Bat Attack!

A dragon.

That was what made that horrific roar.

They were beasts of legend, even rarer than the elusive druids. They were intelligent, territorial beasts that held immense magical abilities. Almost everyone believed them to be extinct as they hadn't been seen in decades.

And yet he had just heard one.

Whilst he was grateful for the dragon, as it had summoned its people away from him and allowed him a brief moment of solace, he doubted that the beast would want him to escape. If word got out that a dragon was in the Maw, the king might be tempted to send soldiers to the beasts' home.

A dragon's scales were incredibly durable, well almost everything from a dragon was incredibly durable. Their flesh was also said to provide longevity to those who consumed it. To say the least, the flesh, bone, and scales of a dragon were incredibly valuable.

If Osiris was in the dragons... claws? He wouldn't want any pesky soldiers invading his home so they could pick him apart. Though Osiris doubted that this particular dragon would struggle against even one hundred soldiers.

Judging from the volume of the roar alone, Osiris assumed that the dragon was colossal.

While he was pondering these thoughts, he noticed a nearly imperceptible shake.

Pulled from his reverie, he was met by a sea of white.

It was blinding and yet it would crush and suffocate all that was around it.

The bounty hunter gave a grunt of frustration at the avalanche. He commanded Dusk to move forward. The horse seemed to hesitate for a second, not wanting to slip on the ice. However, it seemed that the horse could tell that they would both die if they didn't move.

With the storm of white fast approaching, Dusk began to trot.

Rather slowly mind you.

Osiris pushed the horse forward, if they didn't go any faster they would be crushed within the minute.

Giving one last look to the mountain of snow that was barreling towards them, Dusk started a full-on sprint, Dusk slipped a few times almost sending them to their doom, and yet the horse somehow managed to keep itself moving.

Whilst indeed they were moving, they had no destination and no cover. If they didn't find a place to take shelter, they would inevitably be crushed and buried alive, no matter their speed.

The area of the mountain they were on was quite narrow, yet the incline was manageable. Allowing the horse to hold onto a precarious balance. If the horse were to slip too far, it could send them flying down the mountain.

The avalanche would be the least of his worries if that happened.

They continued to move at an almost alarming pace, however, it was warranted as the rumbling of ice and snow sounded just above them.

Osiris gritted his teeth.

Snow and ice began to fall upon the narrow trail.

Then, in his peripheral, he saw a small gash on the side of the mountain.

He steered Dusk toward the slit in the abyssal stone.

The gash was narrow, for a second he wondered if Dusk would fit.

Though perhaps it wouldn't matter as the wave of snow was almost upon him.

Then only a few moments before the torrential wave filled their path, they reached the cave.

Dusk paused despite their dire circumstances. The cave was completely void of light, it was all-consuming and made Dusks' instincts flare up, almost forcing the horse backward. Yet this was only for a moment.

The horse dashed into the dark alcove.

Just as they entered the cave, the sea of snow and white crashed behind them. The entrance to the cave was swiftly blocked, a small bit of debris finding its way into the cave. Any hope of leaving the way they came in was thoroughly buried.

There was also no light. Dusk was completely blind and she didn't seem to like that, shifting uncomfortably.

Dusk was able to see.

Barely.

Everything had magic. Including the rocks, though the amount of magic inside the stone was minuscule, almost no magic was trapped when the rock had formed. Because of the druid's eye, he was able to see the contours of the cave, though it was almost like wearing dwarven welding goggles.

He attempted to lead Dusk, yet it seemed the horse was rooted to the spot. He pulled Dusk a little harder and, with considerable effort, managed to tie Dusk to a stalagmite that was protruding from the ground.

He would have to leave Dusk here while he found a suitable way out. She seemed happy to oblige. Before he left, he fed her a few apples and a fair amount of water.

He hoped he wouldn't be too long.

He set off, walking in the almost complete darkness.

The air around him was stale, though it was most certainly damp. He came across the occasional puddle which glowed a little brighter than the stone around it.

He tried to make as little noise as possible though it seemed like that was impossible as caves caused the noise of his boots to echo.

He walked for almost seven more minutes until two diverging paths made themselves known. They looked almost identical in dark. He decided to take the one on the right, after all the right path is the right path... right? For a second he thought this crazy idea had worked when he saw a small hole in the wall. However, it seemed that it simply wasn't to be as the hole would barely fit Osiris, let alone a horse.

He turned around, planning to try the other fork when he saw a bright glowing shape fly at him. It let out a short, high-pitched shriek as it flew at him.

Dodging in the cramped cave was difficult but he managed to evade the critter's claws.

Osiris turned to view the shimmering shape, seeing it turn around he drew his blade. He readied himself and watched as the bat-like creature charged at him once more. In its divebomb, the bounty hunter skewered the bat. It let out one final screech as it fell, seemingly surprised at its death.

It seemed that the druid's eye was more useful than he anticipated, allowing him to see where creatures were in the dark. Their magic being far brighter than the surrounding stone.

Osiris then made his way back to the fork and took the left path. He supposed right wasn't always right.

Wondering the path, Osiris soon came across more shimmering bodies.

It seemed there were more than just bats he had to contend with.