Closed Lost in the Enchanted Forest (Aradia)

[Iosha]

Time Stamp: Noon, 14th of Spring, 513AV Location: The Underground Forest Who: Aradia Seeing the fading light from Aradia eyes, Iosha could tell by the sound of her voice she spent to much energy trying to preform such a difficult feat. The konti knew with some discipline the innocent singer could be a talented wizard in the future. Iosha quickly moved to give her room when Aradia laid her head and immediately fell asleep on the soft bed of moss. The blond woman got to her feet and sat down next to the human woman's head. Iosha reached out a white hand and pressed two fingers up to Aradia's neck. The konti let out a sigh of relief when she felt a pulse, but she was concerned because the woman's skin coloring was slightly pale. The blond woman frowned to herself wondering if the woman went into shock from her exertion, so she quickly opened her backpack and pulled out a her winter blanket. She unfolded it and draped it over the sleeping woman. She knew the mushroom forest was damp and cool, so she wanted to keep her patient warm until she woke up. Iosha sat down next to the woman and started to stroke her crimson hair with her hand as she waited for any positive response from her new friend. Iosha sat, watched, and listened to the sounds of the Underground Forest. Still stroking Aradia hair, Iosha heard the sound of falling water on the other side of the underground cavern, and she heard the sounds of bat squeaking loudly from the other side of the cavern It wasn't easy to pin point the area because the sound was echoing off the cavern wall.It was a constant and unnerving sound since she knew the bats down here were the size of a full grown man. However, it was interrupted by the quiet whimpering of the sleeping Inarta. Iosha looked down at her, and she wondered what she was dreaming about. Iosha knew it must not have been very pleasant since the woman's cries sounded like pleading. Iosha said softly in Kontinese to her, “Don't worry Aradia. Nothing will hurt you while you are sleeping.” Iosha brushed a red lock of hair from her cheek, and she looked up over the lake. She smiled to herself when she saw a single large mushroom tree in the center of the large underground lake. Iosha looked at Aradia for a moment and she saw the human was still sleeping, so she stood up and walked to the shore of the lake to get a a closer look at the tree. Iosha couldn't tell much detail, but she saw the mushroom tree had taken root on a small island in the center of the lake. Suddenly the tree shifted colors from the luminescent soft blue to a bright purple, and the “star” mushroom shifted to the same color as the mushroom tree. The mushrooms in the cavern only stayed purple for a few chimes before it slowly shifted back to the luminescent soft blue. It was a beautiful sight, and she wished the singer was awake to witness the natural phenomenon for herself. ”Iosha?!... Iosha!?” When Iosha heard her name, Iosha ran to the startled woman, and she could tell the woman was disorientated from her over-giving. The konti could tell when she got closer the woman was having difficulty seeing because she was staring straight at her and didn't see the konti. When she made it to the woman, she was checking her skin making sure it was still there. Iosha knelt down next to Aradia and draped her arms around the human woman. She pulled Aradia closed not wanting her to stand up in her delirious state. Iosha said in soothing tone of voice as she stoked her crimson hair, “Aradia, I am here. You are safe with me, but you just need to calm down.” Still stoking the woman hair, Iosha said softly, “When you were asleep Aradia, I saw a beautiful sight. I was watching a large mushroom tree in the center of the lake, and suddenly, the tree shifted colors from the soft blue to a bright purple. It was a truly magnificent sight. It is too bad that you had to miss it.” Iosha brushed a lock of hair behind her ears and asked softly, “Also, I am a healer of Rak'Keli Aradia, and I am going to ask a series of questions about your condition. I just want to make sure you are alright. OK?”

[Aradia]

Aradia was terrified to say the least, everything was a swirl of darkness with splashes of color. Her vision had yet to adjust to her surroundings, and the pounding headache made her vision worse it seemed. Her skin felt hot, even though the moss she was lying on was cool and moist. It was as if her dream really did happen, that she set herself on fire through her Reimancy. She screamed for Iosha, she needed the Konti woman, needed to know she was there, to know they were safe. That her dream was just a dream and nothing more. Aradia called out to her friend, a desperate need laced inside her panicked shouts. She could not see her, she could not see much of anything. She heard the colors of the mushrooms swirling around her, she could see the sounds of the water dripping softly into the lake. Everything was backwards, the opposite of what it should be. The Singer was not sure what was going on, had her mind left her when she was dreaming? Was she still inside a nightmare? Did she burn herself alive and was now in some in between place? Her fears and panick began to dwindle down when she heard her friend say her name. Telling her she was safe, to calm down. Stroking her crimson hair, reassuring her. Aradia nestled her head in the woman’s chest, like a child would to her mother, and she cried, sobbed from the fear. She stayed silent, just cried softly, her breathing still coming in and out in quick rapid breaths, but was slowly calming down as the woman held her, talked to her. Aradia was having an anxiety attack from the dream, from the fear. She listened to her description of the mushroom, it made her imagination start to work, thinking of the mushroom changing colors, and all the thoughts that were swirling in her mind that caused the anxiety attack began to fade. Her breathing started to calm down, still not normal, but better thanks to the soothing tone of the Healer. Iosha told her she was a healer of Rak’Keli, Aradia knew that was the Goddess of Healing, or at least that was what she thought Rak’Keli was. Aradia just nodded her head to the woman, leaned back and looked up at her. ”O…Okay..” Aradia stammered out, her breathing still not completely under control, her senses still not correct. She sat there, her body trembling slightly, her breath soft and quick, as she waited for Iosha’s question. The Singer tried her hardest to stay focused on the Konti, to keep her mind from drifting to that place, that place where fear resided.

[Iosha]

Iosha watched Aradia as she trembled in front of her under the blanket. The crimson haired was terrified at her situation, and the konti was pretty sure that she was suffering from slight to moderate over-giving at the moment. Iosha stood up and squeezed her shoulder and said softy, “I will be right back. I want to get you some water, Aradia.” The konti put down her backpack, and she fished out her water-skin. She stood up and walked to the rocky shore line of the underground lake. She was mulling over the questions in her trying to remember the symptoms of over-giving for reimancer. Iosha knew reimancy was one of the most taxing and dangerous personal magic, and she had to learn the warning signs of pushing herself to the limit during her studies as a young wizard. Since Iosha's Grandmother was a teacher by trade, she was home schooled by her Grandmother. It was was structured and intense at times, but Iosha learned a lot from her grandmother in her younger years, and when she went to medical school. Most of the time, she had at a advantage over the other students in her understanding of the world. Iosha was often challenged by her Grandmother to critically think about subjects the young konti had no interest in, but later Iosha learned it was a exercise the mind into being creative. Iosha knew she was suppose to continue on the family's magical tradition when her Grandmother passed on into the afterlife, so the young healer did everything she could to fulfill her grandmother's wish. Iosha poured out the old water into the lake, and she stuck her water-skin into the cool lake, and she filled it completely before screwing the cap back on to the tin. She turned from the lake and walked back to woman. Iosha sat down in front of her and handed the water-skin to red head woman, “You should have some water, Aradia. It might help you get rid of the metallic taste in your mouth.” She was taking a stab in the dark about the woman's symptoms, but she wanted start the series of question as casual as possible, so she could keep Aradia from having a panic attack. The Konti reached out her webbed, took hold of the woman's hand, and asked softly, “I need you to be honest with me when I ask these questions, Araida.” Iosha squeezed her hand, but also, she felt the woman's pulse at the same time. It was racing, and she needed Aradia to calm herself, so she asked softly, “Do you want to cast another spell, Aradia?” Iosha knew learning from her Grandmother that wizard generally want to cast spells while they were suffering from over-giving it was a common symptom. Iosha reached put and looked into the multicolored eyes of the Inarta woman, and she could tell the white of the woman's eyes were slightly red, and she leaned back with no emotion on her face. She looked up and asked softly, “Do you feel like you in a dream-like state at the moment, or did you have a nightmare while you were unconscious?” Iosha looked at her up and down looking for signs of external and internal bleeding. She could only see the human woman's legs, arms, and face, so she couldn't tell much from physical observations. Iosha decided to ask gently another symptom, “Are you suffering from any pain right now, Aradia.”

[Aradia]

Aradia sipped on the cool water that Iosha brought to her, grabbing it with shaking hands, bringing it slowly to her lips that felt so parched, washing the metallic taste inside her mouth away, or at least trying to. Aradia coughed a little and handed the drink back to her, nodding her head agreeing she would answer any questions with honesty. The first question confused her, so she paused thinking about it. In a way she did, in a way she was frightened to. ”I still want to cast magic, but I am scared to at the same time.” Aradia said looking down at her hands, checking to be sure there was no fire there. The dream was so real, the pain still seemed to be there, on her skin, but she knew it wasn’t. Iosha kept an emotionless face, a face that most healers took when examining their patients, that way they could not give away if things were bad or not. It made Aradia slightly nervous, but she kept her eyes on the woman as the next question came. ”I..I had a nightmare. I set myself on fire… My body was burning over and over, the skin was just growing back to be burnt off again.” The Singer said in a hushed frightened voice, as she slid her hands up and down her arms repeatedly as she spoke. The next question was not as odd, she was experiencing pain. Her head was killing her with a pounding migraine, it was not as bad as it was before she passed out, but it was still there. ”When I first woke up, I thought I still felt the pain of my burning skin, but it is gone now. My head hurts from a headache, but it is not as bad as it was before I passed out, but it is still very painful, making my vision slightly blurry because it hurts so badly.” Aradia spoke softly to the woman, not able to really talk too loud because of her headache. She brought her hand up to her temple and rubbed it ever so slightly to ease some of the pain away, but of course it did not help, so instead she let it fall to her lap with a sigh.

[Iosha]

Iosha listened to the woman tell her symptoms, and she came up with the conclusion that woman was suffering from mild to moderate over-giving. The konti was worried if the woman decided to cast another spell the woman could hurt herself more or completely loose control of her spells. Magic was a dangerous past time, and a wizard could over-give without even realizing it. Iosha released the woman hands, and she looked into the lake for a moment to collect her thoughts. She turned back to Aradia and said gently, “You are suffering from the symptoms of reimancy over-giving, Aradia. The metallic taste in your mouth and your want to cast more is a sign of mild over-giving. Luckily it is only a mild to moderate case. However, you also mentioned the nightmare of you burning alive and the fact you felt the pain afterward is a sign you are suffering from the moderate stage of over-giving. You confirmed it when you mentioned mentioned your intense headache that are causing temporary vision loss.” Seeing the woman was scared, Iosha walked over and sat besides her hoping it would ease the feeling of fear in the woman and she continued softly, “I want you to take a break from casting spells for a week. After today, you might feel the symptoms for a few days, but they should be completely gone by the end of the week. I have a feeling with your headache and the dream. You might have issues concentrating on your spells, and you could possibility loss control of your spells. However, if you start see unexplainable bruises or bleeding, I want you to see me immediately, Aradia.” Iosha looked at Aradia, and she put a arm around a her shoulder and gave it a gentle hug. The konti said with a smile, “Honestly, Aradia over-giving is a common occurrence when you are a wizard. You shouldn't be ashamed or beat yourself up because of it. In my twenty-three years of using magic, I lost count of the times. I drew upon to much djed and over-gave. It is a awful feeling, but it the price we pay for power. The most important thing is we learn from our mistakes, and we try not do it again.” Iosha released the red haired woman, and she said softly, “I can't do much for the other symptoms, but I relieve your headache for a time, so you can focus better.” Iosha reached up with her webbed hand, and she put them on each side of the woman's head. She could feel the heat radiating from the woman's body. She was definitely warm, and she was curious if it was another symptom of the over-giving, or if it was the after effect of using fire reimancy. Iosha closed her eyes and said a silent prayer to Rak'Keli, “My beloved goddess my friend is suffering from over-giving from casting a spell, and I wish to relieve her head-ache, so she can concentrate once again.” Iosha opened her eyes, and she saw her gnosis mark on the top of her arm start to glow a soft blue. The light from the gnosis mark started to envelope Aradia's head for a chime until the light faded away. Iosha sat back down, looked at the woman, and asked softly, “So how do you feel, Aradia?”

[Aradia]

When Iosha told her she was suffering from moderate over-giving, Aradia did feel ashamed, even though Iosha told her not to. She had put herself in this position before, and told herself she would never go that far again. But as Iosha said, when dealing with magic, people tended to over-give when trying too hard, and Aradia was trying too hard. She will just have to remember not to try to make the flame cold all at once, start off small each time, until she built up the power, knowledge, and of course confidence to go all the way. Aradia hefted a sigh, ”I feel foolish. “ her tone came out in a whisper, as she looked down at her hands folded on her lap, full of shame and regret. She did not like the feeling of being a young, foolish, magic weilder. But maybe one day, she would be as intelligent as her friend, and can help another like Iosha was helping her. Aradia gasped slightly as Iosha’s webbed hands touched each side of her face, and started to glow a soft blue. Though she was slightly shocked, everything seemed to disappear for a chime. All her worries, stresses, and depression she was feeling and mainly her headache dwindled down to nothing. The Singer felt calm, soothed, and relax. Better than she had felt in a long time. Even her tired and sore muscles from all the walking they did went away. She felt as good as new, besides the slight lethargic feeling from over giving. ”I feel like your blue light made me brand new again. I haven’t felt this well in a long time, well besides the over giving part anyways.” Aradia chuckled softly and stood up on her feet looking around. ”This Lake is beautiful and calming. But I cannot help but wonder…. What else is there? I mean… It doesn’t look like these caverns have been explored a lot, I wonder what we could find?” Aradia smiled and looked over at Iosha, the twinkle of adventure sparked in the Singers eyes. She was feeling much better now, and was not going to let the slight fatigue drag her down, or take away any possibility of adventure. She would just have to not use magic, and she would be fine. Aradia could only hope and pray that she actually could go without using magic though.

[Iosha]

After Rak'keli finished bathing Aradia in light, Iosha watched her patient jump to her feet. The wave of melancholy was completely gone from the singer as she just sat there on her knees watching the healer with a amused grin on her face. As she gazed out over the beautiful cavern lite only by hundreds of glowing mushrooms, the healer sat down on the grass resting her chin on her knees Iosha tilted her head and warned the singer, “Don't push yourself, Aradia.” She didn't want to scare the woman, but she was still her patient and most importantly her friend. The konti's eyes fell upon the large mushroom tree in the middle of the lake. Hoping the mushroom would preform the light show for the singer, but to her disappointment, the mushroom didn't respond to her. The konti quietly sighed to herself and said softly to Aradia, “I am glad to hear it, Aradia. Just remember Rak'keli would never turn her back on anyone in need of healing, and neither will I. If you ever injure yourself when using magic. I want you to come to me first, so I can treat you. It will save you the trouble of telling the other healers about your magic.” Iosha sat there a moment and said sadly, “I only told one other person about my magic, but I am not sure how general populace would react to us.” Iosha had got mixed signals from a few people in Wind Reach, so she was only going to tell a few of her closest friends. It was nice to know someone who could share her desire for magic like her. Iosha decided to stand up and walk beside Aradia. The konti put her blond hair behind her ears and smiled at her when she sounded like she wanted to explore more of the place. Iosha put her arms behind her head and said softly, “I am curious myself, but I heard the underground forest can be dangerous in the chambers farther into the cavern.” Iosha looked at the red haired human and said with a giggle, “I sound like a killjoy don't I? Maybe we should go farther into the cave and see what is in there. I heard there were giant slugs deeper into the caverns, so it would be interesting to go look for one.” Iosha looked at the reflections of the mushrooms in the glass surface of the water, and she wanted to explain the element of water to young woman. Iosha looked into her beautiful eyes and said softly, “You asked about water reimancy didn't you, Aradia? I want to explain what I know about it to you. Before we go exploring and get eaten by giant slug monsters.” Iosha walked to the water and knelt down next to the water and said softly, “You asked if it was easier to will water into existence or is it easier to be around water. To be honest, I find willing water into existence taxing since you have to create something that didn't exist before you willed it into existence. It kind of like playing with the power of the gods if you think about it. I am sure being a fire proficient; you don't have much access to a source of fire, so you would need to will it into existence to fit your needs.” Iosha changed her mind about doing what she normal does to summon her magic, so she concentrate her will the res to engulf her webbed hand. She stood up watching the cloudy substance obscure the image of her hand. Iosha looked at Aradia and said softly still concentrating on the res around her hand, “I find it is easier to use a source for my element to use in a spell, for example the lake. However, since my element is water, there is quite a bit of sources of water I can draw or manipulate with my res.” Iosha stopped for a moment and gazed into the shimmer of her hand for a few ticks, and she continued her lecture, “The easiest element to find a source for is air and earth because most of the time, you will have those elements around you in abundance unless you are on the ocean.” Iosha smirked up at her friend and said with a smile, “However, if you think about it, air contains water vapor too, so you are always around a source if you are creative in your thinking.” Iosha waved her hand in the air as she slowly willed the water vapor from the humid air. The konti watched with delight as the res attracted the water from the air. It was a slow process, and she had to move her hand around a lot, but eventually the water clung to the res around her hand like a winter glove. Iosha smiled up at her friend and said softly, “I found the element of water has a few qualities a reimancer must take into account. First, water is a heavy element, so you have to use a lot of will just to pick it up. Secondly, much like fire and air, water doesn't have or hold a particular shape on it own, so you need to use a lot of will just to control and manipulate the element. It can get taxing at times to use the element of water, so I suggest you use a small amount of it the first time you experiment with the element.” Iosha started to will her djed to manipulate water around her hand to slowly make a pyramid shape in her hand. When she started making shapes, she used her hand to illustrate the process, but she felt it was time to manipulate with her mind, so she envisioned a perfect pyramid of water in her hand, and she willed her djed to create the pyramid of water in her hand. It was a slow process, but eventually after a few chimes, the water took shape in her webbed hand. Iosha took a deep breath, and she stated, “Third, I noticed water is much like earth in some ways because a reimancer can shape water much like a sculptor shapes a slab a rock into a statue. The shape will not be permanent like the stone; however, a reimancer can quickly manipulate the water faster than a chunk of earth.” Iosha envision a ball of water in her hand, and she willed her res to manipulate the pyramid of water into a sphere. The sphere was a easier shape than the pyramid, so the transformation took less time. When the ball off water in her hand was created, she decided to the throw the ball into the lake. When the ball splashed in the lake, Iosha turned around and said giggle to Aradia, “Sorry for my lecture, Aradia. When I am older and on the Mother's Council, I will become a teacher on my beloved island if I can survive Wind Reach.” Suddenly while facing Aradia, Iosha saw a shadow move through the corridor to the cavern, and she immediately drew her sword from her scabbard. The konti grabbed her friend arm and pulled her behind her. The shadow was humanoid shape, but the konti wasn't taking any chances in a remote place like the Underground forest. Iosha looked around for a place to hide, and she was surprised at how open the space between the corridor and the lake. Iosha wanted to tell Aradia to take cover in the mushroom tree, but the figure was already in the clearing. Iosha could tell the figure was human and by the dirty red hair it was a Inarta. Holding her sword with both hands, Iosha slowly walked towards the figure to get a better look when she got closer to the figure. She said sternly to the approaching Inarta, “Introduce yourself now, and you're intentions in the Underground Forest!” The konti saw the large man stop suddenly at her words, and Iosha noticed the man was walking with a slight limp and his back was grossly deformed causing him to walk like a hunchback. The man raised a hideous deformed face and said with a sneer, “You talk like Endal, Konti. You must have bedded one by now if you are talking like one.” Iosha recognized the voice as Curgan a Dek who helped her navigate the Underground forest in the fall when she needed to run a errand for the Spider. The Konti swore to herself, sheathed her sword, and said bluntly with a smirk on her face, “You are crude and disgusting man, Curgan, and you should know by now. The only man I am saving myself for is you my sweet ugly prince...” Curgan let out a loud laugh that echoed through the chamber, and he stared at Aradia and said to Iosha without looking at her, “I am way too much man for you, Konti, so what is the name of the beauty behind you? By the look of her hair, I am guessing she is half breed..am I correct my Flower?”

[Aradia]

Aradia of course would take heed of her healer’s words, she would not push herself. Even though she wanted to do magic, and tackle some more adventures, she knew that it would not be wised to push herself so soon, after a week maybe she would be at full potential to do more. Aradia sighed and stretched her arms in the air, listening to her Konti friend’s next words about Rak’Keli never turning her back on those who needed healing, and to always come to her in case someone does not accept her magic usage. She also mentioned that she has only told one other person about it. The Crimson Singer nodded her head and smiled, ”Well now two people know, and I will remember your words my friend.” Aradia said with a smirk on her face. Aradia walked around looking over at the lake, the Konti soon stood up and walked beside her, happy to hear that she too was curious to see what all these caverns had to offer. Aradia loved adventure, she had traveled a lot in the recent years, seeking out that something everyone is always missing with in themselves, usually getting into predicaments because of her thirst of adventure, but at least she did not lead a boring life. Then the Konti mentioned huge slugs and Aradia could not help but make a disgusted face. ”Interesting to go look for a huge slimy monster?.... Maybe.” Aradia said with a laugh. Aradia stopped walking, looking over at the reflections of the light upon the water’s calm surface, as her friend began to teach her about water reimancy. Aradia listened intently, interested to hopefully learn a new element soon. Iosha seemed to will so easily, easier than Aradia anyways, as she formed her shapes. It was a mystical show to say the least, how she twirled her hands in the air, gathering the vapor that was in the air. She mentioned that air and earth were the easiest of elements, and honestly Aradia had always been curious about the air element, always wondered if someone could fly by using it. That was also one reason why she wanted to learn morphing, maybe one day she could morph wings like a Wind Eagle and fly herself. Aradia smiled at her own thoughts as she brought her attention back to Iosha. ”You will make a wonderful teacher Iosha. I find myself lucky to have met someone as intelligent as you.” Aradia said with a playful wink. All the smiles and laughs, and playfulness was set aside as she was pushed behind her friend. Iosha drew her sword. Aradia was confused at first, a frown contorting her face, until she too saw the shadow. Aradia wished she had a sword or dagger of some sort to use, her quiver and bow was too far away to grab in enough time to help her friend out, so if something was about to attack, she would just have to use her hands and feet. Her heart began to race in her chest as she waited for the shadow to come closer. Aradia watched as the red hair came forth, then the distorted figure and face. Aradia almost gasped a loud, but gulped it down as she watched the some what friendly exchange between Iosha, and the man called Curgan. The man looked a little frightening, with his humped back and distorted flesh on his face. Aradia could not help but stare a little, then looked away bashfully until the man mentioned her being a half breed. Aradia’s small hands balled into fists at her sides, anger coursing through her veins. It was true some people looked down at half breeds, not as much as humans at times, but still enough to anger the little singer. Aradia stepped around Iosha, to stand beside her, not letting her friend speak for her, though the protection did warm her heart towards the white hared woman. ”Yes I am half breed, what’s your excuse?” Aradia asked with a slight snarl in her voice, looking down upon the man with a slight arrogant air about her. She was not ashamed of her heritage, she embraced it happily, proud to be the daughter of two wonderful parents, always working hard to make them proud, to be as strong as they are.

[Iosha]

Curgan narrowed his eyes at the woman and simply said, “Honestly, I think I got hit with the ugly stick a few times, girl, but I am most likely the result of generations of inbreeding.” The ugly man stared at Aradia for a moment and said with a laugh to the konti, “Well, she definitely has a edge about her, Io.” Iosha put a hand on Aradia shoulder and said to dek, “Curgan you need to learn how to be civil around people.” Curgan snorted loudly and spat on the ground, “I will be civil to people when they are civil to me. Besides, I was being nice to her.” He walked over to the ladies and continued, “Half-breed is compliment since most Inarta are dumber than a box of rocks.” Curgan eyed Aradia for a moment and said simply, “I am sure the other half of her parentage has diluted the stupidity in her veins, so I am giving her a compliment, Iosha.” The konti just shook her head and said to Aradia, “He isn't a bad person if you know how to handle his vicious tongue.” Iosha looked at the man, and she could tell he hadn't been taking care of himself since she could see cuts and bruises all over his body. He was sure must of them weren't self-inflicted because he had told her that he was often abused by the upper caste because of his hideous appearance. She frowned to herself when she saw a puffy red cut under his black and blue eye. Iosha looked at the man and said with a frown, “You haven't been taking care of yourself, Curgan. Who gave you the black eye?” Curgan snarled at the Konti and said with a hiss, “You ask me like you care, konti!” He ran a hand through his gnarled hair and said in a calmer voice, “It doesn't matter. I don't have the time to remember all the people who decided to use me as a punching bag. Anyways, I was going to look for you in Wind Reach, but I was lucky enough to find you in my home.” Iosha crossed her arms and glared at the hunchback as he yelled at her. Even if Curgan was a dek, he was still as stubborn as any Inarta in Wind Reach. She raised an eyebrow as she waited for his reason for looking for her. Curgan said softly, “A few of my friends were injured in a mining accident in the deeper caves, and I know they will not make it if they aren't treated by a healer. Since you are the only healer in Wind Reach that would treat the Dek. I figure it would be best to find you and ask for your help.” Iosha eyes soften when she could tell the normally difficult man was doing his best to convince her to help his friends. It was sad the other healers wouldn't waste their time on deks if their was upper castes to treat. She knew Aidara would if she could help them, but the healer's hands were tied by her society. The konti walked over to him, and she put a hand on his shoulder, “Of course, I will help you and your friends. Can you lead us to them?” Curgan said softly with a nod, “Yes.” Iosha smiled at the man and said to him, “Good, let me talk to Aradia, and I will ask if she would like to come along too.” Iosha turned away from the hunchback, walked back over to Aradia, and said softly, “I will be going deeper into the Underground Forest, and I want you to come with me, Aradia. It would be nice to talk to someone who isn't Curgan.” Iosha didn't want to admit it, but the Underground Forest made the young konti kind of nervous at times because of all the creatures in her that would love to dine on a young konti. The encounter with the giant spiders in the cave system didn't help her fear of her place last fall. Iosha and Curgan had to fight for their lives to retrieve the item the Spider wanted. Iosha gave her a weary smile and said with a small smile, “Curgon know these caves like the back of his hand, so I doubt we won't get to lost with him guiding us through the cave, so what do you think?”

[Aradia]

Aradia listened to the Curgan and her friend Iosha exchange socially. Maybe Curgan’s words were a compliment, but it was one of those back handed compliments it seemed to her. Back handed compliments just pissed her off. Either be nice, or be rude, not both at the same time. Aradia sighed and shrugged her shoulders, planting a small smile on her face as she listened to the healer and the hunchback. Aradia could not help but raise her eyebrow at the fact that Iosha was the only healer that would help the Dek. Sometimes she really wanted to kick a Endal in the face for being such rude. Just because “it is the way”, or rather the “way it has always been”, does not mean it is the way it should always be. Sometimes change is good, and who is to say if they treated the Dek with a little respect if Wind Reach wouldn’t prosper a little more, instead of just being a little … stuck. Iosha walked over to Aradia, explaining that she would like company deeper into the cavern to help the injured miners, since Curgan was not the best social buddy. Aradia gave a small chuckle and nodded her head, ”Me? Miss this adventure? Never! You are stuck with me.” Aradia said giving her friend a little wink, and following her friend and the hunchback out of the cavern with the beautiful lake, and traversing deeper into the dark, where only the stars knew what lurked.