"Hey, who's Tarzan?" Thomas asked as he followed Alex down the dark stone corridor. Getting no answer, he tried again. "Hey geezer, who is Tarzan? Is he some kind of troop or something?"

A little chuckle escaped from Alex, frustrating Thomas as he continued to walk silently. Rounding a corner and turning left into a darker hallway, he slowed and motioned for Thomas to stop. "You need to jump here, you can't see it, but there's a pressure plate here that sends spikes from the ceiling. The pressure is about three feet across goes from wall to wall. Oh then after that, there's a thin tripwire about a foot in front of that. That opens to a pit of spikes. Can you make that kinda jump?" 

"I  mean I can, but why do I need to? Is there something on the other side I need?" Thomas asked as he looked down the hallway to the room that lay ahead. "I mean, three feet isn't the easiest feat for me, but I think I can manage it." He continued as he turned his attention to the seemingly perfect floor. Nothing seemed out of place, and when he looked up for the dart mechanism, he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. "Where are the traps hidden at? I can't find anything that even resembles a trap, not even a grove in the rock!" 

Alex quickly started forward and took a flying leap over the space and landed gracefully on his feet, then stepped over what seemed to be nothing before looking back over to Thomas. "My alchemy lab is this way! You wanted the salt to poison our food right?" He waved his hand towards Thomas, beckoning him to follow.

Looking across the three-foot gap and then back down to his towel, Thomas sighed before raising his voice. "I don't think I can make that jump, not in a towel like this. It would constrain my leg movement, and I wouldn't be able to gather enough speed to carry me across without it falling." Alex began to chuckle, making Thomas's cheeks redden. "You try running a short distance, jumping a lethal trap in a small towel, and make it over a tripwire; all the while the only thing you're wearing can come off with the wrong blink of your eyes!" 

"You need to learn to be more flexible Thomas." Alex replied, looking back at him with a strange smile that made his head spin. "How badly do you want that salt?" He asked, confirming the choices Thomas was about to make.

Letting out another sigh, Thomas took a few steps back and stood there, looking at the three-foot point he needed to clear. Here goes nothing! He thought to himself before rushing forward, his leg movements constrained to little tiny steps. Rushing as fast as he could manage, he tried to hold onto his towel as he made his way forward. Reaching the edge, he jumped up and closed his eyes. I'm not going to clear this, stupid Alex and his stupid towel!  He thought as he continued forward, his eyes tightly held shut. 

"Watch out for the tripwire!" Alex cried out as Thomas's eyes shot open, and he stumbled forward, trying to stop himself from hitting the thin wire that came into view as he tried to slow himself. 

"I'm trying!" Thomas growled before realizing his momentum was too much. Quickly jumping over the wire and barreling into Alex as he did so, sending them both tumbling towards the floor. 

As they both hit the ground, Thomas gasped out in pain. The earth was heavily compacted, it felt harder than he thought possible. Taking a deep breath, he looked over to Alex, who had rolled with the fall and was mysteriously back on his feet, looking down at him with a dirty smile. "Graceful as a dump truck aren't you!" He said with a smirk as Thomas stumbled to his feet. "Forgetting something though?" He asked, pointing towards the towel next to him that had fallen from Thomas's grip as he crashed onto the floor. Thomas's cheeks began to burn, and he raced for the towel, making sure to squat down to get it and the small rock at the same time.

"You really don't have anything else to wear?" Thomas begged as he quickly stood and tightly wrapped the towel around his hips. "Anything at all would be better than this stupid towel!" Adjusting the towel and trying to tighten it, he saw Alex nodding his head no. His cheeks burned hotter when he noticed was watching him with his mouth slightly open. Snapping his fingers a few times pulled him from his apparent stupor and when Alex came to, he smirked and headed towards a large table covered in strange devices. "Who only owns one set of clothing?" Thomas mumbled to himself as he slowly started after Alex.

"Well here we are!" Alex exclaimed in a friendly tone as he waved his arm majestically towards the large pile of items that seemed to stretch across his table. Long glass beakers with liquid bubbling in them, small spindly tubes with strangely colored liquids twisting through the glass, and a small fire that burned underneath a heavy-looking metal pot filled with some form of non-potable liquid. "You should count yourself lucky Thomas. You're the first person to ever see my lab aside from me!" He turned around and watched as Thomas took it all in. "I could show you a few other things too. If you're interested in chemistry, maybe a little biology?" He questioned with another sensual smile, making Thomas shiver.

"Can you stop with the whole pervert thing? I really don't want to be with you, romantically or otherwise! Not to sound shallow or anything, but you're just too old. I know you want to get into my towel, but I really don't want to get into a relationship. That doubles for a man who is a few million years old!" Thomas replied, his cheeks burning hot as he tried to avoid Alex's gaze.

"Is it my skin that bothers you Thomas, or the age? I gotta say, for somebody as old as I am. My body looks pretty dang good!" Alex replied, his smile fading as a questioning look began to take its place. "If my body was younger, would it still bother you this much?" 

"Well yeah, but..." Thomas trailed off, scattering any thought of the two being together. "Look, I don't want to get into my personal life okay? I don't do the whole relationship thing. They always end badly for me, for everybody involved really. Let's leave it at that okay?" He looked down at the ground, pain flooding through him as he remembered his captain's last orders. "I can't go through any more loss..." 

"You think if there is no love, there can't be loss?" Alex asked, pulling Thomas's gaze with his words. "Let me tell you from personal experience. Being in love and losing them sucks. But it's a hell of a lot worse if you try and keep yourself from loving anybody at all. You get nothing but old, bitter, and a deep hatred for anything that tries to interfere. Trust me, losing somebody is not nearly as bad as being alone forever..." He paused for a second, the light in his eyes fading. Shaking his head suddenly, he seemed to snap out of whatever depressing feeling encumbered him as he started to wander around his massive lab. 

The lab continued to surprise and concern Thomas as he looked around the room. Every wall was lined with shelves and bookcases. They were all filled with items that looked like they were from cartoons. Ancient-looking books that were old and musty, small orbs that looked like weather was trapped inside, a suit of rusty metal armor on a manikin, even an antique looking wand carved with intrinsic letters written in a language unknown to Thomas. "Where did you get all this stuff?" He questioned, slowly looking around at the massive shelves covered in unique and invaluable looking items. 

"I scavenged what I could from the Mantine library, others I picked up over the years. The ingredients on the bookcase over there are what I could save from my lab before the Flara burned it all down. Some of this stuff doesn't exist anymore out in the world at large. Like this beauty," Alex reached forward and grunted as he lifted a heavy-looking, deep blue object in his hand that extended long past his fingertips. "This is one of the last known dragon scales in existence! The dragon's had such amazing healing abilities. Just a single tear had enough magical power to cure a plague across an entire country. It's such a shame people thought to hunt them to extinction. Their tears weren't the only things that stored magic in those poor creatures. Their scales stored just as much energy, and the dragons would shed those things like dogs do hair!" He let out a sigh, putting the large scale down. "Damn knights and their stupid holy quests." He mumbled out before starting across the room. "What kind of salt did you want for our food?"

Following behind Alex, Thomas blinked in surprised when he saw a shelf stacked with filled jars in every color imaginable. None of the jars seemed to be real, and when he looked at a bright green one, he saw it wiggle and took an anxious step back. "Just regular salt..." He mumbled awkwardly as he tried not to look at the dangerous-looking jar. 

"Well humor an old man, what kind of salt are the hip kids into today? I have holy salt, unholy salt, fire salt, volcanic salt, mummified salt, rainbow salt, sodium chloride salt, earth raked salts, golem seed salt, and a few hundred others on this shelf!"

"Sodium chloride!" Thomas exclaimed happily when he noticed a pile of what he assumed was rainbow salt. "Sodium chloride, that's the one people eat! Where is that?" Alex looked over at him with raised eyebrows and a cautious look in his eyes. "Yes, I promise you, people eat sodium chloride. I know the things to make it kill people, but it's harmless when they crystallize!" He paused for a second blinking at his own words.

"How do you know about the chemical process of fusing those two and not know anything about alchemy?" Alex questioned as he started towards the shelf and began digging around in the back.

"My science instructor had a nice voice. I couldn't help but listen to him!" Thomas answered back, thinking back to his days in school fondly. 

"I'm sure that's the only thing you were focusing on, am I right?" Alex replied, snickering at Thomas as he began to move a few large jars around. "Here, hold this one please." He asked, lifting a large jar of what looked like ants. "Don't drop this jar or you'll kill us both." He explained as Thomas tenderly accepted the container. 

Holding the jar of wriggling mass, Thomas began to feel uncomfortable as it began to jerk slowly in his hands. "What are these things anyway?" He asked as Alex stood up suddenly with a large jar of what looked to be rock salt. 

"Those my friend are essences of stone golems! Each grain will grow into the size of a full-sized golem in a few hours given the right circumstances!" Alex answered, reaching for the jar and tenderly putting it back on the shelf. "Those creatures are smarter than history gives them credit for. Not only do they have brain's, but they also take nutrients out of the soil to heal themselves!" 

"So they aren't brainless creatures of folklore?" Thomas questioned as he looked at the swirling jar in wonder.

"Nope and nope!" Alex stated as he looked at the jar fondly. "I heard legend of one that lived near an Iron mine! Story goes that he had grown so big after consuming the iron from the mine that the locals tried to kill it. He went to an ancient dragon's cave, and made a deal. All he wanted was to live in solitude and be able to eat whenever he wants. The dragon agreed and set it ablaze. Legend goes to say the fire was so hot, it refined the golem into pure iron! The quickly began to sink into the ground, and as he ate, the molten core in his center refined the material, making him heavier with each bite. Eventually, it's said the golem became so heavy that he sank into the center of our planet and rests in the molten core, enjoying the solitude as he consumes the core, growing heavier with each bite". He paused and looked over to see Thomas infatuated with the story and smirked. "That is if you believe the rumors!" 

"And that whole jar is full of baby golems? Thomas questioned as he looked at the jar somewhat fearfully as a shiver of fear went crawling down his spine at the thought of thousands of these golems wandering the world. 

"That's right Thomas! This jar is one of my greatest treasures!" Alex replied as he started off towards the door. "Let's pick up the history lesson another day though. I don't have the energy to tell you every story this place as to offer."

Thomas started after him but froze when he saw Alex step over the tripwire and began walking forward. "Watch out!" He screamed as Alex's foot went down in front of him. 

"What are you whining about now?" Alex asked as he turned around and looked back at him confused. 

Looking back to Alex, Thomas furled his brows. "Why are you not dead? You're standing on the pressure plate you warned me about! Where are the horrible traps?" 

"Oh that," Alex replied with a grin. "I just made that up, thought it would be fun to watch you try and make it across with no leg room to work with!" He began to laugh as Thomas's fear turned to anger. "You got to admit it was pretty funny!" 

"You made me run and jump in a small towel for a joke?" Thomas growled as he clenched his teeth. "You asshole, I was scared for your life just now!" He glared down at the thin wire in front of him, his annoyance growing with each second. "Is the tripwire even real, or is that another prank to try and make me drop my towel again?" 

"Wait!" Alex raised his hand to stop Thomas as he went to take a step forward, his laughter stopping instantly. "The tripwire really is real, please don't trip that one. It really will kill you."

Thomas sighed and stepped over the wire before heading towards Alex. "You know, for an old man, you really are a jerk!" 

"I prefer to call it refined humor, but whatever helps you sleep at night hun!" Alex chuckled as he headed towards the kitchen. "Now let's see if you make our food taste good, or kill us both! Either way, I look forward to this experience!" 

"Don't call me hun!" Thomas replied with a growl as he went after him. "And please, don't use any more refined humor when it comes to life or death situations. I really dislike the idea of death, and the fact that you laugh at it makes me uncomfortable."

"Well maybe if you live as long as I do, you might learn that death loses its allure. You gotta make a joke or two in life while you still can!" Alex replied, turning right and heading back towards the kitchen. 

"Well since I haven't lived as long as you, your jokes aren't really all that funny to me!" Thomas replied with a sigh, "Not that it really matters at this point though. I can't leave, so I'm stuck here with you and your jokes..." 

"You're not stuck in here Thomas!" Alex replied in a happy tone as he made his way down the corridor. "You have the privilege of living in a safe bunker with food and water, and you have the option of wandering around nude! Not many people get those privileges! I would count my blessings if I were you."

"Oh, and don't forget the best part," Thomas resentfully added in. "I get to spend all my time with a horney old man who seems to enjoy making me uncomfortable. I'll add that to my blessings." Thomas grumbled as Alex slowed and turned around.

"Well you got the horney old man part right, but I don't ever want to make you uncomfortable. I just want you to be comfortable around me so we can have sex! What's so wrong with that?" Alex questioned, making Thomas's mouth drop as his cheeks began to burn once more. 

"Well you're old, and your body is decrepit. If you somehow convince me to try and join you in this disgusting idea of intercourse with you, then you would have a heart attack! Even so, say I did want to sleep with you for some crazy far out reason, I don't think you would be able to keep up with me!"  Thomas replied with a smug grin as he started to walk towards the kitchen, passing Alex in stride. 

"Why don't we head to the bedroom and find out baby? I'd love to try and prove you wrong!" Alex suggested as Thomas walked past, making him freeze mid-stride as Alex began to laugh again.

Thomas turned and looked at the old man, his cheeks burning bright as he tried not to picture the two in a bed together. "You know what old man, you're persistent. I'll give you that, but I know for a fact that will never happen.

"You could give me a lot more than that if we went to the bedroom!" Alex said with a sensual smile, making Thomas gag on the air he had just sucked in. "I may be old, but that doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about sex. Besides, you must be getting pent up in here, nothing to distract you from your urges!"  

"Can we just drop the whole sex thing please?" Thomas begged as he coughed weakly, and his chest started to tighten. "You're making this whole thing really uncomfortable for me."

"Fine," Alex sighed reluctantly as he leaned against the wall in a dramatic pose. "but when I come back around, and I have super tight skin, and a raging hardon to swing in your face, you won't be so childish about wanting to hop in the sack!" Alex countered before letting out a reluctant sigh and starting towards the kitchen again.

"That's the second time you've said that." Thomas managed to state as he remembered Alex's promise of massive change. "What do you mean by come back around? Do you die and come back a baby or something?"  

"Something like that," Alex replied mysteriously as he continued forward. "Maybe someday I'll show you!"

Thomas sighed as he started after him, That wasn't cryptic at all... He thought to himself as they reached the kitchen. 

"Here we are!" Alex announced with a majestic bow. "Now let's see if you're going to kill me, or make me want to eat my own cooking!"

"You just give me that jar of salt and let me be! The big room back there is your lab, this kitchen is mine! Give me a few minutes, and I'll cook you something that will knock your socks off!" Thomas bragged as he took the jar of salt and set it on the overly large table next to him.

"Hell, if you can get food to taste as good as you brag I might take off more than just my socks!" Alex replied, making Thomas blush furiously.

"Can you just get out of here for a little while? Let me cook in peace without the sexual bombardment?" Thomas called out, turning away from Alex and looking at the pot of soup he had tried to eat before.

"Fine, make your life boring and uninteresting without me around to talk to!" Was all Alex said before he starting towards a hallway. "I'll be in the hot tub when you are ready to kill me!"

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Well I got another section done! If you liked it don't forget to drop a vote and a few comments to try and help get the story out there! I hope you are enjoying the story and I hope you have a fantastic day! Don't forget to drink lots of water! 

-Asted!