Norbert looked at the wave heading his way, rooted to the spot as one after the other died in the flames of the battlefield. Their white plating turned grey and husks of what the creature once was.

  The orchestra of flames continuously jumped out across the multiple holes in the wall, and as quickly as it appeared, it abated. Norbert held his breath in anticipation of the following line of music to be played but rested; it remained.

  Scrunching came up from behind him as Grandriel made his way towards him. Feeling a pat on his shoulder, he unfreezed Norbert from the spot and turned towards the Under-Elf. “How many are down there?” Norbert asked, his mouth finally moving, amazed by the quantity that appeared. The silence that filled the air now oppressing him, forcing him to move or at least do something.

  “Many, many more. You’ve got quite a task ahead of you. Now chop chop, daylights burning. Or whatever you surface dwellers say.”

  Norbert looked at Grandriel with confusion on his face. “Don’t you mean we were burning daylight?” Norbert corrected as he looked up at the ceiling of the cavern they found themselves in. The stalactites looked down on him, not a speck of daylight being able to penetrate the mountain of rock on top of his head.

  Grandriel just looking up at Norbert, hearing a single mutter about surface dwellers as he walked off, heading towards the edge of the cave, looking down the hole below.

  Norbert shook his head, catching up as the two stood together on the precipice of darkness. Feeling his heart slam in his chest, holding his breath, trying to hear any sounds from below. Hearing nothing but paper scratching again, Norbert turned and saw the pack on Grandriel’s back.

  “How long will the supplies last you?” Norbert asked, pointing towards the grey backpack with the single covering at the top straining against the buttoning.

  “Nearly twenty days if rationed properly. Five if not.”

  Norbert nodded his head. “Well, I’ll push on ahead as long as you can get us back here," he added, the butterflies in his stomach welling up, the unknown just in front of him.

  Grandriel pipping up, “I don’t know if I can do this.” The words were a silent whisper coming out of his mouth. The earlier bravado was gone, and we were all up to make it this far.

  Grandriel took half a step back; Norbert turned and started hand shooting drill, a foot stepping over as he fell into the darkness. The scream ripped from the Under-Elf as Norbert dragged him down into the hole.

  “What did you DO!” Grandriel screamed out, Norbert opening his mouth, crashing into the ground before he could reply. Feeling his body crunch as pain for a half moment shot up through the shoulder that he landed on, ringing in his ears that quickly dissipated from the helmet racking across the ground.

  He came to a stop, heard a groan from the side, got to his feet, wobbled as his head spun from the tumble, and looked around in completeness. His feet were on a slope, and he saw nothing in his vision. Looking up, he was unable to see the light that should have been up the top.

  Cursing to himself, a harsh whisper escaping his lips, the groaning continued from his travel buddy. Changing his vision to see in the dark, as the world became grey around him. Biting his lip as he scanned the empty area, hand hovering over the sword as the Under-Elf started to whimper, Norbert pushing the concerns he would have out of his mind for the moment.

  Finding themselves in a tunnel, Norbert thankful for not seeing anything else around them, the walls on either side jagged, pieces of rocks having been thrown on the floor, sliding his feet, hearing the pieces of stone tinkle against each other.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Holding his breath, still not letting his guard down, fingers dancing over his handle. Still, nothing coming from in front of him, turning his back Norbert looked around, feeling the breath on his neck, a set of teeth stopping right in front of him as Norbert looked into the mouth of a Torbrask inching closer and closer to him.

  Fingers continuing to dance on his sword as he remained still, still hearing the whimper of Grandriel off to the side, unable to see the Under-Elf without moving his head. Taking a shaking breath out, feeling his lungs rattle in his breath, the energy within him moving by itself, wanting to be released once more, though still not properly recovered from the last time it was used.

  Sucking in his breath, the teeth coming ever so closer, Norbert had springing to motion as he leaped straight into its maw, breaking the teeth with his helmet as he went inside.

  Hand sliding down to the daggers on his legs, darkens coming around him as his feet landed on wetness. Feet slipping out from under him as the ground tried to curl around him, bring him further down wherever the gullet of this creature was.

  Jumping up, the tongue he was on exploding in viscera underneath him as he smashed into the roof, hearing a crack from the Torbrask mouth as he made up. Holding himself up there as his world started to spin, smashing his dagger once more inside of it, feeling the blade snap under the weight.

  His feet loosing balance, hanging from the ceiling with just his hand, Norbert grasping for his sword, the handle slipping out of his hand from the gore he had just done to the knife.

  Taking out another throwing knife Norbert condensing his energy into the dagger as he rammed it inside the hole he was holding it. Feeling pieces of bone smash into his hand, fingers becoming pulverised from the impact as he fell, unable to keep his grip inside the skull. Rain falling down on him as the world crashed to the ground, hearing sounds of it slipping from inside his little cave.

  Hearing the sliding outside growing louder and louder, panic starting to engulf Norbert, as he was being carried further and further away from his unconscious guide. Flipping over Norbert patting around, feeling for the broken teeth of his entrance into the Torbrask.

  Finding it, Norbert smashes two more on either side. The sounds of stones moving and the body being dragged get louder and louder. It's a full-on avalanche, and the sounds of stones pinging around come from outside.

  Sticking his hand, breathing out, ready to leap forward, a stone smashing into his just repaired hand, a groan coming from his lips, his grip starting to slide. Ripping the entrance of the mouth open, Norbert jumped out, slipping on the blood on the inside of the Torbrask, falling onto his mouth as he rolled down the slope.

  Sticking his hands into the stone, head down as he slid on his feet and knees, hands on either side to stabilise as the slope he found himself on quietened down, the Torbrask up over his head as he continued down the path with them.

  Happy he could finally see something again, Norbert looked around, confirming that no other Torbrask had come up behind him and was waiting to capture him. Finally breathing out a sigh of relief, Norbert looked up the slop he had just fallen from.

  At the top, a moving body slowly falls its way towards him. Norbert groaned, patting himself down, having already lost two throwing daggers before he could start the expedition correctly; it wasn’t looking good for him.

  Sighing, pushing the energy around his body, feeling it sluggish, his stomach groaning for a moment as he pushed it out of his mind, focusing on the steady climb upwards. Scrambling on his hands, keeping his balance as the stones underneath his feet acted as gravel, wanting to slip away from whatever purchase he was gaining from the ground.

  Grasping the stones in his hand, he went up the rest of the way, hearing sliding from above. He looked up and saw Grandriel standing still, just looking at himself. Clutching his arm by his side, Norbert was thankful to see the pack still attached to the Under-Elf.

  “What happened to you?” Grandriel asked him.

  Norbert chuckled as he remembered the fall that just happened. “A Torbrask, much quieter than I gave them credit, tried to eat me.”

  Grandriel chuckled, stifling a groan as he looked at his arm. Norbert just pointed with a finger at the arm he was clutching by his side: “Banged my arm.”

  “Looks broken” Norbert commented, standing next to him, finger just hovering over the piece of bone sticking from his arm, breaking through the shirt covering. Norbert moved over, taking the backpack off the Under-Elf’s shoulders.

  Norbert started ruffling round in the backpack, wondering what was covered there. “Not here; we need to get to the outpost.”

  Norbert stopped rummaging around, looking up at the elf with the blood dripping down. “You sure?” Norbert asked, unable to take his eyes off the wound.

  A nod in response was made as Norbert shrugged, slinging the backpack over his shoulder and gesturing for Grandriel to lead the way.