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    Chaney and the moon cat were lost in the underworld tunnels. Really, I''m the one who''s burning lost. The cat isn''t going anywhere in particular. Chaney thought to himself. Also, I can barely see anything, so I wouldn''t know if we were going the right way. They walked through the tunnels for hours before Yrryth found them. Chaney was initially frightened by the red glowing eyes, but the feeling of calm recognition from the moon cat helped him recognize the gargoyle.


    "Supervisor Yrryth!" Chaney shouted down the tunnel. A flash of warning from the cat caused Chaney to flatten against the side of the tunnel. Something huge brushed his shoulder and snapped closed on the air where he had been standing. Supervisor Yrryth roared and charged down the tunnel. Chaney could make out few details in the darkness, even with his *See in the dark* skill. The large shape pressed against the far side of the tunnel, then rushed towards him to crush him against the wall. Chaney managed to drop to the floor to avoid the hit. The crash on the stone above him showered him with pebbles and dust. Chaney began to crawl down the tunnel towards Yrryth. She rushed past him, growling, and he stood up to watch the fight.


    Yrryth stopped in front of the large shape and shook a claw at it. She growled and grunted animatedly at the large thing. Chaney could only make out her outline against the faint red reflecting off the think, but it looked like she was scolding it. The thing hissed at Yrryth but she just growled louder. After a minute, the thing retreated slowly down the tunnel. When it was out of sight, Yrryth and the moon cat rejoined Chaney.


    "What was that?" Chaney asked in a whisper. Yrryth just grunted and shooed him forward. They walked for another quarter hour before arriving at the workshop Chaney had seen before. The fairy was not present. Yrryth closed the door behind them. The moon cat chose to stay in the dark tunnels instead of the bright workshop. Yrryth gestured to a stool then waited expectantly for Chaney to speak. Guessing that she wanted to know why he was in the tunnels, Chaney explained everything that happened since the dungeon fairy had shown up earlier.


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    Punch hummed to himself as he finished organizing a group of twelve bandits to clear and harvest the nearby dungeon floors in shifts. Punch''s team and the first two harvesters would clear out the stony dungeon floor together in case it was full of red jellyfish again. Punch would lead the remaining ten bandits to clear the sandy dungeon and the connecting floors, leaving behind two bandits in each to continue harvesting. Each pair of bandits would be replaced every eight hours. Punch meant to tell the bandit queen about the harvesting project, but it turned out that she wasn''t in camp.


    The team of five and the team of eleven left camp at the same time. Fully as armed as armored as they could be and carrying a few stacks of empty bags that Punch had scavenged from the supplies. Punch''s group cleared the sandy dungeon floor quickly and the group (minus two to harvest the sandy floor) move on to the oasis floor.


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    Internally, Zdeska frowned at the group of bandits with her. Each one had been chosen because they had a movement skill or natural ability that might be useful in the underwater dungeon floor, but they were also the odd bandits who didn''t fit in well. She cleared her throat to make them focus on her. "I''m going through the portal first. I''ll clear any monsters near the entrance and put down a frost pole. You all wait to a count of ten to enter." She said.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Is ten enough time? Should we wait longer?" A whip thin man asked.


    Zdeska frowned at him. "Ten is plenty. Any other stupid questions?" She looked around the group, but no one had any more questions. Zdeska strode through the portal.


    The dungeon floor had been cleared by Punch''s team not very long ago, so there weren''t any monsters near the portal. Zdeska slowly scanned her surroundings to make sure there were no threats then pulled a frost pole from her back and stabbed it into the ground. The frost was certainly nicer than the oppressive heat, but Zdeska wasn''t in any danger. She walked forward, placing frost poles every dozen strides. The other bandits emerged from the portal cautiously and followed the frost path the bandit queen had placed.


    Zdeska led them right to the portal that Punch had reported as the entrance for the underwater dungeon floor. Zdeska paused there to let the other bandits reach her. She spoke when the group had finally gotten close enough for instructions. "There is no floor past here." She said, pointing at the portal. "It''s a large air bubble. If you want to swim, swim near the air bubble and keep your eyes open for threats. I want at least one of you to get up on the vine," Zdeska pointed at the huge vine branch they stood next to, "and clear out anything that''s hiding under the leaves." Zdeska jumped through the portal before someone could ask useless questions.


    Medium blue light greeted the bandit queens eyes as she fell towards the bottom of the air bubble. She kicked out against the vine roots to alter her trajectory and exit the side of the bubble. Cold water enveloped her and she swam a short distance from the bubble. Silt hung in the water and scattered tiny air bubbles drifted past. Zdeska heard a muffled shout as one of the bandits fell to the bottom of the air bubble. She ignore them.


    Outside the air bubble, the giant vine branch continued out into the dungeon floor. A second air bubble surrounded a branching point on the vine where more roots trailed down into the water. Beyond that, Zdeska could see a few dozen air bubbles of similar size, like an island chain on the ocean. Zdeska swam up to the giant vine and walked along it back into the air bubble.


    "Queen!" The whip thin man gestured at her in panic. "Mirvin is drowning!" The man pointed down at the bottom of the air bubble. Zdeska looked over the edge of the vine and could see one of the other bandits quickly sinking out of sight.


    Zdeska raised an eyebrow. "Didn''t Mirvin say she had an Air step skill?" Zdeska made no move to rescue the drowning bandit.


    "She''s drowning!" The thin man protested. He managed to just stop himself from demanding that she take action.


    Zdeska shook her head. "Either she lied about her skill or she decided not to believe me about there being no floor. Either way, she''s useless." The bandit queen looked past the incredulous thin man and saw that the remaining three bandits were all on the vine. She pointed behind herself, into the water. "There are more air bubbles. We''ll follow the vine and clear out each bubble. There are some swimming monsters out there, so stay sharp between bubbles." Zdeska stared hard at the bandits until they nodded in acknowledgement, then turned and pushed off into the water.