The cavern continues shaking. I got up, and looked at my surroundings. I trace my hands across the cavern walls and walked in a clockwise pattern, feeling for something. There must be some sort of switch to activate some sort of flag...
I was in a rush, the cave was about to collapse. My heartbeat quickens as I attempt to find this switch, but nothing seems to work. I look back at my comrades and see them waiting in the corner, preparing to defend against the concaving cavern. I see Ranko, but only a smile is present on her face, with no sense of fear, rejuvenating my soul with energy.
I quicken up my pace, but find no such switch in the walls. Something else must activate the flag then...
I think back to the ant and the bones, and can only think of one case.
"I know what you are!!"
I yell into the emptiness, waiting for a response...
...
Of course there would be no response, but the cave stopped shaking anyway.
It was a bluff, but it seemed to work.
I heard the scurrying of feet above my head but it soon disappeared and silence ensured.
I breath a sigh of relief, but of course, the danger has passed for now.
The dwarfs and Ranko left their little fort, and walked out looking around.
"Phew! That was close!"
I hear Kom exclaim, wiping some sweat from his forehead.
Although the danger has subsided for now, I knew that there was more to come.
"Get your forge out of here. We don't want it to be destroyed by the time we are done with this fight."
"Got it."
Kom swiftly motioned for the dwarfs to leave, and the forge soon took off, leaving behind a circular-shaped dent in the floor.
Recalling the sound above me, I decide to find if there was an opening above our heads. We took another tunnel and began walking.
Kom walked up to me and we began chatting,
"Quiet mysterious, am I right?"
"It has been a very interesting expedition."
"Its been a long time since my old self went on such a journey, I still remember those days..."
"How were they like?"
"Well, I was an adventurer back in the days. If you didn't know, there is an adventures guild in every kingdom of the world, but there's not many rewards. Only occasionally and at very high level you would be able to get a reward."
"Did you get a reward?"
"Well, me being king was the reward actually. Us dwarfs use this system to see who would be the must suitable as a new king, but other races probably use it for something else. I was the leader of an adventuring group back then, and boy was it a good time. Usually we go into the depths like this, but ever since that creature appeared, less and less people wanted to be adventurers, which is not very good for our city. I'm pretty sure only one dwarf is an active adventurer, but I'm not sure where he went."
He continues,
"Well, as soon as we take care of this guy, I hope the dwarfs will come back to the adventuring, I mean, somebody needs to take the throne..."
He laughs heartily during the conversation, and I found him very likable. He was joyous, carefree, but also extremely serious when it comes to it, which are some of the best qualities of a person. He was not just a companion but more of a friend, even if he was the king of the dwarfs.
We soon arrived to an opening, and carefully scouting it out, it seemed to be clear of any danger. Our small group of three walked forward, and a large opening was seen, with straw pilled across the floor. Even more tunnels extended outwards, extending towards who knows where, but a pungent smell wafted through the air.
"Ew, what is that smell?"
All three of us covered our noses and slowly walked forward to explore the area. Again, there were these bones scattered in the walls, but I could make no connection to what it might mean. Inching or way forwards, we get pretty close to the nest, but I accidentally stepped on a piece of straw leading to a small cracking noise.
We all stopped suddenly, but I hear a screech coming from one of the tunnels.
"Run!"
I yell to the others, and we begin sprinting away from the nest. We go into a random tunnel, but I could still hear the running sound behind us. I found a small hidden crevice in the tunnels, and we all hid there waiting for the danger to pass. Looking out through the small crack, I quickly caught a glimpse of a white tail, with some amazing fur, but it soon left and ran back into the tunnels.
My brain throbbed at this site, and I sat down thinking what's causing this uneasiness.
It was right there, but I can't think of any animal with those characteristics.
Still sitting there, I was lost in though, but I suddenly felt Ranko shake me and I realized something was wrong. It was already too late though, as the crevice we were hiding in caved in, and we dropped into this very large cave with solid floor; above us was a semi-dome with holes in the ceiling, but looking inside, they were way larger and lifeless. In the middle of the cave, I saw a small platform, but I didn't care and just sat back down in thought.
The tail? The bones? The running?
I can't think of anything dammit!
I smack myself in the head until I realize.
Bones.
Bones in the wall.
When does that happen?
And it finally hit me.
The animal we were looking for already went extinct.
And this must be the last one alive.
The beautiful fur? And the tunnels?
I could only think of one thing.
"It's a l-"
Before I could say the name, a notification pops up.
"Hello?"
"[FMC]. I feel a boss fight incoming."
"Again?", she said pretty excitedly.
"Yep. Get ready."
The long awaited notification finally appeared,