A forceful grip pulls me further into the darkness.

Enough.

I snap, and with a snarl, I shove off the firm grip. I spin round and face the stranger. The one who saved my life.

I gasp in surprise at this odd, chimeric creature.

At first glance, it is a humanoid ant. It has mandibles instead of teeth, and antennae rather than ears. However, it has human eyes, arms, skin and body shape. Freakier still are the giant bat wings that stretch out from its back and its feet are long with large claws at the end.

In the dark, it is grey to my eyes.

"What are you?" I ask.

"What are you?" It repeats with the same northern accent as me.

A moment later, I am forming magic in the palm of my hand.

Waiting to strike.

Can never be too careful.

I size the creature up - deadly, at close range. Its flight is useless in the tunnels.

It seems I can't go anywhere these days without bumping into some twisted fuckface.

You literally summon creatures mixed together.

I'm unique when I do it. I pushed the bounds of summoning spells.

Sure.

"I'll ask again, what are you?"

"I'll ask again, what are you?" It repeats.

A pain pinches at the corners of my eyes. I feel a murderous rage fill my being.

That stupid face is mocking me.

The shadow of one of the Artioici pops into my imagination. A moving eye glares at me. A floating smile in the darkness, egging on the anger.

Kill!

Rings the whisper.

"Is there any point? Going to die. Failure. Why fight?"

Says a criticising force using my voice.

Kill!

I...

Kill!

Kill!

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!

Silence. Pull away from the thoughts. Back to the breath.

I breathe in for three and I breathe out for three.

Kill!

I keep my gaze on the chimaera. Magic ready.

"What are you?" It asks.

I didn't say anything, did I?

No.

"I am August the Demon. A Mage of Athfens." I declare.

"August the Demon." It says and points towards me with one bony finger.

I nod and with a shallow grin, "Yes, that is me."

"August the Demon!" It shouts.

It is hard to tell with the pincers if it is smiling or furious.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"Who is...me?" It strings on the last word awkwardly.

I frown, and with my free hand scratch the back of my neck, "I don't know."

"I don't know." it echoes my words, accent and tone.

I shake my head.

"I don't know." It says again.

Kill!

I take a deep breath in and out.

"I'll call you the Grey One then."

I notice a fly buzzing from the inside of its stomach. Flying in and out of a tiny hole.

I squint and peer closer at the Grey One.

Unmoving, human eyes.

I sniff and pick up the faint stench of rot.

It turns and walks further into the tunnel. It makes a follow-me gesture.

Bones creak as if animated not by life but preserved in death. It shuffles.

"Undead." I conclude.

I should kill it.

And miss the chance to study an intelligent undead?

The only intelligent undead is liches.

That you know of. Nothing about this creature fits simple models devised by you magi.

Any undead is better off destroyed.

It will come back anyway.

Not if it is one of Noelle's experiments.

Is there a way to determine if the undead is spontaneous or magical in creation?

Kill it and see if it comes back.

If it works.

Leokan's laugh, his first laugh, is loud.

I turn to the undead. Its insect-like features only heightens my sense of dread.

"Let's go."

"Let's go." it echoes.

We walk down the tunnel.

They are not a chimaera like the ones from my dimension but neither is it one like you have created. It is undead but it is also magic. Two separate forms of energy. A fusion of magic and demiosian immortality. Fascinating.

They are worse than disease.

Destroy it and it returns unchanged. Undead is a good word to describe them. The dark shadow cast by an immortal.

I hear the drops of water go drip, drip, drip from unseen water above.

It leads me further down the tunnel. We follow the path along an underground stream. We walk for a little while and end up in an enclosed but tall cavern about as wide as a building but far bigger in height. The shallow cave stream feeds into a pool of water takes up over half the width of the cavern. Plentiful moss and green glowing mushrooms grow around the water.

I look at the Grey one, "Is this your home?"

It nods furiously. The mandibles shaking. A silly exaggeration, "Home."

I smile kindly, "It's nice. I dreamed of a home in a green space. Once. Though it was a bit larger than what I had in mind."

"Dream?"

"Images that occur when I sleep."

"Sleep?"

"I... I don't know how to describe sleep. Regular rest," I point to the still water. "Still. Like the water."

"I don't know."

"That's okay. I don't know what it is like to be dead."

"Rest."

"It is like rest?"

"Like rest." it confirms.

"Huh, that is nice.

"Nice."

I walk over to the water. I drink at the brink of the deep dark subterranean lake. I flinch and recoil, slightly, by backing up sharp and short from the water.

It was icy cold.

"Cold." I gasp.

"Cold." the Grey one echoes behind me.

I dip my tongue back in and slake my thirst.

Now with my thirst eased, and my wounds healed earlier I feel almost good, "All better."

"Nice."

I look around at the empty, lonely space, "Are you alone?"

"Alone?"

"Yes, just Grey or no Grey and another."

"No and another."

"That is nice. I hope I can meet them."

"I hope. Nice."

I rest my gaze on the strange creature. Murderous rage vanished; instead, there is peace. "If you are not alone and you are happy. Who am I to judge? It is awful up there, and yet I am in a rush to get back. How strange is life."

"I am happy. You are not."

Tears well up, "Nothing seems to work out like I hope. Every time I try more awful things happens. What good I know is precious but all so frail. What am I doing? Spilling my heart out. I'm grateful for what I had, what I've got and what remains possible. It is good enough to keep on going."

"Keep going. Got meet another. Another be happy to meet you."

"Good. You're a smart one. As soon as I say the word. You know it better than I do."

"Better than you."

"Ha!"

I had a good laugh at that. Even some undead freakish creature buried below civilisation was better than myself.

It simply wasn't true. They had not fought in the battles that I had, they had not studied in the academy or made the friends I have done. Did the Grey one have a being from another dimension lodged in their body? No one was better than me. But that didn't mean I was better than it.

"Is there anything I can do in return?"

"Keep going."

"Do you want to reach the exit with me?"

"Let's go, exit."

We walk further into the cave.

"Check over there. Exit! Grey promises."

Into the darkness.

Pull up a memory of when someone was kind to you.

Why?

Good to have a cherished memory.

Sure.

Gareth, sitting at his bedside while he was chock-full of sickness. I ate yummy soup and warm tea with actual sugar. Even as I was close to dying. I felt loved and cared for.

I walk ahead at the urging of the Grey One.

The path came to a dead end. Below was a steep fall and no ladder or stairs to descend.

Smack! A kick from behind and I fall.