Bottom of the Bottle

You attack, the worm just emerging from the lava. As the rivulets of lava begin to separate, you launch, biting into the hard, hot underbelly of the lava worm. You latch on, but your grip doesn't hold. The lava spills around you, searing your flesh as your jaws lose their hold and you tumble down.

All you remember is the hot blazing heat and then... cool darkness. You awake outside of the chasm on a smooth, flat rock.

A familiar form kneels beside you, tending your wounds. It takes several blurry moments to realize this is not your guide, but a cluster of fireflies in a cloak the same color as your guide's fur. Your injuries are blindingly painful, but you will live; you can tell somehow by the way the fireflies buzz around you. One in particular will stand out, a deep, ugly wound that lies across your right back inner leg, that will leave an impressive scar (about 6 inches long). You feel less knowledgeable at having gone on that adventure as well, losing 95 hunting skill points.

You realize loosely how little sense that makes and you wonder if this is real, but a warm force closes your eyes and bids you to think of home, of safety. When you awake next, you are in a safe place, one which you might have imagined.