Chapter 34- a perilous time in the Forbidden Cave of the Treasures of Vanity
On the Narnian Moon
The quest-goers who had gone to the Narnian Moon to retrieve some lunar mushrooms for the potion were on their way to the exclusive place where said mushrooms grew: the Forbidden Cave of the Treasures of Vanity. Much like the Garden of Youth on the land, the lunar mushrooms were incredibly exclusive, were the property of the Creator of Narnia and were ONLY for use for special purposes. However, unlike the Garden of Youth which was on the surface and surrounded by a massive wall of hedges with only the golden gates being the legitimate entrance, the lunar mushroom garden was underground, hidden away in a compartment in the very bowels of the Forbidden Cave but the same rules applied. In fact these rules applied to ALL the Nine-Realms Potion ingredients. They were NEVER to be consumed for personal gain. The lunar mushrooms were edible but they were NOT like ordinary mushrooms. Though they can be harvested as an ingredient for the Nine-Realms Potion as they WERE one of the nine essential ingredients for this potion anyway, the lunar mushrooms also had other exclusive uses. However, no Human hand had EVER touched these exclusive mushrooms for no Human had EVER visited the Narnian Moon in the history of Narnia. The Narnian Moon was only accessible via the Bifrost Transporter and that transporter was too dangerous and lethal for Humans to use.
The lunar mushrooms' habitat, the Forbidden Cave of the Treasures of Vanity, was right in the middle of one of the Moon deserts far from any town or city on the Narnian Moon. The Moon Men and other inhabitants have invented a variety of transport modes to traverse long distances of their home domain such as steeds using the highly exclusive dumb beasts endemic to the Moon, or transport machines which came in two types: wheeled machines that were no different in their design plan to the vehicles Humans used either back on the Narnian land or on Earth, or the hovering machines which had no wheels and instead glided over the land though they could not actually fly in the air. The Forbidden Cave's location was within an area of rugged terrain that rendered machine and steed transport unsuitable so to access here, transport on foot or natural wings were the only option. The lunar mushroom quest-goers which included young Centaurs Cyllene and Beni, Beaver, Talking Pigs Woody, Straw and Brick and a few Rabbits including one named Dandelion entered the outskirts of the Cave's area with their escorts, a group of Grey Men led by Asgard, Blue Men Cerula (called a Blue Woman) and Adonis, and three additional escorts who were of a species called a Lumino Sprite, or Lumino for short. Lumino resembled glowing bipedal Humanoid creatures with rounded heads, long rabbit or donkey-like ears rising upward from their head sides, spiky forehead crests, mitten-like hands, long cat-like tails and black and white eyes. Lumino did not have the same body shape. Some were thin, some were chubby and some were short and some were tall. Lumino not only dwelt on the Narnian Moon but in the Celestial Domain with the Star People, Aurora Sprites and other inhabitants and also in the Abyssal Area under Narnia's sea and even in Bism. The most common colour for Lumino was white but other colours included yellow, bright blue, lavender, orange, red and even sea-green which was one of the rarest. Though they were called Lumino Sprites, Lumino were not actually Sprites in the same sense as Aurora Sprites, Pyros (Fire Sprites), Dryads (Earth Sprites), Sylphs (Air Sprites) and Naiads and Nereids (collectively called Undines and were Water Sprites). The trio of Lumino were two males and a female. the two males were both white with one of them being tall and thin and the other being short and the female, neon blue and slender. These Lumino were some of the drivers of the Narnian Moon vehicles and had helped transport the lunar mushroom group to the Forbidden Cave's vicinity. However, they had to park their vehicles and leave them on the outskirts for the terrain around the Cave was too rugged for them to drive on. Several other Lumino and two Grey Men stayed behind to look after the vehicles while everyone else in the group continued to the Cave. Not all the quest goers were here. A few of them, such as a number of the Rabbits, had chosen to remain behind in the village as they felt they couldn't manage the overwhelming temptations the Cave's caverns had due to some of their ancestors' reputation of being dishonest cheats and trouble bringers. However, the rest of the Rabbits including Dandelion had chosen to come to the chagrin and uncertainty of many of the others including Beaver and also their escorts.
As the group ascended a small and rocky hill, the Cave's entrance came into view.
"Here we are," said one of the Lumino, the tall, thin white male, "There's the Forbidden Cave of the Treasures of Vanity's entrance and Guardian."
The others came up around him and gazed at the Cave's entrance. The entrance of the Cave was unusual. Unlike most cave entrances Beaver and the others had come across during their travels on the land, their home, this Cave appeared to have a face and head. That face and head was shaped like a Giant's head but its eyes were closed as though it was asleep. However, its mouth which formed the entrance to the Cave was agape.
"That's the entrance, Estrello!?" Cyllene blurted out in surprise, her thumb pointing to it.
"Indeed it is," said the tall, thin, white Lumino named Estrello as he helped one of the Rabbits up to the top of the hill, "It's also the Guardian of the Cave."
Cyllene gazed at the Giant-like 'head' in wonder. Nearby, one of the Rabbits spotted something in the distance.
"Guys, is that an Arrow-Tongue over there?" he said and pointed a paw at it. The others followed his paw point and picked out a form. This form had two thick legs, a wedge-shaped head and a hulking body and tapering tail. A long snake-like appendage ending in a spear-like tip extended from what appeared to its mouth, shook at the air and then returned to the mouth like a Snake's forked tongue.
"It's an Arrow-Tongue," said Cerula, "Looks like it's hunting tha' Gyrosprinter over there."
The others turned their gazes and saw a strange-looking creature as it grazed the strange silvery surface of the desert. It appeared quadrupedal and was shaped like an antelope but its head consisted of two mandible-like structures arranged vertically and curving inward such that their tips met. A tongue-like appendage extended from this 'head' and reached to the floor.
"It may look like it walks on four legs but it in fact 'as two," explained Cerula, "Its front an' hind legs are fused t'gether t' allow better running an' sharper cornering t' escape predators like th' Arrow-Tongue."
Suddenly, the Arrow-Tongue launched into a sprint after the Gyrosprinter and within moments, a typical predator-prey chase started.
"Look at that creature just swerve at the last minute..." cried Straw as the others cried in excitement and awe. The Gyrosprinter was indeed swerving at the last minute each moment the Arrow-Tongue got close. The creature dashed along in a straight line until the Arrow-Tongue was close to its fused hind legs but before the predator could jab its spear-headed tongue into its prey to bring it down, the prey immediately cornered sharply to avoid the attack. The Arrow-Tongue was forced to turn sharply and pursue its prey but eventually, it gave up as the incredibly agile Gyrosprinter galloped off into the distance.
"Looks like that Arrow-Tongue's dinner is cancelled," said Brick with an amused smile.
"What an INCREDIBLE sense of balance that Gyrosprinter had," said Straw.
"That Arrow-Tongue certainly had little chance in catching it," added Woody.
"Most of our fauna don't see in the 'regular' light like we do," said Adonis, "They see in the heat area of the light. The Arrow-Tongue is too aggressive to be tamed as a steed but that's not to say that it's not impossible."
"A visiting Star Person from the Celestial Domain had managed to tame an Arrow-Tongue," said the female neon blue Lumino, "We had a war with a small army of Black Dwarves that had come here from your home the land via the Bifrost Transporter and had attempted to plunder some farms of our crops for their own selfish uses but the Star Person had driven them back to earth with his Arrow-Tongue steed which proved more than a match for those black bearded intruders."
Beaver and the others gazed at the Lumino in awe at the story before the group resumed their trek to the Forbidden Cave's entrance and Guardian.
Some more of the strange flora and fauna on the Narnian Moon included Stilt-Roots which were strange trees shaped like cones that grew on roots resembling stilts and kept their bodies off the lunar ground; Skewers which were giant flying creatures resembling a cross between Pterosaurs and a flying human vehicle called jet engines with a long lance-like nose which they used for impaling and eating prey; Electroshrooms which resembled giant mushrooms that zapped prey that came near; a silver Jelly Ocean which, unlike an ocean of water, was an ocean of some sort of bizarre organic jello on which some Narnian Moon fauna like Ocean Walkers lived, and Grovebacks, giant creatures that buried themselves in the Narnian Moon's surface with their tops exposed, their backs possessing tree-like 'plants' which absorbed the light from the Narnian Sun when the Narnian Moon was in the correct position in relation to it. The Groveback had a Talking Form and was one of the few Narnian Moon fauna to have a Talking Beast form. There was a lot of other flora and fauna on the Narnbia Moon but it would take me too much of the chapter to write so back to Beaver's group.
Beaver and company continued towards the Forbidden Cave's entrance. However, the trek was difficult due to how rugged and rocky the terrain was, but the terrain towards the Cave entrance was smoother, the rocky terrain melting into the smoothness towards the Cave in a gradient. As the group continued towards the Cave, Beni gazed at Asgard.
"Has anyone ever visited the Cave for the mushrooms for purposes OTHER than the Nine-Realms Potion?" the young male Centaur asked.
"Yes but less than ten times in our history," replied Asgard as he nearly stumbled over a rock. Even though he was an experienced escort, rugged terrain was one of his most difficult problems. "One of those few times was to cure a few casualties that had been struck down with highly venomous arrows and darts laced with Lizard-Man, Basilisk and Manticore poison fired from those Black Dwarf intruders and three Lumino had to journey into the Forbidden Cave to get some lunar mushrooms to help cure the poisoning of those casualties."
"It's obviously a different sort of poisoning to the one our High King is suffering from back on our home land," said Beaver as he helped Straw over some rocks, "Our reason for being here is to get some lunar mushrooms for him but as an ingredient for the exclusive antidote."
"Can the consumption of the mushrooms for selfish reasons like reap dire consequences?" asked Straw.
"Yes," said Asgard seriously, "They may give you what you want but they will also severely poison you and destroy you from the inside. Eventually, you succumb to the poison in a short time. It cannot be cured, not even with fire-flower cordial."
"It's quite analogous to how eating an apple from the Garden of Youth in our land can get you what you want but you also reap horrific side-effects," said Cyllene.
"These Nine-Realms Potion ingredients pretty much have th' same effect on selfish consumers but 'n different ways," said Adonis, "The Garden o' Youth apple doesn't kill you, but i' can make you EXTREMELY an' UTTERLY unhappy for one an' give you a set of unpleasant weaknesses for another. Some ingredients like th' lunar mushrooms an' th' corona-flower on the Narnian Sun, however, can."
Dread came upon Beaver and the others.
"We must NOT eat of them then," said Dandelion.
"Absolutely NOT," said Cerula seriously, "Those mushrooms can be as deadly as th' tempting treasures in th' initial compartments of th' Cave that you MUST travel through. You must make sure t' NEVER take ANY o' them t' your lips or beak, or you'd face unpleasant an' fatal consequences."
"They are for High King Peter's antidote after all," said another Rabbit.
"These Nine-Realms Potion ingredients were NEVER meant to be consumed for selfish reasons," said Asgard, "They are the property of the Creator of Narnia and he has put those horrible side effects into them for a reason."
Beaver, Cyllene, Beni, Woody, Straw, Brick, Dandelion and the other Rabbits gazed at their escorts with nervous dread and some of them shuddered. Obtaining ANY product that was an ingredient of the Nine-Realms Potion was VERY serious business and the products themselves were incredibly dangerous as mentioned before. Due to how dangerous these products were, guardians had been appointed and devices had been built to protect the areas in which the products grew or were produced from anyone who would DARE use them for selfish purposes with deadly consequences alongside. Then the group continued to the Cave's entrance.
As they neared the Cave entrance and the Guardian, Asgard began to give the instructions properly to the group.
"Right, once you are about to enter the..." he began but then he saw two of the Rabbits talking and tittering. The lead Grey Man got cross. "Excuse me; I'm trying to talk here! This is VERY important that EVERY SINGLE one of you listens to these VITAL instructions. Either I give those instructions or we'll have 'trouble' talk instead, now PAY ATTENTION or you'll be HEADING BACK to the vehicles."
As he said this, Brick nudged the two Rabbits to get them to listen and they snapped out of their silly conversation and gave Asgard his due attention. Asgard then prepared to explain the instructions.
"Good. Now, once you're on the rim of the Cave's entrance, that Guardian will give you further instructions which you MUST follow and abide to throughout your time in the Cave, from the moment you enter through when you pick some of the lunar mushrooms to when you exit. This is a VERY serious and perilous expedition you're about to undertake and you will be faced with INCREDIBLE temptations throughout the way. However, you all must remain fixated on your goal and keep each other fixated on it and NOT give in to those temptations. If any of you do, it will NOT be good for you OR your group. Understood?"
"Yes, Asgard," said Beaver and the others. Trepidation made their nerves shudder. This was indeed an incredibly risk undertaking and it was the riskiest quest they, especially Beaver, had EVER faced. Even getting Peter, Susan and Lucy to Aslan paled in comparison to this quest. Then Estrello came forward. In his mitten-like hand was a strange white stick.
"Here," the tall, thin, white Lumino, "This is a guide stick that glows brighter the closer you are to the lunar mushroom chamber. Make sure you DON'T lose it as the Forbidden Cave of the Treasures of Vanity has many winding tunnels and forking passages."
"Yes," said the short, chubby white Lumino, "It is your ONLY guide in those tunnels and if you lose it, you could get hopelessly lost."
"And make sure that you all stay together as well, which is CRITICAL," put in the neon blue female Lumino. Beni took the stick and volunteered to be the one to hold it while the three Pigs prepared a sack to hold the mushrooms. This sack had straps so that it can be carried like a rucksack. Then within moments, the group was ready to begin the most dangerous part of their quest, traversing the Forbidden Cave of the Treasures of Vanity and all the temptations that were stored within. The group approached the entrance when suddenly; the earth rumbled and shuddered, startling the group.
"It's just the Guardian stirring," assured Asgard, "Just get prepared to listen to his instructions."
Beaver and the others looked around until their eyes landed on the eyes of the entrance Guardian. Its eyes were now open and from those eyes, a vivid blue-white light glowed. Those glowing eyes, which were laced with suspicion and sternest, then travelled down to the group of a Beaver, two Centaurs, several Rabbits and three Pigs waiting at its lip. The escorts stood back. Then a voice sounded from the entrance to the Cave, the Guardian's mouth. This voice sounded like a low, windy growl, like thunder and winds and the group flinched as it jolted their nerves, and a literal wind gusted out of the mouth and ruffled the fur and hair of the group. The Rabbits' ears wavered and Cyllene clasped her hands on her hair as it flapped like a hairy flag. Some of the smaller Rabbits hid behind Beni and Cyllene to their slight annoyance.
"Who goes there and why have you come?" growled the sandy Giant's face. Beaver stepped forward and gathered the courage to answer.
"We're quest goers from the Land Domain... and we have come to pick some lunar mushrooms to make the Nine-Realms Potion for our High King... who is badly poisoned," explained the Water Rodent nervously. The Cave Guardian glared at Beaver's group for a moment before relenting.
"Proceed into the Cave," the low, growly voice sounded, "Touch nothing but the lunar mushrooms and do NOT eat ANY of the lunar mushrooms for yourselves," and with that, its jaws flared open to reveal its 'throat' which was actually a tunnel leading to the Cave system underground. Beaver, whose fur ruffled like grass in the wind, then got prepared to lead his group into the dangerous cave.
"Right, here we go, gang," said he, "Let's find those mushrooms and be out of here. Remember to stay together at all times and NOT to touch ANY of the treasure."
The group then took their first steps into the cave, some of them trembling and clutching the other members. Beni went ahead with Beaver, his glowing guide stick clutched in his hands and ready to use it as a search and guide light to the mushroom chamber. The escorts looked on.
"Remember, be VERY careful and do NOT let those temptations overwhelm you," called Asgard once again as the group entered the cave fully.
The group descended down the throat and gullet of the cave which was simply a single tunnel until they came to a passageway. Through the doorway a golden glow was present. Beaver followed the glow and guided the others to it. Beni held his guide stick which only glowed faintly for they were some distance from the mushroom chamber, their destination. As the group entered the next compartment which was MASSIVE, they were greeted with an AMAZING, AWSOME sight of treasure. Piles and piles of glistening, golden coins extended as high as the ceiling. Countless plates, ingots and a WIDE variety of chains and jewellery made from the purest gold and rare metals were present, as were colourful crystals and gems of the purest and rarest sorts.
"Look at THIS," breathed Beni in awe, "Martian back home wasn't kidding about this treasure when we did that meeting."
"Just my paw-ful of this stuff would be enough to make ANYBODY wealthier even than our Kings and Queens," said Beaver, before seriousness at remembering how dangerous this treasure and its temptations were, "But we should NOT be focussing on this gold and jewels. Our most important focus is the mushrooms, now let's go."
Suddenly, three of the Rabbits were FLOODED with overexcitement and they launched into a sprint towards one of the gold coin piles to the ALARM of the others including a few of the more sensible Rabbits. However, before they could dive into the gold, Beaver SCREAMED at them to stop at the top of his lungs. His shout penetrated their mist of greed and stopped them DEAD and just in time. The three Rabbits then glared at Beaver as he came to rebuke them.
"Don't TOUCH ANY of this stuff," the Water Rodent scolded.
"Yes, not even a paw on a SINGLE ONE of these forbidden items," added Cyllene.
"Yes, it is DEADLY," put in Woody, Brick and Straw nodding in agreement. The three Rabbits sourly folded their arms and reluctantly complied. Beaver then resumed everyone's attention to the main goal. "We gotta find those lunar mushrooms and be out of here before ANY of us succumbs to the temptation to touch this stuff."
With that, the group ventured on with Beaver and Beni at the front. Beni clutched his guide stick and kept an eye on the brightness of the device. Cyllene gazed at the surrounding pillars and piles of Forbidden Treasure with dread. While the treasure was indeed attractive and appealing, there was a clear danger about it and Cyllene even felt that the group was in the jaws of a giant predator.
"It's dangerous in here after all," the young Centaurette murmured.
"That's it's because it's called the Forbidden Cave of the Treasures of Vanity," said Dandelion.
"We KNOW, DANDELION!" snapped the others irritably, making the oldest son of the Rabbit who fell for Belladonna's trap flinch. Then Brick came forward, a serious and SEVERE look on his face.
"You keep your younger siblings in line throughout the ENTIRE perilous trip in here and out, Dandelion," the Pig said in a low voice, "I can see they're at SERIOUS risk of succumbing to the temptation presented by the Forbidden Treasure and could any time do just that and endanger ALL of us... AND High King Peter in addition, as the Nine-Realms Potion needs ALL NINE ingredients to work."
Dandelion nodded and promised to keep an eye on his troublesome siblings and with that, the group ventured on and exited the large treasure-stuffed compartment. The group passed through more treasure-filled chambers, all of them except a few of the Rabbits on edge due to the dreadful danger posed by the walls and pillars of treasure present and Dandelion kept a close eye on his siblings whose eyes flickered to and fro at the piles of glistening gold flanking the group. One time, he had to scold a brother to keep his paws to himself when he tried to touch a ruby and that had sent alarm tearing through the others in the group. This was indeed a perilous quest. If any one of them, at ALL succumbed to the temptation and seize ANY of the treasure, it would be all over for them and High King Peter. Fearfully and itching to get those mushrooms and be out of this cave, the group continued, Beni with the guide stick at the front with Beaver and the guide stick's glow getting brighter and brighter as the group neared the lunar mushroom chamber.
The group continued through more caverns and chambers filled with yet more tempting treasure. They ventured down a wrong tunnel at first until Beni realised the glow of the guide stick fade, prompting the group to turn round, retrace their steps to the start and take the correct path. The trip took the group further underground and time and time again, some of Dandelion's siblings kept coveting the treasure, their desire to seize some of it for their own use boiling dangerously within them and at one point, they pestered the others including Beaver could they have some of the treasure to which Beaver and the others HARSHLY snapped "NO! Get a control of yourselves NOW or you'll DOOM US ALL AND OUR HIGH KING!"
This rebuke worked on the Rabbits and put them back in line but only for a short time. A few minutes later, the temptation would manifest itself within them once again and Dandelion was beginning to falter in his ability to keep his troubled siblings under control. Further, the rebukes were becoming less and less effective in dowsing the fires of the temptation within these bothersome Bunnies to seize the treasure and that prompted the group to accelerate their quest to the lunar mushroom chamber.
Eventually, Beaver and company arrived at the very chamber they were looking for. Beni's guide stick glowed very brightly which indicated that the group had come to the correct place.
"I think this is it," said Beaver as her gazed at Beni's brightly glowing guide stick. Then Cyllene took in a breath of awe as she gazed at the enormous and beautiful cavern. The ceiling and some of the walls were decorated with a swathe of blue-white stars but these weren't actual stars like in the night sky. These 'stars' were 'cave stars' and resembled the cave glowworms that decorated some of the caves in our world except these weren't glowworms. Stretched out before the group was a shallow pool; its water so pure and clear that one could easily see the bottom of the lake. It was though the water was nonexistent due to how incredibly pure it was. Dotting the pure water lake were elevated stones arranged in a curly line, like stepping stones. Across this lake of near-invisible water was another rock and on it grew a cluster of glowing blue-white sticks with umbrella-like caps on their tops. Beaver saw them.
"I think that's them over there," the Water Rodent said, "Let's go over there and harvest some of them and get out of here before ANYONE of us succumbs to the temptation of the treasure."
"I've been feeling tempted to take a handful of those coins myself," said Beni nervously. Suddenly, the group flinched as Woody's voice squealed, "SHUT UP ABOUT WANTING TO GET RICH FROM THIS TREASURE, RABBITS!"
Beaver, Cyllene, Beni and two of the sensible Rabbits whirled round and saw the three Pig brothers struggle to deal with the ever-rebellious Rabbits as they argued with them. Then Straw released a MASSIVE grunt to startle the Rabbits into silence. That worked and the rebellious Rabbits folded their arms sourly like stubborn children that could not get their own way. Dandelion came in sheepishly but he flinched from the annoyed glares from Brick and Woody as Straw then commanded the sour-faced Rabbits, "Now you will STAY there and BEHAVE until we have obtained some of those mushrooms. Understood?"
None of the Rabbits replied. Then Cyllene came in.
"I'll help Dandelion keep an eye on these troublesome Bunnies while you go over there and get some of those mushrooms," said the young Centaurette. Brick, Straw and Woody nodded and with that, Cyllene took up her post with Beni and the other two sensible Rabbits to keep an eye on the troubled Bunnies while Beaver and the three Pigs went across the lake to the mushroom garden.
The four went one at a time across the lake via the stepping stones though Brick slipped and his back feet went into the pure water in a small splash. However, it had no effect to his relief and the four continued though Brick had a pair of wet back trotters to deal with but he wasn't least bit concerned about it. Cyllene, Beni, Dandelion and the other Rabbits watched on but then one of the female Rabbits turned to her left and her eyes landed on a pile of golden ingots lying by the entrance to the lunar mushroom cavern. Immediately, the fires of temptation ignited within her and her eyes inflated with awe and coveting. Cyllene turned to check the Rabbits to see if they were behaving when she noticed the young Doe gaze longingly at a pile of glistening golden slabs. Alarm tore through her as the fire ignited. Beaver and the three Pigs then arrived at the other side of the lake and approached the mushroom garden, Straw preparing the sack. While they did this, Cyllene rushed over to the Rabbit Doe as she rushed towards the pile of ingots and seized her but the Rabbit, the UTMOST desire to take one of the ingots fought back. Then Beni and the two sensible Rabbits came in to help and within moments, an altercation erupted. Dandelion and the other Rabbits stood looking on timidly. Beaver and the three Pigs then gazed at the mushrooms, briefly stunned by their beauty. These mushrooms were pure white and emitted a beautiful white glow. Their caps were speckled with neon blue spots and their edges were fringed with silver. They were quite large, the caps being the size of dinner plates.
"Right, let's pick some of these," said Beaver and with that, Straw and Woody brought forth the sack, its mouth held open while the Water Rodent wrapped his fingers around the stalk of the first mushroom which was pure white with no markings. However, as they did this, the altercation's noises seized their attention and pulled it back to the entrance.
"WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE!?" bellowed Brick angrily but then his, Straw's, Woody's and Beaver's anger flashed to horror when they saw what happened next.
Cyllene struggled to restrain the female Rabbit but then the Rabbit, overcome with rage at being restrained from the ingots and her desire to be rich from the treasure, plunged her buck teeth into the Centaurette's arm. The Centaur girl released a WAIL and seized her bit arm while the Rabbit Doe escaped and surged towards the ingot pile, fuelled by a frenzied desire.
"NOOOO!" cried Beaver. Too late, the Bunny's paws seized one of the golden slabs, her eyes sparkling at her prize. The moment this happened, a booming snarl shook their air... and the group's horror.
"INFIDELS! YOU HAVE DISOBEYED THE COMMAND NOT TO TOUCH THE FORBIDDEN TREASURE! NOW YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY THE ULTIMATE PR-I-I-I-ICE!"
Beaver and three Pigs shot horrified gazes this way and that as did Cyllene, Beni and the Rabbits including Dandelion and the foolish Doe as the cavern began to shake violently. The cave stars on the ceiling flashed from blue-white to an angry blood red and rocks began to fall from above. Immediately, Beaver seized one of the large lunar mushrooms, picked it from the special lunar soil from which the mushrooms grew, and hastily shoved it into the sack held by Straw and Woody. He then seized three more mushrooms and shoved them into the sack as well. This done, the two Pigs closed the sack and the four began to make their hasty return across the lake back to the others. Rocks rained down from above and splashed into the water as the Beaver and the Pigs hopped from one stepping stone to the next and the clear water began to boil, its temperature rising rapidly such that it became impossible to put a leg or hand in. As the water's temperature rose, bubbles began to churn in it furiously. Woody scorched one of his front trotters when he overshot his jump to the last stepping stone before land, accidentally dipping his left front trotter into the boiling, madly bubbling liquid. Back at the entrance end, Beni and Dandelion rushed to save the Doe as a pile of rocks fell around her but it was too late; the rocks sealed the Doe's fate and the pair was pulled back by Cyllene and two other Rabbits to prevent them from meeting the same fate. Then Beaver and the three Pigs appeared, the sack containing the four lunar mushrooms and Woody with his scalded left front trotter held off the floor as it was too painful to walk on.
"RUN LIKE THE WIIIIIIND!" cried Beaver and with that, the group began to make their hasty return journey and run for their lives as the lunar mushroom cavern continued to crumble and collapse. The lunar mushrooms, however, were protected by a magical barrier and were not buried or crushed by the falling rocks.
The tunnels shuddered violently and the solid rock underwent a frightening transformation to soft sand. It was though the rock was disintegrating at the molecular level and rapidly and within moments, the tunnels became tubes of shifting sands that was practically near-impossible to walk on, much less run. Furthermore, falling solid rocks and rocks-becoming-sand balls added to the dangers and difficulties of the group's escape. Cyllene clutched her bitten arm and was in agony from the Rabbit's bite but the urge to escape being buried alive spurred her on; the treatment of her injury would have to wait. The group continued through the disintegrating tunnels and chambers, the piles of treasure also collapsing and becoming like molten magma and metal. Beni seized one of the Rabbits by the ears as one of the collapsing treasure piles-turned-lava nearly engulfed him. More disintegrating tunnels and caverns lay ahead of the group and they tore through those though the rapidly softening floors made running more difficult and eventually, the sands had seized an opportunity in catching two unfortunate members. As the three Pigs rushed along, the floor under Straw, who carried the sack of lunar mushrooms and Woody, suddenly gave way and the two Pigs were caught in a pit of sinking sand and falling rocks. The two Pigs squeaked loudly as they struggled to get out of this trap and within moments, the pair realised they had no chance of escape due to the immense power of the trap, especially Woody due to his injured foot. Brick and Beaver stopped and turned to them in horror.
"STRAW, WOODY!" cried the pair together. Cyllene, Beni and the Rabbits also stopped but Beaver barked at them to get moving, which they reluctantly did. Straw, as he and Woody continued to be dragged into the jaws of the sand deathtrap like in an antlion pit, seized the sack containing the four precious mushrooms and hastily took it off himself.
"HERE, THE MUSHROOMS for HIGH KING PETER'S ANTIDOTE, BEAVER!" cried the Pig and with that, he threw the sack with his mouth to Beaver as Woody was dragged to his death in the shifting sandpit, a squeal exploding from his mouth. Beaver seized the bag and put it on himself but as he did, Straw was dragged to his death as well, a falling rock finishing the job. Brick saw his two brothers' demise and released an anguished wail. However, the grieving will have to wait as getting out of here was their top priority. Beaver tackled into Brick to get him moving and he did.
Outside the entrance to the Forbidden Cave, Asgard, Adonis, Cerula, Estrello and the others with them looked on in horror as the Giant's head-shaped entrance writhed and thrashed. However, they had already drawn the obvious conclusion. The three Lumino gazed worriedly and with dread into the trembling and unstable entrance for Beaver's group. However, before they could give up all hope of Beaver's group making it out alive, Cerula's voice exploded, "THERE THEY ARE!"
The three Lumino gazed into the cave and saw several forms rush for the entrance in a storm of disintegrating rock. The group hurried for the entrance but on the way, a rock fell and slammed onto Beaver's tail, stopping the male Water Rodent and the sack of precious mushrooms in his tracks. Beni and Brick shot a horrified look at Beaver's predicament while Cyllene and the remaining Rabbits hurried for the exit. Then Beaver was about to remove the sack from his shoulder to pass it to Beni upon realising his dire situation.
"Here, take these mushrooms and MAKE FOR THE ENTRANCE!" cried the Beaver and with that, he handed the bag to the pair. Beni and Brick exchanged a quick glance and rushed to the stuck Talking Beaver, not wanting him to meet the same fate as Straw and Woody. Brick seized the sack in his mouth and dashed off while Beni lifted the rock with ALL his strength to free Beaver's tail.
"IT'S UP, MOVE YOUR TAIL!" cried the young male Centaur and with that, Beaver did so. Then Beni released the rock but then he felt a burning sensation on his rump. The Centaur cried and wailed as a small droplet of molten treasure lava had landed there. Beaver tackled into his side to get him moving and the pair rushed for the entrance as it continued to disintegrate and collapse, the Guardian releasing a loud snarl as it did. At the entrance, Cyllene, Dandelion, Brick who had the precious bag of four lunar mushrooms and the other Rabbits reached the escorts and they began to help them to safety. Adonis and Cerula rushed into the cave, seized Beaver and Beni, the latter who struggled to walk due to his burned and smoking rump, and quickly took them out of the cave entrance, moments before the mouth collapsed and closed completely. Cerula carried Beaver while Adonis helped Beni. The group then rushed to escape the surrounds of the Cave Entrance as it also disintegrated and became like quicksand, extending as far as where the rugged terrain began. Battered by the winds from the cave's collapse, the Blue Man and Woman, with Beaver and Beni in their clutches, managed to rejoin Asgard and the others and within moments, the group was in the safety of the rugged terrain. Once there, they took a moment to recollect themselves from the adrenaline rush as well as treat any injury the group had sustained during their expedition and grieve for the lost members such as Straw and Woody for Brick. The last surviving Pig of the trio of brothers turned to the area where the Cave's entrance once was and released a MASSIVE wail of anguish, his snout raised to the sky and his eyes streaming rivulets of tears down his cheeks. As the Pig then launched into an anguished cry, Estrello and the female neon blue Lumino going to comfort him, the casualties were treated and the calming continued. Cyllene had her arm, the right one which had been bitten by the temptation-overwhelmed Doe, bandaged while Beni had his burnt rump treated with a cold pack from Cerula. While this was happening, Beaver was giving Dandelion and his remaining siblings apart from the few sensible Rabbits a SERIOUS shouting at. The Rabbits flinched and winced at every anger-filled word that launched from the Water Rodent's mouth at them. Cyllene began to weep as a Grey Woman escort continued to bandage her arm.
"I-I-I tried my best to restrain her from seizing one of those gold ingots but she just bit me, escaped and seized one anyway," the Centurette sobbed, her hands burying her weeping eyes.
"That's what happens when you allow greed to overcome you in a treacherous place like the Forbidden Cave of the Treasure of Vanity," said the Grey Woman medic as she finished bandaging her arm, "Greed is a DEADLY trap, JUST like that Cave. Individuals from previous quest-goers have faced the same demise by giving into the temptation to seize or dive into the Forbidden Treasure."
Cyllene just continued to weep from her guilt but the Grey Woman medic assured her that it wasn't her fault. Still, that didn't quell the survivor's guilt the Centaurette felt. Then the group took some time to calm down more before finally, they turned round to return to the vehicle watchers to return to the village and start the return journey back to Cair Paravel.
As they left, Asgard shot the group a serious look.
"Did you get any of those lunar mushrooms?" he asked.
"Yes, we got four, in the nick of time," said Beaver and with that, he showed the lead Grey Man escort the four said mushrooms in the sack. Brick was in too much anguish to carry the bag for he was still grieving for his brothers. At the same time he was OUTRAGED at the Rabbits so they had to walk at a distance from the Pig until he calmed down. Estrello accompanied Dandelion and company and they timidly gazed at Brick, Dandelion feeling especially guilty and declaring himself no better than his ancestor who set helped Belladonna free back in Gandalf and Seresute's base.
"Excellent," said Asgard at the group's achievement, before he turned serious, "Now you will need to guard those mushrooms carefully during your return trip to Cair Paravel back on the land as you will NOT be able to go back to the Cave to get any more replacement mushrooms. The Cave will remain collapsed and inaccessible until someone finds another Mushroom Key, an exclusive object that is divided into three parts and INCREDIBLY hard and elusive to find to reopen the entrance. We must NOT make the sacrifices of those who died in the Cave during your quest to be in vain."
"Who found the previous Mushroom Key?" asked Beaver.
"Cerula and Adonis did," said Asgard with a nod to the two Blue figures as they helped Cyllene and Beni along, "They found the three pieces several days before your arrival and they had successfully opened the Cave's entrance."
"Perfect timing it was too," said Beaver.
"Indeed it was," said another Grey Man, "The Forbidden Cave of the Treasures of Vanity is the ONLY place to obtain lunar mushrooms. Those mushrooms CANNOT grow anywhere else other than the chamber in that Cave which is why they are SO precious."
"Yes, TOTALLY unlike the Narnian sun fire-flowers which you can grow but with a LOT of difficulty," said Cerula nearby, "I managed to get two of those plants to grow but with lunar mushrooms, they will NEVER grow at all, no MATTER how much care you give them. Growing them in fact is like beating a dead Gyrosprinter."
Beaver breathed a sigh and with that, the group continued to the vehicle watchers where they got in the vehicles and returned to the village on a long drive. The group will have their wounds treated; take more time to mourn the deaths of Straw, Woody and the Rabbit and then prepare to return to the land to start their journey back to Cair Paravel with the mushrooms.