Chapter 180 - Get your ass down there!

The bundle of Guards walked down the first section of the Cave, with Gustav leading the way since he has the most experience exploring this little portion. Delrus was standing on the back, holding an Ignited Torch as well. As for the Farmer, his responsibility is to stay outside and alert if any Rope malfunctions are to happen in the process of this task.

With some assistance from a couple of capable men, the first Guard started climbing down towards this dark unpredictable Cave. To his luck, he had where to put his feet on the way down. If he was just dangling on the rope it would require a lot of upper body strength to climb all the way down for 10 meters or more!

After some shoulder bruising effort, he made it. He couldn't estimate how many meters down the drop is, but it sure feels like a lot. There was only a couple feet of Rope left to his advantage. If he ran out of Rope, he either had to risk jumping down and hope for the best or risk climbing all the way back up which can be double as tiring considering he used a lot of energy already.

Once his feet met the solid Cave floor, the second thing he had to do was feel the ground beneath his feet to check if he is standing on a patch of Coal deposit. It can be really risky to use Flint and Steel in such an environment, because the Coal can of course catch on Fire too!

With dirt being so rare in this Cave (Or in the first portion at least.), all he had to look for was a smooth or edgy surface of rock. The only thing he had to confirm is that whatever he is touching, doesn't feel ashy but rough instead. He could use the Dagger to confirm too! Coal can be easily chipped off with it while rocks require a lot more effort.

Once he found a rocky surface, he could Ignite the Torch without having to worry about setting a large deposit of Coal on Fire. With such a clumsy act he could be possibly risking his life too. Because if Fire was lit underneath his feet, the first thing he would do is panic and dash towards a random direction. In this pitch darkness such an act is a deathwish.

Unfortunately, the floor beneath his feet feels a lot like Coal. So he yelled out to confirm it to everyone above. "I landed safely but I think I'm standing on Coal." He felt a little bit demotivated of the results. But hey, at least there is Coal down here too. Likely a lot of it! As for a rocky surface, he would have to look a little bit more for it.

"That's alright, the Cave feels big enough to find another spot." Answered Delrus with a normal tone and asked. "Can you walk around?" Like this he is practically showing respect to Gustav's approach towards this plan, putting more importance to his rules for the Guard to follow.

"I'll try, it's Pitch dark down here though." That was unnecessary to point out, but I guess that the Guard is just a little bit nervous. It isn't easy to explore under such circ.u.mstances.

Calm enough trying to show understanding a bit but also urging to ensure safety, Gustav tried to speak as clearly as possible. "We are aware, please walk very slowly and carefully. Use your feet to determine if there is a large drop in front of you or not!" This little exploration is an effort to make the town rich but he can't risk for anyone to get injured.

"I'll try!"

Taking a bit more effort to walk around, using both his arms and feet to navigate as taught. He doesn't want to fall down an estimate deep hole and he doesn't want to mine Coal with his head either. So he had to use everything to his advantage in order to know his surroundings as much as possible.

Taking about 15 steps which ranged roughly 5 inches to 12 inches long each, he started feeling a different texture against his boots. Bending down to feel the ground so he can confirm, it felt rougher. In fact, it hurt his finger a little bit. He was not a fan of the injury but he was a fan of this minor advancement towards the task. "I think I found a rocky surface."

"Great. Place the torch on the ground and Ignite it with the Flint and Steel like I taught you!" Answered Gustav with joy, happy that the Guard is safe and progressing towards the task too!

It took him a few attempts, especially since he kept looking for the Torch on the ground, it was easy to lose its exact whereabouts once he stormed his pockets for the other Tools. But he was finally able to Ignite it! "This place is huge!" He yelled once he had the opportunity to take a peek of his surroundings, he sounded quite excited for a change too! He was amazed!

"How huge?" Yelled Delrus from possibly 10 meters above.

"Well the only Cave wall I see is the one I climbed down on!" That answer didn't define the exact size of the Cave. But one thing was for sure, this second section is huge!

"Damn. That's a lot! But we need to know its actual size. Get your ass down there." Joked Delrus excitedly. This little exploration is working to their advantage big time.

As the second Guard was climbing down, using the first Guard's Torch to light his once he reached the Cave Floor. Gustav was trying to estimate a more stable result of how far down this second drop is. He could see the Torches Ignited by the couple of Guards but it didn't provide him with enough information to do a proper measurement. 

Why is he trying so hard to know for sure you might ask? Well if this place becomes a Coal Mine, they can't rely on Ropes to get the Coal out of here. They need a stable set of Wooden Stairs with proper side support too. Knowing how deep it is, will help making the Construction process faster and easier. Considering the lack of Construction Workers, a proper estimation would work to the Town's advantage.

Gustav lost in thoughts with his estimations indeed a lot. But as he was thinking for the best of the Town, the fifth Guard was already half way down the Second Section. Luckily, they didn't face any problems with the Ropes either. Or else it would have been really bad!

"Sir. We are going to need a lot more Torches." Shouted a Guard from quite a distance. Looks like the Cave is a lot wider than they expected it to be. Gustav was more than happy before if the Cave had a 10 meter overall radius. But 4 men are spread already and they didn't find another Cave wall yet apart from the one they used to climb down there easier.

They could even get lost for a while if the Torches burn out. It can be tremendously dangerous to walk around without a Torch here even if they simply wanted to follow the Torch above. The Guards found several holes already that lead to deeper sections of the Cave. They could see the ground from a few but, half of them looked quite deep. Below the Torch's illumination capabilities. Look how much fortune one little gap on the surface up there hid!

"I'll get on it." Yelled Gustav and turned towards Delrus, expressing a lot of concern. "Please don't let them climb out without a third man ensuring the Rope is safe unless it is an emergency."

"Don't worry, I can take care of them." Answered Delrus, quite confident of his own capabilities to keep his Guards under control.  "You go do what you need to do. Try getting at least 10 Torches back here. If you need help to speed up the process, please ask a few Guards for help."

"Thank you, I will make sure to call for them. Also please keep reminding them to watch their step, we barely know anything about this second section of the Cave so far, the situation can turn for the worst in a blink of an eye." Gustav a bit paranoid no doubt, but he just wanted the Guards safe. He can't let an injury or worse, a Coffin rest on his conscious especially considering that he started this little exploration with hopes of having a mass impact on the town, he can't risk having Guards injured because of his ideas. "They each have a spare Torch, they might last until I return." Raising his voice a little for the Guards to hear. "If you see that the Torches are close to running out, please return near the Rope as fast as possible."