The level of sheer destruction surrounding Charlie was hard to swallow. What little remained of the human warriors were scattered in all directions - the powerful impact of the boulder smashing through the concrete reinforcements like they made of soft sand.
Twisted metal, broken glass, collapsed walk-ways behind the concrete parapet and a dried river of blood stained the land. The thick scent of death and sulphur washed over Charlie, carried by the gentle breeze and sinking into his skin. As if about to vomit, Charlies mouth filled with sickly-sweet saliva, yet he held on, for now.
It didn't look like the calamitous creature ever touched touched the mountain itself, instead throwing rocks the size of buildings through the human defenses - for some unknown reason.
Charlies main plan for the day had been to simply observe the humans, scout for a potential hidden or unseen entry point, and find an optimal time to enter. But it seemed that the human cave was already waiting for his return, and with open arms.
He wanted to slink in as quickly as possible, but decided to wait a little bit and see if there would be any movement from the humans. It would be unwise to leap into the broken remains of bleeding wreckage if there was an ongoing clean up, or a hopeful group in the middle of searching for survivors.
So, without any cover in sight, Charlie approached the wall of the mountain, stuck himself as close as possible, and slowly made way towards the entrance - keeping his senses on high alert. If there was even a single movement, Charlie would have to ascertain his next moves with great caution.
The journey was slow, doubling the time needed as it allowed for no mistakes, and Charlie was not going to get himself caught now of all times. While Charlie silently crept forward, [Mana Sense] would prove to be a good replacement for his eyes, as it allowed him to peer above and into the wrecked concrete buildings.
When there was a sign of life within [Mana Senses] area of control, Charlie would be able to feel their presence with a sharp accuracy. Yet, when it came to sensing the rest of the world, the minute amount of Mana that emanated from the earth and atmosphere were too vague to get a clear image with.
It was even worse within the concrete wreckage, as it seemed the human constructed walls not only did not produce their own Mana, but it seemed to create a dead-zone in his vision - almost as if the stone was absorbing the surrounding Mana.
Charlie was unable to tell if there were any bodies or objects in the room, but he was able to confirm that there was at least nothing still living within the cold confines of the concrete chamber.
If the humans had already been dispatched to clean up and rebuild the area, then Charlie would not have a lot of time to enter the cave, whether or not it was wise. If he missed his chance now, then there would be no telling how intense the patrolling and activity would become.
Peering around a sharp corner, hidden behind the concrete wreckage, Charlie searched for any movement in the shadowy distance. The naturally dim light of the cave failed to reach the entrance of the cave. His eyes might not have been able to make out details, but they were certainly still useful in identifying movement. In finding nothing out of the ordinary, Charlie entered through and over the collapsed metal gate laying on the floor.
The tall and hidden ramparts near the ceiling had crumbled, spilling their secrets and revealing distant rooms. The metal doors that led deeper into the structure still held, if just barely. Worst of it all were the human bodies littering the ground, dyeing the walls and floor a deep crimson.
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Charlie had thought to have grown immune to the sight of blood and gore, but found himself stumped at the sight of the grotesque image. Whether it was due to seeing his own kind getting slaughtered like so, or if it was simply due to the sheer magnitude of death before him - Charlie felt his stomach seize, and his mind waver.
It was better if Charlie didn't think too much about them, as the more he lamented the human deaths, the further into despair he would fall. The sight of the calamitous creature flashed in his mind, and for a moment he was brought back to the nightmarish desert basin, facing down death once more.
Charlie refused to keep slipping down the depressing path, and shook his head free of the corrupting thoughts.
If he didn't think about it, it didn't exist, if it didn't exist, then he wouldn't think about it, and therefore, life still had meaning. If life had meaning, he could keep going...
I... I can keep going...
Feeling his heart lighten, his chest relax and his mind clear, Charlie felt refreshed enough to continue down the journey, strong enough to push the raging emotions back down and out of sight.
The gloomy mood that had curtained the entrance of the human cave had vanished, and Charlie slithered through the boundary between the two worlds in a fragile peace.
It didn't take long for Charlie to come across the familiar coves and winding caverns shooting off into unseen crevices. It felt somehow nostalgic to return once again, even though it really has not been that long since he had escaped. A lot had happened, he supposed.
Though, unlike before, Charlie was leaps and bounds more prepared for the harrowing descent into the caves interior. The creatures that lived high up in the cave were mere fodder for the more powerful and higher leveled creatures that inhabited the deeper areas. To make it down there, Charlie would have to rise above the meek, to rise above the Razorclaw - the gatekeeper.
Once Charlie was confident in being able to take down one of those, then it was only a matter of time before he would be able to conquer even the deepest corners of the cave. Though, how deep exactly the cave was, was still be uncovered. For all he knew, maybe Magic made it simply endless.
That's... crazy, right?
Charlie didn't like the idea of an unending cave, but with Magic it seemed like anything was possible...
Dismissing the strange thought, Charlie noticed that the upper area of the cave was completely empty. It made sense, really. The shockwave produced by the titanic boulder crashing through the reinforced metal gate should have been terrifying. The creatures were simple - a sound that loud and that powerful would have caused them flee in the opposite direction.
It meant that there would be a smaller choice of creatures than Charlie would have liked, but the true effects were still yet to be seen. For all he knew, the entire cave descended deeper, and Charlie would be unable to even notice a change.
Charlie decided to return back to the Stone Flower - the fetid mushroom cove that had housed him for the vast majority of his time spent in the human cave. It was both because Charlie felt melancholic about his time within its slimy interior and because he wanted to see if the blind Stone Flower would have fled as well, or if it was too dumb to even feel fear.
Yet, as if it were an image taken right out of his memories, the mushroom cove still stood - stinking up the entire cave in its familiar, and disgusting, scent. Though, after taking a good look from afar, it must have fed recently, as the interior was simply bursting at the seams with rotting corpses.
Charlie visited the river, grabbed a quick drink of it's crystal clear water and noticed something unbelievably pleasant - there were no creatures here, no sounds and... The stupid, green and disgusting blobs were nowhere to be seen, nor heard.
It was blissful.
In taking a nostalgic stroll through the not-so-distant past, Charlie had finished up his business, and continued down deeper into the cave. He thought about checking out the strange area with the dripping pools of water, but decided against it. It was too high up, and if the unseen creature was anything like the rest of the primal and simple creatures inhabiting the cave, they too would have sought shelter somewhere deeper.
It was actually a surprisingly long time before Charlie even saw another living being, but where there was one, there were certainly many. At first it was a lone Skullker flying high and far off into the distance, near the caves ceiling, but then Charlie eventually picked up some new scents as he continued to descend. Charlie had sensed the first grounded creature with [Mana Sense] instead of seeing it with his own eyes.
The coves were tight, claustrophobic even, vision was low and even the powerful creatures had barely any room to maneuver with any degree of finesse.
Ah, it's perfect.