After the numerous close calls following the opening of the Deepmines, it was only rational to be wary when opening up yet another long-sealed cave leading to who-knows-where. At least, that was what Raznus thought, as he supervised what he thought to be an ill-advised tunnelling project, this time carefully aimed away from important Overworld landmarks, and instead aimed to the south-east, going around Gothos Tower to beneath the mountains that cut off Perim from the rest of the world. None laid claim to that place, for up top the land beyond the mountains was little more than a blasted heath whipped by wind and an unspeakable force that drove travelers mad, and down below the caves were treacherous and any tunneling was bound to run into its fair share of impassable rock and unexpected lava pools and gas leaks. Not that it would stop a well-equipped squadron of Danians from digging there.
This particular tunnel had already been dug out, many solens ago. For reasons unknown, the tunnel had been caved in and abandoned, until the recent circumstances led to it being reevaluated. The Danians couldn't pass up a potential emergency exit, should the other tribes get too bold. Letting the drill operators do their work, Raznus spoke to Odu-Bathax, who was leaning on the wall to watch the entrance of the cave, as he had been trusted to help defend the expedition.
"One has to wonder why they sealed up this cavern."
"Whatever made 'em do it, they did a good job," Odu-Bathax grumbled, crossing one pair of arms and unconsciously rubbing them against his thorax as he spoke, letting out the raspy noise of great annoyance, "It's taking days to get rid of all this rubble. This better be worth it."
"Well, it looks like we're about to find out, look!" Raznus said, smiling as he watched the last of the debris fall away, revealing what looked to be a door. His smile fell as he shuddered internally; nothing good ever came from an ancient sealed door.
The silvery gray door was decorated with elegant stone carvings of vines and stylized beetle wings, in the center of which was a symbol of what looked to be a six-winged, headless scarab topped with four prongs on the top forming a crown. Raznus and Odu-Bathax shared a look of confusion, and perhaps worry. Neither the Mipedians nor the Underworlders often made use of symbology pertaining to such lush vegetation as was depicted, and the Overworlders scarcely ever made use of insect imagery. And yet, it was nothing like the rugged utility or bold, colorful sense of aesthetics of the Danian tribe, nor the strange underwater themes of the M'arrillians.
"Great, another forbidden door," Odu-Bathax huffed, and reeled at Raznus, who was busy studying the stonework of it, "You mind not admiring it for one second? We have to report this to the queen!"
"There are claw marks," Raznus said simply.
A silence befell the battlemaster as he processed the old ambassador's words. The mandiblors quieted their work, clearing the cavern of debris, to listen in on the conversation, and even the squadron leader couldn't help but eavesdrop.
"What?"
"There are claw marks." Raznus pointed to the edges of the door, even raking his own claws along the lines of the gouges in the stone. "Whatever led to this cavern being sealed, it seemed to be in quite the rush to close the door."
"Oh that isn't ominous at all…" the battlemaster said sardonically, taking a moment to lean against the door, before it jerked under his weight. Odu-Bathax jerked his hand away as a mechanism turned out of sight, the door slowly rising and loosing yet more dust and debris from the cave. The dust cloud stung the danians' lungs to the point of coughing and brought tears to their eyes, but as it settled, they peered carefully into the strange new place.
The first thing they noticed was the cold wind; though not exceptionally strong, it bit at the faces and antennae and carried strange white flakes along its gusts like a snowstorm underground. The walls of the expansive cavern seemed to be made up of enormous fossilized insect carapaces fused into one stony mass, many bigger than Odu-Bathax himself, and between some there were strange, glowing white roots poking out of the wall alongside more mundane dead ones.
"Well," Raznus said, his voice echoing through the cavern, "At least it's not polluted water."
Odu-Bathax wondered how disappointed the young queen would be if he punched his mission leader.
"Okay, mandiblors," the battlemaster called out, "Search the area!"
"Might I suggest the two of us go with them?" Raznus said, "Perhaps we'll find something more recognizable that way."
"... Fine," he pointed to a cluster of mandiblors with their squad master, "You guard the entrance," he pointed to the portion of mandiblors to his left, "You lot are with me; we'll check the higher tunnels. And the rest of you, go with Raznus to the deeper tunnels."
As each party set about to their individual assignments, though none dared to say it aloud, deep in their shells, the Danians could feel that they were being watched.
...
The upper tunnels near the entrance offered many a mystery, but little danger besides the difficult climb. The tunnels were tight and often lined with spikes, and in many cases the floor had been made slippery with the corpses of what appeared to be dead bugs, ranging from the size of a Danian's head to the size of one's abdomen. The battlemaster let the mandiblors poke curiously at the dead animals, largely because he too was curious.
"It kind of looks like a deflated balloon," one mandiblor said, flipping over one carcass to inspect the other side, its numerous wings crumpled from the fall they assumed had killed it. A lot of these things looked like that, if Odu-Bathax had to be honest; many of these creatures looked like they had been at one point bloated past the limits of their shells, and all of a sudden deflated, all at once. Stains of what may have been pustules gave him a hint of what had befallen them; some sort of sickness? He hoped it wasn't still around, if it could infect insects to such a horrifying degree.
"Sir, up here!" the squadleader called from above, "You might want to take a look at this!"
When Odu-Bathax squeezed himself through, he took in the grim sight the squadleader stumbled upon. It was a tent, modestly sized compared to most creatures, situated in the middle of a large cavern. The tattered canopy was dusted with the not-snow, and beneath that were the remains of two distinctly insectoid people, and their personal effects. Though clearly not Danian, he had to emit at least a little discomfort was to be had to find such a scene, especially with the similarities in their peoples' decay. Who knew how long these two had been there, unnoticed?
"Search the bags," he ordered, "Don't mess with the bodies, though. We don't know what got to them, but I don't want us to be the ones to find out."
...
The lower tunnels, however, presented a much greater mystery than any camp of dead settlers could pose.
Though there was little in the way of difference between the discoveries made by the higher tunnels party in terms of encounters with dead animals, the lower tunnels' party found themselves faced with a cave blocked by yet more of those strange white flakes. Raznus didn't even have to ask when the squadleader ordered the mandiblors to start digging, and while it was yet more of the same work they had been doing for days, it was much easier with the dust than the heavy rocks further out. When it was fully excavated, they found a room scored with scratches from numerous blades, and traces of a strangely thin, yet strong thread clinging to the walls and ceiling.
It was when they passed this hidden arena that the former ambassador and his party found themselves overwhelmed by a sense of dread, stumbling upon that outwardly looked to be a colossal worm's carcass. Spikes jutted out of its mouth almost like the teeth of a lamprey, or perhaps a crown. Though his mugic ability had waned in his assimilation, Raznus could feel the power in his bones; he had seen plenty a large corpse in his lifetime - the Underworld was scattered with the remains of gigantic monsters, after all - the aura of this dead creature made his insides squirm with tension.
"Whatever this used to be, I don't think it died," he spoke aloud, and nodded to the mandiblor squadleader, "Take a look at the remains, but don't go too deep. If it's been sitting here for a while, we can't guarantee its structural integrity."
He had a feeling that whatever remained in these tunnels beneath the wasteland, it would not tolerate a disrespectful intrusion.