A lot of information overwhelmed Rick’s senses at once. A myriad of forms, colors, smells, and sounds contrasted with the previous silence of an empty cave, leaving him shocked for a few minutes. The first thing he addressed was the multi-color glow that was lighting the cave. He counted at least two dozen shining crystals or stones embedded along the cave’s walls.

Then, he move his sight to observe the size of the cave, which forked into two paths roughly ten meters ahead. Besides damp, the air had a distinct astringent smell and a faint flowery fragrance. There was a sound of falling water coming from the same forked path as the stream.

Holding the spear ready, Rick decided to go first along the stream path and identify the origin of the sound. It didn’t take long for the hunter to be welcomed by a cliff and a waterfall. The waterfall was coming from a hole in the celling and pouring down into an underground river that flowed through a wider cave below the cliff. The stream that Rick was following was but the tiniest streak of water that would hit a section of the rock wall before draining down into his tunnel.

Getting closer, the hunter realized that his tunnel was also just one of the openings of a wider cave. However, what made his heart skip a beat was the scene below. Around the underground river path, formed a narrow but long valley with some vegetation and beasts. Rick hid back inside of tunnel afraid that some beast would see him and find a way to get up there.

From a glance, he could estimate the height of the tunnel at five or six meters above the valley. One would need to climb the wall or use a rope to go down since jumping could prove dangerous. Stealing his heart, the hunter decided to take another peek. He moved slowly towards the cliff leaning on the wall to prevent any accidents.

Carefully, he stuck his head out of the tunnel and only relaxed after realizing that none of the beasts below were paying attention. By sight, he could more or less identify four types of beasts, large short-furred tan felines by the river, shorter dark brown wild dogs or wolves hiding in a few points through the greenery, an overgrown armadillo exiting a smaller tunnel, and some giant spiders hanging on the walls in a few places. ‘A whole ecosystem’, he judged.

From the beasts, Rick could only recognize the yellow-hide armadillo which had already reached maturity and thus should be of bronze tier. And since it wasn’t behaving as a predator, the remaining beasts should at least be of bronze tier too. The hunter could only see three or so kilometers of the underground river because it would then make a turn and leave his sight hidden behind cave walls. Even so, he would bet that what he could see was just a small part of it, which meant bountiful treasures.

Excited, Rick returned to the previous fork and took the other path, which led in the opposite direction of the waterfall. He proceed carefully, always reminding himself that potential dangers could jump from hidden spots at any time. The benefit of moving solo was that he could keep the noise to a minimum, avoiding the detection and ambush of beasts.

The path continued further and down for roughly one kilometer until it started to narrow abruptly, up to a point where Rick had to squat to proceed. He decided to move forward only while the path allowed him to stand bent. Unfortunately, when he met the stopping criteria, the end of the path was also visible a little further ahead. He couldn’t stop now when he was so close to the end.

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So, the hunter crawled forth with the spear ready to attack until he got to the end of the tunnel. Again, the tunnel ended on a cliff, but instead of the waterfall and valley, he was welcomed by a giant hole punctured with hundreds of smaller tunnels filled with rat-like creatures. Rick stopped breathing as he took the whole scene, which would cause dread to anyone, but was particularly terrifying for a hunter.

Strangely, the creatures were doing all sorts of activities, such as carrying things into the holes and collecting water from a pool. However, what really surprised Rick was a fire going in one of the holes. It looked as if they were cooking something. He had never seen any beasts cooking; it even sound funny. Regardless, the hunter’s confusion was fated to be short. A scream from one of the beasts caught the attention of the entire ‘nest’.

It was pointing to him and doing some clacking sounds, which should mean something to them since they all turned his way. Panicking could be a word used to describe his current state, but it felt euphemistic. Rick crawled back, cursing his luck and boldness for trying to explore the place. The loud beating of his heart wasn’t enough to block the sound of the ‘nest’ coming into action. It sounded as if hundreds, or maybe thousands of those beings, were running after him. Either way, he wouldn’t dare to stop to check on the number.

Fortunately, he arrived at the wider section of the tunnel unscathed, though he could hear persecution coming not so far behind. At this point, his running skill came into play, helping him achieve double the speed that he had been capable of before. Sadly, the shouts and screaks started to accumulate behind him, proving that the enemies were catching up.

Stones and pointy wooden sticks rained down on him, and though only a few found their mark, they were enough to hurt. The attacks came with the strength of a child, but dozens would build up bruises and cuts, nonetheless. The fork appeared in his sight and he contemplated the available options. He could make a run for it and try to squeeze himself inside the rock passage, praying not to be drawn or have his feet eaten in the process, or he could take the other way and try to dissuade the pursuit with the presence of the stronger beasts in the valley.

Unfortunately, the attacks were already too close to allow any other decision. So, the hunter sprinted and threw himself into the water passage without any concern for his physical integrity. The action earned him a few meters of advantage over the pursuers and even an early cease of the attacks, but his sore bones and torn skin paid the price in full. Even so, Rick couldn’t stop or hesitate; he kicked the ground furiously to push him forward.

Miraculously, he managed to enter the passage without losing the spear or any part of his body. The submerged hunter felt scratching and grabbing all over his ankles, but he made use of the assault to kick back more targets and push himself faster. Soon, the attacks disappeared as his body entered the passage completely. It seemed as if the creatures didn’t like water or weren’t willing to go further. Sadly, Rick’s relief was short-lived as he remembered the need for breathing.

The struggle only lasted for a few seconds. The attacks and desperation had helped him go faster, so the wider section of the passage came sooner than expected. The tired and wounded hunter couldn’t help but smile. All suffering and distress considered, he had escaped alive and also found a way forward. His mission had been successful, and somehow his heart was calm believing that all of the challenges on the other side of the passage would pale against the supreme knowledge of the bookstore.

At this time, far from the forbidden forest, a golden flower-carved carriage approached Mountainend carrying a mother-daughter pair, and a special guest. Winter was at the corner, but it would bring more than cold to the bookstore.