Arthur looked around, but it was no use. The cave was almost pitch black. He couldn't see his own hands, let alone what else might be in here with him. The rough stone walls felt cold and damp under his fingers.
His free hand kept fiddling with the iron pendant over his shirt, the familiar shape a small comfort against the rising stress.
This wasn't the time to regret his choices. He needed to make better ones, starting now. He had to find a way out, or at least a way to survive the night.
He'd dropped his main supply pack a long time ago to run faster. All he had left were a few dry crackers in his pocket and his sword.
"I need to see if this cave has another way out," Arthur thought, pressing himself against one wall and shuffling forward.
Every step was careful. He didn't know this place. One wrong move could send him tumbling into a pit or straight into a dead end. The air grew heavier, and he could hear the faint, rhythmic plink, plink of water dripping somewhere nearby.
The path felt narrow, a tight squeeze. He could reach out and easily touch the opposite wall. It closed in on him, making the darkness feel even thicker.
"Water, hopefully," he mumbled, his throat dry.
On his neck, the small blue mark of his Fate, the knight's sword, pulsed with a faint, unsteady light. It was the only "light" he had, if you could even call it that. It cast strange, dancing shadows on the close rock walls.
He walked for what felt like a long time. Looking back the way he came, it was just impenetrable blackness. He couldn't tell how far he'd traveled.
But then, after maybe an hour of careful walking, his luck seemed to turn. A tiny glint of light appeared far ahead.
Hope flickered. Maybe there was an exit in that direction.
But just as quickly, caution took over. Arthur clutched his sword tighter. If there was an exit leading back into the forest, something could be waiting for him on the other side. Or something else could be using this cave.
As he got closer, the light grew, and so did his confusion. This didn't look like moonlight; the sun had set hours ago. Yet, the light he was walking towards was bright, almost as bright as day. It had a soft, green glow and felt… strangely comfortable. Even though he was exhausted, down to his last cracker, he somehow felt a little more energized, a little less weary.
The mark on his neck seemed to agree. It began to glow brighter, pulsing with a warm, almost burning passion.
"Aargh!" Arthur groaned, his hand flying to his neck. The mark suddenly felt hot, and mana started to move through his body on its own, a warm current spreading through his tired limbs.
As the mana swirled through him again and again, he felt the aches and pains in his scraped knees and elbows fade away, as if they were healing right before his eyes. In the faint green glow now reaching him, he could see that the cuts had closed up. If it weren't for the dried blood on his uniform, you wouldn't even know he'd been injured.
"An excess of mana! This place is a gold mine!" Arthur thought, a surge of excitement replacing his fear. Where there was great danger, sometimes there was also great fortune.
He picked up his pace. As he approached the source of the light, the narrow passage opened up, and he could see more clearly. With a straight path now visible, he hurried until he stood at the edge of the tunnel, peering out.
His blue eyes, reflecting the green glow, widened. His mouth fell open.
He was standing on a small rock ledge overlooking a huge cavern. This was a much bigger cave, vast and echoing, but it was completely empty of any animals or monsters he could see.
And the light… the light was coming from countless green crystals embedded in the walls, the ceiling, even the floor of the cavern. They pulsed with a soft, radiant light, bathing the entire space in an emerald glow.
"Mana Crystals! And they glow this much? This is worth a small fortune!" he breathed, staring in awe.
Mana crystals were rare and valuable. They were pure, crystallized mana. People used them to make powerful magical artifacts, or to quickly get back their own mana in a tough fight. To find so many, and so large…
And in the very center of the cavern floor, there was a small, still pond.
"Water!" Arthur didn't hesitate. He carefully climbed down the short drop from the ledge, landing softly on the cavern floor in front of the pond.
He looked at the water carefully, checking for any ripples or shadows that might mean something was hiding inside. The water itself was crystal clear, like glass, but Arthur didn't want to take any chances. He drew his sword and poked it into the water, stirring it around a few times before finally kneeling to take a long, deep drink. It was cool and fresh.
Arthur let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Good. I can rest here for the night. Figure out what to do in the morning."
All this time, he hadn't been sure how he'd survive without water. Now that he'd found it, and a safe place, he could finally set up a temporary camp and think about his next move.
As he sat down, leaning his back against a smooth, crystal-studded rock, the adrenaline from the chase finally wore off. Sleep, heavy and insistent, threatened to pull him under. Even with the energizing mana he'd absorbed from the cave, his body screamed for rest.
His eyelids fluttered, growing heavy. Drowsiness washed over him.
Slowly, he started to drift off. But just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt a faint, recurring tap-tap-tap coming from somewhere in the green-lit cavern.
With all his remaining energy, he tried to force his eyes open, but the world around him was blurring, the glowing crystals swimming out of focus.
He was too tired. His body refused to obey. But in the hazy green blur, he could just make out a dark shape standing near the pond. A silhouette against the glowing crystals.
"It seems," a soft, comforting voice said, "I have a visitor."