The sun chased the night's darkness for the third time since Yann left Port Vaelora to sink deeper west. Dirt roads, farms, and fields were now replaced by a chain of mountains that sprawled like the broken spine of a gigantic beast.
Winds howled through the cave he stood before, stalactites stretching like jagged teeth ready to devour him, while its abyssal depth seemed to breathe. Yet, where most would have turned back, he stormed inside. He was where he wanted to be.
Musty scents of decaying organisms and clinging dampness assaulted his nose. Even without a light source, he moved through the darkness, his coat untouched by the putrid moss that lined the walls. He didn't see, though. Rather, he knew this isolated place like the back of his hand—perhaps even better.
After a sharp turn where the cave split into seven tunnels and a descent long enough for the clicking of insect mandibles and legs to haunt even the bravest fighter, a light finally appeared.
