CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Surpassing the boundaries of unaugmented vision, the subterranean system offered no promise of a swift end. Unbearable temperatures continued to rise as the Horizon trio advanced toward the core. Crystal-laden basalt shimmered with beads of saltwater, constantly evaporating to replenish the muggy atmosphere. With shallow and infrequent breaths, the hunters proceeded on a steadily decreasing angle. El struggled with the situation. Her excessively porous skin had become dry, making it difficult to process what little oxygen the suit could provide. Their passage became narrow and branching, and El's navigation leaned more on pure guesswork than any proper heading. The opening emitting the most heat always seemed to be the correct choice.

  While tackling a particularly steep shaft with a series of stumbling slides, shifting earth crackled beneath them. El's feet slipped from under her, sending her barrelling down into the void below. Protective instinct took over, and Ranna and Soran leaped after her.

  Tumbling through the earth and haunted by El's screams, the jagged walls clawed at their suits, determined to drag them to the absolute depths of the world.

  Flung from the passage's conclusion, their bodies skipped across a fortuitously yielding sandpit. Panting furiously, they shook with terror upon the carpet of shifting grains, grateful to be alive.

  "In one piece?" Ranna asked El as she examined her ankle. After a few exploratory bends and rolls, there didn't seem to be any serious or lasting damage.

  After a short respite, a rogue breeze bathed the hunters with chill air. Cool and refreshing, it washed away the heat. At once, both relieved and suspicious, the hunters cast a longing gaze toward the origin of the mysterious gust. An undercurrent of amazement flowed through them as their surroundings slowly began to illuminate. Countless Bloom Frogs coated the walls, radiating a lambent, sapphire hue as their vocal sacs expanded. Entranced by the symphony of natural wonder, a playful grin found its way onto each of their faces. With their stay on Accrakos unfolding in increasingly terrible arcs, they needed to enjoy something again, anything.

  The amphibian orchestra was interrupted by another sizable vibration running through the planet. Though tremors were unsurprising at this depth, this one felt strange. El checked her scanner, but, to her surprise, no seismic activity had been registered. A second wave traveled overhead, causing a shower of small pebbles. As they gazed upward, they were met with a bewildering sight. The walls of the cave were moving.

  Pulled along with the motion of the rocky surface, Soran looked closely and noticed that the wall pattern was not the random undulating rock surface one would expect but scaled like a dragon of ancient myth. Endless rows of interlocking diamonds sculpted the cavern interior. The congregation of Bloom Frogs scattered in all directions as the ground yawned open, the absence of their glow replaced with warm rays of light that shone through the growing cracks. An expansive maw was revealed through the shifting rubble, lined with hundreds of sharpened pillars. The jagged gullet swelled, hitting the cave ceiling and grinding through centuries of layered sediment. Gradually, movement ceased. As the torrent of dust settled, titanic jaws of earth and rubble stood open before them in what seemed like an invitation.

  "The rock, it's alive?" Soran asked, scarcely able to comprehend the words that comprised his question. He had seen things that made him question his reality — events he would struggle to conjour in dream. Was a living planet really that hard for him to accept?

  "Be rude to turn down an invite." Said Ranna, unsure of how else to answer. As he stepped forward through the pillars of crystal-infused rubble, he felt a strange calm overcome him. A soft amber light welcomed him into the jagged sanctum, gifting a breeze that soothed his heat-addled flesh. It almost felt like home. El and Soran followed reluctantly behind their Captain. With heading back to Volka empty-handed being an unappealing option, they once again ventured into the unknown.

  Immediately upon entering the aberrant interior, the hunters noticed their breathing return to normal. Having spent his entire life in artificial environments, Soran had never felt anything like it. Each lungful of sweet sustenance had him feeling light-headed and a little giddy. This was what life tasted like. The hunters basked in the relaxing autumnal hues that twinkled from the crystalline walls. Strange flora peeked through the cracks, eyeing them as they passed. The further they walked, the larger and more numerous the plants grew. This escalating abundance mirrored the ever-increasing brightness of the crystal.

  Widening on either side, the tunnel's illumination began to dim until it had all but disappeared. El activated the bright beam of her torch and, to her surprise, revealed a forest. How such a dense arbour had flourished, buried deep beneath the planet's watery exterior, was a mystery. Hidden from those that would exploit its bounty, it had swelled to unnatural proportions. Trees towered into the outermost reaches of the cavernous expanse. The utterings of insects and other more sinister threats echoed around them, coupled with the more familiar sound of the Bloom Frogs, whose azure signature could be spotted amongst the ground-dwelling vegetation.

  Ill-lit and overgrown, countless dangers prowled and plotted, lingering in the inanimate gloom, waiting for their chance to strike. Ranna may have been out of his element, yet he remained inexplicably unafraid. Terrifying uncertainty permeated the forest, and his composure conveyed an unshakable calm, as if shielded by some unseen force.

  "It's this way," he said, taking a right and clawing through the thick undergrowth. His movements were purposeful, as if following a well-worn trail. It was as if he had been here before.

  "How do you know?" Soran asked, he and El attempting to keep up as they fought against thorn-covered tendrils.

  "You can't feel it? The heat is coming from this direction. We must be getting close to the core."

  Soran couldn't feel anything. He looked over at El, and a worried frown showed that she too was dispossessed of their Captain's sudden gift for navigation. With the ominous rustle of danger closing in around them, he felt it best not to question any further.

  Swaying between the grasping branches, the Horizon crew wandered for what seemed like hours, clambering over roots to avoid the creeping swamp pits that littered the ground like pulse mines. Walking had morphed into an erratic dance, arms bound tightly to their chests, avoiding the lethal sting of predacious flora that swarmed about them.

  The trees gradually thinned out, exposing a fetid, shallow bog that bubbled with the activity of muck-beasts. A thin layer of mist hovered over the surface, an ethereal blanket coating a bed of sludge. A pathway of disjointed stones that ran through its center cleaved the mist in two. Ranna proceeded, unfazed by the change in terrain. Soran, perturbed by the instability of their course, took each hazardous step with the caution it deserved. Having disturbed the bog's stagnant waters, the aquatic plants that floated on its surface began to bloom. The fresh scent of the delicate flowers battled against the sordid stench of the mire, a clashing of beauty and decay.

  Ranna suddenly stopped moving. Soran peered over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of the obstacle. Not something, but someone.

  A motionless staredown ensued. The figure blocking their path was only around two feet tall and looked more like a child than a man, possessing a large head elongated at either side. The sound of a striking match caused Soran and El to flinch. Ranna remained unshaken; his gaze locked firmly on what he would assume was an enemy until proven otherwise. A forked twig, lit at one end, had been the cause of the abrupt noise. The small figure lifted the burning twig to a hanging lantern above its head. The entire bog illuminated in a flourish of golden light, and an unfamiliar face was revealed.

  Its features were plant-like, though in stark contrast to the refined structure of the Vrell — bark-textured skin, broken up by large fungal growths covering its entire body. The elongated head was similar to a mushroom cap, growing at an odd angle directly from its misshapen skull. It was draped in scavenged materials, fashioned into primitive clothes, mossy straps holding the lantern to its back with a branch. Soran couldn't help but wonder if this was first contact, the discovery of a new species.

  "Talk to him." Whispered El, not wanting to scare the potential galactic citizen or, worse, risk him becoming hostile. Before he could get a word out, the creature turned, waddling off into the tall grasses at the water's edge. It stopped after a few paces, casting a nebulous eye over its shoulder to ensure they were following. Ranna turned to gauge his crew's reaction, but neither Soran nor El was any the wiser.

  "Better than wandering alone?" Soran asked presumptuously.

  "If we get ambushed by a hundred of the little bastards, I'll remind you of that," Ranna replied.

  El was particularly intrigued. She had gone her entire life believing her race to be the only sentient beings evolving from plant origins. Meeting this strange alien was like discovering a long-lost cousin.

  They watched the hypnotic lantern swing back and forth. Their guide's footing was unsure, like a drunk falling out of a Valaterren bar in the early hours. Where he was leading them was anyone's guess, but having a light and some company offered an odd strain of comfort.

  Looming silhouettes came into focus as the bog reverted to the marshy soil they had arrived on. A gathering of huge trunks confronted the hunters, the foundations of ancient trees. Millennia of maturation towered into the heavens, roots burrowing deep into the planet's crust, the majesty of nature at its most brilliant conclusion. While acclimating to the primeval timber's discovery, the hunters noticed a strange occurrence at each trunk's base. Crunching and cracking sang out into the clearing as each tree's earthy, crumpled flesh began to morph, twisting and reforming into something new, something familiar. Dozens of bodies emerged through the thick layers of bark, splashing down onto the ground. Fully formed beings in symbiosis with nature, their skin blossoming with fungal growths and radiant flowers. Roots, branches, and ballooning mushroom caps burst from their course, rugged shells, granting each individual a unique appearance. A small army of pint-sized soldiers had spawned in a matter of seconds, and the cavities in the trees that had birthed them coiled shut. Nature returned to stillness, and the hunters were surrounded.

  "Told you," said Ranna.