There were three exits: the exit the scavengers used, an exit on the opposite side of the cave, and one exit close to them.
They had to avoid the one the scavengers came through, and there was no reason to spring for the other exit, so they chose the one closest to them, the smaller of the two. Although it was still partially illuminated by the fire they left on the island, they couldn't see anything beyond the entrance to that cave.
They couldn't see anything dangerous by way of feelers, however, so they proceeded with only moderate caution. Along the way, August practiced magic. He was already somewhat proficient, but he still needed practice. He needed to make it seem like second nature to him if some of his ideas for new spells could be considered realistically viable.
He was creative by his very nature, which was showcased in his inventions back on Earth. He had invented everything from weapons to new software to simple everyday items. However, although he had these designs in his mind, nothing ever became of them. He was so obstinate in his self-imposed lethargy and indolence would not even pick up a piece of paper of his own volition.
But now, with magic, he was eager to make something of his ideas. Because the path to creating something was no longer tedious and tied up in work, he would use all of his ideas to their fullest extent.
The power to alter reality was literally at his fingertips, invigorating his mind and inspiring him like an artist's muse.
One of his ideas, for instance, was to augment his body with spells, allowing him to be similar to a magical cyborg. That would require far greater control, however, because he needed to make absolutely certain that nothing would go wrong. If something did go wrong, then his body, perhaps even his life, could be forfeit.
Although it was still in the making, he had already begun developing a system that would allow him to create new spells and cast existing spells easier and quicker.
It was only a concept now, but what if he could develop a kind of spell that created other spells? Doing that would allow for unprecedented magic conservation. He could effectively store multiple spells inside of one, which would allow him to call forth only those that he needed while dismissing those that weren't useful at that moment by only changing one spell instead of several.
Because he didn't need to take the time to create and disassemble them himself, he would be allowing his mind to focus on either creating another spell or solving whatever problem might be at hand at the time.
However, while August was inspired, Damon was stuck with the same dilemma he had faced before. How would he move his soul, and when he did, how would he put himself in control of that body physically? No matter what he tried, he found no solution.
He would ask August to help, but he knew very well how self-centered August truly was. Even if he agreed, August would resent helping because it would take time away from his own projects, and if he resented the work, then he wouldn't work efficiently. He would leap at the easiest and quickest solution without thinking about it, which could have disastrous consequences if there was a problem he had overlooked.
The exploration itself, however, had yielded no results. There was no sign of the surface anywhere. The caves they passed through were not always easy to navigate. Some were large, but many were difficult to pass through, meaning that August oftentimes had to pass Damon and the pack through before following because the passage was too narrow for him to pass through with it all on his back.
They always surveyed the cave ahead of them and the rock with feelers, but they still found nothing. They had explored at least a kilometer or two over the span of several hours, but there was still nothing.
Fortunately for him, however, he had yet to tire, even after exploring so far. This body was far more athletic than his old one had ever been, which he appreciated now more than before.
The walls were dull and began to blend together before August's senses, but he could tell that they were slowly traveling upwards. Judging by the scale of the cavern before, they were at least several hundred meters underground, so it would be a long time before they managed to reach the surface, if this cave wasn't a dead end, that is.
Thirst was not an issue yet, but it would become one if nothing happened. After the sixth hour of exploration, August's anxiety began to kick in. It hadn't bothered him in years, but this, if nothing else, qualified as extreme duress.
The walls were tight, he couldn't see, and he couldn't hear. He only blindly groped his way past and through rocks again and again without any sign of an end.
'What if there is no end,' he thought. 'What if it goes on for days, maybe even weeks, without touching the surface? What if I begin to need water and we go too far for us to turn back? What if this stone all falls down on top of me? What if I get stuck?"
He couldn't take much more, so he began to create more feelers to try and find the surface and panicked when he couldn't find anything.
Damon, sensing his panic, knew he had to calm him down. Damon quickly switched his feelers to an earlier variation that consumed only a small amount of magic and used everything his soul possessed to search for some knowledge that could dampen August's fervor.
Using this variation, his feelers could extend for hundreds of meters, though he could only barely understand what it was conveying to him. After several minutes, Damon found the surface approximately 200 meters (~650 feet) above. After letting August know so that he wasn't so distraught, he searched the cave ahead, hoping for something else that could help.
At the very edge of what he could feel, there was an exit. The cave became tighter further ahead, but that was only before it opened up into a larger cave that led directly to the surface. However, there was an issue: that larger cave was part of a mine. There were no miners that he could see, but the equipment was there. Wooden beams were holding up the roof, and picks and buckets were lying about. Damon immediately alerted August, which allowed him to slowly calm himself down.
The number of tools there meant that it wasn't abandoned. From what Damon could tell, it could be night above, so the miners were likely asleep. This mine gave them access to the surface, but they would either have to communicate with the miners or sneak past them to get to the surface.
Predictably, after so much activity, August's stomach rumbled. They were in a small cavity with narrow entrances that August would have to squeeze through already, so they decided that this would be the best time to take a quick rest.
August slung his pack onto the ground and reached in to bring out a disgusting piece of fish. It squished and nearly fell apart into mush in his hand. Disgusted, he scowled. Using Damon, August dislodged a large flat stone from the wall and used a simple active spell to heat the stone. They couldn't make a fire because the cavern wasn't big enough and they could use up all of the oxygen, but they could still cook.
After eating, August lay on the dusty floor, dispirited. He didn't want to go on. He had to, but he didn't want to. His spirit, a creation of his past life, was weak. His mind knew only weakness, and his character knew nothing but decay and depravity. A life of obstinate and intentional stagnancy destroyed any makings of a potentially healthy character.