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The journey towards the mine was a doubly boring affair. If not for the obscene amount of booze that Gavlan had packed, he was sure he would have gone stark raving mad with boredom. Usually, his journeys included a lot of murder from point A to point B, but this was more a of trek through a desolate wasteland with nothing much to look at. Though, he was certain the others did not find his drinking habits wholly acceptable, he did not give a rat's ass, and downed his whiskey with relish. [color=1a7b30]"Look, if I stop drinking, then I'll start remembering things, and that's a lose-lose situation for me."[/color] He knew he didn't owe any of his companions an explanation, but the stone silence from them was starting to bug him a little more than it should; another winning point to journeying alone. Everyone seemed to be on edge about the trip into the depths of the abandoned mine, but he knew that whatever lurked in the unfathomable darkness wasn't anything he hadn't horribly slain on forty different occasions, before. He knew that countless Dwarven lives had been taken by whatever fell creature had taken the mines for its home, but, if anything, that made him feel even more determined to cut it in two.

There was one small snag in the journey that slightly irked him, however, and it wasn't the lack of alcohol. Draxis, the young commander that he knew very little of, was back talking their captain, and his personal friend, Theodore. As far as Gavlan was concerned, Theodore was their leader and that was that. No doubts, and especially no questioning his judgments. If every recruit started bogging down their Captain with inane inquiries then the mission was bound to fall apart, and if a recruit didn't like an aspect of the mission then [i]tough shit[/i]. Shut your mouth, and get climbing in that Giant's mouth. That's the way the Order had always been in his eyes, and he was pleased to see Theodore talk Draxis down with a swift reminder. Gavlan was not concerned where Draxis was from, or what his accomplishments were; the only thing he cared about was his ability to take orders. He knew that Humans and Elves had a different view on the subject, but with a Dwarf in command, they had better start changing their stance, quick. There were many points in Gavlan's life where he had doubts about his leader's actions or decisions, which was another reason he had chosen his life of solitude, but never once did he hesitate for a moment when his Captain gave an order. Gavlan was loyal to a fault. If not for his incredible resilience to dying, he would have perished hundreds of years ago from poor or split decision making, but there was always something that awoke inside him, especially when he was fighting for his life. It was like there was a fire from deep within him that could only be stoked by way of battle. The more desperate the situation would become, the larger the fire would roar inside him as if in protest, escaping through every motion of axe. He had escaped death's grasp at so many different points in his life, he was beginning to feel like a revenant, cursed to wander the mortal realm until he was no more than a walking corpse; it was this innate resolution that made Gavlan a force to be reckoned with.  
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When Gavlan and the rest of his party arrived at the mines after two long days, the mines that greeted them were beaten down and ragged to the point that the entrances were overgrown and caved in, quite unlike the lively operation Gavlan had seen in the past. Unhitching his equipment off of his tired pony, who trotted off quickly, he threw his bag over his shoulder and readied his axe. The worn landscape definitely looked like it had been a Dwarven mining operation at one point, but now it just looked like the humble abode of Ratmen. Following behind Theodore, who was already scanning the area for entrances, Gavlan gripped onto the handle of his axe with every intention that something might pop out to greet their arrival. The entrance Theodore had chosen was one that was just wide enough to fit even the largest members of the group inside, but Gavlan still had trouble sidling through the singed debris that clogged it. The mines were almost pitch black. Gavlan had to concentrate hard to make anything out in the darkness. He could just make out the silhouettes of Theodore in front of him, his black armor making it even harder to spot him, and the rest of his party in the back. [color=1a7b30]"Aye, these mines have changed plenty since I last set foot in 'em."[/color] Gavlan whispered under his breath. His eyes adjusting to the darkness, he could finally see at least six feet in front of him. The beautiful framework that the Dwarves had crafted had been chipped and marred beyond recognition. The paths were still in tact, though, and that was all that was needed; hopefully, the rest of the mine was in this condition and not completely caved in. The bodies of the fallen Dwarves lay strewn about the tight corridors. Whispering a quiet prayer to the Earthmother for his fallen brethren, a small requiem for their tarnished spirits, Gavlan trudged onward. Theodore stopped in front of him, and the rest of the party came to a halt. The path that he was surveying had been completely sealed off, but, with the quick thinking that could only come to a Dwarf, he brought his weapon down upon the barricade, and ripped open an entrance. What came tumbling out was nothing that Gavlan expected; the corpse of a demon spawn, and a big one, at that. "Haven't seen one of these creatures in a long while." It had been at least over a hundred years since Gavlan had laid eyes on the grizzly beasts, and he hadn't expected to see them, again, believing they had all been chased off and banished from the land. Before he could examine the Tyrant demon more, Theodore crushed its head in with his weapon, and, for a mere moment, looked slightly agitated, while looking at his party. Gavlan knew why. These creatures were never alone, in fact, quite the contrary. Where there was one, there was bound to be thousands upon thousands more, and, in this darkness, they could only thrive and fester. [color=1a7b30]"Looks like we've got a real fight on our hands, here."[/color] Gavlan spoke softly, trying to hide his excitement. Their party moving forward, Gavlan steeled himself and heightened his sense, ready for the inevitable onslaught. 

After working their way around the winding, narrow passages, through the debris and dusty skeletons that littered the entire area, they came into an opening. The large cavern system opened up around them, and the darkness felt even more threatening than before. So far, they hadn't seen hide nor hair of the mine's current occupants, but everyone was on guard, especially Theodore. The path they were on was more of a ledge, as most of it had fallen away, due to neglect, with a large drop off into the looming darkness, below. The entire cave was home to a large and industrious pulley system that brought the minerals and ores from deep below, and brought them towards the surface. There was a shred of light from the roof of the cavern that was trying desperately in vain to cut through the blackness of the mine, but there was no hope; the darkness down here was unnatural. Gavlan took a long draft from his pouch, and let out a long sigh. It had felt like they had been marching in this cursed mine for hours, now, and their progress felt almost nonexistent. Perching himself on a rock that lay facing the pit, Gavlan looked around with Theodore for their next route. There were many openings in the walls and around the area, but it was hard to tell which path would take them to where they wanted to go. Gavlan peered over at a large, jagged rock that lay next to him. Out of sheer curiosity, he picked up the rock, and dropped it down into the abyss. It was seven seconds before the rock made a noise; however, instead of the sound of a rock hitting more rock, there was a shrill cry that echoed from deep, down below that didn't sound quite unlike that of a demon spawn having its skull crushed by a large, jagged rock. 

[color=1a7b30]"Well, that's one less of those jumpy, little fuckers we have to deal with, I suppose."[/color]