Lightning lit up his nut-brown skin and sent little woodland creatures scurrying. Johnnas made the decision to hurry to the clearing before it began to rain. His daily pilgrimage would not be interrupted today.

As Johnnas neared the clearing, a man dressed in Lincoln green hopped down from a tree. “Hallo, Art.” Johnnas coolly spoke. “Oh, hallo Johnnas. Thought you were a traveler.” Art replied through the last of a bottle of brandy he held in his left hand. Johnnas knew him well. They had met on numerous occasions and were friendly enough. Arthur re-climbed his tree and tossed the brandy bottle down, along with a little goodbye. In the forest, the inhabitants only talked when they needed to and only as long as necessary.

A few minutes later he reached the clearing and in it, stood an odd woman in white robes outlined in red. She stood, picking flowers for a while without a care in the world. She looked up, green eyes and red hair, and examined Johnnas a moment. She noted his rough demeanor, his looks, and the fact that he was likely a criminal. She sped off to the north, before Johnnas even realized she was gone.
Johnnas stood for a minute, awestruck. Who was this, who so worrylessly entered the woods? He decided to follow this strange lady towards the ruins. Johnnas moved swiftly as a wolf. He had little clue where she had gone and had only the occasional flash of white and red to guide him.

Suddenly, Johnnas lost her. He skidded to a halt next to an odd cave he had never noticed before, his boots digging into the soft ground. He stared a long time. The rotted wooden door, the mossy stone, the long-dead tree that was perched upon it.

Now, Johnnas was a curious person. He was far too interested in what was going on to trust his instinct to run back to his tent and never come within a mile of the cave again. He sighed, looked up at the stars and cursed himself. He strode inside.

Johnnas examined the inside of the cave. Old wooden struts, rotting pickaxes and the skeletons of a few rats. Death surrounded the place and Johnnas felt it.

The place had actually been a fairly rich ore mine, decades before. Most of the ore had been dug out. In a vain attempt to find more of the precious ore, the miners struck something awful. They said that the miners who had survived had gone insane with fear.