The Bee Dungeon

Noiggakuq once again arrived at the Underway. It was the third night since she met the Sacred Den Master, but she had had no further luck in finding another ground mana flower. The first two had been easy to find, located right around the immediate vicinity. But she knew from experience that she was unlikely to find anymore unless she ventured out further. This seemed be borne out last night when she combed the area and couldn’t detect even the slightest whiff of concentrated Ground mana.

So, for tonight, she intended to head deeper.

She made her final preparations just inside the tunnel. She took a bite of the healing herb mana honey and a swig of Juosiutik’s potion, then took out her light crystal. She would need to be at maximum alertness if she wanted to make it back.

She then walked down the dirt tunnel until she arrived at the underground river. Here, the dirt gave way to stone, the river carving its way down into the roots of the world. Mushrooms and cave plants grew along its banks, while she could catch a glimpse of the occasional fish in the river itself. Such were the means by which the karnuq had sustained themselves on their travels through the deep.

And such were the signals that Noiggakuq would need to be extra cautious. The proof that she was not alone down here.

She put away her light crystal and then waited for her eyes to adjust. A group of karnuq could afford to use such things, but since she was alone it would only make her a target. Fortunately, the river was not entirely devoid of light. Small flashes of bioluminescence sparkled in the dark as insects, fungi, plants, and fish made their presence known. Small sparks of mana spoke to tiny battles being raged all through the dark as well. It was not enough to see much of anything, but with a karnuq’s vision Noiggakuq could at least watch her step. She would, then, trust in her nose to find anything else she needed to know about.

And so she crept into the dark, sticking to the wall to avoid falling into the river should she trip. Down, down the river she went until, finally, the wall started to curve away from the river, opening up into a much, much wider area. The river she had been following extended into the dark where she could hear the much larger one it fed into. The tunnel expanded to tower high into the air, far higher than even several karnuq. Stalagmites, stalactites, and pillars larger than a karnuq filled the area. Patches of moss created little floating lights while glowing mushrooms clung to the walls and pillars.

She had arrived in the Underway, the true Underway. A series of massive tunnels that crisscrossed underneath the surface of the world. They dove deep enough that the Hunger had not yet taken them all over, allowing for a degree of travel underneath the corrupted surface.

Sometimes. Even down here, there were signs that the Hunger was seeping into the ground. More than once the karnuq had to change courses because they found signs of corruption along their original route. More and more of the tunnels they knew of had become inaccessible over time, some very rapidly. And it was not unheard of to encounter shades in the deep. Noiggakuq would just have to hope that she wouldn’t meet one tonight.