Part 6
As they descended deeper into the mines, each level of tunnels seemed darker and dingier than the one above it. Finally, after battling their way through hordes of bats and giant spiders much like the ones previously described, they reached the location where Kaladox was certain his relic would be found. They were five levels down from the entrance and dozens of kilometers below the planet's main surface.
"This reminds me of a grave," Hamlet said. "It's dark, chilly and it stinks."
"You know, you're right. I can smell something rotting," Kaladox replied. "Perhaps someone was down here recently and encountered trouble with the local wildlife."
"As long as it isn't more bats or spiders," Infinity remarked. "I am so tired of fighting those things."
"You can say that again," Kilroy agreed as an eerie howl pierced the air.
"On the other hand, maybe a dark bat or creeper would be preferable to whatever that is," she said.
"It's probably just a werewolf," Kaladox said. "It shouldn't be any trouble at all. They're not usually hostile unless provoked. They are, however, quite territorial."
Suddenly Kilroy felt something crunch beneath his feet. He looked down and shivered at the sight of bones.
"Ugh," Infinity remarked, nearly tripping over one. "You've never heard about anything undead down here, have you, Kaladox?"
"Not that I know of," he replied. "I doubt that such a thing is possible."
"Good. So we don't have to worry about these skeletons coming after us?"
"They are quite harmless, I assure you."
"Wait," Kilroy said, catching a glimpse of something metallic gleaming among the bones. Carefully, he picked it up. It was a shiny disk. "I wonder what this is?"
"I don't know, but it may be useful," their guide answered.
As they walked forward, the werewolf howled again. It sounded much closer this time. Then they saw a pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness. It snarled in a barely intelligible voice, "Stay away from our lair! You have been warned."
"Where is your lair?" Kaladox asked.
"You are approaching it. Stay away." The creature disappeared into the shadows.
"Well, that's just great," Kilroy said. "What shall we do now?"
"We should go around it," their guide suggested. "The lair is directly ahead of us. However, we can avoid it by going to the left. It'll take a little longer to get where we're going, true, but we'll steer clear of the werewolf pack in the process."
"Let's do as Kaladox says," Infinity replied. "Our lives are not worth saving a few extra minutes."
So they went to the left. The werewolves' howls and growls faded into the distance. This long path soon turned into a very steep hill leading down into a pitch black cavern. Even Infinity's glowing rod couldn't pierce the darkness.
"This must be where your relic is," Kilroy remarked.
"Indeed," Kaladox said.
"Does anyone hear that slight humming sound?" Horatio commented.
Everyone was silent for several moments. A low-pitched hum could be heard inside the cave. Following it, the Mitzelgranian felt around the wall and floor with his hands until he discovered an indentation. "Kilroy, do you still have that metal object?"
"Yes."
"It may be useful now."
Kilroy blindly shuffled across the floor, following the sound of Kaladox's voice until he literally bumped into the guide.
"Watch it!"
"Sorry. Uh, here."
He held out the disc and Kaladox took it, carefully inserting it into the notch on the wall. Just then, the humming stopped. Electric light shone brightly and revealed a rod resembling Infinity's glow stick on a pedestal in the center of the room, except that the rod was purple.
"This is incredible," he breathed.
Kaladox took the rod from its location and examined it closely. There was a small switch near the top, which extinguished all light while it was flipped one way and stopped working while it was flipped the other way.
"It's definitely an amazing discovery," Infinity agreed. "Perhaps we should rest here for a few hours. How far is it to the ruins, Kaladox?"
"We have three more levels to go. You know, I've never been beyond the 8th level, so I can't tell you what we'll find later on."
"That's all right. I'm sure we'll learn soon enough."
While Kilroy unpacked, Infinity snuck glimpses of him as she unloaded her supplies for the night. He was handsome, in a rugged sort of way. She wondered if she could convince him to stay on Mitzelgran. Probably not. He seemed to be the type who couldn't be tied down to anything -- or anyone, for that matter. She turned her glow stick off and tucked it away so it could recharge. Then she nibbled on some rations. They weren't very tasty, but at least they were nutritional. Hopefully, it would be a peaceful night and everyone could get some rest.
* * * * *
