Malenia is by no means used to scouting with another individual, Let alone one she cannot see. So she is startled when Ereni speaks aloud, she had thought the ranger was in a different location than she turned out to be. However thanks to Ereni's keen eyes, she is able to spot the small dovits within the stone. "We go right 60 feet, if there is nothing of interest we double back and take the center." Malenia sends a Message to Stasolya at this point. 

"Come forward but remain quiet, Ereni and I will scout the right tunnel first. Wait for us at the fork." She nods towards where she thinks Ereni is and moves down the right tunnel, Keeping her eyes low for any sort of trap that may be waiting for them. 

Ereni continues mirroring Malenia down the right fork, responding to her periodic Messages to let he know where she is.

Her nose wrinkles.  Ah, now I truly feel as if I am back on a proper military campaign.  Nothing like the smell of rotting long-dead corpses in the morning.

To one or Malenia's Messages, she would reply:

"Lovely aroma could be due to the Kruthiks dragging dead miners to their young to feed.  I see some smaller divots."

Cinder looks around, a bit unnerved at the silence of the caverns. She had expected more of these kruthiks based on the description from the mayor. She casts Mage Armor on herself and keeps an eye out in front and behind them.

The corridor stretches on into the depths of the desert.  The party is moving down and down as they go, the frequency of the spiked footprints seeming to increase in frequency...until they disappear from the floor entirely.  

The walls begin to become pock marked with holes leading back into the earth.  These tunnels are definitely not of human construction; something else has dug them.  There are singular claw marks around the openings as if something has climbed in and out of them.  The tunnel branches again; the main tunnel keeps going off to the east, while the new branch goes back west.  

To one of Malenia's Messages, Ereni suggests continuing to the right (east) down the third shaft.  Longbow ready and eyes straining into the darkness with 90' darkvision.  The pair moving as stealthily as they can and having Malenia Message to the group behind to move up to the 2nd intersection - to the junction of the third and fourth shafts.  To her fellow scout's next Message, Ereni replies:

"No doubt now - has to be a nest, eh?  Kruthik nest with larvae being hatched.  Should have brought a birthday present for the kiddos to make nice.  I loved my birthday growing up.  Got cold soup and stale rice as a present.  But at least the rice only had weevils in it and not Kruthiks..."

Doing as suggested by her fellow scout, Malenia does send another Message to Stasoyla. "We've encountered a second branch, move up the right tunnel until you reach it. We will continue forward." 

She flicks the wrist of her Prosthetic arm, causing the mechanism inside to propel her concealed saber hilt into her hand. Clutching it but not yet igniting the weapon, she moves along the western wall further into the tunnel. "I believe you are correct, It is likely a nest.....Never had a birthday so Im afraid I wouldnt know much about gifts, but I can think of a couple things to give them." She indicated in another Message to Ereni, Becoming a little more accustom to having an Invisible ally while scouting. 

Ereni replies to Malenia's most recent message with something new.  Alarm.  Not at anything her fellow scout said.

"Heard a rumble behind us.  Can't see anything that way - do you?  Don't think I'm imagining things, though.  I'm thinking check in with the party behind us again.  Do they see anything or need help?  Warn them in case something is coming.  Oh who am I kidding.  Of course something is coming..."

Recalling her scout training, she looks not just back for the source of the noise, but also forward and into the holes on the sides, in case it is a diversion.

Cinder spins around, at the sudden sound from behinds the group and swears under her breath in Infernal. Turning to her two companions she says "The tunnel collapsed behind us. I guess we have no choice now. Text time they send you a message make sure to let them know. It's hard to tell how far sound travels down here."

Turning to peer back the way the scouts had come, Malenia had heard the same disturbance relayed to her by Ereni. Softly nodding in agreement, she sends a Message to Stasoyla again. "There was a rumble in the tunnel in the direction you are now traveling, be on guard." 

She halts all forward momentum and through another Message to Ereni, suggests they return back the way they came in an effort to gain more information. "Let us retreat for the moment to ensure the safety of the others, and ourselves."

Ereni agrees with the Message to return to the group.

"Yes let's go back," she sends to Malenia with morose gallows telepathy in response. "Why die alone in the dark when we can die together in the dark."

Ereni once again mirrors her fellow scout, heading back, responding to Messages to inform on location or anything she sees or feels.

Stasolya leaps forward instinctively, hooves clattering, at the rumble and distant dusty crash behind the party. She pulls herself back, though, to turn and look, assessing the damage. It's hard to see anything in the darkness, but she can see just enough to realize that the tunnel they came in through has collapsed. A nervous sweat breaks out over the centaur's flanks. Trapped underground!

As Malenia's message floats into her mind, she sends a thought back to the Jedi. "Yes, the tunnel collapsed behind us. We are unharmed, but the way that we came in is blocked."

Malenia lets out a soft sigh, turning around to explore further into the cave given the information provided by Stasoyla. Through one of the periodic Message she sends to Ereni, she conveys the source of the sound both of them had heard. "It seem's the entrance has collapesed, That was the source of the noise. Everyone is fine, Let us press forward." 

"Cave-in behind us, perhaps caused by Kruthiks.  Kruthiks ahead, perhaps born from caves."  Ereni's reply is sardonic.

"I am with you, Malenia.  Ahead then, into the darkness.  Maybe these Kruthiks dug another tunnel for us leading out."

Once again, she parallels her fellow scout as she goes, left hand on her bow and eyes straining for any hazards or enemies.

As Malenia and Ereni move forward to explore the tunnel, things seem to come alive around them.  Suddenly there are Kruthiks dropping from holes in the walls onto the floor.  They're small, like medium sized dogs, but they still have all the vicious claws and teeth of the bigger versions...

The Kruthiks spill out of the holes in the walls right between the scouts and the rest of the party, separating them...

Ereni almost smiles.  Come on, you always knew it would end this way... down here in the dark.

Softly, in Elvish she utters the word "Thraen" and looses two arrows in quick succession, with the second being at the same Kruthik if it is still alive after the first.

Both arrows find their target, the second one finding an eye.  Both felling their targets.  Two Kruthiks down.

Ereni breathes, mumbling.  "Monsters in the dark.  They can see me.  Must have blindsight or something."

She re-positions to get as far out melee as she can within the confines of the tunnel (and without venturing into unexplored areas.)

Spinning on her heel while igniting her weapon, Malenia jumps back five feet and hurls her weapon in a straight line towards the enemy. Unfortunately her small leap threw her aim off just slightly, causing her weapon to sail over the young Kruthiks. "Blast it all" 

She steps parallel to Ereni, keeping some distance between them and raises both arms. Readying herself for any attacks that come her way. 

The ignition of the lightsaber throws light on the eight remaining Kruthiks, all of which seem to be indecisive about who or what to attack, which way to go, or how to make it happen.  Their indecision doesn't last long as one leaps at Cinder, stabbing her with its sharp, clawed feet.  The other two go after Malenia and Ereni, stabbing at both of them but not landing any blows.

Cinder dodges out of the way as the kruthik decend of her still managing to get caught by one of the creatures claws. "My turn!" She says as she holds out both hands fingers splayed out. A gout of flame erupts from her hands engulfing the group of kruthiks. Some of the flames from her spell surround her casting light in the dark tunnels.

One of the Kruthiks lunges for Ereni and drives a claw into one of her legs.

Ereni winces as the claw pierces her studded leather legging, but is able to steady herself and maintain her hunter's magic...

She mumbles:  "I have to be honest, Malenia.  This feels like one of my usual dreams I have every night.  Getting poked and pierced to death by monsters all around us, trapped deep underground.  Then there are the nightmares.  The nightmares are worse.  In those, I survive."