Primitive Man

Chapter 176: Cave of death

The following day was a frenzy of activity in the main village as Garnt sent Ayra and Rona back to the village, and the group worked tirelessly to set up a rescue mission. Garnt, fueled by determination and concern for the missing villagers, took charge and organized the efforts in the hot spring village, while Ayra and Rona worked to bring all the required items from the main village.

He gathered a group of skilled workers, assigning tasks to each based on their expertise. The urgency of the situation pushed everyone to their limits. Within hours after Rona and Ayra arrived, they managed to collect the gas masks they built and other items for the rescue mission.

As the workers toiled, Rona approached Garnt's most trusted horse, Huta, who had always been loyal to him. Surprisingly, even Huta sensed the gravity of the situation and cooperated willingly, allowing herself to be harnessed to carry the masks to the hot spring village.

"You are a good girl!" Rona muttered and packed all the important items on her since she knew Huta was the fastest horse in the whole village.

Normally, it would have taken at least one day to visit the hot spring village from the main village. However, without any rest, both of them ran back to the Hotspring village, which took them half a day to complete.

Upon arrival, Garnt patted Huta's mane and whispered words of gratitude. "We're in this together, my girl," he said, a bond of trust between them that transcended the chaos around them, and she released happy sounds because Huta was happy to be of service to Garnt.

Garnt also didn't forget about his own girls, as he complimented all of them, and knew it was time for him to get ready.

"This is it, Rona. Once Ayra arrives, tell her to wait outside and make sure the entrance is safe, and you should be safe too," he said as he wore the special clothes that bore some resemblance to modern jumpsuits.

"I will come with you..." Rona said, but Garnt refused because he knew Rona wasn't the most agile person for this, and he needed strong people to remain outside so they could guard the entrance.

"No, stay here. I can carry the villagers with my helpers who are trained for tasks like this." Rona nodded her head, hearing Garnt, and they quickly wore all the required clothes for the project.

Meanwhile Eva, with her keen intellect, supervised the process, offering guidance and ensuring that the masks were as effective as possible given the limited resources. She made sure everything was flawless because the last thing she wanted in her life was for Garnt to lose his life because of a silly little mistake.

[These masks should provide five minutes of protection. It's the best we can do with what we have," she informed him. "And these jumpsuits will protect your skin, but they are also not effective enough for you to fully believe in them. After all, they are made out of silk,]

Garnt nodded, his mind racing with thoughts of Yenya and the other villagers trapped in the cave. He knew time was of the essence. "Let's make sure everyone has one. We'll enter together, find the villagers, and get out within that time frame and everybody should follow me and never walk on their own. If something dangerous happens, you're allowed to run outside and let Rona and others know about it."

As the masks were distributed among the group, Eva voiced a lingering concern.

[If only we had oxygen tanks, we could extend the time and make it safer.]

[We're reaching the core of the cave. Be prepared for higher concentrations of sulfur dioxide. We need to find the villagers and exit swiftly,] Eva warned, her guidance crucial in the hazardous environment.

The flickering sunlight revealed the cavern's secrets, stalactites hanging like menacing icicles and shadows dancing on the uneven walls. Garnt's heart raced, each step echoing in the cavernous silence. The group moved as one, their senses heightened, and their determination unwavering.

[There! You can hear it right? This noise, The villagers must be close. But be cautious, Garnt. The gas might have affected them already,] Eva cautioned.

As they approached a dimly lit chamber, the outlines of figures huddled in the darkness became visible.

"Get ready with our stretchers to drag these people out," The man behind Garnt said showing he wasn't just a novice that needed hand-holding for everything.

But after taking a few more steps Garnt's heart sank as he surveyed the chamber, the flickering sunlight revealing the grim truth. The villagers lay on the ground, almost all of them looking disfigured, their bodies missing parts. A gasp escaped from the warriors accompanying him, their eyes wide with horror beneath their masks.

Eva's voice echoed in Garnt's mind showing the whole project of rescuing villagers was a failure,

[Garnt, we don't have much time. The gas has taken its toll on them, and we need to evacuate immediately. We are too late.]

"No, let's just keep looking because Yenya won't die like that; she is a strong girl." Almost as if he were trying to cope with the loss of villagers, he went into the cave more and more.

Eva, who witnessed this, didn't know how she should react because she knew how much pain Garnt was feeling right now, so she stayed silent.

As he walked among the lifeless bodies, his eyes scanned the disfigured faces, desperately searching for a familiar visage. The air hung heavy with the stench of the mysterious gas, a haunting reminder of the calamity that had befallen the once-thriving village.

In the distance, the soft murmur of water drew Garnt's attention. A glimmer of hope flickered within him as he quickened his pace, guided by the distant sound.

"I knew it, Yenya might be alive because she is a talented girl who learnt everything from our family," Garnt muttered to himself as he ran toward the sound.

Reaching the source of the sound, Garnt's eyes widened at the sight before him and Eva just sighed knowing what they witnessed might be the worst thing that could happen to Garnt.

[This isn't looking good.]