[OOC: This is a continuation from the two's conversation in (Story Event) Storm Preparation] With the sign-ups for the expedition set in stone (or rather, in data, whether the ones setting up the teams knew it or not), Solaria had led her newest friend near the tunnels she'd soon be exploring without him, a slight shaking in her normally composed and confident stature. She'd been happy at first when Emerath mentioned the possibility of scouting together. There was no way in hell anyone was getting Solaria to go into that tunnel alone, even if she'd signed up for the fight there in hopes of fighting her own past and maybe protecting people more than she'd been able to in recent days. She wasn't doing well as a martyr- but even a martyr had things that made them uncomfortable. In her case, it was the caverns the blood wurms had once dwelled in under the castle. Just being near the entrance made her feel sick, as if she could smell blood that was no longer there. She took a deep breath, letting out a small sigh against her better judgement before covering her mouth to drink back in the air she'd expelled. "Oops, almost let my happiness get away." Giggling a bit from her childish words, she glanced to the man that had accompanied her. There was an eerie air around the tunnels, to her, even after they'd been dealt with a while before. "Are you sure you want to go in? Let's not go far. Just a small bit. The danger is best left for when the rest of the expedition really starts. Until then... We should just scout cautiously, then take a look around the walls of the city, see what you'll be dealing with too." @Emerath Katou
Emerath nodded to Solaria as they walked, absolutely certain that this was the course of action that he wanted to take. In all honesty, Emerath wasn't really afraid. He could have gone into the tunnel and fear wouldn't strike him until something came at them. But it was clear that something was up with Solaria, who was shaking, even if only slightly. He wasn't sure if there was much of anything that he could do to help her. She had demons here, and the only true way to get rid of demons like that would be to face them head on. But that would come in time. For now, they were just here to see what they would be up against. Emerath looked into the tunnels as they stood there, and wondered aloud after a while, "Do you think the dangers came back after everyone cleared them out? How long has it been since someone was down here?" It looked barren and deserted, but that didn't mean that there was nothing there. It simply meant that they couldn't see it. "The problem with scouting a tunnel is that... well, it's not like scouting a city, or a camp. You can't get on a high hill and see into it and start strategizing. The only way to handle it is to go inside and see what comes back out." But Emerath smiled at Solaria, "I'm sure we'll be okay. Adventurers supposedly took care of most of the dangers here, and if everything works out I can hold it off while you heal me. We'll be fine." He was consoling himself as much as Solaria, really. But he still wasn't afraid. Not until he was sure what he even had to be afraid of, at least.
"The tunnel cleaning was..." Now that she thought about it, did she even remember? Time had been fickle and hard to recall in timelines. She'd have to take a good look at when it was she died, when the signal of it appeared beside her name. "Wow, it feels like it's been ages. Maybe a month ago? To be honest, so much has been going on it's like my brain's a pile of goop." And not because they are, either. She snickered to herself. It was a lame joke she'd probably heard from her dad or a teacher at the nursing school. Even the source was something she managed to forget. Smiling sadly as they wandered a bit further, the strong willed cleric tried to keep a few steps ahead of Emerath just to be safe. She was stronger now, and most certainly stronger than he was. Even if she was his support, that didn't mean letting him face the danger alone. "I'll heal you, but I'm fighting too. These tunnels may have killed me once, but they won't kill me twice, I'm sure of it. Death's like lightning, right?" Turning to him, she gave a goofy grin. It was a stupid thing to say, and she knew that- but it eased the anxiety flowing in her blood almost as much as keeping a hand on the hilt of her sword- an old crutch from her youth to keep her sanity in check when feeling in danger. "I think people've come down here since then... But to be honest, I've been avoiding them so long... I just know I need to do this. I can't keep running away, you know? So far, I don't smell the stench of blood. That's a good sign...What killed me were what you might call 'Vampire Wurms'. I think that's what the info said they were, anyway. I was in too much of a rush to protect my party... Well, trying. This time, I'll succeed."
Emerath had been feeling a bit at ease as they made their way into the tunnel, listening to @Solaria talk, bringing him to a nice place where this felt more like a friendly stroll down memory lane, rather than a deadly recon mission that could end up with death. Even though the topic was about said death, it didn't really feel... real. Solaria was a pleasant person, and her talking about her past, joking about it even, made things feel more fun, and lighthearted. For a moment, Emerath began to wonder if she was making up the whole death affliction thing. If she had really died. She seemed too chipper at times for that to have happened. But the type of story she told, it wasn't one that someone made up. Nobody talked so callously about experiencing death, even in a video game. VRMMOs made it possible to go through a lot of things in life that couldn't be done in the real world. They were a second life, but especially when you played as Emerath and Solaria did, with the full experience of pain, and all that came with it, you didn't joke about it. The death felt real, even if you came back to life. You came back to life remembering everything about that death. It would be traumatic. But the thoughts took Emerath to a dark place. A place darker than the tunnel they explored, with a person who was far too good natured to be this dark around. Emerath instead turned to Solaria, and finished listening to her talk about how much stronger she was. It was a warm feeling to see her strength, even if it came with such a somber mood. "Your strength is a bit contagious, I feel," Emerath told her, as they came upon what appeared to be 'tracks' from the Vampire Wurms she talked about. They were fairly old, and nothing about them made him feel unease. Especially with the idea that they could have been eradicated. "Best case, we don't find anything. Honestly, we can probably head back soon and you can report to the tunnel team that nothing is out of the ordinary. Worst case, we find something and kill it, making it so that you have less to deal with during the invasion." Emerath considered both options, but the latter seemed less likely the longer they went on without anything bothering them. "It makes me a little sad if we don't encounter something. I would like to see that strength of yours first hand. Perhaps even get to show you my own. I know that I'm not exactly any good at this game yet, but hey. I like the opportunity to prove myself." Emerath gave the woman his best smile, trying to hide his nerves from the darkness enveloping them. He wasn't scared, so much as he was just nervous. Social experiences weren't his forte. Especially not in dark caves.
His silence had begun to stir her innards with anxiety, likely because she realized what she talked about with such a laugh on her lips wasn't meant to be said lightly- and surely, she didn't mean to sound such. She feared death as anyone would, but now, she feared it less- if only because what she truly feared was losing anyone else, the way she had that day. That terrifying day she lost half her party to those wurms and barely managed to save the only other player in it...Shaking off the memories again, she listened to his sudden note about her 'strength'. "I don't think I'm as strong as you make me out to be, Emmy-" She giggled a bit more, likely because she'd used a nickname without thinking, and it was starting to stick in her mind already. "Well, I'm stronger than others in that I've practiced with my sword a long time... But that doesn't mean I'm the strongest person, nor that I ever will be. I'm strong because I work hard, and I work hard because I want to be strong. It's a simple cycle, don't you think? One that can be just as bad as it is good, but that I do hope to make good use of the benefits from in the end." Of course, that said, she wasn't as intent on showing off her strength if she didn't have to, compared to what the man was noting. In reality, Solaria wasn't that much of one to 'seek' a fight. She just kind of ended up in them, or so she believed in her heart of hearts. With a small fist, she tapped the top of his head somewhat roughly- not hard, but enough to make her point. "You shouldn't go looking to get into trouble, especially at a time like this. If we die here we won't get to our posts in the first place. There are people counting on us aren't there? That's why we shouldn't get into any scuffles we don't have to be in. Especially if it's just to 'show our strength'. We could do that any time just by sparring a little, anyway."
As Solaria spoke, and sort of scolded him, he couldn't help the light pink that graced his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I suppose that's true enough, I guess I'm just excited to show my stuff," he admitted. But that brought to mind that he really should just go out of his way after all this war was said and done to actually be Solaria's friend. Then he could show her what he's worth, both on the battlefield and outside of it. "Speaking of getting to our posts, perhaps it's time to turn back. This darkness is only getting worse, I haven't figured out how to make a reliable flashlight in this game yet, and it's clear that there isn't much here anyway. It's not even an ominous, hair standing on end quiet. It's just... dead." He got a bit of goosebumps from his own words, as he rubbed his arm, but that had been the most dread he had felt this entire time. Between Solaria's company and the seeming lack of danger, it just didn't seem all that scary. As Emerath waited for her confirmation, he considered what they would talk about on the way back, now that all the scary things were out of the way. He mused about his own goals, and found himself wondering about hers. Perhaps that would be what he discussed. But for now, he relied on her veteran sense of danger to tell if that would happen, with a smile on his face.
His sheepishness mixed with his honesty was a nice mixture in Solaria's mind. She pat his back lightly, not bothering to say a single word in response for the time. She felt that her pat would be enough to say 'you'll have time'. "I can make light myself with my magic, but it's probably still better we get going, you're right. It's quiet enough, and in my case, I'll find out the fact of the matter later. If we don't head back soon, we'll be late to the party, right?" Her words left her lips with a slight laugh, before meandering towards the direction they came slowly. His smile was returned, and she was glad to chatter as they headed back. If he was willing, she'd ask him more about himself than she knew, just for the sake of forging a better bond with her brother-in-arms. Whatever was shared with her would likely be returned. Eventually, the end of the road to the entrance became obvious to her. "I suppose we part here, for now. Let's meet again after all's said and done. I'll be looking forward to it, so you better do your best to survive and not forget!"
