The next morning the whole village had their own stories about whatever happened the previous night. Of course, none were close to the real thing. Flint had passed out at about ten and slept in a drunken slumber until well into the next day. Boney came back from his exploration and almost everybody was happy. Flint was having a terrible hangover, however, and SD seemed furious at something only he understood. It appeared that their expedition would have to be delayed another day. This gave time for Ricky, Krause, and Flint to buy their supplies. When Flint was coherent enough to walk across the street and into the general store, he and his nephews did so.

"Sorry for being such a drunkard…" Flint apologized as they stepped into the little old-fashioned general store. There were many oddities hanging from the wall and ceiling and no space was wasted, and unfortunately, the whole place smelled of mildew and hemp. They had an uninteresting conversation with the shopkeeper and bought their equipment. (Thanks to Flint’s ATM card) They each got some rope, a canteen, dried food, and the twins each got helmets with lanterns. Flint told them he wouldn’t part with his hat for a million dollars. Ricky and Krause just looked at each other and shrugged. The rest of the day was uneventful and rather boring, although Ricky swore he saw a fat thing duck into the shadows behind the hostel. Everybody was in bed by nine, dreaming of what may become of tomorrow.

The next morning they quietly paid up their bill and left without a word. Espeon was in the lead because he looked as if he knew what he was doing. SD was jogging to keep up with him, Boney was following him happily, and Flint marched on apathetically with the twins right behind him, trying in vain to keep up with the adults’ pace. The touches of civilization ceased almost instantly and as the sun rose, they could see countless miles of sand before them. Far off they saw a lone mesa. Part of it went upwards in a point, giving it the crude shape of a coyote howling at the moon. Try as he might, Krause could not get a feeling of tension out of his mind. He just supposed it was natural, for he wasn’t used to this kind of travel. Ricky’s mind was a complete blank as he marched along, sweat already pouring down his face. Last night had changed him. He felt as if there was no longer a need to talk as much as he did several days ago. Maybe he was turning into Flint… That thought made him shudder. As if on cue, he heard his uncle’s gruff voice call his name.

"Ricky! Come here!"

Ricky ran up to his uncle, who was now standing still. It seemed that Espeon and his deranged partner had gone down the other side of dune. Flint wiped his brow and took a swig of water from his canteen.

"Listen! No matter who it may be, never tell anyone about what we’re supposed to be doing! The world that you knew last week is a whole different one now, and nobody outside of our group is to be completely trusted. Yes. I know that you told Espeon about our real cause… I won’t lecture you anymore," he turned back towards Krause, "Come on! We need to catch up with them."

The sun was steadily growing hotter and noon was approaching. They found the shade of a great cactus and ate quietly. Espeon took out his knife and knocked a hole in the cactus. Pretty soon thick milk was flowing from it. They all drank as much as they wished and then continued their journey. The sun began to sink and the mesa was certainly getting closer. Sure enough, they reached it by sunset. The stars began popping out and Espeon, grinning broadly, pulled out his letter and held it up to the starlight. That night Espeon and SD pitched the tent and Flint started the fire up. Boney was drinking out of a spring greedily, and the twins were busy filling their canteens. As they went on setting up camp, they were unaware of the dangers they would soon have to face. They all ate their dinner, which consisted of beans and trail rations, and went to sleep. Krause had another odd dream that night. He dreamt that he and Ricky were on some kind of roller coaster in the dark. It was very noisy and sparks were flying all over. His stomach leaped as they suddenly flew off the tracks. He looked down and saw what looked like a river of green sludge, then sparks flew again as he felt the cart hit the tracks again. Then he woke up.

The next morning was spent trekking across the scorching desert. Espeon and SD usually went ahead of everybody else, so of course he was the first one to spot the lake bed. With spirits higher, they all sat down for a lunch break. As they ate, Espeon kept looking around. When they finished, he had a look of confusion on his face.

"There’s no rock…" he said, still scanning the landscape. There were cliffs in the distance and countless dunes, but there wasn’t a solitary rock anywhere. SD grunted and finished eating his huge strip of beef jerky. Suddenly, Krause’s ears perked up.

"Do you hear something?" he said.

Everybody paused, then turned to him and shook their heads. Krause sighed and shook his head.

"I swear! It’s coming from that dune over there!" he said, turning towards a large sand dune, "Come on, I heard the bee…"

SD lifted his head for a moment, then quickly put it back down. Ricky stood up.

"Okay!" he said, "I’ll come along!"

"Be careful," Flint muttered, drinking up the last of his cup of coffee. But the twins were already halfway up the dune. They both scrambled to the top, and as they looked down, they gasped. Down the other side of the dune there was a slope that went down an awfully long way into a grove of trees with a little bit of clear water in the middle. What they were gasping at, though, was what was next to it. Right before their eyes, they saw a great airplane. It seemed about a hundred feet long, and it’s wings were nearly twice as wide. As they were watching, they noticed little figures milling around it.

"Wow…" Flint’s voice said. They turned and saw their uncle, wiping his brow, "That may be good, but it most likely isn’t…They probably came here last night…"

"We need to get out of here!" Krause said, turning around to run down the dune.

"No! Wait!" Flint called, jumping to his feet. With reflexes and strength that Ricky had never seen in any person before, he spun around 180 degrees, grabbed Krause by his shirt collar, and jerked him back in a matter of seconds. Krause make a choking noise and looked up at his uncle, who was inches away from his face and breathing heavily.

"Flint?" he said apprehensively. Flint said nothing, but pointed down towards where Espeon and SD had been only moments before. Ricky looked down and blinked several times. There was no trace of anything that had been there before, but the sand seemed to be shifting slightly.

"What the?" Ricky asked, shaking his head.

"I’m…somewhat sure I know what it is," Flint said, carefully watching the sand, "Follow close behind! If you feel yourself sinking, don’t fight it!"

Before he was done saying this, he was already well on his way down the dune. The twins looked at each other for a moment, then gulped and followed their uncle. Flint was already at the bottom, running towards where the sand seemed to shift. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, then a very odd thing happened. Flint was sinking. In seconds, the sand was up to his knees and rising.

"Oh no!" Ricky shouted, running towards him. Krause was standing there, wide-eyed, at the sight of his uncle sinking into the sand. Ricky grabbed his arm and, with great strength, literally pulled his brother along with him. But when he turned his head, Flint’s hat was slipping down into what looked like a whirlpool of sand. In horror, Ricky let out a yelp. He looked down at his feet, which were being covered in sand.

"Help me!" he shouted. Krause grabbed him, but his brother continued to sink lower, and lower into the foreboding sands. In no time at all, Ricky’s face began going under. He stopped groaning and closed his eyes as his entire head went under, and in a matter of seconds, his twitching, outstretched arm vanished as well. Krause stood there in stupefied horror, staring down at the little whirlpool of sand. With a shake of his head, he regained composure, bellowed a Dwarven battle cry, pinched his nose, and dove in after Ricky.

The sounds of the far off desert wind suddenly ceased. It was even hotter than up above, and he felt very cramped. All that he was certain of was that he was moving somewhere slowly, but he almost immediately forgot which direction was up. Krause knew that he shouldn’t open his eyes, even though he desperately wanted to know where the hey he really was. Suddenly, the feeling of sand around him stopped, and he felt himself falling. He wanted to scream, but he felt his face smash against some more sand. He wearily groaned and climbed to his feet. He opened his eyes dizzily, blinked several times, and looked around. There seemed to be sand slowly falling from what he thought was the ceiling. All around him there was rough rock and yet more sand, which was dimly illuminated by something that seemed unnatural. He jumped as he heard a nearby groan. His brother crawled out of the pile of sand that he had landed in. Ricky looked horrible. He was coated in sand, which was pouring out of his nose and ears. His legs were wobbly and looked as if he was going to drop to the ground at any given moment.

"I alive…" he muttered, trembling a bit.

"You tried fighting it, didn’t you?" their uncle’s voice said. They turned and saw Flint walking towards them, "If you’re gonna save the world, you should at least listen to people!"

"Uncle Flint?" Krause said, looking about, "Where are we?"

"A sandhole."

"A sandal?"

"SAND-HOLE."

"Ah! It’s so clear now! …What’s a sandhole?"

Flint raised an eyebrow.
"What are my tax dollars going to?" he muttered, "It’s an uncommon natural phenomenon which occurs when the moon is exactly perpendicular to a large basin of sand with a cave beneath it. The sand at the bottom gives way and slowly makes the sand flow downwards. Get it?"

"No, go on."

"And what a happy surprise! We’re in the middle of one."

Ricky slumped to the floor with a groan.

"Are we gonna live?" Krause asked, looking around at the steadily falling sand.

"Of course we are! Just so long as we leave within a week."

"Okay…where are Espeon, Boney and…that weird mute?"

Flint paused for a moment, then adjusted his cowboy hat.

"I don’t know, but I’m sure they’re all right."

"Pay attention to me!" Ricky gasped.

"Oops! Sorry!" Krause said, bending down beside him, "Well, Skate Punk Mike did it, so why can’t I?"

Krause closed his eyes and began humming, "PK healing alpha!" He waited for a moment, then opened his eyes. "Crap!"

"I seriously doubt you have psychokinesis. Even I don’t have it!" Flint said, putting his hand on Krause’s shoulder. Just as he said this, a bright flash of white light and intense heat filled the little sandhole. Before any of them could yell or brace themselves, it was over. Poor Ricky’s hair was smoking, but he was up on his feet. Flint picked up his hat and quickly put it on. Krause was staring at the hole that had just been made in the cave wall. He began to step towards it, but a disgruntled Espeon fell into the charred sand followed by his silent cohort and a whimpering Boney.

"Cool!" Krause said. Espeon and SD climbed to their feet.

"Yeah. We probably would’ve been stuck there in the sand forever if SD wouldn’t have bailed us out with that lightning bolt!" Espeon said, stepping into the light. He appeared to be a bit burnt, but otherwise uninjured. SD’s beard was still smoldering, and he appeared to be trying to douse it.

"Well, we’re all together now!" Ricky said, panting. Flint smiled for a split-second, then looked at the hole in the wall.

"SD, it seems you’ve found something quite helpful."

The little man grunted, then looked up.

"I’m not bragging, but my eyes are six times better than the average human. I can see

through that dark hole there. We’ve hit one of the tunnels in the gold mine that we were looking for five minutes ago. Ricky and Krause, get on your hard hats. We’ll have to be quieter now. You never know what may be lurking in these labyrinths…"

The twins had their helmets fastened on and their lamps turned on. Espeon had a grin that spanned his narrow face like a big fissure.

"My grandma might’ve traveled here over sixty years ago…" he said, skipping ahead of everybody else. They advanced into the dark tunnel, which was only about five feet wide and haunted by bats. Through Ricky’s headlamp, they saw that the passage went on for quite a while. They were all walking single file, with Ricky up front with his light, Espeon following, eyeing the mundane tunnel as if it was made of diamonds. SD was right after him, stroking his beard and examining the walls. Flint was right behind him, silently marching along and looking ahead; and finally Krause and Boney holding up the rear. After a couple of minutes, the tunnel ended and they came out onto a ledge of a vast cavern. Lit by Ricky and Krause’s lanterns they could see that far below, many streams flowed in between the pillars of rock and the larger stalagmites. There were several other rock platforms in the cavern, all of which were connected by rickety old plank bridges. The overall sight was breathtaking and foreboding at the same time.

"I knew there would be a place like this here…" Flint said, stepping up to the old bridge that lied ahead of them. He turned to Espeon and told him, "You seem more enthusiastic about this than the rest of us, so you can go first."

"Yeah…but walking across a rickety old plank bridge in a pitch black cavern over a long drop to the slime below makes me a bit nervous…but I am a treasure hunter!"

Flint spoke lower, "And remember rule number one of dungeon crawling: Be observant and watch your step!"

Espeon made it across the bridge with little or no trouble, as did everybody else. They continued across the cavern in this manner until they were on another ledge.

"That’s weird…none of them fell," Krause said out loud.

"That’s because it’s not like in the movies," Espeon said, "Adventuring is indeed a dangerous occupation to take up, but you don’t always fall from a rickety old bride that hangs sixty feet above a foreboding surface. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careless, however."

They continued on through a series of passages, some of which were only wide enough to squeeze through. Boney did not like this adventure at all, and Krause had to constantly keep him on the move. As they came to the end of a long, winding passage, they were surprised to stumble upon a fairly modern-looking door with light streaming in through the threshold.

"Keep back!" Flint whispered sharply. He stepped towards the door slowly and silently, and even though they were in a cave, not a sound was heard. Flint bent down and looked through the threshold. After about a minute, he looked up with a look of horror on his face.

"Pigs," he uttered through cupped hands. Suddenly they heard a snorting noise from the other side of the door and the clicking of hooves. Flint dove to the ground, executing a roll and jumping to his feet silently. The handle turned and light burst into the passage. Standing in the doorway there was a brown pig holding a donut and wearing a blue suit that said JANITOR on it. He looked up and stood rigid. The party fell silent.

"ATTACK!" Ricky shouted, drawing his baseball bat. In a matter of seconds, SD had put a crossbow bolt into the pig’s forehead. With a dramatic flip and squeal the pig hit the floor face first with a great thud.

"Poor guy…" Krause said, walking ahead. The twins turned off their helmets as they went into what appeared to be a clean, modern office crammed with a lot of mining equipment and boxes, complete with fluorescent lights. Everybody looked about, feeling very confused.

"Grandma’s letter said nothing about something like this…" Espeon said, looking very confused and disappointed.

"That’s because it wasn’t here when she explored it," Ricky said, "It looks like it was built only very recently."

"Hey! That’s what Flint is supposed to say!" Krause said sharply.

"Well, I guess I may be getting wiser…"

Suddenly, Boney let out a little bark. Flint walked over towards his dog, who was looking into a box. He reached down, got up, then turned towards his party.

"It looks like Boney found something interesting," Flint said, putting out a small black object.

"It’s my bad key machine!" Krause shouted, running up to it, "I wonder how they got it…"

"There’s a whole box of them," Flint said, "And it’s probably not yours. I think these pigs are up to something unpleasant, but I can’t pinpoint it quite yet…"

Krause took it anyway and jammed it into his pocket. He walked over and petted his dog.

"Um…I want to go on," Espeon said impatiently.

"I don’t know if that’s so wise," Flint said distantly, "Given by this equipment, I’d say these pigs have themselves an organized mining operation…"

"We’re in just as much danger in here as we will be out there. We might as well just get moving on," Ricky said.

"Just testing. Let’s go," Flint replied, heading towards the other door. It led out into a concrete hallway lit by oil-burning lanterns. They were going to turn the corner when suddenly they heard the sounds of many hooves clicking further on ahead, which were getting louder every second. Before they could do much else, they saw a horde of armored pigs charging down the corridor with drawn spears. The leader drew his sword and squealed a war cry. The hogs ran even faster, and now they were squealing and raising their spears.

"Now we run!" Flint said, starting to do so. Everybody followed, with the pigs closing in fast. In fact, Krause was grazed by a flying spear, which went wild and hit the wall. In a matter of seconds, they had piled into the janitor’s office and leaned themselves against the door. This ended quick, because the pigs’ sharp spears went right through it like cheese. Boney yelped and ran out the ajar door and out into the cave tunnel. The rest followed his example, but a flask with a flame on it lying on the janitor’s desk caught Ricky’s eye, so he grabbed it and bolted just as the door shattered into oblivion. He flipped on his helmet light as he ran through the passage, and he saw that the others were right ahead of him. Krause seemed to be slipping behind, and it wouldn’t take long for him to catch up to him. Suddenly, he lost his footing and tripped on the fallen pig that SD had killed minutes earlier.

"HELP!" he shouted. Krause spun around. His brother was about to be trampled and impaled by pigs! He summoned all of his courage, and with adrenaline pumping, he withdrew his frying pan and shouted, "I’m coming!" The pigs were already out the door and getting close to skewering and/or trampling Ricky. Krause charged forward, raised his frying pan, and with all of his strength, brought it down on the leader’s head. There was a mighty ringing and the pig slumped down, stunned and shocked. That was the last thing Krause saw before feeling a sharp, stabbing pain in his lower ribs and several poundings in the back. All was black after that.

Flint and co. were already in the cavern with the rickety bridges. They hustled across the first one, then sat down, panting.

"I know they’ll keep (Puff) following us, but let’s count ourselves," his eyes darted around.

"Where’s Krause and Ricky?" Espeon said in horror. They fell silent. Boney whimpered and looked down the passage.

"I’m going back for them!" Flint said, standing up.

"Yeah, I’m coming!" Espeon chimed in.

SD nodded violently and climbed to his feet. With that, they all ran back the way whence they came, leaving poor Boney behind. He whimpered, walked in a circle, then plopped himself down on the cold stone and fell asleep.

Ricky felt like vomiting. He had just been hit several times by something hard and he tasted the blood in his mouth. He knew that he should try to act dead, because in the pandemonium that ensued in the last couple of minutes, he had come up with a semi-brilliant plan. It would only work if things went ideally, though, and he figured that right now he was as good as dead. He knew that he was being carried very uncomfortably by one of bigger and smellier pigs that was taking his time. Finally, he felt himself being plopped down on something hard. He heard a second slam next to him, then some grunting and snorting. This had happened before, but this time it was much worse. He began to smell something so ripe that it got through his bleeding nose. Oh the smell! He realized that he was probably being sniffed by one of the pigs. Ricky slowly reached towards the pocket where he stuffed the dangerous flask. He was just about to reach it when he heard a door opening and a woman’s voice.

"So these are the intruders?" she said. Her voice seemed strangely gentle and harsh at the exact same time. Ricky kept reaching into his pocket. He would have to listen for the right opportunity to unleash the bottle of terror. He heard the woman drawing closer.

"Well, I know he’s still alive. It’s amazing that people this young managed to get this far into our complex."

Some grunting was heard, then the woman spoke again.

"Yes, these two may be the ones that we’re after! Just…keep them alive. They’ll pay for all of the innocents they slaughtered when it’s time."

Ricky was shocked when he heard this. What had been said about him? He got a good grip on the flask. In his mind he counted down from three, opened his eyes, drew it out of his pocket, and hurled it as far as he could. There was the sound of glass shattering and he felt the whole room engulfed with heat and light for an instant. Ricky jumped back and braced himself. He blinked several times, then opened his eyes. Several pigs were on the ground on the other end of the room, along with incinerated pieces of furniture. As he looked to one side, however, he saw the woman that had been talking. Her front side was a bit blackened, but other than that she appeared to be fine. Before he could do anything else, she let out a frustrated woman’s yell and, with a swift hand, drew out a magnum from her belt and pointed it at Ricky’s head.

"Your killing spree ends here, young man!" she said, fury in her voice. She began closing in, and Ricky knew he was done for. Thinking quickly, he spoke out equally quick and in one breath.

"I don’t kill people! I didn’t even hurt anybody! It’s just a rumor that was spread around so the PORK could have more than a political reason for killing me! I’m truly off to save the world with this sound stone, and I’m trying to reach my first sanctuary, and I’ve only fought of those pigs in self-defense! Please! The…(Puff) (Pant) world depends on my quest and if you shoot me, there will be no future!"

The woman paused for a moment and her expression changed from fury to sympathy. After about a second, she scowled and raised the gun again.

"That may be true, but you’ve trespassed and killed some pigs!" she screamed as she began to pull back on the trigger. Ricky winced and braced himself, but all he heard was a click.

"Crap! What a happy surprise! I forgot to load my gun…" she looked down at Ricky and felt another wave of sympathy, "I don’t know how to fight, as I’m just an overseer and planner. I’m nice compared to those swine, so I feel compelled to help you."

Ricky raised his head and sat up.

"I’m giving your friend some life noodles. He’ll be up in no time," she said as she walked over towards a beaten and bruised Krause. From a little Tupperware container, she took out some noodles and poured them down his throat. Sure enough, Krause pulled himself up nearly instantly, panting heavily.

"I heard it all!" he said, looking about, "Ricky! I’ve never been more happy to see you in whole life!"

"Enough sentimental crap…" he said turning to the woman, "Hey lady, I almost trust you now, so can you tell us how to get out of here?"

"My name is Cecilia. See that door over there? Exit, make two lefts, then a right. You’ll come into a big cavern. There’s a mine cart track there. I think the crews are almost through renovating it…Jump into a cart, give it a push, and hang on. Supposedly it will take you to a place they call the Gold Tunnel…that’s all I know."

"Is there an…easier way out?" Krause asked, jumping off the table.

"Yes, but those smelly pigs are probably coming that way right now. I’d like to help more, but if I’m found, they’ll hang and quarter me."

As if on cue, they heard the clicking of hooves not too far off.

"Don’t worry about me," Cecilia said hastily, "I’ll just act like I got hit really hard and that I’m suffering minor amnesia. I hope to someday see you two again! Go!"

With that, the twins hurried out the closed door and quietly shut it behind them. They had no idea how cool their next adventure would be.

They followed Cecilia’s directions and soon enough, they reached the vast cavern that she had described, and they were fortunate that it was a little bit illuminated. They were standing on a little ledge above a great drop to what looked like green sludge and hard rock. Ricky looked up and saw many huge stalactites hanging from the ceiling far above. Most importantly, however, were several old mine carts sitting on a track that seemed to span the cavern. Krause gulped. He hoped they were done renovating the track…they heard the clicking of hooves getting even closer now.

"Hurry up!" Ricky shouted, grabbing Krause’s arm and jumping into the front cart. He pulled up on a lever in the middle of it and they both jerked forwards. The cart moved slowly at first, but then, to the twins’ terror, the track took a sudden dip and gravity kicked in. Sparks began to fly and Krause lost his poorly fastened helmet. As he tried grabbing it in vain, he noticed pigs moving into mine carts on the ledge that was now slipping into darkness.

"They’re on us!" Krause shouted.

"Yeah, but how are they gonna catch us?" Ricky shouted back, "Holy crap! Hold on!"

The sparks stopped flying and the screeching ceased. Ricky summoned the courage to look up, and he saw that they were airborne. They screamed as they began plummeting towards the ominous sludge, but they suddenly hit something with a great clamor and the flying of sparks. When their stomachs caught up to them, the twins realized that the track was far from being fully renovated. With great speed, they went up a hill that seemed to still have a support, and then they dropped again at a breakneck speed.

"Brake!" Ricky shouted, his face being slightly pushed back.

There was a snap and Krause was holding up the lever, smiling innocently and shrugging.

"I knew that would happen…AAAAHHHH!"

Our intrepid heroes were once again launched into the air, and again they landed with a great deal of noise. This time Krause heard some more screeching from behind them. Without a doubt, the pigs were on their tail. His head was jerked back around due to a sharp right turn. They slowed down for a moment, staring down at the immense hill that they were about to descend; then they fell screaming into the darkness, their hands clutching the sides for dear life. When they opened their eyes, they were still in the cart, moving considerably slower but still fast and surrounded by darkness. Krause took a glance back and saw in dim light a cart right behind them carrying a large pig swinging what looked like a lasso over it’s head.

"Pig!" he shouted, but they plunged down yet another hill. All this time, Ricky was monumentally trying to keep his lunch in his stomach, but the taste was getting unbearable and, bluntly put, vomited. Krause barely dodged it as it flew past him. Just then, a shower of sparks flew everywhere and they jerked to a sudden halt, jerking their heads back.

"Oh no…" Krause said. All pitiable little Ricky could do was to spew out the last of his lunch over the edge of the cart. The pig in the cart behind them seemed to have gotten his lasso attached to the bumper of their cart and put on his brake. The swine snorted and began pulling out a long spear. Ricky looked back and shook his head.

"We’re going to die…"

Krause did not concur with this, so he leaned over and loosened the lasso. With that, they were once again speeding down the hill, the pig cursing them. As they went up the next hill, Ricky saw a red light up ahead. In seconds, they were bathed in the setting sunlight as they once again became derailed. After that fleeting moment, they were plunging into the darkness once more. The track seemed to be straightening out now, so they caught their breaths. Eventually the cart slowed down and they pulled into another cavern, only this one was noticeably smaller than the one they started in. The cart came to a complete stop as it hit the buffers at the end of the track.

"SWEET!" Krause shouted, putting his arms up in the air. Ricky slumped down, clutched his stomach, and gave a sigh of relief. However, there was the sound of rattling again and the cart behind them began to exit the tunnel. It’s rider was the pig, only now he looked very disgruntled. He snorted several times, then slouched down. Krause shakily climbed to his feet and stepped out, nearly stumbling to the cold stone floor.

"Come on!" he said to his brother, who was putting forth a great effort to get up. Ricky nodded, then looked up. An expression of wonder spread across his weary face.

"Look at that."

Krause turned around and saw before him a huge metal door that spanned at least ten feet across and twice as high. There didn’t seem to be any kind of handles or knobs, but rather, there was a great golden head of what looked like a hideous dragon in the center of it.

"Woah! I wonder if this is it?" Krause said excitedly, running up towards it. Ricky began struggling out of the cart as Krause began examining the head. Suddenly, to Krause’s surprise the eyes on the golden head blinked and a low, deep growl echoed through the cavern. He stumbled back as the head cocked and the mouth opened a bit.

"Who disturbs the Almighty One?" it seemed to say in an evil, hissing voice.

"I’m…Krause Benjamin Lee!" he managed to say, crawling backwards.

"Let’s see here…ho hum…I don’t think you’re the one worthy of entering the lair of the Almighty One. So beat it, Spanky!" as the dragon head said this, a cloud of smoke spewed out of it’s mouth. Ricky was on his knees and rubbing his eyes. The head turned towards him slowly, then it’s narrow eyes grew and it’s jaw dropped.

"Oh, sorry Krausebenjaminlee! I didn’t know he was with you. Yes…you look like the one worthy of entrance. You’ll have to pass through a couple of perils before reaching the Almighty One and his lair. You’ve been warned! So now I guess I’ll just open the door for you two. Watch your step! There’s a four inch drop that the Worthy Ones trip on all the time. And be careful! I’d like to talk some more, but the Almighty One won’t be so happy with me. He thinks I talk too much. I don’t talk too much! Do you think I talk too much? Well, maybe I talk a little more than the average door guard, but you would too if you slept 99% of your life only to be periodically awaken by antisocial spelunkers. Yeah, I had a group in here about…"

"Okay, we’re waiting for you to open up!" Ricky said. He was finally on his feet and standing next to Krause.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. You must not be so social," the dragon said with a sigh, "Now I think I remember how to open this thing!"

There was a loud click, and with a creak, the door slowly began opening. After about a minute, the door was completely opened, letting a draft of old, chilly air into the cavern.

"Mind your step!" the dragon said as the twins apprehensively walked into the darkness. Ricky flipped on his helmet light and gasped. If he had taken one more step, he would’ve fell into a huge abyss. From the depths there rose huge stalagmites, which seemed to hold up the mighty vaulted ceiling above. On the other side of the huge chasm there was an old wooden door that seemed to be cracked open a bit. Ricky stepped back as a howl of bitter wind swept up from below.

"Welcome, Worthy One and his loyal friend," a low, whispering voice echoed, "You are now within my realm. The perils you are about to face shows just how worthy you truly are! If you pass, you will be able to reach me. I won’t wish you well or ill, but you might want to get going. I may see you later…"

The twins paused for a moment. Krause looked towards the other side of the chasm.

"So I know we’re supposed to somehow reach that door. I’m not as bright as you so that means you’ll do lots of thinking here. Any ideas?"

Ricky raised an eyebrow at his brother, who put his head down. Ricky once again gazed at the other side. What would Flint do? He sighed and sat back. Krause picked up a rock and tossed it. Much to his astonishment, he heard a clink. He turned quickly and saw it scuttle in midair, then drop into the abyss.

"Eureka!" he shouted, running over to Ricky. He pulled him to his feet.

"What?" Ricky asked angrily, his train of thought being suddenly and completely derailed. Krause picked up another rock, aimed it carefully, then chucked it at the place where he had thrown his last one. Sure enough, it not only bounced off of the air, but it scuttled a few feet and stopped. Ricky smiled.

"I can’t call you a genius, but thanks!" he said, "I think I have something that’ll show us the path. It’s too heavy for my pack anyway…"

He unzipped his backpack and pulled out the jar of peanut butter that he had neglected until now.

"This means no peanut butter sandwiches…" Ricky said with a sigh. He carefully walked to the ledge, across from where the rock was. He bent down and poured a bit of peanut butter. As he expected, it did not fall. With his finger, he began spreading it. After about six inches in each direction, it began running off.

"Well!" Krause said, "What a happy surprise! Ever since I was little I never wanted to walk across a bottomless pit on an invisible bridge a little more than a foot wide!"

"What’s up with you lately? You’ve been saying stupid, pointless things that don’t help us the least bit for the last couple of minutes! Are you trying to add comic relief? We already have one, so get with the freaking program!" Ricky shouted. Krause shut up.

"Sorry. I guess I’ll make it up to you by going first," Krause replied, sounding ashamed of himself. Cautiously, he stepped onto the peanut butter, spreading some of it forward with his foot. After about four slow steps, he gasped.

"Hey! It ends here! But there’s the rock just ahead of me…"

"Oh crap…He had to put in a jump," Ricky muttered, then he raised his voice, "Get back here! I’m gonna try something!"

Ricky walked to the end of the peanut butter trail, then he lightly tossed a pebble. It landed just about two feet in front of him.

"The gap’s less than two feet," he reported, "I guess it’s my turn to go on first."

"Careful!" Krause reminded him, stepping towards the invisible bridge. Ricky put his foot out and felt for something. After about a foot and a half, he felt something solid. Using all of his caution, he took a deep inhalation and jumped. He was relieved to find that his feet hit solid stone within seconds.

"That wasn’t so tough…" he said. As he said this, a distant shriek was heard. This sound was soon multiplied and then the noise of little flapping wings was heard.

"What’s that?" Krause asked, timidly lowering himself to look into the Pit.

"Me and my big mouth…" Ricky said, slapping himself on the forehead. Krause screamed and fell backwards.

"BATS!" he yelled. Yes, bats were now flying from the darkness of the Pit, and they seemed intent only on destroying our heroes. Ricky stared down in horror as a cloud of those nasty winged vermin drew near, screeching and flapping their wings wildly. Without further delay, Ricky took off running across the invisible bridge. Alas, the bats came up around him, biting at him and screeching in his ears. He yelled and flailed his arms about in an attempt to fight them off. As one bit him in the nose, he began swaying towards the Pit.

"Crap!" he screamed. He struggled to regain his footing, but he felt himself lose it and he began slipping. With a scream, he felt himself beginning to fall down into the depths of eternity. Ricky threw his right arm up in hopes of catching the ledge. He felt not the ledge, but rather a soft hand. He opened his eyes and saw his own twin brother with a tight grip on his wrist.

"I’m not about to let you die!" he yelled, tearing a bat off his neck. Krause let out a great groan and in one jerk, he pulled his brother up.

"Thank me later!" he shouted over the bats. Hand in hand, they continued running across the bridge. The other side was drawing near, but the bats were still surrounding and biting them mercilessly. Suddenly, Krause let out a yell. Before he could completely lose his balance, however, his brother pulled him back. Finally, with the cloud of bats still pursuing them, they reached the other side. They spun around, ready to face the bats, but they suddenly hit midair like glass and began falling, one by one, screeching into the abyss. They both gave a deep sigh. As far as they knew, their first peril had been conquered

Carefully, they stepped through the next door. Much to their surprise, the room appeared to be a fairly modern lobby-type of place, complete with four comfortable couches, a coffee table, and several beverage machines. The strange voice that had welcomed them into the first peril came back.

"You passed that peril in record time! I congratulate you. When I built this dungeon, I figured that if you passed that peril, you should at least get a break. Help yourself to some coffee, expresso, cappuccino, or fresh spring water and kick back for a while."

Ricky sat himself down on one of the couches while Krause grabbed a Styrofoam cup and filled it with coffee.
"Yo, Ricky, I’ve been thinking," Krause said, taking his coffee and sitting down on a couch across from his brother, "I know our father was Ness Lee, which is pretty cool and creepy at the same time. Who was our mother?"

Ricky sat up and got that distant look on his face.

"I never thought of that," he said with a yawn.

"Yeah, I guess it doesn’t mean a whole lot now," Krause replied, sipping his coffee. They sat like this for a while until Ricky nodded off. Krause didn’t, due to caffeine intake, so he stayed up for quite a while before finally plopping down onto the couch. Tomorrow they would face the second peril.

According to the clock, it was nine o’ clock when they woke up the next morning. The twins got themselves some coffee and donuts, then nervously stepped through the door marked "Second Peril." They stepped once again, into darkness. However, before they could take another step there was a mighty FOOM and they found themselves in a wide stone corridor lit by big torches on the wall. About sixty feet away, they saw that the passage ended with an iron door.

"I think this may be a gauntlet," Ricky said out loud, examining the walls, "But he’s done a good job at hiding the traps."

"Well, since you’re the one who can save the world, it would make sense if…I went first again," Krause said, slapping himself in the face as he said it. Keeping his word, he pulled together all of his courage and began slowly walking towards the door. After about five steps, there was the sound of shifting stone and a great rush of air. Krause screamed and fell backwards, barely dodging a barrage of pendulum blades that suddenly sprang out of the ceiling. Krause looked up towards Ricky and shakily nodded.

"Yeah, we’ll do this together…" Ricky said as the blades slipped back into the ceiling whence they came. The twins took a deep breath, then ran. As the blades swung down again, Ricky executed a diving roll in attempt to get underneath of them, but there was a great rip and he felt himself being swung back and forth very quickly. He screamed and turned to look what had happened. His pack was snared, and he was being hurled back and forth along with the blade. Krause was crawling on all fours and had almost passed through the pendulums. Ricky felt the blade sinking into his skin and he screamed. Without a second to lose, he thrust his arms out and jumped forward, landing on his belly with a painful thud.

"Get up!" Krause shouted, who was just a little bit ahead of him now, running for his life. Ricky struggled to his feet just as he heard the sound of stone grinding stone. He was just in time to dodge a rolling millstone that was rolling back and forth across the passage. The pain in his back was growing intense, and he almost didn’t realize that the floor was now shooting jets of superheated steam. He managed to dodge them fairly easily, but he definitely felt the heat. He heard once again the sounds of shifting stone, but his eyes began to glaze and his ears began to ring like bells. Mumbling and stumbling, he fell face-down on the floor that was rapidly moving towards the ceiling. If Krause hadn’t turned around just then and grabbed him, it would have been the end. He grabbed his brother and threw him over his shoulder right as the rising floor hit the ceiling. He turned sideways and zipped through the moving walls that slammed shut right as he passed through them. Summoning the last of his strength and energy, he jut barely leaped over the pit of acid that had just opened up in front of him. He stopped for a second to catch his breath, but it was coming out in wheezes and gasps. Before he could try recovering any more, he heard a hiss. Looking up, he saw a huge, hideous cobra right in front of the door. He sighed desperately, set his brother down, and pulled out his frying pan.

"SSo…you passsssed the Gauntlet and the Invissssible Bridge? You’re tough and wisssse indeed! But how ssstrong are you?" it said, slithering closer and licking his tongue wildly.

"Look," Krause said wearily, "Can we just see the owner of this dungeon?"

The cobra paused, then flicked his tongue.

"Glad you asssked! You must firssst pass me!" it said, drawing it’s great hooded head above Krause. He sighed again, then smacked the cobra right in the nose as it came down to strike. There was a loud crashing noise that sounded like a gong, then the cobra shook and dramatically writhed about before hitting his sensitive nose against the ceiling and effectively knocking it out.

"Thank you, Miss Crabapple…" Krause said, happy to remember that a snake’s nose is the most sensitive part of it’s body. He was now too exhausted to carry his brother, so he simply dragged to the door. He put out his hand to open it, but it flew right open for him. He stepped into the light and gazed in awe. He was in another cavern, only this one seemed to be entirely made of solid, sparkling gold. He stared at the magnificent walls and ceilings, all of it sparkling in splendor. There were even stalactites of gold, like a normal cave would have.

"It’s beautiful, no?" a deep voice said. Krause jumped. It was the same voice that had welcomed them, only this was even deeper and seemed less distant. There was an earth shaking thump and from a dark recess a marvelous beast emerged. Krause gasped, for it looked exactly like the dragons he had read about in books. It was colossal, just barely fitting his front side through the wide tunnel at the end of the magnificent cavern. It’s scales were dark green and seemed to be covered in glistening gems and gold. It’s head was long and narrow, compared to the rest of it’s body. It seemed to be missing an eye and a horn on it’s right side, which it had many of. A jet of flame spewed from it’s nostrils as it shook it’s mighty head.

"You’re a…"

"Brilliant. I’m one of the last ones. They were almost all killed off in the middle ages, but I think there may be six of them left, including me. Enough about me. Congratulations! You are among the few people who…survived. But I only grant wishes to the truly worthy. Arise, Ricky."

A subtle pale light bathed Ricky, and much to Krause’s astonishment, he was on his feet in seconds, rubbing his head.

"Ricky, I know you are seeking sanctuary here, and that wish will be granted," the dragon said. Ricky looked up at the dragon and rubbed his eyes.

"Yes, I’m one of the remaining ancient dragons. You’ve always thought we were fairy tales, but in truth we’re greater than those screwed up stories tell you…"

"Wow…" Ricky said, staring in awe, "You must be great if you could wake me up like that…my sound stone…oh no!"

"I see…your sound stone is back there…but never fear!" the dragon said. Suddenly the stone appeared in his hand. The world around Ricky was fading into whiteness again, but this time he felt warmth and a feeling of renewed hope. Eventually, he heard a faint tune in the back of his mind. He had never felt better in his whole life…he felt himself being lifted up by warm hands, then he blinked and found himself back in the cavern.

"Your sound stone has recorded the melody of the Golden tunnel. I will return you to the surface…go in peace…"

While the adventures of Ricky and Krause were quite significant, you also must know of the events happening in the upper mine. Right when they had found that their two captives had escaped, every pig was to discontinue all mining and report to level two with any weapon they could salvage. Most, entirely unaware of what was going on, armed themselves with picks, shovels, crowbars, and maybe even stones. Their order was to hunt the others (Flint, SD and Espeon) down while the professionals chased the twins. We know how their attempts at catching the twins went, but the other part of it I will tell of soon. It is also important to know that there were few professional soldiers available in the mines, and when he heard of intruders, he figured that if they could penetrate his top layer of security, they must be very dangerous indeed. He wisely called the Pig King himself to quietly send in a legion of his highest-class warriors into level three via sandship. When the malicious monarch heard this, he immediately knew who it was. His blood boiled, and in a rare move, he assembled his men, squeezed out of his metal throne, and put on his ancient suit of armor and put at his belt a great sword, then personally lead his troops to the sandship. We join them as they prepare to tunnel through the deep sands of Cactus Desert.

"Stabilizers?" the huge king grunted, fitting himself into the huge seat.

"Check, my lord," one of the little technicians oinked, pressing a button.

"Propellers?" he snorted.

"Yeah, engine power to 100% and launching sequence over, m’ lord! On your command, we’ll get this baby started up!" the eager little piglet said, his hooves flying over a dashboard.

"Just launch it already!" the King squealed, waving his hoof.

"Right, m’ lord!"

The dull roar grew louder until it was nearly deafening. The evil pig began laughing evilly, rubbing his hooves together. It had been awhile since he had eaten flesh, and he was dearly looking forward to it. With a scream, the propellers began spinning and they were traveling hundreds of feet below the sands. The people above only heard a faint hum and maybe a ripple of sand as the huge machine flew by beneath their feet. Closer and closer they came, according to the radar.

"You’re mine. All mine," the huge pig giggled.

"Sir!" one of his troops grunted, "What are our orders for when we reach the mines?"

"Shut up! Can’t you see I’m laughing?" the Pig King responded, shaking his hoof.

Flint and co. began feeling the ground shaking below their feet as they walked through an empty corridor in search for the twins. They stopped dead in their tracks. Espeon lashed out his whip, SD began cranking his crossbow, and Flint put out his fists. The rumbling steadily increased.

"Here they come!" Espeon shouted, raising his whip. The sound was now coming from behind the next bend about forty feet away. In seconds, they beheld a huge mob of pigs charging chaotically, snorting and grunting. They had no armor, and seemed to be carrying pickaxes, shovels, and the like. Flint gracefully dodged a stone that flew by his head. He got through the ordeal, and heroically shouted, "CHARRRRGE!"

Flint and Espeon charged into the onslaught while SD had already taken out at least four with his crossbow. Within ten seconds, Flint’s flying fists had felled at least half a dozen pigs and Espeon’s whip dropped about two. Suddenly Espeon felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder as he was hit by something very hard. He lashed out with his whip and drove back the oncoming horde, but he acknowledged the fact that a pickax was stuck in his left shoulder. Espeon shook his head, then began slowly retreating, lashing his whip wildly. Seeing this, Flint turned to the new wave, and with vocal abilities seen by few, shouted. The pigs stopped in their tracks, as if suddenly stunned, then high-tailed and fled, squealing frightfully. Flint, up to his knees in fallen enemies, began panting heavily. SD eradicated the last straggler as he shuffled around the bend and Espeon was groaning in agony. Two people were suffering their losses, but they had won a battle against an entire horde of mining pigs. Flint regained his breath and hurried over to tend Espeon’s wound.

"It’s not so bad," he said, having carefully pulled it out and applied antiseptic and a bandage, "But I think you shouldn’t use that arm for at least a day."

"I’ve suffered worse," Espeon said optimistically. SD grunted and reloaded his crossbow.

"They’ll be more coming, and most likely in greater numbers. We have to save my nephews, but I’m afraid if we wait any longer, it would be too late."

Espeon got up with a groan and they continued on their way, this time hustling. Espeon looked down at the downed pigs, somehow feeling guilt that he had killed living things that had lives to attend to. He put these feelings aside and caught up to the pace of Flint and his partner. They walked for quite a while until the worked stone ended and they heard the sounds of machinery and the clanking of armor. They stopped, for an armored pig stepped into the light, holding up an olive branch. SD grunted and raised his crossbow, but Flint restrained him.

"What do you want?" Flint asked, trying to be cordial.

"First, what you want of us?" the pig said gutturally, giving all of his effort to communicate.

"You know what we want. The kids!" Flint said aggressively. The pig stood there, dumbfounded. However, there was the sound of snorting from the darkness.

"We took kids, because they absorb! No…attack us!" he said, "And boss say ‘If you see kids, lock them up!’ "

Flint paused for a moment, then continued.

"Who is this boss that you speak of?"

"Boss? You know who boss be, right?"

"No."

"Boss is here, so I tell he wants be seen."

The pig stepped back into the shadows, then there was some snorting and grunting. After about a minute, a large, muscular pig strutted forth from the shadows.

"So-o, you’re the intruders?" he said.

"Yes we are!" Flint said, "We were simply here to claim the gold that Espeon’s (that’s him over there) grandmother left him, but we seem to have stumbled into your mining operation."

"Why did you attack us then?" the Boss said, lowering his head.

"…We were struck first," Flint said, thinking of something quick.

"Nobody messes with the PORK Empire, even if it’s off-continent!" the Boss said, "And you were, and are, trespassing on property of the His Majesty! That’s reason enough to kill you!"

They lowered their heads, but SD was slowly raising his crossbow…

"I am under direct orders from His Majesty to take any children within the vicinity under custody. You have killed many of us, and tonight we will dine on your flesh. Come quietly and we’ll execute you quicker. Guards…at ACK!"

SD had put a bolt into the Boss’s head before he could say anything else. The pig twitched for a moment, then pointed to our three heroes.

"Kill…" he said, drawing his huge hammer. Rows of armored pigs with weapons drawn poured out from either side of him.

"Run, you fools!" he shouted to SD and Espeon as he grabbed them and took off. An arrow whizzed by Flint’s head and hit the ceiling. SD turned and fired his crossbow at an approaching pig one last time. Soon they reached a corner and Flint turned them right back around.

"Go on!" he said, running back at the oncoming legion of guards.

"FLINT!" Espeon shouted. He began chasing after him, but he felt his partner pulling on his shirt. He turned the corner, just dodging a stray arrow. Flint was running strong at the onslaught, despite the fact that he was nimbly dodging a barrage of arrows. In seconds, he reached the front line. Before the two warriors could even swing their swords, he had brought his fists around and slammed their heads together with a mighty crash and felled them.

"Come and get me!" he shouted as he delivered a roundhouse kick to the next line. He felt something sharp pierce his arm. With his lightning reflexes, he pulled the arrow out of his bicep and stabbed the advancing pig in the face with one swift move. As two others swung their swords from either side of him, he jumped in the air and thrust out his legs, knocking both of them out. He saw, and felt, a pig’s sword cleave him in the abdomen as he landed, but he swallowed the pain and thrust his open palm into his enemy’s solar plexus. The pig stumbled and fell to he ground as Flint elbowed the faces of two more pigs flanking him. The next couple of lines stopped dead in their tracks as Flint put out his fists, and stepped back as he stepped forward.

"Retreat!" the Boss’s voice shouted from the darkness, "A-4!"

The disciplined pigs, turned, saluted, then marched back whence they came. Out of the shadows ahead stepped the Boss himself, despite a nasty head wound.

"You amaze me, Intruder! You felled more than half of my best men! Your friends have escaped, so now it’s just you and me. Try and pass me, come on!" he said, thrusting out his mighty hammer. Flint pulled his fists back, squatted a bit, and examined his enemy. He figured that he should use his remaining strength on this pig, because if he had the ability to rule over the others and could suffer a head wound that would’ve slain a strong man, he would have to be pretty tough.

"So, what’s the holdup? Are we going to finish this sometime this week?" he pig taunted, swinging his hammer about. Flint took a deep breath, then began focusing his energy on a single power attack. He opened his eyes, then began charging at his opponent. He swiftly jumped to avoid a hammer blow, then used the jump to his advantage by unleashing his energy with a flying kick. He thrust out his leg, then gave a tremendous yell as his foot struck the pig across the lower face. Flint swore that there was actually a flash of white light, but what he knew for certain was that when he landed, the pig was reeling in shock and pain, and his jaw was far from it’s regular position.

"Murfe…" he said as he squealed and fell to the ground. As he did so, he inconspicuously reached into his trouser pocket and pressed a button on a radio transmitter. Even Flint’s keen eyes did not see this as he hopped over his fallen foe. He continued to run down the passage, knowing that he was not through with this. Up ahead he saw the passage open up into another cavern, where the sounds of machinery were growing steadily louder. He paused for a moment, for he swore that he heard something over the mechanical roar. Flint got against the wall and slowly crept towards the cavern. He squinted and saw a huge machine at the other end of a vast cavern. It seemed to consist of a huge tank and various tubes going into the ground. From the passage, a narrow path lead down towards the ground below, where he saw worked stone blend in with the natural hewn wall. It seemed a door in the worked wall was sliding open, because a beam of yellow light streaked across the cavern. In this light, he saw a huge, hideous figure step out into the cavern, followed by smaller ones.

"He’s here…" Flint said aloud. In the last few pages, you have probably come to the realization that he is one of the strongest humans ever to walk the Earth. Your assumption was correct, but he had heard of things far greater than a mere mortal. Several days earlier, he had tasted the power of this Pig King when he was clouted in the face. For that fleeting instant, he could feel so much potential behind that blow that it nearly staggered him. His cheek burned as he remembered it. Thanking God he didn’t have any honor to defend, he turned and fled.

Flint leaped over his enemy’s dying body and tore down the passage at speeds that would leave an Olympic sprinter in tears. From far back, he heard a mighty "CHARGE!" In no time at all, he had turned right back the way he came and literally ran into Espeon and his intrepid cohort.

"Ouch!" Espeon shouted as he got up, "What happened?"

"The Devil himself is coming!" Flint shouted as he resumed his running. Espeon felt the fear and grimness his tone, so he bolted right after him with a tight grip on his slower partner’s forearm. Flint disappeared into the darkness ahead of him at speeds Espeon thought impossible. He felt the ground shaking beneath his feet as he ran. Breaking rule #1, he turned and looked behind him. Not too far away, much to his horror, there was an enormous pig in a suit of full plate armor and a great black sword drawn charging towards them with at least two dozen similarly armored pigs following. He gave out a yelp and ran harder. He dashed through the open door of the janitor’s office and ran right through. He felt an arrow fly by his head and saw three hit the door in front of him. As the door behind him sounded like it was being bashed to pieces, he sprinted through the one that led him towards the rickety bridges. Soon enough, he had cleared the passage and was in that cavern. Up ahead, he saw Flint crouched down next to his dog. Espeon had by now forgotten about that animal and was momentarily relieved when he saw that he had survived. He had crossed over to where Flint was crouching right as the evil pig had cleared the hallway. SD grunted and shook loose from his partner’s grasp. Flint didn’t seem to acknowledge the fact that they were there, and Boney shrunk back, whimpering. They turned around and saw the Pig and his small army stop at the bridge. An arrow hit the ground about ten feet in front of them, but no more were fired when their leader snorted and raised his open hand. He then looked towards Flint.

"You survived!"

As before, Flint was silent, but he stood up.

"That’s right. You’re probably the strongest and toughest man alive! And yet you run from every little danger you encounter! All I can say is that you’re wiser than your big brother! He didn’t even fight back when the guards threw him in the space pod and launched him into space. I was expecting a big stand, but I guess it wasn’t such a big loss. I couldn’t stop laughing when I opened the hatch and watched him slowly decompress and suffocate!" the Pig continued.

"You’re truly a demon, yes you are," Flint said, walking towards the ledge, "And I know that despite my cowardice, you will not come out of these mines with your sinister, tainted life!"

"I knew you’d give in!" the King laughed, then he turned to his guards and grunted something. They saluted, put away their weapons, and orderly marched back into the darkness, "Yes, I’ve been anticipating the day I terminate the last of the Lee family…and I shall wait no longer!"

Flint’s face grew very solemn. He turned to his friends and softly told them, "I will most likely die right here…but I’m taking that monster down with me when I do…Yes, we’ve just met and it’s not supposed to end this way. Take care of Boney."

"No…" Espeon said, "You’re the reason why we’re here…"

"Shut up!" Flint barked at him, "Go now! You’ll just die along with me if you don’t get out of here! GO!"

SD grunted to himself and straightened his beard. Espeon grabbed a wide-eyed Boney by the collar and dragged him into the darkness with SD running after him. Flint turned to face the mighty Pig, who was on the other side of the bridge, holding out his sword threateningly.

"Bring it on, chicken-wuss!" he shouted as he swung it. Flint felt the wind from the swing from where he was. He lowered himself, then took off running recklessly towards his opponent, who had a sinister smile and his sword raised above his head.

"FOR MY FAMILY!" he screamed as he dove towards the Pig. The Pig, with unexpected agility, swung his sword down to meet Flint. Flint saw this coming, and he did a flip through the air and landed an elbow slam to the Pig’s neck. All he heard was an audible clank as he fell backward and onto the unforgiving ground. The pig cackled and stepped closer. Flint recovered his hat and quickly executed a sweeping kick to the Pig’s leg, but again the only noticeable change was a small dent.

"You disappoint me!" the pig said, thrusting his huge sword down towards Flint. He rolled out of the way just in time. Now was the time. He rolled backwards and onto the bridge, dodging another angry swipe.

"Hold still, you hen! You’ll die a bit quicker!" the Pig taunted furiously. Yes. This would work… Blinded by anger unaware of what he was doing, the Pig chased Flint right onto the rickety bridge. Flint heard a loud creak and crash as the whole bridge gave way. He jumped backwards, barely missing the ledge. He closed his eyes and grabbed for something. He felt his hand firmly grasp a protruding stone right as the bridge fell against the cliff beside him. Behind all of the clatter, he heard the Pig’s squealing voice shouting, "I’m not through with you yet!" or something like that. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. There was a sudden rush of air behind him. Flint turned his head around just in time to meet the Pig’s enormous blade scything through the darkness and towards him. He gasped and, with his amazing dexterity, reached up at the ledge and was about to jerk himself up, when he felt something very cruel and cold strike him in the back. Flint shouted and spun around in midair in painful realization that the sword had struck him. He began falling helplessly towards the slime, where he saw his fallen enemy slowly sinking and cackling very maniacally. He could barely feel himself plunge into the ice-cold slime. Somehow, before he lost all senses, he swore that he could hear a clear, distinct voice over his ringing ears.