The Phoenix [Cultivation, Reincarnation, Tower Climber]

Of all the complications I was expecting to arise during this Starter Quest, dynamite was not one of them. To be fair, I also didn't expect to end up a mile underground where dynamite would actually be a viable tactic, but here I am. I also don't know if it was actually dynamite, or just some other kind of explosive, but it doesn't change the end result: Timmy and I are trapped underground.

On the bright side, we did manage to avoid taking any serious damage. I sensed our ambushers before they blew their charges, so I was able to grab Timmy and rush further into the cave before the entrance came crashing down on us. We got a few minor cuts, but nothing a quick round of cultivating couldn't fix.

It's a bit odd that they happened to have explosives just as we happened upon a cave, but it's most likely that they were just planning land mines or something, and the cave was a happy coincidence. The first Floor forbids overly specific geographical knowledge from being circulated, so there's no way they could have known about this cave. Especially with how well-hidden it is.

That's all in the past now though. There's no point in dwelling on it. They got the better of me this time. They followed our trail from far enough away that I couldn't sense them, and set up an intelligent ambush that very nearly killed us. It shows that whoever it is is competent, at least. Or maybe just lucky. Either way, it doesn't matter. We just need to figure out how to get out.

Unfortunately, there are a few problems with this situation. First, we have no light. Literally none. The entrance is completely blocked off. We have no torches. Our only fuel for fire is the plants that we collected, and they are far too valuable to burn. I could burn my oum to make a little bit of light, but that would eat through my reserves too quickly to be effective.

The darkness isn't really a problem for me, since I can sense my surroundings pretty clearly even without light. The real problem is Timmy. He's scared of the dark. Even the promise of a really good plant is barely enough to keep him from curling up into a ball and not moving.

Even so, that's all still manageable. If I had to, I could hit his pressure points to knock him out and carry him around. No, the worst part about it all is that even after all this, we still haven't found that damn plant. I don't even know what it is. I haven't sensed it. It's so deep in here that only Timmy can sense it. Even if I wanted to knock him out and carry him around, that would mean giving up on finding whatever the hell it is.

The only bright side is that this plant is probably very powerful. The cave we entered was well-hidden, and we really only found it because I know how to read the flow of the oum and sensed a small gap between two boulders. Timmy is the only person I've noticed on this Floor with his particular physique, so none of the other Climbers should be able to sense it either. Perhaps Aurora or the Stray King could find it, but aside from them and the Administrators, that's it. And since it's so hard to find, that means it's been growing undisturbed for a long time. And if it's been growing undisturbed for a long time, that means it's powerful.

The original plan was to come back out of the cave and tell the others so that we could come down on an extended trip, and also prepare some torches to bring with us, but obviously that's a bust. The original entrance is FUBAR. At least a hundred feet of that tunnel have collapsed, and even if I wanted to clear all that, there's still the risk of further collapse, so it's not worth it. I'd still like to get back to keep the others from worrying, so I'm looking for other exits, but so far, that's a bust too. There's some faint wind in the cave, so I know there has to be at least 2 other ways out, but hell if I know where they are. We've come across exactly 2 forks in the cave, and both times, one side ended in a dead end, and the other only took us further down.

We camped out in one of these dead ends for the night when it became clear that we wouldn't be getting to the surface any time soon. Timmy had a nightmare while he slept. I was on watch, so it didn't interfere with my sleep, but it was uncomfortable. He was crying and calling for his mom. The mom he's never met. It eventually got to the point where I put my hand on his forehead and sent him some soothing oum to calm him down.

Right now, it's probably sometime in the morning, and we're probably half a mile underground. For the first time, we've come to a crossroad where we have to make a difficult decision. There are three different ways we can go. The left is most likely a dead end, based on the lack of air flow. The middle is the way to the plant, according to Timmy. The right is the only other one with air flow, and it's angled upward. Now we have to decide whether to take the chance on the third route leading us somewhere useful, and possibly giving us a route to the surface, or heading even deeper down to find the elusive plant.

If the rightmost one takes us near the surface, we'd be able to mark the exit, meet up with the others, and return for the plant. If it doesn't, it will be a waste of time. Meanwhile, if we take the middle route, we can find the plant, and if we don't find another way out on the way, we can always come back here and take our chances with the rightmost route. Assuming everything works out perfectly, that means that the main difference between the two is how soon we meet up with the others. And with ambushers with explosives running around, meeting up with the others is probably top priority.

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"We're going this way," I say, pulling his arm toward the right tunnel.

"O-okay," said Timmy.

I can sense an equal mix of both disappointment and relief from him. I guess that means his fear of the dark is equally balanced with his desire for cool plants. Good to know.

With arms linked, we walk up the tunnels. We have to link our arms because otherwise Timmy won't move, and I'm not yet desperate enough to carry him. The others are competent. If they're not perfectly fine, then they're either already dead, or they're captured. No matter what, rushing and wasting all my energy is a foolish plan. I've already enjoyed the fruits of recklessness plenty this past day.

The right tunnel starts out very promising. It goes steadily upward, twisting only slightly. If it stays on this general trajectory, we'll get out not too far from where we went in. However, after about a half hour of walking, we come across a problem. A very familiar problem. Ants, and unfortunately, not the tiny Earth variety.

I sense the first of the ants from a distance, and I don't think they've noticed us, but I immediately stop moving and hold Timmy steady too. This complicates things. A lot.

On one hand, if there are ants here, that means that there's absolutely a route to the surface in our path. On the other hand, these ants are considered one of the greatest dangers on the entire Floor. I doubt we could make it through safely. I could fight off a few dozen for sure. Maybe even a few hundred, depending on how strong the ones they send. But thousands? Tens of thousands? We're coming up from below, so we'd have to fight our way up through the entire nest to get out. I don't think I'd even risk that journey alone, and I definitely wouldn't risk it with Timmy in tow.

Wordlessly, I turn to him and strike a few of his pressure points. He falls limp, but I catch him before he hits the ground, and making my steps as light as possible, I slip back down the tunnel to the crossroads. I wake him back up once we get back, to explain the situation.

"We-we're going for the plant?" he says with an equal mixture of excitement and apprehension.

"Yes."

"But I thought we were going the other way."

"I changed my mind. We're getting the plant first. Maybe we'll find a way out once we get there."

"O-okay."

I don't disguise how much of a hurry I'm in as I practically drag him down the middle tunnel. I think I stopped far enough away to keep the ants from sensing us, but who knows? If their tunnels are connected to this one, they probably send occasional scouts this direction. They'll pick up our scent eventually, and I want to make sure we're nice and far away when they do.

We soon come to another fork, and Timmy says both of them take us to the plant. We try the wider path at first, but it quickly narrows so much that we would have to crawl to continue, so we double back and go for the narrower path, which later widens just enough we can stand side-by-side, though it's a little squished. A bit later, we come across the place where the other tunnel re-intersects with ours, and then a bit after that, we arrive at another fork.

The correct route this time takes us upward and onward for about a mile before suddenly making a u-turn and taking us a mile back in what I think is the correct direction. I have Timmy occasionally point to where the plant is, so after a little while, I can roughly triangulate its position. It's still a mile downward. It feels like we're not getting any closer. Timmy says that the oum is flowing correctly for us to be going the right direction, but after the next fork takes us another mile in the wrong direction, I'm beginning to have my doubts. At least we haven't run into any more ants though.

We spend an entire day walking through the caves, and only when it's probably close to sunset on the surface do the caves take us close enough that I can sense it myself. Immediately, all my frustration about our current situation vanishes. This is indeed strong. It's as strong as a thousand year ginseng. Maybe a bit more. And very strongly fire-attributed. If we get this, we probably instantly take first place in the Starter Quest, regardless of what any of the other groups get. We need this plant.

As we get nearer, Timmy's nervousness begins to evaporate as well. He still keeps his arm linked in mine, but he stops clinging so much, and I no longer have to drag him forward.

It still takes another hour to actually reach the thing, but by then, both of us are full of energy and practically running. This plant is definitely stronger than the thousand year ginseng. I've never sensed anything like it. Just being this close to it makes me feel like I'm next to a bonfire.

We round a corner, and suddenly, there's a dim glow. It's not much, but I can actually see my hand when I hold it in front of my face. I force Timmy to slow down as we advance further. The light intensifies, and color slowly begins to return to the world until we reach the end of the tunnel, which opens up to reveal an open cave the size of a cathedral. On the far side of the room in an alcove as tall as the room itself is the source of light.

It's a statue. It looks ancient, and even without the strain of the elements, its features have been worn down to make the finer details nigh unrecognizable. Even so, the statue is unmistakably a human woman. She stands at least fifty feet tall, and she holds a bonfire in cupped hands. I don't see any fuel source for the fire. It simply exists.

There's a stone door between her legs, and the fiery oum of the plant emanates from behind it. Timmy tries to rush forward toward it, all nervousness gone in the presence of the light, but I stop him. I don't see or sense anyone else here, but this is all very suspicious. And unsettling. I don't like it.

After I triple check the room to make sure we won't be ambushed, I slowly walk out, keeping a firm grip on Timmy's arm to make sure he doesn't wander off. We make it to the doorway without incident, and Timmy tries to push forward and open it, but I stop him again. There are words on the door, and they are words that stop me in my tracks.

The Legacy of the Phoenix

Enter and be reborn