As Coy dressed himself in leather armor, he looked at the others. He placed his dagger in its sheath, his round eyes never once leaving the other three he had been stranded with. In his head, he was calculating his chance of survival. They had proved to be exceptionally useful in escaping Grimrock – but how much more did they have left?
As they pressed on around the edge of the shoreline, they eventually came to what appeared to be a dead end.
“Well, that’s wonderful,” Tawmis grumbled. He peered over the rock ledge. “We could try to scale these rocks.”
“No need,” Coy’s voice emerged from the dark shadows that the moonless night provided. “I found a passage through the stone, just over here.”
Taren looked at Tawmis, and if he could roll his eyes, he would have. He whispered – as much as a Minotaur can whisper, with their booming, deep voice – “It is strange that our friend found a secret passage so quickly.”
Tawmis nodded in agreement. “He’s clearly been on this island, like he said before. So he knows the ins and outs of this place. I suppose, to that regard, he’s at least going to be useful helping us get around – and ideally – off this island.”
“If he does not betray us before then,” Taren muttered.
“Right, if that doesn’t happen,” Tawmis echoed.
As they moved deeper and deeper into the cavern, the blackness of night devoured them; the faint light of stars bleeding away, consumed by the shadows within the cave. “I can’t even see my hand in front of my face,” Tawmis complained.
“I can see just fine, follow my voice,” Coy suggested.
“Because that seems like a safe idea,” Tawmis growled.
“You still don’t trust me,” Coy whispered from somewhere ahead.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Tawmis replied, “it’s just that I don’t have complete certainty in you.”
“That’s the same thing as not trusting me,” Coy replied, again his voice seemingly coming from the very shadows.
“Sure, if you want to see it that way, I suppose it sounds like that,” Tawmis said.
“Please –tic!-,” came Blaz’tik’s monotone voice, “allow me.”
In the darkness, Blaz’tik brought his hand directly in front of his chest and released some of the powder he had found in the chest along the shoreline; opened his hand, then brought it down and closed his hand. The tip of his make shift wooden staff began to glow. When the passage lit up, just ahead of Tawmis, Coy stood, poised with dagger in hand.
Tawmis raised an eye brow. “Why’s your dagger out?”
“Because,” Coy said after a moment, as if thinking of an excuse. “I can see in the dark. And these tunnels are not without creatures. You weren’t thinking I was…” Coy looked as though he was offended. “You did not think I was going to attack you, did you?”
Tawmis looked at Coy, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. “You have to admit that looks a little odd; especially since you’re facing me, and not forward if you’re anticipating something in these caves…”
Coy smiled, his two front teeth glistening in Blaz’tik’s magical light, “Is it not proper human behavior to turn and face those you are speaking with?”
Tawmis had a bad feeling that Coy was – literally – lying through his teeth.
“After all,” Coy continued, “what good would you be to me, dead so soon?”
“So soon?” Tawmis echoed.
“What I mean is, so early on, if I was going to kill you – and I don’t plan to – it’d be later, when I feel safe,” Coy explained.
“That still doesn’t make me feel better,” Tawmis replied, his hand no longer on his hilt. “You can see why I don’t trust you.”
“So you admit it then,” Coy chuckled, and turned his head continued down into cave, dagger still in hand, “You don’t trust me. Just like I said.”
Blaz’tik looked over at Tawmis, and if the insectoid could chuckle, he probably would have.
Sneaky little bastard. But I kinda like him. On the other hand, when I was speculating if one of them will die by the end of the Nex Island, I think I said that the one obvious choice would be Coy. Hum... I still think someone will die. But I'm hoping with my fingers crossed it won't be Tawmis or Taren. I like those two the best. And unless it turns out that Tawmis can use magic, I don't think that Blaz will die either. They would be toast without magic.