'Wait!'

Sheoshu yelled out, and Ayame stopped.

They were about to make their way out of the cavern and Ayame was getting quite irritated. Muttering to herself, she said,

'Mindless git, what does she want now?'

'Duck!'

Instinct and quick reflexes alone saved Ayame. From the sides of the passage, there came 3 arrows, shooting out and thudding in the other side with savage force.

'Oh god. Why me? It's always the booby traps. Move!'

Doing a series of quick cartwheels, they managed to get away from the passage. They ended up in a totally different area, where the passage ended was another water passage.

'Great. We've gone and gotten ourselves lost. If we're lucky, we might just die too!'

'Oh, could you just keep quiet, Ayame? For once??'

'Ah, just keep going.'

Taking a deep breath, Ayame plunged in, head first, Sheoshu following.

They swam downwards for while, then, to their amazement, they came to another air pocket, this time larger. Shrugging, they unsheathed their weapons, and padded silently into a corridor leading away from the air pocket. Ayame, who was in front, did a sudden stop.

'They fell for it?'

'Yes, boss. Hammered old Tenushiri, and took the decoy.'

'Heh, heh, heh! They'll never find out what happened. They will walk straight into my trap! Heh! The real scroll is safe with me, those fools!'

Ayame could take it no longer. Charging into the small cavern, she yelled.

'Don't you mess with me, pea brain!'

'You! How did you find me?'

'Did I hear something screeching, Sheoshu?'

'I do believe you did.'

'Well I think it's starting to get annoying, so what do you say we shut it up?'

'Works with me.'

Sheoshu leapt forward and took out the guard with a few blurry kodachi strikes.

Ayame locked hers blade-to-blade with the man; using her right to parry, whistle her left stabbed away. She managed to stab his right leg, and he crumpled.

'Scum, you don't deserve to live!'

'A boon! A boon! Spare me!'

'Here's a boon for you, big mouth.'

And he fell dead on the floor.

Stepping over the dead man in disgust, Ayame withdrew the real scroll, and searched him.

'Hmmm. Interesting...'

Ayame had found 2 flaming arrows. Throwing one to Sheoshu, she said.

'Now we only have to find a way out of this place.'

But Sheoshu wasn't listening.

'Come here, Ayame! Take a look at this!'

The walls in the cavern were mostly made of soil, with the occasional supporting stone here and there.

There was a small crack in the south soil wall, which meant that there was an entrance beyond the wall.

'This has to be a way out.'

Ayame took one look at it and then ran back a few paces.

'Stand back, Sheoshu.'

Ayame sent a triple kick flying towards the wall, and did a hurried back flip as the soil crumbled.

'Run!'

They ran through the crumpling soil and found themselves out in the open, and straight into the arms of a guard.

'Why hello! Nice day for a picnic, don't you think? Care for some soil?'

In a quick movement, Ayame grabbed a handful of soil and flung it into the guard's eyes. While the guard was trying in vain to regain his sight, Sheoshu dispatched him.

'That's done with, so where to?'

'Oh my goodness!'

'What?'

'This tells us to go to the village where master Shiunsai lived.'