With the initial awe settling into determination, Traebus knelt beside a cluster of the glowing minerals and began his analysis. He pulled a sharpened bone chisel from his belt and carefully chipped off a piece of the blue crystal, watching how it refracted the cavern’s ambient light. A faint hum pulsed through his fingertips as he held it—there was something in this material, some energy he didn’t yet understand.
He sighed, rolling the shard between his fingers. "I could spend years down here and still not know what half of these are. What they do, what they react with, what might explode in my face the second I poke it the wrong way… you know, the usual scientific method."
Dusk huffed, flicking him a mental image of one of his previous mishaps involving unstable alchemical compounds and a very unfortunate explosion.
"Yes, yes, I remember," Traebus grumbled, moving on to another mineral formation. "That’s the problem, though. This place—this world—has rules that I don’t know yet. I thought I was getting a handle on things, but after that dungeon and the talking book-bug, I’m starting to think we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s out there."
Sparky trilled, his tail flicking as he scuttled over a pile of metallic ore. He stopped, sniffed at something, and let out a sharp little chirp of excitement.
"Oh? What did you find, buddy?" Traebus strode over and crouched beside him. He ran his fingers over the raw material, eyes widening slightly. "Well, would you look at that—gold. And iron. Perfect."
Pulling a small pickaxe from his belt, he set to work collecting the valuable metals. Gold wasn’t just useful for decoration—it was one of the best conductors for magical energy. If he was going to rebuild his knowledge of magitech from scratch, he needed the right materials, and this was a solid start.
As he worked, he kept talking, half to himself, half to his companions. "I’ll admit, I came into this world assuming it was just about survival. Find food, build shelter, don’t get eaten by nightmare chickens or eldritch horror bugs." He paused, cracking off a chunk of raw iron before continuing. "But now? Now I’m curious. If there are ruins like that dungeon, if there are things like that insect down here, then what else is there? Who built all of this? How much of it still exists? And more importantly—how much of it can I get my hands on?"
Dusk flicked an impression of typical Traebus greed, but there was no real judgment in it—just an acknowledgment that this was who he was.
Traebus grinned. "Oh, don’t give me that. You know I’m right. There’s more to this world than what we’ve seen so far. And I plan to find out everything. I’m not just going to survive here. I’m going to thrive here. Build something new. Something better." He placed a hand on the cavern floor, feeling the pulse of untapped energy within the rock. "This is my home now. And I plan to make the most of it."
He finished loading his pack with as much iron and gold as he could carry, throwing in a few more unidentified crystal samples for later testing. He glanced back at Dusk and Sparky, who both watched him expectantly.
"Alright, boys," he said, rolling his shoulders. "We’ve got what we need for now. Let’s head back up. I wonder what the others are up to."
He frowned slightly, thoughts drifting to the ones he’d left behind—Tank, the murder chickens, the small elemental lizards. Had Tank managed to keep everything in order? Had the murder chickens tried to assert their dominance again? Was his base still standing, or had the universe thrown another ridiculous trial his way in his absence?
"I swear," he muttered, tightening the straps on his pack, "if I get back and find out they’ve somehow set the place on fire, I am going to start questioning my life choices."
Dusk flicked an impression of chaos at him, and Sparky let out a small, mischievous trill. Traebus sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get back before something dumb happens. Again."
With that, the trio turned toward the tunnel leading back to the surface, leaving behind the glittering cavern—but quickly realized their way back wasn’t as simple as they’d expected.
The tunnel entrance loomed ahead, seemingly the only way forward, so they proceeded cautiously. Traebus, not wanting to get lost in yet another maze of shifting rock, pressed his palm against the cavern wall and used his magic to carve a simple, glowing symbol into the stone. "There. Trail markers. This way, we actually know where we''ve been."
Dusk flicked him an approving impression, while Sparky trilled, watching the glow fade to a dull shimmer as the symbol settled into the rock.
They continued onward, marking their path at intervals, and for once, nothing strange happened. The glowing symbols remained exactly where Traebus had carved them, and the tunnel itself no longer had that eerie, unnatural smoothness. Instead, the rock was rough, uneven, and unmistakably real—like a proper cave should be.
Traebus exhaled, dragging a hand along the stone as they walked. "Well, that’s refreshing. No shifting walls. No disappearing paths. Just good old-fashioned tunnels. I almost forgot what normal feels like."
Dusk flicked him an impression of relief—even he preferred this over whatever unnatural force had shaped the previous corridors. Sparky trilled in agreement, hopping over a small jagged rise in the floor.
"Yeah, yeah, don’t get too comfortable," Traebus muttered as he continued marking their way. "If there''s one thing I’ve learned, it''s that peace and predictability don’t last long around here."
Still, as they pressed forward, the feeling of unease never returned. The cave was just a cave, and for the first time since they’d entered this underground labyrinth, Traebus felt like they actually had a solid shot at getting back to the surface.
With that, the trio turned toward the tunnel leading back to the surface, winding through the tunnel system as they searched for an exit.
It quickly became clear that navigating the caves was no easy task. They hit multiple dead ends, forcing them to backtrack time and time again. Some tunnels sloped downward into deeper, uncharted depths—tempting, but not what they needed right now. Traebus marked these paths for later exploration but refused to let curiosity sidetrack them.
Eventually, after what felt like hours of wandering, they found an upward-sloping passage. Traebus ran a hand along the rough stone and nodded. "This has to be it. Everything else either led nowhere or kept going down. Unless reality decides to mess with us again, this should take us up."
Dusk flicked an impression of cautious agreement, while Sparky trilled in hopeful enthusiasm.
Following the incline, they pressed forward, the air growing subtly lighter as they ascended. The natural rock walls felt stable, solid—no shifting corridors, no vanishing paths. It was just a tunnel, and Traebus was incredibly grateful for that small mercy.
Finally, they emerged into a familiar space. Or, at least, almost familiar.
They had returned to the cavern they had first entered from—but it was smaller now, only a few hundred yards across instead of the vast chamber they remembered. Traebus turned in a slow circle, taking in the jagged walls and lower ceiling.
"Huh," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "Either I’m going crazy, or this place is shrinking."
Dusk flicked a strong impression of dimensional shenanigans.
Traebus exhaled sharply. "Yeah. That tracks. Honestly, after everything else today, I shouldn’t even be surprised."
He threw his hands in the air. "Sure, why not? A dungeon that isn’t a dungeon, an architect bug, a bridge designed to murder me, and now a self-resizing cave. Makes perfect sense. Totally normal. Not weird at all." He shook his head. "I swear, this world gets stranger by the hour."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Dusk chuffed in agreement, while Sparky let out a soft, amused chirp.
Traebus sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Alright. Let’s get out of here before the walls decide to close in on us completely."
With one last glance at the warped cavern, he led the way toward the exit, ready to finally leave the underground behind.
As they crossed the cavern, Traebus spotted another tunnel leading upward on the far side. His chest filled with hope. "Alright, this has to be it. Everything else either led downward or hit a dead end. If we’re getting out, this is the way."
Dusk flicked a neutral impression of we will see, while Sparky trilled, ever the optimist.
They moved toward the tunnel, but just as Traebus was about to step inside, something caught his eye. A nearby stalagmite, oddly smooth compared to the others. The texture wasn’t quite right.
His curiosity got the better of him. "Hold up. Something’s weird about this one."
He redirected toward it, running his fingers over its surface. The outer layer was stone, but something about the way it reflected light didn’t sit right. He pulled out his bone chisel and gave it a solid tap. The tool barely chipped the surface, but the impact sent a dull, metallic ring echoing through the cavern.
Traebus froze. He exchanged a glance with Dusk, then carefully chiseled again, harder this time. The thin layer of rock cracked away, revealing an interior of solid, gleaming silver.
Except it wasn’t silver.
His breath caught in his throat. His fingers twitched, itching to confirm what he was seeing. He scratched away more of the rocky veneer, and the more he exposed, the more he was convinced he knew this metal. But that didn’t make sense. It couldn’t be here.
Finally, he whispered, almost reverently, "No. No way. This is—"
He took a deep breath and said it aloud, as if that would make it less impossible.
"Nekrium."
A metal so rare, it bordered on mythological in his world.
And it was just sitting here, hidden in a random stalagmite, waiting to be found.
Traebus’s mind raced as he took a step back and ran his hands through his hair. "Okay. Change of plans. We’re taking the whole thing."
Dusk flicked an immediate impression of Are you serious? while Sparky let out an incredulous chirp.
"Dead serious," Traebus said, already running calculations in his head. "This is Nekrium. Do you know what that means? No, you don’t, because it basically doesn’t exist anywhere. But trust me, this is the kind of thing wars get fought over. It’s strong, absurdly light, and conducts magic like nothing else. I’m not leaving it down here."
He pressed a hand against the stalagmite, tapping the exposed metal with his chisel. "I need your help breaking it loose. I don’t care how long it takes—we are getting this out."
Dusk sent a dubious flick of logistical problems, his gaze sweeping over the massive, embedded structure of the metal. Sparky, more concerned about the actual labor involved, scuttled over and gave the base of the formation a hesitant zap of electricity, which, unsurprisingly, did nothing.
Traebus’s expression hardened. He met both of their gazes, and for once, there was no humor, no casual bravado—just pure, unfiltered need. "This isn’t just valuable. This is everything. I can build things with this. Real things. Weapons, tools, structures. Things I couldn’t even dream of before. If I leave it, I might never find another piece of Nekrium again. We are not walking away from this."
Dusk let out a slow breath, his frills twitching, but after a long pause, he finally sent an impression of reluctant agreement.
Sparky, seeing that resistance was futile, chirped once and crackled with energy, ready to do his part.
Traebus grinned, rolling up his sleeves. "That’s what I thought. Now, let’s figure out how to rip this thing out of the ground without bringing the whole cave down on us."
The trio immediately set to work, trying everything they could think of to dislodge the massive chunk of Nekrium. Traebus used his chisel to carve at the surrounding rock, but even when he managed to break away pieces of the outer stone, the Nekrium itself was completely unfazed. He tried using mana to loosen the area around it, but the metal was so dense—both physically and magically—that his spells barely registered. Dusk attempted to wedge his claws beneath the base and leverage the weight, but the stalagmite refused to budge. Even Sparky, in a moment of misguided enthusiasm, blasted it with a full surge of lightning, which simply crackled over the surface without so much as leaving a scorch mark.
After what felt like an eternity of trying, Traebus stepped back, breathless and frustrated. "Okay. That’s it. I give up. This thing does not want to move."
Sparky trilled and hopped onto a nearby rock, shaking himself off. Dusk huffed, flicking him the mental impression of I told you so.
Just as Traebus was about to call it quits, Sparky suddenly perked up. He skittered over to the base of the stalagmite, chirping insistently before flicking his tail and sending out a tiny pulse of energy. Unlike before, this one wasn’t aggressive—it was controlled, focused, seeping into the cracks of the stone rather than striking it outright.
He blinked. "Wait. Are you saying… instead of breaking it out, we need to separate it?"
Sparky trilled again and flicked another pulse into the rock. This time, a faint hum vibrated through the metal, as if resonating with the energy.
Traebus’s eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, that’s brilliant.
Traebus knelt beside Sparky, watching closely as the little lightning lizard flicked another controlled pulse of energy into the base of the stalagmite. The Nekrium vibrated ever so slightly, as if responding to the stimulation.
"So it’s not about force—it’s about frequency?" he muttered, rubbing his chin. "We need to match its resonance. That’s… genius."
Dusk tilted his head, sending a dubious flick of this is a terrible idea.
"Oh, come on, it’s science!" Traebus grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Alright, Sparky, let’s step it up a notch. Keep doing what you’re doing—I’ll add a little more mana into the mix. Dusk, if this thing starts shaking violently, do not let me get crushed."
Dusk let out an exasperated huff but positioned himself nearby just in case.
Traebus pressed both hands against the rock and focused, channeling mana into a steady, oscillating frequency while Sparky continued sending controlled pulses of electricity into the stone. The hum grew stronger. The Nekrium’s surface shimmered slightly as the vibrations intensified, causing tiny fractures to spread across the base where it was still attached to the cavern floor.
The entire stalagmite gave a soft crack.
Traebus grinned. "That’s it! Keep it steady—just a little more and—"
A deep rumble echoed through the cavern.
Dusk flicked a very urgent impression of stop.
Sparky chittered and abruptly cut off his energy, darting backward as the stalagmite gave one last ominous groan.
Traebus sighed and yanked his hands away. "Alright. Maybe we fine-tune the process before we bring the whole cave down on our heads."
So they did.
For hours, the trio experimented with the resonance technique. They pulsed energy at different intervals, adjusting the frequency, carefully cracking and loosening the Nekrium’s grip on the stone. They took a break halfway through, sharing a meal of dried rations—during which Traebus gave the stalagmite a deeply possessive glare, as if daring it to reattach itself while they weren’t looking.
"If this thing somehow fuses back together, I will take it personally," he muttered between bites.
Dusk flicked an impression of obsessive hoarding, while Sparky trilled in what was definitely laughter.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the stalagmite gave one last groan of protest before snapping free at its base. The massive chunk of Nekrium toppled sideways, hitting the ground with a solid THUD that echoed through the cavern.
Traebus let out a victorious shout, pumping both fists in the air. "YES! I HAVE CLAIMED THE METAL! I AM ITS MASTER NOW!"
Dusk flicked a mental impression of deep embarrassment, while Sparky bounced around excitedly, clearly just happy that the work was over.
Then came the real challenge—getting it out.
The moment they tried to lift it, Traebus realized something important: Nekrium might be lightweight for its density, but that didn’t mean it was easy to carry.
"Alright," he grunted, straining as he tried to leverage it onto his shoulder. "New problem. This thing is… a lot heavier than I thought."
Dusk flicked an unimpressed image of him being crushed under the weight of his own greed.
"Oh, don’t start with me," Traebus huffed. "Help me move it or prepare to listen to me complain the entire way back."
With significant effort, grunting, and the occasional curse, the trio lugged the Nekrium slab toward the tunnel. Sparky, for his part, scuttled uselessly around them, trilling excitedly as if cheering them on while doing absolutely nothing to help.
At one point, Traebus lost his grip, and the metal slipped onto Dusk’s tail. The drake let out a deep, offended huff and flicked an image into Traebus’s mind of a very dramatic revenge scenario.
"Alright, alright, my bad!" Traebus wheezed, repositioning the slab. "See, this is why I need a cart! Or a pack mule! Or, you know, functional robotic arms—which, by the way, I could build if I had more of this stuff!"
Dusk ignored him and continued hauling.
It took what felt like forever, but finally—finally—they made it to the tunnel leading to the surface. As they stepped into the incline, Traebus sagged against the metal slab, breathless but triumphant.
""We did it. We actually did it." He turned to the chunk of Nekrium, running his hands over its surface with something bordering on reverence. "Look at you. Beautiful. Perfect. A treasure beyond measure."
Dusk flicked an impression of mild concern as Traebus practically drooled over the metal, his fingers tracing the smooth, impossibly rare material like a long-lost lover. "You were worth every second, every ounce of blood, sweat, and near-death experiences. I’d do it all again for you."
Sparky chittered in alarm, his frills twitching as he flicked a questioning pulse at Dusk, as if to say, Is he okay? Should we be worried?
Dusk simply huffed and flicked an impression of this is normal now.
Traebus sighed, leaning against the chunk of Nekrium like it was the most precious thing he had ever laid eyes on. "My beautiful, elusive metal. The things we will create together… you have no idea."
Sparky trilled in deep skepticism.
Dusk, unimpressed, shoved Traebus lightly with his snout, forcing him back to reality.
"Alright, alright, let’s get you home, my darling," Traebus murmured, completely unfazed as he braced himself to continue hauling the prize toward the surface."
Sparky trilled in amusement.
With that, they pressed on, dragging their prize toward the surface—victorious, exhausted, and entirely done with underground adventures. For now.