Into The Darkness

[Lilithios]

Lilithinos nods as she flew to lead the group into the cave. She was relatively new to this area and well, Althanas as a whole. She is an off worlder that basically went where the winds of fate carried her wings. She looks at shinsou before beginning to speak to him "hardly a way to break the ice, but this ore you're looking for. I'm new to the area. Got any idea what it looks like?" She asked him, her eye sockets glowing green work Felfire though her gem encrusted blindfold before looking at leoric. "Mythril isn't too hard for me to recognize. It was on my homeworld too. Although I'd wager it's far rarer here then it is on my world if you're in the caves looking for it?"

Lilithinos was not much of a conversationalist. Not that She didn't speak, it's more she has trouble knowing what to say around people. Even within her own kind she kept to herself.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Another offworlder, huh?

The Telgradian eyed his female counterpart with a degree of intrigue as the trio travelled further into the cavern. He hadn’t said as much, but Shinsou was also a member of the offworlder demographic – although the time that he had spent on his homeworld represented far less of his life than on Althanas, if not physically then at least spiritually.

A wry smile appeared on his face as the impact of his soles started to soften – the rock here was covered in a particular type of moss and lichen that somehow thrived more in dark, damp conditions tham those that were dry and abundant in light. This part of the cave complex had conditions that he knew to be improving for the chances of finding their respective ores, but knew that to get to the good stuff, the Prevailda, he’d have to get much further in.

“Prevaildan Ore,” Answering Lilithinos after a short delay, “Tends to give off a lilac hue in these mountains due to the moisture in the caves. We’re likely to find it deeper in where the rock is denser, and probably beneath chunks of the moss you see growing here.”

[Leoric]

If it wasn’t for just meeting these two, Leoric would have called them boring, it was just lets focus on the job and get going, it was almost as bad as if he was here alone. At least if he was here alone he could use his M.A.D. to be a little more reckless.

Wait a minute, His M.A.D. He quickly reached into his pack and grabbed what looked like a plain leather bracelet with a rune carved into it. He reached his arm up high along where they were walking as a surprising length of rope launched out and attached to the ceiling.

“Well, I will keep up high, this slow walk is getting to me.” A quick gout of wind rushed from where Leoric was standing as the now airbourne brawler began to swing along using the high vantage points to his advantage to gain speed as gravity tried to pull him down. “Keep up if you can!”

[Lilithios]

Lilithios looked up at the man and blinked "A man of action eh? Can't say i fault him. I always did like an adventure myself." She said as she watched Leoric take off. she looked at Shinsou and used a wing to clear away some of the moss to look for this "Prevaildan ore" He was looking for. She saw a lilac hue under the moss but was unsure if that was it or another ore could easily be a pink quartz for all she knew "Shinsou, Is this it?" She asked curiously

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Leoric’s impatience took him up into the rafters of the cavern, and away. The Telgradian watched on as the adventurer traversed the stalactites like a monkey navigating a treeline.

Suit yourself, kid. Your fault if you miss the good stuff on the way.

Lilith spoke in defence of Leoric’s adventurous spirit, and Shinsou couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle.

“He’s all in a rush, that guy, but patience is the game here. If he goes too far in, the rock density and the minerals that create the ideal conditions for Mythril start to deteriorate. Leoric’s more likely to find what he needs at the middle of the cave, but it’s his call.”

It was then that his female offworld counterpart offered him in the direction of a slightly luminous spot, underneath a clump of moss. The cluster of ore that she pointed out was bizarre; no two stones were alike; each was stout and flattish. They were shaped and almost painted, uniquely, by nature. Shinsou looked at them more closely and noticed there was water dripping from the ceiling above them. Each droplet intensified the hue of the rock on impact, and as the water spread, it changed the colour of the surrounding rocks.

“Not Prevailda, but something interesting for sure. The rocks in this place are reacting with the water in a way I’ve never seen before.” He said as he continued to navigate the cavern towards where Leoric had disappeared.

Perhaps further on, he’d find out why. More importantly, he'd find his prize.

[Leoric]

Was it just his imagination or was the floor starting to glow at what seemed like regular intervals? He released his M.A.D. from the stalactites and with a quick few blasts of wind he slowed his descent to a moderate rough landing. The windswept adventurer quickly began to look around, his lantern offering very minimal help on seeing what kept causing the ground to glow. He doused the flame on the lantern and laid down on the ground get his eye as close to ground level as he could, he probably looked like a fool, but there it was another faint glow, followed by another, he quickly shot up and ran over to that spot when a drop of something landed on his face, he wiped it with his finger and tasted it before spitting it out, it was very mineral rich water, which minerals he couldn’t tell, he had a talented tongue but not that talented.

“Does this stuff periodically glow? Or stay glowing? There is something up here that responds with a pinky purple glow when it gets touched by water. Can either of you tell minerals by taste? I just tried and failed!” He hollered back at the ones coming down the passage behind him. “It seems like the whole floor up here is made of this weird pattern stuff as well.”

[Lilithios]

Lilith looked at Leoric and flew to him at a pace Shin could keep up "I'm no expert on minerals, But i am curious as to what you're getting at, Leoric"

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Shinsou Vaan Osiris was having a difficult time distinguishing the actual minerals from the pallet of colours, but Leoric had come up with an excellent idea.

Taste the minerals.

The Telgradian dipped his finger in the pooled, tiedye liquid beneath him and put it to the tip of his tongue.

Suddenly, in a flash, the whole room went fucking nuts. The sun fizzled out in what seemed to be a matter of moments and the moon careered through the cave door like a gods damned meteor strike. The Telgradian's eyes widened as the illusions got worse; it wouldn’t be long before the fucking sky fell, or his body seperated into twenty million cuboids of identical mass and measurement.

The psychadellic trip had no intention of abating, even after Shinsou rubbed his face on one of the jagged rocky outcrops. Even as his random shouting and singing died down, the Telgradian asked Leoric if he could ride him like a horse.

Whatever this stuff was, it wasn't from the rocks.

"Sshhhhroooooooooooommmmms." Came the slurred, almost unintelligible noise from the man. "Shrroommmmmmmmmmmmm liquidsssssssssssss"

[Leoric]

”Ride him like a horse? Or let him ride me like a horse? Either way it was a tempting offer.”

“I just consumed something and i feel fine, so no more tasting things got it, Want a sobering punch? I can deliver that quite effectively” Leoric said as he stood up and turned to face the female with them. As a gout of wind quickly blew through from the entrance deeper into the cave.

It was an odd sensation, it felt like there was dread on the wind itself, like it was trying to tell him to be careful of what was ahead. But could the wind speak? He only recently began doubling down his training to understand his magic better, does that mean he would one day be able to speak to nature? He quickly shook his head clear of such thoughts before he got whisked away in his own fantasies.

“I presume you don’t have any magic that can light up the area? Or can sober up shroomface back there? Any suggestions on next steps before i let my impatience act? i have been told it is quite infuriating always having to run after me” The brawler flashed her a little wink while turning to look back at the man repeatedly saying Shroom in various tones and inflection.

[Lilithios]

"Before we proceed, Allow me to do this" She walked over to Shin and Clocked him with a sobering punch using her wing so he wouldn't be black and blue at the end of it "Get ahold of yourself man! Gods even I know better then to eat anything that doesn't look edible!" She said to call him to his senses before walking to Leoric "Something tells me there's danger ahead. We should be ready for whatever's up there" Lilith said