Inside a fifty meter wide bottomless tunnel, four figures—a human person, a fairly big feminine golden rat, a big black rabbit and a little white animal that resemble a unicorn with wings, fall freely inside it with each creature sporting different expression, reacting differently at this situation that resulted suddenly from the floor underneath them caving to reveal the tunnel a few moment ago.

  Their figures, the human person—Skylar—slightly more ahead of the others, continue to fall freely at a very great speed for a very long time, not communicating until they all spotted at the bottom below, a sparkling white light, awaiting their arrival.

  "Sky, we will soon hit the ground, do something." Raftelia the big golden rat squeaked. Her distorted loud squeak traveled along the air draft rushing upward in the opposite direction to their fall, echoing weakly on the walls of the tunnel, barely reaching Skylar and the rest.

  Ah! Its true, we need to land safely...

  Skylar concluded after he pieced the faint message together, which the expression on the faces of his comrade corroborates after he scanned them.

  Responding to it, he made his decision. His figure glowed brightly and accelerated downward, falling faster and moving father from the others, until he faded from their sight.

  What's he doing? Raftelia mused, her heart hammered. She was left confused by Skylar's action.

  Regardless, she and the others continue their descent towards the expanding glowing white bottom far below in silence except for a faint unreadable sound that probably came from Skylar far from below.

  ...

  Not long after.

  One, two and three...

  Looking up at the very large hole above him, Skylar counted in his mind the figures of his comrade falling from the hole, and landing safely on a large heap of fine sand he prepared except for the little guy floating just below the hole.

  Where they all landed is a large underground space as large as their abandoned room up above the large hole. And the space—a city-wide cavern—has a couple flowing rivers coursing through it, a vegetation of different kinds of bioluminescent herbs with most glowing purple, matching the color of the rivers water; countless blue crystals like the stars, lining the riverbanks, contrasting its brown muddy floors; and its super high black crystal ceiling where the very large hole is, has glowing stalactites in group stuck to them, looking like chandeliers.

  "Where is she at?" Skylar muttered as he joined the others, plunging on the heap of fine sand to rest his body.

  "Sky, how do you know she will come?"

  Raftellia inquired. After dusting sand particles off her fur, she sat upright.

  "I already told her to meet us here." Skylar replied. As he rest on the enormous heap of sand, his eyes looking at one side of the cavern wall in the far distance sharpened as he saw a tunnel mouth forming on it. "See... she is coming, just in time."

  "My mate, you can't believe it." Lady cat coming from the tunnel mouth meowed, sounding and looking excited as she projected her message.

  "Is something happening on the surface?"

  Raftelia squeaked, she similarly projected her voice towards Lady cat coming towards them.

  Well I know what's going on... but I pray those guys don't go overboard...

  Skylar prayed before he stood and went to the other side of the heap where the others are, joining them.

  "They are killing each other like crazy," Lady cat meowed. "Its no longer the riot my mate described. Its a bloodbath, a lot more intense than in the arena today."

  Behind her as she get closer was the group's contraption—the car.

  Wiggling her tail, she put a distance between her and it by leaping, landing at the very top of the sand hill.

  She raised her head, looking solemn as she examined the large hole Skylar and the other came through.

  This is really something else... I bet the old fogies at home will never believe this if they see it... They will rather find another explanation for it; like they are all under an illusion or they are having a common dream, they may even go on their knees and worship him as the Allfather...

  She took a longer look above, especially at the large hole on the black crystal ceiling of the underground space.

  "You brought the car?" Skylar inquired at the sight of the contraption stopping beside one of the glowing rivers of purple, clear waters.

  "Yes. Wait, don't change the topic," Lady cat meowed. "Tell this great me how you did it? What gave those idiots the guts to take their fight to all the three walls?"

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  Expectation and excitement evident in her eyes, she leaped and landed on Skylar's chest.

  Meanwhile, others at her question settled their gazes on Skylar who looked stunned, patiently awaiting his answer.

  Fuck, its that bad. Skylar frowned. He held lady cat to his chest, allowing her to nestle comfortably on it like usual.

  "Let's leave here first." He instructed. "We don't have much time, that bitch, sorry, serpent may catch up anytime."

  Leading the others, he approached the contraption.

  "If we know we were going to have our car back, we could have brought our stuffs along." Raftelia squeaked. With a downcast expression, she boarded the car along with the others, everyone taking their rightful seat.

  "Our goal as always been to escape this place, we can always replace our stuffs when we reach safety." Skylar glanced behind him at Raftelia just as everyone settled. After a sigh, he turned to the enthusiastic driver—Mr rabbit—signaling the start of their long journey

  As Mr Rabbit saw him nod his head, the view on the front screen of the contraption after a few seconds slowly start changing like the reel of a motion picture, an action which signify the car is in motion, heading straight towards their next destination.

  "Sky how are we going to cross the cloud sea?" Raftelia inquired.

  "We will tunnel through the bridge, I know how to locate it." Skylar replied.

  Well, someone who almost escaped here in the past told me how to find the bridge underground and that's the reason we must have lady cat with us... He added in his mind.

  "Tell this great me already." Lady cat batted him lightly with her tail. "How did you start that bloody riot?"

  "Its simple. I introduce my roasted meat to some guys in the arena before the one today and I also instructed them to introduce it to the others, especially the top guys as payment in the arena today..."

  "Are they fighting because of meat?" Raftelia squeaked, she looked surprised.

  "Something like that," Skylar replied. "Its just that at the previous arena battle, I already distributed my method of roasting meat to these same guys who helped me to spread the rumors of the wolfs never coming back to the lair at that time as payment. I also made sure the roasted meat recipe reach the hands of the top dogs that were in the arena today at the beginning..."

  "Then how did it turn into a bloody riot?" Lady cat meowed, she interjected.

  "If someone piece everything together, we have this. You had the taste of something worth risking your life for, the meat..."

  That's true, even I will kill to have it... Raftelia behind Skylar nodded, agreeing with him.

  "...you have the method of making it and today the materials and opportunity presented itself in the arena, what do you think those guys will have in mind?"

  "Yes, they will want to try it for themselves." Raftelia concluded.

  "But what if someone they find not so important interrupt and put a stop to their plan, especially with the top dogs included in the arena today?"

  "This great me will kill that fellow." Lady cat snarled, her tail standing straight.

  "What if that fellow is the green serpent?" Skylar chuckled, he relaxed Lady cat large furry tail with his hand.

  "Sky, I get it," Raftelia squeaked. "The riot happened after she put a stop to the arena battle because of us..."

  "Yes, she tried using us as an example to warn the others not to attempt anything funny; but she didn't know that's where her current problem all began. Like I said, most creatures in this arena if not all don't fear her at all but the wolfs behind her..."

  Skylar paused briefly, his mind drifted.

  That's what she gets for acting low-key behind the scene, acting like a random manager, exerting authority left and right... Well, she is probably up to something shady in that outer wall and that's why she is acting that way...

  He resumed:

  "She should have come to this conclusion when the wolfs disappeared. I think its why she needed us... the scapegoats..."

  "You are saying you anticipated everything?" Raftelia squeaked.

  "Yes. I know how she thinks," Skylar glanced at Lady cat curled on his crutch. "I know she was going to do nothing about the tunnels we dug in the arena until we plan to use it..."

  Well for her, it was just a play, watching her prey device all means to escape; and like most intelligent people, she took everything as a challenge, intending to checkmate us at the very last juncture and enjoy to the fullest our expression of despair and hopelessness... Really a source of amusement for her, but not until the wolfs really disappeared...

  "It was all a decoy, everything including the first and second plan you made with us," Raftelia squeaked. "You deceived us also?"

  Well, kind of. Skylar didn't voice out. He analysed in his mind. I know like the intelligent and controlling being she is, she would be spying on us every second... I also calculated she might be able to intercept lady cat's telepathy since she stole the ability from her... there is no way that serpent doesn't know about it... but all this is not really important...

  "Not really," he answered finally. "It was a guess until I saw her do that special edition arena battle where she mixed the top dogs with the weak guys like us... it was then I confirmed she already knows about the tunnels and our plans"

  My mate, you are not going to confess... Lady cat scoffed inwardly. You might even be the one pulling everyone's puppet string, you guessed or you expected; isn't that why you subtly told me to dig a tunnel that leads under your room when you fail, telling me to wait there to receive the reward of the strange bet you proposed that time...

  Raftelia resumed:

  "So the serpent did that special edition thing because she didn't want my lady to start the riot we planned in the viewing platform."

  Skylar nodded. "Yes that was the only way she could eliminate her without raising any suspicion, and like I said, she wants us to use the tunnels as fast as possible and make our escape attempt. The tunnels were becoming a big variable in her calculations as long as the wolfs living in the arena don't return." He explained. He glanced over his shoulder at Raftelia.

  She squeaked: "You are saying she made it easy for us to escape through the tunnels so that she can catch us in one fell swoop like she planned, and then use us as a scapegoat. Meanwhile, she will have a reason to collapse all the tunnels you and Mr Rabbit dug—the growing variable?"

  "Yes, with lady cat with us, she expected I might make a gamble and use the tunnel even without the riot we expected. You can even see the stage she prepared to welcome us." Skylar answered, he smiled.

  My mate, she basically fell into your trap... Lady cat once again batted Skylar lightly with her tail.

  "So you let her catch us?" Raftelia inquired.

  "We had to try." Skylar replied. He glanced at Lady cat.

  You won't even admit it... Lady cat yawned. She once again batted him lightly with her tail.