"Oh man, we have to share a room as a team? This weekend just got longer," Reuben moaned. He wasn't looking forward to having James around him all weekend, much less the others.
"We will just have to deal," Devon replied. He noticed Ella staying silent and turned to her. "Think you'll manage?"
"We'll see," she answered, turning to follow Mrs. Helen.
As the students gathered around, Mrs. Helen started pointing the teams to their personal caves. "Jared, your team will take this one on the lower left. Morgan, your team will be on the top row, second to the left. Those of you at heights, please be mindful that there are no rails here, and if you fall, this path may not be wide enough to stop you from going over the edge. Be careful."
Next Mrs. Helen called over Devon's team.
"Your cave will be at the top right. The same warning applies to you as the others on top. Mind your step and be careful."
The trio and James, who was looking around nonchalantly, made their way up to their abode. As they entered the cave, their eyes started to adjust to the dim light, and they took in their surroundings. Reuben took out a couple of candles from his bag and lit them with his finger.
The light revealed the full arrangement of the cave. A full sitting area had been carved out with the room, featuring a couch and a couple seats. There were soft cushions on the stone surfaces, so it wasn't uncomfortable. Beyond the living area were four wooden doors evenly spaced out. The doors led to their rooms, which also had carved out furnishings, including a bed, a sitting area and table.
"I take it the restroom is outside," James commented with a laugh. He figured being a little friendlier might help him with his goals this weekend.
"It's the next cave over," Reuben responded. "It has some enclosed stalls but no shower. I think there was a pool at the lowest level for getting cleaned up."
"That's kinda gross," Ella finally spoke up. "Everyone has to share bath water?"
Devon had an answer for this one. "There's a water ability user here who purifies the pool a few times a day. It's not perfect, but the water is generally clean. I hear he also warms it up, so if it's cold, just wait for her to come around, and you'll know it's fresh."
After that, the students picked their rooms. Ella took the room farthest left, while James was farthest right. Devon's room was right of Ella, and Reuben had the room separating the at odds parties.
When they finished getting sorted, the group headed back down to the path to wait for Mrs, Helen. She arrived shortly, as did the rest of the students.
"Alright, class. Is everyone ready to start exploring the crater?" She asked. Several heads nodded. "Good, just a few guidelines and we can get started. First, limit your exploration to this crater, it has more than enough room for everyone to spread out, and the other craters are exactly the same. Second, stay with your group. We don't want anyone getting separated or lost. Third, the current researchers have kindly let us come for this visit. If they ask your help, please do as they say. Otherwise, please leave them in peace to continue their work. In regards to your own research, I expect a twenty page paper finished by Wednesday covering your findings. Consider this part of your final. Now, go have fun, be safe, and learn something!"
The five groups of students safely began their descent into the crater. There were several small trails to choose from part way down, and Devon's group hesitated deciding on which way to go.
"Maybe we should ask some of the researchers where we should go.." Ella thought aloud. The others echoed their approval and the group approached a few scientists studying a piece of stone nearby.
"Excuse us," Ella interrupted their study. "We are students on a research trip, and we're wondering where would be a good place for us to start looking around."
The nearest researcher to a moment to respond. "There are several areas we have marked safe on this side of the crater. We have orange markers which determine an area is save for about a hundred yards all around. They look like this." The researcher pulled some orange tape to show the students. " There is plenty of ionic rock in these areas. Just pick one and see what you can get from it."
"What about that area over there?" James asked, pointing to a spot about a mile away on the other side of the crater. This particular area was darker than the rest of the crater, almost black against the grey white surroundings. It gave off an ominous feel, and the others couldn't help but wonder what attracted James to that location.
"I recommend staying clear of that zone, the researcher replied. " The color is different because that is most likely the main body of the ionic rock that struck this place. Also, while you may not feel any effects over a few pieces of ionic rock, when it is present in greater quantities such as that, it can dampen any abilities you may have. We are uncertain to what extent, or if the dampening could be permanent, or if there is a chance of losing power completely. We still have to study those negative effects, so in the meantime I'd stear clear of those areas."
"I've never heard of death rock doing anything like that!" Reuben exclaimed.
"It's fairly new knowledge in this area. I'm sure runners will get the message to your town in the near future," the researcher replied.
"Thank you for the information, sir," Devon thanked the man. "We will be sure to stay far from that area."
With that, Ella picked a marked path at random and the team continued deeper into the crater.