It had been a long journey from Virens to Ancense, but she knew that it would have taken much longer if she didn’t have Gahara. Nelanna leaped off of the owl griffon once they landed near the entrance to the mine was located, and there she stood next to the borrowed familiar. “This is the place,” She said, glancing around while stroking Gahara’s feathered neck. Part of her was fearful of what she might find inside the mines, and as her eyes finally laid on the entrance, she gulped. Just how much danger was she about to put herself in? Looking into the beginning of the mines she could see the extending darkness looming within.

“Do you think it was a mistake coming alone? I have no idea what awaits me,” she asked, looking up at Gahara. She didn’t know the griffon as well as her own familiar, but she was well aware that she could rely on his advice and protection just as well. “Surely I am not the only one here for the same reasons. Perhaps another can join us?” Deep down she was ashamed of her fear of entering; this would be her first time to do something so dangerous. She hunts, and trains for battles, but she never really experienced a real battle, and she knew she was likely to experience her first in the mines.

Shaking her head, she put on a face of determination, eyes locked ahead. She had to remember why she had come. She and Kohaku needed the money, and now that Cecil was around, it made that need even more great. She smiled softly, “Never mind. I’m sure we can do this. I have you, after all.” With that, she began leading Gahara into the dark tunnels. As the light faded behind them, Nelanna snapped her fingers, pushing her mana through her hand to start a small fire in her palm like a torch. The area around them lit up dimly, revealing the dirty walls closests to her, as well as the flooring.

Her eyes wandered around, wide with interest and amazement. This place was so old, full of history. Gradually her fear shifted to excitement. Just what would she find in this place?

The sounds of fighting could be heard deeper in the tunnel of the mines. It wasn’t the usual sound of metal on metal, but the clang of armour, the moans of the undead could be heard. There was also a light that was moving around casting shadows along the stone walls.

Sirona hadn’t been too long in the lands of Canelux before these mines had opened. When she had heard the rumours of them and the undead that lived within, she had felt a pull to go to the mines and help cleanse them. The angel had arrived alone and had delved in alone with no fear, her sword, shield and magic at the ready to combat the undead disease below the earth. She was a holy knight, it was her responsibility to cleanse evil from the world wherever she could, and this was as good a place as any to start in Canelux. She knew that more adventurers would arrive in time to plumb the depths for treasures hidden deeper, and she knew that not all of them would be prepared for what they may face. To that end as well Sirona knew she had to do what she was doing, if only to protect future people from the undead.

Sirona stood at around five foot and nine inches tall in her armour, black and white in colour. She had no helm on, but a hood of protective material was over her head, allowing her full movement of her head. Her light blue eyes had a glow to them in the gloom of the mines, skin fair and flawless, at least on her face. She had black tattoos on her cheeks, chin and bottom lip, and black hair down to her shoulders, under the hood now out of the way. Her armour had enough gap in the back to allow her large white feathered wings to open fully and allow her to fly. However in the more cramped space of the mines she had her wings tucked up tight against her back so that they would not hit the walls around her.

Sirona swung her blade at a shambling undead and cleaved it in two, her blade was created from sapphires and had a chilled feeling to it. It glowed brightly and was the source of her light at the moment in the are she was fighting, there were only six, now five, undead in this part and she was dealing with them one at a time.

In her left hand she had a small shield she was using to bash at the undead to keep them at bay and knock away their clawing hands. Sirona charged a bit of magic and tossed it their way and a blinding flash of light shined out for a moment, blinding the undead for a few moments. A few moments that Sirona took to focus a stronger spell. She muttered in some other language for a second before throwing her sword hand out again, pointing her blade at the undead. From the tip of her blade erupted a wide arch of holy light that burned away the undead, causing moans of main and distress from them.

As they writhed from the attack Sirona stepped in and cut them down one at a time with little effort until she stood there alone, with only her blade giving her any light to see by.

The tunnels seemed to go on endlessly. If it weren’t for her fire magic Nelanna was certain she would be maddened by the dense darkness, and the only sounds she could hear were the heels of her boots meeting the ground with every step. It echoed down the hall, until she could hear it multiplying just up ahead. Curious, she expanded the flame in her palm to cover more ground, revealing a split path before her. The tunnel turned to two, one path leading to her left, the other to her right. She tilted her head, wondering to herself which path she should take.

Looking between the two, she made another fire in her other palm. Then, one after the other, she swung her arms in the direction of each hall, using her mana to throw the balls of fire down each path. Briefly she was left in darkness as the flames swiftly lit the tunnels, revealing what laid ahead until the flames were extinguished by hitting the wall at the end of the paths. There seemed to be nothing special about either tunnel, and Nelanna had seen that both opened to more tunnels at the very end. They were practically identical. She supposed there was no way of knowing which path would lead to treasure until she sees where they lead. Only if Kohaku were with her, or Cecil, then they could have split up to cover more ground.

She quickly shook the thought from her mind, hardening her eyes as she made another fire in her palm for light again. Both Cecil had his own worries, and Kohaku was becoming distant again, just as he always did around this time of year. She could always feel, even now so far away, that Kohaku is suffering inside. She didn’t want to bother either of them. Nelanna had to help them, even if that meant staying away for a while and handling things on her own.

She turned down one of the halls and followed to the end where the path split once more, then made another turn. As she went further the tunnels split into more and more, as if this place was some kind of maze. But that wasn’t the only thing she noticed. There was a smell that began gradually growing, a horrid reek that made her want to lose more than just her appetite. She groaned with disgust, her eyes narrowing, brow furrowing as she covered her nose and mouth in an attempt to block someone of the smell. Nelanna had been around long enough to know that something must be rotten, perhaps dead, somewhere within these mines.

And then she remembered it. There were undead among her. That must be it.

Suddenly, a sound caught her attention. She could hear something clanking against metal, and hear the cries of the undead. She paused in her spot for a moment, looking ahead. At first she couldn’t see anything, for it was further than where her flames light could reach, hidden under the cloak of darkness. Then, there was a quick flash of light, briefly revealing the form of another person fighting the undead. Their voice was heard, and was followed by another spell. Holy light.

Though it had not been aimed at her, Nelanna turned her head and covered her eyes to protect them from the sudden brightness of the spell. And when it was over, she was free to see once more. Smiling softly, she approached the stranger, expanding the flame in her hand a little so the two could see each other more clearly.

“Hello there,” she greeted kindly. “Are you in need of any assistance?”

The immediate thread taken care of the angel sighed, undead, unholy vile things brought back to life by evil magic. She hated it, all of it, it was the kind of evil that she believed needed to be wiped from the face of the world, cleansed in holy fire if needed.

With her only source of light being her sword glowing in the dark she easily caught the extra light from another tunnel that was close to her. She spun around only to see a female elf standing there with a flame in her hand for light, Sirona relaxed when she realized that the elf wasn’t undead, but living and, it seemed, willing to help. Sirona managed a smile from under the hood of her armour. “Greetings. Your assistance will be most welcome, killing the dead again can be lonely work, to know that I am not the only living being down here would be a comfort.” She replied with a slight bow. ”I am Sirona.” As she spoke her name her wings unfolded just a bit as she unconsciously stretched them for a moment before they folded against her back again.

“I have not been down here long, I don’t know how far these tunnels go down. I am not interested in the treasures that have been rumoured to be down here, I am simply here to cleanse as much of the undead as I can from this place. The idea that they may bring harm to others sickens me.” Sirona explained. ”What brings you down here?”

“My name is Nelanna Rey Fox, but you may call me Nelanna,” she red-haired maiden curtsied in greeting, moments before she noticed the large wings spreading slightly behind Sirona. She blinked for a moment, then smiled brightly. Is Sirona an angel? She wondered, briefly attempting to think of other races that had wings like hers. But the though was quickly abandon as she returned her mind to the here and now.

Sirona started again, explaining her reason for coming and how long she has been down her. And honestly, it made Nelanna feel ashamed when she was asked about her reason for coming. The winged woman had a noble reason; to protect others from the dangers in the mines that could find their way out, while Nelanna was here to gather some treasure before she lost all of her money and wound up on the streets. She wasn’t greedy, taking all the treasure her pockets could hold was no interest of hers. She didn’t wish to become rich, only to survive in a world that is run by money.

Either way, it’s a selfish reason. While she’s looking for ways to take care of herself, others are at risk of being in danger because of the undead within these tunnels. Her smile faltered as she rubbed her nape sheepishly, “I’m ashamed to admit my reasons aren’t so noble. It’s…quite selfish, really.” She paused, averting her gaze whilst silently scolding herself. “I haven’t been down her very long either,” she added in an attempt to change the subject before Sirona asked anything more on the matter. “How many undead have you come across thus far? I haven’t even seen one until I discovered you fighting them. Do you truly believe they would put those on the outside at risk?” She tilted her head, blinking curiously.

”A pleasure, Nelanna.” Sirona replied with a smile and a slight nod of her head in Nelanna’s direction. At Nelanna’s words of why she was down here the angel smiled again. ”No shame in that, Nelanna.” Sirona spoke honestly, who was she to judge? As long as Nelanna would use that money to help herself and her family if she had one and not for any malicious reasons it was fine with Sirona. ”I’m not above taking some treasure for myself if I come across anything. An angel I may be, but I know the use of silver and gold as well as anyone else.” She explained with a slight chuckle.

”Just the pack I just finished off, I haven’t been down here too long either.” She thought for a moment. ”To the outside? Perhaps not as they are averse to the light so I don’t believe that they will try and leave the mines. I am more worried about anyone else coming down here that aren’t prepared to fight their way through the undead.” Sirona explained. ”Now, I suppose it’s time I continue further into the mine, join if you wish, Nelanna.”

After a moment Sirona turned and started to head down a tunnel, her sword leading the way, shield up in front of her. She was about a hundred years through the tunnel when a garbled groan came down the tunnel, just barely echoing as it did. ”Ah, there are more. Do you have a means to fight? Or shall I take care of them?” She asked, wanting to know where each of them stood as far as fighting went.

Nelanna unintentionally let a sigh of relief escape her lips when Sirona was not displeased by her wanting some of the treasures. For a moment there Nelanna was worried she had already displeased the angel, lowering her chances of making a possible new friend.

Then Sirona began explaining why she was worried for the safety of others. Nelanna tilted her head to the side in thought. It made sense that the undead would make no attempt to leave the sheltering darkness of the mines, so those outside were safe as far as they knew. However, why would anyone wish to enter without preparing for danger beforehand? She supposed only a fool would do something like that. Thankfully, Nelanna was not one of those fools. Sheathed on her back were her twin falchions, a dagger strapped to her right thigh, and her mana full and ready to throw some powerful magic blows towards her foes.

As if her thoughts had the power to summon, more undead appeared before them. Nelanna smiled at Sirona’s words and stepped in front of the angel, offering her a reassuring pat on her shoulder as she went by. Then, after closing her eyes only for a moment to build up her mana, she directed it down her arm until the flame in her palm grew more brilliant. Her arm then became outstretched, aiming the attack directly ahead at her oncoming foes. The halls suddenly filled with heat as bright red flames came spiraling down the hall, touching the walls and singeing them to black with its wide range.

The cries of the undead echoed through the hollow halls, until they were completely burnt. Nelanna’s flames weren’t hot enough to turn them to ash entirely, but it was enough to kill them as needed. Her nose scrunched up as the foul scent of burning rotten flesh reached her nose, and she placed her hand over it and her mouth to try blocking the aroma. She turned back to Sirona. “What does that tell you?” She replied with a playful giggle.

Sirona watched as Nelanna stepped in front of her, feeling the mana was it was gathered up into a spell. She blinked and glanced away from the sudden flash of light from Nelanna’s fire magic as it lit up the darkness and set the undead on fire. Their cries of pain made even the angel’s skin crawl but she looked back to see the undead falling to the ground, nose wrinkling at the newest profane scent in the air. That was horrible!

Nelanna turned back to her and Sirona grinned at the woman’s words. ”Tells me I found a good ally to have down here.” She replied her grin turning into a smile as she picked her way carefully past the once again dead undead, keeping an eye for any that may not have been as dead as they appeared.

But when nothing jumped out at the Sirona held her sword out the blade itself had a glow to it as fog slowly formed around its cold surface. At the tip of her blade Sirona formed some more holy light but instead of blasting it ahead of her, she kept it attached to the tip of the blade and shined it down the cave as they walked, lighting the way. ”Holy and light magic does have extra advantages.” She chuckled to herself as she continued.

It didn’t take too long before they came across another pack of undead, this was rather large in an open cavern. Unfortunately the way the cave wound itself around Sirona’s light gave them away that they were close so the undead were already shambling towards them. ”Well, so much for a surprise attack this time.” Sirona sighed.

Without another word the angel charged forward with her blade raised and shield up. She bashed one zombie aside while slicing another’s head off. The one she bashed away Sirona turned on, a blade snapped out of the left wrist of her armour and she used that to decapitate the undead before she sheathed that again with a snap and was able to use her shield again.

In her shield hand Sirona formed a ball of holy light and tossed it among the undead, making them groan in pain as the light burned them where they stood. While Sirona continued to move about them taking heads and limbs off as she could, trusting to Nelanna to be safe on her own and not catch her in friendly, literal, fire.

Her smile grew at Sirona’s compliment. She then followed the angel, holding yet another flame within her palm to offer light behind the other’s glowing sword. Part of her was curious about the Holy magic and light magic Sirona suddenly spoke of, bringing her eyes to linger on the brilliant light at the sword’s tip for a moment. But she decided that could be something to discuss at a later date. Up ahead, the hall opened to what looked like a cave. She stopped behind Sirona, eyes hardening on their oncoming foes.

Following the angel’s lead, Nelanna drew her blades and joined the battle. She slashed the chest of the nearest undead, quickly spun around it as it stumbled and stabbed it between its shoulder blades. Then, as she withdrew it, the other blade came swinging, lopping its head off with a clean cut. As far as she knew, beheading them was one of the best ways of making sure they stay dead.

It fell to the ground, and she turned her attention over to the next one. One by one, she slashed their heads off, burning others to a crisp if they were too far for her blades to reach, all the while looking around for her companion to make sure she was still alright. Finally, when she reached a good stopping point, she paused to watch Sirona finish off some undead on her end. Nelanna smiled with admiration gleaming in her eyes. Just when she was about to call out to Sirona, another swarm of undead suddenly appeared from the darkness of the cave. It was almost as if they were hiding away the whole time.

Nelanna’s eyes hardened again as she prepared herself for another fight. However, on her side of the cave, from somewhere up ahead, red flames exploded into the mob of undead, reaching across the cave and burning everything in its path to ash. Nelanna had to step behind a tall rock nearby to avoid getting hit by the flames. Their heat was so intense as they went by, grazing the side of the rock and turning it black. Once the flames burned out, Nelanna dared to peek out from behind the rock, and was amazed by what she saw.

Most of the undead on her side of the cave were wiped out, leaving nothing but piles of ashes and a scorched ground where the flames had been. Another burst of flames appeared, aimed at a different group of undead further ahead, destroying everything in its wake. And in that moment, she caught a glimpse of what was throwing the fire from the dim lighting. It looked like a shadow, almost blending with the darkness of the cave, but its shape was clear enough.

Her eyes just about sparkled, and without hesitation she ran to Sirona’s side, lopping off the head of an undead that was coming up behind the angel. “There’s a dragon up ahead!” She announced, all too excited to see the fascinating creature that she’s admired since childhood.

Sirona turned to face the horde of undead that had come seemingly from nowhere, but then something else felt just wrong to her. At first the angel thought that her companion was the one expelling the flames but when she started to feel just how intense they were Sirona started to second guess herself. Sirona was now forced to take cover from the fire, making sure her wings were tucked in tight, last thing she needed was singed feathers.

The undead were burnt straight to ashes in a short time that was the power of the fire, but Sirona from her position couldn’t see where it was coming from if not from Nelanna. Another blast of fire and Sirona shielded herself from it, by the Gods that was powerful! Suddenly Nelanna was next to her and her words made the angel’s eyes widen; a dragon?! Down here? Carefully Sirona peaked out from behind her cover and, ya, there was a dragon out there for sure it seemed to be looking for more undead. ”At least it seems to be against the undead. Stay here.” Sirona spoke as she stood slowly.

Stepping out from behind her cover Sirona sheathed her blade, the undead in this area were all burnt up anyway. She kept her shield in her hand, just in case, but with her blade sheathed and her hands out she carefully got into the dragon’s line of sight. ”Greetings, great dragon. We thank you for the help with the undead. We mean you no harm, and have no interest in your treasure that may be ahead, we are simply here to help cleanse this place of the undead.” She spoke, in dragon no less, or at least the dragon language that se knew, Sirona knew a few languages apart from Basic. ”If you are willing, we could help each other, my friend and I and yourself, continue to cleanse this place of the evil that is festering here.” Her voice was calm despite her nervousness, and she was still keeping her distance, a distance that she hoped would be enough to give her time to dodge a possible attack. Not all dragons were intelligent enough to converse with others outside of their own kin, so she had to prepare for that possibility.