The hole may have seemed to be hundreds of meters deep, by way of wiring my optical root down there, i figured it was more of a twenty meter fall then a hundred.

Hans seemed reluctant to hop down there immidietly, but after some encouraging ”Please” and ”Please” and ”Please”, she agreed.

We decided that i would go down first, and then she would use my roots to climb foen.

I was reluctant to take a gamble on the strengh of my roots, but after some annoying ”Please” and ”Please” and ”Please”, I agreed.

We began by trying out the strengh of my roots, and after trying to form several roots into a rope like contraption, i realized that this root-rope was stronger then a normal root, and, thus, better for this particular task.

We didnt have any form of illumination, so lowering myself down there by usung my eight root-legs was more of a frightening task than a daunting one.

Once i reached the bottom, i was thoroughtly terrified.

Had i had normal skin, id have had goosebumps.

Had i had normal sweat glands, id have had a cold sweat running down my back.

Had i had normal tear glands, id be crying.

It was so dark it was hard to believe there could ever be light. It was like being inside a huge, black hole, devoid of light of any kind.

Not even a glimmer of light fell down through the hole above me, and im pretty sure that if Hans wasnt above me, id have fallen unconcious, despite being a flower.

The eight roots i had above ground twisted and slithered along eachother, forming a thick, sturdy rope. the ends of these eight roots were still burrowed into the ground around the hole in order to ensure a tight grip and the least possble risk of falling.

Hans hesitated for a long while, forcing a sense of unease to well up inside me.

Did she give up?

Did she abandon me?

Did something or someone attack her?

Did she survive?

Did-,

I felt something big and heavy tug at the root-rope. I was too frightened by my own questions to find out who or what did it.

Slowly, it slid down with professional, hones movements.

Slowly, slowly, it slid down next to me and let its feet touch the floor behind me.

Tap tap.

I looked behind me.

Darkness.

”H-, Hans?...”

”Yeah?”

”Hans!”

I was so scared, i hugged her shoe.

”Were you scared?”

”Y-, Yes!”

”Really scared?”

”Very!”

”Well, it’d be best if we could find any light to illuminate this place... It sure is dark...”

”Yes...”

”Hrm. Wait a sec...”

I could hear her fiddeling with something before hearing a:

”Tap tap tap.”

Hans was using her sword to tap the ground. As i realized this, she swept my of the ground with a single hand before holding me in her her unused arm.

”Wa-, Wait!”

”Hm?”

”Have legs!”

”You do? Oh, right! You do!”

She quickly sat me back down, and, the second she did so, i retracted my eight root-legs to my pot and, like before, used them as legs.

”Right. Stay behind me, alright?”

”Roger!”

”Britta!”

We advanced very slowly. Hans had checked the tunnel at the start and concluded it to be about as wide as the hole itself. It was perfectly round, but i didnt see this as too wierd of an occurence, considering everything else i had witnessed during the run of this life. Hans didnt seem to agree.

”Whats up with this hole... Theres no stone or clay, so it doesnt seem to be man-made... All Far can feel here is dirt...”

”Far?”

”Whadduya... Oh, my sword? Ah, well, its name is Far.”

I didnt pry any further, but i was curious as to why a hole like this was strange but not magic carrot seeds that planted themselves.

”Tap tap tap tap tap tap blap”

”!!!”

”?”

Hans made a sort of ”Hii” sound as she jumped back, almost crushing me.

Oi oi oi! Watch it, punk!

Whadduya-,

”Hiii!”

At the tap of Hans’ sword, something lit up.

It was large and faintly shperical, and almost completely transparent. It looked like a large glob of syrup, or thick water, or ooze, or... Slime.

It didnt have any colour, but in the middle of it, at its very core, a sphere shone. It was yellowish and emitted a faint, warm light that, despite its bright nature, only barely illuminated the surrounding walls.

It was very large in proportion to me, but it only barely reached up to Hans’ knees.

Despite this difference in height however, it still felt bold and looming.

The core pulsated every so slightly, and the light emitted bounced about inside the globe.

Hans quickly readied her sword and i got on guard as well.

I didnt have any weapon but myself, so all i could do was brandish two of my roots like the scythes of a mantis and hope i didnt have to do anything.

At first, the slime did nothing.

Atleast thats what it looked at.

Hans pounced at it with impressive speed and burrowed the sword into the slime. She most likely aimed for the core, but before she pierced the core, it moved ever-so-slightly and evaded it.

Hans flinched and shouted:

”Cover your eyes!”

Before pulling out her sword.

A brilliant mass of light fled the inside of the slime, the tunnel being flooded by light and illimunation.

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH BRIGHHHTT

It was easily comparable with the brightness when i first opened my eye.

My arms moved of their own, shielding my eyes from the light.

Sadly, this didnt encompass my third eye, which painfully thrashed about.

In the short moment where i could see anything, i noticed how the tunnes was flooded with not only light, but also a terrifying mass of multiple spherical things which clustered together like grapes into which said light entered but failed to escape from.

”Hiiiiii!!”