Parcival woke up inside a strange chamber. The chamber was covered in vines, water dripping from the ceiling. His nose wrinkled. Ugg, what is that? The smell was so thick it was hard to breathe. 

He turned toward the vines nearest him on the weeping stone walls. They continued to grow grasping for any empty space. First rule of staying alive survey your surroundings. Well, besides finding water. Wished I hadn't thought of that. He rolled his dry tongue around in his mouth.

Han was slumped over in a corner to the right. Merryn isn't here, that's worrisome. How'd things become so complicated? He rubbed his forehead. Have to get out first.

"Han you need to wake up now!" He went over, bending down on his knees, the wet cold earth soaked the jerkens. He shook Han's shoulder with every word. 

Han sprung up, jumping on the pads of his feet, his fur puffing out while hissing and sputtering at him.

His forehead furrowed with hooded brows over blazing eyes that flashed as his lips parted. He zipped towards him, fangs in full view.

"It's me calm down!"

He held his hands out; palms first. It must be a spell, or he's just disoriented?

Han cocked his head and blinked rapidly; his body relaxed.

"I'm sorry," said Han.

Parcival ran his hands over the clammy vines. There had to be a way out. 

Han did the same, then sat on a bench at the end of the room. 

"What are we going to do?" He held his head in his hands.

"I don't know. I don't know." 

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Sometime later, the north-side wall faded out, becoming transparent, a man's silhouette behind it. In the middle it split apart like a wet scroll, the man's hand pushed it apart and Maxwell passed through.

"Having a fun time in the box, are we? Give up on the woman, she's not ment to live much longer anyway. Why cause yourselves the pain of developing any bonds?"

"Where is she?" Parcival said.

"That's not for you to worry about. You have a choice leave now, forget abut her and go free. Or stay here and rot." 

Parcival moved forward. "Let us out of here now."

"You are in no position to be making demands!"

"I won't leave her with you." He clenched his jaw.

Maxwell pointed at him. "Ignorant fool! You're on the wrong side. The darkness seeps through her. She belongs here."

"Just what have you been smoking? The poor woman-"

Maxwell shook his head. "I see. You're too far gone. Then you'll die here." 

He walked back through the hole in the wall, it rebuilt it self and he vanished.

Han wandered around the chamber quiting the third time around then plopped on the bench in the left corner. 

Parcival slammed his fists on the wall. "I'm not done taking with you!"

"He might be right, you know." Han sighed and leaned back. 

"I refuse to believe that. She not that way. I've seen the good there, it's faint but it's there." 

Han straightened. "It's no wonder you humans die so early." His tail twitched. 

"No need for insults." 

"Just stating a fact." Han rocked the bench it tilted back tossing him off. "Ouch." 

"Ha. That's what you get." He chuckled, went over helping him up.

"look at this." Han pointed to the broken legs. Inside the benches legs were a set of cables running down into the ground.

"Oh ho, do you know-"

"This seems to be a hidden emergency exit?" Han pushed at it the bench tilted back all the way onto the floor. Gears under creaked, groaned, then a loud thunp. A faint thin rectangular slab was under it.

"Good job!" Parcival patted his back.

The slab slid back opening, the dust around it fell into the depths, and the rest ballooned up as a cloud.

They both scrambled out of the way.

"She owes me two ales now." He kneeled taking a peak inside. Mostly dark, a mustyness of old earth, perhaps? 

"Good luck getting them." 

"I'll never get them staying here." He winked.

Han rolled his eyes. "Should've taken a second opal." 

He laughed. "Let's go. And, be careful where you step there could be traps."

He took off running down the steps into the dark depths two steps at a time. He stopped in the middle. This was too easy.

"What is it?" Han bumped into his thigh. 

"Not sure. But-it seems strange that that hidden door was so easy to find. Why would Maxwell leave it there?"

"Hum ... he didn't know? Or has a trap laid out down here, like you said?" 

"In that case-" He paused. "Going straight forward would be folly." He rubbed the back of his neck. "

Then, let's avoid going straight ahead, take a side path?"

Han went down a few steps, turning his head. "Any traps could also be there too." 

"Yes." 

About a flight down the area spread out. The few light globes along the walls did little to brighten the area. Her luminous spell would come in handy now. An ill sensation started and spread to his core. He shivered. 

"You ill?" Han stopped, cat ears raised up.

"No. There's-I-don't know." He shrugged. 

Han's whiskers flattened against his cheeks and he frowned. "Now is not the time to waver."

"Right." He straightend and nodded curtly. She wouldn't, she'd charge right in. Hea. Probably be sliced to bits and be even more pissed off. 

"Looks like a labyrinth or a maze. Wish there was time to map it. Let's get through here first and worry about the rest later." 

He followed the right wall. 

"Let's follow the right wall, should lead us out."

Several twists and turns later around yet another right corner, towered an old archway carved into the rockface. Above this birds glided on the drafts and called out. Just who made this, and when? Past the arch the rockface was carved out to an enlarged tunnel, the light streamed in, his eyes watered he squinted.

"The Ancients." Han pointed to faint runes carved in the stone supports. On both sides were broken statues of Eleven men, the faces gone, the right one still had faint traces of rich cobalt paint on its carved robe.

As his eyes adjusted there on the ground sat a tiny furry red panda. He rubbed his eyes. Yep. A tiny red panda. 

"Han?"

Its large fluffy ears turned as he walked under the archway.

"Urr?" Han shrugged. "I'd say the trap? Yet it's so small ..." 

It hunched forward its haunches and tail raised. It sprinted the distance, a cloud of dust behind it. The Panda growled unusually deep for something so small and cute. 

Before his sword, even left its scabbard the panda had closed the distance, about 10 feet between now.

On better inspection the pandas hair is missing in large chunks and there is a putrid smell wafting from it. Must be out of my mind thinking it was cute.

It stopped in front of them looking at each of them in turn. Then vanished from where it stood a moment before. 

He spun around. Cripe! On the statue robed statues head sat the panda. It lept off straight at him.

"Watch it!" Han searched in his vest, frantically. "It's gone!" He dropped onto his stomach as the panda darted over.

It landed on Parcival's right arm, its legs wrapping around with claws digging into his skin.

"Get it off!" 

He pushed on the decaying pandas moldy shoulders, flakes of gag worthy fur and rotted skin crumbled off. 

"Damn the gods! Han do something!" Did he leave?  

It opened its mouth, an off white cloud of gas puffed out, the stench was putrid. 

He gagged while straining his neck back as far as possible. 

The creature parted its maw, fine threads of revolting mucus dangled between to both halfs.

"What depths of hell did this claw up from?"

It snapped at him with its blackened cracked fangs.

He pushed on its back, it dug its claws dug in, blood squirted from the puncture wounds splashing on his cheek.

The more he pushed on it the longer its neck became. It twisted around his arm and growled an inch before his nose. Then bent back down above his hand and snipped his thumb off.

"Au-ahh!"

He a howled and flailed around the room, shaking his arm screaming. Pain! His body shook as he beat back a rising gorge. Pain! 

Pulling on it only enraged it further, it bit ragged chunks out of his arm. More pain radiated throughout his arm.

"Han, help! Where are you, damn it!"

He smashed his arm into the labyrinth's stone walls, but the abomination clung even tighter. All thoughts became a red line; incoherent and thin.

He stopped pushing with his left hand and let go of the creature. Muscle memory took over he shouted out a spell. It need a rune to be stronger, but should still work.

"Inferno!"

The horrifying creature rumbled and shook. On its body deep fissures cracked they branched out over it. In seconds a bright light flared from within.

It let out a sharp high-pitched yowl just before its sickly flesh exploded. Gleaming bones clattered on the floor.

He backed up and leaning against the wall. The right hand throbbed at the now stump of a thumb dividing his thoughts. His arm was scorched the burnt hair reaked.

Han rushed back to him. "The whole place lit up, what happened?"

"Han–my—my hand."

The pain flooded through. He kneeled down, clenching his teeth and sucked on in a shaky breath.

Han ripped through his sleeve with his claws. Out of this he made several bandages. He wrapped his hand and arm.

"Thanks."

My thumb, where was it? It was too dark to see much of anything, and there were many cracks in the old stone tiles. Might be able to reattach it. 

The pain changed to a throbbing numbness. He breathed in deep though his nose. There by the panda's bones, a small thumb bone. No point taking it then. The pain dulled to a tolerable level, he got up.

The dead did not animate on their own. It was too early to worry excessively about this. Maxwell obviously didn't want us to escape.

Near the archway were two piles of shiny skulls in each, a spear embedded in the middle. A warning? Wrenching the right one out with his left hand it popped free.

"It's old, but at least I'm armed again. let's get out of here!"

"I'd put it back, could be cursed. The bugbears usually looted such things left out."

"Worry later, need a weapon more at the moment."

He ran off through the exit outside. Anything had to be better then staying in there.

Back outside, he shaded his eyes. It was almost noon as the suns position was in the eastern sky. 

The tunnel opened right behind the mansion that the abductors passed by before.

Hair whipped around in front his eyes, fishing out a leather tie out of a trouser pouch he put it in a low hanging ponytail, before moving forward. She had to be in here, there wasn't much else for buildings about.

Placing a finger over his lips, he pointed at the side of the wall. Han nodded, following on padded feet.