The Underground Farm

"*huff-huff* Robert! Slow down a little!"

I shout at him. We have been walking for hours! Is it that unreasonable to rest a bit?

"Shut up and keep walking! Have you gotten some concussion or something!?"

Well apparently not.

"Jeremy is f.u.c.k.i.n.g dead! Eaten till there's nothing left by those damned fog! And you are suggesting we stop moving so those fogs could catch up to us!?" Shouts the heavily bearded man in front of me.

"Okay, first off all those aren't fogs those are gas and—"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT THEY ARE CALLED! I COULD CALL IT A F.U.C.K.I.N.G RAINBOW, AND NO ONE WOULD CARE , BECAUSE WE. ARE.TRAPPED. IN. HERE!!" Robert screams unnecessarily. Seriously how does he scream that loud. My poor ears...

And being in this flesh tunnel which makes his shouting echoes certainly doesn't help.

"Okay, okay, I get your point. But we have been walking for HOURS! Not everyone is an adventurer like you. Couldn't we just rest for a moment? We haven't even seen those gases since Jeremy died."

"*sigh* Now listen here. I am also tired, get it?" Robert stops in his track and turns to face towards me.

"uhhh...okay?" I also stopped too, I am not going to miss this chance to stop.

"So, it would be very much appreciated if you SHUT YOUR F.U.C.K.I.N.G MOUTH! I AM TIRED OF YOUR BITCHING! I AM TIRED AS SHIT! AND I CERTAINLY DOESN'T NEED A DUMB F.U.C.K.I.N.G WHORE WHO W.H.I.N.ES IN FRONT OF MY FACE EVERY GODDAMNED SECOND! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT ARE YOU SUGGESTING!? YOU ARE SAYING THAT WE SHOULD SIT OUR A.S.S DOWN IN THIS TUNNEL AND-" Although he is still shouting, I couldn't pay any attention to him right now.

A certain gas is slowly acc.u.mulating behind him...

"um... Robert."

"—ERE I AM TRYING TO GET THR—"

"Robert!"

"I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF MY F.U.C.K.I.N.G SP—

Suddenly clarity enters Robert's eyes as he come to a sudden realization.

"ARE YOU F.U.C.K.I.N.G KIDDING ME!? SH—" Robert shouts and turns around.

"—IT! I SW—..." Right now I'm pretty sure that Robert's eyes are as wide as mine.

"... The shit is this?" Robert mutters under his breath. Well, how could he not? The gases, are trying to enter a hole and failing. Here in front of us is one of the rarest phenomenon to ever happen inside a wurm's body.

"I think the gas got blocked."

"Blocked!? What do you mean blocked? Didn't you say that these things could melts even C ranked metals!?"

"Yes... But this means that we are encountering a wurm's stomach sac."

"And what the hell is a stomach sac?"

"Well, it's basically a set of twelve empty space scattered inside a wurm's body. Usually, these spaces are filled with objects that the wurm couldn't digest normally. And the fact that those gases are trying to enter the space, means something in there is threatening enough to force the wurm's immune system to retaliate. And judging by the fact that the gases couldn't enter means that something in there must be a b ranked or above magicals."

"...Elise."

"Yes? Do you want to admit that I am, in fact, really amazing?"

"So essentially this is a safe space, huh?"

"Yes indeed."

"...And is there any particular reason why you haven't mentioned this, even when you are bitching about how you are tired of walking?"

"hmm? A-ah, t-that's because i—"

"You forget about it didn't you?"

"... Yes."

Robert then breathes in deeply. For some odd reason that he is not hap—

As I sit there having myself being lectured by a bearded old man inside of a wurm's stomach, I observe the gases that are blocking our way. It has thinned considerably now, I can now see an outline of a-, ...wait.

Is that trees. Huh? Glowing blue trees, and...

"ROBERT! Can you hear me?"

I walked near the trees and shout to him. Yup, no sound. He then responded by opening and closing his mouth a few times.

Huh. It definitely is a tree from the forest of tranquility. But how did it get here? Last I heard, a wurm is not known to be vegetarian. Is it one of those botanist artifact perhap-

Huh. Nevermind false alarm, I had thought that there were some eyes growing on the trees at the corner of my eyes, but clearly that's my imagination. Probably after reading too much horrors lately and- woah!

An axe is suddenly shoved into my hand. While deep in thought I had not noticed that Robert is walking over to me. He gestures to the trees, *sigh* I think he's telling me to help him cut it. I want to refuse because of some folk tales warning which which is usually useful... and because I'm lazy, but Robert is looking ready to beat me up if I mentioned any of those reasons right now. Well if it's any consolation. Most of them are branches anyway, extending like tentacles of an octopi, curling and twisting without a pattern. Robert is still trying to shout, although right now he only looked like an deranged madman, I'm not curious about what he is saying either. probably he's just shouting all kinds of profanity as usual.

As I am chopping down these branches, I can't help but recalling an old horror story about one of the deep ones that own woods with magical tree like this. They called it the architect, the master of the silent forest, way shaper, and whatever many other names it has. Although it's -ouch! Hey!

Robert apparently decided right now would be a good time to annoy me, slaps me hard in my back. What? I made a gesture to ask h-

Robert is gesturing at the man sized hole on his side. Damn he works fast. Entering in front, Robert leads the way. Leading the way inside this spacious safe space so we can finally rest our feet.

...

That scene somehow replayed itself again again in my head. Constantly repeating. Over and over again. When was that anyway?

... I don't care. Not anymore.

All the while, somewhere inside my tattered mind, a loud whisper keeps repeating the same familiar phrase.

ThERe iS nO esCApE