“What’s that stuff?” I ask Bailey.


    “Never seen nothin’ like this before. Never been this far underground neither.” Bailey kneels to examine the glowing substance.


    “I guess there’s a first for everything.” I poke it with my boot. The substance feels like clay and doesn’t smell of anything. “Well, let’s keep going then.”


    Bailey nods, and we skirt around the glowing patch. We continue until we reach a large opening in the wall. Bailey points. “There’s a draft comin’ from here. And it’s fresh air, too.”


    The opening leads into a tunnel, quite different from the cave we were just in. Bailey stops at the entrance. “Looks like someone dug this out.”


    I drag my fingers across some unusual, shallow markings on the walls. “Probably a long time ago. We should keep moving, before another earthquake hits.”


    “Aye, if we get another shake like that, we could be stuck down here for a good while,” Bailey says, hurrying into the opening. I follow close behind.


    Those markings definitely look like they’re made by pickaxes and chisels. Someone dug this a long, long time ago. The markings are almost completely weathered away.


    Something else feels off. It’s too quiet. Besides the occasional drip of water and Bailey’s heavy breathing, there’s nothing. No small creatures, not even bugs. It’s like a subterranean library, except instead of books, we have rocks. Quiet, dusty rocks.


    “Are we going deeper?” I ask. I feel like we’re constantly moving downwards.


    Bailey glances at his device. “Aye, goin’ deeper underground, it seems.”


    I stop. “Why would the exit be deeper underground?”


    “Don’t rightly know, but it’s where that fresh air’s comin’ from.” Bailey points at his device.


    Suddenly, a loud alarm blares from Bailey’s device. “Oh no…” Bailey quickly drops his bag, pulls out a mask, and tries to shove it onto my face.


    “What are you doing? What’s happening?!” I try to fend him off.


    “Get it on! Quick! The air’s goin’ bad! We ain’t got much time!” Bailey yells as the alarm blares.


    I yank the mask off. “Where’s yours?!”


    “I’m…I’m fine. Just…” Bailey stammers.


    “No time to explain! I’m immune,” I interrupt, swiftly forcing the mask onto his face and adjusting the straps.


    A thick blue smog instantly fills the cave. The alarm screams. “Which way?!” I shout at Bailey.


    He’s frozen, eyes wide, clearly struggling to process the sudden toxic atmosphere. “Which way?!” I repeat, louder.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Bailey flinches, snaps back to reality, frantically waves his device around, before finally pointing down a tunnel. I grab Bailey’s bag in one hand and his arm in the other, and we bolt. After a frantic couple of minutes, the tunnel opens into a larger cavern. The alarm on Bailey’s device mercifully cuts out.


    “By the stars…I…I almost…that was it…” Bailey stares at me, eyes still wide with shock. “Just…how…? You’re…You’re fine?”


    “I am Val, a perfect homunculus created by your dear Master Keyser,” I announce with a grin.


    I place my hands on Bailey’s shoulders, lean in close, and fix him with a serious look. “Don’t you dare risk your life for mine ever again! I don’t want your death on my conscience.”


    Bailey freezes, stammering. “I’m…I’m so sorry. I was just…”


    “I know you were trying to save me. I know you feel indebted from before. But you don’t owe me anything. I saved you because I need you, and I need you alive!” I say firmly.


    Bailey’s eyes well up with tears. “I didn’t think…I didn’t think you’d care, not after…well, after I tried to…you know. Especially considering we only just met.”


    “I didn’t mind you trying to poison me. I totally understand. I was a complete stranger who showed up at your door, after all,” I say with a shrug.


    “But…”


    “I can’t explain everything right now, just remember I am Val. I am Dr. Keyser’s perfect creation. I am not going to die easily,” I tell Bailey, giving his shoulders a reassuring pat. He manages a relieved smile.


    Geez… If we’re going to be traveling together for a bit, he can’t keep interrupting my plans to return to the afterlife.


    Bailey shuffles forward a bit, finding a decent spot to rest. “So, what was that smog?” I ask.


    “Couldn’t tell ya what it was, but this little gadget said it was nasty stuff,” Bailey replies, holding up his device.


    After fiddling with it myself, I ask, “Doesn’t it tell you what it detected?”


    “Didn’t build the thing myself, mind you, but it seems to do the trick. That blue fog nearly got the better of us. I got a snout full of it, and I tell ya, it felt like my lungs were on fire!” Bailey says, snatching the device back.


    “Okay, I guess your money was well spent. Saved your life.”


    “Aye, worth every coin!” Bailey says, chuckling. He rummages through his bag and tosses me some food.


    At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled out a time machine.


    As we rested, small critters scurried past, some familiar. “These little fellas are bottom feeders,” Bailey explained. “They’ll eat just about anything that’s gone to the great beyond around here. Harmless, they are. Unless you’re already six feet under, that is!”


    We hadn’t seen any of these in the previous tunnel or cave. This place should be safer. “What else have you got in that bag of yours?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. “Any other cool gadgets?”


    Bailey opened his bag, revealing its contents: a bewildering assortment of spices, herbs, and other paraphernalia. I stared, speechless. “Why do you carry so much of this stuff?!”


    “These are my most prized possessions,” Bailey explained. “Traveled the world to find ‘em all. All so I could cook up a good meal for Master Keyser. Shame he’s…” He trailed off, gesturing to the items. Most were spices and dried herbs, some clearly poisonous, others rare and exquisite. A few bottles of medicine were tucked in amongst them.


    Well, I guess there’s no time machine after all.


    After our short break, we got up and kept moving. And there it was—light! We had to be close! Bailey and I rushed forward, blissfully unaware. It wasn’t sunlight. Nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to see.