Move 365:  Continuing in the Smooth Caverns

Smooth Caverns--Later than Midday, Day 37 (Marpenoth 20)

The group decided to continue down the tunnel that had yet to be explored. About ninety feet later, there was another split. The tunnel they were in kept going, but another of similar size branched off to their right. That tunnel appeared to slope down at a consider angle.

"Which way?" Jana asked. "Assuming we don't need to head back to meet them, that is."

"Didn't Arachne say she'd let Azrun know when they were coming back?" Echo asked.

"Indeed, I believe you're correct Echo," Renn replied with a nod in the affirmative.

"I feel another magical presence," she added quietly.   "From that side tunnel."

Renn gave a hearty sigh. "As do I," he said shortly.  "I truly hate not knowing why we can sense whatever it is we're feeling." Renn moved to examine the branching tunnel. "I wonder if we'd have trouble getting back up if we went down this way," he said somewhat rhetorically.

"Can anyone else feel it?" Echo asked.

"I could try going down there. If I got stuck, you could pull me up with a rope. I wouldn't need to go far, maybe 50 feet. That'd let us know if there's a problem."

"Oh, yeah," Jana replied, voice squeaking slightly, "That'd be great. 'Hey, lookit, rope's bitten off. Guess there's a problem!' No fucking way!" She waved her arms around emphatically. "We're not splitting up. Bad thing happen when we split up. Isn't that right, Renn? Bad things!"

"Well, there's a considerable difference between scouting
and splitting up," Renn replied without heat.   "Splitting up is what
got Daelen killed, scouting is why I was close enough so that the
the rest of you were within shouting distance for a rescue.

"But, I do agree with you, Jana. Splitting up is a bad idea, but
an exploration just out of the range of our lights is not something
I'd consider a bad plan," Renn smiled.

"I didn't mean to suggest splitting up," Echo said flatly. "I didn't think me going down the tunnel invisible for a few feet is splitting up. Then you throw me the rope if I got stuck which I doubt I will.  I thought it was cautious. We could make sure we could walk back up to keep us all from getting stuck.  Because I want to go down that tunnel. Which way do the rest of you want to go?" her voice lost its flatness and she sounded upset.

"Oh," Jana said, wincing. She moved her hands as if to rub her face but stopped short, staring at her rather nasty-looking, roper-gut-smeared hands and grimaced. "Ugh." She looked up, wiped her hands on her pants and said sheepishly, "Well, okay, if you got a feeling about that tunnel we can go down it. I mean," she continued in the direction of Echo's voice, "I trust your feelings and all. 'Cept I still don't think being invisible is any real defense. I mean, there's no light so the things down here prob'ly don't use their eyes all that much, right? I mean, those that don't got elfy-eyes. I'd be more comfortable if at least one other person were walking with you, like me, with decent armor. The rope's a good idea. We can anchor it and use it to steady ourselves and help get back up faster."

Azrun nodded, "Magic tunnel it is then. Jana and Echo on the front, followed by Blacky, then Renn and myself, to watch the back. Work for everyone? Good, let's go."

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