Notes: This is the last chapter I had in 'reserve'. I greatly underestimated my workload this summer so it might be a little while before I have the chance to really write again, probably not until September(though I have a portion of the next chapter already written). While I don't have a lot of time to reach out personally, I'd like to thank the new readers, watchers, and reviewers; your support is highly appreciated. Now, let's get to the action.

Chapter 21: The Mines(Pt. 2)

We pulled the final board from the hastily constructed barrier the Sharpclaw put up; revealing an even more dimly lit extension to the cavern. Large carts full of ore sat discarded, along with a couple more of the Lylatian-made hoverbikes that we had encountered on Ice Mountain. "Someone's been trading with these Saurians," Fay's muffled voice echoed in the cavern. "I'm not an expert on liftbikes, but these look like Sienav XK84s. Cheap, but reliable."

"They had more of them elsewhere on Sauria," Krystal replied as she fiddled with her staff; the business end casting a bright, blue light over the dim surroundings. "There were a few Lylatian wrecks on the planet that have been scavenged; there's a possibility these liftbikes came from them?"

I shrugged. "Stranger things have happened, I guess," I chimed in, using the AR15's mounted flashlight to investigate the darker corners of what I assumed was the mine's processing and packing room. "At the same time, the Sharpclaw could be selling and trading this ore for technology and assistance."

"They're skirting Lylatian laws if they're doing so," Fay pointed out as she pulled out her own flashlight; the three of us sweeping the area as we discussed things. "Trade with planets and factions outside Lylat is strictly controlled, especially if there's a significant technological disparity. That doesn't rule out Venom Remnant or pirate forces, especially if they're getting something valuable out of it."

"Keeping the Sharpclaw out of the mines is a good first step," Krystal added, pointing into the darkness ahead. "I think I found a passage down, but I can't sense anyone. We need to be careful." The vixen stepped into the darkness, her staff illuminating the way as Fay and I followed.

The first sign of something amiss was the smell; the sickly odor of decay. Due to the masks Krys and Fay were wearing I was the first to notice it; I reached out for my partner's arm as I wrinkled my nose. "Smells like something died down here." I snarked, activating the rifle's flashlight into the darkness and illuminating a large form slumped against the wall. It was clearly one of the Sharpclaw brutes like we had faced earlier.

Krystal and I approached the corpse, though the stench was on the edge of nauseating. The massive Sharpclaw had been dead several days from what we could tell; the cause of death was obvious by the massive puncture wound that had been put through its chest. "Gods," Krystal hissed, "What happened to this one?"

Another voice echoed from the darkness; deep yet unmistakably feminine. "We defended ourselves, small ones," Twin beams of light snapped down the corridor as Fay and I aimed our flashlights farther down; revealing a solitary Snowhorn. By the ornate jewelry she wore and the lighter colored fur than the others, I surmised that she was Belina Te. "I ask you, what is your purpose here?"

Fay gasped in surprise at the sheer size of the mammoth that stood before us; it was hard to really demonstrate scale, but they were about the size of elephants. I could easily see where their tusks could put even a Sharpclaw brute down without much effort. I motioned to her, catching the spaniel's attention. "They're on our side," I spoke in a low voice. "Don't worry."

"We are here on the behalf of the Queen Earthwaker and the Snowhorn Gatekeeper, Garunda Te," Krystal replied. Even I could tell Belina wasn't particularly pleased at that, by the fact she bristled and stiffened; however she remained silent as the Cerinian continued to speak. "I am Krystal, Guardianof Clan Sallas sal Temeris of Cerinia. These are my companions, Adam of Clan Strayton sal Colorado of Earth and Fay of Clan LaSpaniae sal Laketree of Corneria. We are here to retrieve the Spellstone hidden inside Darkice Mines."

Belina stood her ground, her voice tinged with suspicion and a little hostility. "I am Belina Te, daughter of Garunda Te. It seems like you have defeated the Sharpclaw encampment at the surface after we pushed the bastards out, but my father's so-called 'leadership' has resulted in this situation. Why should I cooperate with you? Has he finally seen reason enough to stop playing with the lives of our people?"

"We're not getting involved in that argument," I interjected. "Your father asked us to recover the Spellstone without regard to the safety of those trapped here, but we don't play that way. We've already rescued the Snowhorn we found on the surface. Are there others of your kind that need our help?"

The Snowhorn's attention was directed to me; she was silent for a moment but I could tell that the edge in her body language softened a bit. "There are several of us who have gathered ahead. The Sharpclaw fled after we heard of the arrival of the skyships; the ones from the skyships were attacking anyone who tried to exit the entrance to the mine. We took advantage of their confusion and revolted against our captors; we mostly succeeded and the remaining Sharpclaw fled to the entrance above."

Fay's voice interjected. "What do you mean by 'mostly succeeded'?" She took a few steps forward to stand next to us, looking up at the mammoth.

Belina's posture sagged a little bit, more than a hint of exhaustion creeping into her voice. "As we rose up against the Sharpclaw they decided to release the Galdon; the creature that guards the Spellstone you seek. It claimed several of them and several of us. The lower levels of the mines are no longer safe. We are running low on food, which was stored where the Galdon now roams freely."

It was my turn to stiffen. That was not good at all. Taking a deep breath, I sent a mental image to Krystal of what we were about to face; a good forty to fifty foot tall creature that looked like someone had set up a hot date between Godzilla and the giant spider from King's IT. The only silver lining to this was the fact we didn't have to deal with the garrison of Sharpclaw; we had apparently dealt with them outside.

My vulpine partner glanced at me; concern apparent in her emerald eyes despite the respirator covering her face. She turned her attention back to Belina, her voice remarkably steady. "We shall do our best to defeat this creature. Is there a place where we can observe it?"

"Jesus," I hissed. "That's one ugly motherfucker." We were on a rock ledge overlooking the main pit of the mine; a massive area that could easily fit a ten story office building. Even from a vantage point at least two hundred feet up, the aforementioned ugly motherfucker was frightening. It skittered along the floor of the mine, head darting back and forth in what looked like a constant search for prey. My nauseous feeling ratcheted up a couple of notches when I noticed the torn apart remains of several Snowhorn on the floor below; the big bastard had been feeding on them from the looks of things.

"That's an understatement," Fay's voice joined mine as she got a look at the creature, moving slowly as to not attract its attention. "The only thing I can think of is that this is some kind of Venomian bioweapon. No other explanation makes sense."

Krystal's hand found mine; giving it a quick squeeze as the contact distracted me from my nervousness. "We have to take it down, somehow. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"That segmented tail section looks like a potential weak point," Fay suggested. "The creature's scales likely act like some kind of natural armor." She wasn't wrong, even though I wished I had something like a Barrett M82 in my hands instead of an AR15; standing back and lobbing some .50BMG at the Galdon would be my preferred way to deal with the bastard, but that wasn't in the cards.

"Look at those scorched areas down there," I replied, motioning to some blackened areas that looked like the rocky floor had been slightly melted. "That thing might be able to perform some kind of ranged attack. On top of that, I didn't notice any Sharpclaw bodies down there; it might have eaten them whole." I knew that from the game, but I had the suspicion that none of us would survive a trip down that beast's gullet.

"We will have to get close to that creature," Krystal sighed; a hollow sound echoing from her respirator. "We may need to alternately distract it in order to target its weak points. Either way, this will be dangerous."

"I had a thought," Fay pointed to a small land bridge over a giant pool of lava; that area would be where Fox faced the Galdon in the game. "We might be able to lure it to the magma pit over there. However, it has to be myself or Krystal; the fumes from the magma are quite dangerous."

"We're definitely aware of that," I remarked, the memories of hauling Krystal out of that lava pit on Ice Mountain very fresh in my mind. "I wish I brought that shotgun, but no dice on that. Fay, you might need some more firepower. Do you want to use my rifle?"

She looked over to me, blinking a few times behind her mask. "I won't say no," she answered, "but are you sure you want to give up that advantage?"

I responded by removing the longarm and handing it over to her, then passing over the four full magazines I had for it. "I'm not sure if your Glock is going to do much damage to that thing, and we're going to have to spread out our firepower as much as possible. Just remember that you have thirty rounds per magazine."

Fay slung the rifle in a manner that closely matched how I had been wearing it before adding the magazines to pouches on her flightsuit. "Thank you," she replied, "I'll return it to you after we take care of this overgrown skittercrawler."

I removed my backpack and opened it; I would need as much mobility as possible. Judging by the warmth in the caverns I wouldn't want my jacket, so I shrugged out of it as well. I scooped a couple of handfuls of my uncle's .44 handloads into a pouch on my belt; checking to make sure the three speedloaders I hadn't used were still intact and full. Finally I removed the snub-nosed Ruger and stuck it into my pocket along with the dregs of our .357 Magnum rounds; just in case I needed a last-ditch weapon.

We moved back from the edge, Krystal wrapping an arm around me as Fay familiarized herself with my AR15. "I will do my absolute best to keep us aware of the creature's reactions. If you feel a premonition of danger please do not ignore it; it is easier for me to communicate by base emotions than with thoughts, especially if we are in the middle of a fight."

Fay stopped, looking up at us. "That's… quite useful," she mused. "Famous last words, but we should go ahead and get this over with."

We didn't talk on the way down the winding passageways; the constant staccato of thumps created by the Galdon's constant pacing reverberated through the passageways, which was increasingly unnerving. Krystal's hand grabbed mine; she glanced at me with a similar level of nervousness in her emerald eyes. Fay kept a couple of yards ahead of us, my AR15 firmly grasped in her hands.

The air got warmer as we got lower; it would have been a welcome reprieve from the frozen conditions outside if it wasn't for the acrid scent of sulfur that hung in the air. The heat and smell only got worse as we got closer; the atmosphere feeling almost thick enough to cut it with a knife as we finally emerged on the bottom level of the mines. The Galdon was across the caverns from us; its arms scratching against the rock wall as if it was trying to dig to freedom. We had enough cover from the massive beast; while the tunnel we emerged from was large for us and a little snug for a Snowhorn, our quarry wasn't going to be able to pursue us if we needed to break contact.

"Okay," Fay's muffled, businesslike tone carried over to us, "We should go over the plan. We need to lure it over to the magma; with luck it will fall in and do our work for us. Krystal, do you think you can mentally influence this skittercrawler? That might make this process easier."

"I'm not sure," Krystal replied. "It depends on how strong its mental defenses are and how much my abilities are hampered because I'm wearing this." She tapped the side of her respirator.

"I figure it's worth a shot," I answered, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. She squeezed back, and I couldn't suppress flashing a smile even though I knew she couldn't really return it. "What role do I play in all this?"

Fay glanced over to me. "My thought is that Krystal and I get the beast's attention, fire at it and make it chase us. You'll follow it; if it tries to attack us you attack it from behind; hopefully distracting it. We'll pull its attention from you and repeat when necessary."

I took a deep breath and pulled my Model 29 from its holster. "It's a plan, at least," I shrugged, trying to mentally prepare myself to go up against a creature that was the size of a small office building. "Just be careful, okay? If something goes wrong try to get back here."

Krystal's grip on my hand tightened as she turned to face me, concern apparent in her eyes. "I want you to be careful as well, my che," her voice was tight with nervousness. "I… I don't want to lose you to a silly mistake."

I nodded at her, squeezing her hand tighter as I responded mentally. 'I'm going to be cautious as I can be, hon. We need to act quickly and decisively; the longer we have to fight this thing the greater the risk to us. I have your back.'

Without any further ceremony I strode to the entrance to the pit, my eyes not straying from the building-sized creature that was scrabbling at the far wall of the pit. "Let's take this fucker out." Ignoring the wave of heat that hit like a summer day in Texas and the rotten sulfur stench that hit me like a physical presence I rushed into the pit; breaking my line of sight with the Galdon by keeping the massive support pillars that stretched to the ceiling between me and it. I spared a glance backwards as Krystal and Fay took a different direction; the bright teal accents of Fay's flightsuit easy to spot against the dull, rocky surroundings.

Sucking in lungfuls of foul-smelling heated air, I pushed myself to a dead run; a lot f this plan rode on my being able to flank the bastard. I caught glimpses of the Galdon as I made my way from pillar to pillar; the beast still scrabbling at the rock. I was close enough to see its claws, easily the size of a person, rending gouges into the stone. The creature was making noises; a series of low-pitched, warbling squawks that seemed incongruent to its size and dangerousness.

Forcing a wave of revulsion down as I rushed past the putrid, shredded, half-eaten corpse of a Snowhorn, I made it to a spot behind the closest pillar I could find to the Galdon. I couldn't see Krystal or Fay from my position, so I sent a thought towards my Cerinian companion. 'Krys, I'm in position! Ready to go when you are!'

Several seconds passed; the building tension even thicker than the sulfur stench in the stifling heat. I didn't hear a reply from her; was she out of range? My hands gripped the Model 29; I wasn't sure even a hot-loaded .44 Magnum round would do much against the towering beast, but I had to be as ready as I could be.

The Galdon stopped its scrabbling at the rock walls; a confused-sounding chirrup echoing in the still, oppressive air. It turned around, its head tracking movement from somewhere, but it didn't seem to notice me. Gunfire suddenly erupted from somewhere ahead; the sharp cracks of rifle fire all but guaranteeing that Fay had started the attack. The massive beast flinched as I could see sparks and the glinting of metal on its scales; however its natural armor seemed to protect it from the AR15. Several blasts from Krystal's staff impacted on its side as it tried to turn around; blackened marks scoring its body but it didn't look like her attacks did much damage either.

The creature turned away from me, a deafening roar shaking the mining pit as it voiced its pain and displeasure at getting shot. The gunfire and staff blasts ceased as the Galdon started skittering forward on its multiple legs; the bright red stubby tail twitching like an angry cat's. I started after it, clenching my teeth and trying to force the wave of fear back down as I found myself voluntarily running after something big enough to squash me like an insect.

I caught a flash of teal ahead; my eyes darting to the sight of Fay and Krystal running away from the beast that was stomping after them, impossibly loud roars echoing from its maw as it pursued my vulpine inamorata and our recent ally. A spike of fear pierced my heart as the Galdon stopped, rearing back to do something likely very unfriendly to them.

Krystal dove to the side; grabbing Fay as a glob of some kind of slime the size of an office desk narrowly missed them. The two rolled out of the way, the creature's attention entirely focused on them. I needed to act. Falling to one knee I placed the revolver's sights on the beast's tail. It was a weak spot in the game; hopefully that translated to reality. My right hand instantly stung with the .44's recoil but I ignored it; three thunderclaps delivered in rapid succession as I put nine hundred grains of lead into the Galdon. An unholy shriek pierced the mines as I caught a glimpse of blood dripping from its tail. I had hurt it.

Unfortunately, that meant the office building-sized motile nightmare had a new target for its aggression. Me. It turned towards the source of its pain; eyes the size of semi truck wheels regarding me with something I could only interpret as unbridled hatred. It opened a mouth that could likely swallow a king-sized bed whole; rows of sharp teeth easily a foot long glinted in the dim light. "Fucking hell…" I hissed, raising the Model 29. The nearest pillar was about thirty yards away; I wasn't sure I had much of a chance to reach any reasonable expectation of cover. I was David compared to the Galdon's Goliath; I just had a more impressive sling. As it roared I aimed down its mouth; I might have a chance of hitting something vital if I could steady my aim.

Gunfire erupted again, but it wasn't mine. The snap-whoosh of Krystal's staff was barely audible as her weapon joined in; the Galdon reared back in obvious agony as a combination of 5.56mm rounds and staff blasts slammed into its tail. Another shriek echoed from the creature as its head whipped around, deciding that the others were a greater threat. As it turned around I could see Krystal and Fay running as fast as they could; it was a safe bet they had pissed it off.

I took off after the Galdon as it rampaged ahead; I was pretty much running full tilt right out the gate. The beast tried to spit more globs of acidic slime at Krys and Fay; between their dodging and combined speed they ended up going wide. We were nearing the pit of magma at the other end of the mines; the sulfur stench intensified and my eyes started to water a little bit from the fumes.

Krystal and Fay ran up to the edge of the magma; the Galdon in hot pursuit. I ran after it, my eyes widening as I saw the creature barreling down on them. They stood still until the last possible moment then rushed forward, darting under the massive beast's legs as it tried to bend down to consume its prey. The sudden motion threw the creature off balance; it took a header right in the lava pit as the Cerinian and Cornerian ran away from its thrashing body. The Galdon tried to shriek but it ended up as a choking hiss as the molten rock started to consume it. Globs of red-hot material shook everywhere, but thankfully they were dense enough to not fly far enough to overtake my companions.

I shoved the revolver back into its holster as I rushed forward; sweeping Krystal up into a tight embrace as we met. "Holy shit, we did it!" I exclaimed as her arms wrapped around me; a feeling of instant relief that we somehow got through the experience unscathed.

"Lyla's Bells!" Fay yelped as she looked over to the dying creature as the radiant heat of the magma pit started to ignite it. "I've faced Venomian bioweapons while in an Arwing, but never on the ground. I'd rather not do that again!" I held my tongue because I knew we had the T-Rexes of the Walled City and Drakor lined up ahead of us, but that was something we didn't need to worry about right yet.

"Gods, I'm glad that's over," Krystal murmured as she continued to hold onto me; her voice raspy from behind her respirator. "The Spellstone should be in the chamber beyond the lava pit. Let's retrieve it and get out of this place." I could feel her reluctance as she pulled away from me and turned towards the rock bridge that led deeper into the mines.

I straightened up and was about to follow her, but Fay turned back to me and shook her head. "I know you want to help, but it's dangerous for you to go near that molten rock without breathing gear. Wait for us?"

"I can do that," I answered. "How about I head up and tell the Snowhorn the good news?" I motioned to the top of the pit.

"I'm sure they will be grateful for our actions," Krystal chimed in. "We'll meet you up there, dearheart." Turning away, they made their way to the rock bridge over the Galdon's final resting place while I made my way to where Belina and the other Snowhorn awaited our return.

The journey back took long enough that the adrenaline left my system; I could tell that I was starting to hit a wall and exhaustion took over. As expected, Belina Te was standing at the top of the passageway, a concerned expression on her features. "We heard the noise from below; the thunderclaps and the awful shrieking from the Galdon. Are you victorious?"

I hooked a thumb towards the ledge we had occupied. "Yeah," I started, "your critter problem's taken care of. The bastard's soaking in a nice, hot lava bath."

"Thank the Krazoa," Belina sighed, her tone of voice full of pent up anxiety. "Between that creature and the Sharpclaw, we have many of our own to mourn. Your companions; did they not make it?"

"Krystal and Fay are just fine," I answered, motioning behind me. "Those things they're wearing on their faces protect them from the fumes of that lava, so they're collecting the Spellstone right now. They'll be up here shortly."

The mammoth nodded at me, pointing behind her with her trunk. "Please take no offense," she offered, "but you look like you have been dragged down Ice Mountain face first. Please, take some time to rest." Belina motioned me towards the collection of other Snowhorn that milled around the small cavern; I found a few small crates that could serve as a makeshift chair.

"Your Sharpclaw problem's also been solved," I mentioned, now fully aware that my knees had been trying to turn into Jell-O and my hands were shaking hard enough that I could have pantomimed running a jackhammer. "They're all taking dirt naps."

Belina cocked her head to the side. I figured she was probably confused by the expression, but she didn't mention it. "I thank you for freeing us from the Sharpclaw, stranger. I know my father probably didn't have nice things to say about my decision to surrender the Spellstone to Scales, but he would have killed us if I refused."

I nodded at her. I understood where she was coming from, and where her father came from. "There's been too many lives impacted and destroyed by this," I pointed out, "and those lives are too short to spend having grudges. I hope you and your father can come to terms and forgive each other, but that takes action and commitment from both of you, not just words."

Belina paused for a moment before speaking. "Those words hold truth, stranger. Again, we thank you and your companions for your aid." She was about to speak further, but noises from the tunnel stopped her. I glanced over to witness Krys and Fay emerging from the relative darkness of the tunnel; their posture and gait showing the same exhaustion I felt. The vixen was holding onto the Spellstone, which was far more impressive to behold in person. The jewel looked like a giant topaz; nearly the size of someone's torso and encased in a framework of shimmering gold. Simply put, we were going to have a very fun time fitting that thing into either Fay's backpack or mine.

They exchanged words with Belina and scattered greetings to the rest of the Snowhorn before making a beeline for where I sat. Krystal sat the Spellstone down before sitting down on the crate next to me; I wrapped an arm around her as she slumped against me, panting for breath. "Gods," she remarked, "that thing… is half the weight of the… Grand Treasury!"

"It's going to be a… challenge to get it to the shuttle…" Fay was a little less out of breath but it was obvious they had been passing the Spellstone between them on their way up; she took the crate on the other side of mine.

"I'm not sure that's going to fit either of our backpacks," I remarked, frowning at the thing we had been sent here to retrieve. If I had to guess it weighed upwards of eighty pounds; carrying that thing in addition to the thirty or so pounds of food, water, medical supplies, and ammo I was already toting around wasn't my idea of a fun time. "So, how are we going to carry this thing back?"

"Cart?" Krystal breathed, her arms winding around me. "This is a bit too… much for us to carry…"

"We saw those liftbikes in the… mine entrance…" Fay exhaustedly replied. "I vote we use them to… go back to your ship…" I blinked in surprise as the Cornerian leaned against me, her head falling on my shoulder. Both of them were definitely exhausted, but considering what we had been through I didn't blame them.

"Let's take a little while to rest," I suggested, "maybe swap out the batteries on your LISAs before we head back?" It sounded like a good idea, but I wanted to make sure everything was in order for the trip back. However, I needed to make sure that the text I queued was sent on the way back; while I was sure the roaming charge would be literally astronomical I needed to make sure I got something out to my folks.