Upon The Precipice

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 POV: Tyvelia

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"Do you have anything I can use to cook?"

I raised an eyebrow, turning to face his wavering white form. A small curious smile emerged on my face.

Humans needed to cook most of their foods to prevent sickness. It was something necessary to their digestion, otherwise they would get sick.

'They are similar to fire dragons in that respect.'

Thinking back, my mind mulled over all the items I had collected and taken. There were many things I had taken from the cold dying grip of others after all. As to where they were…

"There should be some form of cooking utensils within the large pile of silver tools. Scola can tell you where. However, that shouldn't be your first destination."

A slight curiosity flashed through Deus's features before he returned to his usual wary self.

"Then where should I be going?"

I smiled before looking at Scola, my face losing the slight hints of emotion as the creature stared right back.

"Show him the Lush Hollow, he will be able to collect vegetables and fruits from there."

My attention now returned to Deus, who was undoubtedly confused yet still had asked nothing.

"Your health is a priority. Humans require fruits and vegetables to balance the amount of meat they eat do they not? Then I will provide them to you so you do not get sick. I cannot have my Irn degrading."

He nodded slowly, taking everything I said into account before looking back at me.

"Thanks for taking that into consideration."

It seems I have done nothing but made him wary and slightly afraid. I could hear his breathing slightly pick up at the mention of him being an Irn. I could smell and "see" his fearful beads of sweat roll down his forehead as his gaze locked onto the blindfold covering my ruined eyes.

It's time to put an end this conversation.

"I will have the meat delivered to your room by a gloom. So don't be afraid if you see someone in there."

Deus seemed to freeze for a moment. Something that had become somewhat of a common occurrence when I was in his presence.

But this time he managed to come out of his shock much quicker than usual.

"I-I see. Thank you."

I then leaned in close, putting my lips to his ear as I felt him squirm in fear. Though a small amount of me wished to take this slightly further I simply decided to say my piece.

"Don't disappoint me."

I nearly felt a wide grin appear on my face as I felt him shiver, before standing up fully and walking into the vast maw of the lower depths.

Though Deus was slightly amusing like this, his current state is not ideal. In this world, even with my strength it may be difficult to protect him.

'That is why I must move faster.'

 …

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POV: Deus

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Once again, I was amazed by the sheer scale and complexity of Tyvelia's home. The deep lengthy tunnels and the unending complex twists and turns constantly showed me just how out of my depth I really was.

I was also once again following Scola through these extensive tunnels. Placing my hand against the wall as I walked, I began to feel a repeating pattern. As though something had slithered its way through the endless stone, slowly delving deep into the earth as it carved its labyrinth.

However something was familiar about this pattern.

Tracing my hands along the stone, I began to get caught up in a familiar rhythm. The echo of chitin on stone. I looked back at Scola with a bit of a terrifying thought in mind.

'How large is she supposed to grow?'

…

The fact that Tyvelia knows the dietary needs of humans is slightly surprising. Though to be fair, it makes sense. She has most definitely lived a lot longer than anyone I've ever heard of. She definitely has the age to warrant some surprising knowledge.

'However…'

I couldn't get it out of my head. My thoughts from before.

Looking back at Scola, who continued traipsing through the dark tunnels without a care, a small sense of awe began to build in me. If in some way she was a relative of the thing that made these caverns, however unlikely that may be, it would be really cool.

'I wonder if that's how Tyvelia gained these tunnels. Taking them from whatever lived here originally. More than that, I wonder who the hell even lived here before.'

Suddenly, I felt a light breeze brush past me, flowing deeper into the cave.

'Air flow?'

Scola began to slow down, her eyes darting to every shadow. She had become wary of something?

I slowed down, moving closer to her so she could have an easier time protecting me.

Then I noticed something new.

In the distance, a glinting light.

It was not from the steel lantern that hung from Scola's arms.

It was something much more… natural?

Scola then shifted the lantern from her long arms to her shorter, much smaller claws.

It was a simple movement, but one that slightly worried me. That action to me was as close as she can get to unsheathing a sword. There was either something here, or something coming.

However despite my speculations, Scola began forward again, her beady black eyes searching the shadows for even the slightest movements. As we moved closer to the light in the distance, the walls began to become grey, before returning to black.

This black however, was not from age. It was moisture. Small glints of light now attracted my attention as the cave slowly became brighter.

Finally, as we turned the corner to enter a new area, I saw it. We were bathed in moonlight as the bleak shadows of the depths were washed away.

As though it had been cleaved by a massive blade, the caves were cut open and gutted. A massive gash not unlike the chasm I had seen before now lay before us.

However this was no unending pit.

It was a lush field of green.

I slowly walked forwards, placing my hand on the soft earth before me, much to Scola's chagrin. There was no cold stone. It truly was dirt. Looking around, the entire field was full of all forms of strange leaves and large, bulging fruits and vegetables.

And though there was no way to tell which was which, I could most definitely see that Tyvelia had not been lying.

'But still, why is Scola fidgeting so much?'

It took a step back from out and under the luminous night sky, retreating to the black shadows that enshrouded both Scola and I.

Scola then slowly put her claws on the back of my jacket, pulling me back into the cave.

I tripped and stumbled a little until she stopped and put out the lantern with a quick flick of her large forelimb.

Placing it down with a slight clunk, she slowly crawled out in front of me, inching towards the light. She was completely on the ground, almost looking like she was slithering as she made it to the entrance to the lush hollow.

She then reached out one trembling forelimb, the light slowly enveloping it as her rough, rock-like texture became clear. Slowly but surely, she reached towards the leaf of a plant.

A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead as I watched her slow, careful movements. 

The black tip of her spear-like forelimb barely scraped against the green, lucious leaf.

And all hell broke loose.