Chapter 14
The first thing Denz noticed when he landed was how dark it was.
He could see fine, however; once he adjusted his eyes. The reason they gave off an eerie red glow was because they were not natural. His real eyes were still there, but the part that shows is just a device that Denz had invented soon after fleeing Myrkyr. Integrated directly into his eyes, these devices gave Denz the ability to see in the dark, detect body heat, as well as record information about an opponent's strengths and weaknesses, so that he will always have the data handy if ever faced with an adversary with similar abilities. Though the process of directly connecting these devices to Denz's eyes had been excruciatingly painful, he believed that experiencing such pain would lessen his resentment toward Cordell for the pain that he had caused him.
Denz spotted Nayanll, lying a few feet away whimpering as she clutched her wounded arm. He moved to kneel beside her, and she jumped when he touched her on the shoulder. "It's only me." He reassured her. "Let me see your arm."
"How can you see anything?" She moaned.
Reluctantly, Nayanll held her arm out for him to see. Her fur had quickly absorbed the poison, causing it to fall out, but preventing the majority of it from reaching her flesh. The little that did though, now hissed and burned as it ate away at it.
Seeing all this through his special "eyes", Denz quickly wrapped his hands around the wounded area.
Nayanll gasped in surprise but did not scream. Denz's hands were surprisingly cool and soothing, and when he released her arm, there was no more burning sensation. As a reflex, Nayanll reached down and stroked her arm, but besides a small bald spot where her fur had been eaten away, her arm seemed normal. She heard Denz rise, and then felt him grab her hand as he hoisted her up as well. Nayanll did not question Denz when he told her to follow him; she just let him lead her through the dark that was so complete, her cat-like eyes were unable to discern anything.
"We should head back to Sand Grain City." Ben was saying as the Twilight Trekker hovered undecidedly in the air over Duro.
"But what about Denz?" Zeek asked.
"And Cordell?" Jyo added.
"If we go back to the city first, we can get more vehicles and split into pairs allowing us to cover more ground faster." Ben explained.
Kam nodded. "Well that decides it. Back to Sand Grain we go!" He said as he punched the throttle.
They had been walking through the totally darkened underworld of Duro for quite some time now. Nayanll was beginning to wonder if Denz really knew where he was going. Before she could ask though, Nayanll became aware an eerie green light coming from the end of the tunnel they were in. They soon rounded the corner, and Nayanll gasped at what they saw.
Illuminated by a strange fungus that had formed in patches on the cavern walls, they saw a long row of pod-like structures that lined the walls of the cavern. As they traversed the dimly lit area, Nayanll looked closer at the pods.
"They look like they've all been broken."
"Or hatched." Denz replied, and she saw him point at one of the "eggs".
Sure enough, inside was the yet-to-be-born shape of a vort. Nayanll waited expectantly for a bolt of Force lightning to spring from his outstretched finger, frying the creature where it lay. She was surprised when Denz continued on toward the other end of the cavern, and she questioned him on it.
"I don't believe in senseless slaughter. I will kill only if my life or the life of my friends and family are threatened." Denz said with calm conviction.
"But Cordell falls under both categories." Nayanll pointed out.
Denz sighed. "And therein lies the gray area. While I will not hesitate to kill him because he is a threat, I would consider that option to be used only, and I mean only, as a last resort."
"You speak with such assurance. Do not forget, Cordell is different now." Nayanll said as she recalled Cordell's frightening display of power back on Jedron. "You have not seen firsthand what he has become."
Denz made no reply, and Nayanll did not push the matter as she fell in behind him. They continued to make their way through the numerous tunnel-connected caverns and "hatching areas", which were, with the exception of the first one, all completely empty.
Still illuminated by the strange green fungus that grew on the walls, the pair entered a rather large open area that seemed to have no exit. However, Nayanll spotted a formation in one wall that looked somewhat like stairs, which spiraled up the circumference of the cavern, finally disappearing into the darkness above.
"Let's go."
Nayanll nodded, and they began to jump from step to step, slowly working their way upwards. At one point the strange green moss no longer grew on the cavern walls, and darkness quickly overtook them. Nayanll became worried when she could no longer see where she was jumping, for fear she might fall.
Denz seemed to notice her distress, for he stopped and said. "Are you sure you want to continue on? I sense that 'he' is nearby."
Nayanll took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Of course I do. Besides, how else am I going to get out of here?"
Denz nodded but did not point out the fact that she had failed to comment on his statement that Cordell was nearby. Instead he deftly scooped her up into his arms and continued to jump upward along the step-like formation.
Reaching the top, Denz set Nayanll down but continued to lead her by the hand until they rounded a corner and had to shield their eyes from the sudden brightness. When they could see again, Denz and Nayanll realized that they were standing in a gigantic crater.
Nayanll immediately asked Denz if he had any kind of communication device. Now that they were above ground, they could contact the others. Nayanll was about to ask him again when he did not respond, but stopped when she realized that he was looking directly at something. She followed Denz's gaze and gasped when she saw the figure standing up above on the rim of the crater.
"So glad you could make it." Said the boy with the strikingly blond hair.
"You speak as though I had a choice in the matter … Cordell."