Completed [Zinrah] Collapsed part II

[Soshakuakamamushi]

Continued from here.

Collapsed Tunnel, 23rd of Bell, 17th of Fall 513 A.V

How long had she been working now? Aka didn't know, but one thing for sure, she was sweating a lot. Gathering rocks and clearing debris weren't taxing, but doing them continuously and over a long periods of time surely was. Aka gave a grunt as she commanded her res to gather another rock. "Ha... phew... ah..." With tired grumbles, she handed it over to Senka, her work partner.

"Aka, you're tired let'sss ssstop for now." The female constrictor in Dhani form wasn't teasing anymore, the small Dhani in human form visibly looked tired and if what she heard about magic was true, then it wouldn't be wise for Aka to keep pushing herself.

"N-nah... a couple more!" Aka forced herself to move, her muscles aching but her mind urged her to move on, to keep exhuming her res, to keep casting. Yeah! I can do more! I'm unstoppable after all! Casting was like a drug, feeding her mind with pleasurable feeling but would destroy her body if careful measures weren't taken. Most of the debris were cleared with the combined efforts of the reimancers and guards, this fact combined with the sweet whispers, motivated Aka to finish the job once and for all. She faced another rock, covered it with her res, and transformed it into air. Then... the cavern rumbled.

"Aka!" Senka was afraid another collapse would happen, she had just saved the Viper's life bells ago, it seemed she would so so again. However, the rumbles didn't cause a collapse, it cleared the way forward instead as rocks moved to reveal what lay ahead from the blocked tunnel. Ticks later, comfortable warm steam washed over the workers.

"Uh..." Despite her exhaustion, Aka was curious on what lay ahead. It better be petching worth it for all the work she had done. She stumbled forward and her eyes discovered...

[Soshakuakamamushi]

A large cave containing underground pools filled to the brim with water, warm water. Steams rising out from them, beckoning all who sought warmth. "Woah..." The Viper's mouth went agape as she kept walking forward, followed by the others. They all had various expressions on their face, tired, exhausted, but almost all of them were mixed with joy. The hard work had not been in vain, they just discovered a hotspring.

"Woooooooo! Steam baaath!" Senka, the ever loud wrestler, was the first to announce the obvious. The Constrictor charged forward and dipped herself into one of the pools, sighing in contentment as her cold-blooded body absorbed the warmth. Other Dhani followed suit, jumping into the water to soothe their aching muscles.

Aka figured she should join in on the fun, she deserved it. With a giggle, the small Viper removed her clothes, flexed her legs, and jumped into the pool. With a small splash, her mind geared into panic mode for a tick, driven by her fear of deep cold water, but the warm water and shallow pool eased her mind. "Phew..." She sighed in relief and picked a spot near the pool's edge to relax.

She removed her hair ribbons, letting her long black hair cascading down her back to float the water. "Aaaah~" Hissing in contentment, the Viper began cleaning her body. She watched her bathing brethrens most of them in Dhani form, some of them in human form. "..." Her eyes wandered to the females in particular, all of them had curvy body befitting of a mature woman. The Viper sighed in frustration and looked at her own chest, small and child-like. She was one hundred and ten springs old, but her body was still of that a young teen. Her short height also didn't help her case.

The Viper decided to put her mind off the matter for now, she still had some glimmer of hope that she would still grow. However, that hope quickly died when she realized a Dhani in human form meant they had reached the peak of their growth, she couldn't change anymore. Whatever... Ignoring it would be the best for now, she couldn't come to terms with it just yet.

[Soshakuakamamushi]

Observing the newly-discovered steam baths. She could see it was largely unfinished and rough, the large cavern was still shaped naturally, not touched by the hands of earth reimancers. It seemed the job wasn't done yet, building and polishing would come next. "..." The Viper rubbed the nape of her neck, feeling her tired muscles being soothed by warmth. Her body was tired, but her mind was not. In fact, she could feel pleasure just coursing through her veins, the pleasure that came with casting which Galbern tirelessly warned her about.

Sweet whispers, huh? Every decent magic-user should be familiar with the term. Magic was like an addictive drug, it provided pleasure to the mind but destroyed the body if used excessively. Aka was aware of this and at the moment, she could feel some part of her mind urging her to cast more and more. After going through a near-death experience by overgiving in which she would be dead if not for Ivak himself, the Viper reminded herself to not overdo it everytime she casted. However, she was worried in the heat of battle, she would momentarily forget and went overboard. No.. I won't, I won't! Being pessimistic had little use, she mostly avoided overgiving in her battle with the Myrians, she would keep it up.

Her mind wandered from the topic of magic to her relationship with Mamoru and her place in the nest. Who was he to her? What was she doing here? These questions lingered inside the Viper's mind. Aka dipped her body further until only her head was above the water, pondering. Mamoru, for all his tricks and mystery, actually saved her life by brining her into Zinrah. Without him, she would be head in the claws of predators or in the hands of Myrians. She was grateful to him for that, but his attitude just perplexed her to no end. He seemed to not care for her other than a tool for him to use, but in rare moments, he had shown his compassion. Obviously, he wouldn't admit it, but Aka could see he would save her life should she be in danger. She would do the same for him.

The Viper may not realize it, but an affection for the Constrictor grew inside her. She liked him yet disliked him at the same time. However, that 'dislike' was getting thinner... Am I in... love? A blush crept up on her cheeks, but she quickly shook her head, giggling like a silly girl. "Haha... that'sss impossible, it doesssn't make any sense..." Her voice was faltering, her heart told her it was very possible, but her stubborn mind refused to accept it. Stupid master... It was all his fault, he should notice her more for Ivak's sake. Always so busy with his guard duties, a personal time for the two of them couldn't hurt, right? "He..." Her gaze became distant. Her mind and heart in an intense battle.

After about thirty chimes, it was time to get out of the bath and clear her mind. Shaking her head, the Viper pulled herself out, picked up her clothes, and began walking out to the cleared tunnel. She didn't bother to dry herself first, she even forgot to put her clothes on. That was how conflicted she was.

[Traverse]

Aka

Experience:

• Endurance 1 XP
• Observation 2 XP
• Philosophy 1 XP

Lore:

• Discovering a New Hot Spring
• Being Able to Let Your Hair Down
• Mamuro: A Complicated Individual
• Fighting Growing Feelings for Masster

Additional Notes :

Short and sweet, and nice to see Aka relax a little, even if it was emotionally tumultuous relaxation haha.

If you have any questions, concerns, accolades, complaints, etc about your grade, drop me a PM and we can most certainly talk it out.

As always, Safe Travels!