Obran descended slowly down the stairs; he held his loaded crossbow but didn’t turn on a torch, even though he didn’t see or hear anything. At the bottom of the staircase Obran saw a long passage which continued far into the darkness; it was fairly narrow, no more than two people could walk abreast and Gaius and Agrippa would have to duck down to not hit their heads. He couldn't see to the end of the tunnel and it seemed to continue and continue without end. He walked ahead until he was sure there was no danger then he walked back to the base of the stairs.
"I didn't hear or see anything," Obran said. "But just light one torch for now and stay a few feet behind me in case there are any traps."
"Okay. Elissa, stay close to me and Grips, you bring up the rear," Gaius said.
"But sir, let's close the gate in case anyone tries to follow," Agrippa said.
“Alright,” Gaius said.
Gaius and Agrippa pulled the wooden door over the entrance, and closed the bolts from the inside. Hopefully no creatures from the fae forest would follow them. Tori lit a torch and Gaius and Agrippa held their swords as Obran walked ahead of them; orcs and especially dwarves liked to place traps in their halls and mines, so he proceeded slowly. Soon, Obran saw what looked like a room, dug into to one side of the passage. He put up his arm and the others stopped. Obran crouched down and creeped forward, aiming his crossbow ahead of him but luckily the room was empty. It was a modestly sized room which seemed to have been a housing quarter. There were some old mats, chairs, and a ratty looking table; the walls were covered in fresco paintings. Seeing no one, Obran signaled the others that it was safe to approach.
“These paintings look like the ones I’ve seen in abbeys,” Obran said.
"Yeah, you're right," Tori said as they all entered the room and looked around.
In one painting there was a man sitting and eating with his followers, another with him preaching before a crowd, one with the same man being flayed alive, and lastly another of him rising into the sky.
“What is this place,” Tori finally said as she stroked the engraved carvings that lined several tombs built directly into the walls.
“Catacombs—tombs and hiding places of followers of the way,” Gaius said. “This place was secret for over a generation; the followers built them into the mountains thinking they would be safe here."
They continued down the main tunnel; Obran’s compass said they were headed northwest. They passed several similar chambers, most of which had sealed tombs, finally passing one with a shrine and a large, stone “X” behind it. People must have dug out and lived here for decades, Obran thought. They passed several smaller passages from the main path but ignored them. They needed to stick to the main tunnel and hopefully find the way out. They hardly talked, not wanting to attract attention and finally after several hours Obran reached the end of the tunnel. There stood a round stone sealing another entrance.
“Should we continue?” Tori said.
“Yes, it should be okay,” Gaius said. “The dwarves mined these mountains, though they weren't very lucrative.”
“So there could still be dwarves then?” Tori said.
“I doubt it. They've stripped this area and moved on. That’s why they want the dwarven mountains back,” Gaius said.
The four of them rolled the stone door open. Once clear it revealed a larger hall, one that was surely made by dwarves. It had a high ceiling and several stone structures and statues had been carved directly into the rocks. There were also signs of mining—old equipment and smaller tunnels, though there was no sign of any dwarves.
“I’ll go in first. You all can wait for me here,” Obran said.
“It’s okay Obran. Even if there are dwarves here we are still in Roman soil,” Gaius said.
“Sir?” Agrippa said.
“Don’t worry so much, Grips,” Gaius said.
“Okay sir,” Agrippa said.
They entered the large hall and Gaius lit another torch but Obran kept his crossbow ready and Tori took out her bow. I should let Gaius go first, Obran thought. He had never been in a dwarven mine and hoped his presence wouldn’t complicate things since dwarves were not particularly friendly to gremlins.
“So did the dwarves dig here after those catacombs were built?” Tori said.
“I think so; I don’t think the followers expected to run into dwarves,” Gaius said.
“Maybe some converted,” Obran said.
“Maybe,” Gaius said. "Either way the followers didn't stay much longer."
They walked on the largest path leading outside the hall. They were still a couple of days from Genoa and Obran hoped crossing under the mountains had been faster than going over them.
“What did they dig here?” Tori said.
“A bit of everything I think: copper, iron, tin, even gold and silver but the mines in Italy are not very productive,” Gaius said.
“Is that part of the reason you Romans are fighting to take back the dwarven mountains, for the riches there,” Tori said.
“Well it certainly helps dear and we have to repay the dwarves for their help,” Gaius said.
“Treasure and riches, I hope the war is worth it,” Tori said
“There are plenty of mines in Hispania, your highness, which Carthaginian slaves have excavated,” Agrippa said.
“Hmmm,” Tori said.
I just hope there are no gremlin slaves mining them, Obran thought.
The tunnel soon began to climb upwards. It was a difficult route and they were forced to climb over many rock outcropping and even wade through some pools of water. Finally after nearly the whole day Obran saw a hint of light ahead of them. 195Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ38gS5ekm1I
