Preparation. Many people prepare themselves for their day. Not so many do the same for their lives. A good plan is usually good to have though, at least in general terms. How many children do you what? What's our budget for this month? What will we do in the weekend? Or in this case, how will these people plan their development?

"So you're saying we will have to be careful with our future tattoo selections?" Alex asked, which was the same question Eian wanted to ask.

"Yes." Sarah nodded quickly.

Sarah had shared her experience with them, over the mysterious voice she never saw. She skimmed what were the acutal steps to aquiring the second fire-stage, saying each was different for each person. She said she drank fire, which was distrubing in Eian's mind.

'I just hope I don't have to eat stones. I wonder why she's flushed and sweating? Is it side-effects of drinking the dream-fire? Alex seems to ignore it.' Eian thought to himself looking at Sarah's flush.

"You alright? Sarah? You look...." Jessica asked focusing on the poor girls condition.

"YES! I'm fine! Really! The fire.....um just feels really warm." Sarah rushed out sheepishly.

"Okay..." Jessica replied mystified.

Eian had his doubts, but really he was never going to find out and they had other things to worry about. Eian noticed Sarah was taking deep breaths slowly.

"The voice mentioned I'd be durable?" Eian asked thinking over Sarah's explaination over the mysterious voice.

"You think it's a dragon? Piles of gold and it's powerful voice seems to fit?" Alex wondered.

"I don't..umm...Ummm Maybe?" Sarah said seeming more confused than the rest of them.

"Guys! The voice said I'll be durable?" Eian asked again.

"Again yes Eian. The voice said to focus on both Body and Spirit equally." Sarah replied.

"Okay geez thanks." Eian replied.

"And it thinks its best at least one of us focuses entirely on mind?" Jessica said happily, excited at the prospect of not selecting spirit any time soon.

"Again. Yes." Sarah said.

They talked over the implications and decided the voice had no real reason to lie. If it wanted them dead it could just let them muddle through and starve. They decided the advice would be their new plan. They spent a while discussing the other particulars of the encounter until Eian exlaimed he was getting hungry again.

"Guys how long do these tattoo's glow for anyways?" Eian said looking over his unlit tattoos.

"Thats a good question man. With all the hassle we've been through I haven't even been counting." Alex said shortly thereafter.

"I'd say roughly three hours." Sarah proclaimed with absolute certainty.

"Wow. We've been here pretty long haven't we. I'm hungry again." Eian thought over the entire encounter.

"Well don't worry I'll be able to cook that left over lizard-meat soon." Sarah said not feeling too enthusiastic at the idea of tough-chewy meat.

"Stupid fucking crocodile stealing our well-earnt meals." Eian complained as his belly rumbled.

"Let's go. I don't want to think about that stupid thing." Jessica quickly said.

The group collected the four plain short-spears the goblins dropped and kept moving. They stumbled upon a one-man passageway that disconnected from the main-tunnel and veered to the right. The tunnel-entrance itself was soft-dirt and marked by many small bare-foot-prints going in both directions.

"Man that looks like its well used." Alex noted.

"I think it faces more or less to the fenced off area." Sarah said after a quick inspectioon.

"You think this is another way towards that place?" Eian asked eyeing the entrance with suspicion.

"It might, so let's leave it at that for now and continue the main passage." Sarah responded.

"Sarah's right. Lets not take that chance please." Jessica responded suddenly.

They continued onwards and encountered a duo of goblins whom, after quickly screaming, ran away in the opposite direction.

"That was so weird." Eian muttered, to which the others agreed.

The tunnel curved left and slowly widened untill till the cave was visibly larger. The cave had slowly dimmed untill it was dark and harder to see. The previous goblins were no where to be seen, in the new wide cavernous area. What appeared to be large clusters of Stalagmites littered the roof and floor. Eian went ahead, with Alex following right behind, followed by Jessica and Sarah right behind Alex.

"This place is hard to see in." Eian said feeling vunerable at the forefront and in such a wide open space with little light.

"Go slowly and keep your eyes and ears open Eian, those goblins might try ambushing us. Maybe with friends." Sarah said from behind.

He kept a look out anywhere around the corners of the floor stalagmites on the floor, incase the goblins were waiting for a chance. A few tiny bones, which Eian now assumed were goblin bones, could be seen scattered about the place.

'Do goblins kill each other? Or is it spiders?' Eian wondered at the bones, feeling extremely leery as his heart began to beat rapidly.

He began hearing movement and tearing-sounds up behind a stalagmite and he edged closer for a look. Eian heard the swooping sound just in time to place an arm in-between himself and whatever attacked him from above. It bit down on his leather-protected arm, sending stabbing-pain shooting up his arm. Eian screamed and heard the others shouting. It's impact sent him to the floor sending pain shooting up his lower-back and his leather-helmet bashed against the floor shortly after, rattling him for a second. His spear had fallen to the ground. It's ratty face was clamped down on his arm and he struggled, attempting to fight it off.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT FUCKING OFF!" Eian screamed punching the general direction of the face with his free arm.

"Stab it Alex! Quickly!" Someone screamed, though Eian couldn't tell who.

A tearing sound was swiftly heard from his right and the beast opened its mouth and, releasing his arm in the process, let out in screeching wail. The beast sucurried off him to his left away from his friends. Eian quickly grabbed his spear and saw his frightful attacker staggering hunched on all fours. A giant ratty face with large ears revealed a bat with long vicious bloody fangs. It was limping in the floor and Eian furiously stabbed at its head. He stabbbed and stabbed. Over and over again furiously. Eian felt blood seeping into leather around his arm, and the beast's blood-splatters sprinkled his legs. Feeling its flesh give multiple times, Eian didn't care.

"Eian stop. It's dead already." Sarah said slowly.

"IT BIT ME!" Eian hollared staring down the the bat.

"We know. Let's see your injury, Eian calm down." Sarah said staring at Eian

Some shrieking could be heard from up ahead and Eian glanced up to see three more bats jump and fly towards him. Alex quickly raced next to him, followed by Sarah.

"Let them each collide on one!" Sarah warned to Alex, refering to the upheld long-spears they both held.

"Roger." Alex quickly responded

Jessica hurled a spear toward a random bat, only to shortly miss as it sailed into the darkness. Both Alex and Sarah got a quick kill, but the weight of the bat sent Sarah stumbling to her knees. Alex recovered from the impact much easier, as he had only been pushed back roughly.

Eian also attempted to spear a bat, but his short-spear and injured-arm were inadequate. The spear caught it in the cheek. The short-spear jerked to a side and the bat shrieked. The bat barreled into Eian and he attempted to manuever upon impact to let the beast take the brunt of the fall. He had partial success only and they both landed on their sides. His vision was impaired by dark leather skin and he quickly heard stabbing sounds and close-up shrieks. He quickly shoved at the beast and scrambled to his feet. It was twitching dead on the ground.

"THAT WAS SO FUCKED UP!" Eian said due to the sudden turn of events.

"Let's retreat a little back, while we check your injuries." Sarah suggested eyeing the dark ceiling.

"Yeah relax a little man." Alex said slowly.

They retreated to where the cave thinned back into a tunnel with more light. Eian removed the leather corvering his arm and they checked the injury.

"Does that leather really protect you guys so much? Those things had pretty long teeth." Alex asked perplexed by light injury.

"Impossible a spear punched through it when the goblinoids were wearing it. It's the earth-gift definately." Sarah said inspected the centimeter-deep teeth marks.

"Can you heal it yet?" Eian asked hoping to be rid of the pain.

"No man, my tattoo's still glowing sorry, but soon I promise." Alex solemnly declared.

"You think you can heal it if it infects?" Jessica asked, which spooked Eian.

"Probably. We'll have to wait and see." Alex responded worried for his friend.

Eian spotted his tattoo was blinking once more.

"Um that voice-dragon said to try to keep my Body and spirit even right?" Eian quickly enquired, to which Sarah nodded.

"Oh? You got another? I wonder how soon the first bottle-neck starts?" Alex asked.

"If I understood correctly it should start when all our attributes reach a grand total off ten." Sarah declared.

"Good. I'll select spirit then." Eian decided quickly.

Eian gazed at his blinking tattoo's which read: Body: 3, Mind: 4, Spirit: 1. He quickly selected spirit and the world washed away in white. Shortly after he beheld a grand mountain that trailed off into the heavens. Problem was there were about a million stairs that zig-zagged and sometimes were obscured.

'Fuck. Life seems to think I'm its bitch.' Eian thought.