Chapter 140 - Spring, Rose and Guardian

The group walked slowly and silently down the dark stone passageway. They kept any light as minimal as possible, using simple spells to light small items mostly such as coins and small stones. Such spells were easier used on inanimate objects as the spell itself would be held in the object. If one was to use it on their body it would both be hard to control how much of the body was lit up and would slowly wear away with each flake of skin or at a smaller level, each cell that would die, thus lowering the longevity of the light itself.Using the dim light that their spells allowed them they were able to see the dark grey stone walls reaching above them into a vault of sharp stalactites hanging above their heads. The ground beneath their feet was hard like the stone of the walls but slick due to the fog clinging to its surface and rolling lightly down the slope before them like soapy waves running down a waterfall. The depths of the passage despite their light and progress remained an abyss of shadows, unrelenting.It was fifteen minutes into their slow trek into the seemingly bottomless cave that they found the first sign of change. The passage split off, one passage continuing further into the depths while the other split to the right where, just within the edge of their lights they could see the beginning of a chamber several feet ahead. This was the first sign of any decent possible living space and Jien was interested in the possibility of using it was a space to stay in the short term.He signaled at the fork in the path to head to the right and with a combination of hand signals and light use of wind magic. He was not up front so he needed to ensure that those ahead of him would follow his instructions. Soon they made their way into a chamber that was just large enough to hold them comfortably being only about a ten-foot by ten-foot rough box made of stone. The walls were as bare as the passage and floor was damp from the fog that settled onto its floor.Jien peered around the room once more to try and determine if there was anything else he needed to know about the space but found nothing other than damp rock and small puddles of water. He then performed a quick step measurement to check the dimensions and memorize what he could to map the space before moving on. In his mind this location was definitely coming to be a viable option, though needing some work.The shelter the cave provided was perfect given that predators would have to make it down the passage some distance to approach them, allowing for easier defense. Though this chamber was small, if they were careful in doing so, they could enlarge it to make a livable space, using the fog that was collecting as water as a consistent water source by creating a basin in the center. The only trouble with this particular chamber came from the fact that there was still a path leading downward, which meant that there was still the possibility of something living there that would cause issues.To ensure their safety they would have to check out the lower area of the path as well before making this their stronghold for the time being. To this end Jien brought everyone into a quiet discussion to explain his thoughts while doing his best to make sure the noise did not echo and alert any hidden predators. His thoughts were accepted rather easily since everyone felt them logical, though it was questioned how he intended them to clear out more space in this chamber. He curtailed that discussion by stating that they needed to check the rest of the cave before they would need to think about those kinds of things.With a nod of their heads, they exited the small chamber in the order they had entered, adjusting themselves to head along the path heading further into the depths of the lightless cave. The next stint of the walk was a ten-minute trek with the path becoming significantly steeper. The slippery stone beneath their feet made traversing the path more perilous but they still managed by slowing their steps further and taking their time.At the end of the path was a short drop of five feet leading to a vast chamber that their light sources could not light the back of. The white fog that had run down the floor of the cave path seemed to roll off in a white, ghostly waterfall that alighted upon the floor of the chamber before them softly as a feather. Yet what Jien found interesting was that there was a carved path that the fog seemed to settle into, heading to the center of the vast chamber.There the group was able to see the edge of vast pool of water covered by fog that was no longer a misty white, but prismatic in nature. Though the light from their spells was dim the mist shown with hypnotic cascades of colors. Beneath the prismatic fog was a pool of water that was so dark that one would almost be able to mistake it for a deep shadow if not for the occasional drip of water from the ceiling so high above that it was hidden in deep shadow.It wasn't until a few minutes of observing the beautiful sight the group noticed something else. In the middle of this pool of shadow was a single white rose that glowed gently in the dark, and just beneath the shadow surface they were able to see an even deeper unfathomable shadow hiding in its depths.------------------------------------------Hello all,Author here to say thank you for putting up with my on and off absence here. I have been dealing with life and been writing as I found time and energy to do so.My writing may continue to be on and off for the next while as I continue to work on life but as I find time I will continue to put out chapters.If your are interested feel free to join my discord to follow any updates: https://discord.gg/yphE27Uw