The new tunnel was rough-hewn into the earth and seemed to wander through the rock. “This doesn’t make any sense,” Said Victoria at one point to her mentor.

“You expected our world to make sense to you?” Sunny replied quietly. “Well, yes, but look at how this seems to wander all over. The tunnel back there didn’t even go too far and then it just stopped, there's no sign why.” The teenager said perplexed. “There may be good reasons we aren’t aware of,” Sunny said. They may have been following a vein of material and it petered out then they followed it in a different direction.” She stated. “Remember not all who wander are lost.” The teen shook her head at the aphorism and went on. “But where do the goblins come from, what are they mining this material for?” She asked, “And where is all the rubble?” She said gesturing. “All good questions. I hope we will have them answered.” Just then they heard a distant tapping of steel on stone. The two women and one pixie prepared, then headed down the tunnel cautiously. The distant sounds of tapping soon resolved itself into the guttural cursing of the goblin tongue. Victoria had noted subtle changes to the stone as they moved deeper into the labyrinthine complex. “Sunny the rock it's changed.” She said gesturing at the wall. Where once it was a softer material, now it was harder and distinct they could see distinct layers in the material. “I don’t think San Antonio has rock like this.” “It probably doesn’t. This is more than likely a construct.” “This whole thing is a projection?” Victoria asked in surprise. Her mentor nodded her agreement. “Now hush. We have goblins to kill.” They soon caught up to the working party. They were mining the layered stone and would occasionally crack the layers and draw nodules out. “What are they mining do you think?” Saundra said mischievously. “Why don’t we kill them and find out?” Lacey the fairy threw in. Both chuckled as Victoria readied herself for the assault. They had counted five of the creatures and they appeared to be lower levels between six and nice. Sunny started the battle with a fireball down the tunnel. It was a bright seed of light as it flickered down the tunnel and when it reached its maximum distance, it blossomed into a roaring ball of flame and death. The goblins closest to the women bolted in their direction and looking over their shoulders at the roiling devastation were unaware as Victoria’s energy darts leaped out at them and slew them as they fled in fear. “That was to easy,” Victoria remarked as she knelt down to check one of the bodies. She opened his mining bag and checked the contents. She pulled out a specimen was about a half-inch across. She examined it; Garnet; A level 1 resource. “It looks like Garnets.” She stated as she held out her prize. “It says it's a level one resource?” “Not bad, a level one resource is just a beginning tier for an item you can make, Garnet is often used for jewelry to help hold an enchantment and are very pretty if finished right. “Are they valuable?” The teen asked. “Not especially. They are fairly common.” She said taking the stone Victoria held in her palm. “Given the size on the open market, these may bring a couple hundred dollars.” “Wow.” “It’s just finding a buyer for them may be difficult.” The older woman said handing the stone back.” If I were you I’d save them up and use them to get something nice made. Or you could use it to learn a skill.” The woman shrugged nonchalantly. Victoria thought about the woman's words. “Well, that's enough of that,” Sunny said as she dusted off her hands from the last of the goblins they had just killed. “Lead on Macduff.” The teenager gave the older woman a hard look. “Macduff?” She asked. “Yeah, from Macbeth? You know, Shakespeare.” Victoria gave her a quizzical look. “Seriously? What are they teaching kids nowadays?” “Apparently not Shakespeare.” The teen quipped. “Obviously.” Replied the pixie. The three hunters traveled further down into the darkness, encountering small bands of goblins as they made their descent. * * * “We’ve been at this for nearly four hours,” Sunny said looking at her watch. Victoria nodded as she sat slumped tiredly next to a wall eating an energy bar that Sunny had packed along with them. “We should get close to the end of the tunnel.” She continued. “That is if this isn’t some kind of labyrinth.” Lacey chimed in. “I mean really have you ever heard of a goblin mine this long and deep?” “Well, no I haven’t but they exist,” Sunny said to the pixie. “When we get done, it will be very sweet. There should be epic loot involved.” “And probably an epic fight too,” Victoria said. “I’ve leveled twice since we came down. I can’t imagine what the boss will be like.” “It shouldn’t be to difficult. The average monster level so far has been eight?” The teenager nodded as Sunny continued to talk. “The last two were levels nine and ten. The boss of the area I’m guessing will be one or two levels higher.” She said in thought. “Can we take it?” Victoria asked. “Should be able to. Now finish that up. We need to get out of here and to save the other cheerleader.” Victoria nodded and wearily got to her feet. They continued to delve into the depths of the tunnels. They encountered another fifteen monsters in three-man mining groups. They found themselves at a level spot in the tunnel that entered into a larger cavern. “Pixie.” Sunny said to Lacey, “Scout out the area.” “I don’t work for you.” The small pixie grumped. “Lacey Please,” Victoria asked as she gave the tiny pixie a beseeching look. “Oh, all right.” She said and flew off into the cavern. “That was an excellent use of your Charisma,” Sunny said smiling to the younger girl. “What?” Victoria asked, confused. “I didn’t plan on it.” She said looking sheepish. “No, it's all right. You did nothing wrong.” Sunny stated as she tried to mollify the young girl. “That's what your abilities are there for. To be used.” “But isn’t it taking advantage of someone?” She asked in confusion. “No, and it's not coercion either. Think of it as that special something that people have to inspire others. Some hideous people have high charisma so it transforms their looks so that people will listen to them and even act on their wants, needs or desires.” “Like who?” The teen asked in surprise. The older woman thought. “In Hollywood, it happens all the time. Sometimes they are born with it others make a deal with a devil. For instance, Danny DeVito. Not a handsome man, but he has a following. Or that Baldwin guy with all the brothers. Not a nice man, but people still listen to him.” “Now that's just really depressing.” Victoria said seeming to shrink in on herself. “I hope Lacie gets back soon, I suddenly feel the need to kill something.” “That's the spirit,” Sunny said clapping the young girl on the back and giving her a smile. Just as she finished the two women heard a roar from inside the cavern. Looking at one another in alarm, they moved to the entrance and Victoria without orders doused the small light. In the distance the two saw a small light flickering; jinking and juking around but following in a line toward them. “Damned pixies. Kid, get ready.” Sunny said. As she readied for battle, there came a road of pain and anger from behind the diminutive form of Lacey. “Let me try something,” Victoria said to her mentor. “Go.” At Sunny’s response Victoria fell into a meditative state and then her hand flashed out and a series of mana forged objects spewed out from her hand and scattered across the cavern floor. As the pixies light drew near the women were tense with excitement. Then it was within thirty yards, then fifteen and suddenly the monster pursuing the pixie screamed out as its feet ran into the area that the objects had been strewn. At that bellow a new ball of light flashed out above the creature's head. The saw a very large goblinoid creature. Victoria examined it even as she readied a second attack. The think was brownish and green-gray and stood nearly seven feet tall. It had wide brown eyes that tried to hide from the bright light. “Keep it blinded.” The woman said as she ran to arrack the creature. As she did Victoria read her notification: Hobgoblin Warrior runs into your Caltrops and takes 35 Dmg. Hobgoblin is slowed. The teenager smiled as she cast her first energy dart. Sunny attacked the monster from the right flank, giving the excited teenager a better angle of attack for her spells. She continued to move and keep a better angle on it until she was in the beasts rear. Once there she summoned a brace of throwing daggers and began aiming for the creature's spine. The sound of her daggers was like the sound of a small ax striking a tree trunk. All the time as they fought, Victoria eyed her mentor; her ease of movement, timing, and skill with her sword. Victoria wondered why the woman didn’t wear heavier mail or armor. “Probably because society at large would think she was crazy,” Victoria said aloud. “He’s just about to fifty percent,” Sunny yelled. Victoria wasn’t sure what that meant but felt it must be significant. Just seconds after, the creature seemed to catch fire as a read nimbus surrounded its form. It grew faster and noticeably stronger as it deflected the sword woman's attacks.. Victoria drew back to cast another spell when it flickered and died on her fingers. She looked around wildly to see if another spell caster had interrupted her spell. Her eyes were drawn to a flashing red line that indicated her mana was critically low. “I’m out of mana.” She yelled to the older woman. “Use your knife,” Sunny said as she deflected a blow from the monster's sword. Victoria realized then the error in her strategy. She had used up her mana on her blades, and energy darts and had nothing as a backup. “I don’t have one.” She cried out as she started looking through her inventory. There she found a few pieces of trash loot she had hung onto. Calling forth a short sword, she ran toward the beast and once more angled for an attack on its rear. She noted that Sunny was still working the monster around, trying fighting its skill against strength. Then she plunged her blade into the hobgoblins back. It lashed out at her and that gave Sunny the opening she needed. Her blade flicked out in a flurry of blows. One each to the creature's inner thighs piercing its nasty leather kilt and a slash against its belly. It stumbled then and dropped to one knee. It looked up into the older woman's face, almost begging. Her sword lashed out, removing its head from its shoulders. She looked down at the gray spurting blood, then to her trainee. “Always carry a physical backup.” She gestured at the dead monster that was at her feet. “That could have been you.” She said as she took out a cloth and cleaned the blade before she sheathed it once more. “Now, for the most important lesson.” “What's that?” “How to loot a monster den.” She said brightly, gesturing around the room. “Yeah, about that — “ Lacey said as she flew up. “That wasn’t the boss.”