Quest SMASH

by Joseph Lallo

  "Stop," she said.

  Leo turned.

  "Is something wrong?" he asked.

  "How deep is this cave? When will we stop?" she asked.

  "If memory serves correctly, this is perhaps a third of the way there," he said.

  "We have got three more days of this ahead?" she gasped.

  "If we keep this pace. The path becomes more difficult further on, so we may take a bit longer, though the last bit might make up some time," he explained.

  "I don't know if I can make it. I . . . I haven't eaten since just before I found you," she said.

  "That is, oh, a day and a half ago. I seem to remember that you've gone far longer than that without food," he said.

  "I have, but there are at least three more days of this. Unless there is food to be found, I don't think I will be leaving this cave," she said. "And what about Myn, and you?"

  "Did Myn eat when you did?" he asked.

  "Yes. As usual, she ate about three times as much as I did," Myranda said.

  "Then she will be just fine. As for me? Well, never mind me," he said. "Regardless, there is something coming up that will either fill your stomach or turn it. Either way, you won't have to worry about your appetite."

  "I hope you are right," she said.

  They continued on, the path steepening to the point that they spent as much time climbing as they did walking. Leo and Myranda did so with quite a bit of difficulty, but Myn scampered up and down the walls as though she were on the ground. She was truly in her element. In this dank, dreary environment, she was in a state of bliss. Just as the path began to level and the ceiling rose out of sight, Myranda noticed a powerful, gagging odor.

  "What is that?" she coughed.

  "Oh, so you can finally smell it. That, my dear, is dinner," he said.

  "You are kidding," she ventured.

  Leo shook his head. Shortly, they came upon a chalky, foul-smelling substance littering the ground. The echoing of their footsteps was joined by a distorted, unidentifiable sound.

  "You don't intend to use your robe anytime soon, do you?" Leo asked.

  "Unless this cave gets much colder soon, then I don't imagine I would. Why?" she asked.

  "Give it to me. I'll need it soon. If you don't mind, I am going to need both hands. Would you take the spare torches?" he asked.

  "Of course," she said, exchanging the now-heavily soiled robe for the torches.

  "All right. Now, this is going to be a bit confusing. There will be a lot of noise, but don't worry. You should be safe," Leo said as he wiped his fingers on his shirt.

  "Wait, what is--" Myranda desperately tried to interject before the chaos began, failing miserably.

  Leo placed two fingers in his mouth and unleashed a piercing whistle. The echoes of the ear splitting sound were joined with a myriad of animal screeches. A blur of flapping wings filled the air. As Myranda struggled against the urge to drop to the ground and cover her head, her robe-wielding companion cast it into the air and pulled it tight like a net.

  "All right, move! That way!" he said, motioning.

  He and Myranda rushed in the direction he'd indicated. They quickly came upon a small tunnel that they had to crawl to enter. Myn lingered just outside, snapping at the frenzied bats. When the bulk of the animals had funneled out of an unseen hole in the roof of the cave, she entered the tunnel and joined her friends, making sure to retrieve her chewing helmet before doing so. Leo snapped one of the wooden handles of the spent torches into kindling and lit it. He then uncovered the quarry of questionable nourishment. The creatures were just about the size of a fist, a grotesque assemblage of skin and bone.

  "You can eat these things?" Myranda said, picking one of the creatures up by a wing and grimacing.

  "I can, at least, when there are no alternatives," he said, popping one of the bats, whole and raw, into his mouth and crunching away.

  Myranda managed to retrieve one of the longer splinters and skewer a small specimen to hold over the fire. When it began to sizzle, she, out of necessity rather than desire, managed to pick some of the meat off of it and consume it. Leo ate two or three more as he watched her in quiet amusement. Finally he spoke.

  "If you wanted meat, you should have taken a larger one. With the smaller ones, you are better off just eating them whole. The bones are thin, you don't have to worry about them," he said.

  Myranda laughed, until she realized that he was serious. In an experience that she would try to forget for years to come, she did as he suggested. It took the better part of an hour to choke down enough to convince her she would not starve. Leo, on the other hand, was quite happy eating until he was full. Myn snapped up the rest.

  "Well, after that rather unique experience, I trust we will retire for the night--or day, or whatever it may be?" she fairly pleaded.

  "I suppose, but we must move quickly tomorrow. The increasing flow of water is making me nervous. I have a feeling our timing could have been a bit better in this little endeavor," he said.

  "Why?" she said.

  "Well. This cave has two distinct states: wet and dry. I was expecting to get here during the transition from the former to the latter. I fear that I may have been held a bit longer than I had realized, in which case we may be experiencing the opposite transition. No cause for worry, though. So long as we reach the end in a timely manner," he said.

  His words did worry her, but his tone was nothing if not relaxed and confident. Everything about the way he expressed himself made Myranda trust Leo more. Myn must have felt the same way, because she had resumed her constant trek from one lap to the other, unable to decide where she wanted to sleep. Eventually, Myranda slid to beside Leo so that the dragon could stretch across both laps while they dozed with their backs against the wall. Sleep came swiftly and was refreshingly free of any disturbing images.

  The sound of a fresh torch being lit by her helpful dragon roused Myranda from sleep. Leo was using some of the leather that affixed the fuel rags to one of the spent torches to bind the remaining ones. Once again, he was awake before her, and she'd fallen asleep before him. Though she'd not known him long, she had never seen him sleeping naturally. There was no room to stand, but he assured her that the roof would be tall enough to stand shortly. The trio moved on.

  "How is it that you remember this place so well?" Myranda said.

  "Well, I spent a bit more time here than was required," he explained.

  "How long?" she asked.

  "Seven months," he said nonchalantly.

  "Seven! Seven months! How did you survive so long?" she wondered.

  "I ate quite a few bats, drank quite a bit of stagnant water, and learned to love the dark," he said.

  "Why didn't you leave the cave?" she asked.

  "Hadn't found what I was looking for," he said. "Well, here we are, the halfway point. After a rough bit, things get much easier from here on."

  The dancing light of the torch fell upon a cleft in the stony wall with a fair amount of water trickling from it. The path continued into the darkness.

  "We have to climb this?" Myranda asked.

  "Yes indeed! Let's get at it," Leo said, as he threw the bundle of torches over his shoulder to be held in place by the former sling.

  Once again, Myn shot up the wall effortlessly and Leo managed to climb easily enough despite his ailing legs. Myranda, left holding the torch, had more of a struggle. Leo noticed when the light fell too far behind for him to see.

  "Do you need a hand?" he called from above.

  "I could use one!" she said.

  "There is a ledge up here. When you reach it, we will work something out," he said.

  She made her way to the ledge. After some thought, they came upon a compromise. Myranda took the helmet that Myn carried, rolled it in her robe, and tied it to her back with the robe's waist cord. Myn, in turn, clutched the torch, sans a good portion of the handle to make it easier to carry, in her teeth. With h
er ease of climbing the wall, the dragon was able to put the light wherever it was needed. With both of her hands free, Myranda managed to keep up with Leo with little effort. For nearly an hour, the three climbed, concentration requiring that conversation cease. All that could be seen was what the light of the torch revealed.

  An opening came into view.

  "Is this the tunnel?" Myranda asked.

  "Too big, but the correct one is nearby," he said.

  When they did find it, Myranda was not pleased. It was a rough stone tube just a bit wider than Leo's shoulders.

  "This is it?" Myranda said, praying for the answer no.

  "I am afraid so. A few words before we enter. The walls are far from smooth. Move quickly--but carefully, or you will tear yourself up badly. Push that bundle ahead of you, or you will get it snagged. If it feels that the walls are closing in, just close your eyes. The feeling will pass. Above all, keep moving. You don't want the fatigue to hit you while you are inside," he said.

  "How long before the tunnel widens?" she asked.

  "It doesn't. We are going to spend, oh, two hours crawling through that, and then there will be a hole that we will drop through," he said.

  "Two hours!" she cried.

  "Roughly. It will seem much longer, though, so stay focused," he said.

  Myn scampered inside. Myranda waited for Leo, but he assured her that she would rather go second. The one bringing up the rear would be working in near pitch-blackness. She hurriedly seized the opportunity to at least see where she was going. The walls scratched and scraped at her hands and arms badly, and rolling the bundled robe ahead of her made her wish she'd left it behind. Her friend's words rang true. Each second seemed to take ages.

  "Isn't there another way?" she called back to Leo.

  "There are a handful of other paths that lead to roughly the same place, but they aren't nearly as pleasant," he answered.

  "What could be worse than this?" she asked.

  "Well, one involved sidling along a water-slicked ledge above a very deep chasm for roughly twice this distance. Another is a smoother tunnel a bit wider than this," he said.

  "What was wrong with that one?" she asked.

  "Spiders," he said.

  "I see," Myranda replied with a shudder.

  More time passed. More than once, she had to take his advice and close her eyes rather than be driven mad by the walls of a tunnel that seemed to be getting narrower by the minute. As if it wasn't difficult enough, her muscles were beginning to cramp up from the awkward movements of following the tight twists and turns of the tunnel. It reminded her a bit too much of moving across the floor while bound the chair in the deserted church. Finally, she couldn't take any more.

  "We need to stop for a while. I can't take this," she said.

  "As you wish," he said, pausing for a moment before speaking again. "You know, I was thinking."

  "What?" she asked.

  "That cloth was a bit dry. On the torch, I mean," he said.

  "So?" she said.

  "So it might go out soon," he said.

  "You're joking," she said.

  "Am I?" he said ominously.

  Myranda continued crawling with renewed vigor. She knew that he had only said that to get her moving, but the thought of having to feel her way through this tube in pitch black, regardless of how remote the possibility, was enough to get her think twice about stopping. After an eternity of crawling, Leo's threat seemed to come true as the light of the dragon-borne torch vanished.

  "What happened!?" she called out, panic closing in.

  "I think Myn found the hole," he said. "Feel for it. It should be just in front of you."

  Sure enough the bundle dropped through a wide hole in the bottom of the shaft. With a bit of difficulty she flipped down to a slippery, sloping floor a fair distance below. The bundle was sliding and rolling quickly away. Myn dropped the torch and fetched it, and Myranda tied it securely to her waist. Leo dropped down. The light revealed the walls and ceiling to be as smooth as the floor, and far smoother than even the base of the former stream they had been following.

  "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked.

  "No, it was much worse," she answered, taking a seat.

  "No, no, no. Up, up, up!" he said.

  "You cannot be serious," she pleaded.

  "Oh, come now. We are ahead of schedule. If we keep moving, we could be sleeping with a sky above us. Isn't that worth working for?" he said.

  Myranda reluctantly moved on. Leo was setting a rather brisk pace now. Perhaps he was especially eager to be out of this dank hole in the ground. She couldn't blame him. If she had spent as much time here as he'd said he had, then she would be running as fast as she could to escape. As it was, she'd only been underground for a day or two and it was more than enough.

  What did concern her was his silence. In the times she managed to catch a look at his face, he wore a stern look of purpose. Hours passed in much the same way. The torch burned out and was replaced. Myranda made some attempts to start a conversation, but beyond the answers to her questions, the dialogue died quickly.

  #

  Trigorah's heavy boots echoed along the floor of the cave as she made her way to its mouth once more. Her quick action had spared her men from the girl's desperate attack. Now those who had survived the battle were combing the seemingly endless number of passages. They had been prepared with their own torches, but they hadn't lasted for long.

  The general cast a quick gaze at the signs and their warnings. A dozen languages described vague dangers. The word "beast" tended to figure prominently in them. This was a cave with a reputation that gave even her Elites pause, but she had a job to do, and she would see it done.

  The brief warm snap had ended, and vast fringes of icicles lined every edge and every branch. As Trigorah scanned the twinkling landscape, her eyes came to rest on an approaching form. It was a large man, bearing overused armor, an intricate halberd, and an infuriating smile. He was seated on a steed that seemed dead on its feet. The beast's head hung low and pained breaths came in vast, steamy clouds. When Arden finally reached the cave's mouth, the horse trudged to the nearest piece of greenery and ate of it greedily.

  "Have you ever given a moment's consideration to your mount?" Trigorah scolded.

  "Horses are cheap," Arden said.

  Trigorah looked at him with disgust.

  "I figger you know why I'm here," he said.

  "The circumstances of the wager," the general said.

  "Uh-huh," Arden said, grinning with half-rotten teeth.

  "You still seek to collect? You couldn't hold on to your target!" Trigorah hissed.

  "I caught the 'sassin before you caught the girl or found the sword. Hangin on to monsters don't enter into it," he growled. "You ain't lookin to weasel out, are ya?"

  "I still have a task at hand. I will not abandon it," she remarked.

  "She went in that cave, and you still hope to bring her back? What part, the head?" Arden chuckled. "Quit tryin to wriggle out of this. What're you, a coward?"

  "Coward? Coward!? You, of anyone, call me a coward? There is a war! There is a hated enemy to the south. Has your blade ever tasted anything but the blood of your fellow Alliance?" Trigorah raged.

  She smoldered for a moment, then turned to the cave.

  "Soldier!" she called.

  One of the men under her command stepped from the shadows.

  "I want regular sweeps of the cave. Systematic. I shall send a supply team here. In the meantime, my colleague and I have a briefing that cannot be postponed," she said, stalking off to the clearing that sheltered her horse. "I dare say he has much to learn from me."

  #

  With no conversation to occupy her, Myranda's mind wandered. Just as he had instructed her to do, at each branch, she carefully felt the walls, turning in the direction that was smoothest. Soon the tunnel was glass-smooth, and almost perfectly strai
ght. The grade grew gradually steeper, making it difficult to keep footing. Strangely, the sound of echoing drips of water was absent. Hours passed as Myranda gave Leo his quiet time. The second torch since they had awakened had to be replaced, signifying a full day of walking, climbing, and crawling. Myranda made ready to sit and rest, but this time she was not even scolded or encouraged. Her friend merely gave her a stern look that prompted her to proceed.

  "How much further?" she asked.

  "I can't be sure," he said. "We are close."

  Silence followed.

  "What is wrong? You were so talkative before," she said.

  "Nothing is wrong. I just want to get to the end of this tunnel as quickly as possible. You can't hear it, but I can. This mountain is groaning. It has something up its sleeve. When it makes its move, I want to be ready for it. That means I need to listen," he said, agitated.

  Myranda milled over his words before answering.

  "It's just that . . . I can't stand the silence. It cuts through me. I've been alone for so long. Talking to myself, talking to Myn. I just need to hear a voice. I need proof that there is someone else out there. It seems like every time I try to get close, the world runs away," she said.

  "The world runs away from you!" he said incredulously. "That is not how I remember it. When we first met, what were you doing? You came into an inn and sat as far as possible from anyone else. You closed yourself to your surroundings, so much so that you failed to notice your money being stolen. When I helped you out, you scurried upstairs and locked the door behind you. You were the one running. That is the trouble with your kind. Everything is always about you until the time comes to find fault. Sickening," he said.

  His words were tinged with anger. It added a new quality to his voice, something vaguely familiar. Myranda was struck to the core by his words. Partially because they were so harsh. Partly because they were so true. She did protect herself from those around her. She had ever since she was a child. The only way to be sure no one learned of her feelings on the war was to keep them at arm's length. A part of her isolation was choice.