Dreu reluctantly opened his eyes. He just wanted to sleep more but Ragellon and the other children were very good at waking him up with their shouting and shoving. As the young man sat up, he surveyed the cave. Enough sunlight reached them to dimly illuminate everything. The honey badgers were somehow still sleeping, unbothered by all the noise from the children.

  “How long are you going to sleep?” asked Ragellon. “And where are we?”

  The young man could answer the first one pretty easily as he was already up, though his body still yearned for a few more hours of shuteye. As for the latter question, he had no clue. He was in the other realm for much of the time and only saw the forest which revealed little to their exact location.

  “Until Olgron and the others wake up, we’re in the dark regarding where we are.”

  Dreu checked with the bats to see if they learned anything while the rest of them slept. Bartok shared that they found the forest around them to be very tranquil. They didn’t find any living creatures except for a few small birds and mice. Compared to the demon realm, this new place appeared a lot safer.

  “We also located a large mountain not far from here,” added Bunted. “We didn’t go inside but the entrance doesn’t seem guarded.”

  “Why would a cave entrance be guarded?” asked Ragellon. “The mountain must have countless cave openings.”

  Bunted then shared his findings from his brief fly by. The cave entrance was hand-crafted into a proper doorway with a rectangular entrance. There were gates that weren’t closed and a drawbridge connecting the entrance to the forest. While he didn’t get a closer look, the bat was confident that the mountain was surrounded by a fissure that all living things would fall to their deaths in. Therefore, those who lacked wings had to rely on the drawbridge to enter the mountain. As for what was inside, none of the bats had a clue.

  “You don’t think there are snakes in there, right?”

  Following a shrug, Dreu comforted Ragellon by saying that the honey badgers would take care of the matter. They were all equally fierce as Marun so the snakes should be worried about them. At the mention of Marun, Dreu couldn’t help but wonder where his companion went. She did a lot in keeping them safe and was imperative in the rescue of Seiluxr. Now, his bear was missing and the young man suddenly had so many questions. One of them was constantly on his mind.

  If Marun is defeated and we’re far apart, will she still return to me to be recalled later? Or will she be gone forever?

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Forcing the thoughts out of his head, Dreu returned to comforting the girl. The fight against the snakes had left a bad memory for all of them but, like the velos that he managed to defeat eventually, he was certain that they could overcome their fear of snakes too.

  Wait, did I not get to keep the sword too?

  Dreu knew that he found such relief with discovering the shield that he completely overlooked his other equipment. Having no combat recently, he didn’t even need his blade to be available. After a short search, he found the sword that he picked among the weapons.

  < Standard Underworld Sword:

  Description: This sword was crafted for standard underworld soldiers. While the sword has no abilities, it is reliable enough to give its user a fighting chance in the underworld. Against weak foes like velos, this sword is more than plenty in the disposing of those pests as long as the user has sufficient training. This weapon isn’t recommended against stronger underworld foes or those with sturdy defenses. >

  So I’ve been given a standard weapon in the underworld? If this is standard, I want to know what better weapons can do.

  With his new weapon, Dreu now had two options to pick from. His red mist blade was lighter so it gave him more agility in combat while his underworld sword was stronger and could kill velos with ease. The two had their uses and, with enough practice, he should be able to pick the right one even during the heat of the battle. These two weapons, combined with his new shield, should make him more useful in combat as he couldn’t rely on his companions all the time. As he had experienced, he could be surrounded by foes and everyone would have their hands, paws or appendages full.

  “Will we be exploring the mountain?” asked Ragellon, snapping Dreu out of his thoughts.

  “If the entrance is hand-crafted, then there must be those who made the mountains their homes. I doubt humans have made this place their base so I have to guess that the dwarves might be the ones responsible. Though, I do find their unguarded entrance odd.”

  From what he heard about dwarves, the race was very territorial and were extremely defensive on their own territory. Any unwelcome trespassers would be greeted by insults, weapons or usually both. The fact that the entrance had no one standing guard was very odd, spelling a danger that they might not be aware of. The danger might still be inside or even originated from inside. The young man had read plenty of stories about dark secrets that would best left along within mountains. Until Olgron woke up, the young man had no plans as to where they were headed. The demon realm had been reclaimed by the wilderness, assuming the humans didn’t outright conquer it. The human settlements no longer welcomed him, let alone the demonic children.

  I hope Eglallin made a foolproof plan when she told Olgron about me. I have no intention of wandering aimlessly on this continent while human soldiers and adventurers hunt me down like a fugitive.

  Dreu stood up and formed a small party with his companions. They needed food so his party would go out to hunt or forage for something. He knew the importance of not venturing too far into unfamiliar territory. He hadn’t escaped so much only to die to a dangerous local creature.