Quest [Aylasa Caves] Spelunking We Go! (Full)

[Shiyami]

If the Eiyon continues to glance at both Kimi and himself, they might be sent off to whatever comes in the afterlife. That was the thought that kept running through Shiyami's mind, as he glanced for the umpteenth time at the Eiyon. Though he didn't speak out loud, his wariness was visible, evident by the ripples on his cloak.

He didn't move, nor glance over, but he could feel the familiar soulmist of Noaru nearby. Feeling somewhat comforted by the old ghost, Shiyami looked down at the small companion floating next to him. Though she was in the appearance if a child, her eyes were upon the Eiyon, with both curiosity, and subtle fear visible within them. The hand that wasn't holding his own, was carrying the ribbon she had pulled from her hair, and that hand was trembling slightly.

Giving Kimi's hand a quick squeeze, in an attempt to reassure her, Shiyami glanced around at the other members of the expedition party. From the looks of it, it seems everything was almost set.

Shiyami

[Roderick]

From the way they shifted skittishly whenever the hooded man's gaze fell on them, Roderick eventually decided that the ghosts travelling with him were very unnerved by his presence. An Eiyon, Tina had named him. He'd heard a few things about ones like him, but discerning between fact and fiction could be difficult with things like this. What can he do to them that makes him so dangerous? The hunter had seen as much as everyone else; the man had grabbed at them as though they were flesh and blood. Besides that nothing had yet happened - other than a few threats being sent their way. For the most part though the man did nothing but look at the ghosts, inspecting them with a steady, unwavering look before glancing around at everyone else. His gaze always returned to the spectres, who seemed to shift ever so slightly in discomfort whenever his eyes fell on them. Surprisingly Roderick actually found the man's presence comforting. Being around Shiyami and Kimi at the Stallion during the Summer had been bad enough. Now that there was a third ghost following him, as well as who knew how many more down in the caverns, the presence of this man, unafraid of their kind, was a welcome thing. While he wouldn't care to admit it to anyone here, the young hunter felt shaken and chilled whenever the oldest of the three ghosts lay his eyes on him. Shiyami just made his skin prickle slightly, but because he looked so young he wasn't actually afraid of him - Kimi frightened him even less. Who could be spooked by a little girl? Not the smartest idea, since she was probably decades older than she looked, but keeping a brave face on seemed a good idea. The archer and axeman in Tina's group started helping him with the gear he'd brought almost immediately. While the marksman helped his fellow bowman with the things he needed the axe nut helped Ethan with his. "I think it's time we went inside, before the place is picked clean." He adjusted the straps on his vambrace while he waited to see if anyone still had things they needed to prepare. OOCHallelujah, I finally got around to posting. Its pretty short but it gets the thread moving again.

[Radiant]

OOCWe will be skipping for about one bell.

One Bell Later...

As the adventurers ventured into the caverns, many of them separated into each individual groups as they took different branching paths. The massive complex of the Aylasa caverns were virtually endless with numerous twist and turns. The outer parts had no noticeable loot as they had been disturbed by various parties in the past, the deeper parts however...

The party found themselves in a circular cavern room with four corridors exiting it, including the one the party just used to enter. Tina and her own group then gathered together to discuss something, the navigator leading the discussion then they all nodded, Tina approached the group, "Hey! Terra, our navigator, said that particular corridor!" She pointed to the middle one, "Leads to a rumored treasure room, we will be going there! You guys decide if you want to follow or not, well, I'd prefer if you do, two of you are ghosts after all! You can't possibly be afraid, ahahaha~" With a light giggle, Tina's group went off on their own to the middle path.

The Eiyon, just kept silent, only speaking when spoken to, keeping a silent watch over the ghosts.

Now, it was the party's turn to decide, would they take the left, middle, or right path? Of course, the path behind them, leading back to the exit, was also an option, but they would botch the adventure if they took it.

[Noaru]

The feeling he felt: it was strange and nostalgic. This place reminded him of those years he spent in darkness hating, despising the world and its gods for their cruelty. The Valterrian with its destruction brought forth change for better and for worse. This cave system was probably another of the many creations of destruction. Noaru could not fathom how far-reaching this system was: knowing he would not dare carelessly roam in such a place, as he did in the forest.

Noaru levitates inches from the ground, it was dark with a few torches lighting his way. This atmosphere helps keep his act of levitation hidden: to those afar he looked as though he was walking with the crowd. However, those closer would not fall for this optical illusion. How long would this silent march go on? Noaru heard nothing, not a single voice of the living spoke out in the dimness. Oh, how did this remind him of the days he roamed with those similar to him—the dead.

Yet even the dead spoke, why was this expedition so quiet? The Aylasa Caves must be a place so few wander into… Noaru could see why. If it were not for the torches, darkness would have consumed his many traveling companions and with him included. There wasn’t much Noaru could do but travel close to the living, it would be rather compromising if he was bunched together with the Eiyon. Ama would have been a better companion for this escapade—her light would push away the obscurity.


‘‘Pesky Kelvic, why did she manifest within my thoughts? ’’


Noaru fell silent once the memories of his first encounter with her rose to the surface of his mind. He was thankful for Kouri in that moment. The young ghost gave him a door to escape from the flirtatious acts of Ama.

[Roderick]

For some strange reason most of their group had vanished without a trace - either losing their nerve or deciding to join a different group. Whichever one it was, it appeared it was now only the Zeltivan and the old ghost who would be scouring the bowels of the earth for forgotten treasures. Shrugging nonchalantly at the people in Tina's group they he took the lead of the little blonde and headed for the entrance. They made their way down into caverns, away from the light of the sun. Initially there was still enough light for them to see well enough, but the further they traveled the harder that task became. One of Tina's group lit a torch so they would know where to walk, but the walls and floor were fairly smooth and without variation. Chimes went by without anything of note happening and they made steady progress downward. The tunnels twisted and turned sporadically, the rock above becoming low in certain places. So much so Roderick was forced to duck down underneath them just so he could keep going. At last they broke free of the constricting walls of a particularly narrow tunnel and found themselves in a large, open room. Breathing in the air gladly and relishing the ability to move freely again, he took everything in. Tina's archer friend gripped another torch now and together with his larger companion they held the blazing pieces of wood aloft, illuminating the chamber. Stalactites covered the ceiling, blunt points dripping water down onto them and creating little puddles on the floor. Some drops landed on the other rock spikes that were forming on the floor, while in one spot two separate pieces had become fused together into a rough, uneven pillar. There were four different tunnels branching away to different areas of the caverns - one to the right, one to the left, a middle path and the tight passage they'd just exited. After a few moments of discussion Tina turned around and announced that Terra - their group's navigator - would lead them down the middle path. She didn't seem to mind his presence and given his inexperience with these things, he didn't even entertain the idea of wandering off on his own with only a ghost and the odd cloaked man for company. Half turning back, he said "I'm sticking with her, if you don't mind - we might as well all go with them. I doubt we'll find anything interesting otherwise." Shrugging Roderick followed Tina's group down the middle path, hoping anything they encountered down here would be fairly garden variety beasts. I can handle myself just fine, so long as I don't do anything stupid. Without meaning to he stepped a little further into the light cast by the nearest torchbearer.