Chapter 2 No.2

During the hurried ride down the beaten, dirt path towards the caves, Larson finally asked Seanessy about his armor. The ill-tempered dwarf grumbled about its fine, dwarven craftsmanship.

"Wasn't asking where it was made, " Larson argued. "I'm asking where you had it stowed."

"I tell ya' this, lad, a dwarf without a suit of armor is like a monkey without a banana!"

"What the Hell does that mean, " Garrett asked, riding up.

Seanessy crinkled his face in slight contempt. "It means he's got a firm grip on what aids him!"

"You're such a tool, " Larson jeered.

They pushed the horses hard for the better part of three hours. During their ascent, the chilly, night air morphed into sporadic gusts. Duke eventually tired from the added weight of the bulky dwarf. Slowing down for a moment as the great peaks of Lod seemed to reach for the sky before them, they rode off the beaten trail, and Garrett took the lead. Stars twinkled overhead while a thin veil of clouds quickly drifted towards the south.

"I suppose you know where the entrance is?" Larson mused.

"Sort of, " Garrett answered. "I've never actually been to the caves."

"Is there maybe more than one entrance?"

"Don't know, but I think I once heard that young boys around the Dude's age usually find their way to the caves–"

"No doubt to get lost and make the townsfolk scramble to rescue them!" Larson interrupted.

"Cool yer forge, lad, " Seanessy chastised.

"I'll drop you like a sack of potatoes, dwarf, " he argued back.

"Stow it, the both of you, " Garrett said in a tiresome tone.

Maintaining the lead, he took them down a valley beyond some cacti and squat shrubs, and by the time the moon was shining, they had all made it to a narrow foot trail that snaked around the eastern edge of the lower mountain. At a trot, Garrett was able to make note of some tracks. The Dude was a rather big fellow, and with big feet, to boot. Following the trail's slope for a while longer led them smack in front of a massive, dark opening at the foot of the sandy colored mountains. It was a menacing, black hole, uninviting.

"Looks like this is it, " Larson said.

"Yep, " Garrett agreed.

They dismounted and told the horses to stay put. The beasts appeared to understand; Duke snorted and Lola whinnied. Larson gazed up towards the mountain's peak. It was so tall, and they were so near the foot of the jagged mountain range, that he was unable to see the actual top of the mountain; several, rugged cliffs blocked the view even when looking straight towards the zenith.

"I really don't feel like getting lost in there, " Larson bellyached.

Garrett shot him an ever-so-tired look of contempt. "Can you stop thinking about yourself for one second?"

"I'm here, right?"

Garrett conceded with a shrug, thinking, I guess this his own gruff way. After fiddling around with torches, travel packs, and double checking their weapons and armor, Garrett lit his torch and traipsed right into the gaping entrance. Following inside, Larson and Seanessy caught sight of stalagmites and their wicked shadows. Larson looked up, but there didn't seem to be any sediment dripping from the ceiling.

"Where do wes' go?" Seanessy mumbled.

Garrett lowered his torch to the ground, but the stone was clear of sand and soil; there were no more tracks to be seen. He sauntered about aimlessly for a moment while Larson winced in displeasure. Seanessy performed a few warm up swings of his hammer.

"Hey, " Garrett called out. "Look at this."

When the other two arrived, they saw Garrett holding his torch before a short, squat stalagmite. Someone had carved a sort of rudimentary map into the stone.

"Looks like someone's done some exploring in these parts, " Larson remarked.

"Yeah, " Garrett agreed. "Likely, the town's boys have marked this rock to indicate their progress over the years."

Garrett then handed the torch off to Larson. While the fighter held the light aloft, the fencer removed parchment and a tiny rod of charcoal from his belongings. He laid the parchment over the stone before rubbing the charcoal on it to copy the map.

"Good thinkin', " Seanessy commented.

"Alright, " Larson coaxed. "Enough fiddle-faddling, let's move in."

"Fiddle-faddlin', " Seanessy asked with furrowed brow and a poorly hidden smile.

Larson cocked a brow at him. Garret snickered and retrieved the torch before starting off. They maintained a tight formation.

Further in, as the scent of moist rock tickled their pallet, the cave floor rose steadily. The craggy walls occasionally narrowed, and occasionally widened, and by the time they reached their first juncture within the extensive, subterranean system, the party of warriors had climbed quite a bit. Garrett checked the map.

"This portion of the caves is supposed to snake around, " he said. Then, he squinted at the wall and held the torch up to it. There was some scribbling. "Follow to big hole. Go to right. Follow downhill."

"Sounds simple enough, " Seanessy commented.

Garrett shrugged, and they followed the instructions. Only hundreds of yards in, they came upon the big hole previously mentioned. It seemed a bottomless pit in the midst of an extensive, open area. Scrutinizing their surroundings, and lacking the ability to gaze any further than what the torchlight provided, Larson snatched the map from Garrett's hands.