Not So Sweet Candyland

LXXXVI: Cotton Candy Cave I

Chase and Berry entered the cave. The cave was full of glittering baby pink and baby blue stones that glowed with lights, almost like fairy lights.

"Welcome to Cotton Candy Cave, don't let the looks fool you. The truth about this place is sinister, and this could possibly attempt to kill you, but not everybody will die, I believe that the bright and cheery atmosphere even in a dark cave is to fool people. They want you to think that once you reach the end, it's all sunshine and rainbows here. BULLSHIT! It's harder than most of the journey, actually no, the whole journey."

"I get you."

Berry took out a map from her backpack and looked it over.

"This is a magical map, this map will show us the whole route of the cave but it warns us of certain dangers such as magical beasts or fake platforms. Unlike fake maps that the bandits might give you that lack magic, this one is 100% real. Made by somebody in Licorice City so I know that it's real."

Berry slid her finger across the map and the sound of a monster mumbled.

"The Goragoner is a type of monster that can be found in Cotton Candy Cave, known for it's shapeshifting abilities, it can disguise itself as anything, even the form of a human." The map read out to Chase and Berry.

"I never knew it could do something like that."

"You would be surprised at how many things here actually work a different way then what you would think. But for now, we have to focus on the task, ok? There is a lot that we must conquer and survive, but the question is, are you up for it?"

Chase grabbed Berry's hand.

"Hopefully I will."

"I know you will, that's why you trained with me, the best of the best."

Berry looked forward to the map and then through an empty distance of the cave that had no sparkles, no glitter, but a strange darkness.

"The cave is divided into 4 major parts with 4 major obstacles, the orange cave of darkness, that not even any light could lighten up the cave, the monsters dungeon that are the ancient beasts that live under the surface due to barrier magic, the fake platformed area that you should be careful around, and finally, the most dangerous part, the end, where the portal is, but also where dangerous magic lies deep down."

Chase looked out into the emptiness of the cave, the occasional orange twinkle would come from the cave walls.

"Blood Orange, they call this section. It's a very dangerous and risky section where it's either you be the light at the end of the tunnel or you get swallowed by the darkness and whatever lurks there."

Berry took Chase's hand and they started to walk through.

"It is not a good idea to run through this section. The sound of our footsteps will attract who knows what around here."

"What about the sound of our voices?"

"That doesn't matter, as long as you keep it a whisper: our voices lack a vibration that most monsters could pick up with their ears. It's a hearing science that I thought myself in a book about hearing."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah, but for now, we must be quiet. Who knows what monsters are in the darkness? And trying to cast a spell of magic will bar them and make them more able of our awareness, for now, just be quiet."

"What are you even saying?"

"I said just be quiet."

Berry grabbed Chase's hand and the orange lights around them as bright as they flashed did not emit a single kind of light from their core. It was as if they were lit by the natural magic of the sages, and pieces of their magic was now in the ground.

The magic of the sages is one that is a mystery, and a code of it's own that will require tears of candisons and humans bloods and years of hard earned research with clues that may or may not make sense depending on what you find. To Berry, she would know what is needed and be able to crack the code, but most people would be dumbfounded and confused on where to start.

Berry had her gun ready in the hand that she was not grabbing Chase by and was extra cautious of her steps, making sure that her own footsteps and Chase's too did not echo in the empty, narrow, and hollow cave.

There was the occasional sound of a grunt of what sounded like a monster, but Berry shot her gun in the direction of the noise, and that noise was never heard again.

"Will they hear the sound of the gunshot?" Chase asked with worry on his face.

"Their ears cannot hear what the gunshot made."

"Good."

Chase even took out his gun and started to shoot the ground when he could feel something attempt to slide up his leg or get close to Berry.

"I appreciate the help but you know I can do things on my own." Berry said with a somewhat calm dementor.

"It's the least that I can do. It's just the two of us together, ok? We only have each other and what we have might not be a lot, but hopefully we can get through this."

"No Chase, we are going to get through this, ok? It will be hard, it will be intense: very intense and the sacrifices that we have to make are not what you are used to. This is the final challenge, the final leg. And you and I are going to get out of here. I always learned to fend for myself and fend for others when they need my help. But you know what? Even though you bring nothing new to the table, you thought me that I matter as well and that this journey would not be complete without me and you on it together."