Chapter 92: Cavern Descent (1)
The fall wasn't long, but it was messy.
Dust still floated in the shaft above them, drifting like someone had shaken out a giant rug.
Zephyr swatted grit from his hair, coughing once as the last bits of debris settled on his shoulders. His headlamp flicked on automatically, stabbing a narrow beam across uneven cavern walls.
"Brian?" Zephyr called.
"Present," Brian answered, voice flat but edged with annoyance. "My ankle hates me, my shoulder hates the rock that hit it, and this entire situation hates planning."
"So you're alive." Zephyr grinned.
"Unfortunately for you, yes."
Their lamps cut arcs of light across the space. They stood in what looked like the top section of a naturally formed cavern — small, irregular, slanted. Nothing looked smooth or artificial. Just rock, more rock, and crumbling debris from the collapse above.
Brian tapped the side of his wristpad.
"Cream Puff, confirm structure stability."
