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The man coughed, gasping for air.  He propped himself up on an elbow and squinted up at Misu.

“Qatar Miller. Where’d you come from?”

“Oh.”  That’s a good question.  “I’m actually not quite sure.  I came from back there somewhere, but to be honest I’m not sure how I ended up in this cave to begin with.”  His smiled faltered.  That’s hardly a good first impression.

Oh well.

“What about you?  Where’d you come from?”  Misu smiled hopefully.  “You don’t happen to know the way out of here, do you?”

A few pebbles suddenly skidded down the small cliffs ahead.  Misu whipped around as something crashed over the edge, falling on the cavern floor with a dull thud.

“That was a person!” he gasped.  He patted Qatar’s shoulder and tried to smile.  “I’m going to go check on them.  I’ll be right back!”  Misu pushed himself up and sprinted away.

A young man lay at the foot of the cliffs, curled up next to a splintered crutch.  Misu crouched down beside him, trembling as he reached for his neck.

Pulse is fine.  He sighed in relief.  He’ll still need attention, though.  That was a nasty fall.

Misu gently scooped him up, gingerly balancing the broken crutch across the mans’ knees.  He carefully picked his way back to Qatar, wincing at each faltering step.  The floor of the cavern was rocky and uneven, but walking back was easy, at least for him.  His new ward on the other hand…

Two disasters in one place.

Misu flinched as his foot jolted down yet another tiny ridge.  The young man stirred.

If only I was back in Spire…

He sighed.  There was some good in that decaying city, no matter what people said.

I wonder what Saskia is doing?

Probably picking fights with the Shrike. 

He better have not opened up any new rifts…

Misu groaned.  There was going to have plenty of work to do once he returned, he was sure of it.  He smiled faintly as Qatar slipped back into view, growing closer with each step.

Oh well.   Perhaps I was sent here for a reason!

He gently set the young man next to Qatar, nervously biting his lip as he glanced between the two.

Wait…

This young man looked much smaller and weaker than Qatar, but there was somehow a striking resemblance between the two.  “Qatar, are you two related by any chance?”