Indiana Andrushenko and the Conclusion of the Marble Cave

The beginning of the tale may be found here.

Your fitless protagonist promised to reinstate the Quest for the Marble Cave replete with the newly ascertained information regarding its whereabouts, thus, not two days removed from the previous search, he set out again. The morning was even sunnier than on the previous adventure and the temperature warmer still, forcing the man to regulate well as he achingly pushed upward along the long ascent of the steep mound which was promised to hold the jewel of his desire. Pressed for time he took merely one miraculous hour to crest the mountain and was delighted with the progress that the sweat of his brow had accomplished. As indicated by the marauding couple the entrance appeared - they proved not to be deceitful after all!

Alas the prize still alluded him as guarding the entrance were keepers of the cave. When he approached they outrightly refused him, citing a host of unacceptable excuses to deny him this victory. Surely he could reason with them! But the negotiations did not prove fruitful. Eventually he offered them a bounty to allow his entrance but they still refused without justification, muttering only apologies. He had not come this far to be quelled by a resistant troll and pressed further, reiterating the significance of the discovery and the hardships he had endured just to be standing on that spot. Through unending charm and wit he eventually swayed them and they relented, swinging the gate wide for his entrance. Inside were amazing sights that one must literally see to believe. The depths of the caverns breathtaking, and the height of the stalagmites astounding, while the length of the stalactites incredible. However the discovery to make it all worthwhile was the nearly wholly preserved skeleton of a mammoth that lay awe-strikingly in one of the many rooms of this truly magical cave. In true celebratory style they toasted not only this beast but also this heroic quest with the nectar of the land.