The sunlight soon faded as the party of Heroes and Diana descended down into the Pit. Her human eyes perceived the various colors of spellwork wrapping around every spire of stone, reaching unsuccessfully down each pathway. The dark hungrily ate the light, the black maws of rock filled in with shadow. Aiko saw the lights as beacons of a blinding shine, and saw past their reach to a colorless depth. Each jutting shape sinister as her ears were pricked, hunting for something large enough to be a threat. Rats skittered away, squeaking in fear at the careless stomping of the Guardian. When they breached the cave’s threshold bats erupted out and Diana did her best to hide her startlement. None of Heroes showed any surprise at all, any hesitation in their steps or posture.

Now, there was no life around, no heartbeats save the steady legends and her own. Rocks had no soul, no drive to sprout or grow. It was the reason Ash Makers were safe in its cold shelter, for the sources had no reach in a cocoon of stone. Sediment had been before any tree or drop of water. It was the first component to the world and it would be its last. The earth assisted all life and it devoured it as well. A falling stone could harm anyone and never chose to fell.

The last time that Diana had been in a cave so deep and quiet, when no one actively moved through it, she had made her peace with the foundation. It was neither eager nor unwilling to be moved by a practicing Druid. The other sources didn’t fight, but stone didn’t help. All the gestures and the training focused on molding it with strength, as it would listen to anything else. Each movement forceful and bold, stomps of one’s feet and thrusts of the hand. For her, it was the fastest to respond, to bend to her will. Her fellow students said it was because she was as stubborn as stone. Although she could make a portion of rock and earth listen and respond to her will, in the bowels here, she could easily be swallowed.

The group walked the guts of earth for a half an hour, all of them moving along tunnels once reserved for molten magma, the liquid having left before all the current inhabitants had been born. Their way was straight forward, the complicated paths all around them. She never stopped searching for a possible ambush.

Then the Ranger signaled them to stop, his hand moving in a blur. The Guardian raised his glowing blade and Angelina sent out the floating globes with a sustained note. They stood in an expansive cavern that had been disturbed. Chains for lights hanging from the high ceiling, dead straight in the windless depths. The party’s light sources sparkled against bits of broken glass in the sand, sprinkles of trash, and quite a few lengths of dull metal strips scattered around. Signs of a battle marked the walls, broken blockades had fallen from the various tunnels exiting the area. There were blackened blood splatters, soot from explosions of varying sizes, and tattered bed spreads. Aiko could smell the strife, stalking about with the spotlight of Diana guiding it around. The stench of human waste, of fear was heavy, but not a single person remained. It was then that Diana remembered that burrowers swallowed their prey whole, as any other snake might do.

“Hm, we’re too late,” the Guardian said. His sword was on his shoulder as he picked through the remains of the camp. His voice echoed, through his helm and the cave. He held something to his face and sniffed loudly at it. With a scoff he threw it away. “Ryul, find anything worth taking with us?”

The Ranger stood up from one of the rises of rock and shook his head.

“It seems like they can dispose of their technology a lot better now,” Angelina said, holding up a barren frame of metal.

“So we walked all the bloody way here and now we’re gonna go all the bloody way back, for nothing?” Ozzy asked loudly, leaning on his spear once more. “Ryul, couldn’t you have told us this was shite in the first place?”

The Ranger moved his hands in a flurry.

“Oh, shut it, I don’t want to ‘ear it!” the Rider said, waving his hand dismissively.

“We were meant to show Diana what the Ash Maker encampments are like,” Angelina defended. “Do you see, your highness? They’re rats in caves, they’re even eaten like them.” There was a harsh note in the mermaid's voice.

“It doesn’t seem like they are that threatening,” Diana said, hesitantly. Aiko was focused on a small bed roll, one far too small for an adult. There was a pitiful sound in the tiger’s throat.

“They can be,” the Guardian chimed in, pointing to several broken stalagmites. The tops of them had been shattered, ash remaining along where it had been destroyed. “That could have been a person, an animal, a tree. Magic flows in everything, as you know. It’s what the Ash Makers target, it’s what they destroy with only a gesture of their hand. Untrained and young, they can begin their destruction. It doesn’t matter the size of them…” He looked to the tiger, who rose from its engrossment and walked to Diana. “On the battlefield I have had to dispose of Ash Makers no older than you, or your sister. It was kill or be killed.”

Diana flinched at the thought of Luann. Fighting, slain, it didn’t matter. The Order had recruited ones so young, why? How could an army do such a thing?

Angelina cleared her throat. “Gregore, don’t compare the beloved princess to such savagery. She has nothing in common with a cursed child,” she scolded.

The Guardian’s flat face plate regarded his fellow and then Diana. “No, there’s nothing similar between them,” he said evenly.

The Rider had begun traipsing about, poking at the hanging lights. “I can’t believe I let you lot drag me from riding the world to get stuck in such a fucking pit as this. I would rather keep hunting for the cunt then sit around here chatting,” he complained. The Wood Elves he came from were known for being crass and his human sire was no better. The histories had focused far more on his accomplishments, not his personality.

“Ozzy, stop disturbing the scene, we can at least try tracking them out of here,” Angelina grumbled.

“What? To the belly of a fucking snake? They’re probably shite by now,” he said, defiantly stomping on the bedrolls. “Serves ‘em right, don’t it? Hiding in a cave not far from a Druid town!” He laughed, scraping his boot in the bundle of cloth. Something clicked within it.

The cave was suddenly filled by a piercing alarm. Covering his ears, the rest doing the same, the Rider stomped wildy at the ground. The Guardian leaped over the obstacles of stone sticking up from the floor and drove his sword into the pile of fabric. The fiery enchantments of it burned a gorge across the earth until the sound stopped. Some tangle of machinery plinked off the wall, falling dead. The half giant socked his fellow in the arm, cursing his stupidity.

“Your horses are better behaved then you, fool!” he roared. “Twice as smart as well!”

The whole cavern rumbled, loose rocks falling from the ceiling. The Pirate drew her saber, singing her globes around the room, searching as the quaking got louder. Diana shook the rune enchantment off her staff, heart pounding, even faster as she reached into the earth, bringing up a collection of protective spikes at her feet Aiko leaped into the barrier, ready to take up any slack that she missed. She had never fought a Watchdog without the assistance of her teacher and the anticipation was making her mouth dry. She had to keep calm, this was her duty as a Druid.

“Finally, some bloody excitement!!” the Rider exclaimed, arms wide.

“I should feed you to them, Ozzy!” the Guardian growled, sword levied at one of the openings.

Ryul gestured to Angelina. “Four large ones coming, keep safe, princess, please!” she translated.

“I am a Druid,” she said with a tremble to her voice.

“You’ll be dead if you don’t keep safe!”

The warrior’s point of Rowoak was covered in lush grass and a rainbow of blooming flowers which caught the bright sunlight well. According to Kalyah, the land was in spring and in a month or so they would be in summer. She tried to explain the calendar year, but it was too many new names for Jonah to take in. He had to admit that she was rather distracting as well. The nurse had doffed her vestments, and donned a blue checkered sundress, strapless and tight on her chest, walking in open sandals with straps tracing up her strong legs. She lined her eyes and lips with violet makeup, bringing out her pale colors and pearl earrings dangled from her pointed ears. It made their walk through greenery and past the ancient trees that backed the warriors feel like a date. Lucy followed them, eyeing him with envy as the Pixie held his arm.

His eyes desperately tried to go anywhere except the woman’s exposed skin. What a savage horndog I am, he berated himself whenever he was drawn back to the petite woman. When they stopped, finally reaching the cliffside, she smiled up at him.

“Hey,” she called, as he looked away. “Come here, Jonah… there we are…” she held his chin. “You wanna see more?” she wondered, finger hooked in the neckline of her dress.

He shook his head.

Lucy stepped around to her. “I’ll take his peek,” she said loudly.

Kalyah shook her head. “Nope, you’re still making amends,” she said.

The devil grumbled, nostrils flaring.

“Traveler, may I have the rods?” Coal asked, talon raised.

“Oh yeah, here,” he said.

“We had better cast our lines! The sun is still high and the princess will be hungry when she returns,” the Tengu said, sitting down with his feet over the cliff. With a quick switch of his wrist he sent the lure out to the calm waves below. A light breeze blew over the point and he expanded his wings out. “Feel that? An auspicious wind, we will have that entire cooler filled by the end of the day.” He nodded, reeling his line in a turn or two. “Indeed, indeed. I can taste them now.”

Kalyah helped Jonah down, thankful to find his seat so sturdy beneath him. On the other side of her sat Lucy, opening up the buttons of her blouse to feel the fine omen wind. Her tail brushed through the grass and she leaned back, swishing her hooves. Kalyah stayed close to Jonah, no longer supporting him, only watching. She warned him not to pull anything in his cast of the rod. Every step he was instructed by Coal, who’s movements were on a much smaller scale and done with fewer fingers. He couldn’t look down, though it was only a couple stories of height, it was a miserable fall of rocks.

“Should you fall, then I will catch you, don’t worry Traveler. These wings could fly you straight up, even back to the ship,” the Tengu said, pointing off to the distant docks. The finer details of the Pirate’s ship were blurred, but it wasn’t that far away.

“Oh don’t go lying, Coal,” Kalyah said, grinning at the bird.

“It’s true, it’s true! You saw how many dishes I was able to lift. One slender human wouldn’t be that much of a challenge,” Coal defended. “Not too much force, Traveler, there we are. Brilliant!”

Jonah rolled his shoulder, muscles he hadn't used in a while working once more. “The water is so clear, I wish I could swim in it,” he remarked as he settled, waiting for a nibble.

“Flying over it is much better,” Coal argued.

“You’re walking a lot better, swimming, eh,” Kalyah said, squinting.

“I used to be a pretty good one,” he replied. “There was a heated pool in my town, you could swim all year round…” He gripped the rod, fixated on his false hands. The feeling of cloth on his limbs was permanent, an imperfection of magical metal. That was, unless he used his ability to improve them, more than Stephan could manage. The man had far more faith in him than he did in himself. The more he thought about his limbs being fake, the heavier they got, there was no time to worry about improving them beyond the basic function they had now.

“The feeling of being weightless, I used to just float below the surface. Even if I didn’t have goggles, even if it hurt my eyes,” he went on as the cliff side was still quiet.

Kalyah gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m talking too much,” he said. “It’s fishing, you’re supposed to just sit and think of nothing.”

The nurse put her hand on the back of his head, scratching his tight curls. “You have a lot of worries floating around in there, huh honey?” she asked.

“Yeah, all the time,” he said.

She nodded. “Your world doesn’t have gods, but it has the same problem as ours. Anxious minds.” She put her hands in her lap. “My goddess doesn’t focus on the mind, only the brain which holds it. That’s Psyin, people also pray to the Magi twins for mental anguish, but the Elves are the oldest, their gods, hm, our gods, started the world. There’s also Mentin, the Elven god of madness and mental strife.” Her fingers dug into the grass. “Many are cursed by him in all sorts of ways. There’s reasons for troubles, of course, but he’s what makes certain people keep their concerns, their conditions.”

Lucy sat up, putting a hesitant hand on Kalyah’s shoulder, who patted it.

In Jonah’s mind came a prying question, but he shot it down, going instead for self deprecation. “So in your world this god has cursed me with lifelong anxiety?” he asked.

Kalyah chuckled. “It wasn’t personal, not out of malicious intent. It just happens, and he is the source,” she said, waving her hand. “It’s a whole long study of history that would put you to sleep faster than hours of fishing with no catches.”

“It’s barely been a few moments,” Coal said, gesturing a talon out. He shifted his rod around searchingly. “Any moment they will chomp on the hook.”

“I’m not insulting your skill, Coal, don’t worry,” Kalyah replied. “I’m just telling Jonah that the elven holy history is far too boring. You might think you’re ready, but you only know a half breed elf, honey. There’s no need to learn it all, you’re not going into a temple.”

“Alright,” Jonah said, smiling. “There’s so much to learn. I wish I could write it all down.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Nevermind, I can… How do you spell your gods' names?” His fishing line drew tight then and he nearly lost his arm in the sudden tugging.

“Traveler, you are blessed and distracted! A terrible combination!” Coal cried, hopping to his feet.

Swiftly tucking his device away, Jonah held the rod tightly, any second he stopped the line was drawn out.

Coal’s rod went flying off the cliff and the bird barely caught it, flapping in midair, reeling as fast as he could. “I was distracted as well! Reel faster, the line will not break and the creature is hooked fast! Reel it in, Traveler, reel!”

Kalyah held his shoulders back as he pulled and reeled as fast as he could. He breathed heavily and gave it one final yank as the fish broke the surface. The reeling was much easier as the thing flopped, but not at all easy. He dared not look until it rose above the cliffside. On her hands and knees, Lucy marveled along with them at the broad fish that must have been at least three feet long. There was a long red stripe along its body and fin, the latter extended out to double its body length.

“Holy shit, he caught a paddle bass!” Lucy cried, grabbing the thing from the air. Jonah yelped as she drew a knife and killed the fish in one precise motion. He hadn't been on a successful fishing trip in many years, he had forgotten the end result. “This is good eating, fuck Monty, I’m gonna let him drown this is sauces and shit. I’m making this right now.” She unhooked it from the lure. “Good job there, buddy.” She laid a loud kiss on Jonah’s cheek, clopping off. “Ah, perfect, we’ll roast the thing right here.” She designated a clear spot in the grass.

Coal pulled his catch free from the water, a smaller fish of some bass like nature. “This is going in the cooler, I promised Monty I would bring him as much as I could,” he said with a pouting beak. He performed the same swift kill, starting in on the gutting in the grass.

Kalyah rubbed Jonah’s shoulders. “You can breathe now, honey,” she said, giggling into his ear.

“I, uh, I, hmmm… It’s been a while since I’ve had so much attention,” he admitted.

“I can tell. Go on, tell that heart to calm down, you’ve got more fishing to do. You might get even more kisses,” she teased.

“Stop, stop,” he said, flustered.

They kept going, filling the cooler in a few hours. The paddle bass was not the only fish to be salted and roasted on the fire. Their resting place was one of many dotting the point and they were joined by some of the local residents in their time. All of them were humans drawn by the Tengu and Demonkin, who regalled them with stories of living on the Pirate’s ship and teased them with her shape shifting powers respectively. Lucy didn’t seem to have a malicious nature, only a mischievous one.

“It’s not my fault, my sire is the devil of deceit,” she explained, finishing a bite of fish. “All the Demonkin can change shapes, but mine is the best. I have to do it.”

“You certainly didn’t have to mimic the princess,” Kalyah chided, sitting between the two of them.

“That was a mistake, a big, big one,” Lucy said, pouting her deep red lip. “Jonah, the princess understands, right? She knows it was just a joke…”

“Yeah, I think so, sure,” he said, shrugging.

“I can’t have the royal mad at me. Angelina was pissed at me for doing that,” she grumbled, tail flicking rapidly. “She was extra rough, I had to even use my word a couple times--”

“Okay, we don’t need more than that,” Kalyah said, signaling her hands down.

Coal had refused to acknowledge that and Jonah wasn’t sure what to say either.

Jonah got plenty of exercise and food in him. Each caught fish made him feel the burn in his arms. He was massaged by Kalyah and she assisted him walking around the uneven ground. He was happy as her helping hands grew less and less tight.

In the friendly visits of townsfolk fishing, he wondered why no one ever questioned his limbs. “You look like any other Paladin,” Kalyah told him when he asked about it. “And even if they knew, it’s pretty rude to ask why someone has prosthetics. Or is it not in your world?”

He told her that it would be rude. Lifting his hands, he regarded them in the late afternoon light. It had been several long hours since they had arrived. “A Paladin, like armor, that’s what they look like?” he asked.

“Yep, some Paladins worship gods of the forge, war, and all that. They keep some armor on them at all times,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “Dangerous stuff I have no interest in.”

He opened and closed his hands, imagining them clanking like gauntlets. “I’m like a warrior,” he said.

“You can almost walk unaided, honey, so you’re not going to be fighting any time soon. Not with a sword at least,” she replied.

“The Traveler is not meant to fight! He is meant to serve the Pirate, as we all do!” Coal said happily, hopping atop the rock he was on.

Kalyah laughed, leaning her face on her hand, meeting eyes with Jonah. “Are you going to swab the deck when you have everything working like it should, honey?” she asked.

He frowned, unsure if he wanted to give the answer he had given Diana. There was no time to consider much at all though.

“The Heroes!” Lucy called, bursting up from the grass where she had been laying.

“Huzzah, they arrive triumphant!” Coal called.

In the distance were the Heroes coming from the grove. Their faces were unclear, but their distinct shapes were. The Rider rode a golden and glowing stallion, waving a spear in the air. Atop it was a pile of gray cloth that he shouted over triumphantly. The clopping of the horse’s hooves kicked up dirt and echoed as he entered the city. The group was all standing, or flying in Coal’s case. Kalyah gasped as the Rider came closer along the edge of the town, a flock of people following after him. On his spear was a dozen or so coats, their wool exteriors wetted with some reddish fluids. The crowd of people ran after him with great cheers.

“Oh goddess, did he kill all of them?” Kalyah whispered as the wind picked up, her hands at her face.

“The Ash Makers are no more! Rooted from their hole! What glorious victory!” Coal cheered, climbing high in the air.

In Rider’s wake came the Guardian, sporting a serpent’s head, a wicked viper of a shocking red shade. The points of its eye ridges were broader than his shoulders, its jaw flapping wildly. He lifted the beast’s head in time with a hurrah of the people. Which was sweetened by the Pirate, who lifted her gun and saber to the air. The crowd put hands on her like she was some sort of god, some even bowing.

“Where’s Diana? Where is she?” Jonah wondered, moving forward on his own strong initiative. His legs were unsteady and the unlevel ground didn’t help his steps. He nearly fell flat on his face, pushing himself up from the ground in his worried sprint.

“Honey, honey! Stop it! She’s fine!” Kalyah said. She was running after, almost tackling him. She picked him up at his next stumble.

Coal had flown to his aid as well.

Jonah kept going, with them, through them. No, she couldn’t be gone, not like his mother or her sister. She was one of his many new friends, maybe more. He didn’t go with her, something had happened when he couldn’t make it. His head was swimming, nothing straight in it, just a whirlpool of worry.

“Honey! Stop!” Kalyah cried, clutching him a few hundred yards from where he had started, digging her heels into the dirt.

His knee hit hard into the ground, but it was metal, it was his armor. The deadening of his senses, they were worth the protection, the lack of pain. His heart thudded in his ears and his breaths were shallow as he kneeled on the ground. Sweat glossed his face, breath paining him, there wasn’t enough to fill his lungs.

“They wouldn’t celebrate if she was hurt!” she said, easing him back into a seat. She must have said something like that before, but he didn’t hear any of the words. She gave him water, and he drank, knowing how stupid he was to rush.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was just worried,” he said, frowning at her.

She smiled back. “I know honey, I know,” she said softly.

“There she is,” Lucy said, pointing. “See, you didn’t need to run at all, I’m a good enough spotter.” She chuckled.

“If I had my telescope, I could have seen them much earlier,” Coal mumbled defensively.

Walking the outskirts of the town, coming closer to them, was Diana and another Hero in black armor. The princess’s tiger hung its head as she did. Across the tall blades of grass and the distance that still separated them, Jonah could feel the sorrow coming off her. He knew that walk well, one of disappointment and failure. Why were the others so satisfied when she was not?

“What happened?” he asked aloud, rising to his feet with help. Rising up, he kept going, nearly dragging the others with him. His limbs had never felt so light before, so much his own.