Stormy Roads (Aello, and Alenias)

[Nex Paciscor]

His eyes swam with the slightest movement of his head, the cold that permeated his body reaching his core as well. Was this how it was going to end, finally meeting his match in a cave, where the current would sweep nobody could ever find his body. No, he did not want it to end like this, he would not give up, and it wasn't who he was. His searching hands crawled their way around the sides of the jagged thing of rock, the tiny ridges on the rock helping to provide a small traction for him to keep his hold. His strength wouldn't last forever, he knew it, and eventually by his own will or not he would have to let go of this stalagmite and see what fate awaited him in the next. Aello hadn't appeared to hear his call, that last chance of rescue dwindling before his eyes. There wasn't much left to him now, and silently he sent up a prayer to Caiyha. The cycle of life had turned on its axis, and it seemed to be his turn, at last after so many years it would give him the freedom from the shackles that bonded him. He could at last let go of what his master did to him, let go of the shame he felt from failing on so many occasions when it matter, let go of. The nuit, the nuit still lived and breathed this very day, a promise of vengeance ringing clearly in his mind, the reason why he couldn't simply give up on clinging to this rock. Revenge had yet to be taken, and as long as he had that unsettled debt he knew he would not find peace.

A voice, high and breathy, a girls voice, Aello? He struggled to make sense of the muddled words, but it was hard with the pain that radiated his body, and the fact that he was losing feeling fast in his left arm. Shifting his weight he looked hazily past the rock to see Alenias. Feelings stirred within him, the girl shouldn't be out her in the dangerous water; she could very well be swept away herself and wouldn't be enough to drag him back to shore. Perhaps she could get Aello's attention better than him, but still, he didn't like the fact that she was in just a precarious position as him. With effort he reached around and placed his hand over hers, not for better position, or even the reassurance it gave him, but to make sure she did not slip away herself. He still couldn't remember what he said, but even in his confused mine he thought he understood the gist of it. " I am fine, make sure you stay on that side where it is safer " he croaked, his voice cracking with strain and his cheek found the cold stone. He didn't want to rest, but he needed to stay on the rock, and that was the simplest way to conserve energy. If they were indeed smiled upon, Aello would notice them quickly, before the uncaring waves swept the both of them away from sight. Just a fraction, his hand slipped backward on the slick rock. He hadn't much time.

[Aello]

Instantly, Aello's eyes grew wider as her muscles tensed. Her head turned to face the direction she heard the Kelvic's voice coming from. "Alenias!" she called, her voice bouncing off the cave walls. "Alenias? Where are you?" Aello's heart was pounding in her chest, her eyes darting back and forth as she slowly walked towards the sound. The auras beginning to come into view again, the cave walls their green, and Alenias and Nex, both a deep red, but fading. Their misty auras wavering in the flowing water they found themselves stuck in. Now when the petch did this get here? Aello wondered, and why didn't we notice it before? Aello was staring directly at the stalagmite her two friends were holding onto as she delicately threw her bow and her bag behind her. And then her quiver, making a neat pile; keeping it all out of the way. "Hold on you two!" she hollered as her eyes passed over the passage they were in. Swimming wasn't an option, that would just get her stuck like they were. Surely, together she and the Kelvic couldn't drag Nex back... he was a dead weight now, and still, probably weighed more than the two of them put together. Not to mention, Aello wasn't much of a swimmer, something her family would have found odd considering she grew up in Zeltiva. Aello was going to have to find another way to get them out. Perhaps she could offer something else for them to hang onto. Instantly, a small white candle lit up over Aello's head, perhaps if she used both her cloak and Alenias' she could get the Kelvics back. So, as swiftly as she could, she bent and picked up Alenias' cloak from the cave floor, before tossing it over her shoulder, and unclasping her own. Within a few seconds, she was tying the two together, as tightly as she could in a knot. When she was done, Aello tossed one end of the cloak rope to her two friends. "Ok, grab onto the other end and I'll try and drag you back to shore," she insisted, as the fabric settled onto the top of the water, extending to just a few inches away from where her friends struggled. "Alenias, if you can, take wing and fly back. It'll be far easier to pull one of you back than both of you." Aello held on tightly to her end of the fabric, standing on the edge between the dry and wet portion of the cave. The fabric was getting drenched fast, if they didn't hurry, it may sink, along with everyone else. OOCThis would be way easier if we had rope. Cuz then I could just tie it to an arrow, shoot it towards you, and pull... geez guys, we need to invest in some stuff me thinks.

[Alenias]

Alenias turned her attention back as Aello called to her, bringing a hand out of the water to quickly wave towards the woman, and then turned back to Nex with chattering teeth, "See, Aello is coming to help get us."

When the woman tossed the makeshift rope out towards them Alenias quickly reached out with one hand to snag the end of it. It was hard to stay on the stalagmite with only one hand, especially as the cold sank more and more into her body, but she fought against the shivering as she called to Nex, "Nex! Grab this, and then Aello can help pull you back! I'll go help her too!"

She was pretty sure she could change and fly out of the water right now, but she had to be sure that Nex had a grip on the fabric before she left. She'd came out here to help him, and she wouldn't leave until she had! If Nex got a hold of the fabric she could then quickly change and fly out of the water and back to Aello to help her pull him out.

[Nex Paciscor]

The cold stone pushed hard against his cheek, his muscles tensing as a spasm rocked through them to keep him warm. Another particularly violent shudder went through him, jarring his chin against the stone. It felt like tiny pin pricks washing over just below his skin, rippling to keep hold of the stone despite the slight pull of the water, and the tired ache of his body. At least he was feeling something, it told him his body still had life in it, and if he hadn't been it would be more of a cause for worry.

Alenias was calling to him again, Aello, she had noticed his predicament like Alenias and was coming to help them. Perhaps there was a chance he would get out of this, a possibility of him escaping the frigid waters before it became too much. It was already too much, and his use of flux earlier was taking its toll on his leg, accented by the harsher throb of pain in his calf. His right arm also ached with a similar pain, but at least it balanced itself with the pain in his left arm, the arm that had taken the hard hit from some underwater rock. The pain would have doubled him over where he standing, but instead he huddled closer to the stalagmite, gripping it tight between his knees. He needed to get higher on the rock, to get more out of the under pull of the water, and to the calmer surface of the water where it would be easier to rescue them however Aello planned it.

To get higher though, he'd have to use the power that even now caused a ache in his muscles from used, just enough to give him that extra push. His strength was flagging, and with just a slight increase he felt he could reach higher. If only there was another way. He growled out the pain though and sending a trickle of energy into his left arm to add to its strength pulled himself up a little higher so he could get better footing on the stone, and wrap his left arm completely around the top of the stalagmite.

It was unstable at best still though, but at last Aello had arrived and Alenias was holding out a piece of cloth, perhaps which connected to the end Aello held. He wrapped his hand around the cloth pulling it around his right arm securely, before looking at Alenias. How was she getting to shore? The thought occurred to him, and he leaned out from his tenuous position to offer a hold of the makeshift rope when he lost his footing, his feet sliding down a smooth part of the stone, and sending him plunging sidelong into the cold depths of the water. Somehow he had kept the presence of mind to keep a hold on the rope, but his fall hadn't helped he was sure, as he could the rope constricting about his arm, pulled taught by his move. He could have tried to kick his feet, throw his arms in circular motions to catch water, but that would have hindered her efforts. The thrashing would more sooner bring him under the water than it would get him closer to rescue, his lack of any talent in swimming being the primary cause of it. Instead he simply spread himself out on his belly holding onto his right arm with his left, as he was being pulled along resting a chin against the two intertwined arms to keep his head above water.

His eyes cast about for Alenias, the kelvic that had risked much to save him but he couldn't see her, and he figured her for being behind him, or up with Aello like she suggested. It hadn't occurred to him at first that she could fly, and now he just prayed that her transformation would leave her wings dry enough to fly. Maybe she didn't need dry wings to fly, he didn't know that much about birds after all, but as long as she got to shore before him all was well. He would hate to have put her into any predicament because of his own foolhardy mistakes.

On the surface of the water it was a bit calmer at least, hopefully offering less resistance to the effort Aello was putting forth, and his eyes now watched before him, his head no longer having the strength to look around. Soon it would be fine. Why is it so cold though?

[Aello]

Aello watched her two friends struggling to maintain the slightest semblance of a grip on the stalagmite from the sidelines. "Come on, reach for it!" she shouted. "You've almost got it!" Aello called, as Alenias finally latched onto the end of her make-shift rope. "That's good Alenias! You've got it now!" she shouted, as she tried to dig her heels into the rock that lined the bottom of the cave; just to be sure she didn't slip now that the added weight of the Kelvic girl was dragging down on the rope. Aello's heart was pounding; if only Nex would grab onto the rope already, she could begin dragging them back to safety. Or perhaps their combined weights would drag her into the dark; into the water with them. "Come on Nex, grab the petching rope!" Aello screamed, her voice bouncing off the cave walls, but more than likely being lost over the sound of the raging water. Finally, when Aello could feel an added weight at the end of the rope, her heart skipped a beat before returning to its increased rate. "Just hang on, and let me pull you to shore!" she shouted, as she began to inch forward, towards the edge. Aello grit her teeth as she began to pull, trying to regain her ground as her feet continued sliding. She tried digging her heels more deeply into the floor, but couldn't maintain a halfway decent footing. Petch, if Alenias doesn't get here to help soon, you may find yourself stuck in the water too, Aello's mind whispered as several beads of sweat trickled down her brow. Perhaps, if only she tried a little harder, she could at least hold her ground, before she dragged him in. Unless he merely put one hand in front of the other, and followed the rope back to shore. OOCEhh crappy post.

[Alenias]

As soon as Nex had the rope Aello had offered Alenias shifted forms and quickly battled her way up and out of the water. It was cold, but her drastic change in size definitely helped. Circling up and around she came around to Aello's side before transforming back again in a swirl of colors and lights.

Grabbing hold of the cloth Alenias groaned as she tried to help Aello pull Nex up and out of the water. It was hard, Nex being larger than them and the floor being slick, but they seemed to be slowly making progress, "Hold on Nex, we'll have you out soon!" Alenias called, her teeth chattering as the air cooled the water on her skin.

[Nex Paciscor]

Another violent shudder of cold ran through him, and his arms prickled with pain as nerve traffic trickled slower with the presence of the constant cold. He was wading through the water slowly which was progress, but it might be to slow, or to much strain of his friends his mind feared. Fear gave weight to strength, and with the slight burning sensation starting in his chest, he reached out with his left arm he grabbed a bit higher on the rope and secured it around his wrist before pulling. The effort sent arches of what felt like fire through the muscles in his arm, and he clenched his teeth tightly together in a effort to avoid crying out in pain. Then it was time for him to hold with his left as his right now reached out, stretching as far as it could to hold high on the rope, and causing a major flare of pain in his left arm so much so that he feared it might buckle under the strain. Still he tried on, putting one arm in front of the other slowly to make sure neither of them slipped, and reached the middle of the rope within a few chimes, putting himself within arms reach of the more stable ground of the cave.

Gritting his teeth, he folded the cloth one last time around his left arm, and reached out slowly with his right. Pain seared the muscles in the back of his arm but he pressed on, stretching out his dominant arm fully until his hand slapped against the rough surface of a rock, his right arm now able to pull the rest of his body close enough to where Aello and Alenias stood so that they didn't need to struggle with the makeshift rope any more. The end of the rope still tied to his left arm, he pulled himself closer to the upraised shelf that was the floor of the cave, and weakly climbed back onto the smooth cool surface, his feet thankfully finding holds to help hims with his short ascent.

He rolled panting onto the cold safety of the cavern's floor, the water only a few inches deep her, and contented himself to stare at the ceiling as his chest heaved up and down heavily. The tense situation he had put them all in now came to a rest onto his shoulders, burdening him with the guilt that was to follow. His rash actions had risked all their lives needlessly so, and what would he had done had they not been here or willing to help him out. Such carelessness should have weeded him out long ago, as it was meant to keep those who weren't fit to be in the wild away from the harsh conditions. Of course it didn't matter that this was not a environment he was more used to, he should have known regardless to be more careful. He hadn't seen Aello, or Alenias making such blunders cause they where calm, careful, wise, all things he needed to shape up to be, and fast if he wanted to make sure not to put his friends in such a dangerous situation again.

A low growl rumbled inside of him, directed at his own foolishness, and pressing his hands underwater, and firmly against the smooth surface of the floor, he tried to push himself up, but for the moment all energy had fled his muscles and he couldn't even push himself up a inch from where he lay. Instead he was stuck resting on his back, his chest still heaving up and down as his lungs fought for air, and his golden eyes made to continually stare at the ceiling that vaulted above him in his misery.

[Aello]

When Nex finally stumbled into the shore, a sigh of relief escaped Aello's lips, as she gave the makeshift rope one last tug, pulling it cleanly out of the water. Several droplets of water swirled wildly around her, falling onto her flesh as the fabric seeped into the ground. The girl crumpled to her feet, her chest rising and falling rapidly as her heart began to calm down. Thank Dira it is over, she thought, as she stared up at the ceiling of the cave. "You were supposed to make sure something like this didn't happen," she shouted angrily at the moss. "You were supposed to light the way; to keep us away from harm," she continued, choosing to yell at it as opposed to her friend. Surely such a thing would only make him feel worse; make it more difficult for him to recover from such a traumatic event. Aello knelt in silence upon the cave floor, the cloth rope by her feet. She knelt until her body grew sore, and then numb. Finally, she plucked the cloth rope off the ground, and forced herself to her feet. She wrung it out best she could, twisting the fabric wildly around, letting it take on the tension she felt but refused to share with her friends. The water it held poured out of it freely, landing with a satisfying splash on the rock by Aello's feet; in the pool of water Nex and Alenias had been stuck in what felt like mere seconds before. When Aello was finished wringing the cloth out, she put it back down on a drier patch of the cave. She bent to pick up her things, and put them back in her proper place. After having done so, she spoke, "perhaps it is time for us to find a way out of this cave. We've done more than enough adventuring for one day, don't you think?" she asked, her tone only beginning to take on a harsh, angry edge. "Hopefully you two won't be swallowed up by an over-sized puddle on the way out," she added, before bending to pick up the makeshift rope. She held it tightly to her, against her chest, cradling it like a child with the use of her right arm. As swiftly as she could, the young spiritist made her way past the Kelvics, continuing on down the passageway in the opposite direction of the pool of water. "Come along you two... and Alenias, you may want to stay in your bird form to keep warm. Your cloak isn't exactly dry yet," she instructed. Hopefully we can still make it out before night falls, Aello thought, as she continued walking, not bothering to look back to see how the others were fairing. OOCOh dear, you made Aello cranky again... and sorry bout me just assuming I could take the rope/cloak thing... not so nice of me.

[Aello]

Aello crept through the cave in silence. Ignoring the sight of the strange glowing moss. The sound of water dripping from the ceiling onto the uneven, rocky cave floor. The sound of her feet splashing through small puddles of water. The feel of the water seeping into her shoes, her socks, chilling her feet to the bone. She ignored how tightly she was gripping her bow, how it was causing her knuckles to grow white. Aello was simply too angry for words. Too angry to care about much other than the fact that her two closest friends were so careless, that they had nearly ended all of their lives a little too soon for her liking. It seemed as though, then, now that she was so angry, that the group had been drifting off through the cave passageways for a very long time. Winding their way deeper and deeper towards the center of the earth, before they found the light at the end of the tunnel. A slender trickle of sun, just as it began to sink from the sky for the night. They had been in the cave for hours. For the larger portion of the day. It was surprising then, that although her stomach had taken to growling, Aello didn't much care. She wasn't overjoyed to have found a way out. She wasn't overjoyed that the air outside, was warmer than that in the cave. When she had reached the mouth, Aello dropped her things, and crumpled to the floor. "Good night you two. See you in the morning," she growled, as the curled up next to her things, and soon drifted off to sleep.

[Verilian]

Aello +2 Auristics +5 Spelunking +3 Investigation Lores: Braving the Dark, Falling in Darkness, Using Auristics to See, Fast Thinking to Save Friends, The Perils of Adventuring in the Darkness, Lesson Learned: Be Prepared Next Time Alenias +2 Stealth +2 Swimming +5 Spelunking +3 Investigation Lores: Braving the Dark, Falling in Darkness, The Perils of Adventuring in the Darkness, Lesson Learned: Be Prepared Next Time Nex Paciscor +1 Wilderness Survival +2 Flux +2 Swimming +5 Spelunking +3 Investigation Lores: Falling in Darkness, Braving the Dark, The Perils of Adventuring in the Darkness, Lesson Learned: Be Prepared Next Time Injury: Two Fractured Ribs - Fully healed by Spring 65, 511 AV You Question My Logic? : Aello - While your skill level was probably much lower when this thread was started, I have to take into account your current level when awarding points. Most of the Auristics stuff done in this thread would be second nature to Aello now, so I couldnt award as many points for it. Nex and Alenias - Technically you each only swam in one post, the rest of the time in the water was spent holding on to rocks and ropes, but I did give you each a bonus point for the danger level. If you have any questions feel free to pm me. Below is a point by point description of how I awarded the xp: +1 Wilderness Survival to Nex in post 10 for navigating back to the cave +1 Stealth to Alenias for trying to be silent in post 12 +1 Auristics to Aello for replacing her sight in post 14 +1 Stealth to Alenias for two posts of mentioning walking silently +1 Flux to Nex for catching Aello +1 Swimming to Nex as he struggles against the current +1 Swimming to Alenias as she tries to save nex +1 Auristics to Aello for several posts of minor usage +1 Flux to next for using it to get a better hold on the stalagmite +5 Spelunking to all for thread completion +3 Investigation to all for thread completion +1 Swimming to Alenias and Nex for danger bonus Notes: Okay, so you may have noticed that the "logic" section of this grade is a lot more detailed than normal. This is due to a discussion the storytellers were having on xp and lore, and I decided I wanted to put more effort into grading threads. This way the players can better understand why I award the xp I did, and it can also help future and current storytellers to see another Mods though process. Anyway, on to the review. What I loved about this thread was that it had an element of danger to it without requiring a live threat. You were not fighting monsters, wolves, or bandits. Instead your enemy was nature itself and the unknown within the darkness. Maybe next time your characters will think to bring some torches? Anyway, great thread. Really enjoyed it, keep up the good work!