Into the Rift

[Volens]

Volens was barely paying attention when the Delvin jumped into the aperture. Then he saw Irowyn fall again. Volens slid down to the ledge, then jumped the rest of the way down, trying to land softly. He didn’t hurt himself the rest of the way, but had the breath knocked out of him. He stood up, re-adjusted his wool cloak, and his sword belt. He almost wished he had brought a torch with him, the dimness of the aperture almost gave him the creeps. He didn’t understand what the men were shouting about, but something about this place made him think they shouldn’t be shouting.

Volens took a breath, “Well, what a delightful experience.” He whispered to no one in particular. He fiddled with his gear some more, trying to decide the best course of action. He didn’t even know if these men could be trusted, and he had just jumped into the aperture with them. He resolved to hide his magic for as long as possible. He didn’t know how these men felt about magic. Or mages. Volens looked around, the bridge seemed impossibly distant now. Volens only had enough water for a day, maybe more if rationed it, less if the others needed the water.

“Well, anyone know how to reach this city?” Volens called, barely audible over the faint sounds of the city above. He still couldn’t get over the oppressive feeling on the aperture. He looked both ways, they didn’t seem any different. And Volens was never a good leader.

[Devlin Blackern]

Devlin couldn't help but laugh as he watched Irowyn tumble down the drop. He had his hands on his knees and was bent over laughing when Irowyn screamed up at him.

"Of course I petchin' did. Had to get the bloody thing on the way or you ladies woulda chatted about it 'til your chin hairs touched your belt," Devlin said, shouting back down from his perch. Devlin smiled and nodded at Irowyn as he tried to shout him down. Devlin didn't need told twice. The whole petching adventure had been his idea, so it was only fair that Irowyn rush him. He'd rushed the poor bastard enough as it was. He scrambled down, trying to keep his feet underneath him, until he was standing next to Irowyn.

The two stood together for a moment before Volens joined them.

"What kind of scholar are you mate? You've got the chance to see things no one's ever petchin' seen before, and you're trying to find the way out?" Devlin said, nudging the man in the rib playfully.

[Balderdash]

Despite Delvin's remark, there wasn't much to see after descending into the rift. The Aperture was completely and utterly pitch black. Faint orange sparks sputtered into existence at the canyon's floor for a tick before fading out of existence, and any artificial lighting would only give them a yard or so of vision. Otherwise, the trio wouldn't even be able to see their hands in front of their faces. The Aperture had a curious smell about it. Some mixture of mildew, chamomile, and rotting flesh. All in all, not a very pleasant one. Occasionally, one could hear a faint skittering, a drop of water on limestone, or the clack of mandibles. The three were not alone. It wasn't completely dark, however. A few dozen feet to the left of the trio, what looked like a gently glowing violet ball was clinging to the cavern wall. If any of the three tried to approach it, the light source would inch back, not quite so fast as for them to lose sight of it, but remaining definitely out of reach. In addition, there was a wide, slightly wet natural slide to the Aperture floor ten feet in front of them, if they should choose to take it. The glistening of the water-slick surface alerted the three to its existence. Which path they would take was left entirely up to them.

[Irowyn]

"Well...we're down here now," he began. "Better figure the best way to go." Irowyn took a moment to listen to the noises and to do what he could to "survey the area." The various noises around him were creepy but they weren't particularly enough to unsettle him.

Besides, there were three of them. Three. There was something particularly familiar and comforting about that number. Irowyn had been in worse situations. He'd been in worse while in a group of three...worse with Esli and Rolf. He hoped that these two were worth half as much as Esli and Rolf. If they were, Irowyn surmised that they just might have a chance of making it out of here alive.

Despite having been pushed into a life-threatening situation against his will, something awoke in Irowyn's mind. A certain spirit for exploration started to rumble again. These were feelings that he hadn't felt in ages. Not since before Sunberth, anyway. Now that he was down here, part of him was happy to be exploring this mysterious place. If he wasn't careful, these emotions were going to creep outward and onto his face.

"Alright," he carefully whispered. "In my experience, I can handle rough terrain and natural obstacles," he glanced over at the natural slide. After that, he scowled towards the violet light. "It's mysterious lights and unseen beasties that I don't trust. I vote that we explore the slide."

[Volens]

"We should have grabbed some torches before..." Whispered Volens quietly- barely loud enough to be heard above the sounds of the aperture. He took a breath, calming himself, and rolled up his sleeves. He didn't have much experience in dark caverns, and something about that light did feel ominous.

"I don't have any formal training as a scholar. Just an urge to learn..." He whispered a bit louder, trying to answer Delvin in a manor that would try and show he wasn't terrified. But he was, his normal cautious nature was beginning to take back over, here he was, stuck in a deep pit with two strangers and many unknown beasties crawling around him, just out of reach. He rubbed the pommel of his sword, it was worn, and tarnished from this nervous habit.

"I don't like the looks of that light either, if we are going to get out of here, then lets try the slide." He was nervous, he could barely see anything. And the smell was less than favorable. But, I guess that's what life had in store for him. He took a deep, rot filled breath and accepted his fate.

[Devlin Blackern]

"Petchin' spooky innit?" Devlin said, laughing under his breath. All the little hairs at the nape of his neck were standing straight. He drew his bow and pulled an arrow from the quiver, notching it on the string and holding it there. Never hurt to be prepared. The noises in the darkness were enough to raise goosebumps on his arms. Was he terrified? Gods yes. Did his excitement outweigh the terror? Petchin' right it did.

"Aye. Never trust an unnatural light. Least that's what my ma always said," Devlin said. The joke died in the darkness and he shuddered. The atmosphere was...oppressive to say the very petchin' least. He didn't try to make another joke. Instead, he rubbed a hand across his nose, trying to get the blasted smell to go away, and followed Irowyn toward the slide.

"So lads. What're your stories? May die together, so we might as well die as friends eh?" Devlin asked, surprisingly serious. The darkness had sapped him of his usual humor. He wondered what it was doing to the others.

[Irowyn]

Now that it seemed decided, Irowyn took a few careful steps toward the slide. He looked around to see anything else that he might be able to see through this darkness. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword but then hesitated. Sliding into the dark with a drawn sword may not have been the best idea. If he lost his balance, he'd probably end up impaling himself.

Still, he kept his hand on the sword as he looked around for a way down that didn't involve ...sliding down the slide. He prepared himself for either scenario. He didn't invest all of his hopes on the idea of being able to gently walk down the slope instead of sliding. If there was a way to be found, however, he was going to take the alternative route. Otherwise, he would prepare himself and use the resource that was available to him: the natural slide.

He wasn't foolish enough to actually try and walk down the slide but he would try to use his legs in order to control his speed. He would create whatever pressure, whatever friction that he was able to with the soles of his boots. If he had to use the slide, so be it but there was no way that he would swing recklessly into an unknown darkness.

He looked back at the two men. "Much like yourself, I'm an explorer," he seemed to choke over the word, as if it took more breath to produce the noise. He conveyed the message but it was as if he had only barely succeeded in doing so. "Er, I was, anyway. The name's Irowyn," He raised a hand in a greeting to both men. He nodded his head, looking at both men as he introduced himself.

"But let's walk and talk, shall we?" He suggested. "It sounds like we are all in unity," he whispered to the other two. "Let's get this started." If one were looking, he might have recognized, in the darkness, a secret little grin on his face. Next, Irowyn turned around prepared himself, hand secured on the hilt of his sheethed sword, and started his descent.

[Volens]

Volens sighed, this was his first proper adventure, and despite his knowledge in survival, as limited as it was, he was woefully unprepared. Barely any water, no torches, and no food. The men seemed friendly enough, that was a relief. And, they all appeared armed, which was another relief. He could hear Irowyn slowly moving down the slide, Volens decided to give the guy ample room to navigate. The last thing they need was an injury.

After a short time, maybe a few seconds or a minute, Volens felt along the wall. It was damp, and slimy. But, it allowed him to slowly feel his way down the slide. He kept his knees from locking, and almost crawled down it, feeling his way down. “I’m Volens. Ran away from home when I was a child. With a mage of all things.” Volens sadly sighed, remembering his late master, “I think I reminded him of his son.” He kept moving slowly down as he talked, “Even as a child I had a lust for knowledge, but I don’t have any proper learning.”

He chuckled quietly at himself, his lust for knowledge seemed almost silly now, “I am more or less a reimancer. Not very skilled, but it’s a skill I have. Maybe it’ll come in handy.” He almost winced as he declared that. Remembering that not all people thought highly of magic. After that, he quieted down, waiting for the barrage of insults he figured he had coming his way.

[Balderdash]

In a way, the Aperture wasn't all eerie noises and rot. It was also, to a degree, peaceful. While the duo slid slowly down into the Heart of the World, the only sound that accompanied them was the gentle dribbling of water, and the soft hum of air drifting into the cavern. Well, until they lost their grip. In the end, the slide got wetter, and the rock got slicker, and Volens, Delvin, and Irowyn found themselves going faster than they might have intended. Much faster. Due to the absence of light, the only indication was the slapping of wind in their faces, the pressure on their eyeballs, and, of course, the sensation of going thirty miles a bell down a slab of stone. Fortunately, the trip was not a long one. Volens and Irowyn found themselves deposited onto the Aperture floor. Delvin had, apparently, been separated. If they attempted to call out for him, he didn't answer. There were not many clacking mandibles now. Indeed, here, the Aperture was dead silent. The sort of silence that dug into one's eardrums and smothered like a blanket. However, as the duo discovered, the Heart of the World had a heartbeat. It was both more and less than a sound; a sort of vibration. A pressure on their ears. Thrum-thrum. Perhaps it was simply pounding blood. Thrum-thrum. But then, pounding blood wasn't external. The pair would, with investigation, find that they were in a sort of corridor. To their left, the air smelled fouler, and on occasion one could just barely make out the glimmer of eyes accustomed to seeing in darkness. To the right, was nothing visible. However, the shadow seemed almost alive there, and the thrumming would become much more pronounced as they went further along. Whatever was to the right, it was nothing most mortals would ever experience. Except perhaps the monks. It was also possible it was something most mortals would never survive. The path to the left held certain danger. The right, the unknown and arcane. Both were likely to put their lives at risk. From the left, a distant snarl could be heard.

[Irowyn]

Irowyn pushed himself up from the floor of the corridor. The pain was more of a nuisance than an emotional obstacle which he would have to fight through. Still, the nuisance was an unpleasant experience as he forced himself to his feet.

He was able to make out a familiar shape in the darkness. Only one humanoid. It had to be either Volens or Devlin. Further investigation revealed, to him, the presence of Volens.

His whipping action to look around was more instinctive than pragmatic. The move meant nothing due to his limited visibility.

"Devlin..." He whispered. "Devlin, where the petch are you?" He whispered more urgently.

He waited a moment. He took a few pacing steps, not many only two or three in any direction and these were quite slow and cumbersome. His attempt to see, even the inexplicable decision to bring his hand above his eyes, was magnificently futile. He could see nothing that would help him locate the third member of the group.

"Skurak!" Irowyn whispered (perhaps a bit louder than he should have) in biting anger. It sounded all the more jarring in his Syliran accent. In his anger, the Myrian expletive was the most fitting swear word that he was able to conjure. He had heard it uttered across a few of his more adventurous travels which usually involved a greater amount of firepower.

"Rhysol condemn you, Devlin, where the petch did you run off to!" The disappearance of Devlin was both infuriating and freeing. This was the kind of stuff that had a direct shot to right under Irowyn's skin. Volen and Irowyn had been led into the Aperture by chance and misfortune. Devlin orchestrated their descent into this crevice and now he was nowhere to be found.

At the same time that Irowyn was enraged at Devlin's foolishness, he also felt a strange sense of satisfaction that it was him and not Irowyn or Volen who had gone missing. It was neither one of their faults for ending up in here, neither of them (according to Irowyn) deserved to be punished the way that Devlin might deserve.

Regardless of his own personal musings, Irowyn knew that the more important point was to get out of here. He surveyed the situation and weighed his options.

"What experience have you with the arcane? Irowyn asked his companion. "I have quite a bit of experience with the beasts. If we come face to face with the pair of eyes down there, I'm somewhat confident that I can help us slay it. However, I've more experience with tracking and surviving than I do with slaying. I'm certainly not as good, now, as Rolf ever was. If you have any competence against the arcane, my experience in the wilderness tells me that I'd rather trust that competence than face a giant beast who I know is waiting for us.