Ju'Kul didn't have to bother telling him to calm down. Za'Kul already knew their predicament all too well. The cave was beginning to widen by now, splitting off into two tunnels that arced around a single ornate pillar that stood in the center. Even at the highest pinnacle of the Smor'Gen'Blok underground, it was rare to see pristine minerals like [i]marble[/i] used in any fashion. But this pillar was crafted of just that, and lined with various gemstones that the Wor had pilfered from the [b]Deepest Tunnels[/b]. A great deal of marbel had been smashed together with elemental magic into this several-yard wide monument to the previous elders of Wor'Boa's tribe. Faces were carved into its circumference from bottom to top, leaving only one third of its surface blank for future chieftains and persons of interest to find a spot one day.

	"Calm," Ju'Kul grumbled to himself as they passed by the pillar of Marble. To the Wor tribe, it was a remarkable recollection of its past 6 chieftains over the last few centuries. But it served another purpose outside of that, and the Wor were [i]not ignorant of it.[/i]

	It was a threat to any and all who entered from the Deeper tunnels, that they were a gleaming obstacle to the grey-skins and dark-skins alike. They were [i]not to be trifled with.[/i]

	The mouth of the twin tunnels immediately opened into the same cavern. Its ceiling was at least four times higher than that of the meek Kul's Cavernous expanse, and its Hearthstone was like a [i]Titanic's tooth[/i], reaching almost to the smoothed roof that stood over 12 meters above them. The edges of the main cavern were lined with crudely crafted wooden walk-ways. Lok'Sha were rarely capable of making anything that wasn't made of rock or gemstone look [i]pretty,[/i] but the mountain men were apt enough to craft [b]sturdy[/b] wooden projects. Still, despite being able to support nearly 100 Lok'Sha of varying sizes at a time, they looked perfectly [i]breakable[/i] without too much effort. These walkways lined the walls in two layers above the ground level. One lead to tunnels that climbed higher into Smor'Gen'Blok, all the way to the [b]Outer Tribes[/b] and [b]High Tunnels,[/b] while the center walk-path traversed throughout all of the Deep Tunnels, and the rest of the Wor Tribe caverns. Even the ground level was lined with tunnels, but most of them connected to other sections of the Deeper Tunnels, many of which even the Kul did not have direct access to through their network.

	Ju'Kul and Za'Kul were met with glares as soon as they passed through the twin-mouthed exit from the Deeper Tunnels. Several guards approached them, some of which were marked with the tattoos that signified [i]node sharpening,[/i] others who simply stood almost eye-to-eye with Ju'Kul. For the overgrown warrior, seeing other Lok'Sha close to his size was always a little strange. If they had not been so aggressive towards him and his tribe, Ju'Kul would have felt [i]right at home[/i] around his similarly-sized companions.

	"Business with Wor'Boa-"

	"Business with [b]Fist![/b]" One of the larger guards roared, smashing Ju'Kul [i]right across the jaw[/i] with a casual hook. The large man took a step back in recoil, but stepped forward to meet the guard eye to eye with only a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his mouth. He smiled and laughed it off, wiping his mouth clean. The guard smiled too and took a step back. "Always pleasure, Ki'Loa."

	"Pleasure for you to stand here alive!" Ki'Loa hissed through his teeth, "Wor'Boa gone to see Warlord Lu'Li'Po. Gone for days. Not return for days still." 

	"We receive his message last night!" Ju'Kul insisted.

	"Yes, truth. You see Hi'Wor, not Wor'Boa."

	Ju'Kul cringed. Wor'Boa might have acted as a tyrant in his commanding of the Wor Tribe, but he would see reason and think with some manner of pity for the lower tribes. At some points, he even demonstrated acts of generosity, born from such pity. Perhaps they were with intent to change the Low tribes. An attempt to subdue and convert their principals, perhaps even [i]absorb them[/i] entirely into his own Tribe. But they were not without merit. Many actions that Wor'Boa followed through had been to the great benefit of tribes like the Kul, even if such acts held brutal consequences elsewhere.

	Wor'Boa's son on the other hand, was a merciless [i]monster.[/i]