The passage opened into a small chamber. Moon surveyed it carefully, checking walls and corners for hidden passages or threats. Finding nothing, he noticed another extension deeper into the cave system.

The extension led him through a tight natural corridor that would make anyone with claustrophobia faint. The walls pressed close on either side, forcing Moon to turn sideways in places just to squeeze through. Rock scraped against his cloak, and the ceiling hung low enough that he had to duck frequently.

Just how flexible was that Elk to go through this? Or maybe it didn't?

It was dark, oppressively so but Moon maintained the small flame in his palm, using his fire element to guide him through.

Eventually, more natural light started filtering in from ahead, growing brighter with each step forward.

Upon leaving the tight corridor, Moon was greeted with a breathtaking sight.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Water droplets fell rhythmically from the ceiling into a pond in the middle of a large inner cavern. Blue fluorescent light emanated from clusters of mushrooms growing along the walls and ceiling, bathing everything in an ethereal glow.

The bioluminescence reflected off the pond's surface, creating an amazing effect. Despite the beautiful sight, something attracted Moon's attention more than anything else.

A large tree stood in the middle of the pond, its roots submerged in the water. The tree itself was unlike anything Moon had seen before; its bark was very dark in colour, it was also girthy and its leaves shimmered with faint silver light.

Moon approached the pond's edge cautiously. He'd scanned the visible area and found no hostile creatures on the surface, but he couldn't be certain about what might lurk beneath the water.

Zap!

He channelled lightning into the pond. Not enough to spread throughout the entire body of water and kill anything there, but enough that if any creature were hiding below, the electrical current would force it to reveal itself.

Seconds passed as Moon listened carefully for any sounds, but nothing appeared. There was no movement beyond the gentle ripples from falling droplets of water.

After ensuring the pond was safe, he crossed carefully, mindful of slippery stones beneath his feet.

Reaching the tree, Moon's legs settled onto the small island of roots and earth where it grew. Up close, the tree was even more remarkable. Its trunk was thick, easily two meters in diameter, and the bark felt smooth yet powerful under his touch, not like wood at all, but something closer to stone or metal.

Moon began examining it more carefully, running his hands along the trunk, searching for anything unusual.

Fruit. Seeds. Markings. Anything that would explain why a level twenty-one elk would venture here often.

Then he noticed it.

It was a branch, different from the others around it, golden in colour, standing out proudly.

The branch extended from the trunk at chest height, and unlike its neighbors which were laden with shimmering leaves, this one was bare.

Moon leaned closer, examining the branch more carefully. At its tip, he found the answer, a small stem, recently severed.

The cut was clean, precise, and most tellingly, fresh. The exposed wood hadn't dried or darkened yet, suggesting the separation had occurred within the last few days at most.

There had been a fruit here. Recently.

And someone had taken it.

Given the fact that the Elk had been looking here in a longing expression meant that this had occurred in recent hours, not days. As they hunted the Elk, someone had either stumbled upon or found the fruit and took it.

Moon's mind worked through the implications. The elk's desperate protection of this area. Its refusal to leave despite weeks of being hunted. The way it kept returning to this specific location, no matter the danger.

It had been guarding the fruit. Waiting for it to ripen, perhaps. Or protecting it from other creatures that would have sensed its value.

But someone had gotten here before him.

Moon pondered the questions that followed naturally. What kind of fruit had grown on this golden branch?

Although its effects would remain unknown, he knew for certain that it was a treasure. The leaves on the branches were sharp enough to cut like a sword.

When exactly had it been taken?

And most importantly, who had found this hidden area and claimed the prize before him?

This tree's only significant bearing had clearly been that branch and whatever it produced. The rest of the tree, while unusual in appearance, showed no other signs of bearing fruit. The golden branch had been the anomaly, the treasure.

And it was gone.

"I must've come late… somebody already found it," Moon muttered, straightening up.

Although it wasn't pleasant to arrive after the prize had been claimed, Moon wasn't angry. He'd come out of curiosity and interest, following a hunch about what the elk might be protecting. The mystery was solved, even if the reward had already been collected.

He took one more look around the cavern, checking corners and crevices for anything else of value. The blue fluorescent mushrooms might have alchemical properties, but they were common enough that harvesting them wasn't worth the effort. The pond held nothing but water and stones.

Moon began collecting some of the leaves on the tree. Even if the main prize had been collected, these leaves were still a treasure in their own right.

They could certainly be used as materials in powerful weapons.

After collecting around thirty leaves, Moon began to head out. He decided to catch up with the group to return to the base.

Although he could return alone, that would be foolish given how much better it was to travel with a team that had prepared equipment for such long trips.

He found Nathaniel and the others in the camp waiting for him. He didn't take long, around fifteen minutes in total.

The group was not nosy. Not prying on what he did during his absence. They simply greeted him, then they began making their way back to the base.

On the way back, Moon was treated differently. He no longer shared the horse with Marcus. Nathaniel instructed Marcus to ride with someone else, giving Moon better treatment.

Marcus complied without any resistance or complaint, simply switching positions with a knowing look.

The group had already come to the realisation. The Lieutenant wanted to get closer to Moon, wanted to cultivate a relationship with someone who'd proven capable far beyond typical newcomers.

As they rode, Nathaniel positioned himself alongside Moon, maintaining a comfortable distance that allowed for conversation

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