“ The Crystal Cave pt 2.”

We enter the cave; the light from outside is still bright enough to see inside, though dim. Maelis raises their staff, but jorvain holds out his arm.

“Whether we reach a village sooner or later, I still think we should save our ardor and energy- you especially, Maelis. We’ll need it further down the line, so we can’t have you losing all your power.”

He says as he turns to the wagon

“Let’s just use some lanterns.”

“I could just summon some fairies; it wouldn’t take much ardor at all.”

They say quietly, looking down, fiddling with their staff.

“I don’t doubt it’d be easy for you, Maelis. You’re a master at using your ardor, but that’s exactly why I want you at your full strength when it counts, and even the small things could take away from that. “

“I understand.”

They mutter.

And my eyes soften.

***

We wander through the dark, our lanterns doing little to light up the shadows that surround us.

Through the dim light, I glance at Maelis.

It looks like I’m not the only one who wants to be helpful. But it’s more than that; I wanna be someone who helps people, a hero. But Maelis, aren’t they already one? More than me, that’s for sure.

Earlier on the mountain, didn’t they comfort me? In their own way, and it made me feel better, hopeful even, so can’t I do the same?

I slow down, trying to match their pace

They glance at me.

I clear my throat.

“Hey, um, Mae—

“Whoa.”

Jorvain whispers in awe.

And we come to a sudden stop, and as I look away from Maelis’ eyes, mine land on—

Gemstones.

Glowing in the dark, illuminating the cave with vibrant colors.

My eyes shine, fixating on each gem.

“Ardor gemstones, ardor gathered from the travelers who passed through this cave’s feelings, crystallized into a non-fluid form. Each one acts as a capsule for a certain feeling, which then clings to the next group of travelers who pass through.”

Emrys says, her eyes full of passion.

The array of colors glints against her warm skin and reflects in her golden eyes.

“Hey, would you look at that? Looks like this cave isn’t so scary after all.”

“Won’t they affect us?”

Dain asks, uneasy.

“They’re not all negative feelings; some may even help us, but if we don’t let them, we can pass through unaffected. “

Emrys answers with a smile

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”

I say, glancing at Maelis, who seems stunned by their glow

“They are...”

They whisper.

A small smile forms on my face. And we carry on

“Did you know Ardor gemstones can attract all sorts of creatures? Humans are drawn to them, but similarly, depending on the type of ardor the gem possesses, it can act as a ward against evil.”

Emrys carries on, lost in her words; she wears a smile.

Jorvain oohs and ahhs with each word, but I’m not sure he’s listening.

“No one finds that concerning? This is a dark cave; wouldn’t this be the perfect space to attract a creature?”

Dain asks.

“Well, yes, “ Emrys answers. “I suppose that’s a possibility, but I really don’t think—

Suddenly, the gems flicker, like lights, their glow fading and beaming until they still.

“That was…weird, “ she continues, her tone laced with a hint of unease.

“But anyway, I really don’t think—

The gems flicker again, this time for longer, getting dimmer and lighter—

“Did you hear that?”

Dain asks, dread creeping into his tone.

“I-it was probably just the gemstone, flickering?”

Emrys says, her voice shaky

“And, uh, are they supposed to do that?”

Jorvain asks.

“No, no, they’re not.”

Maelis answers, gripping their staff.

Suddenly the gemstones crack—shattering into sharp shards—

“R-run! “

Emry’s shouts, now completely panicked.

“What is that?!”

Jorvain exclaims in horror, looking back—

I turn my head to see, and my eyes land on another pair in the dark, gleaming.

“Oh, my god.”

I mutter in awe—

“Jorvain! “

Emrys yells, grabbing him by the arm as she shoots forward, running ahead.

“Damn it! I knew something wasn’t right with this cave!”

Dain exclaims, grabbing the horse’s lead as he pulls it forward along with the wagon.

“Everyone to the wagon! We have to get out of here, but we can’t leave it!”

Jorvain shouts, breaking free from Emrys's hold, rushing back to us.

“Maelis, do your best to soothe Agenes; Dain, you, me, and Roba will push the wagon; Emrys, I need you to attack it, use your bow and—

“I-I can’t, it’s too dark, I can hardly see anything with the lights flickering like this!”

She exclaims, her voice full of panic.

“The gemstones flicker when it gets closer; its presence is messing with the gems!”

Maelis shouts.

“So when they flicker, shoot!—

The gems begin to flicker again, some breaking, others beaming brightly

With furrowed brows, Emrys aims her bow high, shutting her eyes as she lets her arrows fly—shooting through the air with a faint glow. One of her arrows collides with a gemstone, causing it to break in a burst of light.

The tune of her arrow fades.

And the creature, no longer concealed in the dark, lets out a deafening screech of pain.

“It’s a Gemma serpent! “

Maelis shouts. As the beast slithers through the cave, the gems along its scales strobe in the darkness.

“That means it's using echolocation to track us. “

Dain says, grunting as he pushes the wagon forward with all his might.

“Your music! Emrys, keep shooting the arrows; the music they make will mess up its signals!"

Jorvain shouts, his voice full of urgency.

“On it!

There’s nothing I can do to help but push the wagon; even so, I’ll do my best.

Emrys holds up her bow once more, taking a deep breath

“Once Emrys starts to fire, we’re gonna need to push forward as fast as we can, okay? We don’t stop till we reach the end!”

Jorvain shouts, his tone fierce.

“Yes, sir! “

I shout.

“Understood!”

Dain says with a strong nod.

“Alright!”

Maelis says, gripping the horse's lead.

“Go!”

Jorvain yells, shooting forward as Emrys releases her arrows of music.

She fires them rapidly, no rhyme or harmony to the music they make as they scream through the air and bounce off the gemstones, echoing through the cave.

The serpent lets out a screech, swirling and slithering with no direction

“It’s working!”

Emrys exclaims

The serpent bends and twists erratically in confusion, its rear slamming into the cave walls and sending a shuddering reverberation through the chamber.

The crystals hanging overhead fall and break one by one—shattering, shards flying through the air.

“Run!”

Jorvain cries.

And we do; we run, pushing forward, following the flickering lights.

Ahead of us, in the distance, is an opening, with light shining through

“There it is! The exit!”

Dain exclaims, huffing with exhaustion.

Behind us, the serpent lets out another deafening roar

“It’s coming! “

Emrys cries.

“It won’t follow us into the light!”

Maelis shouts

“Push forward, we’re almost there.”

The ground beneath our feet shakes as we grow closer to the light—and before I can react, the serpent shoots forward through a cave wall, causing part of the exterior to crumble and cave in with a deafening echo.

“Dain! Look out! “

Emrys screams in horror as the large rocks and debris come crashing down

Dain shoots forward, tackling Jorvain and me to the ground, just out of the way of the debris.

I slam against the rough ground of the cave with a grunt, the breath leaving my lungs on impact.

The horse lets out a pained cry as more crystals fall—

“Come on! “

Dain shouts, scooping Jorvain and me over his shoulders in one fell swoop, rushing forward without fatigue.

“No! Agenes! “

Jorvain cries, his brows furrowed with pain.

We reach the end of the cave; the second we leave the dark, Dain collapses onto the grass beneath the sun.

***

Dain sits with his helmet at his side, leaning against a tree; Maelis tends to him, making sure he’s okay.

Emrys sits silently on the grass, her bow on her back, knees to her chest.

And Jorvain kneels near the cave entrance, placing an apple down. He stands to his feet and turns to face the rest of us.

“Is everyone okay?”

He asks gently with soft eyes.

“No, not really. “

Dain grunts, running his fingers through his dark, spiky hair.

“I’m okay.”

Maelis mumbles

“Em, Roba?”

Jorvain says, directing his attention to the two of us.

“It’s my fault. “

Emrys mutters through gritted teeth, looking away. She yanks her hat down to hide her face.

Jorvain sighs, walking past me, over on the grass, to stand before Emrys

“Look at me. “

He says softly.

She looks up, her eyes glossy.

“I should have known that cave was dangerous! Shortcut or not. Even when I tried to help, my music just made things worse! I-I’m such a fool”

She covers her face with her hands, her head low with shame.

Jorvain kneels, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“Emrys, your music saved us; we wouldn’t have made it out otherwise. And you couldn’t have known there would be a gemma serpent in the cave. If anything, as the leader, I should’ve given it more thought, instead of just choosing the faster option. But it’s no one's fault; as adventurers, we can never be sure of what we’ll encounter, but we’ve gotta face it head-on.”

She uncovers her face, sobbing, as snot runs down her face

“B-but Agenes!”

She cries

He wipes her snot with the front of his thumb, and her tears with the back.

“Agenes is in a better place, I promise. “

He says with a smile

“Probably eating more apples than she should be.”

He laughs before turning to Dain.

“Dain, you were amazing back there. “

“Thank you, captain.”

Dain says quietly.

“And Maelis, I know you did your best to make sure Agenes got out safely. Don’t beat yourself up either, okay?”

He says gently

“Thank you...”

Maelis mutters.

And then, he turns to me.

“And Roba? Thank you for sticking by us; we’re glad to have you.”

My eyes widen

“Thank you, Jorvain...”

I stutter, looking away.

“Woo! That was rough, am I right? Here’s an idea—how about we never take a shortcut ever again?”

He asks with a playful grin

“Ahaha!”

Emrys burst out laughing, and soon we were all laughing.

“No, but seriously.”

He said sternly.

And soon we were back on our feet, ready to face whatever comes next.

End.