27 Lost World

Tarsus, Damon, and Felicity climbed down the rope ladder, one after another. The womb of the cavern was dark and dreary. It was a treacherous descent from the ledge, slithering down over fifty feet of rock. The rope ladder had sturdy wooden rungs for support, but everything was damp and slippery. The youngsters had to be very careful lest they risk falling to their deaths. The walls were covered with moss. A layer of mist hung in the air, stinging their noses. Felicity had insisted on going down first. Perhaps it had something to do with depriving the men of an accidental peek under her tunic if she had gone last. Or maybe she did not want men to lead the path. Regardless, the Muse had her way and took the forefront. The shaft's rock parapet had prevented them from capturing the underground panorama earlier. Halfway down the ladder, they could see how large the cavern was. The hollow's roof was so high that clouds formed near the upper ceiling. A strange mineral studded into the rocks glowed, lighting up the area. 'Wow. What are those?" Felicity asked, pausing for a moment. 'Lychnis stones," Damon explained. 'Pale in the day. Aflame at night. The mines were excavated several decades back to collect these stones. They are quite popular among the patricians and the gods. And hence, very expensive. The treasure down here seems to be much richer than the mines above." The trio slithered down the ladder slowly. 'How do these clouds form?" Felicity thought aloud, looking up in wonder. 'Do you see how cavernous the passage is? Vapors from the underground river form clouds up there. This also means there are openings in the cave's roof. During the day, the light would shine through." Damon further explained that the collapsed ceilings allowed sunlight to enter, leading lush foliage to grow and create a remote and dangerously inaccessible vegetation. The cave had its own internal ecosystem. There were occasional drafts of wind, and the trio had to halt climbing down during such times. Nocturnal birds flew from one side to another. The clouds, fog, and mist rose in the giant cavern. In the backdrop of greenery, they created the view of an extraordinary subterranean world, which was very much alive. 'It's so beautiful," Felicity exclaimed. 'How did nobody ever find this?" Tarsus asked. It was Felicity's turn to answer. 'The illusion spells," she explained. 'Explorers and adventurers usually give up after hours of walking through the endless tunnel. You see, the spell works only one way. If they wish to return, they find the cavern's exit easily. The illusion is triggered if you keep moving forward." 'And if they did not want to return?" 'They are likely to die of starvation or disease. Don't you remember seeing scattered bones on our way here? They looked human." 'Phew. Then we are lucky to have you with us." Tarsus declared. 'You are." The trio touched the ground. It was surprisingly warm, regardless of the dampness. The area indeed had its own unique ecosystem. The localized weather was in stark contrast to the surface. There were random carpets of moss here and there on the ground. Streams of water crisscrossed across the surface, cutting the cavern floor into over twenty landings, spread over two hundred feet of the parent rock. The cave floor was littered with rare limestone pearls and lychnis stones. It looked like a divine garden in heaven. Under different circumstances, Felicity would have been struck with glee and insisted on staying and enjoying the lost world. At the moment, their mission demanded other pursuits. An out-of-place monument caught their attention. A Statue of Aera Cura stood imposing on the sixty-foot wide middle landing. They realized they had arrived at the correct location. The trio tiptoed towards the cage, tethered next to the statue. Their feet made splotches on the damp and moss-laden ground. There was no one around as far as eyes could see. The cage with the locked-up children just sat there, waiting to be opened. A dozen entrances had been cut into the walls, but the walls were in darkness. It was challenging to look at and discern the direction of the passages. As the rescuers moved closer, the children inside the cage saw them and started bawling. 'Shhh!" Damon warned them. A streamlet stood in the way of crossing over from their landing to the middle one. It was around fifteen feet wide, and there were no bridges in sight. 'Let me handle this," Tarsus said. Tarsus found huge rock slabs on their landing. He picked two of the smoother ones and deposited them in the water. 'There you go!" The party crossed over quietly. 'Help us," a child whimpered as soon as Tarsus stepped onto the middle landing. 'Shhh," Felicity shushed them. The cage was made of iron, with bars large enough for a child to slip out an arm. It had three large but simple locks on the door. 'It's your time to shine again, beanstalk," Damon said. 'This will be easy." Tarsus held the locks in his hand and broke two of them with his fist. He was about to crumble the third one when he paused. 'I feel like someone is watching us." Zip! Tarsus turned around abruptly, catching an arrow directed at his back. He looked in the direction from where the arrow came. His attacker stood at the mouth of one of the entrances. He held a bow and arrows. More archers appeared at the other entrances. Spearmen and swordsmen accompanied them. Within a minute, at least three dozen people arrived at the scene. All of them were dressed in dark hues. 'Umm, friends, I think we stepped right into trouble," Damon voiced. Tarsus spat on the ground. 'We expected this much at least, having stepped into a secret lair." The cultists had peculiars who bent the stream water, letting their soldiers jump from one landing to another. In no time, the trio was surrounded. 'Can you do what they did to the flowing water? Bending the stream to get out of the way?" Tarsus asked Felicity. 'I could. But I think I'll leave some work for you boys." she quipped. 'Silence, you two," Damon complained. 'Don't you see we are in deep trouble?" 'Oh, my dearest runt," Tarsus replied smugly. 'You are such a pessimist. How do you know these good folks want to cause us harm? Perhaps they are here to invite us to a feast?" 'What! That weird-looking guy there almost shot an arrow through your head." Tarsus shrugged and nodded. 'That's a fair point." The crowd surrounding them parted, and a tall, skinny man appeared. He was dressed in a dark ceremonial robe with a hat and shoulder pads shaped like ravens. 'Greetings, marauders. I am Genilo. A servant of Aera Cura. What makes you youngsters come to our place of worship?" 'We were not really looking for an introduction-" Tarsus began. '-We wish to join your religion if you let us in," Damon interrupted him. 'O Dark One. We are also followers of Aera Cura." Genilo crossed his arms. 'Oh really? Would you recite a hymn meant for worship to Cura, then?" Damon frowned. 'I had a heavy dinner. Don't really feel like singing." 'Do you think us fools? Damon, son of Dmitri?" 'How do you know my name?" Genilo took a step forward. 'I know your name, and I know your destiny." 'That's a little too much information to have about a stranger. Are you a stalker or something?" The cult leader's lips quivered in range. 'I am curious, though. What is my destiny according to your… uh… dark readings?" Genilo spread his arms. 'To die here, of course. We will kill you, men. The girl we will keep for the pleasure of our folks." 'You handled that really well, runt." Tarsus fired at Damon. 'I tried." Tarsus unsheathed his sword. 'I am no fortune-teller, Genilo. But if you are, you must know who will kill you. Let me spoil it for you. I am!" The foot soldiers drifted closer while the archers nocked their arrows. 'Beanstalk, can I ask you something?" 'What now?" 'Aren't you supposed to be immune to damage? Why did you have to catch the arrow?" 'Who told you that? Did you think I was a god or something?" 'I mean, back in Pago, the undead smashed a rock on your head, and it did not even scratch you. You woke up like nothing was wrong. That's not normal." 'Hmm. I don't remember that night so well. Anyway, that was my head. Most of my body is strong, of course. But there are some weak points. I've discovered them through hit and trial. I can't risk getting injured." 'I see. Glad to know you are not invincible." 'Still much better than you." 'We'll see." 'Enough of your useless banter!" Genilo hollered, retreating into the crowd of cultists. 'Kill them!" he ordered his followers.