The Caverns of Luck.


The very name of them sent chills down the spine. Intrigued chills and excited chills, chills that could not be quelled. Heart beat fast, breathing was rapid and eyes were wide as they stared around at the vast, beautiful entranceway.


Inspired by the myth of the lep'ru'kan - a gold-loving, rainbow-creating, micheivous, probably not real, fae - the mouth to the series of caverns was dressed ornately in jade and gold. The natural craggy hole was carefully carved back somewhat to create a more open, welcoming feel. The jade was entirely natural, peeking as it did through the limestone, appearing in a long thin line that haphazardly staggered down the right side of the entranceway. The gold, however, was placed there by man, giving the mouth a gilded edge, and a large amount of filigree work that spiralled over the left hand side. A beaten brass sign was nailed to the top.


'The Caverns of Luck,' it declared, 'Beware all who enter here that luck may not be on your side.'


Philomel van der Aart, Matriarch of the feminist guild, the Gilded Lily, dropped her eyes down to her beloved companion Veridian. It was the first time the two of them had ever come to Haide, in their fifteen years of friendship. Truly, they had avoided the place because of Philomel's trepidation. What other place, aside from perhaps the desert, could be poisonous to a creature of earth and trees? This was the realm of demons here, and though Philomel in her time had met with, and cared for, many a dark creature, it was a place she had always avoided for fear of incompatablity. For fear of the demon lords who lived here, the devils and the darkness. For she did not serve a devil, but rather a goddess - a pure and majestic goddess by the name of Drys of Trees.


Shall we? asked an excited Veridian in her mind, his eyes gold and glittering.


He took the form of a fox. But truly he was an earth-spirit by species. Or rather, he mostly was. Instead he had one tenth of a seven thousand year old fire whisp simply known as the Behemoth, living within. It had been a gift by his sister - the rabbit-formed ancient earth-spirit Farragise - and had thus far granted him not only a keen interest in life itself, but also a daring affinity with fire. Something Philomel had never expected.


I guess now we are here, Philomel replied in kind. Her voice had an edge of agitation. But are you sure about this, Veridian?


The small fox-form nodded his startling white and ember russet head and grinned, fangs showing beneath his withdrawn upper lip.


Indeed I am. I want to know more.


More about what the Behemoth was, where it had come from. Why, all those years ago, such a simple spirit had determined it was the strongest of all and declared war on everyone. And the world itself, in a personal, insane manner. Truly, the spirit that infected Veridian was a mad one, which was why splitting it had been such a good idea. But it did not stop Veridian from wanting to know where it had come from - instead it made him more intrigued. And his and Philomel's research into ancient fire whisps had led here. To the aged, legendary tunnels of the Caverns of Luck.


Taking in a deep breath, Philomel hitched up her scabbard a little higher onto her shoulder. Inside it, two white bladed swords - the Rabbit and Nameless; not twins, but close to being - sat, separated by a flap of leather. Also on her back was the mighty crossbow Quake, rarely used but magnificent to see. And by her hips, tucked into many slots between her folds and folds of fabric just above where her hairy and mighty faun legs began, was a myriad of other weapons. A red glass-tipped riding crop by the name of Temptress. A fire-blazing keris dagger by the name of the Lover. And an iron steak knife for those 'just in case' moments. A number of throwing knives. And on her chest, covering her breasts and neck was a red, hardened darkscale piece of armour, curved and ornate, just missing the tips of her huge, spiralling rams horns.


She tasted the air with a tip of her tongue, and sent her earth-sense into the ground. Through it, she could feel every rock, piece of vegetation and simple-minded animals for fifty metres. Reasoning creatures - they took a little more work, but in all honesty she could feel none. What she did feel was the entranceway, and beyond that a tunnel. Beyond that was a cave with a large pool and stalagamites sprouting from the ground. No hidden lion, no recogniseable traps. Likely safe.


Fine, she said, moving her hooves. Let us do this insanity.


And together faun and fox moved into the caves.