Heart of the Mine

Swimming in that narrow tunnel took Rino a long while and his flowy cape often got stuck on some rocks. Thankfully, it was tear-resistant.

Like how he ended up in the lagoon, Rino fell headfirst at the sudden drop and flailed ungallantly before landing with a huge splash. The water here was much shallower than the lagoon, and the height of the fall was a lot shorter than that cliff.

Rino paddled out of the small pool and dragged himself up to the cave floor while trying to get the water out of his skull's cavity. He opened his jaw, and the water came flowing out effortlessly, although that feeling was still very odd.

The squelching sound of water in his boots again made Rino sigh internally. He would resolve that later. For now, Rino took a look around with the help of dark vision. There was no longer any lighting here. However, Rino could tell that there was heat in this area.