Chapter 49: Down Underground (II)
The underground terrain was far more spacious than Ember had imagined. After entering through the narrower passageway, the tunnels had widened the further they ventured. Unlike what he had feared, the paths weren't labyrinthine either, but more like an expanse of underground terrain. Still, he kept track of all the twists and turns in a notebook.
Their group of ten had no trouble venturing through the passages while maintaining their formation. With the space available, combat would be mostly unhindered as well, though the casters would need to be careful about slinging spells awry.
The only unnerving part was the looming darkness and the damp, chilly air. Their torches and light constructs managed to dispel the gloom, but his skin still prickled against the frigid air. There wasn’t even a breeze.
With the absence of sunlight, none of the common flora of the wetland grew there. Ember only noted wild vegetation of moss, fungi, and lichen growing in every nook and cranny, dotted only with some ghostflowers and mushrooms.
So far, there were no signs of goblins. They had only found a few Mirewood toads and rotund rodents here and there. Some corpses were lying in wait, left behind by other hunting parties or the goblins. Some of them had been left for so many days that the stench emanating from them prompted the group to dash off.
Ultimately, the quest to hunt goblins turned out to be far more boring than Ember had imagined. Still, he didn't let himself relax. With Elin leading the group, his party should be much more reliable, but Ember didn't want to take that for granted.
“Wait, there is something,” Zea said from his left, raising her nocked bow.
Ember perked up and eyed the direction she pointed in. There was something whirling in the darkness. Something small was stirring merely twenty paces away. Barely visible in the light, it was like a blade of grass swaying in the wind, radiating a faint, darkish glow.
Someone trudged forward to attack it when Elin interjected, “Wait, it's just a manaling.”