The tunnel's abyssal maw was framed by its ferocious stone fangs. From the hanging stalactites water dripped like saliva, the tunnel opening like the jaws of a hungry beast. Milli placed her hand on the rough stone wall and cautiously scoured the interior of the tunnel. Ellie stood just behind her, gripping the fabric of Milli's dress tight enough to make it tear. The two of them had been the closest to the tunnel, therefore leaving them in charge of investigating.
The rest of the group had yet dared to move, their bodies as still as the cave walls themselves. Milli took a step forward with one of her shaken legs. Her single footstep echoed across the chamber and through the open tunnel like a reflection of their fear. The caves mocked their meagre courage.
Ellie glanced around Milli's shoulder, her eyes squinted in an attempt to see beyond the mirage of shadows that engulfed the tunnel entrance. She looked at Milli and the two of them nodded in unison. Milli took another, trembling step forward. As she and Ellie entered past the opening and into the shadows a cloak of frost fell over them as the temperature suddenly dropped. Ellie waved at the others still in the chamber behind them, signalling for them to follow cautiously.
Astar reached the entrance and reached his hand out to feel for a wall, but his hand met with only a thick, dark fog that recoiled away from the heat of his fingers. "I don't know how wide this path is, there is a chance it may drop off somewhere." He warned the others.
"Don't stray too far from the centre, this is phantom fog surrounding us. Once you enter you'll never leave." Galvan's gruff voice warned from the rear of the group. Astar tried to light a spell in the palm of his hand, but the magic faded quickly.
"There's no use, this fog will engulf light within moments." Eldrin's voice appeared behind him. Astar let out a sigh as he carefully pressed the ground in front of him with his foot, testing if it was secure. They didn't know how long this path went, or even if it led to anything, they were to proceed with caution.
A rough hand gripped Astar's shoulder, pulling him backwards till he met with the heat of a sculpted chest. Warm air brushed his ear as Haruki's low voice whispered a word of warning. "Don't use magic, this fog can sense magic, it feeds on it."
"It's not alive," Astar whispered back.
"It is."
Astar reached his hand out to the fog and watched it recoil from his heat once more. However, as the bulk of the fog recoiled, he noticed fine particles within the fog darting around, breathing. He shuddered and yanked his arm back by his side. "What are those?" He breathed.
"Phantom mites," Eldrin interjected. "They're ancient creatures. They huddle together in a group, known as a fog. They're parasites that feed on the magic abilities of others." Astar held up his hand and squinted his eyes, trying to study the skin in the palm of his hand where he'd gathered his magic. There were a few phantom mites digging at his skin. He scrambled to brush them off, his skin crawling.
"I found something," Elva called from the depths of the dark. "It feels like another archway, it's extremely narrow though." Following the sound of her voice, the group slowly made their way through the parting streams of fog until they could make out the fuzzy outline of Elva's body. Astar floundered his hand through the air until his fingers came into contact with the ice-cold surface of ancient, undisturbed stone. The group came to a silent agreement. They would follow the path before them.
Galvan entered first, then Kenji took up the rear. They were tightly packed into the corridor. Elva hadn't been exaggerating the size of the corridor. In front of Astar, Haruki had to bend over in order to avoid knocking his head on any rough surfaces along the roof. Astar peered over his shoulder, smothering a laugh as he realised that Dock, the tallest member, was still hitting his head constantly despite his best efforts. Every so often their quiet saunter was disrupted by a gentle thud, followed by a frustrated Dock whispering curses under his breath.
"Stop," Galvan ordered softly. The group came to a stop immediately, awaiting further instructions. "The corridor ends here," Galvan reported, "It's pitch black in here, though."
"Can we use our magic yet?" Milli asked, peering under Dock's arm.
"I don't sense any phantom mites, be cautious, though," Galvan advised.
The group filed out into the room, Astar couldn't even see his own hand which he was holding directly in front of his face. He shook his arm out, then summoned a spell, lighting up the room with the soft glow from the fuzzy orb that nestled into the palm of his hand. The room around them was barren, the same dark grey stone beneath their feet covered the walls and the ceiling of the cavern. It was a natural hollow far below the surface. It seemed untouched, and Astar was unsure that anyone had ventured this far into the dungeon. The cavern was the size of a small hall, capable of fitting only twenty people. It was silent. Until it wasn't, when they focused on the silence, they could hear the same rumbling sound of water that they had heard in the previous room. Milli, who was now the furthest into the room looked back at them before turning around swiftly to inspect the other side of the cave. Then, she was gone.
"Milli?!" Ellie yelled, her voice pierced through the heavy silence. She broke forward, sliding onto her knees where Milli had disappeared. She let out a sigh of relief. "Are you alright?" She asked, her voice shaking.
"I mean, that scared the crap outta' me, but yeah." Milli's voice could be heard from below the ground. One of her pale, strong arms appeared, and she hoisted herself up from a hole in the ground. "Trapdoor," she muttered, "how classy."
The rest of the group had made their way over to Milli, where she sat on the ground near a large hole. The bottom wasn't visible.
"How did-" Astar's question was interrupted by a loud crackling. The far wall across from where they had entered split directly down the centre. The two sides of the cavern wall pulled open, revealing the rusted forms of an ancient mechanism that powered the entrance. There was a soft green light being emitted from beyond the mechanism. The walls of the cavern came to a grinding stop, but the low groans continued. After a few seconds, they realised the groans had not come from the mechanism, but from a large waterfall that could be seen from beyond the rusted metal. The groans were now roars as the water flowed over the side of a cliff and crashed into the rocky shores of an underground beach. The water stretched out into the darkness beyond the beach, and the sounds of waves colliding echoed along the surface of the underground ocean and into the void beyond.
Astar crept past the rusted cogs and large iron chains. He stepped out, peering over the edge of the cliff. There was a steep path that wound down the side of the cliff. Torches were scattered down the path, crackling softly and barely audible next to the smashing of rock and water.
Above their heads, the roof of the hollow opened out into a cavernous depth, the faint chirp of bats echoed amongst the stalactites and the source of the soft green light - thousands of glow worms - were spread across the rocky surface, their spider-like silk threads dangling like crystalline chandeliers.
The rest of the team appeared behind him, their shoes shuffling along the gravelled floor. The waterfall continued to thunder past them, creating a deep azure archway. Astar leant forward and stood witness as the water flowed down further and further till it met with the black of the ocean water. "What now?" Elva whispered.
'Well,' Ellie replied, her voice laced with uncertainty, 'all we can do is follow the path.'