After several days of relentless gathering and preparation, the group had transformed the cavern into something resembling a temporary stronghold. The damp, shadowy tunnels were still a prison, but now they were a prison stocked with supplies.
Food Supplies:
Mushrooms: Arianne, with Gorim's guidance, had identified and gathered several types of edible mushrooms. Some were firm and nutty, while others had a more bitter taste. The most valuable were the glowing blue-capped fungi that grew along the cavern walls, which provided both nourishment and a faint source of light.
Cave Fish: Khaltar and Yaraq had spent hours near an underground stream, crafting makeshift spears from sharpened bones and vine-wrapped sticks. The fish were pale, blind, and slimy, but they were fresh and edible.
Salamanders: These small, slick creatures were surprisingly abundant. Some were roasted over open flames, their tough skin peeled away to reveal soft, white meat. Others were dried and stored for later.
Rats: Reluctantly, they had trapped several large cave rats using woven vine snares. Though unpleasant to think about, their meat was lean, and their bones could be boiled for broth.
Cave Goat: The biggest success came when Nadra and Arianne spotted a lone, shaggy cave goat grazing on moss near a deep crevice. With careful maneuvering and a well-placed trap, they managed to corner and kill it, providing a large supply of meat, hide, and bones for tools.
Edible Roots and Moss: Gorim helped them identify a bitter but safe root that could be boiled to soften it, as well as a sweet-tasting moss that grew in damp corners of the cave.
Water & Fire:
Water Collection: Using hollowed-out stones, they had created small basins to collect dripping water from the stalactites. Some of it was filtered through cloth to remove sediment, and they even boiled portions to ensure safety.
Fire Source: With dried vines, rotting wood, and old dwarven coal dug from a collapsed tunnel, they had managed to sustain a small but consistent fire. They built it inside a protected alcove to contain the smoke and heat.
Tools & Gear:
Rope: Using twisted vines and stripped roots, Arianne and Hadeefa wove together long, sturdy ropes. These would be essential for scaling tunnels or lowering supplies.
Torches & Light: They dipped sticks into the glowing mushroom paste to create dim light sources, though they still preferred small fire pits when camped.
Gorim grunted as he looked at the others. "Well, we won't starve anytime soon. But surviving here is one thing. Escaping? That's another beast entirely."
Arianne tightened her grip on her makeshift spear. "We're not staying here to rot. The supplies we have now? They're just enough to get us to Grey Mountains."
With their supplies strapped tightly and weapons in hand, they moved forward, stepping into the dark, uncertain cave. The entrance itself was suffocating—low, narrow, and filled with the scent of damp earth and decay.
Khaltar led the way, his torch barely illuminating the passage ahead. The deeper they went, the more the walls constricted, forcing them to crouch and squeeze through jagged rock formations.
As soon as they turned a corner, a thick wall of spiderwebs blocked their path. The webs stretched from floor to ceiling, glistening in the dim torchlight. Some threads were thin and delicate, while others were thick as rope.
Khaltar reached forward with his sword, slicing through the first layer. The silk snapped with a sickening twang, recoiling like a tensioned wire. The air smelled musty, mixed with something rotten.
Yaraq muttered, "I don't like this." His grip on his axe tightened.
Behind him, Gorim grunted. "No turning back now. Keep moving."
Hadeefa cautiously stepped forward, her sharp eyes scanning the ceiling. Something scurried above. The sound of chitin clicking against stone made her stomach drop.
Nadra and Soraya whispered prayers under their breath as they followed closely, while Arianne and Zahra moved last, covering their backs.
As they advanced, their torches revealed clusters of white, pulsating cocoons hanging from the cavern walls. Some were small—wrapped prey. Others were the size of a person. The sight made Arianne's blood run cold.
Then, something moved. A shadow darted through the webs, followed by the sound of something heavy shifting above them. A deep, guttural clicking echoed through the tunnels.
Nadra gasped. "Spinners."
The first attack came without warning. From the shadows above, a Spinner dropped—a grotesque fusion of spider and something far worse. Its body was bloated and slick, covered in jagged black hairs that reflected the torchlight. Eight legs, thick as a man's arm, clung to the tunnel walls as its gaping maw split open, revealing rows of needle-like fangs.
Khaltar barely had time to react before the creature lunged at him. He twisted to the side, feeling the rush of air as the Spinner's fangs snapped shut an inch from his face. He swung his sword upward, burying it deep into its abdomen. A thick, black fluid splattered against the cave walls as the beast let out a screeching wail.
Then, more came. From every side of the tunnel, Spinners poured in—dropping from the ceiling, crawling along the walls, bursting out from behind layers of thick webbing. The air filled with the sound of chittering mandibles and the sharp snap of their legs against stone.
Yaraq was the first to strike back. With a roar, he drove his axe through the eye of a charging Spinner, pinning it to the cave wall. The creature flailed wildly, its death throes shaking the tunnel itself.
Gorim, laughing like a madman, yanked a web-covered stalagmite from the ground and swung it like a club, shattering chitin and bone.One Spinner pounced on his back—he slammed himself into the wall, crushing it instantly.
Hadeefa spun, her twin daggers flashing. A Spinner lunged at her, but she ducked low, rolling beneath its attack before driving her blade upward into its underbelly. The creature screeched, legs curling inward as it collapsed.
Then the tunnel shook. Soraya screamed as a Spinner twice the size of the others tore through the webbing ahead. Its eyes glowed like molten embers, and its abdomen pulsed with venom sacs ready to burst.
Arianne didn't hesitate—she threw a torch directly at the beast's face. The fire caught, and the Spinner shrieked, thrashing wildly. Its legs scraped against the stone, but before it could attack, Zahra rushed forward, slashing across its legs with her curved sword. The severed limb hit the ground, and the beast toppled, writhing in agony.
Khaltar grabbed the torch from the ground and threw it into a web-filled crevice. The dry silk ignited instantly, fire spreading like a serpent through the tunnels. Smoke filled the air as the Spinners shrieked, retreating deeper into the caves.
For a moment, silence. Then, Gorim exhaled, looking around. "Still alive?"
Nadra wiped the sweat and webbing from her face. "Barely."
Yaraq grinned, kicking one of the burning corpses. "Next time, let's take a different route."
After the brutal fight with the Spinners, the tunnels felt mercifully empty. The group moved cautiously at first, wary of more ambushes, but after a full day of silence—with only the sound of their own footsteps echoing off the stone walls—they began to ease into a rhythm.
By the second day, it almost felt normal. They walked, rested, and walked again, stopping only when necessary to gather water from underground streams and nibble on the dried mushrooms and salted cave goat meat they had prepared.
On the third day, something changed. The tunnel ahead widened, opening into a vast chamber. Their torches flickered as they stepped inside, eyes scanning the space. Carved pillars lined the walls, thick and ancient, etched with runes so old the edges had eroded. The ceiling stretched impossibly high, lost in shadow, and the air carried a faint metallic scent.
Then they saw it. Rows of stone vaults. Large iron-banded chests. Dwarven store rooms. For a moment, no one spoke.
"By the Ancestors..." Gorim exhaled, stepping forward in disbelief. He ran a trembling hand over one of the ancient chests, his fingers tracing the intricate carvings of the old Dwarven kingdom. The realization hit them all at once. They had made it.
Nadra let out a relieved sigh, sinking to her knees. Hadeefa chuckled, wiping sweat from her brow. Even Yaraq, ever the cynic, managed a smile.
"Well, looks like the old fool was right," he muttered, nudging Gorim. "There really is a damn storehouse buried down here."
Arianne approached one of the chests, pressing a hand against the iron latch. "Let's see if they left us anything."
With effort, they pried open the first chest. Inside, dwarven supplies lay untouched by time—salted meats, dried fruits, water flasks, iron tools, and weapons wrapped in thick cloth.
The group wasted no time raiding the vaults, grabbing anything useful—food, weapons, armor. But as soon as they started trying on the dwarven gear, a problem became hilariously obvious.
Yaraq held up a set of plate armor, squinting. "This looks… small."
Gorim snorted. "It's Dwarven-forged, of course it's small. What, you expect giants to live down here?"
Still, they all tried anyway. Khaltar pulled a chainmail shirt over his head, only for it to get stuck halfway. His arms flailed as he struggled to free himself. "A little help?"
"Hold still," Hadeefa sighed, grabbing the hem and yanking. The mail barely budged.
"Ow! My ears!" Khaltar yelped.
Meanwhile, Yaraq tried slipping into a set of dwarven plate armor, but as soon as he fastened the chest piece—crack! The leather straps snapped under the strain.
"Well, that's disappointing," he muttered, tossing it aside.
Even Arianne, usually the most practical, tried a helmet—only for it to sit comically high on her head, her ears poking out awkwardly.
Nadra, the young girl adjusted the armor she'd chosen—a finely crafted, dark steel breastplate. It hugged her frame like it was made for her.
She smirked, watching the others struggle. "Guess I'm the only one with the right proportions."
Yaraq scowled. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in."
"Don't feel bad," Nadra said, grinning. "I'm sure we can find you guys some oversized goblin rags instead."
The dwarven storeroom was a forgotten relic of a fallen kingdom, yet its treasures remained untouched by time. The group stood in awe, their torches illuminating racks of rusted weapons, shelves lined with preserved food sealed in wax, and stacks of armor too small for any of them to wear.
"Look at this place," Yaraq breathed, running his fingers over an old axe, its blade dulled but still solid. "The dwarves really knew how to hoard."
Hadeefa picked up a breastplate and held it against her chest. It barely covered her ribs. "Well, it's clear we're not the intended owners."
Gorim chuckled. "Aye, that's 'cause dwarves don't make armor for lanky folk like you." He then turned to Nadra, who was strapping on a full suit of dwarven chainmail, fitting her perfectly. "Well, seems like the little one got lucky."
Nadra grinned as she flexed her arms. "Guess I was meant to be a dwarf."
They gathered everything—short swords, hatchets, bows, and even an old crossbow that Yaraq slung over his shoulder. Arianne and Zahra packed dried meats, sacks of flour, and water skins, enough to last for weeks. Hadeefa found a bundle of rope, sturdy and long, while Soraya secured a set of torches.
"This should be enough," Arianne said, tightening the straps on her pack. "If we ration carefully."
Gorim looked around one last time before grunting, "Then let's move. We're still buried beneath stone, and I'd rather not die of old age down here."
With enough supplies to survive, they pressed on. The tunnels stretched endlessly, winding and twisting like the veins of the mountain.
For the first few days, they moved cautiously, always wary of more dangers lurking in the dark. Every shadow felt like an ambush, every gust of wind a whisper of something unseen.
But as time passed, the journey became easier. They grew accustomed to the weight on their backs. They adapted to the rhythm of walking, resting, and eating in the suffocating darkness.
By the fifth day, the fear had lessened. By the seventh, they began to talk more, even laugh. By the tenth, they saw it.
The air smelled different. Not the stale dampness of the caves, but something... crisper.
Arianne was the first to notice. "The air is shifting."
Khaltar moved ahead, torch held high. "I see something."
The tunnel sloped upward, leading to a faint glow in the distance. Not fire. Not torchlight. Sunlight.
Hope surged through them. They moved faster, their weary legs pushing through exhaustion.
And then, they stepped out. The sky opened before them, vast and endless. The Grey Mountains stretched across the horizon, their jagged peaks kissing the heavens. Below, a valley of ashen stone and frozen rivers spread in every direction. The world was immense—so much larger than they had remembered.
Nadra dropped to her knees, her fingers digging into the dirt. "It's real," she whispered.
Hadeefa wiped her eyes. "I can't believe it."
Gorim, the hardened old dwarf, simply stood there, taking it all in.
Yaraq let out a triumphant laugh. "We did it."