Neo had suggested checking out the fallen mine shaft the newspaper article mentioned. It was dangerous, which Christopher kindly pointed out, but it seemed the most likely to be a secret lair of evil incarnate. However, what he didn't tell the prince about was the voice he heard the night before. The more he thought about it, the more he was able to convince himself it was all in his head.
Hopefully.
They were in the car, Christopher driving. Neo was leaning against the window, gloved hand up by his face so as to not damage the glass. They were in a rather green and lush area of Yorkshire, having been driving for four hours. Sitting in silence, it made Neo annoyed to have to think about things. Christopher was listening to some music Neo didn't really enjoy, but he said nothing as of yet.
They were even silent when they parked near the mines, Christopher saying nothing and Neo doing the same as they got out. The prince handed him a small black flashlight as he started towards the large building. Knowing the mines must have been underneath, Neo followed, clicking the light on as Christopher did the same. While they stood in the entrance, the prince frowned.
"If you find anything, let me know," He said simply, walking inside.
Neo didn't answer as he inspected the rather torn up building, noticing how it looked like it would collapse at any given moment. The wood was dark and cake in dirt, holes in the roof and walls. What was once an entrance was then a gap with green and partially dead plants surrounding it, spreading out across the entire building.
It was obvious there were once multiple floors, but what was left of them were clearly unstable, and the only way to get to them was through a lift. Alas, the lift wasn't functioning, rusted over with the pulleys broken and slightly moulded. As he walked deeper, he could see remains of dead animals who once called the place shelter, but all that remained were rats.
However, there was no sign of the cave. "Isn't there supposed to be a mine shaft here?" Neo asked.
"Perhaps they sealed it off," Christopher answered.
"Probably," He sighed, grimacing.
Neo, despite what it seemed he liked, had always been the type to enjoy crowds and busy streets rather than lonely homes and abandoned workshops. Even though he never fit in, physically and socially, he tried for years to be England's definition of normal. Soon enough, he gave up, resorting to breaking in and stealing money for no reason - especially when he didn't need it.
"Be careful," Neo said as the floor creaked under each step. "We don't know where the-" A sudden crack and breaking sounds were heard behind him, followed by a loud thud. He turned, seeing a gaping hole where Christopher was. "... cave is…"
Neo glanced over the edge carefully, seeing Christopher down below with the flashlight on the ground. He had landed on his back, wheezing out a breath as he carefully sat up and groaned in pain. Christopher looked around, and Neo could see he was in the middle of a cavern. It had seemed they found the cave system.
"Gods be damned," He cursed. "Neo, get down here."
Neo tossed down his flashlight, carefully sitting on the edge of the hole before scooting off to land on his feet. He picked up his light again, flashing it around. Holding his sleeved arm over his mouth, he kept himself from inhaling the dust as it settled. There didn't seem to be too much of anything around - just a large hole with a few rails leading out into different cave systems.
"Thanks," Neo said.
"What?" Christopher looked up.
"You called me Neo," He explained, smirking a little. "That's all. Thanks."
"Oh," He frowned, then shook his head. "Sure, whatever."
Neo kicked parts of what splintered from the broken wooden beam out of his way, shining his flashlight down the tunnel. It was as if they had just jumped into a horror movie - except less dark and damp, more dry and stench-ridden. The only thing making noise besides them was a dripping sound of water.
"Gods, what is that smell?" Christopher hissed, pinching his nose.
Neo could smell it, too. "Sewage?"
"No," He shook his head. "It doesn't smell like normal human waste. It's different… the aroma is a little intolerable."
Neo lowered his sleeve to get a better scent of it - somehow, it was familiar. Like burnt sugar. For a moment, he stood there with a look of confusion scrunching up his face, before it hit him. He knew the stench from a long time ago, when he was dabbling in alchemy out of boredom. The reek was nitro-glycerine.
"There's dynamite somewhere down here," He informed the prince of his hypothesis. "And it's wet."
Christopher raised an eyebrow. "Then we best get out of here. Doesn't seem like this shapeshifter would be dumb enough to be down here anyway."
"And how do you propose we get out of here?" Neo asked.
The prince smiled. "Stand back."
Neo examined him for a moment curiously before cautiously stepping away from him. Christopher put the flashlight in his mouth sideways, then twisted his hands, flourishing. The water rose up into steps, then froze over to form a staircase. Neo watched in confusion before he remembered that the prince also obtained abilities.
"Wow," He mused playfully. "Good job, Frosty."
Christopher took the light from his mouth, hissing. "How long did it take for you to come up with that name?"
Neo shrugged. "About two seconds."
"One second too long," The prince responded. He took the steps, and Neo carefully followed after. "I have a better idea. We're going to visit an old friend of mine."
"Who?" He asked.
"You'll see," Christopher said calmly.