Moss and Mine

Wanderer wasted no time surfacing onto the moss-carpeted ground, careful to avoid crushing any colourful fungi underneath their feet.

The whole room was carpeted with glowing pink moss, spotted with colourful yet mundane mushrooms of all kinds contrasting the environment.

The mushrooms themselves came in all shapes and sizes, deep green fungi grew out in layers across the walls, while massive, almost tree-like conical mushrooms rose from the floor and trails of spores floated in clouds out of grey puffballs.

Looking back to the pool from which they surfaced, grey spores floated on top of the water attempting to find their root on land which was not present.

The room was large, perhaps two or three times the size of the under-lake chapel, and while at first, one would expect such an overgrown area to be a natural cave, it was not, as evidenced by the straight walls and sharp corners the room possessed.

Fascinated, Wanderer and their Spirit began to make their way around the room, peering under every mushroom cap and inspecting every tuft of moss, a mutual excitement consuming them both.

After a few minutes of wondrous exploration, the group came upon proof the cavern was artificial in nature, there, on a set of half-rusted rails rested a barebones mining cart, sections that would have been once wood completely decomposed by fungi.

Approaching the anomaly, its hard edges standing out from the natural environment, Wanderer noticed a silvery-white metal had fallen through the bottom, now laying on the ground next to the head of a pickaxe.

Grabbing a piece, the Golem recognised it as the same metal that formed the armours and weapons that the humans used, its reflective white body distinctive.

Stepping back a little to get more perspective, Wanderer noticed a peculiarity, the rails on which the cart rested led directly into a wall of moss, as if it wasn’t even there.

Yet, before the Vessel could begin to investigate the irregularity, Emio unveiled the secret first, as they tore patches of moss away from the walls and floor to feed their growth.

In only a few moments, a significant portion of the wall and opposing floor had its carpeting moss stolen away, leaving only the bare stone underneath and damaged mushrooms scattered.

Emio seemed to care little for the blaring eyesore they had created in the glowing paradise, being much too happy with their vibrant new form.

Yet for all the beauty it had destroyed, Emio’s actions had solved Wanderer’s mystery before they even began to contemplate it, where the tracks seemed to once disappear into the wall, a tunnel in the stone was now visible, once covered up by moss.

The tunnel was tall yet thin, and at one point it was likely that there were support beams or other structures, yet now there were little left but massive fungi.

The tunnel went straight for almost as far as Wanderer could see, until, at the edge of their vision they made out a split that went to both the left and right.

Yet the Vessel’s vision failed them not only because of distance but because of deep darkness that existed throughout the tunnel, as the glowing moss disappeared the further Wanderer went from the water source.

Despite the lack of plants, the mushrooms lived on in prevalence.

A moment of hesitation surfaced in the Golem, a half wish to find another way out of the lake, yet they could risk no other way, and even if they could, their curiosity would not let them leave.

And so they began to creep their way across the long hallway, dodging the stalks of giant fungi and being careful not to crush any mushrooms underfoot.

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As the light dimmed, Emio went ahead of them, their now glowing body lighting the tunnel handily, illuminating the unstable walls.

Their journey to the end of the shaft lasted far longer than one would expect, the constant dodging and swerving needed to pass the mushrooms combined with the caution that Wanderer held for the unsupported walls caused the journey to take hours of time, though time was hard to tell in the artificial cave.

More than once Wanderer’s already glacial progress was halted as a deep rumble echoed throughout the stone, a threat that caused their Spirit to cry in a warning and put even the invincible Emio on edge.

With their nerves thoroughly racked, the group finally came to the split that they saw from so far away, the entrance from which they came seeming like little more than a speck of light.

Ahead lay two passages, one to the right, and one to the left.

To the left, Wanderer could see that the moss had come back in full force, covering the walls and ceiling and the shaft had been blocked by a cave-in, one somewhat recent judging by the comparative lack of plant life on the rubble.

Down the sides of the hall lay many smaller passages, small enough that the Golem would likely have trouble traversing them.

They followed a regular pattern down the sides of the hall, meaning that any unoccupied space was likely a doorway covered by moss.

This was their preferred route, moss meant water and water likely meant escape.

To the right lay a shorter, yet darker, tunnel, the tracks went down this way, turning right at the end of the hole, down an even deeper shaft.

Embedded right at the start of the tunnel, only a few steps away from Wanderer, lay a great metal door, tarnished but not rusted, it seemed to be made of the same white metal that this place's inhabitants were once mining for.

At the advice of their Spirit, Wanderer fought against their curiosity, their wish to turn right and enter the deeper, darker depths of the mine, forcing themself to remember that despite the unique nature of the shafts and tunnels, the area was dangerous and unstable, its use should remain limited to a passage.

Yet there was little reason for them not to investigate the door that stood only steps away from them.

The door was a little shorter than Wanderer and made of the now familiar silvery-white metal, it had tarnished grey around its edges, marring its natural reflective nature.

A large handle went down one side, and unwilling to wait longer, Wanderer pulled on it.

Yet the door hardly budged, moving a slither from its previous position.

Undeterred the Golem put all their strength into their next pull, a non-insubstantial amount, yet still, the door refused.

By lock or degradation, the door was static in its position, and at this point, the Spirit urged Wanderer to leave it be, yet Wanderer had one last card to pull.

They began signing to Emio, who had been watching the scene with amusement, trying to convince them to try their luck on the barrier.

After a few minutes of awkward charades, Emio finally placed 2 mossy tendrils on the door handle, and at Wanderer’s reassurance, pulled.

without hesitation, the door slammed open, the old metal no match for Emio's might, and a loud, metallic bang echoed throughout the tunnels.

For a moment everything was silent before a deep, guttural groan began to echo from the walls, a deep rumble accompanying it as pebbles and dust fell from the ceiling while the shaft threatened to give way.

The complaint reached its crescendo as the loud cracks and bangs of a cave-in reached Wanderer, the whole area becoming smothered in a veil of dust.

Even after the avalanche ended, none among the party dared move, even the Spirit fell quiet in irrational fear that its voice would upset the earth.

None among the group could tell how long they stayed frozen in fear, yet by the time Emio made their first delicate step with one of their tendrils, the dust had settled.

The crossroads that had once rested in front of Wanderer was now entirely blocked off by heavy rubble, the final pebbles and stones of this cascade just touching their hooves.

Both their entrance and the left tunnel had been blocked by the cave-in, their route of escape from the tunnels blocked, and even a cursory glance over the now accessible room showed that there was little escape to be found.

Perhaps, between Emio's strength and Wanderer's new blessing, the blockage could be cleared, but they had angered the unstable mine once and had no wish to do so again, lest they were less fortunate the second time.

Their haze was cut through by the quiet yet forceful words of their Spirit, directing them to seek safety in the room that Emio had opened.

In no condition to argue, they carefully made their way into the room, fearing that every step would bring retribution.

Yet by some miracle of which their mind had not the clarity to process, the beams and supports that had decayed throughout the rest of the mine had been preserved within.

The moment Wanderer realised the safety that this bought, they collapsed onto the nearest object that would hold their weight, too exhausted to even look around.