Closing Escapes

i don't know how long I layed daze upon the floor of the cavern, staring at the spot where the beast had been standing seconds before.

Then the ground began to move and shake, only gently at first but becoming more and more turbulant. A thunder began to echo throughout the earth, seeping through our skin and into our very cores.

I cannot remember who realised what was going first, or who took command at this point. The next thing that I recall was our party rushing through the tunnel we had came through back to the second cavern. I aware there were injured; that guards carried other guards. I was also aware that Nimohtar was standing and walking, but only with help.

We reached the first tunnel we had come down, the one with the three crevaces within the floor. That was when the collapsed wall suddenly came alive with hundreds of bodies - Formians! A horde of them were attacking us. More! Several hordes!

A ladder was thrown across the crevace again, and the injured quickly walked across. Then we realised that there was not enough space for all of us on each platform. Being one of the few who were still alive enough to fight, I volunteered to stay on the main ground and wait for the ladder to be thrown across to me. Nicholas and Sai stayed with me, quite possibly to fight to the death in order to save our party.

A claw came at me, vicious and biting. I slashed out, and the claw fell squirming. The ladder fell behind me, and we piled across, fighting the gigantic ants to stop them from crossing. Again the party crossed, and we waited till we crossed. The ants began forming a bridge of their own bodies - but Sai kicked them back, gaining us more time. The ladder came down again, and we ran across. We headed for the enterance.

The gaurds were already climbing up the ropes when I arrived. Shadow had throw some other ropes to the floor for Nicholas, Thomas and I. Unsure how, but Thomas was suddenly walking once again. Nicholas threw up a rope, making it the first go. He instantly began to scramble up. Thomas missed his grappling hook completely, and decided to scramble up behind Nicholas. I finally gained enough room to launch my own grappling hook, and began the laboured climb to the top. I only just made it to a safe height as I climbed, the Formians behind me with their razor sharp claws.

The rope was suddenly pulled upwards, and all remaining in our party climbing were launched skywards out of the cave mouth. People were all around, commoners who had come to our aid. Even the prince of the land had turned up. Together, we managed to form a wall that stopped the formians from rising. Together, as a party, we had ventured into the unknown, and escaped with our lives.


But that was just the beginning of our adventures.