ATHARI

2

2

               We reached the darkest end of the den. My heart was pounding, my ears straining to catch any sound. The noise was getting louder. I signalled my crew to be cautious. We were nearing the spot where we mined the dwarf stones last time. We were close, but the surprise was that there were no creatures to be found. The air felt dangerous—I could smell it. The dark and silence weighed on us. Only the eerie whistling sound, something we'd never heard before, echoed through the den. As we moved deeper, I could see the suspicion on my crew's faces.

Before entering the den, I had ordered part of the crew to stay vigilant in case something came from outside. It would be dangerous for all of us to get trapped inside. Those left behind were more capable of handling such situations.

Suddenly, I signalled to stop. I had stepped on something soft. I shone my light on the spot—it was the corpse of a creature. I recognized it. It was a flying creature, not a bat, but with a long beak. It was dead. Not just one body, but several littered the den floor. All of the birds were dead and had been for a long time. I could see the skeletons, dry and decayed.

I followed the trail of bodies with my light, and at the end of the den, I saw a small hole. The whistling sound was coming from there, accompanied by a breeze. Suspicion gripped me—this wasn't here before. I walked towards the hole. The wind coming through it was warm. As I touched the edges, I saw a faint white light emanating from behind the wall. Curiosity took hold of me.

I signalled for equipment to dig. Girald, of course, shook his head, warning me not to proceed. He always tried to stop me when I was about to cross a line. It was a constant battle between us. He knew I wouldn't listen, but he always tried. I liked that someone was there to keep me in check, even if I was too greedy for answers to ever stop. Carefully, I started digging into the wall, bit by bit, feeling the pressure increase on the other side. I could see Girald's face—he was afraid.

Finally, there was a hole large enough to see through. I peered into it.

"What the heck..." I cursed under my breath.

The old man asked, "Athari, what is it?"

I said, "It's treasure, old man."

Behind the wall, nature had created a chamber filled with dwarf stones, glowing brighter than the smaller ones we'd found before. The larger stones seemed to emit a stronger chemical effect, illuminating the space.

I informed the crew to prepare for digging, and they quickly began. The pressure from the other side had lessened, so it was safe to continue. Within a few minutes, they had made a large enough hole to pass through and collect the stones. As they worked, I felt the urge to explore more of the den.

I instructed the old man to keep watch as I ventured further. Regarding the dead creatures, I had a theory: they had perished due to the radiation from the stones. The levels were high, and even my ears were aching from the sound. I suspected this was what killed them.

As I moved forward, the old man sent one of the crew members to accompany me. He knew better than to argue, so he sent someone I could order around instead. We walked down a path deeper into the den, and as we neared the entrance to another section, I felt a light breeze. The noise of something breathing echoed faintly. I signalled for my companion to stop.

There was something inside—something big and powerful.

I scanned the area with my light and spotted a large, round object. I couldn't identify it, but I decided it was too risky to go further and possibly wake a monster. I signalled to retreat. We moved back slowly, my heart racing with fear. Once we reached the entrance, I breathed deeply, relieved.