Drops of water echoed within the cavern. A wasteland of mana crystals lay scattered around the entrance of the large tunnel, their owners disintegrated. The walls were cracked, broken, and cratered. Blood stained the rock. A thick stench of death lingered in the air. The battle was over, the outcome one-sided. The Maedra came in a powerful horde but ran face first into a massacre. The mana in the air was thinner now, used as a tool for their decimation, and the scars of the battle were all within the tunnel itself. Not a single Maedra had crossed the line into the cavern.

Jake sat at the edge of the essence pool, staring out towards the Dragon’s Vein. He cradled Chul’s Mana Crystal in his lap, his hands brushing over its smooth surface. His companions sat behind him, silent. They looked at each other, worried about what to say. Yet none of them dared to open their mouths. The scene they’d just witnessed was similar to the one they had seen earlier but it was far different. There was no desperation in Jake’s spells. No hesitation in his casting or doubt in his strength. All of his feelings were shot up into that tunnel and the Maedra didn’t stand a chance.

To them, such a sight was just as terrifying as the Maedra. While they didn’t believe Jake would turn on them, it made them well aware of the difference in power. Still, they didn’t plan to abandon him. His pain was justified. Xul, especially, knew that pain.

“Jake…” Yae’s voice came out in a faint whisper, nearly cracking as she tried to say something.

Jake flinched at the sound of her voice and his shoulders trembled. He gripped onto the mana crystal and then let out a slow breath. One he had been holding for far too long. There were no more tears. No more sobs. No more screams. His throat hurt, it felt dry and scratchy, and his eyes burned. He wanted to sit here for a little longer. He wanted to think, even though his mind was blank. He wanted Chul to come back.

“Your village…” Jake mumbled. The three looked at each other again. “...I’d like to see it.” Jake kept staring at the Dragon Vein as he spoke. He had come to this place originally just to experiment. On a whim, he wanted just to see what this Vein would do for his magic. Only to discover there was more to the Ravine than just cold, dark rocks. The Maedra existed. A whole community of people lived down here. Adventurers had come to his village speaking of a small paradise down here, of a place tucked away filled with green and gems- an underground utopia. Now that he’d run into the trio, he wondered if that was true.

The group was quiet for a few moments until Tul sighed and stood up. He walked to Jake’s side and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Must cross. Then, home.” Tul’s serious expression softened and for the first time, Jake saw him smile.

Jake smiled back and then set down Chul’s crystal at his feet. He placed his hands on the floor and cut out a rock platform they could float on. Using it, they slid out into the essence pool and began to cross. Jake looked over his shoulder one last time at the final resting place of his friend, staring at it until the rocks blocked his view. He bowed his head, closed his eyes, and whispered a few words. Then, he turned forward so he could guide them along.

The ride this time was uneventful. They crossed to the peninsula, moved to the other end of the little outcropping, and then moved onto another platform Jake made. They avoided the two isolated groups of Maedra again and returned to the entrance of the far tunnel. Waiting for them, though, were the warriors they’d ditched. Zara and his crew were sitting there, fiddling with their spears and playing with rocks when the platform approached. The Warrior was furious due to Jake’s little trick. As the group returned into view, Zara looked ready for a fight but Jake was in no mood.

As the platform approached the edge of the pool, Jake prepared to cast a couple of fire ball spells. He created a few small spikes out of the floor and was just about to conjure up the flames when Tul stuck his spear out in front of Jake. Tul shook his head and stepped up to the edge of the platform.

“No. Our problem.” Tul tapped the end of his spear against the floor and stood firm. Xul grumbled but he too stepped up to Tul’s side.

Jake didn’t trust that they could do anything, especially with how Zara looked down on them originally. However, he wasn’t about to get between two individuals and their scuffle. If he needed to, Jake could always help out later. This was their problem and it likely had been an issue for quite some time. From what Jake could see, Zara’s attitude bothered Tul quite a bit and Yae didn’t feel comfortable with the Warrior group nearby. Whether that was just because she was a woman or otherwise, Jake wasn’t sure.

Zara shouted in their language, but Tul said nothing. When the rock platform connected with the mainland, the group disembarked and the platform fell away. Zara immediately drew his weapon and stepped up towards Jake. Tul got in the way. When Zara tried to push him clear, Tul leveled his spear at the Warrior’s throat.

Zara paused- hesitated, and glowered down at the smaller individual. Tul didn’t budge. Zara’s eyes narrowed and while at first, he looked pissed, that angry expression changed to a broad smile.

“Wu’k, Ulatah’ra,” Zara said with a chuckle. His warriors began to laugh as well, one of them even clapped and whistled. Tul gripped his spear and pulled it from Zara’s neck. Xul shook his head as he stepped out of the way.

“What just happened?” Jake asked, glancing over at Yae as one of the other Warriors pulled out a white stone from his pocket.

“Duel.” She said softly.

Duel.

Jake clenched his teeth and watched as the warrior with the white stone drew a large circle into the floor, tracing off just enough space for the two fighters to stand in. There was hardly any room to move and both Zara and Tul were well within range of one another’s weapons. Along with the circle, the Warrior drew a small white line in the middle of the circle.

“The line?” Jake pointed at the small separator. It was a curious detail. The two fighters obviously would start across from one another, so there was no need for the line.

“Can’t cross,” Xul said. “Cross only to end.”

To end. Was this a fight… to the death? Jake’s stomach tightened and he took a step forward towards the ring. Xul grabbed him by the shoulder, tight.

“No. Watch.” Xul held Jake back, coercing the boy to sit. Jake frowned and did as he was told. He felt uneasy about this and would have rather just blown off Zara’s head. He had just discovered that he had lost Chul. He didn’t want to lose someone else this quickly. But, if this was some kind of cultural thing, then he needed to trust in his companion.

The Warrior with the white stone stepped up to the side of the circle, taking the position between the two fighters. He raised his hand and waited until both Tul and Zara were ready. Then, before Jake could interject- the Warrior dropped his arm.

Zara stepped up to the white line and swung his ax-like weapon heavily down towards Tul’s head. The thick, muscled arm cracked through the air, the wind whipping as he put all of his force behind the swing. Tul saw it coming, though. He ducked and shifted beneath the arm. His spear thrust forward, targeting Zara’s abdomen.

Zara used his elbow to knock the spear out of the way and he reached forward to try and grab at Tul. Tul sliced across, avoiding the grab while also cutting open Zara’s left forearm. Zara hissed and pulled back to gather himself. Tul didn’t hesitate. He gripped his spear with two hands and fired off a rapid volley of stabs, thrusting the sharpened tip of his weapon at Zara’s face and upper body. Zara was quick to weave through the thrusts. A few landed. Yet, the stabs were shallow and only caused light bleeding. Zara seemed almost unphased.

Another heavy swing from the ax came and Tul was forced to step back to avoid it. The very tip of the weapon cut across his chest, scattering purple into the air. Tul clenched his jaw and stepped forward, filling the gap with his spear once more. Zara was ready for the counter and grabbed Tul’s spear. Zara twisted his ax-wielding arm and performed a backhanded slash. Tul immediately dropped to his knee to duck under the swing once more. Zara reacted quickly, twisted his arm again, and brought the ax down vertically.

Tul yanked his spear back and swung it strongly overhead, stabbing the end into Zara’s wrist as he pushed the incoming arm to his left. The spear stabbed straight through the tendon and flesh. The sudden pain caused Zara to open his hand. The Warrior let out a roar of pain as the ax clattered to the floor. Tul released his spear, grabbed the ax, and swung it in a wide arc into Zara’s thigh. The dull edge couldn’t sever the limb but it cut deep into the thick thigh of the larger fighter.

Zara howled in pain and staggered backward, stopping at the edge of the circle. Tul collected his spear from the ground and retook his fighting stance. Zara snarled through clenched teeth, baring his fangs as he ripped the ax from his leg. Purple blood leaked freely from the open wound. Jake could see the pink meat freshly exposed to the air.

Even though he was winning, Tul remained calm and composed. He breathed slowly, maintained his patience, and stared at the center of Zara’s broad chest. There was no need to get wrapped up in Zara’s expression or any of the smack talk that came from his mouth. Tul focused on his movements, on the subtle giveaways of an impending attack. Zara couldn’t put his weight onto his wounded leg and staggered back to the centerline- back into Tul’s range.

Tul thrust his spear forward and took a powerful step as he sent another volley. Zara leaned to dodge but the strike was true. The tip of the spear sliced through Zara’s shoulder. Another stab struck Zara’s neck. Another cut his bicep, then the other, and then Tul stabbed into Zara’s chest. Quick and methodical, Tul whittled away at Zara’s strength. The large Warrior tried to set up a few ax swings but Tul reacted swiftly, blocking or interrupting them. Before Zara could swing, he would be pushed off balance by an incoming thrust. Without both of his legs to support his frame, Zara could hardly move to get out of the way of every thrust.

With his main hand worthless- Zara needed to use his off-hand to fight. The imbalance made him an easy target, but Tul knew the Warrior wouldn’t go down easily. He maintained his distance, kept focused, and continued to poke and cut until Zara was coated in his own blood.

During a pause in Tul’s attacks, Zara took an opportunity to swing. Exactly the moment Tul was waiting for. Tul baited out the swing and stepped into it, moving behind the arm as it came across the centerline. Tul twisted the butt of his spear and stabbed it into the back of Zara’s arm, pushing the arm forward and throwing off the warrior’s balance. Zara twisted with the push and his hips turned unnaturally. The Warrior rolled over himself and fell to the floor.

Tul didn’t hesitate.

The spear was pulled back and then thrust forward. Zara’s skull was pierced through the eye socket. The warrior’s body went limp on the cold floor. Purple blood leaked from the wound, staining Zara’s final expression. A mixture of the blood, brain matter, and another clear liquid pooled beneath Zara’s skull as Tul pulled his spear free. It took two pulls and Tul had to use his foot to pin Zara’s head to the ground before he could get his spear back.

“Yawa!” The warrior at the edge of the white circle raised his hand, signaling the end of the fight. The Warriors stared in disbelief. Their leader had been defeated, beaten by someone considered a runt back in their village.

Tul bowed his head and then picked up Zara’s ax. He then stripped Zara of his equipment. Last, he cut off Zara’s thumb. To carry the ax properly, Tul had to strap it across his back. It was medium-sized and could be used with either one or two hands depending on the user’s strength. That made it too big to wear on the hip for someone half the size of Zara. Though, Tul likely wouldn’t ever use it. From what Jake saw in the fight, his spear skills would do him fine.

One of the Warriors shouted something but the one who’d refereed the fight snarled to silence him. Tul shook his head and returned to where Jake and the other two were watching. Xul greeted him first, smiling and bringing his friend into a hug. Yae yelled at the two to separate them and quickly went to work on healing his wounds.

When she was done, Jake stood up and held out his fist. Tul stared at it curiously, then looked at Jake. For a moment, Jake too was confused. Then he remembered where he was, and where he wasn’t.

“Oh, like this.” Jake reached down and grabbed Tul’s wrist. Tul made a fist and Jake bumped his own into it. “It’s what friends do.” He said, smiling.

Tul stared at his hand for a moment, only to grin. He pulled Jake into a hug.

“Friends,” Tul mumbled. Jake nodded, embracing Tul tight. Yae and Xul, jealous of the scene, jumped in.

The remaining three Warriors rolled Zara’s body up into a grey cloth and held a brief ceremony for their fallen leader. Yae participated in the vigil, acting as the priest who blessed the dead. She rubbed her thumb into Zara’s blood and then marked the cloth with three diagonal lines. While she marked the cloth, the Warriors bowed their heads and crossed their arms over their chests. After a long prayer, Yae stepped aside as the Warriors lifted Zara’s body, and then dropped it into the essence pool. They kneeled at the edge, silently bowing their heads, as the body fell into the black.

When it was over, they approached Jake with their heads lowered. Yae translated an apology from them. While Zara was rough and arrogant, he had become that way because of his strength. He was foolish but a proud fighter. He defended the village with pride and diligence. It was why they had followed him so closely and treasured him, even though they too knew he was a bit of a bully. But, he had been bested by Tul in a fair fight and they acknowledged the loss. There was no bad blood between them and Jake, nor would they seek vengeance.

It was an unnecessary apology but Jake accepted it nonetheless. The Warriors were not Zara. While they may have been his underlings and they certainly went along with his antics, Jake did not blame them for Zara’s mistakes. They likely all had their reasons for going along with him. Now, they could forget about those reasons and become better.

After the funeral was finished, the group left the cavern behind and headed into the tunnel. They followed the river and Tul led the way through the dark. Sprites illuminated their path and Yae coaxed a few of the little creatures to follow their group. No Maedra waited in the shadows and they walked quite a ways up the tunnel before it forked. The essence river was split in half and flowed in two directions. It was quite a surprise.

A small bridge made out of rock was laid across the river and allowed the group to cross. There were no handles or ropes so Jake had to be careful as he walked over it. It wasn’t even nailed down. It was as if someone had carved a slab just large enough to cover the distance and then dropped it over. It worked, but only one person could cross at a time.

From there, they continued their walk until the tunnel forked again. This time there were three tunnels and the river only continued down the middle. They stayed to the right and left the essence river behind. The Sprites continued to follow them a short way but eventually, they turned around and headed back for the essence flow. As if expecting that to happen, Yae stepped up to the wall and plucked something from it. It was a small cylinder and as she fed mana into it, the top of the object began to glow a faint green. It illuminated some of the space around them but it wasn’t strong enough to cover the entire group.

Yae took the lead now that she held the light source and guided the group down into the dark. The floor tilted and Jake could tell they were descending. The path began to wind, curving left, right, and then in a corkscrew downwards until they were walking in the opposite direction- but still down. When the floor leveled out again, it spat them out into a room with a bunch of tunnels. At least six in various directions. In the middle of the room, a large statue of a creature was carved out of stone. Several of the cylinders similar to what Yae held were placed around the top of the room and they all glowed a faint blue.

Each tunnel had a couple of cylinders at its entrance, all light sources one could use to help them in the dark. Yae placed the one she held into a cluster beside the entrance to the tunnel they’d just come from. It was an interesting system and very convenient.

“Do each of these tunnels lead to a village?” Jake asked, looking into the black maws of a few of the tunnels. Xul laughed. Tul quickly whacked his companion with his spear.

“No. Some to death. Some to nothing. Only two to village.” Tul elaborated while Xul got his act together. Yae shook her head, remaining quiet as she elected to stay out of their spout, and moved to a tunnel just off to her left. She grabbed a light source and then stepped down into the dark. The group followed, leaving the statue behind.

“Who was that statue?” For them to create such a large memorial of someone, he figured they were important. Xul choked again as if trying to hold back his laughter again. Did he find Jake’s lack of knowledge that funny?

“King of Maedra. Naudalus.” One of the Warriors spoke up. Jake didn’t get it.

“You made a shrine for a Maedra King?” Why would they make a statue in the honor of a group of beings that wanted to eat them? And why was it here?

“No. Maedra made.”

The… Maedra made a statue? Jake hummed, confused and a bit put off by the detail. He wanted to grill them more, but he didn’t have faith in the language barrier. If he wanted to learn more about this place, then he would need to learn their language. Or at least be able to read it. Then he could find more information on them in the Library.

The tunnel led them deeper and deeper into the Ravine until finally, Jake saw a faint glow in the distance. It was further off than he was led to believe and they still walked quite a ways. When they got closer, Yae stopped. Tul and Xul stepped up ahead of her and tapped the ends of their spears into the floor.

“Wuar,” Tul called out, his voice echoing a little ways into the tunnel.

Then, as if being shed by the blackness of the walls, four figures melted off the rocks and emerged. They were heavily equipped. They wore brown metal chest plates, had helmets, and wielded both hammers and axes on their waists. One in the back was lightly dressed but carried a long rock staff with a massive jewel at its tip. Three fighters, one caster.

“Guards,” Yae informed Jake. Their equipment then made sense. Jake originally thought they were in for another fight of some kind. However, if there was a village here, then the Maedra would no doubt be attracted to it. Having guards to protect the entrances was to be expected.

The guards began their checks of the group but stopped when they saw Jake. Yae spoke up to one of them. There was a brief argument but after some coercing, she was able to settle whatever dispute they had. After checking the Warriors, the guards cleared the path and opened the way through. Yae kept close to Jake’s side as they passed by. Jake could feel the heavy stares of the guards. Their intense gaze sent shivers down his spine.

He was also enlightened to the fact that the four guards weren’t the only ones waiting in the shadows. At least six more were comfortably hidden in the dark, all ready to protect the village should the Maedra get too curious. Quite the security detail but Jake didn’t blame them. Not one bit. The Maedra were crafty and ruthless, their bodies tough. If a large group came down the end of that tunnel for the village, fending them off would take more than just one or two guards.

As they neared the end of the tunnel, Jake began to get a peek at what he was about to see. He could hear flowing water and could smell the mixed scents of life. He could hear the dull rumbling of voices. There was even the faint cracking of fighting- likely sparring or practice. The actual sight was even better than he could have imagined.

They exited the tunnel on a cliffside, overlooking the village below. The open space was massive, large enough to fit at least three or four of Jake’s village inside of it. There were dozens of buildings formed from rock along the floor, walkways dangling and crisscrossing above the lower area, and there were several levels of houses and buildings carved into the walls. The hanging walkways connected these raised spaces and also provided ways for people to walk between the levels. Four waterfalls dropped from above. Two were actual waterfalls, and two were made up of Dragon Vein essence. The two streams fell to the lower level and flowed alongside the buildings in carefully cut-out rivers.

All along the walls, gems glistened with mana and provided plenty of light to illuminate the space. Green moss grew on the rocks near the waterfalls and plenty of greenery stretched along the rocks. On the side of the essence flow, Sprites loitered and fluttered around. Down in the village itself, numerous light sources lit up the living area where hundreds of people walked and lived. It was beautiful.

“Welcome to Ewana.” Yae’s face beamed with excitement as Jake stared in awe down at the village. In such a dark, desolate place, he had never expected to find something like this. This was truly amazing. A true testament to the stubbornness of life. Even with Maedra all over and the constant threat of being attacked and wiped out, these people had found a way to settle and survive.

“Wow…” Jake mumbled. It was so pretty, and he was excited to experience what the village had to offer.

He felt his chest get tight and he couldn’t help but smile. Even though he was hurting, even though he wanted Chul to see this with him, he was happy. He was so happy. His friend had given him this opportunity, this chance to experience something he never thought he ever would. His father had always warned him about the harshness of adventure, but it was Chul who had shared just how beautiful the world could be. While Jake was scared and fearful, Chul made sure to give him that nudge to not quit. And Jake truly began to wonder…

What else did Chul know about this world? He always had an answer to Jake’s questions and seemed to always have an experience to share. How far had Chul explored the Ravine? Did he know of this village, of these people? Is that why he fended off the Maedra all the time?

Thinking of how little he truly knew of his friend, Jake hugged Chul’s mana crystal to his chest tightly and let out a soft sigh. If only he had more time…

“Thank you, Chul,” Jake whispered.

“Come. Hungry.” Yae tugged on Jake’s sleeve and he looked over to see that the others were leaving him behind. The Warriors had left first. Xul and Tul were in their own world as they descended the rocky path. Jake nodded and followed Yae after them.