In stark contrast to the extremely arid climate up on the surface, Vin was pleased to discover that the underground network of tunnels crisscrossing seemingly throughout this entire fragment were far more pleasant to walk through.

  Moisture lined the earthy walls, dripping off clusters of ivy and a sprawling root system running all over the available surfaces of the various tunnels. Small critters that looked like particularly tiny mice jumped here and there, nibbling on the wet vegetation and darting away whenever they got close. He spotted all sorts of different looking frogs hopping around by the tunnel walls, and many were relaxing in small puddles of water, seeming entirely unfazed as they walked past. Other than the fact that they each had a tiny tail like they’d never fully grown out of being tadpoles, they looked pretty much identical to Earth frogs. Shia even bent down to examine a particularly large one enjoying a good soak as they walked by, running her finger gingerly along its head and earning a deep croak from the odd frog.

  “Pretty laid back creatures,” she chuckled, wiping her finger on her cloak.

  While they walked, Vin awkwardly juggled both his glowing gem and his journal with one hand as he checked his directions once more. While the tunnel did seem to have a low ambient light coming from the very walls that was just enough to stop them from running face first into one another, it wasn’t nearly enough to read by.

  According to what he’d been told, after reaching the tunnel, they were supposed to follow it for a good bit before taking the first left, and then the next two rights. After that…

  Vin stopped as he went to turn right a third time and nearly ran face first into another one of the strange beings crouching by the edge of the tunnel. Glancing down at it, he realized it was currently holding one of the large frogs with its lower set of hands, while gently petting the top of the frog’s head with its upper two. The being looked at Vin in turn, blinking once as it stared at them.

  Not wanting to freak it out, Vin silently cast Familiar Pheromones again, remembering the effect it seemed to have on the other one.

  “Hi there,” Vin said, smiling at the stone-faced being. Despite having a mouth and nose, its face was entirely free of anything that could even remotely resemble emotion.

  Even after seeing them, the being said nothing, instead choosing to continue stroking the frog it was holding. For its part, the frog was sitting calmly in its hands, seemingly content with the current situation.

  “We were told to come down here by… The One That Paints In Red,” Vin tried again. “Do you mind if we walk by?”

  “This one is The One That Holds Frogs,” the being finally said, its ‘voice’ projecting directly into his mind and its unblinking eyes seeming to stare into his very soul as it completely ignored his question. Glancing to the side, Vin saw Shia and Alka exchange quite a look. As the being continued petting the frog it was holding, Alka held up a hand and made what apparently was a universal ‘cuckoo’ symbol.

  “It’s nice to meet you, The One That Holds Frogs,” Vin tried, doing his best to keep a smile on his face. Out of all the races he’d met on Edregon so far, these guys were definitely the weirdest by far. “This one is… The One That Smells. We’re just gonna… Keep walking… If that’s alright.”

  The being finally blinked a second time, before slowly turning back to continue admiring its frog, dismissing Vin and his friends entirely. Careful not to make any sudden movements, Vin stepped around the odd being, continuing further down the tunnel. As soon as they were out of earshot, Shia turned to him with a strange look on her face.

  “What the hells was that?” She hissed, glancing back over her shoulder. “I know you said they were weird, but that was far beyond just ‘weird!’”

  “I used to know a guy that acted kinda similar,” Alka nodded, floating backwards in order to keep her eyes trained on the odd frog holder. “He was dared to try climbing one of the elder trees when he was a kid. Fell halfway up and landed on his head. Family couldn’t afford healing from what I can remember.”

  “I highly doubt every member of this race is suffering severe brain trauma,” Shia huffed, shaking her head. “Something strange is going on here, that’s for sure.”

  “When isn’t it?” Vin sighed, checking his directions and leading them farther into the maze of tunnels.

  The deeper they went, the more of the strange beings they gradually ran into. As they walked, Vin was introduced to over two dozen of the odd beings randomly scattered throughout the tunnels, including The One That Chases, The One That Touches Walls, The One That Paints In Blue, and even The One That Is Wet.

  That last one was found sitting in one of the small puddles with a steady drip of water landing on its head, and Vin was entirely too curious what would happen if he tried pulling it out of the water.

  It didn’t take him long to realize no two of the odd acting beings shared the same name, and remembering the tantrum The One That Paints In Red threw when Vin shortened its name to Red, clearly their odd sounding names were important to them for some reason.

  “I mean, I understand the importance of picking your name better than anyone…” Vin muttered as they bade goodbye to The One That Thinks Of Moss, a rather silent being sitting against the tunnel wall that seemed hesitant to speak with them and lose its concentration. “...but this seems to be taking that to a whole other level.”

  “Hm? Why do you understand the importance of names so much?” Shia asked offhandedly, still watching the moss obsessed being.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Oh, no reason! Just making conversation!” Vin stammered, sweating as Alka narrowed her eyes at him. Desperate to distract the ghost, he nearly shouted when he realized what was up ahead. “Look there! Those two actually look somewhat important!”

  Sure enough, after navigating the ever increasing maze-like tunnel system, they’d finally found themselves standing before what looked like two actual guards, based on the crude spears they were holding and rough armor that appeared to be fashioned from some sort of bark. Each of the guards also had four antennae on their head instead of just two, further separating them from all the other beings they'd met up until now.

  Standing on either side of an actual door set in the wall of the tunnel, the two guards stared at Vin and his friends as they approached. Vin noticed how their antennae seemed to jerk and point at one another the moment they spotted them, and he could only assume they were silently talking between themselves. Though it wasn’t until they got closer that the guards planted their spears perfectly in unison, motioning for them to stop.

  “State your names and your business within the Rebel Queen’s territory,” the first one demanded, his mental voice actually sounding firm and all there, unlike every other member of its race they’d met so far.

  “I’m Vin… Or, The One That Smells, I suppose,” he added, wincing at the snickers he heard from behind him. Realizing the golden opportunity he’d just been given, he did his best to keep a straight face as he gestured to his friends. “...and these are The One That Is Annoying, and The One That Has Pointy Ears.”

  He heard two disgruntled cries behind him which only served to make him chuckle, and he waited for them to call out his lies. But before either could say a word, both guards shot into action.

  In a shocking display of speed, the two guards flew forward faster than any of them could react, and Vin suddenly found a crude spear tip hovering inches from his throat. Either these guys were far higher in level than he’d suspected, or they’d dumped the vast majority of their points into dexterity to achieve such speeds.

  Glancing at Shia, he saw the Druid had her hands raised above her head, the second guard’s spear in front of her throat as well.

  “The One That Is Annoying is currently in seclusion,” one of the guards spoke into their minds. Due to the fact that their mouths didn’t move when they talked, Vin had no idea which of the two guards was actually speaking. “State your true name or be struck down where you stand.”

  Clearing his throat, Vin offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry… Bad joke! Her name is actually The One That Floats.”

  As the two guards both glanced at Alka, Vin realized a bit too late that if their odd society actually had someone capable of floating, things might be about to take a turn for the worse. Thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case, as the two guards finally lowered their spears, stepping back into position on either side of the door once more.

  “What is your business with the Rebel Queen?” One of the guards spoke, apparently satisfied with their identification.

  “We’re looking for a divine warrior, and we were hoping the Rebel Queen could help us find them,” Vin said, glancing between the two guards for any sign of recognition. “The One With The Golden Blade?”

  Both guards seemed to freeze, and despite the fact that their faces remained expressionless, Vin noticed how the little white feelers on their antenna seemed to go crazy for a second in response to the divine warriors’ strange name Turmal had written down. Before he could say anything else, both of the guards’ voices slammed into his head, the overlapping question having a much… heavier sensation to them.

  “What do you want with The One With The Golden Blade?” They asked together.

  The dual voices didn’t exactly hurt or anything, and seemed more to Vin like the equivalent of someone staring you down, adding emphasis to their question to ensure he knew they weren’t joking around. Even so, it wasn’t the most pleasant sensation having heavy thoughts beamed into his head, so he was quick to answer.

  “We’re here to stop him from killing anyone else,” he said truthfully. “We found a journal belonging to… The One That Follows Angrily, and he’d written about The One With The Golden Blade. He sounded like someone we’ve been chasing, so we came here for more information.”

  Halfway through his explanation, Vin had realized he didn’t actually know which of the strange names Red had given them belonged to which dwarf. Based on the descriptions in Turmal’s journal however, he could only assume that Vaghel was the laughing one, and Turmal was the angry follower.

  The guards were silent for a few seconds, but their swiveling antennae and wiggling feelers gave away their heated internal discussion at Vin’s answer. He watched them curiously as the feelers danced about, until one of the guards’ antennae finally swiveled to point behind it, to whatever lay beyond the closed door. After a few seconds, they swiveled back toward Vin, and the guard spoke.

  “Why is The One That Floats silent?”

  Vin looked at the guard, not quite understanding the question. Glancing at Alka, he waited to see if Alka would defend herself of anything, before realizing what the problem must be.

  “Alka… Have you not been able to hear these guys all this time?”

  “Huh? I figured they were just talking directly to you,” the ghost said, raising an eyebrow. “Shia?”

  “No, I’ve been able to hear everything they’ve said since we entered the tunnels,” Shia confirmed.

  “Well that would explain why you guys were so weirded out… I thought you were just talking about all the strange things the guys were doing. Didn’t realize they were saying stuff as well.”

  Shaking his head, Vin looked at the guards. “The One That Floats is a ghost. A… magical person that can’t touch things. Alka?”

  Rolling her eyes, Alka drifted over to the tunnel wall, sticking her hand straight through. “There, see? Can’t touch stuff. Guess your weird mind powers can’t touch me either.”

  The two guards’ antennae flicked behind them once more, and Vin realized they must be having an entirely different conversation with someone seated behind the closed door; presumably the Rebel Queen. Whatever they were told must have been good, as without warning the guards suddenly slammed the butts of their spears on the ground a second time, standing at attention. One of them reached over and opened the door for them, revealing a dark chamber.

  “The Rebel Queen is willing to meet with you,” they said together, their large eyes unblinking.

  “Thank you…” Vin replied, nodding slowly. Hoping Shia was following right behind him and that he wasn’t making a huge mistake, he stepped past the two guards and into the Rebel Queen’s chambers.

  And nearly passed out as his mind was suddenly attacked.

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