Everyone was frozen to the spot, despite knowing the danger lurking outside the cave. Their minds unanimously focused on Elias's cargo. His heart sank when he saw the looks on their faces. A part of him was deep down ready to do what was necessary, his hands tensing to unleash a spell if needed.

Lying on the floor, exposed, was a body. Ulric guessed it could not be older than eight, its sunken grey cheeks and taught skin showing signs of decay. It was dressed in rags, its hands bound in chains, and its mouth covered. Questions swarmed in both Ulric's and Torben's minds, both stumped by what they were seeing. Then it opened its eyes. Milky grey eyes shot towards them and clawed hands shot up to the two. Ulric unsheathed his dagger and went to attack.

"Stop!" Elias screamed, jumping up with flames engulfing both hands, and stood over the writhing child. Ulric stopped, fear and anger coursing up within him.

"What the fuck is that!?" Ulric said, not letting go of the dagger. He knew not to trust a single soul, and he looked in disgust as the child grabbed Ulric's leg, claws digging in deep, trying in vain to bite his leg. He winced but held his stance.

"Aric" Elias says, extinguishing the flames with a flick. Ulric remained there, confused by the name. "He's my son". Both his companions stood there silent, taking in the significance of what they were being told. Slowly understanding came over Torben, the reason why he could not read his son's aura. Alric was undead. The thought sickened him, the fact that this child was unable to rest, locked away in a cage, and to what end. Slowly, Ulric sheathed his blade.

"This is what you've been promised right?" The ranger said, the calm and reasoning taking Elias off guard. He nodded solemnly, carefully pulling his child off him and lifting him into the cage, initially, there was resistance, but when the chains were connected a thin blue aura washed over his son's body, soothing him.

"I should have told you both sooner," Elias said when he was sure the cage was secured, lifting it onto his back and attaching it to his harness. Torben grabbed the shawl and threw it to the sorcerer.

"Why bring him back like this Elias?" Torben said, the question unable to be buried. That look of grief, loss, and determination reappeared on his face.

"Do you have children?" the question went unanswered. "Grief does unimaginable things to your mind. I saw my boy die in my hands. He begged for his life..." Elias cut off at the end, wiping tears that came of their own accord. He cleared his throat before continuing "I tried, I tried to bring him back, but I wasn't strong enough. And my hope was gone, until the Queen said she would bring him back" he finished, nodding to Ulric. Torben relaxed, the fear of the unknown leaving him.

"What did the Queen offer you, Ulric?" Torben asked, part of him not expecting an answer, but to his surprise, the ranger turned to face him, a thin smile finding its way on his face.

"I'm here for my clan. When I kill this charlatan, we have been promised to be at the helm of this war, and my people will spread into the night, silently extinguishing the enemy from this land" he said calmly.

"Great, as cheery as I suspected..." Torben said sarcastically, unable to hide his disgust.

"Let me guess monk, the queen has promised you peace in these lands?" he shot back with equal venom.

"Just for my village"

"The English won't care for your little agreement if people don't fight this war. You wasted your wish" Ulric spat out, turning around to survey the cave they were in. Initially, Torben and Elias had to rely on the torches spaced out in the cave, unable to see much. For Ulric, he could see that this place was a maze of interconnected tunnels. It could take them days to reach the surface, all the while they had two dangerous enemies likely digging their way to them.

Then a set of tracks caught his attention up further ahead. Slowly he approached them, kneeling to better inspect them. His heart sunk at the sight of them, knowing they were not resting tonight. "Do not make anymore light" he said to the two, Elias was just about to cast a light spell on a rock to cast it further into the cave.

"What is it?" exhaustion tinging Elias's voice, dropping the stone to the ground.

"Cave bears. Large ones" he almost whispered. Even he couldn't keep the fear from his voice. If he had his arrows, they might stand a chance, but his quiver was empty

"We have been cursed" Torben groaned, still feeling the residual injuries that had been healed with magic. "They'll be in these caves at night"

"Asleep, with a bit of luck we might escape these caves," Ulric said, trying his best to keep his composure. Scanning the surroundings further he quietly left the two, coming back brandishing two picks, and handing one to Torben. "Your hands won't do much against a bear". A chuckle escaped Torben as he grabbed the pick, following closely behind Ulric. He was sorely mistaken on that front, though it helped to have this as a backup.

Carefully and as quietly as they could muster, they traversed the labyrinth, each step leading them further into the unknown. On several occasions, a breathless curse escaped Ulric's mouth as they reached the end of a tunnel or fell back onto a familiar path. The other two did not complain, their hearts beating fast, the fear of facing another intimidating beast, or their hunters fresh in the minds of the men in those caves. On their journey deep within the caves they came across the skeletal remains of those who had died here, the bones gnawed and bare of any flesh.

Having silently eliminated a few tunnels Ulric set his heart on a twisting narrower path, the others following diligently behind. At least the darkness offered him some comfort, seeing the paths as clear as it was daytime to a point. It was where he did his best work. His dagger remained drawn and ready to kill at a moment's notice.

Torben gripped the shaft of the pick, the weight comfortable in his hands. He took a blinded step forward, halted by Ulric who pointed down to the ground, at the barely visible brittle calf bone. He nodded his thanks and carried on. Periodically he searched the area using his Ki, only sensing the other two companions. The path twisted and became narrower, and before he knew it, he felt the sides of the wall pressing down on him. They all squeezed through, into an open area where a shaft of light came from far above. They were in a chamber. Up ahead, with the aid of what must have been the moonlight he saw another tunnel on the other side of the room, light seeming to emanate from that direction. He allowed hope to take the route, boldly taking a step forward.

It was Elias this time who stopped the party, halting him before he took another step. The old man had spotted something in the darkness, a giant lumbering form to the right of them. All of them held their breath, the chasm echoing a deep growl from where Elias had first spotted them. Ulric felt that familiar fear rise again, and he dug a nail into his thumb; a nervous habit he developed during his training. The sensation combated the dread, and he took the first step, never taking his eyes off the three lumbering forms. All three of them would likely die to one of those beasts in their condition.

The other two reluctantly carried on, taking slow and deliberate steps through the cave. On many occasions, a bear sniffed or made a low growl. What felt like an eternity passed as they reached the middle of the chasm, just shy of the shaft of moonlight. From here each of them could see the night sky, seemingly so close yet so far away. Ulric took a step forward and then froze once more, this time his training and habits dissipating away. A fourth cave bear ambled from the tunnel they were aiming for, its movements slow and lazy. They all ducked, hoping the beast hadn't sighted them. As they waited another reverberated in the walls of the cavern, only this time behind them. They spun around as the familiar sound of dire wolves came from behind them. The hunters had broken through, and now they were caught between a family of cave bears and two deadly assassins.