There wasn't a graceful way down from his position, so Udo just crawled forward
until he was almost dangling off the lip of tunnel. He put his hands above his head and then fell
the rest of the way out of the tunnel. He did manage to roll into a sitting position on the cave
floor with some minor bruising, yet he was neither graceful nor silent doing so.
"Well, if anyone's home, they know I'm here now," he muttered to himself as he
stood examining his surroundings in the darkness. It was a small circular chamber. Its diameter
wasn't much greater than the length of the tunnel he'd just crawled through. There was a passage
to his right that was tall enough to walk through if he stooped a bit. He collected his pack from
the tunnel and began moving slowly down the passage.
Udo was embarrassed that it took him almost a complete rotation to realize that the
passage really was winding downward. After a few more descending orbits, he could see hints of
light; after another, he could smell a wood fire. The passage ended in a doorway with a dingy
cloth draped over it, which he pushed past.
The room was cramped and cluttered with furniture, books, scrolls, and various
strange objects. The floor was covered by faded tapestries. Despite the confined space, there was
no actual smoke in the room, just the smell of it. Someone sat with their back to him facing a
small fire pit at the back of the room.
"What do you want?"
Udo blinked at the old man's back, trying to find his voice.
"Come now, I'm not stupid. I know you're here because you want something. Tell me
what it is so I can say 'no' and tell you to leave."