Naughty neighbors -( solo )

[blackdog1]

Milo walked into the clearing that was his forest homestead and could smell the fairy piss. He surveyed the scene and didn't like what he saw. What was once a quite and neat nook in the trees looked worse for wear every morning as of late. His neighbors had to be stopped. Every night they destroyed something. Every time he went away things went missing or were wrecked. He always thought that he a good relationship with the fairies, maybe things were changing.

He gritted his teeth as he picked up pieces of cured oak that were to be arrow shafts and tossed the twisted sticks into a pile of kindling. Looking up at his favorite shade tree he saw carved into it - N.F.F. - .

"What the hell is that crap, NFF ?. nuckle-head fucking fairies ?"

"Mousetrap," he called as he stomped back toward his hut, "come on out here you little weasel."

The weasel appeared out of small crevice in the hut, whiskers twittering, "what, what?

"If you want meat," he instructed, "feel free to kill a few fairies."

The weasel didn't know what to say, so he just scurried back to one of his holes.

Milo moved about much faster than he needed to due to his growing agitation. Unnecessarily slamming things and throwing junk about he ' tidied up ' the area around his earth and wood hut, removing as much of the fairy evidence as possible. Calming down a bit, he went about streamlining his gear for a visit to the fairy chieftain. He had no need for his bow, cloak, or bed roll , but he would carry must of his regular gear. You never know what the little people would throw at you, not that they were usually violent or intentionally harmful, it's just that things could take an unexpected and unpredictable course when magical and mischievous beings were involved.

He changed his pace as he left the homestead and headed to a known meeting place of the fairies. It would do no good to arrive before dusk, no fairy would approach him until then. The travel time would be best spent thinking of what he wanted to say at his meeting and how he would like it to end.

[blackdog1]

The meeting place was on the edge of a large meadow with backlit grasses and long evening shadows. The tranquility of the meadow eased the frustrations that made the visit necessary.

An area devoid of tall grass but containing a rind of short vibrant grass was the location that he was looking for. Milo looked at the Fairy Ring, trying to relax and resign himself to the childish behavior that he was about to resort to.

Did he really need to run around this little ring of grass with his hands above his head? And how many times did he need to run around it, was it nine or ten, he couldn't remember. Couldn't he just call out ' hey, i'm over here, let's talk ' , guess not.

He felt foolish and humiliated before he even got started.

Just as he was beginning to get dizzy and lose count of his laps of idiocy ( was it nine or ten? ), he heard the giggles of a child followed by a very unchildlike womans voice.

"Silly man, can't you count?", It was either one of the most alluring female voices he had ever heard or he had been alone in the forest far too long.

Milo stopped his running, feeling more foolish than when he started, and took a step toward the lovely voice. He was forced to tilt his head to avoid the last harsh rays of sunset.

" I couldn't remember if it was nine or ten, " he replied while trying to slow his breathing.

" Nine. Always nine," she said with a distinct tease in her voice.

He thought she was an attractive little thing, if you didn't mind the wings. Little being the key. She was about as tall as his hand was long. If she were only five feet taller ,he thought.

Milo caught himself. Magical, mischievous creatures. If he let himself forget that he could end up in a pile of trouble before he knew it.

She broke the growing silence, " What can I help you with,big boy?" She crossed her bare legs demurely and focused her slightly too big eyes on him.

" I would like a meeting with your local chief or possibly the Fairy Queen."

" No to the Queen," she answered, " but I can have you locked in with the chief in no time at all."

She was up and away in the blink of an eye and Milo had to sprint into the darkening forest to catch up. The little fairy flew at a steady pace deeper into the forest. Milo found himself whipped and tripped by unseen branches and roots as he ran to try to keep up with her speedy and easy movement.

As quickly as she started, she stopped in a small open space in the forest. There was barely enough light for Milo to make out his surroundings. It was an unremarkable clearing, the over head branches just open enough to let in whatever light was left in the sky.

She was still, hovering at eye level for a moment as Milo once again tried to slow his breathing down to normal.

" This is it," she said, spreading her arms in presentation.

" This is what?" Milo asked.

To add to his confusion, the fairy abruptly shot skyward and he could feel his body being struck with small objects. He felt small soft impacts on his body and could hear others landing around him. The sudden burning and foul taste that filled his eyes, nose, mouth and lungs couldn't be good. The sudden rush of dizziness combined with the blackness and stars that overwhelmed his vision brought him to his knees in seconds. He was not even aware as his head hit the forest floor.

[blackdog1]

Waking up was not a pleasant experience. His head throbbed and felt full of cotton, his mouth had a taste too foul to think about and his lungs still burned. Milo didn't try to move his body right away, he figured the safest course was to learn something about his new surroundings before he tried to move around them.

He could tell that he was in a small cave or burrow only tall enough to possibly sit up in and about ten feet deep and wide. The outside opening was illuminated by a small camp fire and the depths contained a scattering of some sort of bio-luminesent fungi. Far from revealing, but enough light to wok in.

Not seeing or hearing anyone fairy-like about, Milo attempted to sit up to better get his bearings. His head swam and he nearly vomited in his crotch, but he made it up, discovering in the process that both his wrists and ankles were tied.

Milo let out a long sigh and leaned his aching head against the cool cave wall.

" Ogre Balls, " someone said.

Milo thought he was alone. Stupid thought. " Ogre Balls?," he asked back, trying to find the source of the voice.

" That's why you feel so bad, Ogre Balls. It'll wear off pretty soon." said the floating voice.

" That little sexy bit...",

" Yolanda, " the floating voice interrupted , " she's something all right."

Milo discovered the source of the hidden voice. A small birdcage hung in one of the darkest nooks of the cave. He also realized that they had taken all of his gear with the exception of his small work knife that was still sheathed on his belt. Not much of a weapon in most situations, it became a veritable broadsword in the fairy world.

He tried to keep up his end of the conversation as he contorted his body to wrestle his work knife out of its sheath and into his hands.

" You seem to know a lot," Milo asked the ceiling, " Where are we and who are you? "

" This is the back entrance to the Fairy warren. Its mostly used as a short cut or a storage area. And me, I'm the local Chief. "

That Yolanda was funny, ' locked in with the Chief ' , Ha,Ha.

" I guess I'm in luck then, " Milo continued as he twisted on the ground, " you're just the guy I was coming to see. It seems that your people have been overly destructive lately. "

" My people have been worse than you think recently, " the Chief said, " in fact they have been getting worse. More of them are going bad everyday and I'm at a loss as to what to do. "

This wasn't good news for Milo, the sharp pain in his hand wasn't either. He could feel the fresh blood on the knife, making it slick and harder to handle. One small slice was all it took to finally free his hands, his feet quickly followed. He assessed the cut on his hand, not too bad, but it would continue to bleed unless he did something about it.

Milo walked on his knees over to the birdcage and peered inside. The Chief had been treated poorly. Fairy filth littered the cage and the fairy himself showed the cuts, scrapes and bruises of rough handling.

" Are you O.K.?" Milo asked.

" I've been better, but I'll live," he pointed toward the cage door " if you would? "

Milo opened the cage door and lowered the fairy to the cave floor. The Chief walked over to a small barrel and took a long drink of water before he spoke again.

" Oslo, please don't call me Chief ," the fairy flexed his wings with a wince, one looked like it may be broken, hurting at the very least. " You would be Milo, the only big person that lives in our part of the forest."

He extended a hand in greeting that Milo received with his pinkie.

"Well Oslo, what do we do about the bad fairies, we can't let them get any worse."

" I don't know, " answered Oslo, " but now would be a good time to search the warren for some answers while most of the fairies are out and about in the forest."

Oslo went to a pile of crates and barrels and retrieved a lidded ceramic pot that was hidden behind them. He brought the pot over to Milo and offered a small yellow cake from inside it.

" Here, eat this."

" Why? "

" It makes everything equal, " Oslo said.

" You mean it makes me small."

" I mean it makes everything equal. "

" How do I get big again?, " Milo asked.

" Eat another cake."

Milo shrugged, took the cake and ate it, it was no bigger than a piece of grain. Within minutes he was eye to eye with Oslo and looking at the world with a new perspective. To his surprise the fairy magic effected everything about him, his boots, belt and all of his clothes were just as before.

" Wow, I think I'll be ready to go as soon as I find where they put my things," Milo said.

" They left everything outside the cave before they dragged you in."

Milo made his way to the cave entrance on his new little legs. What was a cramped space just moments ago was now fifty paces across.

Outside in the campfire light was his gear and weapons thrown in a heap. He placed a hand on his well used axe handle that was now twice as big as he was. His backpack and assorted gear towered above him.

The fairy magic may have changed what was with him, but the rest remained the same. He was now a little person armed with only his little knife and little brain.

He wrapped another fairy cake in a piece of cloth and tucked it safely in his pocket. He may be ready to deal with the fairies at their size and scale but he didn't want to stay this way.

[blackdog1]

Milo wrapped and bound his bleeding hand as he followed Oslo to the back of the cave. He would be following Oslo from here on in, his new ally on this adventure into the unknown.

" So what's your plan Oslo?," he asked as the fairy opened the stout door to the warren.

" I don't have one," Oslo answered, handing Milo a torch, " do you?"

Oslo passed through the door into a wide rough corridor that ran straight and uninterrupted for a good distance. There were no other doors or side passages off of the main tunnel and Oslo took the opportunity of easy travel to fill Milo in on the recent events in the Fairy warren.

According to Oslo, all of the deviant behavior among the fairies started in the South Chamber, farthest from where they were now. Within a few days of the first incidents the behavior spread like an illness and grew progressively worse. Acts of a general bad nature, extreme drunkenness, public urination, and other rude happenings gave way to thievery and violence within a few days. The same pattern spread into the Middle Hole where many of the common areas are. A fairy would be socially tolerable one day, the second he would be stealing his neighbors food and the third he would be fighting his friends in the street.

For reasons that Oslo and the remainder of the Council could not understand, the North Warren almost completely escaped the problem. Even fairies that lived in the North and had daily contact with other effected fairies did not show signs of the growing epidemic.

Those who could flee the warren did so, to seek sanctuary deep in the forest. They could survive there as long as they needed to. The other members of the Council were seized when Oslo was, but he had no idea where they were or if they were even alive.

After a few minutes of walking and talking, the tunnel began to widen and take on the growing dimensions of a long cave. Torch light could be seen here and there in the distance.

" We're at the edge of the North Warren now, " Oslo said in a low voice, " I would like to fetch something from my chambers while we're here."

Oslo began to ascend various flights of steps carved into the cave walls that moved them from one terrace to another. There was no pattern or reasoning that Milo could make of their path and he was soon confused as to where they had been. All the while they would pass openings and doors that Milo assumed were the fairies living quarters. They were all dark and empty with only the occasional outside torch for general and poor illumination.

Occasionally they would pass a random household item or a doorway that seemed to spew the entire contents of the chamber. The looters had already been through the area and made as mess in their wake.

" What did all of the fairies who turned bad have in common Oslo?, " Milo asked as they stealthily moved through the quiet warren.

" Again, I don't know, " he answered, " much of our food comes from the same source. It couldn't have been disease or no one would have been spared."

They came to a high terrace on the cave wall, Milo turned to look out and down. He could see most of the North Warren below them, dark and shadowy like a ghost town. Off in the distance, Oslo pointed out the Middle Hole, so called because of the hole to the outside in the ceiling. The South Warren was also visible from here, but only because of the excess of fire and torch light. The faintest echo of some sustained noise carried from the South. Oslo did not look pleased.

" It looks as if they are trying to burn themselves out." he said in a low sad voice, " Come, this is my home."

Was his home would be the proper way to say it. Oslo's chambers, a simple two room space, were the greatest mess they had seen yet. If it could be broken, it was. Nothing of value appeared to remain.

Oslo entered, nudging pieces of his possessions with the toe of his boot. He made his way to the back wall and immediately went to work on the wood paneling. Milo hesitated a moment then joined in when he realized his intent.

The small space behind the panel was a weapons cache. And fine weapons they were. Milo took what was given, a small shield and a longsword of fine steel.

" You keep some fine weapons on hand for a reputably peaceful people," Milo said while strapping on his shield and sword.

" Peace has always relied on fine weapons, my friend."

As they were leaving Oslo's wrecked home he blurted out, " Water! "

Milo looked at him, questioning.

" The South and Middle Warrens share water that the North does not, " Oslo clarified," we have a different source."

It made sense and was possible according to Oslo's story.

" So we go and check the source, " Milo said, eager for some action, " what is it? A stream or pond? "

" It's an underground spring that is diverted to the warren, " Oslo said, " I think we can get to it, I have not been there in years."

" Sounds reasonable to me, what's the shortest way there? " Milo asked even though he already knew what the answer would be.

They both turned and looked at the chaos of the South Warren. The flame and smoke made it look like a miniature hell from this distance. There was no knowing what misery and mayhem was taking place down there, but it was pretty easy to guess.

" Unfortunately, we need to go through that," Oslo said, pointing with his gleaming blade toward the heart of the South Warren, where the chaos seemed to center.

[blackdog1]

Back down the series of stairs and terraces they went to the main path on the cave floor. Milo grabbed a still burning torch along the way a walked beside Oslo in the ever widening space.

Just about when the silence began to get uncomfortable, Oslo paused to issue an update and a warning, "We take the main road all the way to the South warren, do not go into any of the side passages, you'll never find your way out if you need to."

Milo nodded his head in agreement with the offered advice, "How big is this place?," he asked.

"Bigger than you think," was Oslo's flat answer as he continued down the path.

When they entered the Middle Hole Milo could finally start to grasp the overall size of the warren. Terraces rose up six or eight high on either side of the cave walls and they passed numerous side passages and natural fissures as they went farther into the warren. The floor of the cave was also a maze of various types of structures and shelters. Wood, rock, moss and materials that were unfamiliar to Milo were cobbled together to become taverns and homes.

As they went deeper, the air of abandonment grew. Entire buildings had been burnt to embers, carts lay toppled in the street and the contents of homes were scattered everywhere. They saw evidence of fairies that had passed through, but none of the fairies themselves.

"It looks like a ghost town," Milo offered in a low voice.

A few moments later Oslo disagreed, "Not quite, look over there," as he pointed with his torch.

They hurried over to a figure that was face down in the dirt. In their torch light they could now see that he was obviously dead, neither checked for a life pulse.

"Things have gotten worse," Oslo said, shaking his head sadly, "they were not committing murder two days ago when I was captured."

The roar of a distant crowd broke the melancholy silence.

"That explains why no one is here," Milo said, "but makes me wonder what is going on there."

"I dare say that we will soon find out," Oslo answered as the turned away from the body and back to the main road.

The eerie quiet of the Middle Hole was broken by the crashing of a crate into the road in front of the companions. Unnerved by the sudden change, they both reacted as if preparing to be attacked. Milo raised his shield and cocking his torch behind him, ready to strike. Oslo tossed his torch ahead of him and drew his sword, his shield raised against any more possible flying objects.

Two rough looking fairies emerged from what used to be a tavern and headed directly toward them.

The larger of the two pointed a table leg at Oslo, "You!, " he bellowed, "I thought we were done with you." and moved with more purpose toward him.

He half ran and half flew at Oslo, gaining speed as he went and preparing to strike the best he could without tangling in his own wings.

Oslo firmly held his ground and patiently waited for the best instant to attack. Quickly and unexpectedly, he dodged below the large fairy and thrust his shield forward before his opponent could complete a full swing with his cudgel.

Surprised by the shield attack, the large fairy lost his momentum and prematurely landed with his feet firmly on the ground. Off balance and stunned by his failed attack, the large fairy did nothing to defend himself as Oslo lunged forward and pierced him square in the chest with his sword.

Milo did not have the opportunity to witness Oslo's easy win. The second fairy was running at him and swinging a jagged piece of wood wildly before him, closing the distance between them fast.

Milo threw his torch at the advancing fairy, he knew it was a feeble attempt, but he needed any advantage he could get. The fairy stopped to bat the torch away from him, it did not injure him at all, but it did give Milo the few seconds he needed.

Even though it was not his favorite weapon, Milo knew the basics of using a sword. He drew the sword with his right hand and shifted his body so that his shield arm faced the raging fairy.

The fairy's first attack was too easy to block with the shield, a simple overhead swing that started long before he reached Milo. The surprise came before Milo could counter-attack when the fairy ran full force into Milos shield.

Milo pushed back with the strength of his full body, easily shoving the now stumbling fairy back. He never realized how light they were.

Not wanting to loose his initiative, Milo quickly followed the push with a full force slash. His swing struck the fairy's club from his grip and still caught him across the ribs, not a killing blow, but enough to make him hesitate before attacking again.

As Milo stepped back, the fairy gathered himself to come at him again with his bare hands.

Milo simply leveled both shield and sword as the fairy came at him, and braced for the impact. When he felt the contact, he drove both forward, feeling the sword enter the fairy's body. He withdrew and let the fairy fall to the ground.

Oslo and Milo both disentangled themselves and took a few steps back from their bleeding and dying attackers.

"They didn't really fight," Milo said, "they just came at us senselessly."

"We can't keep doing this," Oslo said, pointing at the dying fairies, "we have to take a longer and quieter route to avoid making any more unwanted contact with my people."

Milo quietly agreed, they may not directly fight, but a mob could easily overwhelm the two of them. Weapons or no weapons.

Oslo sadly shook his head as he looked at the fairies in the dirt. He then glanced at Milo and moved off of the main road and into one of the side passages he had warned Milo about, leaving the light of the torches behind.

[blackdog1]

In no time at all, Milo was completely disoriented from following Oslo through countless cracks, fissures and inclines that somehow passed as stairways. He assumed that the fairies usually flew to the area that they were headed toward. He had to move quickly to keep up with Oslo in the near complete darkness, Oslo moved quite well in spite of his injuries.

When they finally emerged from the maze of passageways, Milo wiped the sweat away with a sleeve and once again found himself at a high vantage point. The view was much different and more intimate this time. The South Warren was right below them, from here they had a birds (or fairies) eye view of the mayhem and chaos that had taken over the entire area, able to pick out individuals and what they were doing.

Oslo's face showed the pain of his body and his heart. All of the nights activity were amplifying the the injuries and fatigue he suffered from his capture and confinement. And seeing what his people had become and were doing to each other was taking its toll on his already battered heart and soul.

Milo took the opportunity of the good vantage point to comment the immediate landscape to memory as much as was possible. He could see where most of the Fairies were gathered and that it had the bulk of the lighting, the rest of the open space was poorly lit by dying fires and infrequent torches.

Oslo was silent and transfixed by the scene below him. From this angle it was easy to see why the Fairies had gathered and were causing such a din : blood-sport.

Carts, barrels, crates and all manner of debris were formed into a small, crude arena that many of the Fairies had gathered around. They screamed, cheered and carried on like a half-crazed mob, drinking and placing bets on the fighters in the ring.

They watched as the two fighters below brutally pummeled one another. No normal living creature should be able to take the kind of abuse they were witnessing and remain standing. Was this another layer of the growing problem? Milo did not want to fight something that did not feel or react to pain, it was not natural or right.

Oslo appeared to come back to his senses,let out a long tired sigh and began to point out the relevant and visible landmarks to Milo. From here they could see where the water source entered the warren through a small canal and emptied into a large communal pool. Adjacent to that was a gated portal that lead to the head of the canal and the source of the water flow.

Their route was clearly visible from here, unfortunately, it was also visible from below if anyone cared to look up. The chaos and the Fairies focus on the brutality in the arena kept any caring eyes of them as they quickly and easily made their way around the top of the warren and once again descended to the cave floor.

The gated entry to the spring source was only a short distance from the final flight of stairs and well hidden in shadow. Not a single fairy in the South Warren knew or cared they were there. The only thing that mattered now was that they had guess correctly as to the source of the Fairies destructive madness.

[blackdog1]

Hearing and seeing the water exit the underground conduit and entering the Warren made both Milo and Oslo lick their lips in anticipation of a cool drink after their exertions so far this night.

"We should have brought some wine," Milo whispered as he looked longingly at the cool water flowing past.

Oslo slowly nodded his head in solemn agreement, "We could have," he replied in an equally low voice and motioned toward the crowd, "but I think they have it all."

As they stood in silence it finally dawned on Milo how large and unruly the crowd in the South Warren actually was. The shouts and curses of the fairies were distinguishable as individuals at this distance, a sign that they were close, dangerously close, to the massed and lawless majority of the fairies. After a few short moments they were both unnerved enough to resume their mission and put some distance between themselves and the near by mob.

Oslo turned away and began to cover the short space to the gated portal. Milo hesitated for a moment and found himself reflecting on Oslo, more specifically his strength and will to go on. The fairy's first action after being released from his imprisonment was to set out to help those who had beaten and held him captive. Oslo's ability to forgive his own people their wrongs and put himself at risk to save them was impressive to Milo. In all of his years, Milo had never witnessed a human or elf willing to so readily forgive others and potentially sacrifice themselves. This was the first true act of heroism that Milo had ever had the honor to witness.

Milo quickly caught up to Oslo as he began to open the door. To call it a door was an overstatement, it was actually just a large metal grate set on hinges with a simple latch. It took both of them to work the grate free of the rust on the hinges and swing it wide enough to fit through the opening. They hesitated slightly when the hinges protested with an audible creak, but quickly continued having no other alternatives.

The darkness of the tunnel took a short time to adjust to after the half light of the Warren. Bioluminescent fungi once again were present to help one navigate the close space, but would be of little help in investigating the area ahead. The noise, smoke and general feeling of anarchy were left behind when they passed through the gate and were replaced with a completely different palette for the senses.

The echo of running water on one side of Milo mixed with scraping noises of Oslo rummaging about for a light source on the other. The smell of the damp passageway was a relief after the smokey air of the Warren, the sharp mineral smell of wet rock and earth were a welcome change. The shouts and screams that accompanied the chaos outside could not be heard here and Milo felt himself relax, not really knowing that he had been so tense. Changing environments had made him feel that he had survived or succeeded in his mission of the day, but he knew the truth, they still had work ahead of them.

A spark turned into a glowing ember which in turn produced a small flame. Oslo patiently lit one small torch and then found another for Milo. The brief respite was over, it was time to get back to the job before them. With the true light of the torches the causeway now had shape, size and boundaries. The tunnel was a simple rough cut archway through the rock, not more than ten paces across for both water and the walkway. The walkway was wide enough for two to move abreast and rough underfoot.

Without speaking, Oslo once again took the lead into the darkness, following the water to its source and a possible answer to the fairies problems.

[blackdog1]

The passage was devoid of sound except that of the water, their foot steps and the continuous echo of both blending together. Oslo would occasionally stop to light other torches along the way to the spring, he intentionally only lit every other one, creating a broken trail of light back to the Warren.

Milo physically did little but follow his new friend, but in the quiet of his head, fragments of thought and questions passed one after the other. They mostly were an effort to not think about how small a space they were in if the Fairy cakes were to wear off and he to return to his normal size. He wondered how long the passage was, who carved it and how far below the surface they were. For the first time this night, he thought that he could feel the weight of the earth above him.

Before long the sounds of the water took on a noticeable change, the trickle and swirl of running water was beginning to diminish and the conduit was gradually widening into a large gallery. The torch light reflected off of the continuously filling pool of spring water that spread before them as they entered the growing space.

Milo and Oslo stopped to attempt to take in the parameters of what they assumed was their destination. The soot and oil smell of the torches was quickly overwhelmed by an acrid stench that had not been present in the conduit. Neither recognized the smell that filled the air.

Slowly stepping forward and sweeping their torches to the front and side did not allow them to see the entirety of the cavern. Milo slowly and quietly drew his sword, wishing for more light, but dreading what it might reveal. Oslo followed Milos lead and prepared for the possible threats that the darkness concealed.

Several more steps into the inky darkness did nothing to illuminate the far side and only increased the foul stench that they could now, unfortunately taste. As they advanced and their torch light continued to reach out before them, it dimly reflected off what appeared to be the far wall, until it moved.

Caution overshadowed curiosity as the companions evaluated their situation. They were about fifteen paces into the large cavern, with the exit tunnel behind them, a body of water that they could not see the other side of on their right hand. Their left hand side was a wall, effectively leading them back the way they came. The pool of light they created only spread for a few paces in either direction and in front of them something was moving beyond the edge of that light.

The something slowly moved into the circle of light, at first it was one antenna, then a second, followed by a small head. It was a familiar insect in the forest, a red centipede. What set it apart from other centipedes in the forest was its size. It easily came up to the waist on their fairy sized bodies, even if Milo was in his regular form, it would be a large insect.

A rustle of appendages and the sounds of long bodies in the dark started to grow in the gallery. There was more than one bug in this nest. And they were beginning to stir.

[blackdog1]

Light, the one thing that would make them feel more comfortable, was in short supply. Without a word between them, Milo and Oslo both started to slowly back toward the wall where they hoped to find more torches.

" Are these things supposed to be here?", Milo asked as he blindly search behind him for anything that would burn.

Another torch sputtered to life as Oslo tried to increase their pool of light. "No", he answered, "No one and no things should be living back here."

The centipedes moved with a slow couriousity rather than the quickness of threat. As the quality of the light increased, it slowly revealed the quantity of bugs as an intertwined mass. Some were still as others moved over and around them, a few clutched masses of glistening egg sacs that slowly dripped a thick oil that pooled on the floor.

As the light grew to a peak, one of the nearest insects abruptly turned toward the flames, mandibles snapping. The sudden change in the pace of movements stirred the rest of the cavern into a frantic and disorganized mass of movement. The sound of slithering bodies and hundreds of moving feet filled even the darkest recesses of the echoing space.

With their torches exchanged for weapons, the pair prepared to defend themselves against the hoard with their backs against the wall. As they waited to fend off the giant bugs, the bugs moved farther from the light and slowly the chaos of movement began to settle down. The change from frantic motion to the sounds of stillness was eerie.

After a few quiet moments Oslo spoke softly,"I think we may have found the cause of the contamination."

Milo had no reason the doubt Oslo's simple conclusion. Even if he was wrong as to the source of the madness, they still would have to contend with the insects if they were to search about the cavern.

Taking advantage of the retreat of the centipedes, they set about securing as many torches as they could while they could. As luck would have it they came upon some full oil lanterns that would help them shine some light into the deeper corners of the cavern and ease their search.

Brimming with fire and light, they pushed deeper into the reservoir.

[blackdog1]

With a lot of light and a small amount of time, Milo and Oslo were certain that the reservoir cavern was free of centipedes. There were no corners to hide in, only a small recently created fissure in the wall.

"How do they fit in such a small space?", Oslo asked to no one in particular as he sized up the hole.

"They're squishy," came Milos flat response.

Oslo slowly threaded a torch into the opening, attempting to see into the depths or at least access its size. The black smoke of the torch was pushed back into the larger cavern, a good sign that to crack carried to the outside world. Failing to discern anything more concrete, Oslo slumped to the floor next to the rubble of the opening.

Milo busied himself by reading torches and lanterns for travel. He saw the breech in the cavern as to opportunity they needed. They needed to get farther from this fairy madness, there was almost nothing they could do here but die or succumb.

"This is turning out to a long night," Oslo droned, "I could really go for a .."

"Don't say it!," Milo interrupted. He was just as thirsty, but speaking of it would only make it worse.

It was best that they kept pushing forward before Oslo's strength gave out. The fairies face was beginning to show the pain and strain of the night, Milo's best course was to not let him stop again until they reached the surface.

"I'm ready when you are," Oslo said in a low and slow voice. He had come to the same conclusion without the need for discussion.

Milo reach out a hand to help Oslo to his increasingly unsteady feet.

With renewed purpose, Milo squeezed into the crack. It was just big enough to move through without having to push your body too often, but small enough to require the use of a hand for climbing.

Milo's current plan was to keep them moving as fast as Oslo's wounds would allow and to keep them both occupied with the devising the next steps in the plan once they reached the surface.

[blackdog1]

Milo's enthusiasm was soon tempered by Oslo's sudden physical decline. Every time Milo thought they were making good progress, his companion would stumble and fall or be unable to negotiate an obstacle. The easy way out was quickly becoming slow and painful.

Oslo was almost reduced to a crawl, but still refused to abandon his weapons. The sword and shield were weighing him down and making difficult moves even harder for him. At this point he would not have the strength to wield his weapons if he had to.

The only benefit of their very slow pace was the added time to plan their nest move when they finally reached the surface.

In the quiet moments that all was going well in their crawl toward the surface, Milo's thoughts returned to the question that had been haunting him all night. Why did he keep getting sucked into other peoples problems and fights? He doubted that he would have an outstanding revelation tonight to answer it. This is a problem that he had faced for most of his life and would most likely lead to his death at some point.

A sigh of relief pushed past Milo's lips as the cool, dampness of the forest night air finally kissed his sweaty brow. They had reached the open world, Milo's world, at last and it was still night time.

Milo paused before climbing the last bit to the surface. He took a moment to give a few words of encouragement to Oslo as he readied himself for whatever he would find in the forest darkness above. Hoping the worst of the night was behind them he set down his lantern and slowly crawled to the forest floor.

Nothing seemed to be amiss on the surface, the sounds and smells of a normal summer night in the forest greeted Milo's senses. He took a few moments to adjust to the open darkness and then slowly walked about the immediate area to be sure that there were no surprises waiting for them. Satisfied that all was well, he helped Oslo the the surface where they could begin to put their new plan into action.

With Oslo resting comfortably next to a small fire, Milo moved a short, safe distance away before reaching into his pocket for the fairy cake he had stored there earlier in the night. He carefully unwrapped the cake, trying not to spill any of the crumbs (also trying not to think of the consequences of lost crumbs), he quickly consumed the whole cake.
Milo was also hoping that equal meant making him the size that he was before he ate the first cake.

Within moments, Milo was able to look down on the diminutive form of a sleeping Oslo lying beside a tiny camp fire.

Milo didn't waste any time wondering about fairy magic. He used his newly rediscovered big legs to cover the distance of the fairy warren in just a few minutes and began searching for the back entrance where his gear was abandoned. As luck would have it, the small fire that burned at the entrance helped guide him to the small and otherwise well disguised opening. His pack and weapons were just the size he remembered them.

On his way back to where he had left Oslo, Milo took the time to find the roof opening to the fairy warren. The billowing of smoke and the flicker of small fires were clear indicators that little had changed below ground. Crouching down to peer over the edge he could still see the bustle of frantic activity and hear the cheers from the arena.

Everything looked so small to him now, but he could not forget how he felt being that small himself. Surprisingly the same, just living things trying to make their way through the world.

Returning to Oslo, he gently roused him from his much needed sleep and offered a drink of water from an acorn cap. Oslo drank eagerly and seemed much better for it.

"I'm ready to get this started as soon as you are," Oslo said rather cheerfully.

Milo only nodded in response as he gently scooped Oslo up and helped him settle on to his shoulder. As the dawn began to lighten the sky they headed to the west, in search of Oslo's refugee fairy folk.