As I'd hoped, Avani was completely recovered the next morning. She rose first, and by the time I woke up, she was in the midst of her exercise routine, Dylas still sound asleep on his bed roll. I greeted her sleepily and went to start a pot of coffee brewing over the embers of the fire. The scent of the coffee woke Dylas, and soon after we prepared and ate a quick breakfast. Avani was ready and raring to go, so we suited up, set Baldur on guard duty, and headed out. This time when we reached the fork in the southern road, we turned west.

Soon we passed a hermit's cot set back from the road, surrounded by young trees and overgrown with brambles. Just beyond, we spotted the mouth of a cave opening into the hillside, boulders and trees obscuring it from view. We heard voices approaching, so we quickly and quietly ducked into the shrubs alongside the road. Before long, a pair of soldiers in Sechson uniforms came up the road, speaking together in low voices. I couldn't make out all that they said despite my keen ears, but I definitely discerned "Lord Ethelberd," "research," "rune spheres," and "final hurdle" in their conversation. They turned and entered the mouth of the cave, and after a few minutes, we cautiously followed, our weapons drawn.

Inside the cave we found a labyrinthine series of caverns, connected by tunnels and hidden passages, and occupied by hobgoblins, goblins, and other monsters. After an exhausting search and numerous skirmishes, we at last reached a chamber with a staircase leading down. We paused for a short break to eat and drink, heal our injuries, and rest a little. No monsters occupied this chamber, and I found myself wondering what lay in wait in the caverns below that kept them away. With that thought in mind, we proceeded cautiously down the dimly lit stairs.

When we neared the bottom of the stairway, we again heard voices-the same pair as before, I was almost certain. They seemed to be discussing what kinds of monsters they'd most like to be turned into-a peculiar topic of conversation, I thought. Soon we heard the sound of a heavy barrier being lowered, then raised again with a heavy thud followed by silence.

We stepped out of the stairwell and entered a chamber that contained only a blockaded passage to the north and warp points to both the east and the west. We looked at each other, then Avani shrugged and ran towards the eastern warp point, vanishing in a burst of light. Dylas gave a shout and ran after her, looking pissed off, and I followed close behind.

I found myself transported to another cavern, where Avani was already engaged in heavy combat with a small, vile-looking, sorcerous monster. Dylas was a few paces ahead of me, running to her aid, so I quickly cast Water Laser and hit the monster with the high-energy stream. Soon he was defeated, and we continued on our way-after Dylas scolded Avani for her reckless haste.

Again, there was a maze of passages and caverns, filled with tougher monsters than on the previous level-mages and undead monsters as well as more hobgoblins. Finally we reached a room that contained a switch and a warp point. The switch was color coded to match a portion of the barrier in the first chamber, so Dylas threw it and we stepped into the warp point. We reappeared back in the first room, between the stairs and the barrier, and sure enough, one of the two monoliths that blocked our path was down. By now we were nearing exhaustion, though, so we decided to return to camp and continue tomorrow. Avani cast Escape, which deposited us just outside the mouth of the cave, and we returned to camp, ignoring any monsters that didn't actually impede our progress.

We shed our gear and headed to the spring to fish for our evening meal and to wash the sweat and grime from our day's efforts away. Upon reaching the lake, we discovered that Dylas had caught a few decent-sized lobsters in his trap, so we quickly bathed and returned to camp to cook them. Dylas prepared the lobsters for grilling, and I gathered some more greens for a salad. Meanwhile, Avani said she felt obligated to report our discovery of the cave to Arthur, so she returned to town using Escape, reappearing just as Dylas was finishing cooking the lobsters. He tossed the meat of the two smallest lobsters to Baldur for his supper, and we sat down to our meal. The lobsters were delicious, and afterwards we sat around the fire chatting and drinking coffee while we cleaned our weapons and armor before turning in for the night.

************

The next morning, we rose early and ate a quick but hearty breakfast before setting out again. We cautiously approached the cave, but again there was no guard set. This time we just bolted through the first floor, dashing past any monsters we encountered for the sake of speed. We quickly reached the stairs and descended to the second level. This time we entered the western warp point all together, our weapons drawn and ready.

We appeared in a dimly lit cavern and came face to face with a huge minotaur. It bellowed in rage and charged, and we leapt forward to meet it in combat. It carried a massive battle axe-capable of great damage, but very slow. As we charged, I noticed Avani sheathing her longsword and instead drawing her smaller dual swords. I hadn't seen her fight with them, and I was amazed by the sight. Since they were so much smaller and lighter, they did less damage with each blow, but she was able to strike so much more frequently that the overall effect was impressive. Using her superior speed and agility against the lumbering beast, she was devastating in her attack.

We dispatched it more quickly than I would have thought possible, and after a short break, during which Avani healed everyone and restored some of her expended energy with a little food, we continued on through the interconnected caverns. We fought several more minotaurs and a number of the earth shades known as gaias in addition to more of the same monsters we'd found in the eastern caves the day before. Eventually we reached a second chamber containing a switch and a warp point, and again we threw the switch and jumped into the warp point, returning to the first cavern. This time we found the second monolith lowered, and we stepped forward into a cavern with yet another staircase leading down.

We descended into another empty chamber with a passage open to the north, where we found a minotaur and another of the little sorcerous monsters holding a green fey captive. We defeated them, and Avani released the imprisoned green fey. In gratitude, the small creature offered her undying devotion to her. Avani accepted her proffered friendship, but told her to return to her stables in Selphia, to rest and recover from her ordeal. The fey bowed in acknowledgement and vanished in a flash, and we proceeded. We fought our way through countless labyrinthine caverns, battling minotaurs, mages, demons, and more, until we reached a chamber containing only a warp point. We stopped to catch our breath and heal our wounds, then we entered the warp point and were transported to another empty chamber with a passage to the north.

That room contained both a demon and a minotaur, which we quickly defeated. The next room, though, contained a small golem-something none of us had seen before. As a Sechson construct, the Tamitaya spell on our weapons would not work on it-we'd have to annihilate it completely. It was tough, made of stone and incapable of feeling pain or of tiring. My spear would not be effective against it, so instead I focused on casting Water Laser, letting the powerful jet of water blast into the Golem's stone, wearing it down as Avani attacked with her heavy long sword and Dylas battered it with a series of powerful kicks and punches. It was the toughest opponent we'd faced yet in those caves, though we knew that there were certainly worse battles still to come.

Before long, we found ourselves no longer in natural caverns, but in man-made rooms finished with massive metal columns, smooth floors, and artificial lighting. After clearing a few such rooms, we entered a room that was unpopulated, and again we rested for a few minutes to recover strength and heal our wounds. Avani spotted a switch that activated a warp point-possibly a shortcut back up to the entrance, though we didn't yet know for sure.

************

There was a second door in the north wall, and as we approached it after our short rest, we heard voices. We paused to listen and heard a loud, arrogant voice none of us recognized bragging about some new achievement or acquisition. We slipped soundlessly into the room and froze as we beheld a massive dragon at the far end. Standing before it was a man in a uniform and cloak with long grey hair, surrounded by a handful of soldiers. The grey-haired man referred to the beast as the Native Dragon Terrable, though from their conversation it appeared to be a clone rather than the God himself. I shuddered at the thought of someone cloning the Native Dragons-the four Dragon Gods of our land. The stranger cackled loudly, proclaiming that with the rune spheres, he was now able to wield the power of an Earthmate, and I felt Avani stiffen next to me. She leapt forward, her dual swords drawn, demanding the return of the spheres, and the soldiers all whirled to face her. Dylas and I placed ourselves on either side of her, our weapons drawn, and together we faced the strange man.

He slowly turned around to face us, looking keenly at Avani, then with a malicious grin, said, "Ahh, Avani, the Earthmate of Selphia. I am Ethelberd, the Emperor of Sechs. So tell me, how did you like the gift I sent to you? He would never have succeeded against an Earthmate, of course, but I hope you enjoyed him nonetheless. Just think of it as a warm greeting."

"A... greeting? You... because of him, Venti and Doug are...." she replied, stunned.

"Doug?" Ethelberd said with a scowl. "Who is this 'Doug'?"

"Sir, he's the dwarf whose clan we slaughtered before we manipulated him into spying for us in Selphia," one of the soldiers reminded him.

"Ahh, such a trivial matter. I remember it not," the Emperor said with a dismissive gesture.

"You-how can you say that?" Avani shouted, shaking with rage and gripping her dual swords so tightly her knuckles were white.

With another dismissive gesture, Ethelberd said, "Never mind that-take a look at this, Earthmate!" And with that, he moved to the side as the huge dragon stepped forward with an enraged roar as it slashed the air with its single, massive horn and spread wide its great, dark wings, tipped at the joints with cruel claws. "You see what the rune spheres can do? I created this clone of Terrable using their power! Impressive, isn't it?"

He strode up to the huge beast and struck him on his flanks, driving it forward. "Now, Earthmate of Selphia, show me your strength! Defeat this wraith of a God!" And with that he departed through a side door, closely followed by the other soldiers.

"As a Dragon Priest, I'm not sure how I feel about fighting even a clone of a Native Dragon, though perhaps true loyalty is shown in having the courage for remonstration," I said as I prepared for combat.

"Can't be helped now anyway," Dylas grunted, crouching for a leap. "So I say, bring it!" And with that, we charged as the monster bellowed a challenge.

Since Terrable was the Native Dragon over the element of earth, we had to avoid any earth-imbued weaponry or earth magic-they would strengthen him rather than weaken him. However, he should also be more susceptible to weapons and spells that utilized wind magic, the opposite of earth magic. Avani quickly set to hacking and slashing with her wind-imbued dual blades, using her acrobatic skills and her speed to create a veritable whirlwind around his head and neck, confusing and enraging the beast. Dylas drove in a series of kicks and punches on his flanks, and I cast Dual Sonic repeatedly, sending blades of wind energy slashing over and around him.

The Terrable clone fought back with a fury, swiping at us with his long horn and his powerful tail while trying to crush us with his huge claws, but our onslaught soon began to take its toll. Nevertheless, he managed to knock Avani down with a swipe of his great tail, and as she lay temporarily stunned by his blow, he reared up, preparing to gore her with his horn. With a shout, I dove in with my spear leveled at his exposed belly, driving it in with all my might. Screaming in agony, the monster swiped at me with one of his spiked wings, rending my armor and sending me flying through the air. I hit something hard, and everything went black.