The team trudged along, keeping a close eye on every crack and crevice in the damp stone lining the tunnel. The muck this far down was closer to wet sand than the usual rivers and deltas that flowed through the upper pipes. Lier had taken to pulling ahead to follow Dibbuks tracks, still slightly visible.

Don lagged behind, dragging his feet through the muck, as if to leave tracks. Wicksomme, Selby, and Mary were arguing about how old the carved stones around them truly were. The current theory seemed to be that Telio Valka must have commissioned them directly after the crash of the first capital ship. Don stayed decidedly removed from the debate.

As they bickered Don trailed further and further behind until slipping into a branching corridor, he switched off his flashlight. He pulled a glove off and grabbed his flask. Running his thumb over the etched inscription on the side, he thought about how old this flask truly was. Old Earth steel, stronger than any found on Liberum.

He opened the flask, and poured the contents out into the muck. A small green splotch grew near his feet, a drop or two smattering the old mans boots. As he screwed the cap back on his flask he knew he was already here.

'I'm surprised you'd show your face down here again.'

"Are you now? I'm surprised you didn't say hello the last time.You forget what I looked like?" Don answered, purposefully ignoring the wall of shadow only a few meters away.

'I was a bit busy.'

"Causing a massacre?" Don asked, sniffing the air. He always hated how it smelled like decay even when it was only Boris' mind hanging around.

'Preventing one, actually. You were preoccupied huddling in that hole with the boy.'

"Heh, not a boy Boring, not anymore. You losing track of time too? I lost track for a bit, to be fair. Tuesday was certainly a reason to take a look at a calendar now and again wasn't it?" Don taunted, pulling out a cigarette. He lit the end, the flash of the flame illuminating only half of the pipe.

'Do you really think I caused all of that? Tuesday was just the day it woke up. I've been keeping it weak ever since. You should be thanking me, Lindon.'

"You are the one who woke it up though, yeah? I don't know of anyone else who would be poking and prodding the damn thing at all hours of the night." Don snorted, turning to face the wall of darkness. It wasn't like something was stopping the light, it was like there was no light at all.

'Lindon, you're just as perceptive as you've always been. Too bad you're not as powerful as you were. You might have been able to do something about all of this.'

"Well, I'll admit you're right there. I can't do much about your little plan with Harvel, but knowing him he'll do plenty to kill you himself. Who knows, he might even use the evil little bastard to do it. And Boring, don't call me Lindon." Don said, sauntering away towards the mouth of the tunnel.

'Fine, Telio. Have it your way.'

As Telio Lindon Valka, the Telio Lindon Valka, felt the shadow disappear from behind him he paused. He hopped to the side just as a stone block dislodged itself from the ceiling, and slammed into the muck where he had been standing. Telio looked up at the orange mycelia that had pushed it out of position and scoffed.

"Act like I haven't seen that one before. Never learns. Next it'll be rolling boulders." Telio commented, chuckling to himself and putting his cigarette out on the wet stone. He cracked his neck and stretched a bit before settling back into his normal Don "the drunkard" Lindon gait.

He collected a few ounces of the viscous green liquid from the side of the fallen block, and dribbled it into his flask. He'd need it if he was going to keep pushing on towards the center of the city. At a certain point he might have to dose someone else to stop their headaches.

Pounding footsteps grew closer to the mouth of the tunnel as Telio screwed the cap back on and stashed the flask in a pocket. Wicksomme rounded the corner, breathing heavily. Don looked up at him unassumingly.

"Hey kid! Can you believe it? Big ol' stone just fell outta nowhere. Reckon it nearly killed me!" Don said, a crooked smile crossing his face. Wicksomme stared at him exasperatedly.

"Don, why were you even back here? We didn't know where you were." He asked, irritation saturating his tone. Don flashed the flask guiltily.

"Sorry kid, Lier gets all huffy when I pull it out around him. Thought I'd find a quiet place to get in a few swigs real quick." Don lied, spreading the pathetic old alcoholic impression on a bit thick. It had always been a thorn in his side that Lier never quite bought it. Other than that it had worked flawlessly for the last five hundred years.

"Well, just tell me next time then. We'd all thought you'd been dragged off or something." Wicksomme scolded, turning around and heading back down the passage they had come from. Don smiled to himself. He was a good kid. It was a shame he might be dead by morning.

As the two rejoined the group Mary and Selby berated him for skipping out and nearly getting himself killed. Lier on the other hand watched every move he made. Don knew he'd always suspected something was amiss. He also knew about Liers little ability, along with the fact that it didn't work on him.

After another hour or so Lier stopped the team. They had been underground now for nearly fourteen hours. They needed food, they needed sleep, and they needed time to think. Selby and Lier scouted ahead and found a dry patch of muck down one of the adjacent tunnels. One end of the tunnel had become overgrown with the orange mycelia and was perfect for keeping watch.

They settled down for a few hours to rest, each one pulling a few meal bars out of their packs. Lier decided to take the first few hours of watch while the others used their packs as pillows. While the others slept Don kept an eye on Lier. He hadn't slept for half a millennia, why start now?