Traveling outside the kingdom of humans and deep in that of the dwarfs to continue the adventure in the mines.

  “What is your name pacifist?” asked Jed as they descended deeper into the darkness.

  The jester riding the donkey could no longer be by himself anymore on account of the narrow path. The troops crammed together sandwiched between slow moving tanks. The tracks barely fit as dirt from the treads pushed over the cliff edge. It was slow going in narrow margins when all they had was light from torches to guide the path. A cold stale breeze of death blew into them coming from the dwarven mines below. It was stale as farc.

  “I’m Ned” the jester said, taking out a book to sketch in the dim light.

  “Nice to meet you, I am Jed” said one of the many soldiers walking beside the donkey.

  They were in formation in front of the mechanized vehicles. Another soldier pointed to the knight at his side who was still alive but pale and grim. He almost resembled a zombie whose essence blunted so much on their return, with much of it never returning from the afterlife with them. Lost forever to the crystal when the corpse was resurrected from the core of the planet where most spirits rested in limbo.

  “Your silent friend doesn’t look well, friend,” said Ned the pacifist.

  “I know but unfortunately there is nothing I can do to help him,” said Jed, his face having grown worn with the grit of war, and worry.

  The fool pacifist reached into one of the donkey pouches pulling out a wrapped tin of something strange.

  “Here, my friend gives this to our friend to chew. It will give him strength as his vitamins look low,” said fool.

  “Okay well I somewhat trust you in your naive ways sir, but you have to understand a man that goes to war with no weapons is somebody I strongly suspect of being extremely mad” said Jed, taking the chew in his hands with a suspicious mind.

  The other laughed.

  “Yes, that does make sense to me. A man who will die before he kills another probably does look very strange to you” said Ned.

  “Yes indeed at least you seem to be self aware” said Jed looking away over at Fred, who pushed away a helping hand to get a piece of gum.

  “I do believe in things very strongly and logically you know.. I think," said Ned, trying to rein in his misbehaving animal that seemed to smirk. "Ahem anyway we should strive to treat all other creatures with respect, with whom we all share this land that lives and breathes, if you listen close to the trees,".

  "This stuff rocks," said Fred.

  Jed scowled at the randoms around him and helped themselves.

  "There is plenty more homeopathic medicine where that came from besides you already let that witch doctor have a go at your friend eh. What harm could another quack accomplish” said Ned.

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  “Very well I suppose he does not have much more to lose at this point” said Jed feeding his friend who ate from his palm.

  “Very well I suppose I don’t have much left to lose,” said Fred, between nibbles.

  The many soldiers around snickered at the fool, and his newest converts. What had to be an hour later they were still headed down, and nothing had changed but the passing of moments. Even that could have been a trick and they were treading time itself. The sunlight no longer helped them even a sliver, and the air had started to become oppressively stale. The only thing that had slightly brightened was Fred's face in the torch, and crystal lights.

  “Dead dwarf ahead!” yelled the soldier in the very front of the line.

  Lights intensified as lanterns were cranked to maximum strength pushing back the unknown.

  “Soldiers ready arms, and hold fire,” screamed the biggest commander.

  Five hundred swords sounded as the bows were drawn and crossbows aimed at the ready. The Trooper in the front pointed to the dead dwarf lying on the ground before four more came into the light, stacked in what was the beginning of a massive pile.

  “Stab 'em we don’t want any traps,” a voice yelled as swords were inserted to check the dead for signs of life.

  The little bodies crunched under heavy treads as the advance continued. A gust of dead air blew up from the depths still below blowing out the torches. It was pitch black.

  “MOOOOORAAAKAAA!” was loudly chanted by a hundred voices bouncing off the walls.

  A loud deep horn of battle sounded pounding eardrums as the sound waves passed bouncing by.

  “Relight your torches at once soldiers,” yelled a commander while sparks of flint flew all around her.

  “MOOOOOORAAKA!” the Dwarves yelled again, getting closer.

  “BOOM!”

  The tank behind them shot its cannon over the soldiers' heads into the dark.

  “AAAAAAAAAA” screamed Fred falling to a heap on the floor.

  "Out of the way you weak waste of space," said a soldier pushing past as another kicked the fallen man.

  Ned got off his ass and slapped its rear, sending it galloping back to safety. He stood beside Fred helping him up off the dirt as Jed drew his sword in front of them ready to attack.

  "It is time to go to a happier place, soldiers take my hand. Jed, and Fred join me in prayer to the crystals that power our civilization" said the jester wizard.

  Jed was silently focused, looking for enemies in the dark. Ned took off his sneaker then turned it upside down and began to shake it out.

  "Hmmm I know I put that somewhere" he said, taking off his other shoe.

  "Ahah" he grunted.

  Ned pulled out of the jester's footwear a tied dirty sock. Ned led Fred to Jed. He then dumped something out of his sock in the dark.

  "Still here boys?"

  "Yes, I will defend the pair of you fools as long as I remain on my feet there is no need to fear death," answered Jed.

  "You will come with me and your friend to a happy place far from here if you wish. There is no sense in dying in this pointless war" said Ned holding Fred's hand.

  "Do you understand the army will kill us if we turn around, and flee. I didn't plan on dying down here but I'm not a coward. There’s sometimes with life there's nothing you can do but go down fighting tooth and nail"

  "Hmmmm. Well I might have a few magic tricks in my sleeve, young man," said Ned touching Jed's back with a crystal ice cold that stung like a hornet.

  "Oh boy," said Jed.

  "Poof!"

  The sounds of battle had gone quiet. All the colors, but black and white had left the picture as well. A breeze of hot air lashed out at them, and the sound of waves hit some kind of shore. In the distance massive chunks of crystal icebergs drifted in a sea of what looked to be dark liquid magma.

  "Where are we?" asked Jed.

  "A happy place," said Ned.