Despite what had just happened, I was still feeling weak from the constant channeling of magic and needed to rest. None of us intended to sleep now, so instead, we all sat in silence in the darkness. I don’t know how long we sat there, lost in thought, but finally, Duncan spoke up.

“I'm not sure what is happening with me, but thank you, guys. Thank you for being here with me and helping me. I have no idea what would have happened if I hadn’t come back to find you.”

“Of course, Duncan, that’s what friends are for,” Tee replied.

“Yeah,” I said.

I looked toward Duncan as I spoke, and that was when I noticed the change in his scars. The ones that had turned red during the attack were glowing. The red glow was so faint that I don’t know if I would have noticed it in the light, but the darkness of the cave we were in made the glow obvious. I had no idea what it meant or why this was happening to Duncan, but I had a feeling it had something to do with that necklace he found. Not long after our conversation, I felt strong enough to set out. I summoned the small fireball back into my hand, and we stood as one and set off into the cavern again.

As we rounded what felt like the hundredth corner, I saw light in the distance. I had to do a double-take. We had been in the dark for so long. First, I thought the pinprick of yellow was an illusion. When I realized the light was really there and not in my head, I placed one hand up to stop Tee and the other on Duncan’s shoulder.

“You guys see that light up ahead, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, I see it. I might look old, but my eyes work just fine.” Tee quipped.

“I see it too, but there is no point in trying to sneak up on who or whatever it is. If we can see their light, they can see ours.” Duncan said.

“You’ve got a point,” Tee said.

As a group, we started towards the light. I kept my hand on the handle of my club, and I could make out Duncan’s right hand resting on the hilt of his knife as we walked. I could see the light growing brighter as it got closer to us. Whatever the source of the light was, it was moving towards us at approximately the same speed we were moving towards it.

“Hello?” A feminine voice called out.

“I think that’s this Rose person,” Tee whispered into Duncan’s ear.

“I think you’re right,” Duncan replied.

“Hello, my name is Brodie. This is Tee and Duncan. Are you Rose?” I called out.

“Yes, I’m Rose, but how do you know who I am?”

“Your father sent us to find you. He was worried about you.”

“Oh, now he’s worried about me, huh?”

“He seemed to be very concerned; I mean, that’s why we are here.”

“He hasn’t been worried about anyone else from the tribe that has gone missing in the last couple of months.”

“I don’t know anything about that. All I know is he asked us to come get you and bring you back to the tribe, and that’s exactly what we plan to do.”

Rose came into view, and she was gorgeous; she looked like she was in her early twenties with long brunette hair and deep brown eyes. From the waist down, she was a crab-like creature covered in chitin that shimmered blue in the light of the fires. I’ll admit I was stunned by the beauty of her top half and the mild disgust of her bottom half. It was a rather strange feeling.

“Stop staring,” Tee whispered as he jabbed his elbow into my side.

I quickly averted my eyes as I realized Tee was right; I was staring at Rose. I told myself this was not the time or place to get like this. I was trapped in a strange world, not even sure if I was alive or dead. The last thing I needed to do was get all wrapped up over some pretty girl. Thankfully, Duncan jumped in and took charge of the conversation, and I hoped Rose hadn’t noticed me acting like a smitten schoolboy.

“As Brodie said, we are taking you back to your father, so come along. We don’t have much time.”

“I’m not leaving this place until I figure out why my people keep going missing.”

“You’re people?”

“Yes, my people. You’ve clearly met my father, and you know he is the ruler of the Shatar tribe, and you also know he is old. As his only child, someday it will be my duty to lead the Shatar, and unlike him, I don’t plan to be pushed around.”

“Pushed around?” I asked.

“For as long as I can remember, my father has done whatever Aqua Marine and her cronies ask. He believes that doing things like building their temples and the clubhouse will keep the Shatar in good favor with the Golfers, or at least left alone. I know that’s not true, though; I know Aqua and all the Golfers are evil, and once the Shatar are no longer of use, they will be eradicated. I also know the disappearances that have been happening are Aqua’s fault, and I’m going to prove it to my father!”

“That’s fine, and you and your father can sort all that out once we get you out of this cave and back to the tribe,” Duncan said.

“No, I tracked them to these caves. Whoever is taking my tribesmen is taking them here, and I have no intention of leaving until I find them. I was close before you guys showed up. Not far from where I was, there was a door, which I found odd since we were in a cave. So you can either help me figure this out, or you can go back the way you came. I don’t care. Either way, I’m not leaving until I find my people!”

“Fuck, we’re going to help her, aren’t we?” I said.

“Yes, we are,” Duncan said as he slapped me. I really had to work on the cursing.

“Good, then follow me. It’s not too far from here,” Rose said.

Our little group set off towards the door, following Rose’s lead. I made sure to turn off my magical torch as we went; there was no point in wasting my energy when we had another light source now. The door was bigger than I could have imagined. It towered over us, at least nine feet tall. With the size of it, I felt that it should have been one of those fancy double doors like you see on a castle. This was, however, a single door with a very large knob in the center of the rotting wood. Rose reached out with both hands and grabbed the knob. Duncan, Tee, and I readied our weapons just in case. Rose turned the knob slowly, and the door exploded inwards.

The four of us stood in shock as we watched the splinters that moments ago were a door rain to the ground. As the dust cleared, we could see beyond the door. The room was massive and illuminated by giant yellow mushrooms. Large vats of green goo lined the perimeter of the chamber. Standing in the middle was a giant of a man. He was twelve feet of rippling muscle and hair. At first glance, he appeared human, but then I noticed the fin sprouting from his back. He smiled as he saw us in the entrance, revealing row after row of razor-sharp teeth.

“Oh fuck.” Rose said.

“Indeed,” I replied.