Rae blocked the door of the cave with silk and a few entangled branches, while Remi blew snow up against it to make it look like it had been that way for some time. That was good enough for their disguise, as the tunnel ran deep into the rock, just as Hawk had promised.
And it was a tunnel, and not a natural cave, as it was carved with a smooth arch to the ceiling, and alcoves every five metres along the wall that had likely once held lanterns of some sort. The sight put everyone on edge, in case this was another trial instance, or home to some sort of intelligent monster.
The good caves, like this one, would normally be claimed by something, and there was no telling how nasty that thing might be. So, they were cautious as they made their way deeper into the complex, and into a chamber where a set of long forgotten houses stood petrified, coated in mineral stone from the dripping water.
“Hey, look at this. I think that is Dwarven writing. There haven’t been Dwarves here in a thousand years. Not since the Frost Giants betrayed them and they fled the continent.” Lotus noted as she gestured toward some runes written at the entrance to the cavern.
“Do you have any idea what it says?” Karl asked.
“Nope, I can’t read Dwarf. But if my memory is right, it should be some sort of protective spell to keep monsters out of their village, and the livestock in. It usually didn’t target humans because we’re not a threat, but your Companions might have to stay in your space when we go in and out.” She replied.
Tessa looked around the cavern. “And that means there is another tunnel to check. There are always two ways in and out of a Dwarven Village, even one this small.”
There were only five houses, and a few smaller outbuildings, so this might have been a way station along a trade route and not a proper village, but the Dwarves were meticulous, and they would have made a second exit that led to a different side of the mountain.
Karl nodded. “Alright, stay close and try not to damage anything. This place feels like a museum, and I’m certain some historian will love to hear that it’s still intact. If the houses are still in good shape and empty, we can bunk in one of them, if not, we will set up out in the open.”
Tori looked at him strangely. “Why would you think that there might be something intact in those houses? It would take hundreds of years for the dripping water to coat the roof in deposits like that. One of them has turned into a proper stalagmite.”
Karl smiled. “I grew up in the mines. There were always old men joking about how we were digging so deep we might find Dwarves, and how they made their furniture of stone, so they could pass it down to their grandchildren in a few hundred years.
I don’t know how true that is, but it seems like it might be possible. Look at the fences. They’re all stacked stones, carefully cut to interlock.”
The other tunnel only took a minute to locate, as the designers weren’t trying to hide it. But there would be no threats from that direction, as the tunnel had been carefully blocked over with cut stones. However, the stones weren’t the same as what was in this cavern, it was a different sort of granite, darker, and with a faintly pink inclusion in it.
“What’s got you staring at a stone wall so hard?” Lotus asked as Karl paused to take it in.
“The stone comes from deeper in the mountain. I think they bricked it up from the other side.” Karl explained as he ran his fingers over the cool stone.
“A holdout against the allies of the Frost Giants?” Tessa suggested.
“Possibly. But, if it’s still standing and undamaged, we should be safe here. I don’t see any bones, campfire rings or other signs of previous uncivilized inhabitants.”
If this really had been a holdout against the Frost Giants when they sent their allies against the Dwarves, it could be a very valuable safe spot for them. It was deep in the mountain, secure, warm even without artificial heating, and there was plenty of room for anything they might need to bring inside.
“You look like you’re considering a long-term residency.” Tessa noted as Karl surveyed the area.
“It’s not a bad idea. The front lines are unlikely to move too much, so we will remain within striking distance of the Frost Giants for some time. They’re going to be pissed about their valley, but they might not be able to do anything about it now that it has exploded. That’s a real shame, you know. Remi wanted that big stone for her space. It would have made a great decoration.”
Tessa laughed at Karl’s reply, but Lotus looked intrigued. “You know, there was a big fancy stone behind the Naga Shaman boss in the Dungeon. I wonder if they were the same sort of stone? If we get to another dungeon, we will have to see if that stone appeals to her as well.”
Karl led them back to the nearest house, whose stone door was sitting wide open. It was dusty, but the roof hadn’t leaked, and the interior was intact, as well as being almost all stone, as Karl had suspected.
The beds had been carefully made when the last resident left, and the decayed remains were still there, though moss was growing on them, giving off the faint luminescence common to plants that grew in the underground caverns of the Dark Elven City inside the Dungeon.
“I thought that they would have packed and taken everything with them. I guess not. It would take too much time and cause too much damage to the artifacts to sleep inside. Rae, can you set us up a fort and hammocks outside?” Karl requested.
Rae popped out of her space, then looked around for a good spot. There were a number of stone pillars supporting the ceiling of the cave, so she picked one of those to build at the base of, pulling from all sides, so the weight of the people in the hammocks would be evenly distributed, as if it was a flexible tree that she was worried about toppling.
Then she returned to her space to rest. There was still light coming in from above, reflected through a crystal that lit up the cavern with the afternoon sun.
When it started to get dark, she would come back out again, but for now, it was time to nap.
The group was thinking the same thing, so Karl led them to a fire pit in the backyard of one of the houses. It had a metal grill plate over half of it, and it was obviously intended to be for cooking, with an adjustable hangar for your pot on the other side.
“This is fancy. Get that stoked up with your lucky blade and I will start on dinner.” Lotus informed them as she admired the way that the metal of the griddle hadn’t corroded even after a thousand years.
It would need a good cleaning before it could be used, but she wasn’t planning to use it anyhow, she was just going to put her pans on it once it was hot.
Karl activated [Flame Body] on his spare short sword and went to place it in the pit. But the moment that the fire touched the stones, the pit roared to life, creating an evenly distributed fire through the whole pit.
Karl removed the blade, and the fire went out, enthralling Lotus.
“Just use the skill in the pit. I think you will be able to control it directly. That had to be pretty convenient for whoever made this place.” She suggested.
Karl extended the [Flaming Body] skill into the pit, which required him to touch it to get it started. But when he removed his hand, he could still control the skill, and the pit stayed burning.
“Alright, we really are set now. Cook to your heart’s content, and we will rest here for a day or two.”
Dana and Lotus smirked at each other.
“Don’t you think this reminds you of something? Like when you accidentally broke something of your mom’s and then hid until she calmed down?” Lotus asked.
“Or ate a cupcake from the batch that was supposed to be for the church potluck.” Dana agreed.
