The yellow dot was close now—just beyond the next chamber.
Arthur's heart raced with anticipation as he stepped into the clearing. The walls here were jagged, broken, as though something massive had scraped its way through. The gashes in the stone were deeper than any he had seen before, cutting through the crystal like it was nothing. Whatever had made those marks was powerful—brutal.
As Arthur moved deeper into the tunnel, he noticed a subtle but distinct change in the terrain. The once crystalline walls that had been sharp and jagged shifted into something altogether more grotesque. The surface beneath his claws became slick, a strange slimy texture coating the floor and walls, glistening faintly in the fading light of the crystals.
Arthur crouched low, his claws digging into the ground for stability, but the moment he touched the slimy substance, a sharp pain shot through his hand. His scales, usually resistant to almost anything, sizzled slightly where they made contact with the strange slime. He recoiled, shaking his claw, watching as small wisps of smoke rose from the spot. Whatever this stuff was, it was toxic—acidic enough to eat away at his otherwise impenetrable scales.
He growled low in his throat, more irritated than harmed, but the sting of the terrain left him cautious. He carefully avoided the slick patches where he could, but the tunnel was becoming more treacherous with each step forward.
The air itself had changed as well. The coolness of the cave was now accompanied by a smell—sharp, acidic, and strangely tantalizing. It was a scent that carried with it both danger and an irresistible lure. Arthur found his nostrils flaring, the scent filling his lungs with an almost magnetic pull. It was a scent that promised power and destruction, but it came with a warning—a subtle reminder that this place was not one to be taken lightly.
The walls dripped with the same toxic slime, the once crystalline structure now corrupted by whatever creature had marked this territory. Arthur's gaze sharpened, his claws flexing as he prepared for whatever lurked ahead. The yellow dot on his map blinked ominously, just beyond the next chamber.
And then, he heard it.
A low, rumbling growl echoed through the cavern, shaking the very ground beneath his feet. The sound was guttural, primal.
Arthur's claws flexed instinctively, the molten heat rising within them as he prepared for the fight.
Time to devour again.
He stepped forward, his massive form casting a shadow across the chamber.
*
Arthur stepped cautiously through the hole in the wall, his senses tingling with anticipation. The narrow, toxic tunnel he had just emerged from opened up into something vastly different—a wide expanse that immediately threw him off guard. What he saw before him was nothing short of breathtaking.
The clearing was vast, easily stretching a few hundred meters in every direction. The ground beneath his feet wasn't the jagged, rocky terrain of the crystal caverns, nor the slimy, acidic nightmare he had just come from. Instead, it was covered in a fine, blue sand, its texture soft yet firm, like crushed glass that didn't cut. Pools of still water dotted the clearing, lagoon-like formations reflecting the ceiling above, which was made entirely of shimmering, multicolored crystals.
The ceiling crystals stretched high into the cavern, their surfaces catching the light from the few glowing stones scattered throughout. They hummed with an ethereal, melodic tune, a soft vibration that sent shivers down Arthur's spine. The sound wasn't unpleasant—it was beautiful, in a way that only deepened the odd serenity of the space.
Arthur's molten claws scratched against the blue sand as he stepped forward, entranced by the strange harmony of this place. The cool air made him feel lighter, and for a moment, his hunger seemed to recede as he took in the beauty around him. His [Map] flickered, indicating he was still deep within the Crystal Caverns, but this place seemed otherworldly, different from the dark and dangerous tunnels he had just escaped.
As he ventured further into the clearing, something caught his eye.
In the center of the room, scattered like broken toys, lay the mangled remains of what looked like Nooms—the creatures Arthur had fought earlier. Their bodies were twisted, shredded, and burned, as if they had been feasted upon by something just as monstrous. Chunks of flesh were missing from their forms, their limbs ripped apart, their hollow eye sockets staring vacantly into nothing.
Arthur crouched down, inspecting the remains. The markings on their bodies were brutal—claw marks, burns, and deep gashes sliced clean through bone. It was clear these creatures had met their end violently, just like prey. And something had been feasting on them.
Just like me, Arthur thought, feeling a strange kinship with the unknown beast that had slaughtered these creatures. He and this unseen predator had more in common than he'd like to admit.
The melodic hum of the crystals above him echoed through the chamber, calming his racing thoughts. The tall crystal spires that jutted out of the ground throughout the clearing pulsed with faint energy, as if alive, the hum changing in pitch whenever he moved closer. There was something about these spires that drew his attention.
Arthur's claws grazed the surface of one of the spires, and he immediately felt a strange sensation. The material was coarse, grating against his scales in a way that felt almost uncomfortable, like it was... irritating.
Salt? He blinked, surprised at the revelation.
The realization simmered in his mind, but before he could explore it further, something dripped onto his shoulder.
Arthur froze. The liquid that hit him was thick, pungent, and immediately burned into his scales, hissing upon contact. He hissed in return, shaking it off as he looked up toward the ceiling.
There, clinging to the crystals above him, was a massive creature. Its skin was slick and gleamed in the dim light, a pale, translucent gray with streaks of green running down its sides. It was twice the size of Arthur, its bloated body sagging heavily as it hung from the ceiling like a grotesque chandelier.
And then it dropped.
BOOM!