You squint your eyes, trying to see through the yellowish fog surrounding you. However, you fail miserably. You stumble along, fearful of letting go of the wall and losing yourself, or plunging head-first into a hot, steaming pool. You stop in sudden panic at the realization that, right in front of you, is a deep pit! You shiver in terror at the thought of what could have happened.
Rikale and Kalika fly to you out of the fog. Both pixies look unusually somber in the yellow steam; Kalika is frowning thoughtfully, and Rikale is chewing on her lower lip. The two winged women look at each other and seem to come to a decision. Kalika turns towards you, pointing towards the gaping pit before you.
'Beyond is a region where few mortals ever go. It is here merely because we felt that those dwelling within deserved a home as much as any creature. However, we must warn you first. The journey into the area will not be easy, nor will returning. Or surviving.' Kalika grimaces, allowing Rikale to take over.
'This pit is the entrance to the Underworld. It consists of an upper and lower level, housing creatures that can not survive in the light of the day. The upper level includes vampires, fallen angels, and such. The lower level is where the demons reside.' Rikale shivers slightly. You notice that both pixies look pale. She takes a deep breath and adds, 'We will not be able to travel with you in this section. If you wish to continue, some of our... colleagues below will have to guide you. Icadia Lovensur will be your guide in the upper level. She is a fairly recently fallen angel. The lower level is headed by Esmée Shasra. She is... a not-so-recently fallen angel.' Both pixies pale more. You wonder if this is safe or not.
Kalika lets out an ear-piercing whistle. You hear a rumbling in the pit, then suddenly a yellowish head pokes out of the darkness. You begin to chuckle in relief when you realize it is just a dragon, when you notice something : this is not just any dragon. This dragon is a skeleton. It is dead.
'You called, mistresses?' The skeletal dragon's hollow voice makes your skin crawl. Its eyes seem to almost glow with an eerie inner light.
Kalika coughs softly and hovers before the dragon's face. 'Yes, Craindre, this human would like to travel to the Underworld. Isn't that correct?' Kalika turns to you, as does Craindre's head. You can feel its eyes piercing your soul. What do you say?
Craindre came from Dee Dreslough. It started out as a black and white picture, which I coloured.