[Snowman24]

As I said before, Runty, I was away for a long time, tending to my SKYRIM addiction. But I said when I came back to writing fanfics I would make up for it with volume.

So here's what I wrote for the Zeri+Juliana+Melissa Dalen fanfic!

Spoiler for Zeri+Jules+Mel fanfic Preview# 1:

A mighty and nail biting battle had raged throughout much of the mines of Doerfein . But thanks to the combined efforts of Class A and G, all seemed to be winding down. The Rebels were in retreat, many of the miners had been saved and there hadn’t been a single casualty in either class.

Though the battle was over, both classes were doing one final sweep of the mines. They were looking for rebel stragglers or miners who hadn’t made it out yet. Class A chair, Juliana, was talking to her second and third in command. Though he was only giving updates on the post-battle situation, all of which she already knew. She happened to look over and spot Zeri-shock trooper of Class G-aiming his weapon down a mineshaft nearby.

He then called out to the others, “I’m heading down to check for survivors or danger, Avan!”

Avan shouted back, “Ok! Hold on, Zeri! I’m coming along!”

Juliana was closer, so she held up her hand and shouted, “Forget it, boy! I’ll escort him down the passage!”

There were many gasps from both her own class and those of Class G, then Avan asked, “Why, Juliana?”

Juliana was thankful that the tunnels of the mine were darkened, that way no one could see her blush. But she managed to say, “Isn’t it obvious, Avan? I’ll not let the pride of Class A go down because someone from Class G tries to outdo us during the mission. A representative from Class A and G shall explore this mine shaft together! Thereby taking equal credit for the job!”

Avan scratched the back of his head for a moment, than shrugged, “Ok… have it your way, Jules.”

Though she was already some ways down the mineshaft, Juliana managed to shout, “I HEARD THAT! Call me by my proper name, boy!!”

Avan was about to shout back, but Cosette grabbed him by the arm and shook her head. He then whispered back; “Try to follow your own advice… Jules.”

A few moments later, Juliana and Zeri walked side-by-side through the narrow tunnel. It was so narrow that Juliana and Zeri had to walk the whole way with their shoulders rubbing together from time to time.

Juliana displayed her usual attitude towards Zeri and his kind, “Stay on YOUR side of the tunnel, Darcsen!”

Zeri rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Tsk… I never asked you to accompany me, Jules.”

“JULIANA!” Juliana objected strongly, “How many times do I have to tell you! Don’t address me so casually during missions!”

Zeri rolled his eyes back, “Do I ever do so in front of other people, Juliana?”

“W-well… uh-”

“No! I don’t!” Zeri interrupted, he then looked around and shrugged his arms widely, “No one from your Class or mine is around to hear this, Juliana!”

But Zeri was wrong, very wrong. Nearby, a girl from Class G had been following them this entire time. She moved from cover to cover, shadow to shadow, staying out of their flashlight radius the entire time with great skill. That girl was Melisa Dalen.

Melissa, however, was an expert at sneaking and she knew the perfect distance to stay away from Zeri and Juliana. She was jealous, however, only slightly though. Zeri and Juliana were talking back and forth, and that was something that she hadn’t have managed yet. She did indeed follow him around, watching over him as a guardian angel of sorts. Still, she never managed to approach him and talk with him.

They continued down the mineshaft together, all three of them, but as Zeri and Juliana continued ahead, Melissa had stopped. Her keens ears had detected some sound that went unheard amongst Zeri and Juliana.

They missed something, something nearer to Melissa than themselves. She let them continue on ahead while she flipped on her flashlight and pulled out her sidearm. She held the flashlight under her sidearm and began to slowly sneak down a small and narrow passage that Zeri and Juliana had missed on their patrol. Probably because they were too busy talking… or was it arguing?

Still, Melissa continued on down the narrow tunnel, having to proceed on her knees now, any higher and she’d bump her head. Eventually, she came upon a rebel in grey armour. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, but he was laughing softly and coughing at the same time.

Melissa finally reached him, grabbed him by the shoulder and rolled him over onto his back. He was wearing a belt full of plastic explosives moulded into blocks over both his shoulders in an X-formation, along with his grenade belt. Melissa gasped, then grabbed hold of his wrist and turned it over. A small detonator block was held in his fingers, with numbers rapidly counting from down from 16… 15… 14…

The rebel laughed, but gargled and coughed up blood at the same time from multiple bullet wounds in his chest and stomach. Still, he managed to say, “At… least… I won’t… die… alone…”

Melissa looked up and saw the numbers reaching, “10... 9... 8...”

She got as fast as she could and ran down the nearby tunnel as fast as she legs could carry her. A second later, she had Zeri and Juliana in her sights. They both turned and seemed surprised to see her.

“Melissa Dalen?” Juliana asked aloud,

Zeri started at the same time, “Mel? What are you doing--”

Melissa jumped and held both arms around, “GET DOWN!” she screamed as she hands wrapped around both of their shoulders. A second later, explosive booms went off and the whole tunnel system seemed to sway and shake back and forth, back and forth.

The Class A and G students also heard it and began to clamour out loud together. Some even held onto each other for dear life as the shaking continued. Worse yet, huge chunks of rock and crystal began to fall from the mine ceiling in chunks of varying size; some the size of a fist, others larger than the students themselves. Most skilfully dodged, but others received injuries; a small rock or crystal to the head or body. A larger object crushing their leg or injuring them severely.

Within a matter of moments, the explosive booms ceased and the shaking of the mines had stopped. Avan stood up with a shaking Cosette wrapped around his waist. He pried her off and held her by the shoulder, “Are you alright? Cosette! Are you OK?”

Cosette moaned and held a hand to her head, but she nodded her head repeatedly. Avan sighed in relief, released her and quickly checked up on all his nearby classmates. As Cosette recovered, she quickly realized something, then shouted, “AVAN!! Zeri and Juliana! They’re not here!”

“Oh man! I almost forgot about them!” Avan admitted, he then began to run down the narrow tunnel they had proceeded down earlier. Much of Class A and G had followed.
---

Zeri coughed loudly as he began to push himself off of the ground. He blinked once… then twice… then felt a tingle of fear creep up his spine. “I-I can’t see! Am I blind!?” he asked aloud.

Nearby he heard some movement, followed by muffled voices, “Zeri! Is that you? Talk to us, buddy!!” Avan’s voice called out.

Zeri moaned and held a hand to his head, “Oh… I’m alright, Avan!” Zeri shouted back, he then patted the ground next to him, then nearby. Thankfully, he felt two fleshy, soft bodies. It was the girls, but neither of them were responding to his attempts to shake them awake. He then searched in the dark, trying to locate either their necks or wrists to feel for a pulse. However, he grabbed something very large and very soft with his right hand, and something of smaller, but equally soft texture. A faint beating he felt beneath each palm made him breath a sigh of relief, then blush brighter than he ever imagined possible.

It was their heart beats, but in order for him to feel them his hands needed to be on their chests… directly over their soft breasts! He pulled his hands away and then shouted, “W-we’re fine down here, Avan! We’re all alive!”

Avan’s voice was slightly muffled, but Zeri could still hear him say, “We can’t get to you, Zeri! The whole way is blocked off by enormous boulders and rubble!”

As Zeri thought about what to do, he suddenly heard a female shriek in terror, “What’s going on! I can’t see!!”

Zeri turned his head in the direction of the shriek and asked, “Juliana?”

Then on the other side of the dark tunnel, “Zeri? Is that you? It’s darker than the old building at night in here!” Melissa’s voice called out.

Zeri could hear Juliana whimpering and then continuing to cry out, “Zeri! Help me!”

Then behind them, past the rubble, Avan was shouting, “Zeri? What’s going on!? Is someone hurt? Come on, answer me, buddy!”

Followed by Cosette screaming, “Do you have a first aid kid? Do you know how to use it!? I wish I could help!!”

All the voices coming from all directions in the darkness was disorienting. Zeri held his head to his hands for a moment, then shouted, “EVERYONE, BE QUIET!!” His voice echoed cold stone walls.

Everyone had stopped shouting. Zeri took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He then said in a more calm and composed voice, “You’ve got to calm down… all of you…”

“C-calm… down…” Juliana asked softly. “WE CAN’T SEE!!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Zeri patted his belt, searching for his flashlight. He patted its pouch, but it was completely shattered. He then asked, “Jules, Mel, do either of you have your flashlights?”

“No… I don’t,” said Melissa, “I dropped mine when I came to warn you about the imminent explosion.”

“I don’t carry one. I’ve never carried one!” said Juliana, “I’m a fencer! I fight with a two handed sword! What use do I have for a flashlight when I’ll never be able to hold one while fighting!”

“We don’t need one…” Melissa suddenly said, “There’s more than one way to see in the dark… and this tunnel isn’t too wide and only goes in one direction.”

“True… perhaps it connects back to the other tunnels further in or back to the outside world somehow!” Zeri said positively. He then turned back towards the rubble, “Avan! We’re going to continue on down the tunnel! You go back to the miners and see if they know anything about where this leads to, and if possible, try to meet us on the other side!”

“Alright, got it, Zeri!” Avan shouted back.

Zeri then turned back to where he thought Juliana and Melissa might be. “Alright, time to continue on. Are you up for it?”

“Better than just sitting here.” said Melissa.

Juliana only released an, “Un…” as a reply.

“Alright, now we just have to find out which way is forward from here. We’re going to have to feel our way through,” said Zeri as he put his hands out in front of him, felt a rock wall to his left, then moved his hands all around in the dark. He then felt two large, soft objects. “Hmmm… what’s this? It’s soft compared to the rocks… very large… and there’s two of them…”

“Congratulations, Zeri, you managed to find me in the pitch blackness… and those would be my breasts that you’re feeling…” Juliana said with a groan.

“Ahh~!! So sorry, Jules! I didn’t mean to--”

He was stopped when he felt Juliana grab him by the arm and pull him close. He felt her press her head against his shoulder and she was… trembling… violently. Her breath escaping in quick, terrified gasps.

“I… I’ve never been good with dark places, Zeri…” Juliana admitted, “Don’t tell anyone… please…”

Zeri smiled. So there was something that even the mighty chair of Class A was afraid of… He then sympathetically patted her on the top of the head. “Don’t worry, Jules. We’ll make it out of here and see daylight once more.”

Suddenly, “Hey, guys! I’ve found the way! Follow my voice!” Melissa voice echoed down the dark tunnel.

“Mel? How did you get so far ahead already?”

“I left a long time ago, back when you were talking to Avan! I do some of my best scouting in the pitch black of midnight, you know that!”

Zeri chuckled, “Yeah, I almost forgot. I’m glad you’re here with us!”

“You can thank me later! But for now… Come on!!”

Zeri then patted Juliana on the hand, “Come on, we’ll be out before you know it, thanks to Melissa!”

A short time later, Avan and the others arrived back to the others at a run. As soon as they had the other miners in sight, Avan began shouting, “Our friends went down this tunnel! Where does it lead? Is there a way we can reach them?”

An older Darcsen miner approached them, then gestured for them to follow him towards and upstairs office. Avan and Cosette followed and the man sorted through a pile full of maps, then came up to the one he was looking for and spread it out onto a nearby table. He looked over it for a few moments, and then both nodded his head and then grumbled loudly while shaking his head.

“What? What!?” Avan asked impatiently.

“This mine shaft does indeed lead out of the mountain, even so, the distance to the end is miles away and that‘s not the worst of it. It was closed off for a reason. It’s structurally weak in many places, and is wracked with danger of all sorts.”

“What are you saying?” Avan asked.

“I’ll lead you to the outer entrance, then we’ll head in to find them. Just know that the original tunnel leading out was made by two men… out of a party of twenty-five miners that accompanied them in a collapse more than ten years ago.”