The night (or at least, what the dragons knew was night from their biological clocks, since underground there were no signs of the passage of time since there was neither a sun nor a moon) passed without a hitch: the place where they had chosen to rest had proved to be a safe haven and apart from a few large bats that fluttered near the giant mushrooms from time to time nothing disturbed Haku's and everyone else's sleep. Not that Haku, Rhaegal, Tikka and Teramon were really sleeping: dragons could remain in a state of semi-sleep similar to that of cats, to rest but at the same time be ready to wake up at any moment. After all, really sleeping in an unknown and unidentified dangerous place would have been a stupid and rather dangerous move; it was best to keep one's senses alert and always prepare as if the worst possible event was bound to happen.
Fortunately there were no problems, and the following day, in what would have been recognizable as the crack of dawn if they had been on the surface, the group awoke refreshed and set off again. They spent another full day walking from cave to cave, marveling at its immensity and ever more strange and varied ecosystems. As on the previous day, they didn't encounter major hitches: Arethar knew the route very well and knew how to avoid the areas where the fiercest predators or the most territorial beasts were found, so all the creatures they found in their path were either too small to face them and they fled at the sight of them, or they were placid gentle giants who merely glanced at them almost by accident and then carried on on their way as they devoured the larger mushrooms. The strangest one they saw was a creature about fifteen meters tall with a body similar to that of a camel, with hairless and very thin legs and neck, with the torso and feet covered with thick yellow fur and the head it resembled that of a cow with the antlers of a deer and the ears of an elephant; Arethar had said that its name was 'dabbat al-ard', or 'slender neck' in the language of the arachnes, and it was a very placid and tame animal, and in fact, apart from keeping the dragons under control, it did absolutely nothing and just walked away quickly.
Despite Arethar's reassuring words and the fact that the animal hadn't behaved dangerously at all, thus confirming his statement, the group members grew more wary after hearing this. Zamor waited for the arachne to get far enough away from Haku, then he approached the dragon and whispered to him so that only he could hear: "I've only thought about it now, but I'm sure you've been doing it for a while. How can that guy know our language?"
Haku narrowed his eyes slightly. Zamor was perfectly right: he had already thought about it. He'd noticed for some time that some of Arethar's actions didn't seem to fit the story he'd told: if they'd been underground for twenty thousand years or so, how could the arachnes know the language of the beastmen perfectly? Even assuming that the two races lived together thousands of years ago, during all that time both their languages would have changed radically to the point of being practically unrecognizable, and since the arachnes had no connection with the rest of the world, it wasn't possible they could know the current beastmen language. Haku had initially thought that they could learn any language just by hearing it, similar to how dragons did, but then he had noticed other things that could not be explained that way: for example, why Arethar using the same metric system? How did he know what a kilometer or a ton was, if the arachnes hadn't interacted with the rest of the world for thousands of years? Clearly, there were too many inconsistencies in that story. He had decided to ask Arethar about it, but he had simply answered that 'it wasn't the arachnes who learned the metric system from other peoples, but it was the other peoples who learned it from those who had also taught it to the arachnes and then unfortunately they had forgotten because of the usurping thieves'. Haku hadn't quite understood what Arethar meant, but he had insisted that 'all the knowledge that other peoples believed they received from usurpers, in reality had come from someone else'. And of course, as usual, he hadn't explained what he meant, repeating that they would understand everything when they reached the underground city and observed the ancient scriptures for themselves. After several attempts, Haku gave up asking the Arachne for an explanation, since that had to be another of those things Arethar couldn't talk about. As for the language, however, he had answered immediately: apparently the ancient scriptures reported a faithful translation of the language that the arachnes should have known when the dragons would arrive, which apparently was that of the beastmen, and all the priests and men of power had learned it. Haku didn't know how it was possible that the ancient scriptures reported a language that would have appeared thousands of years after they were written, but since apparently they also reported his and his siblings' names, he no longer had so much difficulty believing it. In each case, however, the matter was getting more and more strange. Haku really hoped to get answers once he got to Tigu-chtu-tal, because if he didn't get them he would go crazy; if the other arachnes had also behaved enigmatically like Arethar, he could have grabbed one of them by the neck and slammed his head against a wall until he decided to spill the beans. Luckily, his rationality still held sway over him at the moment and he could therefore keep his mind clear despite all the things that seemed to make absolutely no sense in that situation.
Zamor was still waiting for an answer from him, but Haku clearly couldn't give him such a rough answer... not to mention the fact that he would have to reveal things that at the moment he prefers to be kept secret. Once Zamor, Isaac, Efren, Atelas and Misune arrived they would surely discover that the arachnes worshiped dragons as if they were superior entities, but Haku preferred that they discover it there where they could not escape and potentially do something stupid because held back by all the thousands of Arachnes guards, rather than where he should have stopped them himself. Haku wasn't sure how Zamor would react to that news and didn't want to risk hurting him before finding out if what Arethar said was all true; if the lizardman tried to escape to warn his people on the surface, he would be forced to kill him, and that was not what he wanted. So he decided to pretend to be confused too: "I know as much as you do. I've noticed this factor, but I can't explain it. I've tried asking him but I've only received vague answers, so I don't think it's a good idea to insist for now I suggest we keep our guard up until we get some answers" he said. His suggestion was valid and typical of his way of thinking, done on purpose not to arouse suspicion; moreover, Haku really believed that it was appropriate to keep one's guard up, so it was also functional for its purpose.
Zamor however still looked at him with curious eyes, clearly not convinced. Haku couldn't blame him: under normal circumstances he would have pretended to know the truth, he wouldn't have remained to undergo events passively, therefore it was natural that the lizarman now doubted his true intentions. Unfortunately, however, Haku couldn't always invent the perfect excuse: Zamor was a person who had been by his side for a long time and had learned to recognize his way of doing, so that sudden change of attitude could only generate suspicion. However, the lizardman didn't insist, aware that when Haku didn't want to talk about something it was impossible to convince him. The dragon wondered if what Zamor felt was not the same feeling of annoyance and irritation that he felt when Arethar refused to reveal certain information to him. Maybe he was starting to empathize a little bit for the lizardman...
The party continued on throughout the day, continuing through cave after cave and tunnel after tunnel. As they went on they sometimes found clearly artificial constructions, which Arethar said were erected by his people for the purpose of indicating the way; these were strange pillars made of an onyx-like rock whose tip was crystal and reflected the light emitted by the mushrooms, shining very visually even from the other side of the cave and thus allowing travelers to understand where to go. A bit like a lighthouse, only constantly lit despite the lack of maintenance thanks to the continuous light emitted by the bioluminescent mushrooms of the subsoil which, unlike that of the fire, never ran out. The tunnels also became wider and more spacious and were reinforced with rocks that formed arches that supported the weight of the rock above, making the passage much easier. The further they went the more the signs of the presence of a civilization became evident, and judging by the architectural and engineering skills they were seeing, it must have been a very advanced civilization, at least at the level of humans or elves, certainly not as primitive as that of ogres and of many other surface-dwelling races. And from the very elaborate shape of the crystals and onyx pillars, they must have also possessed very skilled artists at their craft. The strange thing was that despite those artificial constructions there were no people around; but Arethar explained to them that those pillars and larger tunnels were practically on the 'periphery' of their territory, and that they served only to show the way to the few travelers who ventured closer to the surface, and that consequently there was no one as no one needed to be there. According to Arethar the villages and cities of the arachnes were still below, and it was there that there was a great coming and going of his people. This impressed everyone: if the arachnes had erected similar architectural works as simple signals on the outskirts of their territory, what must they have accomplished in the place where they usually lived? It was too early to tell, but there was a high probability that the mysterious Tigu-chtu-tal where they were heading was far more incredible, exotic and fantastic than they had originally imagined.
When night came again (or at least, when night had fallen on the surface, and subterranean fatigue had warned the newcomers that it was time to rest and the dragons' biological clock had confirmed this view) they camped again, but this time they didn't do it in the middle of a mushroom forest with a makeshift shelter, but inside a building that they found next to the entrance to a tunnel; it was a circular structure surmounted by a sort of spire with several spikes starting from the walls (according to Arethar they served to keep wild beasts away); the arachne had claimed that it was a sort of 'hut' aimed at giving travelers who ventured away from the cities to seek resources and explore new places a sort of outpost where they could leave any supplies or rest for the night. If that was a 'hut', then Haku didn't dare imagine what a real home could be for the arachnes. The party encamped inland and rested there all night, and then set out again; within a few hours, they finally reached their half, that is another gigantic cavity that descended downwards and from which many chinks opened towards the various adjacent caves, and on whose sides there was a staircase that led even deeper.
"So, once we hit the bottom, we'll be there?" Teramon asked as they descended the stairs. "Will this cavity stop like the other one and we'll come out in a cave from a tunnel?"
She expected an affirmative answer, instead Arethar shook his head: "It's not like that. Unfortunately this cavity does not end adjacent to a cave, but directly inside it. In practice, it ends in the ceiling of the cave"
"Uh? And how are we going to get down?" Zamor asked confused.
Arethar smiled. "You don't have to worry" he answered, just as the stairs were about to end, and he pointed down. "Behold: one of the lords of the world offers us safe passage"
Haku looked down and realized that the rock had changed. It was no longer gray and barren, but more whitish and orderly. It was smooth and similar to a slide placed slightly diagonally, while on the sides there were stalactites and stalagmites strangely very close to each other... but... wait a moment... no, it wasn't possible... it couldn't be... he must be wrong...
Arethar leapt over the stairs and landed on the strange smooth rock. Rock that by now it was clear that it wasn't stone at all, but a bone. A jaw bone, surmounted by a maxilla and from which protruded teeth so large that they tower over even Haku and his siblings. "Behold the skull of an elder dragon!"