Sydonia had proven himself to be a late sleeper when he wanted to be, and it took several jugs of water to get him up. Meanwhile, In the area Grenseal was in, it appeared no one else had the trouble Sydonia did, and why should they? After all, greed is a powerful form of motivation. He scanned the premises for Kage, and wasn't surprised that Kage had slipped away from everyone else, high upon a branch on one of the few trees that sprouted in the area.

Because of how big the mine was, it's numerous tunnels twisting and turning in confusion, and how unexplored some of the deeper shafts were, due in part to the rumored "canine beasts", the mercs, adventurers and such, were forced to split into many smaller groups. Each group would have only seven members (as Lord Fraunces was a very superstitious man) including one designated team leader. Each [group] was set into waves, and each team would go into separate tunnels, and after a certain amount of time, the second and third waves would follow, until hopefully, everyone was in the mine and someone made it to the appropriate destination (which only the team leaders were given knowledge of).

Grenseal had been placed with Kage, Sydonia, the man named Gilbert he had met before, Trine, an adventurer he didn't know, and of course, the team leader. Ironic as the team combination seemed, Grenseal suspected Fraunces had arranged it for a special reason. After another hour of refreshing on the important details, they were led into the mines by Fraunces' private party, which curiously was made up of thirteen men rather than the standard seven.

After a few groups went in, it was Grenseal's group's turn, and they made their way through the first tunnel on the left. The leader lit his lantern, as did a couple of others, and Grenseal eventually followed suit. It wasn't long before they learned how extravagant the cavern was. The dwarves had constructed it a long time ago, but abandoned it, leaving it to the humans to mine out all of the gold. Now it was of little value, except for the deep undiscovered caverns, and the rumors of incredible gold riches surrounding it.

A few hours in, Grenseal was running his fingers down the cavern wall, and found that it was incredibly moist. His eyes surveyed the dimly lit cavern. He concentrated on his ears just a bit, and found that he didn't hear any bats, and for that matter, didn't hear a living thing. The ceiling held no formations nor, did any stalagates hang from the ceiling. Whether it's total lack of personality came from the mining, or it was just natural, Grenseal didn't know, but what he was certain of was that this cave had not been inhabited in decades.

He looked up, and realized that he had been left alone while lost in his thoughts. He muttered a curse, and ran up ahead, the rapidly diminishing light guiding the way back to his companions.

"So...Boss...this is the place?" a tall lanky figure asked as he peered at the few mercs left going into the mines. The other, a medium sized one, scowled at his partner quieting him.

"Yes! Yes! But we're not going in until the others get in"

"......you mean me?" Another one asked, stepping into the light from the shadows that had previously not existed.

"About time" the "boss" said. "Are the others here?" the shadow nodded his consent. "Now, why are we doing this?" the "boss" continued to question, "These mines dried up decades ago."

"Fool, if that bum Fraunces is actually hiring dozens of mercs on borrowed money for this, there's bound to be a great gem or tons of gold in there."

"Impressive logic" the lanky one commented.

The shadow nodded. "Get the others, we're going in" he stated, and began to walk towards the cavern which was now filled with bloodthirsty mercs.

Kage glanced up ahead to the group he had been assigned. Sydonia walked beside the ninja, Gilbert and Grenseal a little further ahead, and the leader, Trine, and the unknown adventurer boldly--although Kage would just as soon called the foolish--led the way into the darkness.

He watched the "leader" and the adventurer closely. He knew Sydonia and Grenseal's capabilities, as well as those of Trine. The man Gilbert seemed to be okay, although, with the one outburst Kage witnessed, it seemed that perhaps the man had a slight problem controlling his emotions. The other two seemed to be very skilled as well, and carried themselves as if they'd done this kind of thing before.

That forced Kage's thoughts to the construction of the teams. With the exception of his group, and Fraunces' own personal squad, the other groups weren't even adequate. They were filled with rookies, trouble makers, or old timers. Then Kage's thoughts drifted to the rumors of the elusive canine beasts. There were too many different accounts that were similar in nature just to be some crazy coot's concoction. It was obvious to Kage that Fraunces at least believed there was some truth to the stories; that's why he hired all the mercs, and why he assembled the teams the way he did. Fraunces' personal squad and Kage's collection were brought in for the specific purpose of getting to the rune and making sure it and Fraunces got back out safely. The other teams were brought in to clear the way, to serve as a diversion to any unsavory characters who might interfere, or anything "darker" that may dwell in the underground emptiness. It was clear that Fraunces didn't expect the other groups to make it out of here alive, which would drastically reduce his payroll. He would be getting the work he needed from them, and not have to pay them. It was a sound plan.

They made their way out of the latest tunnel and came to a cross-section. In front of them were three more dark tunnels, and yet another one to the back right.

"Heh. Well?" Sydonia asked of their fearless group leader.

The leader, whose name finally came up from the depths of Kage's mind as being Jonas, turned and looked at his followers. "Fraunces told me we are to take the middle tunnel." he tried to say confidently, but Kage could hear the shaking fear that was coursing through Jonas' veins.

They had begun to move once again, when a roaring voice came thundering throughout the mines from the tunnel back and to the right.

"Come on slackers! We have to keep moving! Just a little more. Hey you, not over there! This way!"

"Don't tell me what to do" came the loud reply to the imperative statement.

The crew looked around at each other, and Kage saw five swords instantly drawn. Kage drifted back over to the entrance of the tunnel they had just exited, knelt down, and kept a hand on a shuriken. The rest of the group did the same, moving to an isolated spot and waiting silently. A minute later, a rather large man barking orders stepped from the night, and was instantly bombarded with three swords to the throat.

"Whoa! Whoa! What are you doing, slackers?" the big man demanded. A couple of seconds later, the rest of the man's team appeared, and even more swords were drawn.

"Okay, okay guys, back off" Jonas said, and Grenseal, Gilbert, and the quiet unknown adventurer reluctantly pulled their weapons away. "It's only another team."

"Geez, slackers! What the hell are you doing?" the big man complained of the sudden attack against him. "Do you have any idea whom I am? I'm the leader of the team that's going to get Fraunces his treasure!"

"Yeah, some leader" one of the man's subordinates smirked from behind. If the big man heard the insult, he paid it no heed as he continued to yell at the members of Kage's group, then turned and began to pelt his own group with insults.

Kage shook his head in disgust. Dissension among the ranks already. This group wasn't going to see this endeavor through until the end, that was for sure. He glanced over the faces of the second group, who were now bickering among themselves once again--Grenseal, Gilbert, and company sat back and watched in amusement--and he caught sight of the only two men not arguing. Kage shook his head again, this time in disbelief. The two kids, and that's all they really were, kids, they couldn't have been older than sixteen, stood sheepishly behind their comrades. Each looked squeamish, like they would vomit simply from how nervous they were, and Kage mused that they were greener than any blade of grass the ninja had ever seen. One of them lifted their arm to stifle a sneeze, and Kage noticed how badly the kid's arm was shaking.

He peeled his eyes away, and caught sight of the man Gilbert, who was currently also gawking at the two youngsters. Gilbert turned his attention to the ninja, his eyes asking the masked mercenary how Fraunces could recruit someone so young. Kage just shrugged.

"Alright team, let's get going! We don't have all day" Jonas screamed at the entrance of the middle tunnel. Kage's group began to come back at the tunnel entrance, and as the cadre began to leave, Grenseal yelled back "Good luck!" to the second team.

"Ha! Good luck?! My team doesn't need luck, they have me!" the big man boasted. "Alright men, we've got the left tunnel, let's move out!"

It wasn't long after they had entered the middle tunnel when the first major event of the excursion took place. Five minutes after the two separate teams once again split up, Kage had been walking with Sydonia--Sydonia always provided the best companionship to Kage, as the bandit started about as many conversations as the ninja himself did--when he heard a soft scream echoing throughout the cavern. The others seemed not to hear the weak cry, and if they did, they didn't acknowledge it. Kage grabbed Sydonia's arm, and when he heard a second scream, he gave the bandit's appendage a tug, and tore off in the direction they had just left. Sydonia shrugged, smiled, and was soon running side by side with the ninja.

The two had just come to the intersection they had met the second team at just minutes ago, when a loud voice shot through the left tunnel. "Come on! Take that one over there! Come on, Slacker! Do you want to-" and then the voice was cut off forever, lost in the struggles of death, and as Kage and Sydonia cut into the tunnel, the ninja was certain he would never see the obnoxious "team leader" alive again.

The two skid to a halt upon seeing the body's of the massacre. Five of the seen members of the team were dead on the ground, lying in a plethora of their life fluid. Ironically, the only two who were still alive were the two kids Kage had seen the first time the two groups met. Even if they did look like kids, the two fought like anything but. Kage watched in awe as the two fought heroically against five other men. The two fought side by side, and back to back when needed, covering each others blind side. Kage was actually inspired by their technique, and the flawless harmony with which they executed it together.

Kage watched as the two purposely backed themselves into a corner. The ninja smiled at the tactics. It may have seemed like a foolish move, but in fact it was quite brilliant. Yes, it did limit their mobility, but had they not done it, they would have easily been crushed by their enemy's superior number.

"So...heh. Are we going to help them or what?" Sydonia questioned.

Kage nodded as he spied another enemy, a tall lanky man, scavenging through the dead men for valuables. Kage unsheathed his sword, and held it between his two palms. He shifted his right hand forward, and the left one backwards, until he heard the soft *click* he was waiting for. He pushed his hands away with more force, and pulled his arms away from each other, splitting the blade in half perfectly, giving him two thin swords instead of just the one. He brought his arms back, and then launched the swords forward, the shimmering projectiles flying on a direct course and puncturing two enemy's chests, dropping them immediately.

"Heh, cool" Sydonia remarked.

The scavenger looked up, and seeing that reinforcements had arrived, took off into the sanctuary of darkness.

Meanwhile, the two survivors were still infallible. One pressed the attack, delivering blow after blow to his enemy. The bandit valiantly kept pace, but stood no chance of keeping up with his enemy for any prolonged period of time, and eventually, his head was cut off his neck with one quick swipe.

The other was caught on the defensive, and as his enemy brought the blade straight down, the young merc brought his sword up to parry the blow, and when the two weapons flew up into the air, the youngster unsheathed a small dagger and thrust it through the man's chest, piercing the man's heart, killing him instantly. Sydonia eventually moved his feet and did his part, taking care of the remaining bandit.

"Thanks" one of the young men said, as everyone resheathed their weapons; Kage having to retrieve his first. "My name is Darby, this is Gunn."

Kage was about to respond when a voice interrupted the introductions. "Holy shit! What the hell happened here?" Trine asked, stepping into the bloodbath. Kage turned around to see the rest of the cavalry following close behind.

"Aww, crap! What the hell are we going to do now?" the adventurer asked.

"What do you mean?" Gilbert questioned.

"What he means," Jonas began to answer, "is, what are we going to do with these two" he finished, pointing to Gunn and Darby.

"We're taking them with us, aren't we?" Grenseal asked.

"We can't, Fraunces only wants seven to a group." the adventurer elaborated.

"What? That's crazy! We can't leave them here to die! Besides, there's safety in numbers!" Grenseal continued to refute.

Kage passively listened to the argument, Jonas and the adventurer wanting to leave the two, Grenseal and Gilbert for taking the two with them, and Trine and Sydonia no opinion on the subject. But what Kage was thinking about was how his total disgust for Fraunces continued to grow. It wasn't the senseless slaughter of the mercs that made him mad; the deaths were irrelevant. He was pissed that Fraunces was keeping secrets from him, he didn't appreciate that at all, and if keeping these two alive so Fraunces had to pay them their 100,000 was a way he could extract a little revenge, then so be it.

"We're taking them with us" Kage said, the others quieting down instantly at the commanding voice.

"Maybe you didn't hear me, I said we're leaving them" Jonas countered.

"We're taking them with us" Kage repeated, his voice cooler than ice.

"No, Fraunces wants only seven to a group, and we've got our seven" the adventurer replied.

"If that's the game you want to play, then keep in mind I can open the appropriate two slots for them very quickly" Kage stated smoothly.

"Ar-are you threatening me?" Jonas asked, the fear evident in every syllable that escaped his throat. "You can't kill me, I'm the only one who knows where we're supposed to go."

Kage shrugged indifferently. "What do I care, I've already been paid" and in a flash, the shuriken was in the air, and before Jonas could blink, the shuriken grazed the side of his neck, drawing blood. Jonas' hand shot up and covered the shallow wound almost subconsciously.

"Next time, I put it two inches to the left" Kage whispered, the statement more threatening than a thousand swords launched in someone's face.

"F-fine. They c-can come with us" Jonas said, quick to get away from the ninja and get back on course.

The group began to follow, save Gilbert, who lingered back with Kage. "You've already been paid?" Gilbert asked incredulously. Kage simply nodded, and smiled under his shroud.

Jonas was still in the lead, Gilbert was on his own in the back, jealous of how Kage managed to get paid, Grenseal was now on his own as Sydonia had 'buddied' up with Kage. As for Trine he was with the 'nameless adventurer' and as for the teens, Gunn and Darby appeared much more relaxed now in this group than they had in the other one. With good reason too, the other group was apparently not enough to take care of a few Zexenian Bandits, unlike this group who seemed to be hand picked for the best. And that mere fact made Grenseal even more suspicious. Gilbert, Kage and Trine were all renowned Mercs; easy to get a hold of for the right price. But he was the Co-Commander of the Toran Guard, was it possible this Fraunces knew who he was. His thinking was interrupted when a piercing howl was heard throughout the mines. Within seconds he had his sword ready, the others, save the kids, were much quicker at getting their weapons out. Suddenly a scream was heard and a man came running towards them crashing into Jonas and sending him to the ground.

"You!" Jonas yelled "What are you doing out of your group!"

"Hehe.. umm... they were sorta eaten..." The man answered as if it were funny "The 'canines' are real after all..."

"What, What? But the boss said they were fake..." Jonas mumbled, which aroused more suspicion at the fact Fraunces was apparently lying. "Well then, since your group is... eaten, you may as well take these brats back and forget about pay"

"What!?" Gunn cried "That's highway robbery!"

"Maybe if your group hadn't been killed you would of made it, but they're dead, so you might as well get outta here"

"Heh" Sydonia said, somehow contributing to the conversation in his own unique way.

"I'm not into this whole Merc thing..." Grenseal started "But where I come from, if you live or die, you get the money, and we might as well take them. Whatever killed that guy's group might still be out there, and since he lived through them, he's probably more useful than you Sir Jonas"

Jonas growled, but figuring Kage was still in a sour mood, he finally let in to having the survivor join. The group continued, and soon arrived at a gruesome sight where the leftover carcasses lay, some were bones, some bones and flesh, and some were ones the two boys would rather have not seen. Being the resourceful type, the adventurer who hadn't bothered to give his name yet, picked the carcasses clean for anything that could be useful. Jonas, instantly demanded them to be handed over to them, most of which were various assortments of currency from countries over. However Kage and Sydonia had wandered away from the group, after noticing their disappearance Gilbert joined them to see what they were looking for. It was a huge footprint that replaced a small puddle, the footprint itself was the size of a typical Cutrabbit. Now with this evidence, Jonas began having a mental conversation out loud.

"Bah, That Cheat, not only does he group me with overconfident losers, he also lies about those--- those-- Monsters!" "Well, he did say he thought they were fake but..." "He was lying, he knew they were there, why else would he make a group of seven, I knew it when I first got a job with him" "Yeah... he don't even have enough money to pay for the extras we're carrying, ergh! He's gonna kill me, I better just keep cool..."

The only one who was in range to hear this conversation was Sydonia and the ever-silent adventurer, so any information revealed was as good as lost. After the horrid task of piling the carcasses, they started off again, with a disturbed Jonas leading the way. It was now quite obvious to Grenseal that his earlier assumption of not being able to kill Alen because he was dead, would turn out true. Nevertheless he forced himself onward, and it wasn't long until they passed another carcass of a group that passed by, the disgusting stench now had replaced the dusty smell that was in the mines. He now was sorry he had not let the Gunn and Darby gone back, they would have been better off that way.

After being in the cavern for over twelve hours they arrived in a large section with flat ground and a rather high ceiling. Jonas threw his bag off and said, "Alright, we'll rest here for the night, from this point it's going to get a little tough, now you three extras, dontcha go crying when it's scary, you had your chance to go back"