Chapter 17: Sweet Dreams
They set up camp at the edge of the forest, so as not to disturb the beautiful meadow in front of the tomb. Although they had arrived in the early afternoon, the Hunters had decided to take a rest for the day and head into the cave the next morning. They prepared a large meal, and even Captain Salarime helped with the cooking. Everyone seemed in high spirits and with all the stories and laughter, Kaleb thought it was more a celebration than a rest.
"What exactly are you going to hunt?" Kaleb asked Elroth.
Kaleb, Elroth and Ameri were sitting at the edge of the camp enjoying their food. Neither of the men were the type to appreciate the overly festive atmosphere the rest of the troupe was enjoying. Ameri, on the other hand, had been in a somber mood ever since they had arrived in front of the tomb. Even now he was looking off toward the cave, lost in thought, his face unreadable. Kaleb was once again wondering if accepting this mission was a bad idea.
"We were told that there was a pack of low level Death Fogs in the upper floors. Since acid element beasts are rare to find above ground the price for the cores is relatively high."
"What are you boys chatting about all alone over here?" Salarime asked in a teasing tone as she walked over to them carrying two bowls.
"We were talking about Death Fogs and the value they hold despite the core being the only valuable part." Elroth told her in a droning manner.
"It was a rhetorical question, Elroth. I didn't need a report." Salarime retorted, her teasing tone and smile falling away.
"Then, as a Captain who is supposed to receive reports, have you thought about not asking rhetorical questions that might prompt reports?" Elroth asked her unrepentant.
The two held eye contact for several seconds. Salarime glaring daggers at her vice-captain while Elroth's gaze remained as uncommitted to emotion as ever.
Salarime was the first to break their deadlock, turning to Kaleb and Ameri with her smile returning.
"I know you two must be exhausted after our long trip. So, I brought you a restorative tea that will help you recover. As thanks for all your hard work." She said playfully, giving them a wink and handing them the bowls she had carried over.
"Restorative tea sounds quite beneficial. Did you bring any for me?" Elroth asked.
"There's more at the fire. You can get it yourself." She said with a huff, turning to leave.
"See, I told you she was a nice person." Elroth told Kaleb as he got up and followed her toward the fire.
Ameri drank the tea without really seeming to register that it was there. Kaleb followed suit as he watched his young friend with worry. He didn't know how to handle these situations. Although he had also lost both his parents when he was very young, Kaleb had no memories of them. To top it off he had almost no ability to empathize with people in the first place. This led to a disconnect of wanting to help, but having no idea how to accomplish it.
Kaleb felt tired. It had been a long week of harsh travel and trying to deal with this emotional puzzle was more than Kaleb could handle in his current state. He decided that it would be best to try to help tomorrow while the Hunters were in the tomb. He saw Ameri yawn heavily and concluded that was the right choice.
"Lets get some sleep, Ameri." Kaleb grabbed Ameri's shoulders and guided him to his bed roll.
"Mhm."
Kaleb collapsed onto his own bedroll next to Ameri's, and fell into a deep sleep. Not even bothering to cover himself.
"Sweet dreams" Kaleb heard as if it was far off in the distance but right in his ear at the same time.
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Kaleb awoke from a dreamless sleep to stare up into the darkness, unsure why he was awake. He still felt quite groggy as if he had woken up far too soon. He glanced around, his eyes half open, but couldn't see anything, not the embers from the fire or the moon or the stars.
Confused, Kaleb decided to roll over to go back to sleep when he caught on something, jolting him awake. Something was wrapped around his right wrist keeping his arm pulled away from his body. Kaleb tried to grab it with his other hand only to find it in a similar predicament.
Kaleb was now fully awake, as understanding dawned on him. Not only his arms, but also his legs were bound. He also seemed to be tied to something solid, as his squirming didn't shift his position. He was stuck in a spread eagle position.
Suddenly Kaleb heard two rocks striking each other, drawing his eyes to a shower of sparks. This was repeated twice, before a torch caught those sparks and illuminated Salarime's smirking face.
"Well, well, well. Don't we seem to be in a predicament." The playfulness her voice normally had was cut with a dark undertone of malice.
"What's going on?" Kaleb stopped his struggling, knowing it was pointless.
'What have you done!? I told you not to trust humans! Are you this stupid!?' Rackshar's mighty roars echoed in Kaleb's mind.
Kaleb decided to ignore the dragon and instead spent his time looking around quickly. It was worse than he could have imagined.
They were underground. Although the torch didn't illuminate much of their surroundings, Kaleb could grasp that they were in a large cave. The light only brushed the ceiling and hit one rocky wall. The floor was the same solid rock as the wall and Kaleb could see that his bonds were tied to thick metal stakes driven into that rock.
Salarime drew a breath as if to answer his question, but a groan from Kaleb's side drew both their attention. Ameri's staked out form could just be made out, rising from the shadows cast on the ground. Lucidity came to Ameri as he discovered his lack of freedom. Kaleb could almost watch the panic rising in the young mans eyes, despite being unable see him clearly.
"Wha!?" Ameri began to struggle violently against his tethers. As he glanced around franticly until his eyes landed on Salarime's sinisterly illuminated figure, encompassed in shadow and torch light. He stared at her, the light dancing in the reflection of his wide eyes, his mouth agape.
"Now that everyone is here we can start the party." Salarime said.
As if her words were a command the area behind her lit up as torch after torch joined her own. It was clear that whatever was going on, her entire team was in on it. Kaleb's eyes didn't register any of them though. His gaze never left the holder of the second torch to ignite.
Elroth gazed at the two grounded figures with complete indifference on his face. Kaleb knew in an instant that he had made a mistake, because he had always been bad at reading people. For Ameri, on the other hand, Elroth's presence seemed to be his final straw.
"Elroth! What are you doing! I thought we were friends! Why are you doing this!" Ameri's shouts echoed in the enclosed space.
"I wouldn't be worried about Elroth right now." Salarime told him in a sickly sweet voice. "But, I'll answer your question for you. We need bait. You see the den of the creature we are hunting is right over there."
She gave a wave of her torch toward the wall close enough to be seen in the torch light. With her motion Kaleb could make out a crevasse splitting the wall. It was only wide enough for one person to enter at a time, and a broad man would have his shoulders scrape the edges. It's depths were still hidden in shadow, but for some reason Kaleb felt like he could see movement in those depths.
"We need them drawn out into the open. We figure that the opportune time to strike is while they're busy ripping you, their tasty treats, apart. Wouldn't you agree?" She asked in a conversational tone her smirk widening.
'I will personally see that bitch in hell!' Rackshar's roars continued in Kaleb's mind without stopping. Kaleb was trying his best to drown them out so he could focus when they went silent on their own.
Kaleb glanced at the crevasse again, and what he saw made his blood freeze in his veins.
Two glowing eyes became clear, as a blood curdling shriek echoed from the den.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone