The Ride Never Ends

[Zacharia]

As the pack of 'prentices pressed on into the plumbed depths, their eyes were gradually adjusting to the surroundings. Still, they couldn't see more than a few feet outside of where they padded. Perhaps it was for the best, as the walls covered in ancient lichens and moss concealed countless bones, the extra plant layer shielding them from the external elements of the channel. Zacharia could feel the pressure in the air--not between him and the only other person in existence right now--no, but it was a sort of feeling like he had felt just before the world exploded around them. It didn't feel the same; it was... lower-pitched if that made any sense. Like diving into the ocean and swimming downwards forever. The firestorm had felt like a great big weight was being forced down on them instead.At the same time he had felt the pull in his chest from falling through the ceiling recede. Hester breathed a deep deep sigh as she pressed further into him.

He exhaled relief as well. Djute and he had been walking for minutes, hours, maybe even days, and that wound would've plagued him until Garrett was strong enough to help. Which wouldn't take much longer, apparently-- as he could see the frail one's chest rise and fall at a steady pace. "The stories this place could tell if its walls could talk..." he mumbled to himself, but it bounced all around them as an echo, like the walls really were talking. They walked downwards into the incline with its level getting steeper and the stream getting deeper, every immeasurable unit of time they stayed in there. Wait...downwards?

[Djute]

As they continued through the almost complete darkness, Djute couldn't help but wonder how long they had been walking. He hadn't thought to keep track himself, and it wasn't as if they had the sky to tell them. It briefly crossed his mind that Zach might have been capable of using that scrying trick of his to get a look at the outside world, but he quickly cast that aside. Trying that always took a lot out of the shaman and he knew that they would both need all the energy they could muster if they ever wanted to escape. And speaking of energy, Djute was running a bit low. Carrying Garrett wasn't the hardest task in the world, but he had been doing it now for what seemed like hours. He needed at least a few moments to put the boy down and rest his tired arms. He came to a slow stop and turned back to his companion. "I don't know about you," he started, "But I could do with a minute or two to rest. Besides, we should see if we can get Garrett to wake up."

Djute slowly dropped to a crouch and gingerly placed Garrett on the ground, then took a seat next to him. After letting out a long and tired sigh while stretching his arms out in front of him, he reached into his bag and pulled out a biscuit. He scarfed it down quickly and chased with a small sip from his canteen. He glanced at the still unconscious cleric, shifted it to Zach for a moment, and then back to Garrett. "So should we just try shaking him, or should we dump water on him or something?"

[Zacharia]

Zach slid down the massive lichen growth with a grateful sigh, Hester in tow. Despite the fact that they could only make out the outline of each others' faces, it was easy to tell the boy felt just as exhausted as the other one did. The cave was cold, and so was the girl sitting comatose in his lap, but it felt just a little safer sitting next to three others. Without a word, he splished his hand through the little stream. And immediately, wished he hadn't. Droplets of icy-cold river water went everywhere as the mage gasped and clutched his hand. "That...that will do it." he glanced at Djute, then Garrett, then Hester. The two that were comatose seemed stir in their sleep from the drips of water, but it wasn't enough to wake either. "Shaking Garrett awake wouldn't be so jerky, but it would take longer." He had to force himself to do it again without thinking about it or he'd never be able to do it.

Again he plunged his hand into the frosty depths, the water just as holy crap. Looking back he didn't know how to describe the noise he had made, nor would he ever be able to replicate it again. He dumped the water directly on Garrett's face, though it was only a little bit it was still just as cold as it had been prior. Biting back tears, Zach rocked back and forth with his fist bundled up like a newborn against Hester. That stuff should've been frozen at that point, why was it so damned cold??