Tech doubled over, breathing heavily. His pick fell to the ground, and he scrambled to pick it back up before Rythian noticed that he was struggling.

Rythian stood a few feet away, and hadn`t even broken a sweat, despite the long hours of arduous labor. He watched Tech, and chuckled lightly at the boy`s troubles. Rythian swung his red matter pick, quickly demolishing any blocks that were in his way.

Tech watched Rythian smashing blocks in awe. 'How does he do that?'

Rythian noticed him staring and stopped, glaring at him. "Is there a problem?"

Tech quickly looked away, blushing. "Um. No! No problems over here!" He started chipping away at the stone in front of him. "See? Just working."

Rythian looked at him strangely. "Okay then." He went back to destroying things.

They worked in silence for a while, then suddenly, Rythian yelled in surprise. Tech looked over and saw Rythian dangling over a large expanse of open space, with a pool of lava bubbling at the bottom.

"Help me, Tech!" Rythian pleaded.

Tech walked over quickly, then smiled down at Rythian, and said, "Give me your hand."

Rythian looked at him distrustfully, but grabbed Tech`s hand with the one that wasn`t clinging to the edge.

Tech hoisted Rythian up onto solid ground, but didn`t release Rythian`s hand. "You owe me one, Rythian."

Rythian looked at their hands, then back up at Tech. "Yeah, I know."

Tech released him, and looked at him sharply, then returned to his mining.

"Hey, Hey Rythian! Rythian! Come here, Rythian!" Zoey called excitedly.

"Yeah, okay Zoey. Be right there!" Rythian cast one last glance at tech, who was hard at work. 'I don`t want to owe him. I have to find a way out of this.' Rythian left Tech alone down in the mine, and went to see what Zoey wanted.

As soon as Rythian left, Tech stopped working, and left his pick stuck in the stone, then ran off down another tunnel in the mine. He scanned the walls, looking for what he had seen earlier. Something that had seemed to have escaped Rythian`s attention. When he found the cobblestone in a place where there should have been stone, he ran back and grabbed his pick, then destroyed the cobblestone and entered the narrow tunnel.

'Ah, crap.' Tech thought after walking a few feet. 'I forgot to bring torches.' He stared ahead into the darkness, and an ominous feeling swept over him, but he was still compelled to venture forth into the blackness.

As he continued walking, he clung to the wall, listening to the soft whisper of his fingers gliding across stone. It got hotter the farther he traveled, so he slipped his jacket off and held it tightly in his hands. When the darkness was at its darkest, Tech heard the faint rasp of a sword being unsheathed. He whirled towards the sound, and saw Rythian standing at the beginning of the tunnel.

Tech was suddenly very nervous, and he twitched, before quickly spinning back around and running down the corridor.

LINEBREAK

Rythian heard the slap of shoes on stone, and quickly followed the sound, racing after the unknown person into the darkness.

They ran for a long time, the tunnel never getting lighter or wider. Rythian could hear the other getting tired, their breath coming in short gasps, and their footsteps getting slower. Rythian caught up to the person, and tackled them, slipping them over to see their face, and sitting on their torso so that they couldn`t get away. Rythian held a torch up, and looked down at the squirming person below him.

"Tech? What the hell, dude? Why did you run away like that? It`s just me."

Tech hissed up at Rythian, and once again tried to wiggle away from him.

Rythian gazed down at Tech, wondering what the hell had gotten into him. Rythian put a torch on the wall, and pulled out his katar. He placed it at Tech`s throat, and pressed lightly, forcing a small rivulet of blood the leak down onto the stone below them.

Tech immediately stopped moving, and looked up at Rythian, shock and anger in his pale blue eyes. "Don`t move." Rythian told him, and looked around.

"What will Zoey think?" Tech asked through clenched teeth.

Rythian smiled down at Tech. "Zoey doesn`t have to know, Techy. I could kill you right now, and then tell her that you decided to go your own way."

Tech felt a heavy stone of fear plummet into his stomach. "Y-You won`t kill me. You don`t have the guts."

Rythian pressed the blade harder against Tech`s sensitive throat, "You don`t know me, Tech."

Tech paled, and stared up at Rythian. The chilling emptiness in his eyes. The face mask that only somewhat hid his smirk. Tech reached up towards Rythian, and pulled his face mask off. "I want to look you right in the face if you`re to kill me." Tech told him. Tech closed his eyes, and shifted his neck so that Rythian could better kill him. "Go on then."

Rythian was surprised at this, and moved the katar away. "I`m not going to kill you." He said with a heavy sigh. He sheathed his weapon, and got off of Tech.

Tech slowly stood up, and grabbed his jacket, putting it back on and nodding at Rythian. "I suppose you don`t owe me anymore."

Rythian laughed at that, and started walking back down the tunnel, from the direction they came.

ANOTHER LINEBREAK

It almost had him. He was so close to Master`s lair, but that ninja person foiled It`s plans. The figure scowled. 'I`ll have to come up with something else.'

Maybe It could... that`s brilliant! Now... where to find the things needed?