The Monster's Stratagem (Lesbian Story)

23: The Cave of Beginning

The light source seemed to be emitting from curious fixtures embedded in the stony ceiling. While they didn't provide much in terms of visibility, Dawn was able to see that she had fallen into what looked to be a vast cavern.

As she stared at the fixtures, she wondered how they produced light in such a damp, underground setting. Clearly, they were from another time and not remotely close to the candle-lit world she had been raised in. Dawn realised then that humans from the time before Monstra had stepped foot in this cavern, perhaps had even lived and worked here. While she couldn't understand why they would choose to work underground when the world in its entirety was open to them, she still marvelled at the creation before her. She recalled hearing that humans once had a way of lighting dark areas with manmade materials rather than contained fire, but the monsters had chosen to eradicate all forms of this creation in favour of what she knew today. Why they did this, Dawn did not know, but it appeared as though they had not managed to find and destroy everything. The subtle light flickered stubbornly, refusing to die in a world it no longer belonged in.

In a way, the cave was like a ruin, and the Venturer side to Dawn was eager to explore despite the eerie and ominous feeling the cave left her with, as though she had trespassed somewhere that she shouldn't have, or was about to disturb something best left alone.

She wandered aimlessly throughout what looked to be a great hall; it was so large that the light fixtures could only illuminate the centre of the chamber, the sides mostly remained cloaked under the cover of darkness. Metal beams ran from the floor to the ceiling, though it was what lay beyond them that interested her. If she looked close enough, Dawn could make out the silhouette of what looked to be doors lining the walls.

She moved closer, eyes adjusting quickly to the limited light source provided. Yes, there were indeed manmade doors; some of which seemed to be locked tight, and others were severely battered and bent, hanging off of rusty hinges. That was certainly peculiar and didn't look to be the work of the passage of time. Perhaps a stray animal had found its way into the cave and panicked, Dawn was reluctant to consider another alternative.

Hearing a noise from behind, the Venturer swiftly raised her knife and concealed herself against the damp stone wall, eyes flickering furiously for any sign of movement. While she couldn't see much, her hearing was working remarkably well when she picked up on the sound of approaching footsteps.

"You couldn't stay still for a moment to allow me to catch up, no?" A voice spoke, humour evident in her tone.

"Syrena." Dawn breathed, inexplicable relief flooding through her as her companion stepped into view. Under any other circumstance, she would have been floored at how happy she was to see the monster. "How did you know where I was?"

"Your heartbeat." Syrena answered as she drew closer, appearing equally as relieved as the girl before her. "I'm quite attuned to it."

"I never thought I'd say this, but I am so glad you have enhanced hearing."

Syrena chuckled, eyes rapidly inspecting Dawn as though to ensure the Venturer was still in one piece, that she hadn't run into any issues in the time they had been apart. "You seemed to have managed just fine on your own."

"Thanks to those." Dawn pointed to the lights, though Syrena had already taken note of them. "I would be wandering aimlessly without them."

"I would've liked to see that."

"Speaking of, did you fall in too?" Dawn asked, eyes narrowing when the Commander refused to answer. Reaching the correct conclusion, she had to control her features carefully to not give away the extent of her surprise. "You jumped?"