As Eamon tried to gather his thoughts in the dim depths of the cavern, a message appeared in his mind.
Tension hung heavily in the air. The newcomers appeared just as bewildered as Eamon, their faces etched with confusion and anxiety.
A man in his forties, short and robust with a noticeable paunch, in jeans and a tank top, began to speak. He was sweating profusely, his face covered in droplets, and his white tank top soaked with sweat.
"Where are we, what's going on? Who is this Lord Malakai? Do you all see the same messages in your heads as I do?"
The other people in the group started speaking at once, nodding in agreement with the man's words.
Eamon took out his phone but there was no signal.
The rest of the group reached for their phones instinctively, hoping to find some semblance of connection or signal. However, to their dismay, they found that their devices, although their screens lit up as usual, failed to capture any signal, their connectivity severed.
"I can't get any signal," a young blonde woman, in her twenties with a cold demeanor muttered.
"Me neither," a well-dressed old man confirmed, tapping futilely at his phone screen.
Eamon looked at them. "No luck here neither. It's like we're completely cut off from the outside world."
The robust sweating man scoffed. "Well, what did you expect? We're stuck in some weird cave with messages popping up in our heads. Did you really think our phones would work?"
The woman spoke up. "I don't understand anything; I also received a message in my head. It asked me to help a certain Lord Malakai, and I also saw my attribute panel. Does anyone know how we can get out of here?"
The old man replied, "My name is David. I was peacefully at home... I don't understand what's happening."
At that moment, a teenager with an athletic frame spoke, "My name is Malakai. When I arrived here, I received a message explaining that I was a lord and that I had to establish territory. Maybe by obeying the rules of these messages, we can get out of here and go back home."
"I suggest we introduce ourselves," he added.
The sweating man approached Malakai. "I'm as lost as the rest of you. But this guy," he gestured towards Malakai at the center of the group, "has no right to be the lord of anything, why should we follow him?"
"I don't want to give orders; it's just a suggestion, and I don't know why I was named lord," explained Malakai. "The system has designated me as the lord of this territory. I know it's a lot to take in, but we must stick together if we're to survive in this hostile environment."
The woman raised her hand. "I'm Cassandra."
Eamon felt overwhelmed by the situation. He couldn't comprehend how they had ended up in this strange place. But he felt better not being the only one.
"My name is Eamon."
All eyes converged on the short robust man.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? My name is Fred."
Malakai intervened, trying to maintain order among the group. "Let's not dwell on what we can't change. Right now, our priority is to explore these corridors and gather as much information as we can."
After introducing themselves, they began to discuss, even the irascible Fred.
Eamon stepped aside, thoughtful.
He was situated at the heart of a vast underground cave. The room where he was located had a diameter exceeding 30 meters, and the walls were adorned with a strange fluorescent moss, casting a verdant glow into the surrounding darkness.
On one wall, a wide corridor opened up, spacious enough to accommodate eight people side by side.
Meanwhile, on another wall, two narrower corridors wound their way. However, the two corridors were still spacious enough to comfortably accommodate three people side by side without any issue.
"Malakai," said Eamon, cutting short the discussions. "How can we establish the territory?"
"I have no idea," replied Malakai. "But it seems prudent to conduct a reconnaissance of the cave to be able to navigate and maybe find food and water. We'll think about the territory later."
"I'm not moving," Fred explained. "I don't know what's elsewhere, but here we are safe."
"We should be protected as long as we don't leave the cave, and it must be spacious," Cassandra replied.
Malakai looked at each team member seriously. "Listen, my friends, Fred is right. Whatever is in the depths of the cave could be dangerous. We must remain vigilant. No one will leave alone, understood? And Fred, you can of course stay here."
"Since when is he the boss?" Fred grumbled.
Eamon nodded. "That works for me, Malakai."
The other members also nodded.
"Very well," Malakai replied, nodding. "Remember, we must remain calm; I see that David and I have watches. Cassandra, you can come with me to one of the smaller corridors, and David and Eamon will take the wide corridor. We must be back within a maximum of 30 minutes. If something goes wrong, we return directly."
Malakai looked at the team. "Remember, we don't know what awaits us in there. Let's remain cautious and look out for each other. Let's go."
Eamon and David nodded in agreement as they prepared to venture into the large corridor, while Cassandra and Malakai exchanged a determined glance before setting off towards their designated path.
The walls of the cave seemed to close in on them as they moved further away from the central chamber, the darkness enveloping them like a heavy shroud.
David glanced nervously at his watch, the ticking sound reverberating in the silence.