Things started looking up from this point onward. At least a bit. Leaving the dreary tunnels of the mine and entering the not quite so dreary caves beyond really made a difference. Having some fresh water certainly helped as well. That the slight breeze playing around us now actually felt warm was a turn for the better as well. Well, it was for the most part. I was still wearing clammy, wet clothing and the air was still too humid for them to dry. Now I had hope that the latter might change some time soon though.

Our situation was starting to look better. I was still worried though. We were still pretty much lost in an unfamiliar place after all. And there were only two of us. We still were very much vulnerable like that and I was starting to feel a little exhaustion. I decided to voice my concerns as I followed Gash'zur through the changed and ever changing new environment. “How will we go about getting some rest? Do we need to keep up a guard rotation? Are there any dangerous predators or the likes down here?”

She looked over her shoulder and nodded before continuing. “It would be better if we keep our guard up. One of us should stay awake as the other gets some sleep. There are some creatures but not many and most are the kind to life from moss and mushrooms. Still, better to be safe rather than sorry. We should try to keep going for a little longer though. At least I want to find a place that is a little warmer and preferably dry as well, before settling in for the night. Otherwise we will be sick for sure afterwards. If we find a place that is at least a little defensible it wouldn't hurt either.”

I nodded, only realizing after a moment that she couldn't see the gesture, as she was walking in front of me and kept her attention mostly focused on the path ahead of us. “I see. Will we be living from moss and mushrooms as well then?”

She helped me up a sheer rock face where part of the underground must have violently shifted a few paces at some time. “We will mostly stick to some of the mushrooms. If we slice them fine enough we should even be able to cook them with the lamp if we turn it just a little higher. We might be able to turn them into a stew as well. If we are really lucky though we might be able to catch some cave fish or prawn. They don't look all that appetizing but after a few days of mushrooms they will make for a nice change.”

I could only nod in agreement. She sounded like she knew what she was talking about after all. I couldn't help but add a little quip though. “It sounds like we will throw ourselves at the first farmer who can offer us an old apple from last years harvest, once we get back out.”

She laughed out loud. “Just about. What we can find down here will keep us alive, at least for a while, but it will be far from a balanced diet. It won't be terribly tasty either. We could come across some salt but we almost certainly won't find anything sweet down here.” She chuckled again. “When I returned home after my first excursion into the depth my family had a whole banquet prepared to welcome me back. I had a hard time holding back and back then I was pretty well prepared for the hardships I would have to face. It will be more tricky this time around.”

I grimaced a little. She was right of course. After all she was dragging me along this time around and I had pretty much no idea of anything. I was dead weight. Well, mostly at least. I just would have to learn fast. She seemed confident that we would manage after all. I would have to believe in her.

Getting anywhere certainly got harder ever since we had left the mine tunnels of Gothol'gathrak behind though. Every once in a while we had to squeeze through a narrow spot or climb a cliff face now. We weren't following a single path anymore either as the caves and caverns tended to branch. Twice we had to double back and take a different route by now already. Once because we had hit a dead end and once because we had ended up at what I could only describe as an underground river.

At least we weren't moving through near total darkness, beyond what little light our lamp provided, anymore. I still had a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that these plants were producing light to ward off creatures that might otherwise eat them instead of luring in prey, like the Marsh Candle who mimicked female fireflies to lure the males into sticky death traps. The Deep Dark really was so very different from what I was familiar with. It was almost as if it were another world by itself. It was fascinating and a little scary at the same time.

We had to make regular breaks as well now. We weren't moving across what essentially was even ground any more after all. Especially the climbs were exhausting. Even more so since we climbed further down most of the time and holding on while searching for the next hold with your toes was not something I was used to.

My armor didn't exactly help either. It got in the way more than just a little. I even thought about leaving it behind at some point but only briefly. Things would have to get much worse to consider it again seriously. For now I would quietly suffer the additional little hardships it caused me. I certainly could under stand why Gash'zur had insisted that we climb bare footed now though. It made feeling for the next foot and hand holds so much easier. In a way it was advantageous now that I didn't have my glaive anymore. It would have gotten in the way badly.

As I reached the bottom of our most recent descent I realized that we had reached another, slightly larger cavern. Those were a little rarer than the smaller ones and all the narrow passages. Like with all others we had passed so far the various plants, small as they might be individually, grew a little more abundant here. It was almost as if they knew that they had more room to spread out.

For once Gash'zur didn't head for the obvious exit though. Instead she made for a nook which was at about head height for the two of us. She checked it out and motioned for me to come up as well. “This is probably as good as it will get. We will make camp here and rest up a little. Get out of that armor and make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back.” With those words she lowered herself back to the ground as I pulled myself up.

I looked around but gave up quickly. The giantess had taken the lantern with her after all. It wasn't completely dark but still too dark to make out any details. The only thing I could tell with any degree of certainty was, that the nook would probably be just barely big enough for the two of us and what little gear we had. I took of my armor anyway, even if it was not quite easy in these close confines. Maybe I could use it as a pillow of sorts? It wouldn't be terribly comfortable but still better than nothing. At least the ground seemed smooth enough. Without a bedroll it would still be too cold and hard to be comfortable but it certainly could be worse.

Just as I stowed away my things towards one side of the nook Gash'zur returned. “Here.” Without much fanfare she started handing me things. The first were, curiously enough, some flat stones. Afterwards some mushrooms followed. They looked funny, more like the fungi that were usually used for tinder than any mushrooms I had ever eaten.

She must have noticed the look on my face. “We can use the stones to cook the mushrooms if you can heat them up with some magic. Better than getting the lamp all grimy. And if the stones retain some heat afterwards the nook will become just a little more comfortable. Maybe we can even dry our clothes a little.”

That certainly made sense. Using stones to heat the place. It was almost sounded like a fun camping trip like that. How would I heat up the stones though? I was certain it was possible. I just wasn't quite sure which spell to use or rather customize for this purpose. I could create some flames but without any actual fuel to feed them I would have to change the spell and keep supplying it with Mana to keep the flames burning. I wasn't quite sure if it was a smart idea to make actual fire in a confined space like our nook.

No, that didn't sound too smart. Sure, there was a slight breeze in the cavern in general, but not here in the nook. Maybe I could adapt the spell I used to create light? The last time I had played around with it I had managed to give myself sunburn with the supposedly cold light. Maybe I could use it to heat up some basalt slabs instead?

Kaele would have scolded me for even contemplating making changes like that without extensive research but somehow that thought just put a wistful little smile on my face. I wouldn't have minded getting scolded a little by my sister right now.

Still lost in thought I accepted Gash'zur's war gear, as she opted to slip out of her armor while still down on the floor. I put it a little deeper into the nook, next to mine. At long last I helped her up.

She pointed at the stone slabs. “Think you can manage it?”

I nodded. “I have an idea. But maybe you should close your eyes and look the other way. Just in case.”

She raised an eyebrow but did as I had asked after gathering the mushrooms that would be our meal into her lap.

I in turn started focusing on the stone slabs and the spell matrix I was building on the fly. Instead of creating some light in open air, I focused on creating friction within the stones. My first attempt fizzled out without achieving any noticeable results. I took a deep breath and took another approach. Instead of modifying the Light spell I built a new one from scratch to achieve the result I wanted. I tried to keep it as simple as possible.

Finally I was satisfied and started channeling Mana into the new spell matrix. Instead of pouring in as much as I could have I channeled only a small trickle, increasing it only a little bit at a time while reaching out towards the stone I was focusing on to gauge if it was emitting any heat. I didn't want to liquefy, or worse evaporate it, after all. That would have been a nasty way to kill the two of us. After a little while I found the right amount. “I think this is it. Want to check?”

Gash'zur reached out towards the stone as well. “Feels good.” That was all she said before cutting up the mushrooms into thin slices. As she put them on the stone a pleasant aroma started to fill our little hideout. The giantess focused on preparing our meal and I heated up some of the other stones. Before long it became pleasantly warm.

I watched in silence after that as I felt the tension leave my muscles. It didn't take long for our meal to be ready. Gash'zur lifted one of the slices of mushroom from our makeshift hearth with one of her knives. “Dig in!”

Thus I did. I stabbed my own knife into one of the slices and blew on it once before taking the first bite. Its texture was surprisingly nice, as was the taste. I certainly wouldn't have minded having it more often. It certainly would have gone well either with meat or some steamed ashroot. It was too bad that we had neither.