Dreu spent the next week resting before he resumed his spelunking. While he hadn’t given up on dealing with the sorceress, the young man needed more confidence in their chances of success. The loss of Brornun reminded him how quickly things could go south and how weak he really was. Following the loss of Brornun, he had to rely on Marun to serve as the frontline. The netherbear was pleased with the decision as she wanted some action. She stated that she wasn’t satisfied with defeating the groups of underworld creatures and beings. Therefore, Dreu thought of a plan that could kill two birds with one stone. He would have his bats lead the way to a random tunnel occupied by snakes. Marun would get her chance to fight and Dreu got to assess their ability to fight. If he felt they were ready, then they could delve deep until they reached the underground lake.

  Scaled ones are up ahead!

  With the warning from Bartok, Dreu unsummoned the bats and led the way with his staff. As soon as he sensed the presence of the snakes, he swapped positions with Marun so the bear could take the lead. Then, a slaughter ensued as the snakes were helpless against Marun. Their fangs couldn’t get through the bear’s strong defense while their bodies were slashed through easily by Marun’s claws. In a matter of minutes, the hundred or so snakes were killed with the survivors fleeing.

  Let’s go deeper!

  Okay, but we’ll let the bats scout the way for us.

  The young man wasn’t taking any chances. He saw how easily Marun defeated the snakes but he also saw the underworld creatures in the tunnels. He had no way of confirming if there were other hitching posts or ways for the underworld to send more of their numbers. The bats were small so they were harder to detect and more evasive during their flight. Most importantly, the cave was their natural environment so they were best suited at scouting. If things went well, they could eliminate a lot of snakes before they called it a day. The kills might not even the playing field but the odds were becoming more and more in their favor.

  Dreu, I want a challenge! These snakes are too boring!

  Given the development, Dreu had the group withdraw back to Isonron. Further planning wouldn’t help them much due to how little they knew about the tunnels. Therefore, he packed up supplies for multiple days before he led the group back down. He relied on the bats’ best judgment on where they should go. Once all that was decided, they delved deep into the mountain. After the first few encounters, the snakes were wisely staying out of their way as they withdrew before further combat arose. A few hours later, the group set foot in a massive underground cavern.

  Where is this?

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  This was our home.

  According to Bunted, the cavern served as the home for the bats for many centuries before the snakes drove them out. Since then, none of the bats thought they could reclaim it, especially when the snakes had such an overwhelming advantage. In a matter of hours, Marun completely turned the tide. Unfortunately, the bear felt bored and was considering a long nap unless Dreu got her a formidable foe. After much persuasion and the promise of fighting a powerful sorceress, the bear was finally convinced to keep going. Along the way, they captured a snake who, under coercion, shared the location of the underground lake. Following the snake’s directions, they arrived in an underground cavern much larger than the ones the bats called their home. Except for a small beachhead, the rest of the cavern was covered in water. Some unknown feature on the cave walls provided a dim light, providing them some visibility of their surroundings with the need of his staff.

  Azurys, please see if you can spot anything under the water surface.

  While the bat did her scouting, only Marun ventured to the water. She sniffed at the water before taking a large gulp of water. Despite her reassurance, no one wanted to take the chance of getting dragged into the water by some giant sea creature. Ragellon’s stories at midnight had them think twice about getting close to an unknown water source in the demonic realm.

  I cannot detect anything. The lake is really deep at parts so I cannot see what’s at the bottom.

  Before Dreu could say anything, Marun began swimming in the lake, to the horror of the others present. At times, she dived underwater for a minute or so before she resurfaced. Surprisingly, she wasn't attacked even once and she reported that she spotted no foes. Much of the lake floor was empty of life and features. As Marun was reaching the other end of the lake, she suddenly reported that she sensed something magical. Maru then dived down, ignoring Dreu’s plea to approach with caution.

  Damn it! She’s so overconfident after fighting those snakes. Now she thinks she’s invincible.

  Behind us!

  Zog’s warning got Dreu turning around in time to behead a snake that lunged at him. While they were focused on the lake, the snakes had blocked the only exit to the cavern. With Marun gone, the snakes were more emboldened with their advances. The young man quickly organized their formation now that Marun was missing.

  Ilveroz, you serve as the frontline for now. Zog, provide cover fire. Aggich, only put curses on those that get through and can launch an attack.

  Dreu then joined Ilveroz as they kept the enemy at bay the best they could. The snake numbers were overwhelming, forcing the group to withdraw to the beach. With the extra space, the young man summoned Keth, Xig and Ror into the battle. Meanwhile, Dar waited behind him on standby should anyone need healing.

  Their numbers seem endless. Is there really no end to all of this?

  Dreu, snakes are coming through other openings and approaching us from the lake. What do we do?

  Dar’s warning was the worst case scenario. The lake really opened up the battlefield, putting his group in an unwinnable situation. Once encircled, they would be overwhelmed even faster.