Elemental Guardians
There was a deafening explosion as power raced through the tunnel walls and ceiling. The ground below my feet shook but I held firm. The tunnel entrance crumbled and then collapsed. Stones rained down and smashed into the earth with shocking force. For a moment I was scared I'd overdid it but the collapse slowed and then stopped. The tunnel was suffused with dust and I coughed as I breathed it in. I had to get back. Still coughing, I staggered away, pulling my spear out of the solid stone.
I met back up with the group at the next bend in the tunnel.
"That should hold them," I gasped, trying to wipe the dust off my face and hair.
It was a lost cause. I gave up and took the lead with Sabreur, quickening our pace to put distance between us and the shaft.
"Where are we going?" Netsuko asked.
"Don't know. Just trying to loose anything."
"Why did the shaft end so suddenly?"
"Again: don't know. I guess the earth tried to seal Aldrai away. Anyways, we've got to get some ground between us and those korbats before we can stop."
No one argued with my plan. We kept moving, pressing on. Our pace didn't allow for as careful travel as before and as a result several of us wound up stumbling and almost falling as the tunnel floor changed.
"What were those things anyways?" Melody asked fearfully.
"Korbats, I think," I replied, "Korbats that have never seen the sun."
"The Infernals," Sabreur said in a strange voice.
The name seemed to resound around us, an ominous sign of what we were up against.
"This is bad, isn't it?" MoonFall asked in a tiny voice.
"Perhaps. Depends on what else we find down here."
We didn't stop moving for about the next hour. Finally Sakuko demanded a halt and everyone slumped to the stone floor gratefully. I stayed near the entrance to the small cave area we were in, stretching my magic to detect anyone coming. There was nothing. That still did not reassure me though, as I had felt nothing when the korbats had attacked. These things must've found some way to shield themselves from magical detection.
"So where do we go now?" Terraile finally asked.
"I don't know. We're off the map," my brother replied.
I frowned and picked up one of the light threads burrowing deep into the earth, left from Aldrai's flight.
"I think we'll just have to do this blind," I said thoughtfully, "Take whatever cave goes deeper into the earth and hope we can get close enough. If worse comes to worse I'll start blowing stuff up."
Sabreur beamed at me proudly.
"I trained you well," he said, wiping away an imaginary tear.
"Oh, come off it," I replied irritably and stood, gathering up my backpack and spear.
I was in the lead now. I used my magic like a compass, blindly following the light strand deeper into the underground. We ran into many dead ends and false starts but we were making progress. The air grew steadily warmer and more humid.
"That underground lake," Sabreur murmured.
I nodded in agreement and kept going.
We finally stopped for the night in the most defensible cavern we could find. Sabreur chose our sleeping spots for us this time, with me at the most vulnerable entrance.
"Keep a sharp eye," he ordered everyone as we drew for watches, "We don't know what might come."
It took a long time to get to sleep. My wings ached from the mad freefall battle and I was still feeling the strain of following Aldrai's thread. The task before us seemed impossible. Find a way to wherever Aldrai was while avoiding the Infernals. But I could not give up on my pet. Not now, not ever.
I eventually drifted into a fitful sleep. My dream was dark and instinctively I knew this was more than just a dream.
"Shi'tri!" I called, "You're there, I know it."
"My, aren't we the clever one," he said, appearing before me with a satisfied smile.
"Can it. What else is down here besides the Infernals?"
"Oh, so you've found the Infernals then, have you?"
"Yes. They attacked us. What else is down here?"
He studied his nails thoughtfully and appeared to be debating on what to tell me.
"I'm warning you…"
"Warning me?" he said in mock fright, "You don't even know who or what I am!"
I growled low in my throat and flexed my kougra claws.
"Oh very well, no need for violence."
He sighed.
"I did warn you to turn back. There is no hope for Aldrai. But, if you insist… You do have the Infernals to deal with. They don't like outsiders although they are not entirely unreasonable. You also have some darker things, left over from when Neopia was still a very dangerous place. They make your above ground evils look like child's play. I'd suggest you avoid them at all cost."
"How?"
"Stay away from dark places," he said cryptically, "Now, there's the usual dangers of traveling underground… poisonous gases trapped in caverns – you're lucky you haven't found those yet – the underground lake has a tendency to flood some tunnels and caves depending on the time of day, and ah yes, supposing you do make it past all that, you'll have to face the Guardians."
"The Guardians?" I asked dumbly.
"You've fought them before. Or are you so dense that I have to spell it out for you?"
My mind reeled. Surely not…
"Wait," I said, "Shi'kly. Shi'tri. You're… you're…"
"The physical embodiment of the element of darkness. Precisely," he said, folding his hands behind his back and giving me a small bow.
I gasped and staggered away from him.
"How…?"
"Think about it," he said coldly, "I was able to enter your mind while you were in a coma simply because you were in darkness. From there you've allowed me access to your dreams when you sleep."
"I – I have?"
"Yes."
"Get away from me," I snarled.
"I daresay I shan't. In case you forget I've been trying to help you."
"Oh, yeah right," I said sarcastically, "Trying to get me to turn back. Sending those Infernals after us. And besides, your best attribute is lies."
"I had nothing to do with that," he retorted, "And my best attribute is not lies, although that is a part of what I am. I am mostly concerned with my own selfish interests. And keeping you alive as the Essence of Neopia just happens to be in my own self-interest right now. Never before has my very existence been threatened and thankfully you were able to stop that. I expect you to continue to protect Neopia – and me – in such a way for many years."
"Then why are you keeping me away from Aldrai?!"
"My, you are a dense one," he marveled, "If you can't figure it out on your own then I'm not going to spend all night explaining myself. By the way, you might want to look to your friends. Since you will not heed my warning we have been forced to take drastic measures."
"Wait! What…?"
But he was gone.