As words of comfort went, those were somewhere at the bottom of Skulduggery's list, right above 'What could possibly go wrong?' He'd used such words himself, of course, but that was different. That was him. And he was fairly sure he'd never used any of those phrases with someone who was about to risk everything they were.

"Ah..." he breathed out after a moment. If this tunnel didn't slope downhill, he might have been tempted to at least look for a place where the tunnel system came out higher on the mountain, regardless of how much time they might waste. But that rumbling sound hadn't been natural, and that meddlesome group of servants back there wouldn't be the only ones to try. There was no other option right now.

"Yes," he answered, a hint of resignation to his tone. "Good." He hesitated. "If I become a vegetable, at least make sure I end up somewhere dignified. A museum, if all else fails."