Stormy Roads (Aello, and Alenias)

by **Alenias** on July 11th, 2011, 2:39 pm

With Aello's cloak in one hand, Nex holding to her other, the darkness was not as frightening to Alenias. It still wasn't somewhere that she would go on her own, but between the two comforting presences she finally was able to relax enough to turn some of her attention to the cave itself. Not that she could see terribly much of the cave, but she could hear it. The dripping was certainly interesting, and sometimes the patters of the drips almost seemed on the verge of being musical. It almost made her want to sing out, but the oppressing darkness kept her silent.

The two Kelvics holding hands ended up being an even better idea than just helping them to follow Aello more easily. The few times that Nex slipped Alenias was able to help support him, and when Alenias slipped Nex's strong hand kept Alenias from yanking on Aello's cloak.

When they reached the large room Alenias listened quietly as Aello explained it, and then followed the woman over to the hole. She was reluctant to let go of Aello's cloak as the woman gave a sharp twist of her body, however she certainly wasn't going to go against what Aello wanted, and then she watched anxiously as the faint outline of Aello's form vanished downwards.

Aello's last words before she vanished made Alenias hesitate, but she would be much less afraid if she was with Aello instead of being in the cave by herself. So after a few breaths she knelt down, felt carefully for the edge, and then, rather clumsily, climbed over the side and let herself fall into the hole.

Falling in the darkness was a whole new unpleasant feeling, and the sudden landing on the ground caused Alenias to fall onto the hard stone with a cry more of surprise than pain. It still hurt, but it would only leave her with some bruises.

Aello's uncertain voice in the darkness confused Alenias, hadn't Aello seen better before, but she didn't hesitate to answer, "I'm here Aello," she called out, and then started to carefully crawl her way towards Aello's voice in the darkness.

by **Nex Paciscor** on July 19th, 2011, 11:57 pm

Soon Alenias hand departed from his and he was alone in the dark once more. A cold dripping could still be heard, as if nature didn't respect the fact that he now stood up here alone, didn't take into account that he couldn't hardly see. He felt reassuringly forward with his foot, nudging past any loose rocks as he crept his way to the hole, a scrapping noise signaling to him when he had reached the edge. It was here, he was here, and he was at the spot Aello and Alenias disappeared. Soft indistinguishable voices echoed from below, but he was to self consumed to understand them. Since he could still hear them talking he supposed it wasn't too far of a drop, and hesitantly, he hopped forwards, taking a leap of faith that he wasn't just jumping into a huge, bottomless chasm.

Wind rushed by his ears for a second or two before his feet touched the ground, and his muscles strained to compensate. It took his weight easily, and he rose to a standing position, though in this lightless dark, he was blind. " I’m here as well, I can try and lead the way now if you wish " he said softly, closing his eyes since they were of no use to him in the darkness anyways. Silently and purposefully, not waiting much for a response, though if he got one he would have surely held back on her word, and let her lead. His feet slid and scrapped against the ground, the noise echoing all around him, and Nex extended his hands; his palms gliding against moist stone wall on either side, and it helped him with his nerves and balance.

He suffered along at a agonizingly slow pace, but safety was more important to him than speed, and as he felt his way, gradually the walls got narrower, until he had to keep his hands at his sides because the walls where only a shoulder length apart. The tip of his foot came across open air, and it seemed like they had come across another hole. Not knowing how deep it was, Nex concentrated and centered himself, focusing on diverting a small amount of energy to his right leg, while he tensed his other muscles to jump.

" Another hole, I'll go first this time " he said calmly, though inwardly he felt a twinge of fear of the unknown. Still the fact that he could smell a strong source of water below them, helped him feel a little bit safer, and he could detect other scents as well though they were all together unknown to him. Taking a gulp of stale air, he executed a small jump from his perch, and fell as gracefully as he could. It seemed to last forever, but in reality it was only a 15 foot drop, and as his feet splashed onto dry ground, he released the small amount of energy that had been building in his right leg, to make the muscles tougher, and handle it without a sprain, and kicked off, launching himself into a roll that ended him up sitting on his bottom, the ankle deep water lapping around against him.

He must have fallen through a hole or something, because he could actually see in the chamber, and see well he could, though it was all tinted in a green luminescence, and he looked skyward to see the cause. Green moss coated the top of the cavern, likely cultivated there by the silt rich water that dripped from the top of the cave, and filled the pool that he was now standing in. It off putted only a faint glow, but for him it was the equivalent of using a torch in the darkness, and he could roughly make out the edges of the chamber under its glow. More importantly he could see the hole from which he had fallen from, and getting up, he walked directly under it, his eyes peering up into the inky black circle. " Its safe to come down, jump and I will catch you "

by **Aello** on July 21st, 2011, 3:10 am

Now why don't we get our magic working again so we can actually see in this mess? Aello's mind whispered to herself as she glanced left and right, listening to the voices of her Kelvic companions. They didn't sound too far off, but you never knew; especially when all you could see was darkness, stretching out before you in every direction for what seemed like an endless amount of time and space. Aello could hear water dripping off in the distance, still, and she scrunched her eyes shut. That was simply getting so petching annoying! She held her eyes closed for several seconds, as her grip tightened around her bow. Finally, she opened them slowly, but still saw nothing more than black. Why isn't it working? Aello wondered, unable to come up with any explanation other than her having simply beat herself up a little too much on the way down.

"That sounds good Nex," Aello finally managed, as she pushed away her growing level of anxiety and discomfort. The clump of saliva that imbedded itself in her throat, why couldn't she simply see? "We will follow you if you lead the way," she finished, as she delicately raised her right foot, before placing it back down a few inches before her, and then repeating the process with the left foot. As she moved this way, slowly, deliberately, she held out her right hand, and felt around for the wall of the cave. It took her a few seconds to find it, but when she did, Aello clung to it tightly. The cold, jagged black stone beneath her fingertips. The way tiny bits of dirt clung to it, as other pieces of rock fell off, trying to dig their way into her nails. The way the stone curved, wound its way into imperfect spheres, triangles and squares. The way it rose and fell as she followed it along with her hand; like a series of hills or mountains. Every imperfection Aello felt beneath her flesh, pressing into it lightly, chilling her; as she worked her way through, after Nex.

Aello's breath was coming in slowly; growing all the more shallow the deeper she went. She felt overcome by a sense of exhaustion, a heaviness about her eyes, and in her limbs; her legs especially. It felt as though she were being dragged into the ground, and every step was simply driving her further and further into the dark. Several beads of sweat had appeared on her brow, and her heart was beating erratically; sometimes drumming wildly, and at other times, seeming to stop completely. As she kept on going, the girl began to notice how the walls seemed to be closing in again. How the already narrow passageway was becoming all the more narrow; like it wanted to choke Aello and her companions. Or close so tightly that they could go no further; find no way out.

As Aello's mind seemed to close in on her; choke her, much as the cave; the travelers came to a hole. "Another one?" Aello asked, incredulously. "Wasn't the first one enough?" she asked, before Nex managed to get his words out. To offer going in first. "Well alright then, but don't you go on hurting yourself again," she said, before he leapt. After she was certain he had gone, Aello walked a few steps closer to the hole. "You ok down there?" she called, before his voice reached her ears. "Well alright," Aello called, "but be careful of the bow," she instructed. "I'm coming down first, and then perhaps Alenias can join in. She could always throw her stuff down and shift into a bird if she doesn't want to fall..."

Aello's voice echoed off the walls as she jumped, and went tumbling, down, down, down, her hair whipping wildly around her. Until there was no where left to fall...

OOCSorry for the blah post.

by **Alenias** on July 21st, 2011, 5:08 pm

Alenias finally managed to find Aello's cloak once again just before Nex Jumped down, and the voices of Aello and Nex in the darkness, along with the feel of Aello's cloak, helped to sooth the unease that had been growing in her. Down here she couldn't see a thing, and if it wasn't for Aello and Nex she probably would have been frantically trying to make her way back up and out of the cave.

Making Aello happy was more important than her fear, and Aello wanted to continue deeper. Not able to speak words into the darkness, her anxiousness keeping her mouth tightly shut, Alenias quietly followed after the two others as they made their way deeper into the darkness. Even when the cave grow tight about her Alenias held to Aello's cloak, not wanting to be lost in the darkness.

After an amount of time, that Alenias couldn't even attempt to guess, they came to another hole, and then Nex jumped down into it. Alenias' grasp on Aello's cloak came away as the woman followed after, and then Alenias was alone in the darkness. The echoing voices of Aello and Nex down below were the only thing that kept the little Kelvic from going into a panic, but even with them there her heart started to pound and her breath started to come faster.

Briefly Alenias considered Aello's suggestion of flying down, but the thought of flying in absolute darkness was even worse than falling. Finally, closing her eyes and plugging her ears, she hopped forward and fell down while holding her breath. Hopefully Nex would catch her, because otherwise the landing might be rather rough for her.

OOCI thought it was a great post.

by **Nex Paciscor** on July 25th, 2011, 2:32 am

A sifting shape emerged from the black void, and Nex drew his breath sharply. What if he didn't catch her, or if he was unable to arrest her fall? It wasn't a pleasant thought, but the invitation now weighed heavily on his mind, and he held out his arms determined to at least make a try for it. The worst that could happen was that they both broke their necks; he mused, and out of a weakness of fear, channeled power into his right arm where he would take the brunt of Aello's weight.

It was dangerous using flux like this, even in the minute amounts he was sticking to, and repeated warnings rang clearly in his head. He knew that once the wool the magic pulled over his eyes had fallen, he would feel the effects of using the insidious magic, but to insure Aello's safety it was worth it. Inside he could feel the unused energy within him being slowly drawn out as if someone was using a thimble to empty a cup of water. Slowly the energy trickled into the vast expanse of his right arm slowly strengthening the tendons there in anticipation of action. Never had he used flux for such applications before, but practicing flux for when he might actually need it seemed like a wise choice, and it wasn't likely anyone would notice that he was using the mysterious magic. It wasn't a flashy discipline after all.

His heart pounded in his chest as Aello at last closed the distance, and he caught her heavily in his arms, bending down to one knee to make sure that his elbows would not snap, and his forearms wouldn't batter the woman. A profound sigh of relief escaped him, and with her secure in his arms, he offered her a smile, till he started to feel awkwardness set in at being so close to the woman’s face, and hastily set her down. A short, nod towards Aello after he saw she was fine on her feet, his eyes again flickered up to the vaulted ceiling where the hole lied. Another shape dropped down from the hole, and Nex chose not to draw on his flux this time as it might make his arm a bit too tough, and hurt the girl he considered rather fragile.

Alenias proved much easier to catch though, felling more like someone had dropped a bundle of barely into his arms, than a person, and seeing that she was secure, he offered her a smile too, and gently set her down on the ground. Now that he need not worry of his companions, his eyes roamed the cave, thirsty for strange sights, or just new ones. The luminescent lichen that adorned the cavern walls and ceiling proved to spread a light far and wide, but the edges of the chamber where still a little bit fuzzy to his keen eyesight, and once or twice he could have sworn to see shapes moving around in the darkness, even though his smell, and hearing told him they were the only ones there.

Still he shrugged it off as it was nothing to concern himself with, and looked back towards Aello and Alenias. " Handy moss, wouldn't you say? " he stated more than asked, as he walked ahead. His feet sloshed through the ankle deep water, but the floor underneath it was solid enough, and the most of his body was dry, so it kept his spirits high. The only noise, besides those his friends stirred was a dripping sound that echoed off the walls where stone melded with earth. It had an almost surreal affect in the enclosed space, and combined with the ambient green glow, it made for quite the walk, as he explored further, towards the darker end of the cave.

Thoughts that wondered if the shifting shadows had any substance to them called out in his head loudly, and picking his sure footed way over a couple stones, slick with moss, he was finally at a point where the water had an inky texture to it, as if it inherited some properties from the darkness by constant exposure. Another shape twisted in the distance, but he couldn't perceive how far it was, and he moved faster, eager to catch whomever, or whatever it was in the act. Then he was gone, in the blink of a eye, and the only thing that betrayed his disappearance where the ripples on the inky surface of the water, not even a sound betraying the action.

by **Aello** on July 26th, 2011, 12:55 am

Aello smiled back at Nex as he placed her down on the ground. As soon as she had landed on her feet with a muffled thud, she stepped to the side to give Alenias more room to fall, and then glanced up and around the cavern. The walls seemed just about as high to her as the first section of the cave, and just as wide; although, those areas were not illuminated by the strange moss that clung to the ceiling in these sections, casting everything in an eerie green, or sometimes even yellow-looking glow. Well at least we don't have to use magic down here, Aello's mind whispered. At least you won't have to drain yourself completely just to guarantee that you won't fall... or rather, make it less likely to fall.

"It is a pretty handy moss," Aello commented, with the slightest of smiles, as her eyes fell from the ceiling and back to Nex, as well as Alenias who had apparently, just joined them. Now why hadn't we realized that she had dropped in? Aello wondered, as her eyes passed from one Kelvic to the other, and her grip tightened around her father's old bow. "Keeps us from needing to cling to each other's hands, and cloaks, doesn't it?" Aello said, with the slightest of glances at Alenias, who she hoped, by now, was no longer quite as afraid as she had appeared to be earlier in their exploration of the cave.

As Aello stared at the girl, wondering what she was feeling, the sound of water sloshing underfoot, and gentle, lighter splashes reached her ears. There was no time to dwell on the Kelvic's emotions, only time to follow the wolf, or face the possibility that someone would get lost. Silently, Aello turned to follow Nex. Her boots forcing the water that lined the rock beneath her, sending out tiny whooshing sounds as she dragged her feet through. Several small ripples flying across the surface of the water, seemingly racing each other to either side of the cave's walls. "We're right behind you Nex," Aello called, "just lead the way. And Alenias, stay close behind if you can," she finished, as she watched Nex start to pick up the pace. Now why is he rushing, when he fell once before? Does he see something that we do not? Aello wondered.

"Hey Nex, is there something up ahead?" Aello called as she picked up the pace too, trying to keep up. Water splashing wildly around her, tiny droplets being kicked up and onto her cloak. The ends of the fabric were getting drenched, and soon enough, it flailed to flutter as much behind her step. "Nex, where are you going? There doesn't seem to be anything there!" she called before he disappeared from sight. Instantly, Aello stopped dead in her tracks, her heart having skipped a beat; and then another. And then, it started to race as several beads of sweat trickled down her face; which was now, paler than the moon. Now where did he go? Aello wondered, as she glanced around the narrow passageway, looking for where he could have gotten to, where Alenias was in relation to her.

"Alenias, did you see where Nex got to?" Aello asked, as she looked around wildly once more. There had to be another passage somewhere, a place where he could have gone. Instantly, the young spiritist strode forward in the direction that Nex had been heading. But she found nothing other than that petching, glowing green moss dangling from the ceiling. And all she heard were her own footsteps; the sound of water dripping from the ceiling off in the distance, and plopping into another pool of water.

Nex has to be around here somewhere, he couldn't have just... disappeared? There was a slight pause, could he? Aello wondered, as her grip tightened on her bow; causing her flesh to grow red, and somewhat sore. "Stay close Alenias, and hopefully we can find him." And get out of this cave alive...

by **Alenias** on August 2nd, 2011, 9:15 pm

When Alenias realized she was not falling anymore she cautiously opened her eyes to be greeted by Nex's smile, which she eagerly returned, "Thanks Nex," she said softly as he set her down on the ground, and she gave a short intake of breath as her bare feet touched water.

She watched for a moment as she wiggled her toes in the cold water, and then jerked her head up as she realized that she could see again! With wide eyed wonder she looked around the glowing cave, giving a faint nod in response to Aello and Nex's comments about the cave. She didn't catch Aello's little hint, but luckily the cave was bright enough for her to not want to cling to Aello anymore anyways.

With her eyes still wide with a bit of wonder Alenias followed behind Aello and Nex, her feet splashing through the water. Her attention was drawn back as Aello called for Nex, and she glanced back just in time to see Nex vanish. With a gasp Alenias quickly moved back close to Aello, practically treading upon her heels as she nervously answered, "I don't know. He was there, and then he was gone!"

Even if Aello hadn't told her to Alenias would have stayed close to the woman. They'd come into the dark cave, now bad things were happening, and Aello was the only way Alenias was sure they'd get out safely. Keeping her eyes on where Nex had vanished Alenias carefully followed behind the woman, scared of what they might find next.

by **Nex Paciscor** on August 3rd, 2011, 3:08 am

For the first few moments he was too dazed to understand what was happening, and the fact that he couldn't see didn't help much either. An icy cold assaulted him evenly on all sides, and for a moment, he wondered if this was what death felt like, but a slight pressure brushed his forearm, and he realized what had happened as his eyes opened to feel the biting glare of the colder water that ran in the powerful currents of the submerged cave. He couldn't see anything in the murky blackness, so he hastily closed his eyes, and clawed at the water with his hands. His lungs already slowly started to build with pressure as he struggled to get to the air, much of his oxygen spent on trying to keep his body warm, as the water numbed his hands and feet. Still he continued the motion, though he could not feel or see it, and he only hoped that he was getting somewhere in the murky water as he couldn't hold his breath much longer before passing out. A searing pain erupted along his left arm, and he spun in the water, apparently having hit something, and he only narrowly managed not to black out from the wave of pain. Another sharp hit struck his right arm, but it was outstretched and absorbed the blow better than his left did, and upon contact his hand latched on for dear life, and he struggled to pull himself up.

His head crested above the once still waters, hanging onto a enormous stalagmite, that was mostly hidden by the water, and wrapping his left arm, seeming to pulse in rhythm of his heart, he secured his grip on the slick anchor. For a few moments he wasn't even sure if Aello or Alenias had even taken notice of his abrupt disappearance or equally sudden arrival, but he could not yet call attention to himself, struggling for every breath as he was. " Aello! " he gasped, when he had summoned enough breath, and even that hoarse call took much of the fight out of him, and his forehead slipped forward to rest on the stone he tightly held, appearing on the verge of passing out to be swept back into the strong under current just beneath his tenuous position. Long forgotten was the shadowy figures he perceived, with the desire to warn his friends. Now sleep seemed the most enticing option, and it his eyes felt heavy, that even trying to keep them open to look around felt like a strain. Slowly strength was leaving from his limbs, but he fought with all he could to keep himself awake, for he knew that if he gave into sleep, that it would mean his end in the waves.

by **Aello** on August 3rd, 2011, 6:35 pm

"Well that can't be right," Aello commented, her voice somewhat low. "He couldn't have simply disappeared into thin air. It just doesn't make any sense. He has to have gone somewhere... that, or our eyes have grown so tired that they are beginning to play tricks with us. That they have begun attempting to deceive our minds." There was a slight pause as Aello allowed herself to take a deep breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth. "We should keep our eyes peeled, trained on everything that surrounds us. There must be something that we have missed," Aello insisted, even though she was not so sure she believed her own words anymore, considering how there didn't seem to be anything, anywhere. No more holes to fall down, no holes in the ceiling to climb up into, no twists or turns in the cave that would lead away, or forks in the road. Two paths for them to choose from. There was simply nothing more than a narrow passageway, surrounded by jagged black rock on both sides, and a strange, glowing green moss upon the ceiling.

Aello paused, and looked up. That petching moss was simply too strange for her to ignore. The way it glowed, in its own way, seeming to smile down at them as it did so, as though it found their fear and confusion so very amusing. Aello narrowed her eyes, causing them to become deep brown slits as she slowly lifted her bow towards the ceiling of the cave, and poked it. The moss sank beneath the wood, and emitted a single droplet of water, that trickled down the wooden frame. Instantly, Aello retracted her bow, and wiped the water off the bow with her right pointer finger. She lifted her finger to the area just below her nostrils, but smelled nothing out of the ordinary. Thinking nothing of it, she flicked the moisture off her finger as she glanced back at Alenias. The moss doesn't seem to have a reason to glow... it doesn't seem like it has any other atypical properties either. Surely, it had nothing to do with the disappearance of the other Kelvic, Aello's mind whispered as she twisted her head from left to right once more, searching for any other possibility, no matter how ridiculous it may have seemed.

"The walls are closing in..." Aello whispered, but as to what her words meant one could not be certain. For the walls of the cave appeared to be standing where they have always stood. Perhaps, however, that was beginning to change for her; as her sense that she as being choked grew. How much longer would it be before she too, mysteriously disappeared? Leaving Alenias alone, with little more than the glowing green moss to show her the way through the dark?

OOC*cries* As you can see, I am all out of bright ideas.

by **Alenias** on August 12th, 2011, 3:50 am

As Aello said Alenias kept her eyes peeled as she looked around, particularly where Nex had disappeared. Cautiously she approached the darkness as Aello prodded at the moss on the ceiling. Nex had gone into the darkness, and so he had to still be around there, right?

Something seemed off about the water, and Alenias cautiously crept towards it. As she moved closer she started to faintly hear a sound that had been hidden before. It was muffled and distant, but she slowly recognized it as the sound of flowing and falling water. The water was moving?

Before she could tell Aello about what she heard a different sound touched her ears and made her gasp. Nex was calling for Aello, and he didn't sound good! Standing up straight, her eyes wide, she quickly pulled off her cloak and tossed it to the side, ironically with the intention of not getting it wet, and then dove into the water with a brief shout of, "Nex!"

The water was extremely cold, causing her to cry out in surprise, but still she moved her arms and legs as she swam in the direction she had heard Nex's voice from. The flow of the water helped carry her quickly in his direction, and soon she was clinging to the opposite side of the stalagmite that the other Kelvic clung to, "Nex! Are you alright?" her voice was shaky from the cold, and she turned her head over her shoulder, "Aello! I found Nex!"