Maxis panicked for a second. Why wasn't the wall opening up? They looked back at Pinx for a second to see her slightly confused. Their head whipped around as they heard stone scraping against the floor. They let out a breath they didn't know they were holding and gestured Pinx forward.
They began to walk through the widening passageways of the tunnel. As they ventured deeper, the environment started to feel a bit colder. Maxis noticed it and a wave of relief washed over them. At least the fire hadn't gotten to the tunnels.
After walking for what seemed like forever, Maxis found a station. A small table, equipped with clothes, snacks, water, first aid kits, and some bedrolls.
"What's this?" Pinx walked up to the table. Towering over her Maxis walked over to behind the table. They walked back up to Pinx and handed her a bottle. They grabbed their bottle and chugged it. They quickly turned from Pinx and began stripping.
"What Are You Doing?!" Pinx swiftly turned around as her cheeks flushed. She felt something press against her back as she turned again. A large, tan object stood in front of her. She slowly looked up and stood in awe as Pinx recognized the long ears and sandy hair. She turned away to hear a voice that said,
"Get undressed and then drink the potion. There are more clothes over here." Pinx sighed slightly and changed again, then chugged the potion. A small grimace came over her face as she tasted how sour it was.
The sensation of growing was sudden and sickening. Her skin felt like it was pulling apart. Her stomach dropped, and the sudden rush of wind ran over her like a cold hand. She doubled over, feeling like barfing. The slight tap of Maxis felt harsh against her skin as she groaned. Some clothes were set on the floor of the cave by her feet.
"I didn't quite know what you'd like but I tried."
Pinx looked back and smiled slightly.
Regaining her composure, she grabbed the clothes and swiftly put them on.
A slight crunch came from behind her. Whipping around, she saw Maxis eating an apple. They appeared to be studying their options on the table, but internally they screamed, 'IF YOU TURN AROUND, I WILL THROW YOU OFF OF A CLIFF. I WILL DEFENESTRATE YOU.'
Maxis looks back to see her dressed in the deep green shirt they grabbed. Navy blue leggings laid on her legs with her bare feet out. She had pulled her long dreads back into a bun with a thick ribbon that they noticed used to be on her wrist. Her shirt was a bit too big and was falling off at the shoulders to reveal dark freckles, not unlike the ones coating her face. They nodded and grabbed a pack. Walking away, they gestured for Pinx to follow.
"So what is all this," Pinx asked.
"This one of the many rest stations in the tunnels."
"Obviously. But I was talking about the tunnels; and a little bit about the table. Why are they here? Who made them? How did you find them?"
"1, They're for students late to class among other things. 2, I don't know. They've been here for decades. 3, There was a passageway in my 601 room. My roommates had heard about it and showed me."
"And what would people do here? Like other than getting to class."
"Well some people studied here, some just met up here. Some did, other things."
"Other things?"
"You know. Things."
"Ah................... Did you ever?"
"I-I- You don't need to know that. I don't have to tell you anything," they said, their cheeks slightly flushing.
"Ok sorry. Um, who made the tables. They seemed to have everything."
"Y-yes. They were there when I first started travelling in these. They were set up in case something happened and people got stuck in here. Or got lost. If you got lost you were supposed to go there so pros could find you. It's a real maze in here."
"Why don't the adults come to find the kids? I mean there are obviously full-fledged hunters who know about this."
"Well if it's really serious we will. But we try to stay out of tunnel business. Some of the younger and newer hunters still use the tunnels. They all stop before they're 27 though."
"Ah. What was your favourite thing to do in here?"
"What is this? 20 questions? I would appreciate it if you stopped asking questions,"
Maxis said, starting to get a panicked speech.
Pinx nodded, slightly confused. What did Maxis not want to tell her? They continued along silently for many twists and turns amongst the labyrinth. Getting a little impatient, Pinx asked, "Are we going down? I don't feel like we've gone down at all."
"Patience. A) It's meant to be complicated. B) I'm a little rusty with the directions. C) There's a confusion curse in here. And since I don't quite remember the passages, it's making this a tad more complicated. That's why you don't go down here without a map unless you've memorized the paths. Don't worry. The fire can't get in here. It's all stone. Once we find the stairway, we can go directly to the first floor."
"How long have we been in here?"
Checking their watch, they replied, "20 minutes."
"Ok," she said, still a bit nervous.
They continued along until they started to get to a section where the wall became more intricately carved. Running ahead, Maxis gestured for Pinx to follow. They rounded a corner, running out of sight of Pinx. Pinx sprinted ahead as well, but as she rounded the corner, she ran into Maxis. Falling backwards slightly, she caught her balance.
She walked back up to them and shook them slightly.
"Are you ok? Captain?"
She looked to where Maxis's gaze went and was stunned. Sitting in the corner, carving some trinket with a pocket knife, sat a person. They looked up and locked eyes with Maxis. They stood, or rather floated, up and sauntered over to lean on the staircase.
"Well hello, Maxis. How have you been?"
Word Count: 1024
Other Author:
ukulelefan334 (Go follow them!)
YOU ARE READING
The Secrets of Madrid
Fantasy(Discontinued) You can read what's written if you want but there's no ending, not really that close even. If anyone does decide to read this and wants me to post chapters that have been written but not posted, you can comment about it if you would l...
