Strings of Fate

Not Very Ideal Circumstances

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STRINGS OF FATE
Part III: Not Very Ideal Circumstances

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It's been three days since Steven and Alex's meeting with Raina. True to his word, Steven was taking a break from major heavy lifting, mainly just sneaking down into the mines and gathering small bits of ores he came across.

As the summer heat beat down on the surface, people sought shelter from the harsh waves. Steven found his own refuge; protected by the cool embrace of the winding caverns of the subterranean realm. He wasn't feeling like going too far down if he could help it. Normal stone was a pain as was to mine through, but the layer beneath it was even worse; compacted denser over eons of pressure making this other stone so much harder to mine. Instead he trailed through this narrow cave, half expecting it to taper into a dead-end like the previous two.

It sloped down steep before opening to a larger cavern to his surprise. Steven held his torch out as he stood on the ledge of the previous tunnel. The natural path led down as long-settled sediment that opened this winding cave into the next hall. Large pillars held up the roof as glowing vines lit up parts of the cavern. It was silent save for the rushing water ahead. It was dark, serene, and beautiful in every strange way. He may not truly call it home as the creatures that roam its grand halls eternally, but it welcomed him either way.

The sound of water hit his ears. Distant rushing, not like a trickle of a stream, but of a steady current whisked away by the pull of gravity into another cavern slowly filling with this runoff. Steven kicked his legs into a faster pace, excited to see what lay ahead.

An underwater river? Interesting. Maybe there might be some gold. He knew there were no rivers nearby that were known for panning but who knew with the spontaneous nature of the subterranean domain? Places like the lush cave forests and the bone-chilling deep dark, strange and alien and always changing. He was feeling lucky.

He fished a night-vision potion from his inventory and popped the cork. Carefully he leaned his head back as dripped a drop into each eye. It ached like a strained muscle for a split second before the darkness whooshed away into the light. His eyes were clouded as he blinked the grainy remnants of the potion away, the scent of carrots in his face, and a strange musty mushroom. Tears welled in his eyes, the same way it would if he had walked into a dusty room. And his sight cleared fully.

Tall pillars reached up to the massive cavern's ceiling holding it high above. What looked to be a series of ledges lined the walls on the opposite side of this dip. Glistening rock on a crack in the floor, dripping wet, a moss-lined lip. It's where the noise of rushing water was coming from. Centuries of water washing over the rocks slowly eroded it away into a small path, dividing the cavern. There were no nearby mobs from what he could see and hear, most of the echoing sounds seemed to be muffled by the water anyway.

Trotting forward into the cave, ores peeked from shells of stone high above him. Different ones protruded from the ground and others sat on the walls of towers of broken pillars. He watched his step as he got closer to the river; the stone was smooth and slick.

The algae wouldn't help if he fell in. Yet as he got closer, minding the edge, it was literally a small river. Not that deep, but the sound came from the chunks of gravel and boulders that the water rushed and crashed into. A creek, or a brook. Not strong enough to whisk him away, but enough to slow down anything trying to cross.

No shadow or form of mobs was nearby, strangely enough. Steven wasn't complaining, all the easier for him to mind his business and do what he needed. The miner sauntered to the creek, hopped across larger stones protruding from the current, and continued to the other side, minding his surroundings.