[Quest] From the Depths [Closed]

[Marius]

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt to check,” Marius said. He reached into his pack and drew out a spike, hammer, and a coil of rope. Hefting the hammer, he lodged the spike in the wall with a series of precise taps. “It’s important to put these things where the rock is strong,” he said absently, threading one end of his rope through the spike’s ring and tying a double knot. Marius did not bother with any other equipment; he gripped his lantern in his teeth and stepped out over the hole. It was a precipitous drop, but he held the rope fast in his gloved hands, slowing the plunge. He kicked his feet out, using them to steady himself on the walls, and then began to lower his scant frame until he was suspended a few feet above the tumbled rocks. In a trice, he had raised his legs over his head, his muscles trembling as they did every time, snaking his legs around the rope so he could hang upside down. “Anyone alive down there?” he called, and waited for a moments. No response. It didn’t look good, but he proceeded to prod at the rubble, trying to predict how stable it would prove. He couldn’t find any trace of others, and worse, it seemed the tunnel they had come down was blocked off as well. Now that’s interesting, he thought, this entire place is coming down. It was as if the caverns were playing with him, and although the game was dangerous, he found himself embracing its perils. “I have some good news, and some bad news,” he called up to the others. “I don’t see any bodies, which I suppose is for the best. If the rubble hasn’t collapsed upon them, it’s probable that they might have slid into a cavity in the rock. I also regret to inform you that this pile is far too unstable to shift. I can also tell you that we won’t be able to leave this place through the way we came. It would be expedient for us to hasten on our path, or else we might be buried where we stand.”

[Sitkanis]

"Please find them Marius. Please bring my Adalia back to me." Sitkanis' heart raced as he watched the man descend into the cavern. He had to bring the one's who had fallen back! He had to! He looked to Astrid for comfort but his worry still stained his mind. He was being illogical. Before Adalia he would not have cared if a few people in the party fell into a hole or even perished. He was selfish too, he wanted Adalia back what ever the cost. He needed to head Astrid's warning though. He needed to calm himself. "If you believe they will be okay… we will have to move on." It was hard for him to say it, even harder to think it. The only thoughts that went through his mind was "What if Adalia dies without me?" It was evident now. Sitkanis had to move on. He closed his eyes and sent out a prayer to the only two deities he felt a faithful connection to. "Cayiha and Leth, although I know protecting people from rocks and unstable mines is not your place of expertise, please protect Adalia. She means the world to me. I know this connection is new but I would do anything for her." For a moment Sitkanis wondered whether he should send a prayer out to Semele and Rak'keli for Adalia's sake. She was in Semele's hands now and the goddess would do with her what she pleased. His lilac eyes looked up as if he was looking toward the sky and he whispered "Just protect them." After a few chimes of Sitkanis' praying he stepped forward toward what was left of their party. "Astrid, Marius, I'm ready to move forward when you are…" He did not want to move forward. He wanted to help Adalia but that was beyond his control now. He did not like it when things were not in his control but it seemed Semele was going to challenge that feeling. "Staying here and mourning will not bring them back. As Marius said, we should move forward."

[Adalia]

The Konti looked oddly at the Denvali man when the nature of his gaze to her changed. She could see the infatuation in his eyes, but she couldn't decipher whether it was simply the same infatuation most Denvali possessed with foreigners, or if it was actually an infatuation beyond that. If it was one beyond that, than she had fair reason to be worried. A soft frown played across her face as she silently rose up to her feet, dusting off her cloak. A single hand ran its way through her hair, tucking it behind her ears on both sides. Silently, with sad eyes, she looked up above them, as if waiting for the rocks above them to vanish and reunite them with her lover. They did not. Wearily, with a disappointed sigh, she looked ahead of them once more, lifting up her lantern in one hand.

"Well, then, let's get moving," the Konti uttered softly. If the larger man required any aid getting Aeden up onto his shoulder, than she provided it without hesitation. When the pair prepared to move out, a longing stare was shot at the rockfall one last time. Maybe... Maybe... No. She had to move on. With great emotional pain, she turned and carried on, eyes looking ahead into the dim light the lantern cast forth.

[Tabarnac]

Above Perras crouched by the hole in the rock to help Marius in whatever way he could, offering him a hand up when he returned to them. Astrid kept her hand on Sitkanis' shoulder for as long as he would let her, eyes compassionate and, possibly, empathic, and her presence did somehow help to stave off despair. Until they saw dead bodies, they would not know that their companions were dead. "Thank you for trying, Master Mero. We will follow your lead." Astrid stayed close to Sitkanis, wary of any sort of emotional outbursts that might endanger them. He was like a child in many ways, cast down from the heavens and forgetting what it was like to be human, and thus not as capable of restraint in the face of what he was experiencing, though the possible loss of a lover was a lot for anyone to handle. Perras brought up the rear, and as they followed Marius forward, they descended as well. They were below the surface of the world, below the debris that still littered the surface hundreds of years after Ivak's great tantrum, but there were no signs of human presence here and one had to wonder if they were going to get anywhere. Until they did, and Marius was the first to see it. The light of their lanterns and the light shining from Astrid's goddess-touched hands were picked up by huge crystals, illuminating stalactites, stalagmites, and a huge underground lake.

Below "Lead on, milady," Zagary said. If his green eyes were admiring, they were not dangerously so, but it would be understandable for a Konti woman alone with a burly soldier to fear for her safety in the depths of a collapsed mine. He had Aeden's unconscious body slung over his shoulder, providing all the brute force they needed, and he would follow Adalia docilely enough down the only path available to them. Or he would attempt to dig their way out the way they came if she so decided. After two generations of female captains, the Denvali populace was used to accepting authority from women unlike some other places on the continent. But the Denvali were strange in many ways. "Don't worry, milady. We will find your ethaefal." He smiled encouragingly, rather handsome for all that.

[Marius]

Marius climbed up the rope, with a broad smile plastered on his face. It keeps getting better and better, he thought as he resumed his whistling. I am most intrigued by this turn of events. It would be a great loss if the others were to perish, but just consider the tragedy of their fate! I will surely include this in my memoirs. Marius pretended to slip and fall when he neared the top, reveling in the look of horror on Perras’ face, only to catch himself at the last moment and scamper to the top. “Must press on, must press on,” he chattered gaily, but the sight of Sitka’s long face stopped him in his tracks. It didn’t seem right for him to be in such good spirits. “I’m certain that Adalia will be fine,” he spoke in a graver tone, even as he fondled Astrid’s thigh. “Shall we go to her? It’s probable there are passages enough to keep us looking for a hundred years, so have faith, my friend! I swear by the blood of my ancestors that I will see her restored to your side.” Marius patted the man’s shoulder as he passed by, his lantern held high, and stepped the unknown. “Onward to victory!” he called back, seeming to pick the words at random. He led the others through the twists and turns in the rocks, headed down – always down. Marius was a bit disheartened that they didn’t meet with any more surprises, but he took solace in the fact that they’d have to find an alternate route out of the caves. If we want to get out at all, that is, he grinned, thinking of the secrets that lurked in the deep places of the earth. Soon they came to the lake. Its shores seemed to disappear into the shadows, making it hard to discern how large the lake actually was. “Look at those stalactites,” Marius whistled. “It must have taken them centuries to form – and to think, we’re the probably the first humans to set eyes on them!” By this time, he had nearly forgotten his lost comrades. “Do you think we ought to go skinny-dipping?” he gazed wolfishly at Astrid – and then froze. Marius felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled the boat that had brought him to this place, and for once, he was at a loss for words. He was eager keep going, but at the same time, he was petrified of water.

[Sitkanis]

Although Marius was not a man that Sitkanis seeked comfort in his words. There was something redeeming about hearing a man swear on his ancestors. Sitkanis would never dream on swearing on his own ancestors. For one, he could not remember them. The more important reason why was because he did not have enough faith in his own skills to put their blood on the line. Of course that was all up to how superstious a man was. Sitkanis by nature was a bit superstitious. When one spent a good amount of time with dead people he tended to not put their likelyhood on the line. "Thank you Marius. I trust that we will find the others soon. I am happy that you are leading us through these mines. I trust your skills." Sitkanis followed Marius faithfully and kept in step with Astrid. Maybe it was her position in the city or maybe it was just her marks from Priskil but he found hope in her. When he stood close he felt as though things were going to work out. "Onward to victory indeed..." The sight of the lake was marvelous if not a bit bittersweet. Sitkanis had a love hate realtionship with the moist substance. On one hand it was where Adalia felt most at home. On the other he could not swim. Sitkanis lifted an eyebrow at Marius' announcement. "I don't know much about stalagtites but they are quite breath taking." At the mention of human Sitkanis looked down and muttered not human. He felt the icy grip of worry claw at his neck. Along with the fact that he did not want to swim in the nude, he could not swim at all. Adalia kept promising to teach him but the pair had been too busy to actually take part in the lesson. "Although the plan sounds fun..., I can't. I don't know how to swim. I almost died on my fall here. I do not want to take another chance with swimming." He was embarassed to state the fact but it was better then drowning. He looked around the mine and smiled. He took a bit of pride in being one of the few to see the cavern. He could not deny that he was a prideful man. It made him come off as a bit stuck up at times but there was little hope that he would change. Adalia did not mind and if she did she did not care enough to complain. "So Astrid, are we really the first people to see these sights? If we are that is quite impressive."

[Adalia]

The blond woman's feet fell quietly on the hard floor of the cavern, the sound that would otherwise be silent reverberating off of the walls of the cavern just like every other sound made within the cavernous tunnels. Light blue eyes swept before and around them cautiously, as if the rock around them were plotting against them, plotting to come down around their ears and keep them from their families and lovers even more so than it already did. Minutes went by, but nothing eventful happened. She could not tell whether they were ascending or descending, turning left or right. Her sense of direction was entirely gone. With a small sigh of worry, she wiped her hands against her pant legs, and then wiped the sweat and grime from her forehead in similar fashion.

After a few more minutes of their trek through the depths of the cave, Adalia turned to Zagary, speaking to him in a hushed voice. "I need to stop for a minute, think, drink," with that, she settled down on the ground, leaning against the wall of the cave, closing her eyes and retreating into the recesses of her mind. Would they ever find their way out of the cave? She had no idea if the path that they were taking was leading them deeper into the cave, or if it would eventually lead to their salvation. What if the path they were taking led them only deeper into the cave? They would die in here, never to be found, their bodies left to rot and decay in the depths of the Earth, never to see the light of Syna nor the light of Leth again. She could lead them back to the blocked path, and commit Zagary and herself to digging, but what if there was simply too much to move? They would burn up all of their energy moving the rocks for nothing, and then they would die, cold, starved, dehydrated...

But what if both paths led to their dooms? What if neither led to their escape? What if they were destined to die down here? Her hand reached for the familiar fur of her ever-present Ivaski. She was gone. She was not with them. Her arm reached out for the comforting warmth of her lover. It found only the cold touch of the stone. Her face twisted into an expression of sorrow and disappointment. When she died here, she would die amongst strangers, with the face that meant the most to her there only in memories, perhaps only a few feet of stone above or below them, yet still out of her reach.

No! That couldn't be how this was to end! She wouldn't die with these two strangers! She wouldn't die without a familiar face in sight! She wouldn't die so far from home, with so much time left in her life, with so many more people to aid! The woman shoved herself to her feet with newfound determination, her eyes filled with hope and determination. Without a word, she began trekking again. She would make it out of this cave, no matter the cost!

Harshly, she began whispering as she walked, barely audible to Zagary. "I fear no evil, I fear no hardship, I fear no death, my Mistress protects. I fear no evil, I fear no hardship, I fear no death, my Mistress protects," the Konti repeated the prayer over and over, not caring what Zagary thought. Eventually, she whispered a different sentence, in Kontinese, but she only whispered it once before returning to her prayer. "Rak'keli, my Mistress, I beseech you, speak with my mother and your sister, Avalis, ask her to grant me the sight I need to See the path that will lead us to our freedom and our salvation," With her plea to the Divine uttered, she turned her attention back to the realm of Mortals, looking at the path ahead of them. She would get them out of here. She was certain of it.

[Tabarnac]

Above While Perras would have found the jocular spelunker great fun had they been sharing a bottle of Oleg's degtine at the Stranger's Welcome, he was in a survivor mode now and did not appreciate the taunting, nor the familiarity with his mistress, the Captain. Nevertheless, he did nothing but keep an eye on the man and then to gaze in wonder at the sunless sea they had found. He, at least, had never seen it. Whatever crystal matrix was woven into the walls picked up their lights and amplified them. Astrid immediately looked for a path to someplace, while Perras kept an eye out for danger. Both the Denvali glanced at Sitkanis in shock; only the very old in Denval could not swim. "When we get out of here," Perras said, "I will teach you to swim, Son of Leth." "Master Mero," Astrid said. "Find us a path down there, won't you? No swimming today." Sitkanis, and only Sitkanis, felt a tug of dread in his guts. Something was off.

Below Zagary proved in every way amenable to Adalia's leadership, setting Aeden down with care when they paused, and picking him up again without complaint when she was ready to move on. He couldn't quite pick out what she was saying in Common between her low tone and her accent, and he certainly didn't understand Kontinese, but he figured if she was speaking to him, she would make sure he heard. Their path too took them down, and they traveled a good distance before anything of note happened. Their path came to a dead end with a small pool of water that was icy cold to the touch. "Well," Zagary offered, "I suppose we can refill our canteens and head back. Surely if we are careful we can loose the rockfall without getting hurt. And if I do, you can patch me up." Adalia had been in Denval long enough to understand his accented Common well enough, but when she looked past the reflection of their lantern light, she could see down into the pool. It was not so much a dead end as it was a submerged path, but one that only a woman with gills could explore with impunity.

[Adalia]

A small sigh left through the womans lips as the pool came into focus. A dead end. Her gut had been right. Now they had to go all the way back to the landslide! All of this effort, all of the energy they had spent to come to this point was for not. It was a dead end! An irritated hand brushed her blond hair behind her ear, as a puff of disappointed breath left her lips. "Lovely," she whispered softly, dropping down to her knees before the pool. "At least Makutsi answered my prayers, even if my Mistress did not," she then added, shaking her head in dismay. Before Zagary even suggested that they could refill their canteens, she was doing just that, uncorking the small container held on her hip and dipping it under the water. Icy blue eyes watched as air bubbled out of the canteen, reaching the surface in the "blub-blub-blub" pattern so familiar to any whom had filled a vessel in a body of still water before. After letting Zagary fill his canteen, and after filling the canteen on Aeden's unconscious form, the woman sighed a little, taking a bit of liberty with the water they had. Scaled, webbed hands slowly unbuttoned the opal cloak that clung to her shoulders. Pale arms snaked their way out of the loose sleeves, revealing the black bodysuit that hid underneath.

She felt her body Call for the water, Call for its cold kiss upon her skin, even if only on her face, even if only for a second. The sight of the small body of water had made the poor girl's heart yearn for the waves of the ocean, the feeling of the salt-filled water against her bare skin. This would have to do. The ocean was, quite literally, a world away. The woman lowered the entirety of her head into the water, submerging as much as she could without getting her clothes wet. The relief, and the shock, was immediate. A wave of freezing cold collided with her face, soon creeping up until it covered the entirety of her head, lapping up at her pale, scale-emblazoned neck. The nagging in the back of her head went away, replaced with a sense of calm, a sense of utter peace. Blond hair floated weightlessly around her head in a twisted frame. Pale lids hid curious blue eyes. She was at peace. As the breath she held in her lungs began to burn, she simply relaxed, releasing the breath from her lungs, letting the air bubble to the surface of the pool. Without a conscious thought, her gills began stripping oxygen from the water she lay within, sustaining her long after a normal man would have fallen unconscious, or even died. Webbed hands circled in the water, moving fresh water over her gills. The only sign she was alive was a movement of her leg ever minute or so, entirely for Zagary's benefit.

She was at peace.

Eventually, she opened her eyes, peering into the depths of the puddle. The sight before her caused the woman's heart to skip a beat. It was not just a puddle! It was a whole path! It was a tunnel filled to the brim with water! Blond hair flew out of the water as a small gasp filled her lungs, allowing her to exclaim to her companion in a mix of delight and surprise. "Rak'keli spoke with my mother!" she declared in hurried Common, beginning to remove her bodysuit. "This pool isn't just a pool, it's a submerged path. It leads somewhere. If water is in this tunnel, that means that this must lead up somewhere along the line! I'll go scout ahead, see just how long the tunnel is, see what's on the other side, see if I can get you two through!" by now, her bodysuit was on the floor with her cloak, leaving her skin entirely exposed to the elements. If she wore either article of clothing into the icy water, she would die of hypothermia the moment she exited the water with no means to dry off. This way, she had her own clothes to dry off if she made it back this way. It was a gamble, but it had better odds than digging their way out. Her Aunt had gotten her Mother to give her the Sight to see this path. It had to be the way out. It had to be. Hair wet, she threw a glance over her shoulder to Zagary, speaking softly to him. "Wait here. Set off the lantern to conserve fuel. If I'm not back within... a while, go back and try to dig a way out. If you get out, and I don't... tell Sitkanis I love him," her eyes met with his. It was only then that she realized that she was standing entirely exposed before a man other than Sitkanis. By the Goddess, she could only hope that he would understand that it was to bring them back together again.

The Konti lowered one foot into the pool, and then decided to simply get it over with sooner rather than later. She shook her head to fling excess moisture from her hair. A pointless movement, but one she made none the less. Then, in a simple, fluid motion, she joined with Laviku's world, slipping into the ice-cold water without a care. Pale fingers and toes spread wide to open up the webbing between them, and with certain, powerful movements, she began moving through the dark, icy water, hoping to find the salvation her party sought.

[Marius]

Marius was reassured by Sitka’s aversion to the water, but he perked up when Astrid explained that he would not need to swim. He didn’t know how to swim either, although he was good at thrashing around and sputtering. In Zeltiva, it was a well-known fact that Meros sank as swiftly as the rocks they coveted. “How fortuitous,” Marius sighed in relief. “I do not mind a cup of water, nor a copper tub that smells faintly of lilac, but an entire lake is simply more than I can bear,” he scowled. “It’s abnormal, that’s for certain. I shall be having a word with – hmm, who’s in charge of water? I suppose we could boil it away,” he mused, but then he caught sight of Sitka’s face and realized that any delays might result in the breaking of his promise. “Must press on,” he muttered, and began to examine the crystals, seeking an exit from the chamber. It was a difficult task. Even with his lantern mostly shuttered, the crystals seemed to shine ever the brighter. Marius wandered into one fissure, and then another, which all seemed to lead to dead ends. In one, he found the remnants of what appeared to be a shoe, its leather cracked and crumbling. “Look at this,” he said, and tossed the shoe at Sitkanis. If he had been in better spirits he would have tacked a jape on to the remark, but his head was spinning. Lights danced before his eyes. “Not good,” he muttered. “Not good, not good, not good.” He was getting confused. It was one thing to be eccentric, or to speak every thought that came to his mind, but confused? That never happened. “Let’s try that one,” Marius scowled at a crevice that punctured the rocks, speaking to himself mostly, but letting the words carry. He wished that he had a cold compress for his forehead. There was too much light here.