We have reached chapter ten. The holy double digit of numbers. Jaune and company seemed to have made it out of Carnstein relatively unscathed, or so thing might seem. Let's find out how things develop. Rated M for Kuroinu, italics= thoughts, bold = emphasis.

A Bad Plan

As the cart pulled into Two Rivers, they drew the attention of the local masses. It was hard not to with Lily sitting between the two. The residents whispered and pointed as the cart made its way through the village. They were watched as the trio made their way to the front of Dietrich's home but no one approached or asked questions. Dietrich's well-earned reputation kept them at a distance.

When the cart stopped rolling Dietrich gave out a sigh, rising from his spot with a groan. "Glad that business is over. Jaune take the horse to the stable and unload the crates. Rinse off before you come into the house, I don't need the place being stunk up. I'll take Lily find her something that smells a little less like a whorehouse to wear. My wife might have left something in your size."

Dietrich led the girl into his home as Jaune stepped forward, pulling the various straps holding the horse in place. Once freed the horse wasted no time following him to the aforementioned stable. The horse took only a moment to see the straw piled before it to lay itself down. The horse seemingly flopped on its side, a pleasured whiny seeming to spill from it.

"You have no idea how jealous I am of you right now." The horse for its part responded with a series of snorts, that tired Jaune could only interpret as laughter. He sighed and closed the pen door behind him to go unload the crates. It wasn't that hard, it was more tedious than anything. With a grunt he lifted the first crate and walked it to the back.

This process went on for about half hour before the cart was finally unloaded, and Jaune found himself stumbling towards the river as afternoon began to shift towards evening. By the riverside he shimmied down to his boxers, setting his belongings aside before jumping in. The rushing of the cool water over sweaty skin sent a chill down his spine even as his aching muscles cried in relief. Hands scrubbed through hair and dunked his clothes under the water as the grime of the past few days was swept away.

Once as clean as Jaune was capable under such conditions Jaune climbed out and wiped himself down with a cloth Dietrich had tossed him during work, before reaching into his sack to put on a pair set of clothes. The brown tunic and pants didn't fit nearly as well as his own clothes, but they would do while his others dried out. He rung them out to the best of his ability before heading back to the house. He took a moment to hang them on a line behind the house to dry out before entering.

Entering the house, he placed his armor and sword by the door with his bag. Entering the small kitchen, he found Dietrich sitting at the table with Lily, nursing a small bottle of wine between them of wine between them. Lily seemed to clean up nicely, a yellow and white dress replacing the blue nun robes she'd been wearing. The cloth though old seemed to fit well over her and fit well together. For a moment Jaune was going to ask what happened to her old clothes when he saw the fire roaring at full blast in the fireplace, a few singed scraps of blue lying close by. Lily seemed to notice to, as she picked the pieces up and tossed them into the roaring flames.

"Sit down Jaune. I feel we have a bit to talk about." Dietrich said motioning to the chair in front of them. Jaune wordlessly sat down at the table, Lily passing a small cup of wine over to him. he hesitated for a moment before picking it up and taking a sip. It was a bit bitter, but overall had a sweetness to it over the swill he'd failed to drink in the village. If nothing else he was able to at least keep this down.

As Jaune looked down at the red liquid in his cup Dietrich decided to speak. "While you were outside, I decided to fill Lily on who we are, and why we're here. No point keeping it a secret now, not after she saw us kill those men."

Jaune looked over to Lily, the girl giving him a small nervous smile. One that made Jaunes stomach twist a bit uncomfortably. "Sorry I had to lie to you Lily. I wasn't trying to use you or anything."

"Its alright Jaune. I understand." Lily responded back, her eyes still looking down at the liquid in her cup. "You were just doing your job, you still chose to help me. And you fought to keep those men away from me. I can't tell you how grateful I am for that."

"Forgive me my dear but I'm not." Dietrich cut in, a stern look on his face. "Why the hell did those men come for us? I knew you had a run-in last night, but I thought it was settled since the town guard didn't slap chains on us. For them to disobey Falkirk and come after us? That takes more than a simple dispute."

"Yes well, those bastards tried to take Lily last night. I made it clear that wasn't happening. When Lily mentioned Falkirk's name they went running off and I thought that would be the end of it. I didn't think they'd be so stupid to come after us like that." Jaune responded back with a bit of bite in his voice. "Are you saying I should have done nothing? Or just stood by and let them harm us on the road?"

"Course I'm not saying that. I'm saying you nearly blew our cover. If that girl didn't have more brains than you, we might be sitting in a cell right now. The violence on the road was simply unavoidable, and perhaps not unexpected. Black dogs do tend to hold a grudge, no matter how small." Dietrich acknowledged with a nod of the head before suspicion came across his face. "What was unexpected was how easily you killed them. I won't say those were the best of Falkirk's men, but seven men would be difficult for even an experienced agent. And you slaughtered them like nothing."

Jaune sensed the last line was more questioning than anything, so he decided to deflect it. "Well…they weren't that good. And they only attacked a few at a time. If they'd come all at once it would have been more difficult. We just got lucky."

Dietrich wasn't so easily dissuaded. "And the way you batted a sword stroke away with nothing more than a glove hand? Was that just luck as well? Because I saw it cut through your leather and yet see no blood or wound on you. The blade simply bounced away. And for the briefest of moments you were glowing."

I WAS?! Jaune thought to himself, not having noticed during the fight. Tired and frustrated from the past few days, Jaune decided to stop trying to deflect. "Dietrich, if there is something you want to say just say it. I can't deal with your paranoia and I don't know what you want from me."

"What I want to know is what you are, because you are no spy." Dietrich said frankly, downing the last of his cup and slamming it on the table. "I'm not saying you're an enemy, but its clear you had no training. No instincts to keep your head down or blend in. And you seem to simply attract trouble, which for my line of work is a bad thing. So, will you tell me what your hiding? What Ivalice decided not to mention in her reports?"

"No. I won't." Jaune answered, surprised at how quickly the words flowed out of his lips. "You're not wrong Dietrich, there's more to me than you think. Ivalice knows what it is, in part because I had to tell her but also because I trust her. She got me out of that jam in Jacinda, one that may have cost her position standing in the long run. She could have let me be slapped in chains, it would have cost her nothing to do so. Instead she treated me with respect and helped me. She earned the right to know. You simply haven't."

For a moment Dietrich said nothing the older man trying to pierce the younger with a withering glare. Jaune for himself didn't give an inch, the two men not breaking eye contact. Finally, the test of wills ended when Dietrich broke first, eyes brimming with frustration. "Fine, keep your bloody secret. If anything, it'll make the next step easier."

Jaune felt the tension leave somewhat from his shoulders, though not completely. Lily let out a small sigh between them, drawing a muttered apology from the two males. Embarrassed Jaune decided to change course. "So, the next step. What do we do now?"

"We?" Dietrich asked, his expression incredulous to Jaunes annoyance. "We are doing nothing. Carnstein is closed to us now, we only got in the first time because Falkirk ordered it. You and the girl are going back south. Tomorrow evening at the latest."

"Forgive me Mr. Everret, but with the princess here won't the border be closed?" Lily asked, her tone of voice hesitant but hopeful. "I can't imagine them letting us simply walk through."

"On your own certainly not, but where there's a will, there's a way." Dietrich said reassuringly to the girl. "Most of these pricks can't spell their own names let alone read. I have some old documents from Falkirk I can scrub up to look like official orders for crossing, that should get blond and violent over there through. As for you, my cart has more than one hidden compartment in it, one in particular large enough to hold you. Place a few crates on top and drill a hole for air and you'll be golden."

"Bu-But the princess and the mission." Jaune stated as he felt his hand throb under the glove. "We don't know why they're here. Or where they will be leaving afterwards. Couldn't we just send a message across the border, then try to get more information?"

"If I could send a letter right now I would, but the risk is to high. Someone has to inform the legion and you and the girl will move faster than an old codger like myself. Get them in time and the legion can capture those traitors. Hell, perhaps they'll even have the princess with them."

"That depends on them coming back on the same route though. They could take another route, or even head west to take a ship from Feoh." Lily piped in from where she had been sitting.

"I won't lie, all of that Is a possibility." Dietrich said with a slight shrug. "Capturing them is a priority, but that can only happen if we inform the legion."

"And Carnstein? What about all of the woman trapped there? Some of them are my friends." Lily responded back. "I don't like the idea of leaving them behind."

"Never said that I liked the idea of it, but this is our best option. The Frostlings must be secured and the Black Dog's schemes thwarted."

"It'll be alright Lily. Maybe telling the legion is the best course of action." Jaune said even as another pulse seemed to emanate from his hand. What the hell is wrong? Did I sprain it? Jaune gave his head a slight shake returning to the conversation. "Once we capture Percival and the others, I'm sure the legion will make them talk quickly. They could help us liberate Carnstein, maybe even the entire region. It would send a message to the dogs and make them think twice about messing with them. Right Dietrich?"

Jaune turned to look at Dietrich, expecting the old man to say something in the affirmative. To say anything really that would be soothing to the girl. That he said nothing, and failed to quite meet his eyes caused a pit to grow in his stomach. "Dietrich, the empire would do something right? I mean they can't just leave Falkirk and his kind to run amok, right?"

Dietrich for perhaps the first time since Jaune met him looked uncomfortable. His eyes seemed to focus on the table. "Your right about Falkirk, and Carnstein as a whole. The emperor won't tolerate their actions against him, but I don't believe he'll choose to capture Carnstein."

"But…But that makes no sense. They can't simply let Falkirk's men keep raiding their region." Jaune said in protest.

"Yes, they can't ignore them. But an invasion to capture the region would be costly. Such an endeavor would need substantial food, equipment and a force capable of subduing and controlling the region. One which would need to be drawn up quickly and strike before the Black Dogs could call for reinforcements. With winter just a few months away most of the empire is preparing for the hard season. The lords will be more than hesitant to send their most able men to battle with the harvest drawing near. There are simply to many variables that make subjugation risky. To be blunt there are cheaper and quicker ways to deal with the problem."

"And those quicker ways…those would be what exactly?" Lily asked the hesitation in her words reflecting how both her and Jaune's feelings.

Dietrich sighed, his eyes rising up from the table to meet them. "If you can't cure and control a diseased animal, then your only option is to put it down. The emperor will likely send a force before winter, not to liberate Carnstein, but to raze it to the ground."

"WHAT?!" Jaune and Lily yelled out in anger and fear respectively. "He…He can't do that." Jaune said completely ignoring the sudden pain in his hand. "He can't just kill everyone."

"Of course he can. The goal is to stop the Black Dogs from raiding, not to begin a conquest. That besotted town is the only real stronghold the dogs have close to the Frostling border. And Carnstein is a settlement primarily built from wood. Wood houses, wood taverns even the walls are wood. Taking it would require substantial forces and time, but destroying it would require only a portion of the men. A small host of soldiers with sappers and a few barrels of hot pitch could light that place up like kindling in a bonfire."

"Bu-But all of those people. The women and children enslaved there. There's no way they'd escape from an attack like that. Th-They'd all die!" Lily stuttered out eyes wide in horror. A small amount of moisture had begun to gather in the corner of her eyes.

"Most likely your right. In military operations there are rarely instances where the innocent are left untouched and unbloodied." Dietrich acknowledged. "I don't say this to be cruel, but the emperor has to weigh the wellbeing of his subjects over those of a foreign power. While Carnstein stands it will serve as location to strike at the empire again and again. To him he'd see the sacrifice of a few hundred peasants as an unfortunate but necessary step to ensure the empire's safety."

"Easy to say when you don't have to make the sacrifice." Jaune said, arms crossed angrily over his chest. "This isn't right, I came here to save people, to be a hero to them. Not to lead them like lambs to the slaughter. There has to be a better way, something we can do to help them."

"If you have any ideas by all means tell me. Tell me what the three of us can do that would possibly help change anything."

Neither Jaune or Lily said anything, their minds were drawing a solid blank. After a moment Dietrich sighed, standing up from the table. "That's what I thought. I know this is hard for both of you, that it seems we're doing nothing to help them. But sometimes doing nothing is the smartest thing, and you will be helping to save lives. Its just…Help yourselves to whatever's in the pantry then get some sleep. Tomorrow you two are leaving here and that is that. If your smart, you'll cross that border and never look back on this cursed land."

Dietrich walked away from the table, his eyes refusing to meet either of them. At the doorway in the kitchen he stopped for a moment and seemed to turn back as if to say something. Whatever it was seemed to catch in his throat, as he only let out a frustrated humph and exited the room. Jaune turned towards Lily, wanting to comfort the girl, to say anything that had meaning but Lily seemed uninterested in listening. She stood up from the table and went in the opposite direction of Dietrich, closing a pair of doors behind her as she did so.

Jaune could only mutter in frustration, he opened the pantry cupboard grabbing a few slices of cheese and salted pork, tossing the combination into a bowl before sitting down to eat. Lily was upset and needed a bit of time to herself. He frankly needed some to after hearing what would likely be Carnstein's fate. When she was ready, he'd talk to her, but for now his stomach was grumbling, the assortment of food they'd brought with them on their return doing little to stave off the void in his gut. He picked up a piece of pork and bit into it.

The meat fell from between his lips as the throbbing in his hand soared. The pork clunked to the tabletop as he clutched at the hand, the light seeming to shine out even from under the torn leather. Would this thing give it a rest already! Jaune thought to himself as he picked up the spat-out meat and did his best to keep eating. Maybe if I just ignore it, it'll go away on its own.

It wasn't going away, nor would it give him or itself a rest. The mark seemed only to grow worse as afternoon gave way to eve. After the events of the day Jaune decided to turn in early to try and get some rest, but soon found that to be impossible. Any attempt to close his eyes was met with a throb, every attempt to get comfortable was met with a stinging sensation. Even as the light began to recede from the outside the light on his hand only grew, even beginning to shine out from under his glove.

After about an hour of this Jaune had enough. With a snarl he sat up and ripped the glove from his hand and glared at the mark underneath it. "What is it? What is wrong with you?"

The mark of course did not respond back, because it was a mark. Jaune tired and frustrated continued on however, despite knowing how stupid it was. "Until now you've never bothered me, never caused me any pain. So, what is different now? What changed?"

A pulse nearly rippled from his hand to shoulder, the pain making him clutch at his arm teeth grit together. Through all of the pain and annoyance however an image flashed through his eyes. Not a clear one exactly, more of a confusing amalgamation of them. Darkness holding dominion as vicious beasts snarled and tore at one another. A damp smell and the feeling of water running over his feet as something heavy breathed near him. Finally, and most striking was a single flower in a field of dead grass, its form bent and its pink petals wilting but still clinging to life. At least until a pair of red eyes converged on the dying plant and snuffed out its life, the darkness moving in to swallow all-

"…aune? Jaune what…wrong? Please…say something!"

With the feeling of a hand on his shoulder Jaunes vision was torn away. He gasped out, air flowing into oxygen deprived lungs. With a coughing gasp he fell to his side, Lily's arms helping support him. "L-Lily?" Was all Jaune was able to croak out as the pain faded away.

"Jaune." Lily seemed to breathe out in relief as Jaune's breathing began to normalize. "Are you okay?"

"I…I think so. What the hell happened?"

"You tell me. I came in to get ready for bed and you were just standing there. You didn't respond, didn't move I don't think you even breathed. It was like you were in a trance, all you did was look down…at your arm…"

Lily trailed off as her eyes moved down the aforementioned appendage. Jaune moved to cover it back up but was to slow as Lily's eyes widened in disbelief, her hands snatching the hand up and bringing it up to eye level. Her eyes were glued to the mark, the light seeming to enrapture her even as it seemed to fade to a dull glow.

"Jaune." Lily said to him, eyes still looking at his hand. "That symbol…why is it on your hand? And why is it glowing?"

Jaune felt frozen, caught like a deer in headlights. "I umm…It's a bit of a long story."

"I think we have a bit of time Jaune." Lily said in a voice that brooked no argument. Jaune hesitated for a moment, but a quick look in her purple eyes made him talk. He gave the same story he'd given to Ivalice and Karloff. Meeting with Celestine, the battle with Throgg and his time in Jacinda. And the hallucinations that had gripped him a moment ago. Everything that had led him up to this point. Lily for her part didn't interrupt with questions, only listened on in silence.

Only once his tale had been told did she break that silence. "So, the goddess still has power even after everything. Power enough to make you a god touched."

"I guess." Jaune stated with a small shrug. "As I understand it was a moment of oversight on the Black Dogs part. A temporary loosening of the powers that hold her. But I was given this blessing to try and save her people."

"Did…did she tell you how your supposed to do that?"

"Sort of." Jaune said in a huff, withdrawing his hand and putting the semi mended glove back on it. "She didn't go to much into the details, but it entails basically killing her enemies and protecting her people. I've admittedly done more of the former than the latter. But she also said that some people had to be more protected than others. Which I think was emphasized in my vision."

"The pink flower. The one surrounded by darkness." Lily gasped in realization. "You think she wants you to save the princess."

"Yeah, and I have a feeling if I don't this mark will make the pain I experienced worse if I don't try. Fat lot of good that does me though. Dietrich, bastard that he might be isn't wrong. I can't just walk up to the front gate, knock and politely ask to hand her over. Chances are she'll vanish leaving us with no proof, and Carnstein will be a pile of cinders. And outside of an army at my back there's no other way in."

Jaune sighed and leaned his head back, a hand rising up to rub at his tired eyes. That hand gave off another painful throb, one which had Jaune cursing and staring at it hatefully.

"What umm, what if there was a way? Another way in I mean?" Jaunes head snapped up to find Lily looking down wringing her hands nervously.

"What are you talking about Lily? I thought the gate was the only way in." Jaune asked, the throbbing in his hand dissipating.

"Well, technically yes. The locals said before Carnstein was a military outpost it was a mining village. The men mined the iron in this place for years before they were forced to abandon it. But there are still entrances open to the underground. Miles of tunnels stretching all over the region. I overheard Falkirk speaking about it to the men more than once after our…sessions. Including and old shaft that leads directly to the abandoned well in the back part of town."

"WHAT?! Wait that makes no sense." Jaune said quieting down a bit to not awaken Dietrich. "Why would the Black Dogs leave such a hole in their defenses?"

"Some of them wanted to seal it, but Falkirk said no. He believed it could be used as an escape path in the event of an attack. The caves aren't exactly undefended. Between the cave ins and the twisting paths most of the tunnels would be impassible without a proper map to guide you, and they have entrances everywhere. It would in theory let Falkirk and his few chosen men slip out before any enemy could take the town."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier? Back when Dietrich was asking us if we knew anything." Jaune asked perplexed at Lily's with holding.

Lily shifted uncomfortably at this, but answered in a calm voice. "Because Dietrich won't help us. All he's concerned with is his mission, he doesn't care about the people in Carnstein. He'll see them burn with the dogs if it means accomplishing his goals. But I care, the women and slaves there are my fellow countrymen, I can't just leave them to be slaughtered. If I can do anything to help them I will. But I need your help to do it."

Jaune was silent for a moment, contemplating the girl's plea. In his head the rational side of him was saying this was a bad idea. That he should simply listen to Dietrich and head south away from this nightmare. His head though was waging a war with his heart, screaming at him to help, to do what he was sent here to do.

The stalemate was broken when a pair of eyes flashed through his mind, pleading and broken ones he'd been forced to ignore in the past.

"Let's say I decide to use the tunnels to get in. and it will be me as I am not letting you step foot back into that shithole." He said, drawing a hopeful look from the girl. "What would be the plan exactly? We can't possibly fight them, nor can we free the villagers. Either one would just end in our capture."

"I know that." Lily responded; her trembling having stopped. "Tonight, the Dogs will be trying to make nice with the Frostling soldiers. Booze and women aplenty will flow as the leaders negotiate. That would leave most of the guards distracted, making it easier for you to infiltrate their ranks."

"How exactly would I be able to pretend to be them? I can't just walk up and pretend to be one of them."

"Actually, you probably can. New recruits are constantly being brought into the fold all the time. New recruits have to prove themselves and come and go quickly. Only those with actual talent tend to last more than a few months. And you did leave a pile of black dog corpses behind. Assuming they're still there you could use one of them. I doubt anyone but Falkirk or Lord Percival would look twice at you."

"Yeah, cause if either of them sees me I'm good as dead." Jaune pointed out, felling bad the moment he saw Lily wince. "Alright, let's say I make it through the tunnels and manage to slip into the garrison without anyone noticing. Where would I go next?"

"Well, with how many nobles were traveling with Percival they would probably be in the garrison's main hall. Falkirks office is on the second floor overlooking the town plaza, any relevant documents would be there if not in the meeting. As for the princess…they are probably keeping her in the cells down in the basement."

"So, let me see if I have the plan correct. I'm just suppose to sneak into the middle of a heavily garrisoned town disguised as one of them, gather whatever evidence that I can find, including a traumatized princess, then walk out without anybody noticing?"

Lily's cheeks reddened in embarrassment, but she nodded none the less. Jaune looked down at his hand, seeing if it had decided to impart any further wisdom. Any visions it might impart to help him decide his next course of action. Other than a minor flare through his arm it chose to remain silent.

"For the record this is a really bad plan. One that is almost certain to fail. And if we succeed there's no guarantee the empire won't destroy Carnstein anyway." Jaune stated in a dead pan tone. Lily for her part turned redder than before, a feeling of rejection beginning to settle in her stomach.

"But I don't have anything even resembling a plan, so you can count me in. Let's go on a suicide mission"

Jaune's acceptance barely left his lips before Lily tackled him in a hug, the small girl nearly bowling him over. Jaune didn't understand what he she said into his chest, but he could guess it was some sort of thanks.

Lily pulled away from Jaune with a small determined look on her face. "Ok, we'll wait till its dark and we'll and Dietrich's asleep to leave. You'll get the horses and I'll see if I can borrow some torches and some oil from the barn."

"Umm ok I get why we'll need the torches, but what do we need oil for? Shouldn't the torches be good to go?" Jaune asked confused about the last part.

That confusion gave way to resignation when Lily coughed into her hand, her eyes not quite meeting his. "Yes well, as I said the caves might not be completely empty. You might need it for the troll."

Fuck my life.

It hadn't taken long for Dietrich to nod off, for all of his anger and energy he was still an old man, and sleep soon took him. Jaune and Lily had quietly snuck through the house, gathering the items and horses they needed. Jaune had expected at any moment for Dietrich to catch them, but their exit went off surprisingly without a hitch.

So did the next step in their plan, procuring a passable uniform. Though it was far more gross for Jaune having to strip off the necessary apparel off the corpses, cobbling the least conspicuous clothing together he chose a simple pair of pants and a black vest with a crudely stitched Black dog on the back. The clothes smelled of sweat and blood and other things Jaune would rather not think about. The lack of his usual armaments did little to help his mood.

Jaune really hadn't wanted to leave his armor and sword back at the house, but it was to risky to bring them with. To many people had seen him in them recently, and all of those who'd want him dead were in Carnstein. He'd browsed through the mercenary's weapons and had chosen the least rusted of the swords to place at his belt. In comparison to his sword the poor blade felt like a stick in his hand, like a single swing would break it. At least Karloff's dagger was still with him.

The two traveled down the road, the dirt path illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun. A light drizzle had begun to fall from the sky, but it was only a minor annoyance to deal with. The slight downpour mixed in the air with the grass and mud giving the air an earthy smell. One time the two had to hide off to the side as a patrol of dogs rode their way through, but they were thankfully unseen. The two traveled far faster without a cart to slow them down, and to jaune the journey seemed all too easy.

Soon enough Lily lead Jaune into what looked like the remnants of an old quarry. It was settled next to the cliff faces of the valley, numerous openings and entrances visible even from the distance. At one point it might have been an interesting site, but without people to care for it the earth seemed to be doing its best to reclaim it. A few desolate shacks were scattered around the worksite, but otherwise there was no sign of former inhabitation. Any equipment or valuables that might have been left behind had long since been looted. Jaune dismounted from his horse, Lily doing the same on her borrowed steed.

"It seems we got here pretty easily. With our luck I figured we'd run straight into trouble." Jaune said looking around the deserted work site. The place was clearly abandoned, and yet something set Jaune's nerves on edge. At the very least his mark had seemed fit to stop pulsing for the time being.

"Nights not over yet, and we both know this was the easy part. Come on, the cave entrance is over this way." Lily walked off with the reigns of her horse in hand, Jaune following suit. The two humans and their horses walked between decaying buildings and overgrown pathways. Jaunes eyes peered around him, eyes nervously looking at all the tunnel entrances around them. Every fantasy novel he'd ever read always described this kind of place as a haven for beasts and monsters. It didn't help that in both his world and this one that description was often true.

His hand tightened around the handle of his borrowed weapon. "I know that the troll is the creature to watch out for, but I kind of expected to see other monsters here. Abandoned place like this seems like an ideal spot."

"Not a lot of things would choose to live near trolls. They're known for being short tempered, stupid and violent, even amongst other monsters. And their strength and size make them difficult to kill. A bad combination for a neighbor."

"Sounds like a perfect soldier for the dogs though. I suppose this is why Falkirk ordered it to guard the cave tunnels." Jaune said walking through the camp, his eyes peering through the smashed in walls of a shack. Barely standing the rotted wood casts shadows over there path like vines strangling the dirt.

Lily shook her head at this, something akin to mirth on her face. "Trolls can't be tamed, believe me Falkirk tried and lost more than a few men trying. Leaving it live in the main tunnel was just a lucky coincidence for him. Trolls do have a small level of sentience, but its just above a beast in intelligence. In a way their stupidity makes them incorruptible. They don't desire coin or treasure; they don't care about the pleasures of flesh. The only thing they want to do is…eat…"

Lily trailed off, and for good reason. They'd gone past the dilapidated sheds and found themselves in front of the main mine entrance. Along with the bones, bones of all shapes and sizes. Some had been bleached white and broken from age. Others were more recent, bits of blood and meat still attached. Some were animal, others seemed more humanoid. Most disturbing of all however was the massive footprints smashed through both bone and mud. They seemed fresh though it was impossible to tell which way they were going.

Jaune drew his taken sword from its scarab, the rusted blade doing little to inspire confidence in him. "So, I know you told me which way to go and what to do on the way here, but refresh my memory."

Lily didn't answer right away, choosing to light one of the torches. The flames took to the oil-soaked rags, lighting up the area around them. She raised it near the entrance of the cave, displaying a set of markings on the walls before handing it to him with the other unlit branches. "As I understand it the miners before they left marked the tunnels with chalk to serve as directions for them. White marks to indicate open tunnels, red ones to indicate those closed off. Follow the white markings and ignore any tunnels that seem to small to fit an ox through. The tunnels should lead to the beast's lair, a ladder leading up the well should be in a small chamber on the other side. Trolls aren't typically nocturnal and they're lazy. So hopefully you'll be able to sneak by while it sleeps."

"And if the beast is awake?" Jaune asked his eyes glued on the darkness within.

A sloshing sound made him turn his head to find Lily holding out the jug of oil, its top popped back in. "Trolls are almost immune to physical attacks; their bodies heal at incredible rates. Beheading them would be your only chance to stop it, and even that might not kill it. But they're weak to fire and acid, they can't heal from it so worst-case scenario light it up. Try not to do that though, trolls are known for making a lot of noise and it could alert the dogs."

Jaune seemed to hesitate for a moment before taking the jug, carefully tying it to his belt as to not douse himself unintentionally. "While I'm doing all of this what are you going to do?"

"I'll be waiting above the quarry watching the entrance. When you show up, I'll come back down and we'll ride out of here."

"Isn't that dangerous? What if the troll comes out of the cave? Or if it's not even in there at all and shows up?" Jaune said, worry for the girl etched on his face.

"Don't worry, trolls are strong but slow. I'll see or hear it and be gone long before it can get close to me. I can handle myself just…be careful in there and I'll see you soon." Lily said in a comforting tone, her hand brushing over his arm before mounting her horse and leading the other away.

Jaune followed her exit until he could no longer see her. Once she was out of sight he turned back to the cave. The inky blackness of the underground lay before him. A cold sliver of dread wormed its way into his heart at the thought of what might be waiting for him down there.

Jaune hesitated for only a moment. Then with a small sigh and a tightening of his hands he stepped into the tunnel, the darkness surrounding his light on all sides.

And that's chapter ten. Sorry to leave it on a bit of a cliff hanger. I don't always try to do that but the chapter was getting to long, and it had been so long since I updated the story, I wanted to get something out there. So, I chose a spot I felt would be good to end it there for the time being.

Again, I wanted to apologize for the late delay. This story is very much alive and I do intend to update it more regularly. The last month to put it bluntly was hell for me. I won't bore you with everything but for the highlights of the last month I got a stomach virus, my vacation to Jamaica went down the toilet and my last dog died. So, the motivation to write has been somewhat lacking. I am feeling better though, so hopefully the next chapter doesn't take a month.

Well we see that Lily has gotten a bit more assertive. And Jaune has fallen back to doing what he does best. Winging it. Admittedly they don't have much of a plan, and that plan is basically written with crayon. Still, things should work out just fine. Thank you for reading and see you next time.