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Chapter 2: An Unlikely Ally

Axil awoke abruptly to the sound of Digit's heaping gasps for air.

"It's dark! It's so dark!" Digit repeated between breaths in his turbulent panic. The sudden clunk on the head by the blunt of Axil's scythe sent a shiver of pain down to his toes, but was a success to snap him back into a controlled state.

"Calm down, Digit." Axil intervened, "If I have to dig my way out of a cave, I'm not going to do it with a raving coward!"

"There's no way we can dig. No way. I could try to blow the rubble out of—"

"No! If you do that you'll bring the whole place down on top of us!" He regained his composure, "Look, conjure us a flame so we can see."

Digit extended his hand into the darkness and tried to force some flames for light.

"Nothing. There's nothing. I can't get anything to come out."

Axil let out a weighted huff, "I can't believe this. It could be anyone, anyone at all; but I'm stuck with the most useless elementalist in Tyria!"

"Hey! Don't call me useless! we wouldn't have beaten the Charr if it weren't for my skill!"

Immediately as the rush of frustrations boiled through Digit's veins had a spark of light finally emerged from his fingertips; but the moment it formed, it also launched its way across the cavern to dissipate in the air.

"Well," Axil assured, "Seems that you do well when you're insulted. Try it again."

With his hand still extended, Digit concentrated yet again, focusing on his vexation. Another successful flame emerged from his palm and remained stable above its master's hand. "There you go!" Axil exclaimed before Digit began to shift about the area. With examination now made available by the fresh illumination, the two saw an open chasm not too far away from where they were standing. The flame devoured the air, increasing the labor required for breathing.

"There!" Axil pointed by extending his scythe, "If we can't dig out, we'll just have to go deeper in."

"Wait, wait, wait, WAIT!" Digit yelled in expedient objection, "We can't just jump down headlong into the unknown! Do you know how far down that is? I don't! There might be more Charr hiding down there!"

Axil flashed a bland stared to such cowardice, his almost black irises were indistinguishable from their pupils, creating a subtly ominous appearance, "Do you really think with all the noise we're making, and all the commotion outside, that any surviving Charr wouldn't have tried to kill us by now? I don't know what's happened, but I also don't believe the Prince—or any of the Vanguard—are trying to save us. If you don't want to slowly suffocate then the only choice left is what's here in front of us."

"Well fine," Digit replied hesitantly, "If we're going down there, then you'll lead."

"I don't have any issue with being a man," Axil said in affront as he tore a piece of his linen cloak to wrap around his scythe, "but I'm going to need you to give me a light."

When they both approached the edge of the chasm, the light from Axil's makeshift torch didn't appear to reach the bottom; however, there was a smooth descending slope in view that appeared to be a means to slide. "Looks safe enough," Axil said as he cautiously bent down into position. He readied himself on the edge with legs extended forward and pushed.

A quick rush down the slick wet rock and a short drop from a crag later, the two were safely at the bottom. The environment was different: rough natural rock formations were scarce between the seams of crumbling stone hallways. "Whoa," Digit let out with a sigh of amazement, "Who do you think made this?"

Axil looked around the area for any distinguishable design, "Don't know. You notice how the walls break and leave bare spots? Dwarves wouldn't do something so sloppy. I'd guess humans made this." He paused a moment as another possibility came to mind, "Or Charr."

"Charr? I know they're intelligent, but why would they build their way beneath Ascalon?"

"No, I don't mean it's recent. This could be like your people's catacombs, only made by the Charr long ago."

Their conversation ended as they both halted in unison to the distant sight of a small humanoid looking creature hunched over. Covered in matted gray fur was an odd rat-like being chewing on an unseen object between its grubby claws.

Digit passed a glance to Axil as if to question what course of action to take, but Axil only shook his head to confirm he was on an equal level of cluelessness. With no one to suggest initiative, Digit brashly yelled to the creature, "Hey! What you got there, friend?" The creature dropped a small metallic object as his ears shot straight into the air. Wild eyes leered at the two, and saliva was drooling out from his mouth with sharp pronounced fangs glistening in the torch light. The rat-ling released a terrible shrill scream and jumped along the walls, scurrying into the darkness.

Axil looked to his partner with a somewhat concerned expression.

Reading the body language fluently, Digit replied, "I haven't an idea what that thing was either."

"I hope there aren't any friends."

"If there are, they should be easy to take care of."

"Not if they're in the hundreds."

Digit nodded in agreement as the two ventured forward, and after a moment of silence he spoke again.

"I don't see any more of our little friend."

Axil lifted his burning scythe to better illuminate the wall to his side, "I can't even see a place where he would've gone."

"Perhaps he's with a few lady friends now. Making little mutant babies."

"What? … What is wrong with you? That's a disgusting mental image."

"Well, I mean, he could be. Or it could be a she… Anyway, do you wonder if that's one of the things that crafted these walls?"

Axil shook his head with certainty in his voice, "No. It didn't seem to be intelligent enough."

"Well, either way, I hope we get out of here soon."

It wasn't much time before they reached a large room with decaying, but still intricate, columns and various converging hallways.

Digit pressed his back to one of the nearby pillars and slid to the floor. "I'm so parched, I can't even feel my tongue anymore."

"I'm thirsty too," Axil consoled, "but unless you can make water we're both out of luck."

"No, I can't. I can barely make fire when lives aren't at stake. I can't control anything but flames."

"Don't be an idiot." Axil retorted with a strong conviction echoing in his voice, "You made the flames on my scythe. You gave us light to find our way down here. So, you aren't completely useless."

From beyond Digit emerged the odd rat being, in its hands were two water skins that appeared to be dripping with fresh liquid. Axil jumped into an alert position with his flaming weapon ready as Digit hastened to join his companion's side.

"Stop where you are, fiend." Axil spoke with a stern emphasis on his tone.

The creature released several coughs in a fashion almost akin to barking.

"Have something in your throat there, stinky?" Digit asked while tilting his head in curiosity.

Axil leaned towards his friend slightly, "He hasn't attacked yet. I'll give him a moment."

The short and furry rat-man's coughs hastened to a violent hack, releasing shrill syllables.

"Hey!" Digit yelled excitedly, "I understood that! Did he just say 'trade'?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Axil lambasted, "It sounds like he's about to vomit to me."

"No, I'm serious!" Digit took two careful steps forward, "Trade? You want to trade?"

The creature stopped its vocal clamor and raised his ears with head tilted and eyes glistening in the torchlight. Insightfully, Digit pulled out a polished badge imprinted with the Ascalon insignia.

"We made you drop something earlier," he spoke with an almost condescending tone, "Here, I have something else for you."

He extended his hand toward the, now very intrigued, potential schmuck. "See? It's really shiny isn't it? Not like what you lost."

The being hopped up and down, a clear annunciation escaped his shrill voice, "Shinies!"

Axil relaxed his weapon, now seeing that the creature was no threat. "I can't believe it."

The little friend eagerly dropped the two vessels and snatched the badge out of Digit's hand. "That's really valuable," Digit assured him, "Don't lose it."

"No, no, no, no. No lose. Me keeps!" The being spoke excitedly. "You not like big hairy beasts, me likes you!" And with that, he scurried back off into the darkness.

Axil stepped forward to the two leather sacks on the ground and lifted one up to examine. Surely enough, they were both filled to capacity by some form of liquid. "This is unbelievable." Axil spoke whist shaking his head, "You seem to be saturated with good luck."

"Me?" Digit inquired, "No. I haven't had anything close to a stroke of luck in my whole life."

"Well, I guess things started turning around for you." Axil lifted the nozzle to his lips and poured the refreshing liquid out onto his barren tongue.

"So, is it really water?" Digit's question wasn't answered, for Axil was too indulged to pull the refreshment from his face. Assuming it was so, Digit conformed, drinking along with Axil. Finally, their luck had turned about.