They headed off down the tunnel together, with Kayla just behind, shedding her blue glow as his orange pierced the darkness ahead. The tunnel became rougher as they moved away from the dungeon entryway and into the natural cave system that honeycombed the hills. The actual passage was wide enough that the three of them could have walked abreast in most places, were Ayesha not being carried. The walls much more craggy and uneven here, not the textured hewn stone of earlier, but cracks in the living rock itself. It often seemed clawed from the solid stone, strangely gouged stone on either side, or shelves of rock projecting outward. In places the roof soared away much higher than their light could pierced. Sometimes droplets of water sprinkled down from above, and Kayla wondered if such places may actually open to the skies somewhere far above, or if perhaps an underground stream found its way out into the open space. She eyed the strangely shaped rock, and other marks on the floor, with some concern.<br/><br/>She spoke quietly, though clearly enough to the elf but a few paces ahead "I should say a few words about this guardian. We may not have to contend with it, but there is a good chance we may. It can't be less than a couple of hours to the exit of this place, and surely it will be much less time than that for them to work out where we have gone. If that happens they will no doubt release the magic holding the guardian in place. What we will face is a Durfle Beast. That is a local name, in fact it should be<em>The</em>Durfle Beast, as we have never encountered another. It sounds comical but it is fearsome. The creature is actually a type of stone elemental and it has dwelt in these caverns much longer than we have. It resembles an Armoured Dillo.. such as you may have heard of on the hot plains of the south. Except that it is huge and it's hide is of rock. It will coil itself and roll through these tunnels faster than a galloping horse, see those marks? Those caught unawares will be crushed. Nothing I know of, not weapon nor magic will penetrate that hide. And those it misses or wounds are mopped up by the scavengers that follow it. Half lizard men.. again tainted by rock, though not so invulnerable as their master. Those, your blades may be of hope with. For the other? If we hear it's approach we had better run and hide, for that is the only way to avoid grim death down here. "<br/><br/>Kayla paused, coughing in the chill air, the smell of damp seeping into her lungs. She shifted the weight of Ayesha in her arms. Was it her imagination or was the girl becoming a little heavier? It could be tiredness of course... but... yes she certainly seemed less pale than she had been, even in the dim light. The storm elf smiled. This must be a good sign. Somewhat cheered she strode on, directing Zaer at a fork toward a tunnel sloping very slightly upward. Perhaps they would make it out of this warren unharmed after all. How wrong she was....