Who am I, that the morning star would light the way for my wandering heart?
Ronin's reply was soft and soothing, and Seren felt a little guitly for misunderstanding. Her expression softened, and with deliberate effort she shoved the nerves down, down, and away from the moment. Clearly she was too tense, and reading into things that weren't there.
"Sorry dad," she apologized, regretting her tone. "I'm afraid that I rely too much on my abilities. And that if a time comes when they won't work for some reason, I will stumble around blindly because I don't know myself without them. Going about every day life simply doesn't make me reflect on consequences enough... Do you see what I mean?"
She nudged a chin meaningfully towards Sah, and her gaze followed the young man's back where he walked ahead of them; he had been robbed of his powers and plunged into a world where he needed them, yet only retained a vestige of his former strength. He had made it though, and was rebuilding that strength... yet in the process, how much better acquainted was he not with himself? Seren admired that.
Her point was proven - at least in her own eyes - as they prepared to descend into the cave. Ronin's offer to take her bag was met with a grateful smile, and she nodded as she handed it over to him.
"See?" she murmured. "Had I used magic, I would never have realized that was too heavy. I would have lightened it in an instant... and never realized I need to work on my body strength." Her wink to her father was small, but rather pleased. Already this expedition was paying off.
Once everyone was equipped with torches, the exploration of the cave commenced.
Ronin went first. Upon entering, the flickering torchlight revealed that the cavern was long and narrow and cut deeply into the mountainside. A floor slick with ice sloped rather steeply downward for a few yards before leveling out and opening up into a rather large circular space. Several paths branched off from it in different directions. It would seem they had stumbled over one of the many entrances to the ice tunnels beneath the Fangs.
It also became apparent, as soon as light was cast upon that open space, that something else had already claimed this space for itself. A huge mound of what appeared to be shaggy white fur lay nestled in a nook below, its sides rising and falling with every long, rumbling breath. Asleep for now, but who knew how long that would last? The light cast upon its figure made the creature grunt and stir, shifting its stance just enough to reveal a pair of enormous tusks jutting from its jaws. It was an Ursur.
Sah's cautioning words were heeded by Seren, who refrained from indulging in more of her usual chatter. His search for nooks in which to shelter revealed only the dark, deep tunnels branching off from the opening up ahead. Unfortunately, he was also quite correct about the ceiling being covered in ice. He should perhaps have spared a look upward; because he had not managed far into the cave before his raised torch smacked into a low-slung icicle with enough force to set the whole roof to quivering.
The subsequent tremors shuddered and tinkled down into the tunnel, sending small fragments of ice clinking to the ground and bouncing harmlessly off their heads and shoulders. Seren held her breath, wide eyed and with a lurch of tension leaping back up from her guts. Slowly, her eyes turned from Sah to Ronin, terrified that speaking would somehow make this volatile mixture of accidents go off.
What did they do now?
Oh wow the rolls were terrible, sorry guys!
Seren accepted Ronin's offer for help and gave him her bag.
Ronin discovered an Ursur that's made its home in the back of the cave! It appears to be asleep, but the light of the torches has disturbed it.
Sah fails to find any nooks other than the branching tunnels, and his torch bangs into a few low-hanging stalactites so that they begin to shudder and rain ice shards down on them. Fortunately no one got hurt.
It's looking quite dangerous! Will you turn back, or try to take out the Ursur before it wakes up?
"Sorry dad," she apologized, regretting her tone. "I'm afraid that I rely too much on my abilities. And that if a time comes when they won't work for some reason, I will stumble around blindly because I don't know myself without them. Going about every day life simply doesn't make me reflect on consequences enough... Do you see what I mean?"
She nudged a chin meaningfully towards Sah, and her gaze followed the young man's back where he walked ahead of them; he had been robbed of his powers and plunged into a world where he needed them, yet only retained a vestige of his former strength. He had made it though, and was rebuilding that strength... yet in the process, how much better acquainted was he not with himself? Seren admired that.
Her point was proven - at least in her own eyes - as they prepared to descend into the cave. Ronin's offer to take her bag was met with a grateful smile, and she nodded as she handed it over to him.
"See?" she murmured. "Had I used magic, I would never have realized that was too heavy. I would have lightened it in an instant... and never realized I need to work on my body strength." Her wink to her father was small, but rather pleased. Already this expedition was paying off.
Once everyone was equipped with torches, the exploration of the cave commenced.
Ronin went first. Upon entering, the flickering torchlight revealed that the cavern was long and narrow and cut deeply into the mountainside. A floor slick with ice sloped rather steeply downward for a few yards before leveling out and opening up into a rather large circular space. Several paths branched off from it in different directions. It would seem they had stumbled over one of the many entrances to the ice tunnels beneath the Fangs.
It also became apparent, as soon as light was cast upon that open space, that something else had already claimed this space for itself. A huge mound of what appeared to be shaggy white fur lay nestled in a nook below, its sides rising and falling with every long, rumbling breath. Asleep for now, but who knew how long that would last? The light cast upon its figure made the creature grunt and stir, shifting its stance just enough to reveal a pair of enormous tusks jutting from its jaws. It was an Ursur.
Sah's cautioning words were heeded by Seren, who refrained from indulging in more of her usual chatter. His search for nooks in which to shelter revealed only the dark, deep tunnels branching off from the opening up ahead. Unfortunately, he was also quite correct about the ceiling being covered in ice. He should perhaps have spared a look upward; because he had not managed far into the cave before his raised torch smacked into a low-slung icicle with enough force to set the whole roof to quivering.
The subsequent tremors shuddered and tinkled down into the tunnel, sending small fragments of ice clinking to the ground and bouncing harmlessly off their heads and shoulders. Seren held her breath, wide eyed and with a lurch of tension leaping back up from her guts. Slowly, her eyes turned from Sah to Ronin, terrified that speaking would somehow make this volatile mixture of accidents go off.
What did they do now?
Oh wow the rolls were terrible, sorry guys!
Seren accepted Ronin's offer for help and gave him her bag.
Ronin discovered an Ursur that's made its home in the back of the cave! It appears to be asleep, but the light of the torches has disturbed it.
Sah fails to find any nooks other than the branching tunnels, and his torch bangs into a few low-hanging stalactites so that they begin to shudder and rain ice shards down on them. Fortunately no one got hurt.
It's looking quite dangerous! Will you turn back, or try to take out the Ursur before it wakes up?
Seren
