"...the two of us, yeah."

She crosses her arms before Crazy Jane finishes speaking.

"That's not a good idea. I drive, you ride, and at the end of the line, you front. There are rules."

"What will happen if we walk past?"

"I don't know. It doesn't sound good."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like a reason not to try it. This is a quest, right? We're not going to get to the end by being scared."

"And the trowel seems to know what it's doing."

She nods, looking simultaneously reluctant and encouraging.

"Right. This is your stop, then. Good luck."

"Thanks. See you next time."

And off they go, into the great unknown. It's- a bit of a hike, as the incline grows steeper. Very steep, actually, to the point where it's more like scaling a wall with infinite handholds; it would be difficult to fall off without letting go or losing your grip, but gravity is working against them. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter.

Is this any easier for a griffin?

It is, in fact, easier for a griffin. Palisade can soar right into the light.

Below, Flit has the same idea.

"Race you."

"You're on!" Flap flap flap.

Flit flits, teleporting from point to point as they approach the blinding light of the end of the tunnel. It's easy not to fall when she's not spending any time standing still. She screams joyfully the whole way up, glancing over at Palisade once in a while.

She could just get there first, if she wanted to, but the thought of that terrifies everyone else in the Underground- enough to make them bubble up toward the surface. Flit isn't ending this race a second before she has to.

Just when Palisade is about to go through the blinding white light- Flit teleports just one step ahead. They cross simultaneously-

-and land in the empty lot they started in. The hole is still there.

"Duuude. What kind of quest was that?"

"I don't know!" says Emmy, looking around anxiously to see if anyone saw Palisade there for a moment. "Maybe that's not everything we're supposed to do?"

"...woah. Tubular," says another Flit, as she appears in front of them.

Shimmer.

"Shit. I hope this turns out to be useful. Shit, sorry, I shouldn't- shit. Um. Shoot."

"I've heard swear words before."

"Are you kidding? This is totally rad! We can use two powers at once, now! I don't have to sit still ever-"

"-hold on."

She teleports away.

"...why don't you use the trowel next. I don't think we know what we're doing with it."

"Okay." Dig dig dig.

This time, the hole seems to lead...upwards, to a grassy field dotted with tents and people. The trees in the distance look perfectly ordinary, but not all of the people do- there is a mermaid surrounded by water, suspended unnaturally in the air, a woman with a snake body and a human torso and head, a humanoid man with leaves growing on his face and golden eyes...

The Underground jumps through and starts looking around immediately for clues.