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The Knight had been lost in Deepnest for what felt like days. Its map had been shredded and lumafly lantern smashed by a dirtcarver in an ambush, and was now reduced to wandering the depths of Deepnest aimlessly hoping to find an exit. Navigating the caves was practically impossible, the lack of any distinct landmarks in the spider-filled pit making it easy to get turned around and lost. The Knight was low on strength, infected bugs attacking from all sides, the dark seemingly getting darker, all with no end in sight. And in spite of the Knight’s supposed “emptiness”...
The Knight was scared.
The skittering noises and shadows cast by the glowing mushrooms that covered the ground and walls created an unnerving atmosphere that shook the Knight to the core. The words subconsciously ingrained into its mind couldn’t stop it from fearing its surroundings, and for its safety. The nightmare just wouldn’t stop, every time it seemed like there would be an exit the Knight found itself somehow even deeper into the tunnels of Deepnest. By now, any sudden attack could mean its demise.
The Knight’s (forbidden) thoughts were interrupted as it attempted to hop over a pit of spikes while traversing the caves. As it soared through the damp air, it very quickly realized that it wasn't going to make it all the way to the platform, and began to flail in the air in terror. It missed the platform and barely managed to grab onto it with its claws, scrambling and digging deep into the rock in a desperate attempt to hold on. The stone cracked under the grip of the vessel, and if it could speak it would have certainly been screeching.
In a flash, a strange sense of horrible deja vu sent a chill down its spine, and in being suddenly caught off guard, began to lose its grip on the platform. Its empty heart dropped as one claw slipped, leaving the Knight dangling by one limb, causing it to thrash its legs in a panic. This panic only caused it to slip further. In a last-ditch effort to survive, it unsheathed its nail with its free hand and stabbed the blade into the platform.
With the nail jabbed firmly into the rock, the Knight was able to yank itself up onto the platform, and rolled over onto its back to relax for a moment. The continuous skittering made it difficult to calm down but eventually it managed to regain its composure and lifted itself up onto its legs. If it could let out a breath like a normal bug, it would’ve let out a long sigh.
Looking over, the Knight spied an alcove in the wall that led into a deeper tunnel and decided that it would likely be safer than being out in the open over a pit of spikes. With no hesitation, the Knight jumped over to the alcove, which was a much smaller jump than the jump that had almost ended its life. Landing on much more solid ground, the Knight peered into the tunnel. None of the glowing mushrooms that usually inhabited Deepnest were present, leaving the tunnel completely pitch black.
Despite its trepidation, the Knight’s wanderlust took over and it decided to venture into the tunnel. The shift in light level was immediately clear once entering, and the skittering noises that had been plaguing the vessel’s mind all throughout the journey through Deepnest had disappeared. It was silent, dark, and unnerving.
By the time the Knight was starting to regret entering this tunnel, the darkness had caused it to lose its way back after taking a few forks in the road. It was now stuck in an even worse hellhole than the rest of Deepnest. A deep-seated terror gripped its heart, now realizing how great of a fear it had of the dark. From where this fear came, it didn’t know, but it was shaking feverishly as it slowly walked through the tunnels.
The only noises that echoed around the Knight were the sounds of its steps on the stone, the eerie silence almost deafening. After a torturous period of stalking through the tunnels and taking different forks in the road, the Knight came to a dead end. As it was about to turn around and make its way back, a very quiet scratching noise startled it. Immediately unsheathing its nail, its head darted around, looking for the source of the noise, but found nothing, as the darkness made it impossible to see. After a tense few moments, the Knight reluctantly sheathed its nail and began walking again.
Only for another scratching noise to ring out.
Again on edge, the Knight looked around more, but once again couldn’t find anything. The scratching happened again, and it began to walk forward in a panic. More scratching, and the Knight began to pick up the pace. After more and more scratching, it was practically sprinting down the tunnels, taking turns without direction. The darkness combined with sheer panic the Knight felt made it impossible to navigate.
Suddenly, its leg got caught on a stone, sending it tumbling to the ground. Lifting itself up and looking up, the crushing darkness seemed to get even darker, closing in, ready to annihilate the Knight’s senses. All the while, the scratching increased in frequency. It felt like reality might collapse. It was so dark, dark, dark, dark. Can’t reach the light, falling down, down, down.
The Knight passed out as a piercing screech echoed through the tunnels.
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The dirtcarver let out a piercing screech as it was impaled by Hornet’s needle. With the vermin dead, Hornet looked over the unconscious body of her sibling. Sighing, she lifted the vessel over her shoulder and began heading her way out of the tunnels. She’d drop it off at the Distant Village stag station, hopefully it wouldn’t be too confused when it regained consciousness. Poor thing.