Welcome to Gaia! ::

James grinned at the question and appreciated the change to show this O'Riley how strong and powerful Connor were's really were. Slipping his staff into a holster on his back James began to shift into his were form slowly.

The hairs on his arms and legs began to change into a pale white as his muscles began to grow. His hands slowly becoming paws and his face elongating into a snout with great white fangs. Dropping to his hands, staff falling to his right side, his arms and legs grew longer and shoulders broader. He made a show of it, shaking out his fur and letting out a loud growl as he sat and looked at the O'Riley, bright glowing eyes staring right into his.

In a deep voice James replied "What did you have in mind O'Riley?" "as you can see I cannot climb out of here either".

"You do realize 'stupid idiot' is redundant right?" James replied with a snort.

James laughed a little inside, angering the O'Rileys gave him pleasure, even more so in this case because of the reaction it had.

James moved forward with the O'Riley looking for a way out... Perhaps this crevice the O'Riley had found would lead somewhere? James was skeptical but he had little choice. Following the O'Riley seemed like the best option.

James laughed a little inside ... so this is what it is like to be thrust into a tight space with an enemy that it is not in your best interests to kill. Working together to get out of this hole is the top priority so pissing the O'Riley off further would probably sooner lead to being introduced to the business end of that sword than getting out of this hole alive.

James had never been underground before and knew next to nothing about what lurked in the deep, dark places of Ireland. He had heard stories of the Vurm, massive unground creatures that burrowed their way through solid rock, creating a labyrnth of caves and passageways that were nearly impossible to map. The great Connor explorer Tiberious had attempted it once, but had accidently stumbled into a spawning chamber and was consumed by a vurm. It is entirely possible that he is still being digested to this day. This is just a story though, his apprentice had gone down with him and, while running very fast in the opposite direction, had heard the blood curtling screams of Tiberious.

The logic of this plan was sound though... find a vurm labryth and use it to reach the surface. Not moments after the O'Riley had exited the hole we had fallen into, had he found a goregous antechamber. The O'RIley had stumbed into the beginnings of a Vurm Labrynth! It was immediately apparent that this cave was not a natural formation. The walls looked to be carved, hewn out of the stone by somthing truely massive. The floor was curved and smooth, somthing massive had moved through here .



"It looks like you have found a Vurm chamber!" James explaimed happily. "Have you heard of the Vurms?"

The O'Riley looked in James's direction briefly but said nothing.

"Since we are going to be working together, and not killing each other, perhaps introductions are an order? My name is James... may I know your name?" James said, trying to be polite.

Iraia? James liked the name, he thought he had heard the name before but couldn't quite place where. "Nice to meet you Iraia".

"The vurm travel undground in search of mineral deposits or decomposition, their two main sources of food". James explained "The creatures actually eat rock! While they normally shy away from confrontation with anything living, they can be fiercely territorial, and carnivorous, if we get too close to their spawning grounds."

James opened his arms wide "This chamber was created by a vurm who had found a mineral deposit and had gone about consuming it. In the process, the vurm creates a chamber like this."

James had always been interested in the vurm and james appreciated Iraia's interest.

"If we follow the tunnel out of this chamber, there is a good chance we will find a way out!"

"would you like to lead the way?" James held out his hand toward an opening in the chamber, smiling.

James stepped in behind Iraia as he stepped out of the ante-chamber and into alarge corridor.

"amazing isn't it, that a creature could bore so easily through solid rock". James marveled at the simplicity... sniffing the walls and clawing at them to test their density. "it would take the entire Connor clan a century to accomplish what these vurms have accomplished in weeks".

"I guess we should be happy the vurms hate sunlight and stick to the dark places of the earth huh?" James joked, "imagine what short work they could make of an army of squishy humanoids like us!"

James followed closely behind Iraia, marveling at his control over fire and the large amount of light he was putting out with such a simple spell.

"How long have you practiced magic?"

James smiled at Iraia, "The Vurm make holes in the surface to provide fresh air to their caves..they can handle a little exposure, in fact, they could probably spend all day up there, but they would prefer to be under ground". James explained. "We are just looking for one of their vents".

James was taken aback by Iraia's statement "You've never practiced?" ... The words echoed in James's brain for a few seconds. "Thats amazing... Connor mages must study for years under close supervision before they are ever allowed to just.... "play" with their magical powers!"

James laughed "small is right..." James joked "... but i see your point". James picked up a rock with his power and tossed it across the room ... obviously thinking about something.

"The untrained use of magic in our clan is frowned upon. Each magic user must take classes and learn to control their power." James's voice dropped dramatically "I can't believe that, in my first combat situation, I lost control, and look where it got me.... I have failed my master."

Angry with himself, James picked up the rock again with his power and forcefully threw it into the darkness ahead of them with a grunt.

The rock did not hit stone.....