Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ameh 
Three... two... one.
...
It wasn't even that hot. Raiden frowned slightly; he might not even have had to muck up his sleeve for this. But... better safe than sorry. Not moving his sleeve from his hand, Raiden pushed down on the branch carefully, then pulled up a little, always taking care to avoid touching the seeds with his arm.
It shouldn't take too much to break, right? He repeated the process, applying a bit more force but taking care to not jostle it too much, should he accidentally dislodge the seeds on it. He needed those.
Wiggle. The seeds shook but did not fall as branch was being worked on. The others around it wiggled a bit, threatening to fall on the Champion's arm, but staying secure.
Snap! With the repeat of the process, the branch splintered and suddenly came loose without warning. As it severed from the bush, it cooled and dimmed, but still cast off a great deal of light. How many of the almond sized seeds did you manage to get, Champion?
When you're ready to go, the way before you is lit at least a bit by your fireseeds, and as you walk, you'll see a fork in the cave. To the right, a cacophony of sound echoes off the walls, its source yet unseen. The dischord crescendos and speeds before disappearing from notice. It then begins again. To the left, a partial cave-in and silence. If you linger too near the left, however, a foul smell reaches your nostrils. It is pungent: the kind of smell that sticks in your head.
Choose your way carefully. There is no telling whether you can retrace your steps.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BanaBatGirl
The cave was narrower than Fletcher had expected, and even though the boy was not claustraphobic, he was starting to convince himself that he was. He could feel a small boil of panic roiling within his stomach and swallowed again, trying to push the nerves away so he could focus.
Focus, Fletcher, focus. But on what? What was there to see in this complete and total blackness?
He focused on his own breathing instead of on the lack of sight he had at the moment. In and out, in and out. One foot in front of the other, he continued marching on. Fletcher put his left hand out and groped for the edge of the cave, using the wall as a sort of guide as he kept walking. He felt the cool stone start to curve and he followed it slowly, hoping that against all odds, his wand would be around the bend.
The cave turned and Fletcher stumbled slightly as his eyes picked up on a hazy, reddish light not to far ahead. He opened his eyelids as wide as possible and hurried forward, eager to get a bit of relief from the complete darkness.
Approaching the glow, he stopped abruptly as the source of the light was illuminated before his feet. A... bush? A burning bush? What could this mean?
Fletcher stretched out his left hand again toward the fiery little plant and felt considerable warmth. He crouched down for a closer look and noticed that each seed seemed to be pulsing with an internal light.
Awesome. He glanced back up and around the cave, wondering if perhaps the path forward would be illuminated by more of these bushes, but seeing none, Fletcher realized what he would have to do.
Use the bush as a torch. But how? Could he just... dig it up and carry it forward? He started pawing at the cave floor....
The floor was tightly packed around the bush, and stony, though some dirt came up as the Champion dug. The dirt itself was warm and the roots deep. A branch on the far side, obscured if one were focused on the dirt, dimmed of its own accord, but only slightly.
Just a bit under the surface of the dirt, and still packed tight, a large, flat rock the size of hand became visible, though it's edges were still obscured by packed dirt.