Ever wonder why tour guides get so pissed off when you wander off on your own? Welp, Settop’s about to find out!
 

 

 
“Enjoy a trip through the jungle. See the wonders. Enjoy nature. Except until you need to take a whiz, and there’s no civilization around; just poisonous… everything, and bugs!” Settop grumbled.  
He had excused himself from the Machu Picchu guide’s direction for just a few seconds, but apparently that was more than enough to make him hopelessly lost. Once he turned around, the trail was simply _gone! _The area where it should have been was choked thick with trees… trees which seemed to belong to the wrong forest. Well, it wasn’t as if he’d magically pissed his way into some other forest, so Settop had spent the past four hours marching in ever-wider circles, trying to re-discover the lost trail. Instead, he found a cave. On the side of a mountain which should not be there.  
_Fuck. It’s getting late. How the HELL did I get lost like this?! _Settop’s thoughts bubbled with anger and frustration. His phone had no signal throughout the entire search and had just run out of battery. His legs were scratched up from the underbrush. Not a single plant or critter looked familiar. The terrain was totally alien. And not a single voice returned his occasional call for help. At the very least, he could stay in the cave for a bit while weighing his options.  
As Settop approached, an odd glint of light caught his eye. Squinting as he got closer did little to make things anymore clear. It wasn’t until he ducked inside and let his eyes adjust that his breath caught.  
“Oh wow. That’s really cool…” His breath returned just in time to stumble the words out. Then followed up with a curse when he remembered the phone’s dead battery. No pretty pictures for me, I guess.  
The cave was a nest of massive crystal formations, jutting out of every corner and crevice. A very faint glow chewed its way through the crystals from the base, adding an eerie magenta pall to everything. Wandering deeper in, he soaked in the beautiful sight before him. Settop had never heard crystals like these before!  
His awestruck wonder was stuck dead when green fire lanced out across the floor.