The cave ride

After a night with some old guy, I'm already exploring the area he told me about.
A shortcut to my destination should be around here somewhere.
After a while, I finally find a cave. It must be the cave which leads to the castle.
Since the castle is on another island, the cave is the fastest way to get there.

I walk towards the cave and look around in the entry area.
There are a bunch of wagons standing on rails. Using them might be faster.
But they don't look like they're well maintained, if at all.

So I just enter one of the cave passages one of the rails leads into.
It's very slippery and I almost can't see anything.
And only a few steps later, there's a deep pit.
When going by foot, it might be dangerous.

So I decide to have another look at the wagons.
Maybe some of them still work.

I go back and cautiously climb into one of the wagons to inspect it.
Where are the breaks? Can it accelerate by itself?

Suddenly it just starts to roll. Oh no, I quickly have to get out!
But it's already getting fast. I could hurt myself if I jump out now.
When trying to climb out, I realize it's too late anyway.
I'm already in the cave. I might fall into a deadly pit.
It should be safer to stay and hope for the best.

It's getting dark quickly, so I can't see anything anymore.
The wagon is still getting faster and faster.
It's almost like in a roller coaster.
I feel every curve and hill. I'm really getting scared.

I might just have killed myself. If the wagon gets too fast or the rails are broken, the wagon might fall off the rails.
In that case I'll either die immediately or be lost somewhere in the cave, most likely injured.
And even if the wagon stops, I'll also be lost in the cave.
And how would I find a way out of the cave then?

After a while, it's at least getting brighter.
Electric lamps are illuminating the area.
I'm in a huge hall. There are some walls, some cliffs, some pillars. And all kinds of interesting rock formations.

I'm still moving, so I'm starting to feel safe.
The track also looks pretty nice.
It runs over bridges, spirals down around huge rocks and seems pretty stable in general.

And soon I also see some buildings.
They are interesting. They don't look like anything I know.
They are mostly round and made of some white material.
Even the roof is like a dome. But all in one piece.

If I knew how to stop the wagon, I might just stop it now and explore the houses.
Maybe the wagon even has some kind of brake I could use.
Maybe I could even find people to help me.

But if I stop it now, I might not be able to make it move again.
And they look abandoned anyway.
No need to risk anything.

I just stay in the wagon hoping to be brought to the other side of the cave.
That's the best I can hope for.
But soon the wagon starts to get slower at a mostly flat area.
Is it out of energy? Or can it only move downwards?
However, it doesn't take long until it comes to a halt.

Even if I might not be able to use the wagon again, I'm happy about that. At least I'm still alive and close to civilization.
I should always try to see the positives, right?

So it's time to explore these buildings.
I get out of the wagon and start walking.
The closest house is a bit away and there's no real path to it.
I have to walk on rough, rocky, and sometimes wet terrain.
But after some minutes I'm at the building and can enter it.

From the inside it also looks pretty unusual.
Most of the furniture also looks very round.
No sharp edges. Pretty nice!
And almost nothing is made of wood. It's mostly some kind of white stone. Even the bed.
But it really looks like nobody has been living there for a long time.

So I go out and head to the next building. It's just the same as the previous building. The differences are not noticeable.

After visiting enough buildings, I'd like to leave the cave again. I might be pretty close to the castle island already.
So maybe there's a path I could reach by foot.
Following the rails is not a viable option, though. Some parts of the rails don't have ground below them.

But I'm already getting tired. I have no idea what time it is. Is it already evening? Or do I just feel so tired because it's so dark all the time?

Whatever, for now I'll just go back to the wagon and take a nap.
I'll think about a solution when I wake up again.