CHAPTER 49: PERILS AND PROMISE

‘Back.’

The word shot through his mind like a lightning strike, and his body reacted instantly, tensing up as though bracing for impact.

The ground beneath him rumbled, then gave way entirely as the surrounding walls began to crumble, stone by stone, in a deadly cascade. Roots of ancient trees snapped like brittle twigs, echoing with a sharp crack that mingled with the roar of shifting earth. Moss and thick clouds of dust erupted everywhere, filling the air with a choking haze.

Alexander scrambled backward, heart pounding, instincts kicking in, but he was a split second too slow. The crumbling floor dropped out from under him, and he fell—plummeting down, down, until he crashed roughly 8 feet, 15 feet or was it 20 feet below into a massive underground cavern, its walls looming like silent, shadowy giants.

He barely had time to catch his breath or get his bearings. The space was vast, its edges swallowed in darkness, but before he could fully grasp where he was—or what might be lurking there—he heard it. A rattling sound, ominous and unsteady, rising from the dust-filled air. Then, just as unnervingly, the chirp of a bird echoed faintly, slicing through the tension like a mocking whisper.

His eyes widened, muscles locking in shock that morphed quickly into fear as his mind processed the sound. His blood ran cold. Not a bird’s chirping—something else entirely. Hundreds of legs, clacking together in eerie, rhythmic sync.

And then, it emerged from the dust, slithering into view like a nightmare made flesh.

One look—one dreadful, bone-chilling look was all he took before he turned and bolted. Panic surged through him, every nerve on fire. There was no fucking way he could fight this thing.

He sprinted in the opposite direction, eyes darting frantically, desperate for any sign of an exit. But the cavern’s ceiling loomed just low enough to trap him. He couldn’t escape the way he’d fallen in. He was trapped.

The relentless clattering of legs grew louder behind him, echoing off the cavern walls, a sickening reminder that it was gaining on him. His heartbeat thundered, matching the frenzied rhythm of his footsteps, and sweat streamed down his face as he ran, lungs burning with each panicked breath. Glancing back over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of it—a twisted, multi-legged creature slithering after him, its movement swift, fluid, and disturbingly effortless.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t encountered horrors like this before. He recognized the creature’s thick, scaled armor—it was one of those monstrosities he’d fought in the cave once, right before he blacked out. But this one… this one was different. A small difference, maybe. Well, tiny if you were feeling optimistic. Because this thing was at least nine times the length and four the width of the ones he’d seen before.

In other words, this thing was fucking massive.

And the worst part? It was slithering through the towering stalactite-like pillars with eerie grace, each movement smooth and powerful, like it was born to dominate this cavern. It was almost… unfair. Something that size should be lumbering, awkward—anything but this fluid. What the hell was this thing? Some kind of cheating monstrosity?

Before he could fully process it, Alexander hurled himself to the side. And just in time. The behemoth swept through, destroying everything in its path with terrifying ease, gouging out chunks of earth as if the ground were made of loose sand.

Alexander staggered to his feet, hardly daring to glance back as he scrambled up, legs shaking, and eyes darting around frantically. There had to be an exit—there had to be. But all he saw were endless walls of rock, shadows and small vegetation. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

Meanwhile, the creature spotted him, its eyes narrowing with unsettling focus, scales rippling as it readied itself for another swipe.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Alexander’s thoughts spun wildly, panic setting in, clouding his vision. He tore his gaze around, searching desperately. A hole, a gap, anything—any possible way out.

He rolled to the side, barely in time—

Standing up once again, there was nothing. Nothing he could use, no way out, and every precious second slipped through his fingers. Alexander’s mind raced, frantic, his skin slick with sweat as the creature closed in, its monstrous legs scraping against stone, the threat of another pounce imminent.

No time. Nothing around him—no way to escape. For one dreadful moment, the thought of surrender brushed his mind, the temptation to just stop running, to let the end come. But Alexander gritted his teeth, forcing the thought away before it could root itself. It had cost him a fraction of a second—a heartbeat he simply couldn’t afford to lose.

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And though dread clawed at his mind, Alexander knew one thing for certain—he was going to die in the next moment.

Rumble.

Rumble.

Rumble.

Suddenly, the entire cave shook. The tremors thundered through the walls, echoing louder each time, and a fresh shower of dust and grit cascaded from the ceiling.

Alexander didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t need to. The monstrous creature paused, distracted by the rumbling, giving him a precious sliver of a chance to escape this suffocating battlefield—or, more fittingly, this “choking field.” He didn’t waste a second. Before it could refocus, he spotted a narrow hole leading to a tunnel just a few feet away.

Pkhaaakakakakkakkkk.

He made a break for it, sprinting towards the tunnel. But just as he was about to dive in, the creature let out a bone-rattling roar, its attention snapping back to him with renewed fury.

A fresh jolt of panic surged through him. Without a second thought, he changed course and hurled himself towards a much smaller hole in the ground—one that was closer. Instinct screamed at him that whatever he had done, this thing was enraged beyond reason.

The creature lunged, its twisted, segmented body hurtling toward him just as Alexander leaped. His heart thundered, his pulse a frantic drumbeat in his ears. By the barest hair’s breadth, he managed to pull his legs in, narrowly avoiding the creature’s reach as he tumbled headfirst into the tiny, dark opening.

auch

Alexander collided headfirst into the small hole in the ground, an instant wave of regret washing over him as he struck the rocky floor with a jarring thud. Beneath the surface, he discovered a layer of rough rock, each fragment oddly shaped like an ostrich egg, adding to the surreal quality of his descent.

His heart raced, refusing to slow. He couldn’t shake the fear that the creature would scoop him up along with the soil, dragging him down into its maw. All he could hope for was this guy did not see him jump into here

But that fragile hope shattered in an instant. Alexander could hear the creature slithering around the perimeter of the small hole, its presence palpable and terrifying. Fuck. He realized he was in a dire situation. Even if he somehow managed to leap out right now, escape seemed impossible.

With grim determination, he braced himself for the impact, teeth clenched tight, eyes squeezed shut. But just as he prepared for the worst, the earth trembled violently beneath him again. Rumbles echoed through the cavern, one after another, sending shockwaves through the air. Dust and debris rained down from the cave’s ceiling, like the sky itself was collapsing.

Alexander was just about to pcik outside to see what was happening when the ground beneath his feet crumbled away. With a gut-wrenching scream of despair, he began to fall. First, he plummeted through the air, and then, after a harsh landing, he tumbled further down, his body rebounding painfully against the unforgiving surface.

He knew he was spiraling down a tunnel-like path, but he felt utterly disoriented, as if he had lost all control. How much longer could this agonizing descent last? Finally, he landed with a thud on solid ground, the shock reverberating through him as he struggled to catch his breath.

The pain hit him like he’d leapt off a 60-foot platform straight into an iron wall. Every bone in his body vibrated painfully, a relentless hum that threatened to shake him apart. At the same time, it felt as though his flesh were on fire, searing him from the inside out. His skin stung from dozens of cuts, some gouged by roots, others from sharp rocks or jagged bales that had snagged him on his brutal descent—some he couldn’t even remember getting.

He didn’t know how long he lay there, face smashed into the cold ground, his breaths coming in shallow gasps. But it was long enough for his mind to settle, reassured, somehow, that he was no longer being hunted.

When he finally stirred, he caught sight of a faint, bluish glow filtering in from somewhere unknown, casting eerie shadows along the dirt and stone walls around him. Slowly, his vision adjusted, and he realized he was in a narrow tunnel, its cramped walls lined with twisted roots, old and gnarled, some as thick as his wrist.

There wasn’t much to see. It was a tunnel in every sense—bare, claustrophobic, with barely enough room for him to breathe, let alone stand. He couldn’t rise; there wasn’t even the space for him to straighten his back. So he pressed his palms to the cold, gritty earth and crawled forward, each movement jarring his bruised bones, his heart pounding in the oppressive silence.

At this moment, there was only one thing going through his mind: he needed to exit this hellhole and escape the entire cave system. He was pretty sure he was being hunted.

If he had to guess, it was most likely that he had angered the creature by killing so many of its kind. Alexander waited as he crept forward, but his ancestors’ voice did not come as it often did when he was in a pinch or fight.

So, he decided not to kill any more of them. After crawling for five or so more minutes, and forcing his way through a tangle of roots and deformed stalactites, Alexander finally emerged.

And what greeted him was another underground cavern. But this one was, in a word, beautiful. In front of him was a small underground pond, and he could tell because, unlike the previous area, this one wasn’t dark, but lit in a purplish-blue hue.

What greeted him was another cavern, deep underground—but this one was, in a word, beautiful. In front of him stretched a small underground pond, its surface shimmering with a purplish-blue glow that illuminated the space. Unlike the previous cavern, this one wasn’t shrouded in darkness; the soft, radiant hue bathed the stone walls, casting gentle reflections on the water.

The cave's ceiling appeared to twinkle with countless, faintly glowing points, as if the night sky itself had been tucked away within these hidden wall.

He caught a glimpse of it in the reflection on the pond’s surface—stars, or at least, that’s what it looked like. When he looked up, it felt as though the night sky, woven with endless twinkling stars and soft shades of blue and purple, was gazing back at him. The sight was enchanting, like a cosmic mirror drawn down to earth, and for a moment, he was lost in it.

But he quickly snapped out of his daze. The water wasn’t that deep, its surface smooth and still, with a cold, lifeless clarity. There was no time for distractions. He needed to cross this place and get out as fast as possible.

And he was determined to do just that. Today had already been more than enough adventure. There were other ways to gain experience up above—ways that didn’t involve risking his life in a shadowy, insect-infested underground.

As he waded out of the water and onto the other side, he couldn’t help but take in the surroundings. Strange as it was, this place almost felt like its own world, an isolated ecosystem untouched by anything else. There were no animals, no signs of movement, just an odd, comforting stillness that wrapped around him like a blanket.

But the illusion shattered as he took a closer look—the place was teeming with bugs and insects, skittering and crawling just out of sight. Cozy was not the word for it anymore.

Well, regardless, he needed to find an exit.

A sigh drifted through Alexander’s mind, quiet but heavy with an undeniable sense of foreboding. The weight of it lingered in his chest, leaving a bad taste on his tongue.

“We can’t actually leave, yet” his ancestor’s voice rang out, uncomfortably clear. The thought of struggling to survive, of being trapped in this endless nightmare, flooded Alexander’s mind. He saw himself desperate, foraging for food, eating insects to stay alive—and then, the thought of eating himself in the cold darkness of the cave. His stomach churned.

“Calm down, calm down. What the fuck are you thinking? It’s not like we’re trapped.”

“Then?”

“I wasn’t certain at first, but the deeper I ventured into the cave, the more I felt something. It was faint, barely a whisper of energy, but it was there. I ignored it, thinking nothing of it. But it turns out, it was fortune you were attacked by that monster.”

“Fortunate? Really?” Alexander muttered bitterly, incredulous.

“Listen, kid, there’s an old saying in our time: no pain, no gain,” the voice replied, a hint of irony mixed with wisdom.

“Anyway, that should be the queen in this rapidly developing colony. And I felt it—felt that same energy again, only this time, it was much stronger.”

A brief pause stretched between them, the words settling in Alexander’s mind. Slowly, the meaning began to sink in.

The voice continued, its tone serious now, “That means there’s a massive source of energy buried deep underground. In fact, this might be the reason why the colony’s growing so fast—too fast.”

Alexander remained silent, processing everything. The voice pressed on, “That means you’ve gathered enough energy to possibly unlock another maradian.”