"Here it is," barked Ker'eg excitedly. "A small man only half our size helped us escape these horrid monsters."

Everyone was gathered around Ker'eg's bed, listening closely to what he had to say about leaving this cavern.

"Does it say anything about killing this guy, he annoys me," Drem asked forcefully, he wasn't adapting well to the fact that he might be stuck here forever.

"Calm down Drem, it's not like Scavo was stuck here forever. He had to have found a way out, right?" Iera looked toward Ker'eg hoping she wasn't wrong.

"It says here that this dwarf saved them, brought them to a room, and gave them the choice of staying here or fighting him to get out." Ker'eg looked up from the book and sniffed the air, "He's coming back, everyone go back to your beds."

The door opened and the dwarf walked into the room. He had changed into a set of armor and was carrying a large axe on his back. Strangely the blade seemed to be made of crackling energy that brightened the room with almost a blinding light.

"Alright folks, it's time to decide whether you stay or die," Oobo said. He had a dominating presence with his axe in hand and his strong stout body blocking the doorway.

"If we choose to fight what will be the circumstances," Ker'eg growled.

"One on one, each person fights me, if one wins everyone gets to go unless they are already dead or mortally wounded." Oobo grinned and a chill went down Ker'eg's spine. He didn't like how this was going to end.

"Okay, then we'll fight you." Drem challenged. Everyone turned their heads toward Drem with mouths open and a look of shock in their eyes.

"Drem are you crazy," screamed Iera.

"If you don't die after this I'll make sure to kill you myself," added Noj. Ker'eg just shook his head in astonishment.

Oobo looked around "Your choice is set then. Whoever wants to fight me first I'll be waiting outside." Drem got up and started going toward he door following the dwarf down the stairs, Ker'eg stopped him.

Ker'eg whispered in Drem's ear. "I know you said we would fight but that doesn't mean you have to fight first." Ker'eg looked at Drem and just stepped back. He let Drem, who had already entered his possessed form, go down the stairs.

"So you're first, eh?" Oobo wielded his axe in his left hand and carried a shield in his other. Oobo was clad in a grand set of armor made of adamantine. "You can't kill me, my weapon is a match for any kind of magic or armor." Drem unsheathed his knife and let it grow to the size of an average sword. Ker'eg and the others were watching from the window.

Drem shouted, "die you ugly dwarf," and charged in, attempting to spear Oobo. Drem sliced through the dwarf and cut him in half, but then his image faded and Oobo appeared above him on top of a home.

"You have to be faster than that, just because I'm a dwarf doesn't mean I'm slow." Oobo leaped from the top of the home with a surprising speed and landed next to Drem. Drem was so shocked he couldn't even react. Drem was relying on his leather armor to stop that strange axe.

Drem braced himself for the impact, Ker'eg watched as the axe was swung and made contact with Drem, the axe seemed to go clean through the armor itself and hit Drem directly. Drem started coughing up blood and blood started to seep out from under his armor. Drem fell to the ground.

"NO! Drem hang in there," Ker'eg barked.

"What just happened," Iera asked, "it looked to me as if the axe went through the armor and hit him directly."

Ker'eg shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know what happened but this is going to be harder than I thought it would be."

Noj sat silently watching the whole thing. She suddenly got up from her chair and started out the door. "I will defeat this dwarf and make up for all the times that I have been useless in battle since the start of this journey."

Ker'eg sighed. "What makes you think you'll do any better than Drem? Do you know a way of defeating his axe?"

Noj paused and decided it was time that she could show him the secret that she had been keeping for so long. She closed her eyes and then blades of raw energy burst into being in her hands. She now wielded two swords that glowed with energy.

"These are my weapons, I believe they are immune to the effects of that strange axe, my body is also covered by armor made of the same thing."

Ker'eg looked her up and down, "why didn't you tell us that you had psionic powers before? We could have used them."

Noj looked down in shame, "my teacher always told me never to show outsiders my skills because they will take advantage of me, I'm truly sorry."

"No need to apologize, I understand, just beat that dwarf so we can keep going on our search." She nodded and went down to the street and picked up Drem. She brought him back inside and lay him on a bed. Iera went over to heal his wounds.

Noj stepped back outside. She faced the dwarf and brandished her weapons. Oobo showed a slight sign of surprise on his face but hid it immediately. There was no bad talk from the dwarf this time he just charged in with his axe.

Noj swiftly blocked the axe with one sword and attempted to stab the dwarf with the other. Her sword pierced through the armor and she cut off one of the dwarf's hands.

"Aargh! You monster no weapon should be able to stop my axe." Oobo screamed on the ground. Noj went over to him and she put her sword through the dwarf's skull. His body went limp and he died. Noj went back up to the room with everyone else.

Ker'eg asked, "how did you beat him so easily? Oobo was so much better against Drem."

Noj shrugged, "I think that Oobo was using some kind of mental trick on Drem, my armor repels those kinds of attacks as well." Ker'eg looked over at Drem, he was looking better, his cut was closed thanks to Iera and he was breathing normally again.

"Tomorrow we set out to find the exit from here and hopefully to the other side of these mountains," Ker'eg barked.