It took the group awhile to reach the caves. In the process of doing so, they were forced into a playful game of slippery hopscotch, where failing to land properly could send you to a muddy demise. 
Such was Mado's fate. The lass had desperately attempted tackling an enemy only her eyes could see. Whether or not she emerged victorious was a fact only the Loco Coco herself knew, yet Lady Luck's thumb certainly went down when the human was sent tumbling down over herself into what was a pit of uncategorized slimy filth. By tripping over several times and eventually greeting the questionable substance with her body, the jacket, which had hidden the girl's indecent attire, had flapped in various directions, revealing everything that couldn't be seen otherwise. It wasn't a pleasant sight for Hakuren's eyes, seeing as she wasn't his size, let alone his type, but it wasn't harrowing or entirely unpleasant either. No doubt, it was hilarious. 
The young grasshopper in the merry band for four, on the other hand, had handled their journey rather well. Graceful were his steps, as he skipped from stone to stone with the elegance of a gazelle. Albeit there were one or two occasions when he escaped misfortune by a hair, Leon carried himself with poise and did not allow himself to be fooled by nature's trickery. At first, he had stood at the back of the pack, humming a suitable tune, unlike any true mountaineer, who would have suggested singing together in a timbre similar to that of a ferocious bear. Once they neared their destination, the lad went ahead of their leader, catching up to the murderer-wanna-be, possibly due to the fact that the covering cloth over her shoulders was his. This left the young man in the midnight green coat third in the row, yet he did not mind and patiently waited for the forth member to catch up.
Leila, unlike the others, had not the slightest amount of eagerness to conquer the rocky path and had preferred taking it slowly, one step at a time. As a true lady, she gently placed her delicate feet on the unsteady surface, making sure she would take the right position, in order to minimize the chances of descending against her will. Measuring the surface of each platform and calculating whether or not it was a suitable base for her mass made the girl rather sluggish. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say. Thus, her position as last in the assembly was as concrete as Nowhere's illogical logic. 
The one who made himself halt a couple of times for the sake of the aforementioned sheltered snail was Hakuren. He was the head of this little operation, after all. If anything happened, it was on his head. Not that there wasn't an excuse for everything in this guy's head, yet that was another song for another time. When not standing in one place, he was as swift as a mountain goat. The youngster did not see a problem in getting himself dirty, but avoided it if unnecessary. Leaping left and right, making swift turns, some of which were even a full clockwise, he was not as refined as the other male, yet kept himself out of harm's way just as proficiently. With a small grin on his face, in his eyes this was a challenge, a warm-up test for what was to come in the unknown caverns that were their new target. Thus he did his best to exercise by climbing up higher stones and stepping only with the front part of his feet. Everything was just that - a game. 

Before the entrance of the cave there were four beings. One was a young man with black-blue hair, the second was a boy with feather earrings, the third - a silent composed Miss and the fourth - a barefoot knife-wielding girl with a killing intent. An odd team they were, even for the likes of the crazy world they had somehow found themselves in. Proceeding into the mysterious maze, not one of them quivered or hesitated. In each was a confidence of a different kind, yet the source of their willpower was irrelevant in their situation. What was important was the result and not fearing the unknown was one of the many requirements for reaching their objective quickly without a hassle. 
Allowing Leon and Mado to take the front lead, Hakuren walked closely behind them, yet not as much as to cause discomfort. Nature's artwork was a delight for his playful green-blue eyes. Tall stone walls stood like giant soldiers giving a salute, whilst different kinds of flora honored them with their presence, like laurel wreaths on the heads of champions. The ceiling gradually rose higher and higher, until one could not tell where it went, yet it was there, for there was no light to come from above. Drops of water could be heard from time to time as they made impact with the solid surface of the ground. The air had a salty essence to it, resembling that of the sea. The darkness grew larger and larger, to a point where they could only make out silhouettes.
[quote=Leon][b]“Hakuren-san, how much farther?”[/b][/quote]
[b]"A bit more."[/b] he responded. The dark never bothered him. Nightlife was where his youthful years were spent up until the very eve he boarded the train.
Everything slowly began turning brighter after some sort of line was crossed. Little by little, they passed through what was most likely an entrance tunnel and entered what was their first open space within the cave. 
A large opening, with a rocky floor where grass could be seen growing here and there, it was a desolate place, one which had most likely not seen a living being's foot for quite awhile. Or perhaps it was correct to say "a human foot". There was a wide hole above them, a part of the top which had collapsed at some point of Nowhere's existence, allowing those with ear night vision to witness the disastrous appearance of the surroundings. Statues lay scattered and dismembered across the cave. Limbs and heads of animal-like stone creatures, which had once been whole, now rested atop the very same ground they had once symbolically protected, covered by pink and purple moss, red fungi and orange spotted mushrooms. This was a saddening sight to behold. No wonder that there had been so many pieces of cloth tied to the trees outside. There had even been a festival in the past. This was most likely a place of worship and honor, bearing such a great importance that stone statues were created as guardians. It was indeed a bit depressing to see how time, even though it was nonexistent in this dimension, affected culture. The old must be forgotten, in order to for new to take its place.
What caught the young man's attention was the moldy statue of a being he barely recognized, yet, upon looking closer, it did not seem he could be mistaken. It was the figure of the mayor, sir Spicy Tuna. This was definitely unexpected and, under close examination, it confirmed the individual's identity and the fact that it had been in this state for more than a day. It puzzled the youngster. If a statue were to be created of the mayor, this had either been part of the village or the mayor was not what he appeared to be. This reminded the human of an anime he had once watched, where the guardian chief of the village was actually the scale of a god and had supernatural powers. Not to mention that the said character was scaly and fish-like. It was a theory he would have not considered possible if he had not seen the statue. This enlightened him a bit and he made a mental note to broaden his horizon. This was a world where everything was possible, after all, so everything, even the most ridiculous of ideas and assumptions, had to be taken into consideration. 
Taking his gaze off the statue, Hakuren spotted five tunnels ahead, each with numerous rocks either standing tall or lying down. Ah, the classics never ended. They had to make a decision on the route they had to follow. Chose wrong and you could meet your demise. Now he remembered it would have been a good idea to take a stick from the forest. It would have been a great tool to test the ground for traps and holes, if it got too dark to see. The paths were located beyond the small lake, which was located in the center of the clearing. Clear, blue and apparently deep, it was a marvelous sight, a sapphire among beads. 
Yet something did not entirely make sense. Some of the rocks were smooth. Some were rough. Some were big and some were small. If they were all located in layers around the lake, it would have been logical, yet they were scattered, just like the statues. If the water had once filled up the clearing inside the gave, all of them would have been smooth. It was an oddity, yet Nowhere was full of them, thus the lad made remarked it, but didn't pay it much mind. 
Just as he was about to make a suggestion that they head into the third tunnel from left to right, the found of feet against the moist ground became audible and none of them were moving. The humans ceased whatever they were doing immediately and listened closely to the sound. It came from the second tunnel, yet nothing cloud be seen. This made Hakuren's relaxed expression become serious. Pulling all his concentration towards the direction from whence the sound came from, he could still not make out neither shape, nor weight of the subject. It was bothersome. For a heartbeat he summed up all the possibilities of escape. They were midway, at an equal distance between the five tunnels and the one they came from. His current position was steady and offered a good jumping base for a quick sprint. Mado was close in front of him, yet the other two were now behind him, as he had changed places with Leo unconsciously while they were still exploring the cave. Depending on the incoming being, it could either be an advantage or disadvantage. He would have to weight it once the creature became visible. The group had nothing to protect themselves with other than the items at the lunatic's disposal. It was quite fortunate she was in the very front. Seeing as she was near enough, Hakuren grabbed her arm as quickly as possible, in order to divert her attention from what was approaching, which he did not doubt she wished to chop into pieces, and signaled to everyone in the group to keep quiet by placing a finger in front of his lips. Their first quest had proven to the humans that this world held dangers as great as its wonders. It was wise to lie and wait for whatever was to come, instead of jumping head first. Once he had made sure they had seen his signal, he let go of Mado's arm. Truth be told, if she were to lash out at the incoming existence, it would provide a nifty distraction, yet he made sure to have warned her just in case. The girl was useful and he would hate to lose such an asset now, but if the circumstances required it, he wouldn't mind either. It didn't truly concern him whether or not she would listen to his advise. In fact, it was more likely that she now wished to attack even more. Regardless, they all would face whatever was there sooner or later. 

[u][i]The lost souls strained their ears, and listened. There was a faint whisper.[/i][/u]