This my part of a trade with  WolfFangFA featuring our characters in a cavern exploration.

Story is below

Two best friends explore a cavern system in the search to uncover something valuable when they encounter another explorer who, in turn, reveals himself to be a mercenary. What will they find once they begin working together?

Catacombs

Hunter squints his eyes as he and Alph trek down a dirty, dim corridor inside of a gray hallway. The pathway is dim, leading to the duo having to access several light sources for better illumination. While Hunter opts for a lit torch, Alph uses his fire-breathing ability to grant extra light.

The journey through these caves started when Hunter and Alph had received an assignment to venture into an underground cave system with the goal of retrieving a very large diamond. If brought back, it could be sold for a hefty amount of cash. The rewarding payment is also supplementary to the duo as well, promising a large amount of cash upon completion of the job offer, $500k in fact. Whoever was posting this job, they must be very rich or must have some sort of severe debt. Either way, their reward will be coming soon enough.

While Hunter is leading the way down the dimly lit trail, using his makeshift torch for support, he implies, "What are the odds of us actually finding a giant diamond and bringing it back in one piece? Sounds pretty odd for a mission like this, y'know?"

Alph sighs, annoyed. He is more focused on getting the job done rather than engaging in conversation with Hunter. He mumbles, "As long as we get that diamond and escape out of here alive, then we're good. That's all I'm worried about."

"Mmm, I agree with ya." Hunter hums, nodding to Alph's claim. While the duo progress deeper down the hallway, the wolf deduces, "Makes you wonder about the types of traps these caves are built with to keep people from reaching these relics…"

"I guess so. Man, this place is dark!" Alph attempts to squint his eyes to get a better look of his surroundings inside of the dark system. Even with the torch and the natural fire, neither of them appear to be helping them in their journey.

The gradually descending darkness continues until the duo come across a side trail to their left with a stairway leading up into a seperate room. And the bright entryway appears to illuminate their current corridor, making it brighter. Just what could be inside that room?

The two friends embark up the stairs, taking the stairwell to the higher room. Once they enter inside, they are met with a tight, boxy room with steam pouring from different large holes in the floor, but at the same time, the room itself had steam floating about.

The steam wafting from the holes is actually pretty dangerous as these can really snuff a person out. If one just blindly charges through the hole, they will fall in and die. If too much steam is inhaled, they will choke and die. To make matters worse, the amount of steam in the room makes the room itself hot, so if they want to get out of this, they will have to haul it while also being careful not to fall into one of the holes or inhale too much steam.

Hunter begins to pant lightly with his tongue slightly hanging from his mouth. The heat is slowly starting to get to him, but to remain cool, the wolf removes his shirt while the effects from the steam start to increase his body temperature. This is no time to be idle and survey the surroundings, this is a time to move.

Alph notices Hunter's growing situation and promptly takes the lead in hauling it out of the steamy basin; running ahead, he grabs the wolf by his wrist, causing him to yelp in surprise and nearly topple over from losing his footing.

"Aaahhh!!! Alph, slow down! You can't seriously be trying to drag me out of here!" Hunter protests after nearly falling over. His squealing doesn't affect Alph much as the dragon continues running, pulling his friend along for the duration.

On the other hand, Alph counters, "If you want to slowly cook yourself to death while inside this room, then go ahead. But there is no way I am leaving you here to die, Hunter! This room is too dangerous in itself with all of this steam floating around!" The dragon does have a point; even if they were to remain idle and search the room, the steam will be the literal killing factor ending up in their deaths. Yet Alph's quick thinking manages to save not only himself, but also Hunter too.

---

Eventually, the two friends make it out of the sauna and into a new hallway that is breathable, devoid of intense humidity. They won't have to worry about cooking to death anymore now that they're out of that death trap. That room may very well be the first room in which they were trapped inside if it wasn't for Alph's quick thinking that saved their lives.

While Alph is surveying their surroundings for a potential path to travel down, Hunter is down on his knees, panting while recovering from his heated stay inside the room. He whispers out, "Thanks Alph… I had no idea the room was that bad…"

"Yeah, no problem." Alph kneels down to assist Hunter, grabbing the wolf by the shoulder and lifting him up. Turning to face him, the dragon advises further, "Just make sure to watch yourself more clearly, alright? We can't end up turning into pelts over some stupid trap system inside of a cave."

Fighting the urge to laugh at Alph's advice, Hunter responds, "Yeah, next time you say that, the same thing will happen when we least expect it. I'm like you now; I'm focused on finding that large diamond and getting out of here."

"No kidding. The sooner we find that stone, the quicker we leave this place." Alph starts to walk off, heading down a new trail while Hunter slides his vest back on. Seeing his dragon friend leave for the path, the wolf rushes to catch up while calling out, "Hey! Wait for me!"

---

The duo come across a new pathway that is more illuminated than the trail they were traveling down earlier. The lighting is much better than the last trail, this time where they don't need some sort of light source to help them navigate.

This tunnel system is wider and larger than before, giving Hunter and Alph more room to navigate around and more space to roam more freely. With more space and more navigation, this can prove pretty useful when in tight situations. For now, things are calm and there is nothing but the exploration going on so far.

Along the way, Hunter notices a partially blocked opening into a stairway. Upon spotting this, the wolf rushes towards the opening, with Alph catching up behind him.

Reaching the staircase, Hunter notices half the stairwell blocked by a pile of rocks, so this leaves them with less room to navigate in case of a sticky situation. Still, this makes him wonder out loud, "Hmm, what might have caused this?"

"What in the world? This is blocked off! What the heck happened here?" Alph runs over to investigate what Hunter is observing. He too notices the stairwell that Hunter is surveying, which is half blocked by the rock pile, but what caused this to happen is unknown to both of them.

Hunter muses, "Hey Alph, you think someone hit a trap and triggered a rock slide? It seems likely unless an earthquake has shaken this place."

"Seems likely but these rocks would have covered the entire stairwell, rendering this room untouchable." Alph concludes in return. "This part just screams 'fishy'. I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about this part."

"Yeah, me too. We should just leave this place and move elsewhere." Hunter suggests while proceeding to stand back up.

The duo are about to leave when they hear something call out from inside of the room they are just about to walk away from, "Hello??? Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?"

Hunter's ears perk up to the sound, thus causing him to whirl around and double back to the partially blocked room. This doesn't escape Alph's notice when the dragon sees the wolf running past him on the way back. Reaching out for him, Alph demands, "Hunter, what are you doing?! It could be a trap!"

"And leave someone behind when they could be in need of help?" Hunter argues while rushing back, "I don't think so!"

With Hunter rushing inside of the room, Alph rushes up the partially blocked stairway to catch up to his friend, annoyed by the wolf's antics. He felt Hunter's going to get them in trouble at any time. But once he reaches his friend, he observes Hunter staring at something before him, and when Alph follows his sight, he too ends up staring face-to-face with a second wolf.

This second wolf is completely different in appearance. While Hunter has tan fur, this wolf has black fur with a brown bridge on his face. His banana colored eyes also hold a sharp contrast to Hunter's blue eyes.

The black wolf looked a bit funny with the hoodie he is wearing with the hood pulled up over his head, allowing his ears to poke through and remain upright, yet he also has a military dog tag around his neck along with black cargo pants. But in his right hand is a flashlight. What could he be looking for?

Before Hunter is able to inquire about this second wolf, the black canine already reveals his identity and his purpose. "You guys are probably wondering why I am here. I had accepted a job to collect a large diamond and haul it out of here, but I've had no such success myself. I've also had a few close calls as you can see…" the black wolf raises his flashlight up for them to see and points to the partially blocked staircase leading to this room. The duo glance to where the black wolf is pointing to view the staircase and snap their attention back to the wolf, putting two and two together; Hunter's eyes light up immediately on realization on what happened to him, and so to clarify, he implies, "So you're saying we're in a booby-trapped cave searching for a single diamond?"

The wolf before them nods in confirmation, "Yep, Booby-traps. No quest is ever safe; some rooms have subtle traps, others are plain to see. So we're going to have to be careful if we want to make it out of here alive. My name is Mark Durham, and I am a mercenary. What are your names?"

Hunter introduces himself and his dragon friend in return, "I'm Hunter, and the dragon next to me is Alph. So you're a mercenary too?" Mark's next response will actually surprise both of them upon knowing his whereabouts.

Mark turns to walk down the staircase with Hunter and Alph following behind him. Mark relates, "Yes, I'm a mercenary. I used to be in the military until I got implicated for false charges and dishonorably discharged." His expression hardens after that, yet he soon relaxes afterwards, adding, "I've been wanting to find out who it was that framed me, but I chose to pursue a mercenary career instead."

Astonished, Hunter's blue eyes start to sparkle upon learning of Mark's former trade. "You were an army boy? That is so amazing!!!"

"Yeah, but only for a limited time." Mark grunts while leaving the room. After descending the staircase and making a left, Mark travels down the dim hallway; coincidentally, this is the same direction that Hunter and Alph were gonna take had the tan wolf not returned to investigate and find Mark. With a new buddy in their ranks, the three furs continue in their search for the mysterious diamond.

While Mark's banana colored eyes are glowing in the dark due to night vision, he notices a bright illumination up ahead and calls his two companions over to check it out. Pointing to the illumination, Mark calls out, "Hunter, Alph! Up ahead, guys!"

Stopping to investigate, Hunter and Alph notice the bright illumination from the entrance ahead of them. Could this be where the diamond is located?

Alph concludes, "That bright illumination… could that be the diamond we're searching for?" The dragon immediately dashes off for the corridor with Hunter and Mark following and trying to catch up to him.

Once the trio head inside the bright room, they end up shielding their eyes from the intense light! But in the center of the room is a large glistening diamond, halfway embedded inside of a rocky casing.

"So this is it? It looks magnificent!" Hunter steps forward to take a closer look at the gemstone, which actually turns out to be a large, glistening sapphire. The wolf reaches out in an attempt to lift the gem from its casing, yet he ends up straining. The stone only budges a little before sinking back downward. Upon being met with a quick failure, Hunter complains, "Man, this thing is heavy! How much does it weigh?"

"I don't know and I am not going to wait to find out. We're leaving with this thing now!" Alph walks over and stations himself next to Hunter, proceeding to grasp the sapphire gemstone at the middle and hoist it upward. The large stone actually budges from the increased strength coming from the dragon himself. And with a bit more effort, Alph successfully pulls the stone free from its socket.

Alph sets the stone down between himself and Hunter with Mark padding forward to inspect the stone. While Hunter gives an impressed whistle at the size and beauty of the piece, Mark comments, "That is a real thing of beauty. Does anyone know how much it's worth?"

"We won't know until we find out!" Hunter exclaims excitedly, his tail beginning to wag fast. "I can't wait to get this crystal out of here!" Unfortunately, things begin going south just as Hunter finishes his statement. The trio nearly lose their footing as an earthquake occurs inside the cave with small pieces falling from above!

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa WHOA!!! Is this the big one that usually happens when an artifact is found?!" Hunter clutches the casing to remain upright amidst the interior earthquake. His confidence evaporates, being replaced with fear.

Alph, on the other hand, punches an incoming boulder dropping near the brown wolf, shattering it into smithereens. He remarks, "Unless you've been watching action movies like Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider, then this is usually the case sometimes!"

Mark finalizes, "Well whatever the case, we gotta jet, like NOW before we're all crushed alive! Come on!" The black furred wolf immediately rushes out of the room, followed by Alph, and Hunter bringing up the rear. The trio has only a limited amount of time to escape before the cave collapses in on itself.

While running down the hallway amidst the raining rocks, Mark shouts out, "Do you guys remember the way you came in? That'll prove very handy right now!"

"We came in through an entrance leading underground. We passed a steam room during our search! We should be approaching it soon!" Alph shouts back over the crackling cacophony.

Hunter slides out of the way to avoid a dropping boulder that slams down on the floor, shattering the bottom completely on impact. A few of the fragments hit and bounce off of the wolf from behind, making him squeal and pick up his pace.

Alph leads Mark and Hunter to another room, temporarily evading the downpour during their retreat. During this time, the smell of wet air hits Mark's nose, causing him to conclude, "Are we approaching the steam room as we speak?"

"It's just this way and it's across from-- *BAM!*" Alph instantly hits the brakes when a giant Boulder lands before the trio, completely blocking the exit. Unfortunately, Mark runs into him from behind, making the dragon stagger forward. Hunter stops in time to avoid running into Mark and causing a domino effect but when Hunter begins to panic, Alph backs up a few paces and takes a running start, aiming to smash his way free.

*CRASH!*

A successful breakthrough leads Alph, Mark, and Hunter out with the former declaring, "No way am I getting buried alive over some high-quality rock! It's gonna take more than that to take me out!"

With the blockage cleared, the trio enter the steam room but with rocks littering the floor, this makes getting across much harder where they have to hop over the rocks to keep going. One false move, one wrong angle, or a split second of distraction will cost them dearly.

While Hunter and Mark have No trouble leaping over the rocks, Alph has a bit of trouble because of his height. This gives him many close calls with the cave walls and the cave roof itself. Even worse, the roof above them is beginning to collapse!

Hunter grabs Alph's hand, pulling the dragon out of the room. A stairwell is above them, leading to the outside world and Mark is ascending them quickly. While running up the stairs, he pants, "Just a little more… almost theeerrrrreeeeee-- *WHUMP!*"

In his haste to escape, Mark trips on one of the stairs, falling forward. Yet he turns his body to the side to avoid faceplanting. He ends up falling on his side, but gets back up as Hunter and Alph race by to reach the end. The rest of the way is a short trip to freedom.

After reaching the end of their perilous retreat, the three friends take a moment to catch their breath and reflect. Hunter sits on the ground, rubbing his knees; Alph stands against a tree to relax, and Mark is doubled over with his hands on his knees.

Alph comments, "If that wasn't the most dangerous job we've ever took, then I don't know what's worse: being buried alive or being blown up…"

Hunter grumbled, "I'm not going back there anytime soon, now when one false move can trigger a rockslide or send you to your immediate death. I'm just happy we have the gem and made it out of here alive."

Mark huffed while inhaling and exhaling, slowly rising to his full height. He claims, "This is nothing. I've dealt with worse scenarios than this; much worse…"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Hunter stands up, proceeding to shake his legs around to lose the stinging feeling in them. "You come from the army, we're just mercenaries. Although I have yet to experience a military lifestyle."

"Well Hunter, I'm leaving that choice up to you. That's not my decision to make." Mark leaves the conversation alone for now, turning his attention to the diamond in Alph's grasp. He assumes, "So since we have the diamond, are we ready to go?"

Alph nods and holds up the diamond for him and Hunter to view. "Yup! All set and ready to go!" He then starts to walk away from the entrance with Hunter and Mark tailing him, now on the journey to deliver the diamond to the destination.

---

Hunter and Alph belong to  WolfFangFA and Mark Durham belongs to me.

Extra: The tune, Supreme Folly by Yuzo Koshiro, plays during the part where the trio grabs the diamond and escapes with it. You can listen to it here: https://youtu.be/s_039RZrGcc