Through the connection, he sensed Sylven's location, his footsteps rippling through the mushrooms like drops of rain in a vast lake. Concentrating, Cyrus sent a flow of aether towards him, causing the cluster of mushrooms to pulse faintly. In the distance, Sylven stopped and glanced around.
"Cyrus, is that you?"
Cyrus laughed, and released his aether, dimming the cavern once more. Working his way back to Sylven, he hoisted his pack further up his shoulder, and glanced around. A number of bare patches marked the fungus, and Sylven's pack was now bulging.
"Looks like you were busy," Cyrus said. He held out a stack of mushrooms, smaller than his fist. "Here. It's what I could find."
"That'll do," Sylven said. As he collected the mushroom, Cyrus felt something brush against the edge of his consciousness. Furrowing his brow, he opened his mind to the cluster's consciousness once more.
A ripple, much larger than the one Sylven made, weaved into the mushrooms from the far side of the cavern, at least three leagues away. It stopped at the edge, its body low to the ground, while its thick tail swept back and forth.
"-rus. Cyrus, are you alright?" Sylven asked. He shook Cyrus's shoulder, snapping him back. "Hey, I've been calling your name for a minute now. What's going on?"
"I think the drake made its way down here," Cyrus said. He gestured towards the southern cavern wall. "It's headed this way. We need to go."
"Should we head back to the crack?" Sylven asked, glancing towards the entrance.
"No. It'd be too easy to get lost in those tunnels. At least down here, we have a chance to get away. Not to mention the open space. It'll make it easier to get away."
Sylven nodded. "You have a point. We'll head deeper into the mushrooms then."
…
As the two traversed the expanses of the cavern, the mushrooms grew around them, growing taller and thicker, until they were forced to duck beneath the caps to keep going. As the hours passed, even that became unnecessary as the stalks grew so tall they towered over the pair.
Curious, Cyrus pushed against one, and his hand sunk into the soft exterior of the stalk. Overhead, the cap shook, dropping loose a shower of spoors, which spun to the ground. Sylven glanced up with a frown.
"Careful. I'd rather not have one of these fall on top of us. I can't imagine we'd get out easily."
"Sorry," Cyrus said. As he pulled back, he noticed a stone plateau, rising from the cluster. "Hey, why don't we head up there, and take a break. We've been traveling for almost six hours now, and I'm running out of strength."
Sylven sighed. "Alright. We need to figure out where we are anyway. Perhaps we'll be able to spot a way out as well."
They pushed through the stalks, and navigated the pools of sulfur, crossing the last few leagues until they reached the plateau. As they climbed up, Cyrus's bandages snagged on the rocks, unraveling as he reached for the next hold. Biting his cheek, he hoisted himself over the top, glancing back at a speckle of blood on the stones.
"Are you alright?' Sylven asked, pulling himself up.
"Yes, but I think I figured out how the drake found us," Cyrus said. He held out his hand. "It must be drawn to the scent of blood."
Sylven cursed. "You're right. I should have considered that. Here, let me rewrap it for you."
Cyrus allowed Sylven to wrap his hands until it looked like he wore a pair of gloves, thick but flexible. Once Sylven finished, he stepped to the edge, and scanned the sea of mushrooms below.
"Can you tell me where the drake is now?"
Cyrus focused on the cluster, spreading out his consciousness. In the distance, a section of the blue caps brightened, before dimming once more. Sylven rubbed his chin.
"I'd say there's at least four leagues between us and the drake. Not bad, considering we spent half the day trying to escape."
Cyrus glanced over his shoulder, and scanned the remainder of the cavern. At least ten leagues remained between them and the edge, and the exhaustion of the day weighed heavily on his muscles. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Sylven frowning.
"Say, can you do anything to slow the drake down?" Sylven asked. "Perhaps move a few of the mushrooms around, and block its path?"
"I'll try," Cyrus said. He closed his eyes, delving deeper into the hive mind of mushrooms. Concentrating on the ones around the drake, he spread out his aether, but the distance was too great to do anything.
Scowling, he released his magic, and opened his eyes. "I'm afraid not. Even if I could, the drake is moving through the mushrooms like a butcher carving a pig."
"I feared as much," Sylven said. He narrowed his eyes. "Still, we need rest if we're going to travel any farther. At the pace the drake is traveling, it should take about five hours for it to catch us. We'll use two of those to rest."
"In shifts again?" Cyrus asked. Sylven nodded. "Gods above, once we get to Phisloke, I plan on sleeping all day. For now, though, I'll keep watch first."
"Thanks," Sylven said. He rolled out his mat, and laid down. Within minutes, his breathing slowed to an even pace, shocking Cyrus once again.
'What has he been through that he can sleep so easily in this situation?' Cyrus wondered. He unfurled his own mat, and sat down, watching the drake slip through the still mushrooms. Its movements had become more certain after they arrived at the plateau, reaffirming Cyrus's belief it was following the scent of his blood.
Once the hour passed, Cyrus woke Sylven, and they switched. It took him a bit longer to fall asleep, but it felt like only seconds had passed before Sylven was shaking him awake. Groaning, he pushed himself upright, and checked the position of the drake.
"It's closer than I thought it'd be," Sylven said, frowning. "We should pick up the pace."
"But where do we go from here?" Cyrus asked. He waved his hand at the mushrooms. "I don't see a way out, do you?"
"There is. In that direction," Sylven said. He pointed towards the edge of the cavern, where the mushrooms fell away to the pools of sulfur. "I've been following a slight breeze from that direction. If we keep going, it should lead us out of here."