BXBX NOVEL Chapter 99: Rescue Mission I - Surprise
One frigid morning, as the snowflakes danced in the air, Garnt stood at the village centre. His breath formed puffs of vapour in the cold air, and his warm fur cloak fluttered in the breeze. The villagers gathered around, their faces etched with worry, for a massive storm was brewing on the horizon.
Gundo, with a concerned tone, said, "Garnt, the hunting team hasn\'t returned, and the storm is getting worse. They might be in grave danger."
Garnt, his strong and reassuring voice, replied, "Don\'t worry, Mother. We\'ve faced tough winters before, and we\'ve always come through. I\'ll go find them and bring them back safely. I know they are tough enough to survive any hard conditions."
Rona, Ayra, and Unami exchanged glances, their eyes filled with admiration for their brave leader, as well as worry. "We\'re coming with you, Garnt," they declared in unison.
Baktou and Kiriah, Garnt\'s adopted brothers, stepped forward. "We\'re with you too, big brother," they said, their loyalty unwavering, but Garnt didn\'t want everyone to participate, so he just took Rona and Unami and a few other villagers asking others to remain in the village.
With his loyal companions by his side, Garnt headed out into the blizzard. The storm raged around them, swirling snowflakes obscuring their vision. The wind howled like a vengeful spirit, but Garnt pressed on, leading his determined group through the relentless snowdrifts.
As they journeyed into the wilderness, they encountered freezing rivers and treacherous terrain. Yet, Garnt\'s indomitable spirit never wavered. He knew his village depended on their return.
[Winter is really not helping us with our projects. I just hope this ends quickly.]
Even Eva was done with this bad weather, despite not being able to feel any coldness. Because of her lack of physical body, she took all of the sensations she felt through Garnt and the idea of having to survive through it didn\'t really feel right to him.
Hours turned into days as they scoured the wilderness, following the faintest tracks left by the missing hunting party. At last, their determination bore fruit. They found the missing hunters, frostbitten and weary.
Their faces pale from exhaustion and the freezing cold. The hunters had indeed been injured by a wild snowbear that had attacked them, leaving them unable to move.
"Move quickly and help them!" Rona shouted, as she didn\'t want anyone dying.
Without hesitation, Garnt and his group gently placed the injured hunters on their backs and shoulders, securing them as best as they could. The weight was burdensome, but their determination to save their fellow villagers drove them forward.
As they exited the cave and looked back, Garnt noticed that the fresh footprints they had followed were now almost entirely erased by the relentless snowfall and only bloodstains remained. They were left with only a faint sense of the direction they needed to head in. Garnt\'s brow furrowed, sensing that their situation had taken a turn for the worse.
"That animal who attacked our hunters might be nearby, we should be careful," Unami muttered, but just then, a loud, thunderous noise rumbled from the mountains.
The ground beneath them trembled, and the sound echoed through the snowy wilderness. Rona spoke up, her voice filled with concern, "That sounds like a massive animal, like the one we encountered before in the mines. It cannot be a small animal."
Eva, however, was quick to dismiss the notion.
[No, it\'s not an animal, ]
She said, her face etched with worry.
[It\'s something much worse. We need to run from this place, now! A huge landslide is coming]
Garnt exchanged nervous glances with the others, trusting Eva\'s instincts. The ground continued to shake, and the rumbling grew louder. They knew they had to leave the injured hunters behind and make a desperate escape.
With the injured villagers still on their backs, they turned and ran, their footprints leaving a path through the snow as they made their way back towards the direction that was supposed to be the correct way.
As they ran, the sounds from the mountains grew more intense, and the very earth beneath them seemed to shift and quake.
"What\'s happening?" Rona shouted in fear, and her first instinct was to protect Garnt, but soon she saw the whole mountain behind them coming down in full force.
"Let\'s go and hide there, we can\'t escape this fast enough." Garnt knew it might be a bad idea to jump into a hole, but the last thing he wanted was for them to get buried underneath a huge pile of snow.
Rona, her grip tight on Garnt\'s hand, kept looking back in terror as the avalanche of snow and debris cascaded down the mountainside. "Hurry!" she urged, her voice quivering with fear.
Unami, equally terrified, stayed close, clutching Garnt\'s other hand. They were a team, and in the face of this catastrophe, their unity was the only thing that gave them the strength to move forward.
The hole was just ahead, and as they reached it, they could hear the deafening roar of the mountain closing in. Without hesitation, they all leapt into the opening, plunging into the darkness.
"Did all of our team get in?" As soon as Garnt landed on the floor, without even caring about his own safety he was concerned about his people.
"Yeah, we are okay, Garnt," Rona shouted, as the sound of the landslide was too much for them to talk normally.
Just as all of them landed inside, the entrance was sealed shut with a final rush of snow and ice. The world outside was obliterated by the whiteout, leaving them in eerie darkness, with only their shallow breaths and the distant rumbling to break the silence.
Garnt, still holding Rona and Unami\'s hands, whispered, "Stay close. We have to see where this leads." He began cautiously advancing into the tunnel, feeling the icy walls around them. It was cold, damp, and unsettling, but their only choice was to press on.
\'Garnt, is this really okay? We don\'t even know where this might lead us." Unami asked, since she was worried but even Garnt wasn\'t confident enough to answer. He couldn\'t say for sure that they would find an exit at the end of this tunnel.
As they ventured deeper into the tunnel, the three of them couldn\'t help but wonder what force had created this escape route since it was quite wide. They had no answers, but for now, it was their lifeline, their only hope of survival in the face of the mountain\'s relentless fury.
They kept advancing following Garnt as their lead, he couldn\'t help but notice that the oppressive darkness was slowly giving way to a faint, ethereal light. It was as if the very walls of the cave were radiating a soft, bluish glow. The cavern opened up before them, revealing a mesmerizing and exotic sight.
"This is!" He was pleasantly surprised, even Eva had no words to say as it might be one fo the most beautiful and strangest things she had ever seen.
The once foreboding darkness transformed into a breathtaking underground oasis. Before them lay a vast, open area, resembling a huge, natural lake. Steam rose from the hot waters, giving the air a pleasant warmth, and the ceiling of the cave was adorned with countless stalactites that refracted the sunlight in a mesmerizing dance of colours. It was a hidden paradise, hidden deep within the mountain.
The ground was covered in a thick layer of soft, white sand, and a variety of peculiar, luminescent plants and fungi illuminated the surroundings. The atmosphere was filled with a sweet, earthy fragrance that was both soothing and invigorating.
As they took in the remarkable scene, Garnt\'s eyes were drawn to something truly extraordinary. In the centre of the underground lake, a colossal ice block stood like a frozen monument. Inside this icy cocoon was something that defied explanation.
Garnt approached the ice block, his breath misting in the warm air. The object within was gigantic, easily the size of a small human kid It was shaped like an egg, and the ice surrounding it was incredibly thick and clear, allowing him to catch a glimpse of what lay within.
His heart pounded with wonder and curiosity as he examined the mysterious egg-like object. It emitted a faint, otherworldly glow of its own. Garnt couldn\'t fathom what it might be, but one thing was certain: it was like nothing he had ever seen before.
"What in the world is this?" Garnt muttered, his voice filled with awe and amazement. The others gathered around, equally baffled and intrigued by the enigmatic discovery. As they stared at the colossal ice-encased egg, they couldn\'t help but wonder about the secrets it held and the story behind this hidden, underground sanctuary.