Free The Land: Catacombs (Chaos Seeds Book 4) by Aleron Kong

quite small. 
    Richter looked around.  The cave opened up widely after the narrow opening.  Moss-covered rocks lay near the entrance, and large stalactites hung from the ceiling.  He hadn’t known what to expect, but what he saw was more than a simple cave.  The moisture from the falls apparently made the perfect environment for fungus.  In Futen’s light, Richter could see lichen of varying shades and textures hugging most available surfaces.  Sion was already running around like a kid in a candy store, examining them and exclaiming over the properties each could convey. 
    “You were here before, weren’t you?” Richter asked, amused by his friend’s “oohs” and “aahs.”
    “Yes, but I just discovered it a day ago!  I also could barely see.  Only a small amount of light filters through the water of the falls.”
    Richter nodded and kept looking around.  The ceiling rose to fifteen feet above his head and the cave he was standing in extended back another hundred feet.  A small break in the ceiling allowed a cascade of water to fall through.  Richter couldn’t see any sky through the fissure in the ceiling, but he felt it was safe to assume that the water came from the waterfall running above their heads.  It fell into a small wading pool that in turn made a small rivulet that ran down the center of the cave until it flowed out towards the entrance.  Futen’s light reflected weakly off of the white marbled quartz.  The scene was one of untouched beauty.
    He realized that this might indeed be an ideal place to plant his garden.  It was well hidden, which could come in handy.  The villagers would most likely know of course—something like a crystal garden couldn’t be kept secret in a village like this.  Once one villager found out, gossip would ensure the rest would know soon after.  It would keep the garden secret from invaders, however, and that might be invaluable.  If they were raided again, it was unlikely any enemies would make it to the meadow and then have the foresight to explore the waterfall.
    He did not forget that his quest had specified that darkness was preferred when he planted the Focus Crystal, though.  The light entering the cave was weak, but he wondered if he might find a place of complete darkness further in.  He left Sion to keep examining the cave’s flora and walked to the back of the cave.  Richter hoped to find the most shadowed corner, but to his delight, he found much more.  A shadowy recess that he had taken to just be a fold in the cave wall actually turned out to be the start of a small tunnel.  He ordered Futen to dim his light and stay with Sion, then he cast Darkvision I.  Futen’s dim light and the small amount of sun that filtered through the water was somewhat painful, but as the remnant floated away, it became manageable. 
    Richter walked through the tunnel, which quickly narrowed in both width and height.  In six steps, Richter was hunched over.  Four more and he was in a three-point stance as he edged forward.  The slope of the floor also increased to a forty-five-degree angle.  Five more steps and a turn of the tunnel later, a bare wall confronted Richter.  The path didn’t end, though.  Directly above him was a hole with irregular edges.  Just by standing in the shortened tunnel he was able to get his head and shoulders above the edges of the hole.  Richter looked out at a large cavern that was in complete darkness.  It extended past the twenty-five-yard range that his Darkvision I spell allowed.  He didn’t see any other light, though.  This might be just what he was looking for!  Richter gave a small internal cheer at having found the perfect space to grow his crystal garden.
    That was, of course, right when the tentacle grabbed him. 

CHAPTER 5
 
    Richter was yanked up through the hole.  The tentacle had looped under one arm and back around his neck, giving whatever had him a firm grasp.  It whipped his body back and