Chapter 130 - Going In (Beast Den 2) (1/2)
After gathering up everything they would need, at least as far as they knew, Laz and Vivi headed out once night fell. They both felt that operating at night would be safer since they didn't want to be seen.
Vivi had been watching the well off and on for the past two weeks and she had not seen anything come outside, so they still had no idea what they were going up against.
After making their way to the well, Laz put down the two duffel bags worth of items and began to pull stuff out of them. Normally Laz wouldn't wear boots since they interfered with his movement too much, but for this endeavor, he made an exception. Other than that, he had packed an armored motorcycle jacket, studded finger less gloves, and semi-thick, Kevlar-laced, leather pants. Strangely enough, riding equipment was the most economical thing he could find. The goal was to have some sort of armor that he could use, but it wasn't like armor was something that was easily obtainable. Even if you wanted to get body armor, such as a bullet proof vest, you needed to work for law enforcement or have the proper connections, neither of which applied to Laz. Laz quickly slipped on his holster and checked to make sure Last Rites was loaded before changing his clothes.
Besides the clothing, he had also packed several lengths of rope, two climbing pickaxes, a couple flashlights including head band ones, the two oxygen tanks and the oxygen monitoring device along with a couple of rolled up sacks in case there was something to bring out like demon beast meat. After thinking things through, these were the best few things he could afford to take with him to account for the most issues. If something popped up that they couldn't deal with, the last thing left they could do would be to get out and block up the tunnel and the well and inform the government about the issue. Although Laz didn't want it to get to that point, he wasn't going to let whatever was in there to run free either.
After conforming that Vivi was ready, not that she was packing anything, he tied a rope to a nearby tree and with Vivi curled over his shoulders, proceeded to climb down the well. Laz didn't have a problem with claustrophobia, but even he felt a little cramped in the well that was barely five feet in diameter. Using his sense and Vivi's guiding, he quickly made it to the cave opening that had opened up above the water line. Leaving the rope to hang free as it was the only way they were getting back up later, Vivi sniffed the strange white fog that was rolling around the opening before Laz tried to breath it. If the fog appeared to be dangerous, they would immediately cancel the whole thing since the small tanks Laz bought were only good for about 110 breaths worth of air. That was hardly enough time to do anything as they were suppose to be for emergency use.
The strange thing was, the more Vivi sniffed the fog, the more excited she seemed to become.
”What's wrong?” Laz asked.
*Come sniff this.* Vivi said, jumping down and standing just inside the opening.
Laz brought his face closer and closer until he was able to sniff in just a little. Once the milky white fog came into his body, Laz felt a cooling sensation rush all throughout his body. Breathing in a couple more times felt almost like he was sucking in an almost liquid like form of energy. It wasn't nearly as concentrated as the strange pond or weird flower form where he used to live, but it was much more gentle and easy to circulate throughout his body.
Laz felt like if he could breath this stuff everyday, he would progress at an astounding rate.
”What is this?” Laz asked, feeling excited but confused.
*I don't know. But at least we know it's safe to go in.* Vivi said as she turned around and started walking. Laz was just a few steps behind her. Due to the narrowness of the well and the cave opening, she was still in her tiny form, making it much easier for her to move around.
Walking in, Laz attached a light to his head, illuminating the dark corridor. Although he and Vivi both had their spirit sense spreading out, with the dense energy fog in the air, it was almost impossible to grasp the layout ahead for more than a few feet.
As they walked father on, the cramped passageway started expanding till it was almost ten feet in diameter, allowing for them to walk side by side as they made their way in. They both seemed to think of something at the same time but Vivi voiced her thoughts first.
*Where did those creatures go?*
Laz didn't know how to respond and stayed quiet. After walking for almost 10 minutes, they found a rather large rock that seemed to block the tunnel. The strange thing was that there appeared to be a glow coming from the other side of the rock. There was very little clearance between the rock and the cave walls, so for the moment, they were stuck. After a brief mental chat, they decided to try to push the rock out of the way.