Volume 5 Chapter 6 The Other Side Of The Crack
The collapsed cave entrance was only about 2 meters wide (≈ 6.6 feet wide). Al crawled through on all fours and found the inside untouched. It was dark, but magic helped him see. Inside, it was completely silent, and there was no one around. The walls had some shelves and curtain-like things that looked like beds, and Al spotted Orson's backpack just lying there.
"Gabby, the entrance is the only part that's broken. The inside looks fine, and Orson's stuff is here, but he's not. I'm going to explore further, but it might take time. You should go back first."
Al returned to the entrance and told Gabby, who was waiting outside, to go home. Gabby looked worried too, but they couldn't be sure if goblins or other dangers would appear while he waited. It was too risky for someone younger and less experienced in battle. For now, knowing about the cave was enough.
The cave was about 100 meters (≈328 feet) long and had many twists and turns. Orson had not replied when called, so he may have left his things behind and gone somewhere else. This means the investigation would take a while.
After saying goodbye to Gabby, Al returned to the cave. It was quiet, but he felt anxious about what might have happened. To be sure, he decided to check everything. As he walked, he noticed small white stones on the ground. They looked normal at first, but when he looked closer, he realized they were pieces of Alunite. The cave was dark, making it hard to see what they really were.
As he went further, a large crack in the ceiling caught his eye. He hurried closer, and the crack seemed to slice diagonally through the entire cave, completely separating parts of it. The crack was about 30 meters long (≈ 98.4 feet long).
Could this be a result of an earthquake? If such a crack had existed before, Gabby would have warned him. Orson might have fallen here. Peering down, he saw it was about 10 meters deep (≈ 32.8 feet), just a pile of rubble, but there seemed to be some kind of space down there. Al decided to secure a rope to a rock and go down into the crack.
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Using the rope, Al carefully started to lower himself into the cave's crack. The wall provided support for a short distance. After he squeezed through a 2-meter (6.6 feet) hole, the space opened up below him. He looked down while securing the rope around his waist.
He found himself in a room roughly 10 meters (32.8 feet) wide. From near the ceiling, the floor was about 5 meters (16.4 feet) below. In the room, two giant dolls stood, each about 3 meters (9.8 feet) tall. Their faces looked like shiny white masks with sharp noses, hovering in an eerie way. The dolls pointed dark, glowing staffs at Al with their right hands.
Feeling a strong sense of danger, Al loosened the rope. He suddenly fell about 2 meters (6.6 feet), just as a pale blue light burst from the dolls' staffs, flying where he had just been and striking the ceiling with a bright spark.
What shot out from the end of the stick was probably something like a "Magic Missile." Al loosened the rope and dropped to the ground. When he landed, he saw a pickaxe that looked like it belonged to Orson, lying next to some rubble. Small stones and sand were scattered all around. There were two exits: one with a closed door.
'Physical Boost'──Enhanced Speed
Al ran toward the open exit. It was clearly not a natural cave. He had no idea why the dolls were attacking or where he was, but he didn't have time to investigate. The dolls were bigger than the exit. He might be safe if he could get out of the room.
The two dolls fired pale blue light again, but Al was too quick and ran away. He jumped toward the exit and saw stairs going up about 5 meters (16.4 feet). Without stopping, Al rushed up the stairs. The blue light hit the ground, making sparks fly. When he finally reached the top, he fell to the floor, exhausted.
Al sighed deeply and looked around. He found himself in a hallway of a stone building, possibly a temple or a castle. The area in front of him was a long corridor, leading to a door at the end. The floor and ceiling were smooth, cream-colored stone, polished and a bit wet with dew. Near the ceiling, he saw beautiful carvings.
He listened closely but couldn't hear any sounds. The pale blue light had faded, so he felt he was safe for now. Slowly, Al stood up, trying to be quiet. Could this be an ancient ruin? The doll that attacked him earlier might have been a golem protecting it. Al smiled; this was something he had always dreamed of. He looked around, curious if this was what the ancient ruins his grandfather had visited looked like.
For a while, Al was so close to the walls and floor that he almost wanted to touch them, but then he suddenly snapped back to reality. He noticed a familiar pickaxe lying in the previous room. That meant Orson might be here. No, if he fell from that height, he shouldn't be okay...
If he went back, the doll might attack him again. So, he had to walk towards the door at the end of the hallway. It looked safe, with no traps around. The door was a large stone slab with carvings, but there was no handle on it.
As he tilted his head and got about 3 meters (≈ 9.8 feet) closer, suddenly, the stone door-like slab slid to the side.
Al quickly stepped back a few paces and prepared himself. He noticed a square room, about 6 meters (≈ 20 feet) wide, lit by wall lights. The walls were a light cream color. In the center, there was a stone coffin and an altar. Lying in front of it was Orson, holding a shiny silver flask, with his arms and legs spread out.
Al ran to Orson. He was breathing. Despite being thin, he looked healthy. However, there was an unusual smell of alcohol in the air.
"Orson, Orson."
Al slapped his cheek. Orson slowly opened his eyes.
"Huh? Al? ...That can't be right. Is this a hallucination? Oh no, am I done for...?"
Orson's speech was slurred, like he was drunk.
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