Author’s note:

It gets me depressed when I read other people’s writing and compare it to mine some times. Theirs are soooooooo good ==”

I will be taking a short 1 week or so hiatus for finals.

Edited by SGJacko

Chapter 25- Ruin

Day  38

***Cani's Cave***

***Cani***

         Before I slept, I made sure that our preparations for the journey were completed. I got all the goblins to gather all the spears that we have and disassemble the spear heads. The sinew thread that kept the spearhead in place was wrapped and tied around the pole so that it will provide a better grip in the water. I was planning to have everyone use the wood poles as pseudo floatation devices. I doubt that a thin pole will keep a goblin completely afloat but it is better than nothing. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough poles for everyone. I gave priority to those that are carrying or taking care of a child.

         At this point, we have been stuck in our cave for too long. I wasn’t able to tell if it’s night or day. I was pretty sure the rain had stopped. I heard the underground river easing up a bit compared to the day before. It no longer produced the sound of a rapid. Instead, it was a nice and soothing sound. Today will probably be the best time to go. If we wait too long, the river might become too shallow and it would be dangerous for us to dive in from high above. I decided to do a small pep talk before we head towards our unknown journey.

“Everyone had a good rest last night for our pilgrimage ahead?”

“”””””””””Yes!””””””””””

“Before we go, I want to remind everybody. Slowly let yourself down the hole. Focus everything on keeping your head above the water. Do not try to swim against the current. The goblin god with guide you to the right place.”

         After I said that, I tightly gripped onto my staff and took a deep breath. I slowly inch towards the hole. Steeling my resolve, I finally jumped down the hole that we once called the washroom. There was a good second of airtime before I hit the water below.

*Splash!*

“UWAAAAAA!”

“What’s happening? Are you hurt, Cani?”

         Going against my own teachings, I swam against the current to deliver a final command before I let it carry me away. The current was quite fast but it wasn’t impossible to swim against it. Though, I had a hard time staying in the same place. I started shouting upward towards the ceiling. Hoping that they were able to hear it..

“No I am fine. It is just the water is a lot colder than I expected. Start sending everyone down one by one. Wait for a count of 3 before sending the next so the one before can get away. ”

        It was cold but it was not freezing. Still, I started to shiver from the sudden change of temperature. I hope Everyone can endure this. In the complete darkness, I gripped onto my pole for my dear life and kept my head above the water. I felt like I was experiencing the trauma of the Titanic. I think I have it easier than them though. At the very least, this is fresh water. I turned myself facing where the current was going, hoping that I would see something soon. I felt my body being thrown left and right along the river, bumping into the cavern wall from time to time. I almost let go of the spear at one point from the pain.

        After about 10 minutes of riding in this treacherous water slide, I finally saw a spec of light emanating from the end of the tunnel. It was touching to see anything after living in complete darkness for two days. The celebration in my heart ended prematurely as my eyes adjusted itself from the darkness and see other things. I was going way too fast. Worst of all, the current was pulling me towards one of boulder head. I desperately try to move myself away but it was too late. Judging that it was impossible to move away, I braced myself from the incoming impact. The hit knocked the winds out of me and I inhaled some water. My consciousness started to fade after that. I finally reached the end of the tunnel even though I was hurt. The last thing I remember seeing was aqueducts that were connected to the river.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Day  38 (Night)

***Unknown Ruins***

***Cani***

*COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH*

         Coughing up some water, I woke up and groggily dragged myself out of the water. I did a quick body check to see if I had broken any bones. Guess I got lucky this time, however there were several bruises on my body. I looked around the place that I woke up in. Even though it was dark, I could see some of the details of the room I was in thanks to the lights floating around. They were dancing like stars in the sky.

“Fireflies?”

       I was soon proven wrong. They were not fireflies but some sort of wisps. I tried to catch one but my hands just passed through them. They didn’t seem to be malicious as they were just moving in the room randomly, completely ignoring me. With the help of the wisps’ light, I could see that I was in a old dusty room with water running through the room. The size of the room was several times bigger than our cave. There were broken potteries everywhere, scattered across the room. Everything looked broken and old. This looked like a bathing area for some sort of old civilization. It didn’t matter though. What mattered the most was for me to find the rest of the tribe.

“Is anyone here?”

        Only silence answered my call. I decided to explore the waterway where I woke up from. When I reached the end, I saw that the water left the room through another hole in the wall. Up against the wall were several goblin floating in the water. They were dead already as I found them face down in the water. I could also see quite a bit of skeletons of goblins, forming a dam. I guess this is where everything we throw down the river ends up.

        I walked along the wall of the room. There were several drawings and carvings on it. It was heavily faded and corroded though. I couldn’t make out what they were supposed to be. I carefully made my way along, making sure I didn’t step on any broken ceramics. It wouldn’t be funny if I died bleeding out from a cut. After a while, I finally found a wooden door. I tried to open it but it wouldn’t budge due to the rust on the hinges. Luckily, the wooden door was rotting already. I grabbed my hammer and started to dig my way through the rotten door. When the hole was big enough, I stuck my head out of the hole to take a  look.

“HERE’S JOHNNY!’

       Through the hole, I saw  a dark corridor. I heard a soft crying of a woman coming from the hall. If there were wisps, there might be ghosts as well. I gathered my courage and decided to investigate the source of the voice since I had no idea what else I could do at this point. Enlarging the hole in the door a bit, I crawled through the tight space and entered the corridor. Following the sound I found another door. From the small gap underneath the door, I saw flickers of a fire. I slowly opened the door trying to stay stealthy in case there was danger behind. Much to my dismay, the door creaked loudly. When I peaked through it. Everyone was staring at me. There were 20 or so goblins in the room around the fire. When they saw my face, Queenie ran up to me and embraced me. The bruises on my body started to hurt again. With a face full of tears, she whimpers.

“Cani….. I …...I….”

“Don’t cry, I am safe, a bit bruised but safe.”

“It’s gone….. our child…”