Dark smoke soared unrestrained through the air. Neither the broadest trunk nor the sharpest thorn could slow it, let alone stop it. As small as a tiny bat, the smog gained volume until it was large enough to push Aes, from within, to the ground. She rolled through the brush upon hitting the floor.

Her teeth chattered quickly behind blue lips as she shivered.

”W'hat h..happ’end?”

” No Time, keep qui’t!” The Spirit replied.

Aes snapped her head back to the roar of the giant thing. Light from its burning eyes pierced through the crevices of the dark forest, creating dozens of tiny hellish beams. Looking in several directions for a path to escape, she hesitated, second guessing which way to run. If she could get away in time.

” Th’er hide!” The lantern instructed. Rocking towards a tiny opening under a tree. Aes opened her mouth as if to speak. Dashed towards the potential source of shelter, instead. Out of her peripheral vision, streams of light came closer to informing the thing of the human’s location.

They grazed the surface of her jacket, transforming to a stream of harsh, burning, green flame. An immense force, focusing solely on that point. A harsh, infernal words hummed in the air as the thing spoke in the unknown language again. Bulldozing everything within its path. Aes scarcely slipped within the hole, mere moments before the timbers came crashing down upon her.

The thing reigned down the full force of its might. Massive jaws tossing foliage and debris, its four eyes scorched the land with the intensity of its focused glare. Deathly howls shattered the surroundings. Rocks smashed, trees splintered, vines torn up from the roots. It scarred the area from the lingering flames.

Just under the onslaught of the environment. Aes was curled up within a ball. Partly buried among the roots and wet ground. Shielding her ears from the noise. The enchanted lantern crammed painfully in her ribs. The ground quaked for what felt like an eternity.

”Do’n move, do’n look it in the eye!”

The spirit within the lantern warned. But the temptation was there. This young human was curious to a vice. Several times, she peeked from her hiding place. What was this thing? She has only seen glimpses of it. Mere pieces of a large puzzle her mind had to fill.

"Do.. NOT!" the spirit barked, catching Aes squinting through the spaces in the roots to see what was happening. She ducked down just as the glowing light flashed in her direction. Once more, however, she tried to investigate. Once more, the spirit scolded her.

The flow of this eternity, which lasted over ten minutes, took its toll on the wary human. Her eyelids became heavier. Drained adrenaline demanded its payment. Even as the carnage continued, Aes gradually lost consciousness from exhaustion.

Whatever it was that sourced this land with radiance, struggling to break through. From the dense brush, titanic warped trees, and thick gray fog. The light barely illuminated the land. It filled with an unnatural stillness. No wind or animal made a sound that could be heard, if anything has survived.

Under the roots of the tree, within the hole, Aes took shelter in. Swamp water gradually filled it up to the tip of her chin. Her dark hairs drifted over the surface. Shifting in her sleep caused her slipped lower within, waking violently into a fit of gasping coughs after inhaling the rank fluids into her nose.

Aes stood up, or tried to, only to be forced back down from the collapsed tree she hid under. Slipping back into the small pond, another choking gasp entered her lungs. Emerging to the surface, Aes frantically battled the environment.

Muscles tightened up around her chest. Brutally expunging phlegm in short, impulsive wheezing for air. Aes pulled open her jacket with one hand, tugging at her shirt collar with the other. Neck and shoulders tensing hard with each cough as she tilted her head back for air. Snaking her hand into any opening she could find with a touch, no form of escape was apparent. Darkness shrouded any sense of direction. Untold amounts of tree and rubble had buried her...alive.

Thunderous pounding in her chest flooded her body. Clawing, grasping at anything to dig or remove. She needed to make an escape. Distressed whimpering took over her coughing fit. Aes began to plead and pray frantically for intervention through tears of fearful sobbing.

Bubbles floated up from underneath. A vacuum caught her foot down in the mud. Hopelessly kicking and pulling to free herself. Tips of her fingernails chipped while trying to grab roots. Letting out a horrid scream while being drug down into the sinking mud. Muck and water covering her head, bubbles of air floating up from where she had been.

She plummeted down through a long dank hole, still she kicking and waving her arms. Letting out a slight grunt that echoed as it drugged her off with the rolling muck, deep into a burrow. She landed knee deep in mud. Swamp water drenched over her from above.

A muffled sound had been growing from the darkness. Calm and low, it had repeated over and over until…

” AES!!!!!” The spirit inside the lantern broke through her panic attack. “Focus Childe, focus!”

It had fallen a few feet from her, halfway buried in mud. Aes took the source into her arms, clasping it for comfort. Its strange warmth grounded her from the overwhelming fear.

”I’m trapped, I…”

”Childe! You need ta FOCUS! KYRRE!”

”Khr-ee??”

The lantern shifted in hue in response to the word. A low soft blue glow, releasing a gentle stream that fluttered towards her face, soaking into her eye, which began to glow. Aes stared upon the light with a near vacant expression. The glow in her eyes soothed her fears, physical and mental strain visually released from her body. Gradually, Aes became docile and clam.

” Good, good…” The Spirit said, in a familiar chucking tone.

The entranced state gradually faded. Breathing slowly and deeply as the radiant glow dimed in her eyes. The young human became self aware once again. A slight shake of her head, blinking and yawning, the questions became apparent on her face.

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"What happened?" she muttered to no one specifically.

Faint particles drifted through the air. Gradually illuminating the area with a dull blueish green, Florissant glow. Aes looked around, puzzled. Several forms of fungi and mushrooms slowly lit ip from the noise that echoed throughout. The spirit was silent for the time.

Noticing a web of roots and branches, Aes reached out to grab them, hoping to herself free. Low grunts echoed throughout the cavern. As she pulled hard, More of the dark muck gradually bled upon her from overhead. Slime on her palms made her hands slip out Getting a better grip She grit her teeth trying harder. A hollow gulp released her from the sinkhole. Her enchanted companion still half sunk behind her.

Groaning with frustration, she wiped her face. ".. At least I can see." She looked back up at the area she fell though. "Not getting back up that way.." She sighed.

Turning back at the glowing fungus, she gave it several gentle pokes with the tip of the leather shoe. They seemed harmless enough and provided more ambient light. She searched for something that could be used to get the lantern out without herself being stuck again. There were several roots and branches all around, many were still full of life, a few allowed her to break off into a stick. "This should do it."

She stretched her improvised tool towards the lamp. Tapping it several times, struggling to claw it out. Each noise from her attempt released a metallic echo that shifted the color of the fungus. A slight twitch each time.

"Almost..." she gruff after each failure

Aes was completely unaware of the distant padded sounds began to resonate from beyond. Odd muttering that sounded like open chewing. From out of the darkness, a small bluish creature emerged. It was scraggly, thin, with a pointed stick. A wide pumpkin head that twisted around. Its wide mouth and jagged teeth made nauseating noises as it muttered. Its padded feet squished the wet soil underneath. It seemed to not even notice the human at all. Something else caught its attention...

The eerie glow of the fungus reflected off the buttons of her jeans and jacket. The subterranean had creature noticed this. With a joyful sound, it reached out for one of the metallic buttons mindlessly.

“Almost..got..”

“Aes, hurr’eh. Somethin’ comin’ is wa’h”

"GOT IT!" Aes said victoriously after she managed to hook the handle with the stick. Struggling to pull it from the mud.

Her expression changed suddenly as she felt something pulling at her jeans. She snapped her head back to see the freakish dwarf trying to claw at her backside. Her Iris shrunk into small dots at the sight of this thing and whatever it was trying to do. Reflexively, she turned around with the full force of the stick. The tiny being fell back, having just torn the button free. Aes barely made contact, flinching to her shoulder injury. The tiny being took a single look at her and squealed and scrambled away, making loud strange sounds that echoed throughout the caves.

“... You done did it now.”

“Did what?!”

“At was a ‘mite’, ‘ey don’t go alone. Bout a dud’n of em, at least. Need ta git out, fast!”

Aes returned to fishing out the lamp. She raked at it vigorously until it came loose. Upon success, she took the opportunity to rush back to the hole she fell through, trying to climb her way back up. There was no way back. She kept slipping and sliding back to the bottom. Mud and muck being stuck over her body and clothes. The glow of the cavern lit up with the noises of the small creature, it had returned with several others. Each making rapid muttering sounds.

“Don’t move!” The Spirit said, “Ther’eh near’ly blind, but hear well!”

Aes froze in place. Her face pale with fear as the strange creatures came towards her. Their heads jerked and snapped in several directions. Inspecting the area.

Aes sat and stared intensely, as one waddled closer in her direction. A pointed stick in its hands. It grabbed the glowing spore and took bites out of it. She made no movement and made no sound. The creature squatted down, continuing its meal. Though it never seemed to look directly at her.

She gasped quietly as the mites stabbed the glowing fungi with their makeshift spears. Making the most nauseating sounds as they smacked with open jaws. Aes looked around the area for a potential escape, holding her breath as she did so. Though she found herself sunk too deep into the soaked soil to make one.

This mite paid her no mind, not even noticing her hesitance. One misstep, however, caused her to slip back and fall into the muck. The creature looked in her direction with a bizarre shriek.

Another moved in. Aes pushed herself against the edge of the mud as it got in closer, poking it's stick around in investigation. It jabbed her in the ribs and she let out a scream more of fear, then pain. Each of the small blue beings looked in her direction, releasing their own sounds of distress. All three turned to run in fear, abandoning their food and weapons.

Aes blinked several times.

"Yeah, okay..." she said, a bit confused.

Reaching out to a gnarled root again, she freed herself much easier this time. Moist, slimy muck covered her clothes. She shook herself to remove what she could from her body.

"Any idea how to get out of here?" She asked, looking around for the lantern.

"Back up, search for a source a wat'ah, follow it."

"At least I got an answer.." she grumbled

Aes watched the cavern for the chattering creatures. She picked up one of the wooden spears left behind. Lifting the lantern to illuminate her way, she took in the surroundings. Getting a better sense of direction. Phosphorescent fungus stretched throughout the cavern. She took deliberate and light steps forward into the cave.