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Raedou looked around, gathering his bearings. He and Ephlas were stuck at the bottom of the ravine, and there was no going back.

He thought about Perrault, Farfarello and Krestere.

They're all probably looking for us right now..., he thought, Perrault, be strong...

He then picked up his merchants pack and turned to Ephlas.

"It seems that we are stuck in a rather harsh predicament." he said calmly, "I suggest that we make it to Eopia, on the double. Perrault is a smart young man; he will know to travel to Eopia with or without me."

He looked up at the dark sky, and then back at Ephlas.

"If my calculations are correct, we will surely meet them at Eopia, if not in the Gravity Mines..."

He looked around again, and noticed a small cavern entrance, glowing a dark purple from the inside. He pointed at the entryway, and nodded his head.

"The Mines of Kalesteses." he mumbled as he began towards the menacing cave.

"Ephlas, are you coming?"

((Well, I didn't mean for them to get stuck down there... sweatdrop ))

Ephlas stood and looked around as well, making to wipe the dust and/or moisture off of his clothing - but water continuously poured on him from above, so he stopped trying.

Now they were trapped from demon and... whatever Perrault was. The storm's influx had not been his fault, this Ephlas knew. Something else, some other power, had timed it to work in exactly that fashion.

Not that Ephlas really cared about Perrault or Farfarello... or that other Ganzi person. He didn't wish them harm, either, but he was content to have just one companion to flee to Eopia with.

Fact was, he was actually a little selfish, even though he wasn't a bad person in general.

"Of course," Ephlas replied without hesitation. Whatever had happened before, the Magus knew that he had probably lost the benefit of the doubt provided when they first met. Raedou seemed to be a kind person, but Ephlas would likely no longer receive the utmost sense of camaraderie that Raedou had seemed to afford him to this point.

In other words, Ephlas felt that Raedou would be suspicious of him.

The intense session of Deep Magic and regular spell casting had worn Ephlas out. Trudging along in the water after Raedou, he wearily uncorked his phial of Faelnirv before realizing that he was holding the phial of mercury, instead.

Ephlas secured the correct phial and opened it, draining the precious liquid to the core in one gulp.

He felt re-energized, but like coffee, you couldn't rely on Faelnirv forever. Eventually, the cumulative wear and tear that is repaired by sleep and rest would rebel against Ephlas' body and strike him down, hard.

((You think that's mean? In another RP of mine, a guy made a girl explode just because he felt like it.))

((Point taken.))

Farfarello thought for a second about where his penumbrellity was and how he created such a sudden and unintended change in Perrault. "Oh!" He said and dashed into the kitchen (grabbing another jar - this time blackberry) and took the device Raedou had given him.

((I didn't think of that XD "digs furiously through the rubble", then.))

"Yes, yes, but does anybody else wonder where the fellow in red went? I'd like to have a word with him but he dissapeared before I had the chance..."

((I LOVE THAT GAME!!! The woman's accent got kind of annoying though, you know what I mean?))

"This place is truly fascinating." agreed Raedou, looking around in awe as he walked along the path, his Penumbrellity opened and protecting him from the harsh gravity.

Without the umbrellas, this experience would have been most unpleasant, because they would be concentrating on not being crushed to pieces instead of taking in the breathtaking sights.

"The Ganzi built these mines, you know..."said Raedou, about to give Ephlas a little lesson in Ganzian history, "They mined deep into these caverns until they found the sacred Arcanite Gems, which they dedicated to Lady Elysia herself."

He felt the walls, and his hand was forced downward suddenly, but gently.

"Lady Elysia was so thankful, that she decided to keep them in the mines as a token of gratitude to the Ganzis. Their presence attracted travelers and scholars of all kinds, and they brought happiness to the Valtican Mountains."

He looked down, saddened by what he had to say next.

"But years later, thieves began to prowl the mines, searching for the Arcanite Gems in hopes of taking them and making a fortune. To prevent this from continuing, the Ganzi were forced to call up their greatest mages to cast an aura of Deep Magic across the mines, made to crush any rogue scum who dared enter it's dark depths."

He looked back up to admire the purple aura.

"Lady Elysia took one gem from the mines and put it on her crown, to honor the Ganzis for their great contribution to her reign of benevolence.
She then entrusted her most powerful bodyguard to stand watch over the gems, slaying any thieves that survived long enough to reach the fifth level... They say that thousands of years later, that warrior still guards the Arcanite Gems, fulfilling her promise to Lady Elysia..."

He looked at Ephlas.

"We will surely encounter this warrior on our journey through the mines...
we must be on guard."

They continued through the mines, unknowing that Perrault, Farfarello and Krestere were journeying through the other entrance of the Gravity Mines as they spoke.

Calisto gazed up at a cart carrying many different jewels and stones, each very shiny and presumably 'magic', though she doubted that since she used to collect the same rocks as a girl in the creek near her home, when a single rain drop fell onto her cheek. She blinked as her attention was distracted towards the sky. It was grey as it started raining. But it was a light rain, nothing to go running inside about. Jaeto looked up to. Little did they know, that the rain they were experiencing had drifted in from the Baltea storm. Not a storm in Eopia, just the rain drops carried by the wind.
"We should go back to the Inn..." Jaeto muttered.
"Nonsense... this wont last long." Cal replied, pulling her attention from the sky to smile at her friend. Suddenly she got pushed from behind. "Ow... well that was rude. He must be in a hurry..." she continued to smile.
"Prin... Cal! You've been pickpocketed! Get back here!" Jaeto ran after the thief, leaving the princess behind in the market. "Oh dear."