The descent into the caves was like entering another realm entirely, where shadows ruled and daylight was a distant memory. Jax’s vision cut through the dark, but only in shades of gray, thanks to the enchantment on his glasses. Without any source of natural light, his enchanted glasses allowed him to see—but every detail appeared stark and colorless, giving the world an unearthly, almost haunted feel.
The walls closed in as they walked, rough-hewn stone pressing close on either side. Jax reached out, running his fingertips along the jagged rock to steady himself. In this muted world, distances felt deceptive; everything seemed both close and far away, like a landscape viewed through frosted glass. The air was dense, carrying the faint scent of mineral-rich stone and the earthy chill of undisturbed caverns.
Jax Focused on the rocks as Calis lead them. They were rough in places, yet others were smooth as ice, their natural formation apparent to even him. For a moment Jax worried about lava, then the ideas fell away. The dwarfs notes said that this was an ancient area, full of cooled passageways that had lasted for eons.
After what felt like hours of navigating barren, unyielding stone passages, a glimmer caught his eye. It was subtle at first—just a delicate shimmer along the walls—but soon he could make out a thin, web-like moss clinging to the rocks. The moss seemed almost to pulse with a soft, silvery glow, lighting their path in dim patches. Jax took off his shades, and saw that the previous silvery glow was in fact a deep purple.
Calis stopped ahead, glancing back to Jax with a rare look of curiosity. “Jax,” she said, her voice echoing softly against the rock, “What is it?” She inclined her head toward the faintly glowing moss.
Jax reached into his pack, pulling out gelkrins worn notebook and thumbing through its pages. He’d made sketches and jotted down notes on underworld flora, but his studies had been limited to whatever sparse references the dwarf managed to glean from his duties.. Still, Jax remembered he had seen a passage about bioluminescent moss—something ancient, feeding off the energy deep in the earth.
He looked up at Calis. “It’s called luma moss, if this is what the notes warn of. Supposedly, it thrives in areas rich with magic… I read that it’s sometimes used as a warning of more dangerous creatures nearby. Not that it would deter us, I’m guessing.” He gave a wry smile, and he could see anticipation in the womans eyes.
She nodded, her eyes glinting in the dim light. “Good to know.” With that, she gestured for him to continue following, and the group pressed onward into the still, silent dark, where even the faint glow of the moss seemed like the promise of something deeper waiting below.
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In time, the passage split, the tunnel branching into two paths. The main path veered sharply to the right, sloping deeper into the heart of the Underdark, while the left path appeared narrower but brighter, its walls lined with patches of the shimmering luma moss that had grown denser as they walked. The faint bioluminescence cast a silvery sheen over the passage, inviting and intriguing, even in the grayscale of Jax’s enchanted vision.
Calis halted, her gaze flicking between the two paths before she motioned for the others to gather closely. She reached into her satchel, withdrawing a roughly drawn map, the parchment creased and smudged from frequent handling. She held it out, tracing her finger along the main passage to the right.
“This path here,” she murmured, pointing, “leads us deeper toward our destination.” She looked toward the narrower, moss-covered passage to the left, her expression thoughtful. “But that direction… looks like it might be richer. Moss like this doesn’t just grow anywhere.”
Jax leaned in, studying the map with her. “Luma moss usually indicates a pocket of magical residue or artifacts,” he said. “Whatever’s there might be valuable, but I realize it would be a detour.” He met her gaze, sensing her skepticism. “We could gain something from it, but I get that it’s a risk and a delay.”
She nodded, considering his words. “The detour might be useful—if it’s safe. But the main mission isn’t to explore every interesting offshoot. My people aren’t here for random relics or extra supplies; we were paid to preform a task.”
Jax felt the tension, but he knew she had a point. he leveled his eyes on her and saw the gleam of greed. Calis and her warriors were guiding them to a specific location, risking their lives to bring his group to the raid, that was all they were being paid for. Any distraction only prolonged their time in these dangerous caverns. “True,” he said. “But if it turns out there’s treasure or useful artifacts, maybe it’s worth considering an even split.” He raised his hand and flicked it, as he did a contract appeared before the woman. Even split, Jax` would have first take of loot, then the Calis, after that the officers would alternate in the same manner. This favored Calis` party as they would theoretically get more gos at loot, but it also meant any true treasures would be up for Jax to pick first.
She raised an eyebrow, weighing his offer, then gave a curt nod. “Fine. But only if it amounts to anything. If we detour and find nothing but rocks and dust, we move on immediately. Deal?”
“Deal,” Jax replied, nodding.
She gave a quick hand signal to her warriors, indicating their change of direction, and without another word, the group turned down the narrower, glowing passage. They moved forward, their steps hushed as the luma moss brightened the walls around them, its pale glow casting fleeting shadows as they ventured deeper into the unknown.