42 Creepy cavern

Jess got in a defensive stance. Her glowing sword acted like a beacon, drawing the attention of the now charging zombies.

Annoyed at being ignored and how useless he had been previously, Finn reached for one of the fire starter marbles. He stabbed it onto the tip of his crossbow bolt, and fired at the closest zombie.

It was another body shot. The bolt pierced right into the chest of the miner along with the marble. Finn was glad their bodies seemed to have gotten softer due to rotting, otherwise a rounded tip would never have pierced so easily.

A couple seconds later, Finn was relieved to see that the product worked as advertised. A small flame started burning in the wound, the wooden shaft caught fire followed by the old clothes the zombie was wearing.

The zombies didn't stop though, they kept charging without a care for their own safety. The burning zombie was eventually passed by the uninsured zombies, the fire had started causing serious damage. The fire starter, being embedded in the zombie's chest, had burned away the internal connection to its mind causing its legs to stop functioning. It face planted, tried crawling towards the two, all while still on fire.

Finn recognized the fact that he didn't have time to fire another, the zombie would just attack them while on fire. That wouldn't be making anything easier. Finn put away his crossbow and drew his daggers. Since the zombies didn't seem to pay him any attention, he decided to flank them.

He quickly made his way around behind the zombies, they weren't the fastest or most observant. Jess understood his intentions and waved her shining sword to keep them preoccupied.

When the three zombies had gotten close enough, Jess charged at one with her sword swinging. Finn took the opportunity to leap at the the one at the back, knocking it over with a flying kick.

Finn held it down with his knees and slashed down hard with one dagger into the zombie's neck, trying to sever its head. It took a few hacks to succeed, and it made a bloody mess.

Jess did a cleaner job dispatching her first target. She swung at its neck, and decapitated it in one try. The zombie collapsed as it's head went flying.

The only standing zombie swiped at Jess with its rotting hand, but she jumped back to dodge it. It continued swiping with both hands as it tried to get close enough to bite.

Zombies weren't intelligent creatures, so their attacks were easy to read for and experienced fighter such as Jess. After dodging a left handed swipe, she stepped forward in used her bucket to knock the incoming right hand aside. Using the opening she created, she lopped off one of its legs.

Jess jumped back again as the zombie fell forward. Knowing it wasn't over yet, she raised her sword and brought it down hard on its head, crushing it.

Finn had just finished off the one he was working on. Taking out his hand crossbow, he walked up to the still crawling half burned zombie. Aiming at it he fired a bolt through its skull.

The zombie finally died, Finn was relieved that crossbows would work if he aimed properly. Pulling out the bolt he had just fired, he was sad that the other had burnt up.

Meanwhile Jess had just hunted down the angry head that she sent flying and crushed it with her sword. It was best to take care of things properly.

'The necromancer is not going to be happy when he finds out five of his zombie's are missing.' Finn commented as he dragged the rotting bodies into a heap. Squeezing another fire starter, he tossed it onto the pile. A few seconds later, it burst into flame and all the zombie miners' clothing caught fire.

Watching the fire start to get smaller, Finn wasn't satisfied. The zombies didn't burn on their own and needed other fuel. Something they didn't bring along.

'Let's go,' Jess said. 'The smoke is nasty, and we need to stay focused. Let's head down the tunnel they came from for a quick check before we head back.'

'Ok, but stop that light spell. It'll attract more enemies and give away our location.'

Jess stroked her sword and cancelled the spell. The zombies were weak so she hadn't needed to use any other magic. If they got into another fight, she still had the mana for some spells.

Having encountered enemies previously, Jess and Finn walked carefully down the tunnel. They kept silent and were on the lookout for anything the moved.

After walking for a while, Finn started feeling a little hungry. 'It should be close to dinner time,' he thought, but the lack of sunlight made it hard to keep track of the time.

Taking out some dried meat, Finn ate some on it as they continued walking.

Up ahead, the two noticed that the tunnel led to another large cavern. Finn didn't really understand how these had formed, but was grateful for a wider space.

As they stepped into the cavern they realized it was bigger than they had thought. It was around the same size as that first cavern with the elevator, except this one still had large stalagmites and stalactites.

A light mist covered the ground, as the two walked into the room they noticed it reached to their knees. It felt a little cold as it flowed around their ankles with each step.

'Well this place is a little creepy,' Finn whispered to Jess.

Jess nodded in response, she could see better here thanks to the large patches where glowshrooms grew amongst the mist.

The constant dripping sounds didn't improve their experience, and occasionally one of them would step into a shallow puddle. It was hard to know where to step when the mist obscured their view of the ground.

The two walked around the edge of the cavern. If anyone else was here, they might be noticed or surrounded by going through the middle.

After passing another two tunnel entrances, Finn was glad Jess had thought of leaving a mark near their tunnel with chalk. He had no idea how kobolds, troglodytes, and other cave dwellers could know their way around their dark labyrinths.

As they sneaked around, they noticed a light from the far end of the cavern. Someone was there.