staff, smacked something solid, and heard a thud as the bat fell.
Meanwhile, the twins were feeling frustrated as the swooping bats avoided blaster fire. Kaladox stabbed a bat as it got close. He managed to wound it.
Kilroy aimed his blaster, crossed the fingers of his free hand, and fired at one of the bats circling overhead. It screamed in rage and came at him. There was nothing to do but shoot it. He got lucky again. The blast hit dead on and the bat plummeted to the ground. Now there were only two left, and one was wounded. Horatio fired at the injured creature and missed, but his blast hit the ceiling and caused a few small rocks to fall. One of them struck the bat, knocking it down. Hamlet got the last bat with his shot.
"How much further?" Kilroy asked.
"We have several days to travel," Kaladox replied. "Are you sure you're up to it?"
"Oh, yes. Definitely. I was just wondering."
"Good. Let's go."
It was not far to the elevator that would take them down to the next level. Kaladox pressed a glowing yellow button. Everyone felt a slight rumble as the lift descended further into the mines.
* * * * *
The Mitzelgranians mined coal which was used for a variety of purposes, including electric power and fuel. Diamonds were also mined there. They were of a much higher grade than most, and were often traded to other worlds for all kinds of resources.
The second level of the mines seemed much dingier than the first. Light was much more scarce since the lamps were interspersed at wider intervals. The miners worked hard and did not chit-chat, though some glanced up momentarily. Humans were a rare sight in the mines. Most of the colonists avoided the tunnels because they were dangerous.
"Really," Kaladox said, "all you need is a sharp knife or a good blaster. Most of the beasts down here are more frightened of us than we are of them. Of course, I am used to this place."
"Is there anything we need to be concerned about?" Infinity asked.
"Hmm…well, I've heard about some things on the lower levels. There's shadow-skulkers, creatures that mostly stay in the shadows. They have breath so cold that it can freeze you solid. Then there's the weres -- wererats, werewolves, and werebears. They're partly humanoid and partly beast, and they can transform into the full creature at will. They usually keep to themselves, but they can be aggressive. I've also heard tales about huge arachnids -- ten times bigger than the one we saw. I haven't been to the lowest levels, so there may be other things. Just keep an eye out. I'm sure we'll be fine."
As the guide spoke, Hamlet caught a glimpse of two spiders heading their way. "Look out!"
Some of the miners picked up slings and aimed rocks at the arachnids. Kilroy took out his blaster and fired. The first spider went down under a barrage of stones and laser fire. The other advanced, hissing and wildly waving its hairy legs. Horatio got a shot off, but missed. Hamlet hit the creature in the soft underbelly as it displayed sharp fangs dripping with venom. It finally collapsed when the miners launched a second attack.
Noticing that someone had dropped a sling, Infinity picked it up. She looked around for the weapon's owner, but none of the miners seemed to be missing one. So she put it into her pocket. It might come in handy later.
"What are you searching for, exactly?" she asked Kaladox.
"I'm looking for a relic that was once thought to contain the power of darkness. It was supposed to be able to quench all light in an area. There are legends of it being used on the battlefield in ancient times. It could create chaos and confusion. No one is certain how it worked, or even if the stories are true. The ancients had abilities that have long been lost to us. Some of them had psionic powers that were well-documented. Legend has it that there was a tower where these very mines now stand, and it contained the secrets of the expert psionicists. The ruins of the tower have never been found, but they would be a great discovery, perhaps the greatest in our history."
"They may be the same ruins I'm here to investigate," Infinity replied.
"Oh, that would be wondrous if it were true," he responded. "We don't have very far to go to reach the next level. Come on."
So they continued down the twisting, turning tunnel and deeper into the darkness.
* * * * *
