Flynn settled onto a rock, his gaze fixed on the Ring, but at the same time, he scanned their desolate surroundings.
Since the spider attack, the boys had explored their new environment, but found only barren, cracked ground stretching out before them. The earth was fractured, revealing yellowish liquid that bubbled and burst, releasing a putrid stench.
The sky above, had a deep, ominous red, dominated by a moon that shone with a white glow. Despite the odd environment, the temperature remained surprisingly mild.
But, what caught Flynn's attention most were the twisted, humanoid rocks scattered across the cracked ground. The calmness had a deep unsettling creaking, like the rocks themselves were shifting and sighing.
"Ere now, blimey! I 'ate this blasted place!" one of the boys exclaimed, slumping onto a nearby stone. "It's a right misery, worse than the diggings! I'd rather break me back diggin' all me life than stay 'ere."
"Yes!" another chimed in. "What's the point o' survivin' if we're stuck in this forsaken hole?"
The complaints flowed freely, but Flynn's attention drifted elsewhere. He scanned the group, noticing one notable absence. Two-tooth.
The boy's usual grumbling was conspicuously silent.
Flynn's gaze swept the area until he spotted Two-tooth huddled with his cohorts, their heads bent in a furtive conversation.
"What are they talking about?!" Flynn's brow furrowed as they dispersed, Two-tooth and his entourage approaching the group with purposeful strides.
"Oi, listen up, lads!" Two-tooth called out with a deep authoritative tone. The eight boys, including Flynn, turned towards him as he approached.
"Alrigh', so," Two-tooth began, a sly grin spreading across his face, "me and me mates 'ave 'ad a chinwag, and we've decided to take charge 'ere. You lot'll do as we say."
Flynn's brow furrowed. "What're you saying now, Two-tooth?"
Two-tooth's smile widened. "We'll send two lads ahead, scout out the lay o' the land. They'll come back in twenty-four hours, and—"
"Are you deaf?!" Flynn stood up, "Haven't you seen there's nothing but death out there? Don't you care about anyone but yourself?"
Two-tooth's expression darkened, his voice taking on a menacing tone. "Listen 'ere, Bimpky," he sneered, his face inches from Flynn's. "You might've impressed us with that creature back there, but you ain't in charge. I am."
Flynn searched Two-tooth's eyes in saw nothing but selfishness and greed, "What's actually wrong with you! You're really thick in the head!. I just told you hours ago, we gotta stick together, stay sharp. Now, you wanna send two boys off on their own, one to each coordinate point? And if they don't come back, you'll know it's a death trap?! You're really a useless, dirty, soul!."
Two-tooth's face reddened with rage. No one, especially not Bimpky, had ever dared speak to him with such disrespect.
"You think you're clever, don't ya, Bimpky?" Two-tooth snarled, spittle flying from his lips. "So, what're you gonna do about it, eh? You think you're better'n me?"
Flynn stood firm, his eyes locked on Two-tooth's. "I'll stop you from getting us killed, that's what."
Two-tooth's fury boiled over. "I'll break your bloody skull, you bastard!" His fists clenched, ready to strike.
Suddenly, when the tension between them seemed about to snap, the ground beneath their feet began to shudder. The yellowish liquid burst forth, and the earth lifted upwards.
The Digger boys, Flynn, and Two-tooth retreated, their eyes fixed on the oddly shaped stone ascending from the earth. Other stones followed, merging to form a colossal, humanoid figure. Yellowish liquid oozed from its cracks as smoky, fiery air escaped its mouth.
"Godblimey!" Two-tooth breathed.
The Rock Man's massive head swiveled towards them, with the ground trembled as more stone giants emerged, each skyscraper-sized, their mouths emitting eerie hisses. The stone men stood motionless, their gaze fixed on the boys.
Flynn raised an eyebrow. "It's as if they're judging us."
The air was heavy with tension.
Then suddenly, a low rumble shook the ground. The stone men turned northward, their attention diverted.
"Blimey, they're movin'!" one of the Digger boys whispered.
The stone giants marched north, their deliberate strides shaking the earth.
When they moved, large stone debris fell from their body and the boys had to run through; The debris and the rumbling moving stone men.
'Crash....'
Flynn luckily dodged large debris, and avoided being crushed by these and the large footings of the stone giants.
Soon, and surprisingly luckily, they all marched away from that spot, without a single damage done to them.
Flynn eyes was set on the Stone giants, as they marched farther, "They surely were sleeping here, and we disturbed their sleep, probably, they left to find another place more quiet? Or what—"
"Blimey! Oh goodness!" a boy exclaimed, his voice trembling. "Look at this!"
He pointed to the gaping cavity left behind by the stone giants.
Flynn turned to face a downward-sloping caves, it's dark entrances pock marking the ground.
"What's that—" one boy started.
"We're takin' this one!" Two-tooth declared, jabbing a finger towards a particularly narrow opening.
The Digger boys exchanged skeptical glances.
"Why?" one asked.
Two-tooth scowled. "I'm in charge 'ere. If I 'adn't taken control, those Stone giants would still be sleepin'. I'm the one who lead us to an opening, ain't I?" He glared at Flynn, whose face reflected utter disdain.
The Digger boys conferred with uneasy glances. Ultimately, they had to choose.
One by one, they stepped into the cave, Flynn last. He cast a lingering look around, The environment.
The Stone giants deliberately walked away, opening those caves, that, he knew about.
_______
The cave's narrow passage forced the boys to squeeze through, their hearts racing with every creak and groan. Thirteen lives hung in the balance, vulnerable to attack from either direction. One misstep would be disastrous.
Thankfully, they emerged unscathed, minutes later, into a breathtaking sight.
"Would you gawk at this!" one boy exclaimed in awe.
A Giant mushroom grove shown before them, its surreal beauty mesmerizing. Flynn's eyes widened as he stepped out of the cramped passage.
"Must everything here be blooming massive and strange?" he marveled.
The giant mushrooms towered above, forty times larger than ordinary ones. Their vibrant orange caps glowed brightly, illuminating the grove. White dots speckled the each caps, while smaller, identical mushrooms clustered around the giants, radiating an ethereal light.
Flynn noticed some variation; some giant mushrooms shone brighter than others.
"Oi, water!" one boy shouted, his voice echoing through the grove. "Clean water, two lakes of it!"
"Red berries over 'ere!" another called out from afar.
The Digger boys scattered, rushing to indulge in the unexpected bounty. Some plunged into the water, scrubbing away grime and quenching their thirst. Others made a beeline for the berries.
Flynn wandered towards the berries, eyeing the commotion. He watched as they all reveled in their newfound treasures. Baths were a luxury Digger boys rarely knew, and free berries were a delicacy they hadn't savored in ages.
However, Flynn's curiosity turned to caution as he came close to the Red Berry. The red berries' spiked surrounds and overlapping, heart-shaped leaves seemed.... Strange. He gingerly touched the leaf's slippery surface. Instantly, the leaves sprouted spikes, making him retract his hand.
"Some adaptability, Is it?" Flynn muttered. "But what's it defending against?."
.....
"Alrigh', lads! We've got clean water and sweet berries. Let's gather what we can, and find our way back to Whitechapel, eh?" Two-tooth proposed, meeting unanimous nods.
"Right, let's get gatherin'—"
"Wait!" Flynn interrupted, approaching the group.
Two-tooth sighed, anticipating Flynn's concerns. "Let me guess, somethin's not right?"
Flynn frowned. "Nothin's ever right about this place. I told you earlier—"
"Blah blah blah!" Two-tooth cut in. "Listen, Bimpky, I admire your courage and all, but I led us 'ere. I'm the one who got us this far, so I deserve the praise."
Flynn was stunned. The others nodded in agreement, seemingly forgetting his earlier warnings.
"Bimpky, I think we should follow Two-tooth," one boy said. "He's right this time."
"Aye, we've got food, water, and we can improvise to carry it back to Whitechapel!" another added.
The group's consensus grew, leaving Flynn isolated in his concerns.
Two-tooth smirked when he saw the odds, then turned to Flynn, his voice filled with condescension. "Why don't you keep your distance, eh? Watch a real leader in action. You're strong, odd, and whatnot, but at the end of the day, you're just a stepping stone."
He stretched out his hand, dropping some berries at Flynn's feet. "Now, scarper, Bimpky!"
Two-tooth turned to face the boys, some still harboring resentment, others obediently following. They left Flynn to his own devices.
".... Foolish Digger boys!.." He picked up a berry from the ground and wandered towards the lake's side, away from the group.
______
_____
'Drop!'
A stone splashed through the lake water as Flynn sat alone, facing the clear liquid.
"Until we all die!" He muttered, throwing in another, "Until we die, none of them would have the sense to know how terrible this place is."
Flynn took a deep breath in, he raised his head, looking at the rock covered cave top, a distance Mushrooms light, showed some spikey shaped rocks, pointed downwards.
He shook his head and turned back to the Berry, his fingers rubbing the rough Surface, "I wonder why those plants had that adaptability—"
A faint hiss sounded, like a Mushroom releasing spores interrupted his words.
Flynn head quickly turned towards the direction of the sound. He got up, dropping the berry and walked past some towering Mushroom, until when he suddenly halted.
Ahead, a Mushroom stood, and within Its cap, was like as if an explosive ammo had destroyed it.
'Creak... Creak...~'
His eyes went down to the ground as he saw spores. Not spores, whitish spores like...
"Creatures?."
He looked closer at the odd sight and his eyes went wide open when he saw these ant shaped white creature with orange abdomen.
They digged through the dirts, and planted themselves in, with their abdomen facing upward.
Not just one, two, three... Hundreds, thousands did so, and when they did, their abdomen grew into tiny mushrooms.
One fell on a stone and instantly, it crushed it with it's legs, until it reached the ground, where it buried itself in.
"Oh sh*t!"
Flynn quickly turned his head towards another large mushroom, far from where he stood, where the Digger boys were actually at and his pupils dilated, when the mushroom light got brighter.
"SH*T!."