Chapter 23 - Twenty-Two

Some elves guards were walking around on the ground while others passed above from time to time, flying on a griffin or a pegasus. I followed Aeglos up a wooden ramp that appeared to have simply grown out of the tree, the wood on the sideways of the ramp squirming themselves up, forming a railing with leaves growing off of it, as well with some circular support for vases, having almost all the path covered with fruitful plants.

One of them had some kind of pepper, and Aeglos goes close and grabs a couple of them and throws my way. "Here"

I catch them midair, turning my snout sideways so they don't fall. Hm hm, tasty. We keep walking, going higher and higher, seen many other houses made of wood and hidden by leaves, like they were part of the trees… and maybe they were, created by wood magic or something.

The houses weren't very big and all had mostly the same size, with diamond shaped windows that were covered by greeneries so the rain couldn't enter.

The constructions went on, spiraling up on the gigantic trunks, intertwine by wooden short bridges that swung with the wind. Good that I'm not afraid of high places, even more on these bridges that looked more like swings.

Aeglos goes to one of the houses where a little board stood in front on a little balcony, beautifully carved with his family name, and some vases stood in the sideways of the entrance with white lilies, purple azaleas and some strawberries.

The door had a little window on it, but nothing had glass, too expensive I suppose, and was painted white with a golden shield and two swords crossed behind it.

"Blessing mother, father." Aeglos says as he enters. "We have guests."

His father I already meet beforehand, and now I could see his mother as well, a salmon haired woman with long ears wearing big circler golden earrings, a long white tunic in a straight pose that gave a tied yet suave aura.

She turns to me and smiles, her green eyes sparkling. "Welcome, dears, your father is finishing dinner," She looks at my brother, still asleep "Why don't you put him on the bed? We ended up using your room, I hope you don't mind"

"Not at all." Said Aeglos.

That was the first time in this life that ate only fruits and vegetables on a meal; well, actually most were pepper, rice and seasoning, with strawberry as dessert, and soon I discovered that consuming meat was forbidden for elves, and very well seen for others to eat, except for those few creatures that could only eat meat; but I doubt anyone could resist elven delicacies as they were very creative with their dishes.

What other species would study what each magical creature likes to eat?

That said a lot about them.

We talked late at night, and I understood what my brother said back then; that Aeglos felt like family. I don't know how long has it been since I talked to anyone outside my brother, really talked.

I guess only with mother, way back.

As for now I was laying down on my mat… been surrounded my ferrets.

"Haha, sorry about that." Aeglos said, covering my brother that was still asleep. "They tend to invade the houses and stick to something warm, and, well…"

He didn't need to say anything as the energetic brown leave creatures rolled around me and my brother, going as close as they can, one was even on top of my head, oi! That's a little too much!

Squick squick my ass! Don't look at me with those big black eyes, you won't be sleeping with me! Oi!

Sigh…

I was still in my little battle when someone knocked on the door strongly, urging to be answered quickly.

"Coming." Said Aeglos father. Who could be this late at night? I stand up, making the ferrets roll down my back, and follow Aeglos to the door, were his father already stood talking with some guard, one of the border ones as he wearing green and brown. When he left, bowing, Aeglos father turned back and started to get dressed to leave.

"What it is Father?"

"The expedition to the dungeon, it seems something went wrong, I'm just going to check it out. Go to sleep, we can talk in the morning."

Without further ado, he left, and we did as he told, Aeglos going to sleep late, worried, and me with a restless sleep with all those Leaf Ferrets closing in on me.

But, well, I'm use to my brother, so it couldn't be worst, right?

~~~~

The next day Aeglos was restlessly siting on the dining table; which, by the way, were the only few furniture around, difficult as it probably was to bring all of those up here; waiting for his father to come back. He only stayed still for as long as it took for him to eat, starting to pace back and forward around the house.

"They are taking too long, I'm going to see what's going on" He says to his mother, only for the door to open and his father enter. "What happened?"

"The excursion to the dungeon went wrong." Shocked, Aeglos asked:

"The one if the kids?"

"Yes."

"How so? It's a low level dungeon… We made sure that it was safe enough for the young ones… Unless… Oh no."

"Yes, it was a trap dungeon."

"Damnit! How can it be?!"

"Wait, you lost me there." I said.

Both look at me then, as if they had forgotten I was there. And probably had, for the guilty look on their faces. I turn my head sideways, waiting for the answer.

"It is common to send expeditions to those low level dungeons so the young ones can train and harvest some treasures. There was a new one just outside our city, a low level one, and we had sent other groups beforehand, but…" Aeglos father continued for him:

"In very, very rare cases, the dungeon itself can be… a monster too. They are usually cunning and smart, trapping the adventures in, even lowering the first floor level… and it seems to be the case.

There was a rock slide at the entrance, and we cannot open it without more rocks falling on us, we take some out, the dungeon drops more on us."

"We have plants to open a secondary entrance, a hole on the ground with stairs, but we do not have any way of contacting the ones inside, and by the time they realize their situation they will be doomed… Mother Nature, they are only kids…"

"My brother can enter." Says my dumb mutt brother. Of course he would throw that out without thinking. And as I expected, both elves turn to me with a glint in their eyes.

"Can you?"

I swallow dry, thinking. Is not as if I could lie in their language, and if I suddenly change to common language it would make it obvious.

But answering would compromise me… On helping them. Actually, the real question is, do I want to help them?

"Yes, I think I can." I answered. If these elves had hesitated before, if they didn't kept their vows, we would ended up in a very different way that what we are today. They were one of the few kinds that I still trusted, and I don't want to ruin it.

This world is a dangerous place for magical creatures as it is. No need to complicate things.

And I wouldn't sleep well at night if I distrusted even those who once saved me, even more betraying their trust.

"Great, that way we can inform them."

"I can carry food too, medicine and whatnot, just not living things."

"That's amazing news!" Aeglos says, clapping his hands and going to the door and outside to prepare the resources. His father goes as well, not before turning to me and saying:

"I know what must cost you to get yourself involve in this, Palarran, and the only thing I have to say is that we, elves, never forget a good deed to our kind. You and your brother will always be welcome here."

He bows and I repeat the gesture, following them. They quickly dash through the paths, giving orders and assembling the supplies. I use this opportunity to talk to my brother.

'Brother, I will go alone in there to help the caged elves, I need you to stay here and help with what you can, but nothing dangerous ok? Stay close to Aeglos and…'

…and if I don't come out then stay with them I wanted but do not add. Is the second time we will be separated, and the first one was from the kidnapping… I look at him worried, but shook the idea that this was the last time I would see him.

Come on now, is just a dungeon, how hard can it be?

My brother smiles, and passing his head on my side says: 'I believe in you brother, you will do just fine. Now, go there and make us proud kay?'

I push him back in a joking way, with a dumb smile on my face, and once we reach were the Elder and Aeglos were, I ask while we walk:

"So, what are dungeons exactly? What should I expect?"

"Dungeons are the veins of the world that dried out. They are full of energy, can be positive, negative, elemental, depends and can vary on the floor as well. As for been part of the veins of life that make the world, sometimes it can copy other places."

"How so?"

"Well, the dungeons are a way to refill the veins; the creatures that are born within give their energy back to the vein once they die, but it takes years, millenniums even, to refill it, as the dungeons gets smaller and smaller every century."

"But the surging of the dungeon is almost instantaneous. That's why, to fill the void, some parts of the dungeon are copies of places that are connected to that vein in particular. For example, there is a vein passing right in our city; can be on water, air, as well on earth; and that vein goes on and on through the world until it reaches a forming dungeon. The newborn dungeon then copies this place to replace its void, making a copy."

"Hum…" That's quite interesting…

We walk farther and farther into the forest until we reach a tube like structure made of rocks.

"This is it" Aeglos said, stopping in front of the entrance. I already had all the supplies in my Shadow Pocket as once more Aeglos touched my forehead and images passed behind my closed eyelids.

"We don't have much mapped out of the place yet, the maximum we reached was level 3, and not the entirety of the floors yet." He licks his lips them, eyeing the entrance, then looking back at me.

"Thilgon… come back safe ok? I think your brother would never forgive me if anything…" He shakes his head without completing. "Words have power, just… be careful."

"From now on he cannot follow you, the dungeon will sense us and make rocks fall on top of our heads. We are making another entrance, should be done in two hours, and is far away and hidden so the dungeon won't notice, hopefully."

I look at him and nod, looking one more time to my brother. I wouldn't say good bye, not hug or anything; wasn't my style you know?

"Hey, dump brother, don't mess things up to much up here while I'm gone hey?" He grins, showing his fangs, and answers:

"I'm not dumb, you are, and don't get caught up on the fun to much kay?"

I snort, turning my back and walking inside the damp tunnel. This was supposed to be a relaxing morning, eating pepper by the sunlight, and yet how it ended up like this so quickly?

I conceal my presence with Shadow Veil, and even my footsteps are nonexistent as I enter the darkness.

Unfortunately for some reason we Hell Hounds do not have night vision, but my Presence Sense combine with my Hound senses made up for it.

The circular stone tunnel kept going, some muddy water covering his lower part, as up front round entrances appeared on it sides, circular holes that lead to the darkness behind metal bars. In one of them a deep low throat crackling sound resonated, as if the clicking of a bat.

Nope, I'm fine in the main tunnel, thank you.

Upfront some blue light shimmered, shyly showing the path. Up close, it turned out to be small puddles of glowing mushrooms.

That's one of the things my brother would probably try to eat, ugh.

Some movement on the water caught my attention but they were just some rats, I thought but look again anyway only to see strange green eyes and white fat worms wiggling in and out of their nose and ears.

Ewww

They couldn't see me as I dashed my way through the tunnel, walking for a long time until I reached somewhere different; the cave in. There were rocks everywhere closing in the path, but I simply enter my shadow and passed easily through the little holes.

It lead to a gigantic hole, empty in the middle, with the stairs going via the outside of the circle in a spiral downwards, the water following down by a little ramp hole made between the steps.

Well, I was a long way down, I think as I quickly go down, hopping the stairs.

~~~~

Well, I know nobody like to hear a writer say this, but I'm a little stuck in the next part, so forgive me if I take longer to post.

And I'm thinking of going back and editing some things… What you guys think? There are so many mistakes that I need to fix it now or it can wait until I finish the book?

Thank you~~~ (b~_^)