by Scott Wale
Fenrit and Alejade basked in the light emitted from Tradok’s torrid sleeper. Jandra had perched herself up on a nearby ledge partially hidden in the shadows created by the focal point of the light projecting out against the cave’s natural formations of crevices and alcoves. Jandra watched as Fenrit and Alejade finished the remainder of the nuts and enjoyed a small helping of blonde berries before Tradok and Nevit’s return caught their attention.
“What’s she going to eat?” Nevit asked motioning to Jandra.
“She already managed to catch a small rodent and devour it while you two were away”, Alejade proclaimed. “Would either of you like some blonde berries?”
“I’m hungry enough to try them”, Nevit responded voraciously.
“I’ll stick with the flash”, Tradok responded.
“What did you find?” Fenrit asked.
“A few chambers into the system there’s a stream that I recall from long ago”, Tradok began. “That should get us a good start for tomorrow. Some details are coming back to me like the fact that this part of the cave network is a number of chambers that are laid out in a single series, but once we get deeper into the system it will branch out offering us more options than we care to have. We can move quickly through this first part allowing us to spend some time figuring out the route when good decisions are more crucial.”
“When we make it out of the network how much farther is it to Prominence?” Fenrit asked.
“That is the beauty of this route, it will put us right up against Prominence”, Tradok answered. “Once we leave the cave system we’ll only have to deal with a climb before we’re there. I will admit that the climbing is mostly vertical, so there is still hard work to be done.”
“So if I understand you correctly, our biggest risk on the time front is trying to correctly navigate this cave system?” Fenrit asked.
“Yes, and I’d be surprised if it took us more than a day to get through”, Tradok answered.
“It feels so close”, Alejade exclaimed.
“Yeah, and what’s the plan when we get there?” Nevit asked.
“I know after a day of artificial light you’ll all be eager to get back out into the open, but I suggest before we exit the cave system we let Jandra scout around”, Tradok suggested. “There’s only one path up to Prominence from the cave network’s exit, but she is our best bet at traveling that path safely. It’s probably in our best interest to have Jandra monitor the route for a while until we make our move. Once we’re sure we can cover the stretch between the exit and Prominence then we can begin the infiltration. We saw a lot of cymutts earlier, but I have to believe there are still patrols circling the premises. If we wait it out overnight, we should have enough recon to make a plan and execute it with confidence.”
“I probably want this over and done with faster than anyone here, but I admit that playing it safe is the best strategy here”, Fenrit agreed. “If that means a night and a following day to gain assurance, then that’s what we’ll give. I know cymutts can move quickly and don’t require rest, but even if that army was heading towards Aman it’ll still take them a few days to get there.”
“I don’t want to dampen your spirits, but one of Grimtav’s strengths is mobilizing a force and keeping it moving at a good pace”, Tradok said cautiously.
“If we had options to save time without putting too much risk on the success of our mission, then I’d consider them, but unfortunately we’ve given what effort and thought we can to time and now it has become a simple pass or fail for us”, Fenrit concluded.
“Maybe I can change that for you”, a raspy voice came from the shadows.
The group began to look around in a panic trying to locate the voice. None of them had picked up on any evidence that they had an observer. Fenrit glanced around the camp for where he had last placed Scourge as a precaution. He didn’t wish to make any sudden moves as he was unaware of who the observer was or even how many there were. Stealth had already been used upon the group and Fenrit wasn’t about to allow that advantage to continue without getting a proper read on the situation.
“Who’s there?” Fenrit finally called out.
“Pardon me, but it isn’t often I stumble upon a camp of travelers in my caves”, said the voice as a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
The figure had menacing dark red eyes that were the most salient trait as it materialized from the darkness. The figure’s head was covered in short, grey fur which, other than its large leathery wings, concealed the whole body. Tradok and Nevit were quick to put together that this had been what was hanging from the chamber they had explored earlier. Short fangs protruded from a squat muzzle, the end of which contained nostrils that noticeably flexed as the figure engaged its sense of smell to learn about the beings it had just encountered.
“Who are you?” Fenrit rephrased his question that had still not been answered.
“I’m one of many Calcarx who inhabit this cave”, answered the being still dodging Fenrit’s direct question.
“And you wish to help us?” Alejade asked trying to relieve some of the tension that had built up with the startling introduction.
“If I overheard correctly, you just need guidance through these caves”, the Calcarx replied opening its wings up to expose a lightly toned, muscular body covered in the same short, grey fur as its head.
“Why would you want to help us?” asked Tradok who was full of skepticism.
“No one wanders through these caves unless they’re trying to avoid being detected”, the Calcarx began. “Perhaps we share a common enemy.”
“You’re willing to help not knowing that for sure?” Tradok continued to challenge.
“This is interesting”, said the Calcarx who had turned his attention to the torrid sleeper. He gazed into the glowing light and his eyes began to reflect back the beams.
“We have nothing to offer you for your help”, Tradok interrupted the Calcarx’s dazed fascination concerned that he would lose his critical possession.
“How does it work?” the Calcarx inquired.
“That’s not relevant”, Tradok said maintaining his rude demeanor.
“What Tradok means is that we’d like to discuss your willingness to help us if that’s ok”, Alejade interjected trying to keep things civil.
“Ah, yes”, the Calcarx replied. “Only those robotic beasts travel the main trail these days. The scant remainder of travelers comes through these caves to avoid them. An enemy of my enemy is my friend, so it goes.”
“I thought you dwelled in these caves, so how can the robotic beasts be your enemy?” Tradok asked maintaining the Calcarx’s vernacular.
“The construction of their home and constant maintenance is disrupting to our caves”, the Calcarx explained. “We’ve lost several chambers including some that contained a majority of our former dwellings due to tremors that resulted in collapses. Our people lived here for years before they came and now our way of life is threatened.”
“Sorry to hear that”, Fenrit responded as the brief story resonated with him when he considered the parallel between the Calcarx and his own people.
“That is in the past, but I still am concerned for our future”, the Calcarx stated.
“Do the cymutts ever travel through the caves?” Nevit asked suddenly growing wary of his surroundings.
“I’ve never seen them enter my domicile”, the Calcarx said.
“They were programmed to stay away from the caves”, Tradok said with a snarky resonance.
“Good, because if they had entered, they never would have come back out”, the Calcarx replied with an ominous tone.
“It had nothing to do with you, but a different resident of these caves”, Tradok informed the group. “Paleen have burrowed into the rocks all over this cave system. These slithering nuisances emit electromagnetic pulses to stun prey, but the bigger problem is when several Paleen coil up into a single ball and generate enough energy to emit a large pulse. They do this from
time to time to create small fissures in the rock which they can then chip away at with their own muscles to create their burrows. The large pulse emissions were picked up by cymutts, so I had programmed them to stay away from the caves and ignore any signals coming from this vicinity.”
“I’m not sure if it’s any better knowing we won’t run into any cymutts if it means we’ll come across these Paleen”, Nevit commented.
“They’re nothing to be scared of and they’re small enough that they would make a good meal for Jandra if she didn’t have to worry about the electric pulses”, Tradok said grinning with amusement at the thought of Jandra essentially biting into a live wire. “The coiled up ball of several Paleen is quite a sight considering it’s probably a hundred or more of them.”
“They have never been an issue for my people”, the Calcarx stated.
“Regardless, if you lead us through the caves, we may be able to help you”, Alejade offered.
“I don’t need your help, you already have what I need”, the Calcarx said shifting his eyes from the torrid sleeper to Fenrit’s satchel and finally to Alejade.
“What is that?” Tradok asked.
“An enmity for the robotic beasts”, the Calcarx replied in a manner that suggested the answer was obvious.
“How exactly does that help you?” Nevit asked confused like the rest of the group.
“It is reassuring to know that other beings share our ill will which means eventually the world will right itself”, the Calcarx answered.
All of the members of the group pondered this interpretation of how the world worked. Nevit and Fenrit decided not to push the issue and just be glad to have the help. Tradok felt the urge to challenge the Calcarx’s beliefs, but when he played out a few scenarios in his head they all ended violently. The Sauronoid wasn’t particularly fond of the new acquaintance, but he saw no value in turning this into a violent encounter. Alejade wanted to explore the Calcarx’s belief system, but she knew time was not on her side for tonight. The group was tired and needed to get up and moving early tomorrow. If the Calcarx agreed to lead them, she would have time to probe his beliefs during the trek.
“We would fully appreciate any help you can offer”, Alejade formally accepted on behalf of the group.
“Good, now please tell me how this works”, the Calcarx said while returning his attention to the torrid sleeper.
“It’s simply a chemical reaction that is contained in that lighting device”, Nevit answered. “You seem awfully fascinated with it.”
“I believe my eyes are able to absorb off of this, a technology that would be most useful to my people”, the Calcarx disclosed.
“Absorb?” Fenrit asked.
“Ah, that is correct, you non-cave dwellers rely on light that is provided most of the day”, the Calcarx started. “We don’t have that luxury. Periodically we need to exit the cave and absorb outside light through our eyes. That allows us to later project the light and use our vision down in the complete darkness.”
“Interesting”, Tradok said finally finding something appealing about the Calcarx. “How often do you have to absorb?”
“Every few days”, the Calcarx answered. “It depends on how frequently we need our eyes to project.”
“That makes sense”, Tradok replied. “This particular device also serves to keep me warm which reminds me that it is probably time to recharge for the night.”
“Probably best for us all to settle down”, Fenrit suggested. “Even though we have some help to keep things smooth tomorrow, we still have some long days ahead of us.”
“I just awoke from a period of hibernation”, the Calcarx said. “I can lead the way once you are rested. Until then, you may all rest easy.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll take first watch”, Nevit proclaimed realizing that Tradok wouldn’t stand for the group being solely under the watch of the Calcarx.
“Are you sure?” the Calcarx asked with a hint of slight irritation in his voice.
“It has been and will continue to be a long journey, but it’s probably best to keep our routine”, Fenrit offered up an excuse realizing the importance of Nevit keeping an eye on the group and the Calcarx.
“As you wish”, the Calcarx agreed.
***
The night had passed uneventfully and Nevit had never been more relieved than when Fenrit came to take over the second half of the night watch. Nevit had attempted to start a number of conversations, but the Calcarx seemed determined to sit in silence. This was awkward and uncomfortable for a being as gregarious as Nevit. Nevit eventually succumbed to the unspoken wishes of the Calcarx and time crawled along until Fenrit eventually awoke. Fenrit only made a single attempt at conversation and when that failed the premalier was happy to sit in silence with his own thoughts.
The group woke wholly refreshed after a deep sleep that had been induced by the energy draining hike from the day before. Tradok had the extra boost of getting a complete night in his torrid sleeper. He felt fully charged, but was still glad that someone else would be taking over leading duties. The Calcarx still struck him as an unusual character, but the offer sounded genuine and there didn’t seem to be much risk in accepting the Calcarx’s help.
The group eagerly packed their gear and followed the Calcarx to the stream that Nevit and Tradok had explored the day before. The passageway that the stream flowed through was wide enough and tall enough to allow the Calcarx to spread his wings and hover just over the stream and avoid getting wet. Jandra followed suit happy to have another capable flier in the group even if it was just temporary. The four land dwellers tramped through the stream for the short distance of the passageway. Tradok’s assumption had been correct that the attached chamber opened up enough to allow the group to follow the stream rather than journey through it. The brief time spent in the water had left three of the four hikers miserable as the cold cavern air refused to dry their footwear out. Tradok suffered from a separate issue as the cold stream water had caused his body temperature to significantly drop. He held the lighting device close hoping to maintain his current state before he completely shut down.
The Calcarx said little during the trip, just as he had over the course of the night, but he led the way as if he knew exactly where he was headed. Alejade attempted on a few occasions to engage the Calcarx about his beliefs, but the few times he replied with words, he was quick to change the subject and then shut down communication. For a being that turned out to say very little, he was well versed on how to control a conversation.
The network of caves had begun to branch out as Tradok said it would when mysterious sounds began to occur behind the group. The Calcarx had eased the rest of the group’s tension by writing the noises off as echoes. He had reasoned that as the caves began to branch out there were more points for sound to bounce around. His experience with the caves and assurance about what was really going on was enough to convince the entire group save Tradok who still needed to be knocked off his pedestal of distrust.
“As I recall, most of the branches converge once again into a serial route that exits the cave”, Tradok began. “How far until we reach that point?”
“I don’t believe it’s that far”, the Calcarx answered.
“Don’t believe?” Tradok asked astonished by the chosen words. “I thought you had lived in this cave your entire life?”
“It’s not often that I take this exact route”, the Calcarx defended himself. “I know where we are headed. I just don’t have every footstep memorized.”
“All these years to evolve and your people still live in caves?” Nevit asked for his own entertainment.
“We’ve always found the caves to be an acceptable way of life”, the Calcarx snapped an answer unamused by the question.
Tradok began to observe the different branches and noticed many led into small chambers that appeared to have a single point that would serve as an entry and exit. It appeared that they were on a major thoroughfare through the cave sys
tem. Perhaps this wasn’t as difficult to navigate as he had once thought. The condition of the cave floor probably offered clues on the best direct route to the overall cave system exit, especially if all the Calcarx had traveled it as much as the one heading the group had lead the remainder of the group to believe.
A stream of natural light captured the group’s attention ahead on the trail. They had not seen natural light all day and now in the heart of the cave system a beam had made its way inside. The group neared the point where the light touched the cave floor and the group stood in wonder as if it was the first time they had laid eyes on natural light. Loose particles could be seen floating around in the air and Tradok swore he could feel heat when he stuck his arm into the rays.
“This is one of a few absorption points throughout the caves”, the Calcarx pointed out. “This one is too narrow for any Calcarx to fit up through, so only a few can use it at a time to absorb light from inside the safety of the cave. Your creature friend is probably small enough to fit through though.”
Jandra was eager to leave the cave system and Alejade was fully aware of this. The lack of natural light, lack of wind and claustrophobia had physically and mentally taxed the raptor. She had tried a few times to rest on Alejade’s arm, but holding still only seemed to make matters worse. This was her opportunity for freedom even if it was just to get a quick refresh before returning to the group to finish out the trek through the caves.
“Go ahead, but don’t take too long”, Alejade instructed Jandra. “The rest of us are probably due for a break anyways.”
The raptor lifted off and settled on a perch near the opening. She realized she wouldn’t fit through the shaft with her wings spread wide open, so she hopped from her perch into the shaft and began to scale her way outside on her talons. It felt unnatural to Jandra, but she didn’t spend much time thinking about it with the great wide open, not too far off in the distance, calling for her.
