Surprising. Isn't it?
That the ground opened up suddenly, and they found themselves trapped within the enclosure of that beastial plant. A slimy confinement that inflicted them with excruciating pain before ejecting them into the depths of the hollowing mountain.
A cavernous canal within the mountain.
However, the ground opening up was not a natural phenomenon, such as an earthquake. It was entirely different because it was not spontaneous. Instead, it was an organism, a beastial plant at that, of the Great rank.
The Abyssmaw. That's the name of this colossal underground plant.
This huge beastly plant has the shape of a cylinder, with a wider anterior cephalic region and a narrow posterior end. It has a very sensitive lid on its anterior end that was buried superficially in the ground. A lumen ran from that lid along its shaft, down to the posterior end. Overall, it is huge and long, a few meters wide and about fifty meters deep into the ground.
The abyssmaw is a carnivorous beastial plant and a tactile predator. Once a prey steps upon the ground on which its lids, like that of a Venus flytrap, is hidden shallowly beneath. The plant vibrates, and the lid opens into the lumen. Trapping the prey inside its body, filled with thick, slimy liquids and villi-like projections. This internal structure helps it to absorb the nutrients of its prey before forcefully ejecting whatever remains through its posterior end. Into the dark abyss of the cavern tunnels below, where its posterior end opens up.
Very deadly... Its abilities did not end here, though. After all, why would it be ranked as a Great bestial plant? At the Great rank, it possesses powers and abilities superior to those of the Dormant and Lesser ranks.
Dormant beastial plants are similar to ordinary plants, but they have the ability to paralyze, just like the one that affected Thorne. They only have passive offensive abilities that will take time to take effect and lack defensive capabilities, when woken from dormacy. Then a Lesser one, like the Tendrilwort they first encountered on their entry into this forest. Have both offensive and defensive abilities, stronger and more tactile than the Dormant ones.
Great beastial plants, in addition to possessing powerful offense and defense, have a special ability related to life force. This is why they can live longer and survive better than the two lower ranks. There has to be more though…
And there were about nine Abyssmaw plants hidden beneath the mountain's soil.
It was this plant that is responsible for the desolate state of the mountain top and the scarcity of beasts along the mountain landscape. It had devoured so many beasts, even those that ranked higher than it, that every beast feared this mountain.
It was this same plant that engulfed the group on a quest to save their land from the clutches of the shadow plague.
Just like Alvan had experienced torture, pain, and agony within the abyssmaw. The others also had their fair share of it, with some barely holding onto the delicate thread of life before they were ejected out of the monstrosity.
Funny enough, the "nutrient" it feeds off its prey is their life force. That is why the process of its absorption is the most painful experience anyone can ever imagine.
But fortunately for the group, they had the protection of the Magma Shroud. Not only can it be an impervious shield against attacks. It was strong enough to withstand the suction of the beast's slimy villi. If not for this, the plant would have siphoned every bit of their life force before ejecting their lifeless carcasses into the depths of darkness beneath it.
Even though they lost almost half or more of their life force to the Abyssmaw. They managed to survive its torment before being plunged into the cavern abyss. This is the reason why the plant, the gateway to the abyss, is called Abyssmaw: "maw" representing its anterior lid that opens up into its lumen.
***
Inside the dark cavern abyss, in one part of its tunnels, Emelda and Lyra lay almost lifeless, close to each other, on the cold ground.
Staggeringly, they managed to stand up, their body aching all over as if they had gone through a grinding machine.
Perplexed by the change in environment, they looked around and touched their bodies. Probably expecting to be either at the top of the mountain or inside the Abyssmaw.
Fortunately, the dark abyss wasn't entirely devoid of light, as some bioluminescent fungi were anchored to the rugged walls of this eerie place. These fungi were probably found here because of the remains from the Abyssmaw; after all, they are detritivores.
"What is this place?" Lyra asked first, her eyes darting around before focusing on Emelda.
"I don't know… maybe a cave within the mountain." Emelda replied with a tired and strained voice. That was when something clicked in her mind.
"The others…"
"Where are they?"
"I don't know. I remember the two of us were together when the ground opened up," responded Lyra.
The two of them hadn't talked to each other this much before, except for pleasantries. It was kind of weird being dumped inside a strange cave together, all alone.
"Then we have to find them, and then we can leave this dreadful place!" Emelda said but felt a sharp pain when she strained her voice.
She turned to Lyra, who was taking a gulp of a greenish liquid from a vial. Lyra brought the vial away from her mouth and offered it to Emelda, urging her to take a sip as well.
"Take... it will help replenish your strength and also alleviate the aches."
Emelda warily took the vial from her, drank just a mouthful, scrunching up her face, before handing it back to Lyra.
Tapping her Astral ring, she stored the vial away for future use. The nectar of the Arcana Blossom is indeed useful. And Lyra was happy that she had packed them the night before their mountain climb.
With their body rejuvenated and ready to scout for the others. They contemplated which direction to go. However, when they headed in one direction, they found it split into three more tunnels.
They came back to their original spot and headed in the opposite direction. That was just one way ahead.
Emelda stopped and concluded, "Maybe we should head back to the other side. This route might lead to the outside. It means one of those three will definitely lead us to the others."
'Especially to Alvan first.' Thinking of Alvan, anger flashed through her eyes as she pondered something. What if he had fallen to the same place as Apphira? Her rival, though not literally.
When these two reached the point where the cavern abyss split into three tunnels. They contemplated which path would be their lucky one.
Lyra later chose the central tunnel before they ventured deep into it. Not knowing that another danger was lying ahead, awaiting their arrival.
***
Just like Emelda and Lyra had fallen together in one part of the cavern abyss. The same thing happened with the others.
Drake, Kael, and Thorne. All three of them were fortunate enough to have been swallowed by the same Abyssmaw. Therefore, they didn't lose much of their life force, unlike Emelda and Lyra, or even Alvan, who was the only one siphoned by the villi of the beastial plant.
Nonetheless, the three of them were also weakened. Unfortunately, I did not have any Lyra with the nectar of Arcana Blossom. So they had to rejuvenate on their own.
Also, they had fallen to a similar spot as Emelda and Lyra. Just that the two sides opened up into two tunnels each.
Then the same goes for Apphira. And just like Alvan. She had no company. It was only her. Fortunately, she was a healer. So, she recovered her life force immediately after being yanked into the cavern abyss.
All of them, in different parts of the cavern labyrinth, had the same goal in mind. To meet up and and get the damned fuck out of this abyss, littered with the remains and bones of past victims of the Abyssmaw.
To meet up inside this labyrinth might be easy for them like they thought, but they have not yet realized that it will not be. Because the tunnels were woven into a strange labyrinth.
It was also an abode to the danger lurking behind the shadows, waiting for them...