Diving into the Leviathans Maw (Ecchi x Myself)

[Crystal Raine]

Elys sat by a small fire near the shore of a large lake looking over the meager camp Jin and herself had set up to wait out the night. Once dawn came they would be leaving this spot to search the lake itself for the entrance of a dungeon known as The Leviathans Maw. Neither of the two adventurers knew a tremendous amount about the dungeon itself other then the fact that it supposedly held great riches and a relic of unfathomable power, and of course the fact that no one who had come to search for those rewards had come back. The two didn't even know where the entrance actually was in the lake, the only information they had been able to garner was that somewhere within Serpent Lake was an underwater cave which looked like the gaping mouth of a Leviathan. It wasn't much to go on but it was all they had.

The thief stirred the ashes of their fire and tossed another log into the flames and thought back on how she had gotten sent on this journey. Elys was a member of the thieves guild and had been out on a job when she had been caught in the act. The job was simple, slip into a mans home and relieve him of a small statue that he had stolen from another. It all went smoothly until she had left the estate and found the city guard waiting for her. There was no proof that she was doing a good deed but that shouldn't have been a problem...she had not made any mistakes in her attempt that would have alerted the guards. Someone from the guild must have told them where she would be and when, but again she had no proof. Elys tried to fight her way past the men who had trapped her, only to be overwhelmed and beaten. They guards beat her and tore away her clothes, they most likely would have raped her as well but the noise had raised enough attention to dissuade them.

The clothes she now wore were the remnants of the outfit she had been wearing, tied and wrapped around her small frame in a way that covered her but offered no real protection. As punishment for being caught the guild had stripped her of her possessions save for a small thieves kit and the twin daggers she used in fights. To top it off they refused to aid her until she could prove herself once more to the guild. The journey she was now on was her attempt to do just that. Meeting Jin in a pub only to find that the mysterious dark elf was on the same journey had been a great boon. A companion in a dungeon was at times more valuable then even the sharpest of blades or wit.

Other then his name and race, as well as his destination, Elys didn't know anything at all about her companion. He didn't speak to her much as they traveled to this point but there was some small thing about the dark elf that she could not put her finger on. Lifting her eyes from the fire to her companion Elys said, "So tell me a bit about yourself Jin. What brings you on this journey to a dungeon no one survives? Are you some grand Mage who seeks to test the limits of his power, or do you have a death wish...or maybe you are like me and have no other choice?"

 

[Ecchi Kunoichi]

Jin sat near the fire, staring into the flickering flames, the light dancing over her otherwise shadowed face under the hood she wore. Her outfit was much more concealing than her new partner's salvaged patchwork clothing. There was a dark colored tunic under a leather breastplate that reached down to her abs, a dark skirt with a split at the front and pants of a similar dark fabric under that. Leather boots that reached up to her knees protected her feet. There were leather bracers over her forearms, covered by those loose sleeves, and to complete the look, a hood that was attached to a cowl draped around her shoulders. A curved short sword hung from her belt as her primary weapon, and there were throwing daggers strapped to her thighs under the skirt. She was a unique sort of rogue, not just the typical sneak thief or assassin trained in blades like most.. she was a magically skilled rogue, a rogue mage of sorts.

Jin also had a secret, the purpose of the loose, thick clothing.. She was disguised as a male, as female warriors were forbidden in her homelands. She'd grown so accustomed now to playing the part of a male, that she continued it, lived it, even in these lands. It also came in hand to be thought of as a male when one needed a quick disguise, as she could simply appear as her true female self and none would be the wiser.

Hearing the question from Elys, she looks up from the fire as well, giving a light sigh. "I took out a loan from some... people. I lost the money however, and they don't take kindly to that. I was told to bring back something of great value, or die trying.. else they would send their assassins for me. So here I am." Her gaze drifted back down to the fire to stare at the dancing flames.

 

[Crystal Raine]

Looking up as Jin talked Elys noticed the sky growing brighter as the sun started to reach the horizon, though it hadn't quite gotten there yet. Turning her attention back to her mysterious companion she said, "Assassins? When you make enemies you certainly don't mess around. It must have been a rather large sum of money for them to threaten to send such a threat after you." The thief silently considered how much it might have been that Jin had been loaned for someone to pay even more for an assassin to be responsible for collecting the debt. The only thing she could come up with was either an exorbitant sum or, perhaps, Jin wasn't telling the truth. It didn't really matter though, his reason were his own and so long as he didn't try to betray her there would be no issues.

Prodding the fire once more she said, "Well if we succeed in this dungeon neither of us should have problems with money again. Though we do have quite a bit to accomplish before then. I don't suppose you have any ideas in mind to find the entrance to the dungeon in this lake do you? It could take all day to find if we just pick random spots in the lake to dive and search. The only thing working in our advantage with that plan is the fact that the water of the lake is surprisingly clear." By this point the sun was just peeking over the horizon and was casting the world around them in a reddish hue, it was actually quite beautiful.

 

[Ecchi Kunoichi]

Jin offers a light shrug to that. "They're a large, wealthy crime syndicate, and they don't like being screwed over.. they do enjoy making examples of people however." She nods in agreement to Elys's comment on being set financially if they could successfully complete this dungeon. She looks to the fire again for a while longer, watching the flames crackle and dance in the cool morning air.

Her attention turns from the fire to the rising sun peeking up over the horizon. She sighs and gives a light shrug at the question. "Well, we know it's somewhere in the water.. though it is a lot of water to search. I could perhaps attempt a clairvoyance spell to lead us to the general area of it.. then at least we would only need to search one spot until we find it. Knowing exactly what it looks like would make that easier, but right now all I know is that it is a cave that looks like a gaping mouth. It should be enough to narrow down our search at least."

Jin turns her gaze out onto the water as the sunlight starts to spread over it, causing the little ripples and waves to shimmer. "I will need some time to prepare and cast the spell, so we should have some time for breakfast."

 

[Crystal Raine]

Elys eyed Jin for a moment when he mentioned a clairvoyance spell, for some reason she hadn't expected him to know something like that. It really only proved how little the two adventurers actually knew about each other. Standing up and dusting herself off Elys said, "You are just full of surprises aren't you? Well while you start your spell I will head out into the woods to see if I can find us something to eat. I think it would be best to save what is in our packs for when we reach the dungeon, there is likely not much we would care to eat in an underwater cave..." She couldn't speak for Jin but she had packed nearly two weeks worth of preserved rations in her oilskin pack. Assuming she kept it sealed tightly it should definitely survive to dive through the lake, she had a few other necessities in there as well that would help but she would wait to take an inventory until the got into the dungeon.

"I shouldn't be to long in the woods, there seems yo be a fair amount of game in there." With that said she tossed one more log into the fire to keep it burning strong as they were both occupied and headed off for the woods. Stepping softly through the debris scattered about the floor of the woods the thief turned her attentive eyes to her surroundings in search of game. In her hand was a small blowgun with a venom tipped dart already loaded. The venom of course was not deadly, it was only a potent paralytic, but it could stop a charging boar in its tracks and leave it safe to eat within five minutes. Elys used the dart for hunting from time to time but the real use for her was to disable a guard from a distance without calling attention to herself.

Within ten minutes of her hunt she had felled four small birds and set to killing and cleaning them. There wasn't a tremendous amount of meat on the birds but if they both had two she figured it would at least be a half acceptable meal. She skewered the prepped birds on a supple birch branch and headed back to the camp reaching the edge of the woods once more after a short walk. In total she had only been gone roughly fifteen minutes and in the next five minutes since she returned she had gotten their meal set up over the fire and was slowly turning it to cook them evenly. She didn't really know if Jin was done with the spell but she didn't say anything to avoid breaking his concentration. The air in the camp soon smelled of cooking meat and after a testing poke of her dagger Elys noted that they should be eating within the next five to ten minutes, assuming Jin was ready.

 

[Ecchi Kunoichi]

Jin watches as Elys left to find some food in the woods, giving her a nod as she went. She began pulling out the supplies she would need then, a small bowl being the first, followed by a few pouches. She pulled pinched of the herbs and other ingredients she needed from those pouched, combining them in the bowl. Last she found a small stick on the ground and brought it to the fire, placing it within until it had flames burning on it as well. She brought the burning stick down into the bowl to let it burn at the ingredients within until they they were smoldering and a thin smoke rose.

Jin then sat herself before the bowl and began to chant arcane words softly. The mixed ingredients in the bowl continued to smolder, the embers growing brighter and the smoke becoming a pale lavender color. After the incantation was complete, Jin breathed the smoke in through her nose, inhaling it deeply. Her eyes rolled back before their lids closed, and Jin then sat there, motionless, eyes closed and breathing very shallow, drawn into a deep trance.

In her mind, Jin saw the world around them, the lake, the forest, everything. It was a vision brought on by the clairvoyance spell. In this vision, everything seemed dull and grey, except for one bright crystal clear path laid out before her. She floated along this path as it went around the lake for a ways and finally led to the water's edge and within. Now she'd slipped beneath the water, and descended deeper and deeper, once more seeing things as dull and grey, except for a particular area which was bright and crystal clear to her. She began memorizing the features of this underwater area, so she would know where she was when they came here.

By the time Jin snapped out of the vision and her eyes opened, Elys had returned and seemed to be roasting what looked like two small birds over the fire. She breathes a deep sigh, taking the bowl and tossing the blackened ingredients away toward the water. "I know where we're going.." She looked off toward a path on the ground that, to her still seemed a bit brighter and clearer than the rest of the world around them. "We should hurry and eat, then be off before the spell fades."

 

[Crystal Raine]

Elys had just pulled their breakfast from its place over the fire when Jin seemed to have finished his spell. Nodding softly to her enigmatic partner she snapped the branch in the middle, leaving two birds skewered on either end and held one pair out towards Jin. "Guess we should eat then. It isn't the best food I ever made but it should be good, if I had thought to bring some herbs to season it they would taste much better." As she waited for Jin to take his breakfast Elys bit into one of her own birds and pulled off a juicy slab of meat. Grease made her lips glisten as she chewed and a smile spread across them as she swallowed. "Better then I expected actually, it should serve to keep us fueled for our journey." Leaning back and taking another bite of her breakfast Elys relaxed a bit, she had been doing nothing but stressing it seemed and it felt good to just sit and eat for once.

Within a short period of time the thief was picking the last of the meat from the two birds that had been her breakfast and tossed the scraps into the fire. Looking at Jin once more she said, "So I can only assume you have a pretty good idea of where we are going now... Magic usually produces some great results... or horrible failures, and since you aren't a smoking crater in the ground I would think your spell worked. Are we far from the entrance? Do we need to dive all the way to the bottom?" She was really quite curious to hear what information Jin had gathered from his spell. Elys had no magical aptitude of her own save the ability to occasionally sense traps, though successfully disarming them was still tricky.

 

[Ecchi Kunoichi]

Jin gave a slow nod and reached to accept the stick with her birds on it, quickly starting to pick at the meat on them. "It's not bad.. I'm not too picky though, while traveling." She looked off toward the other side of the lake and nodded in that direction. "A walk around to that side of the lake. I don't know if it's on the bottom exactly or not, I only know the area we need to search. We should be able to find it before dark though." She continues to pick at the birds, cleaning the meat off of them it by bit, until she had them stripped to the bone.

As soon as she was done she stood and began gathering her things, looking off again along the path she'd seen in her vision. "We should get moving quickly. We'll need time to get to the right spot, and then to search underwater. Hopefully we can find it quickly and get into the dungeon." Her violet gaze turns to Elys from the shadow of her hood, waiting to see she was ready before heading out.

 

[Crystal Raine]

Elys did a quick inventory of her pack as Jin explained what he had found through his magic and ate his breakfast, just checking to make sure everything she thought they might need was still in there. When she was satisfied she tied off the open end of her bag, folded it, then tied it once more just to make sure it would stay dry inside. Content with her preparations she pushed herself up, checked her patchwork outfit to make sure it was still in one piece, and then kicked dirt onto the fire to put it out. With one last glance at their camp she was satisfied that it was safe for them to leave. Looping her pack onto her shoulder she said, "I am ready if you are. Maybe we can make it to the other side before the bugs come out and make the day a chore." With a quick grin she started walking slowly, giving Jin a chance to gather whatever he might need and take the lead.

As they walked Elys chewed on the inside of her cheek lightly, her thoughts bounding around in her mind like startled rabbits. After a short while she asked, "How did you learn magic? I mean, is your family skilled in the art and it was passed on to you, or did you learn it yourself? Sorry if I am being nosey, it's just...I have heard alot about magic but I have never seen someone use it. My talents are much more...mundane in comparison." It was at this point that Elys realized that she had never told Jin what it was she was actually skilled at doing. When they had met in the bar she only said that she needed help exploring this dungeon and that she would split the spoils in half with whomever helped her. As she waited for Jins response she wondered what it was that he thought she did...

 

[Ecchi Kunoichi]

Jin offers a nod and begins walking along with Elys, though keeping a fairly brisk pace. She wanted to get to the spot, and get into the water as quickly as possible so they would have the daylight to help their search for the cave. She glances over toward Elys when she hears the question about how she learned magic, a light sigh leaving her. She gives a shrug as Elys goes on to explain her asking that question. "It's a fair question, I suppose..."

Jin glances around a moment, thinking how best to answer the question. "Most people are born with at least some small link to the mana that flows through the world.. and thus most people could, if they wanted, learn small tricks. Something like lighting a candle. But for most people even that would take a lot of work to learn... Then there are those like myself, born with a stronger potential for magic, who can learn useful and powerful spells. No one seems to know really why or how it happens.. Neither of my parents were gifted in magic. But some people seem to just be born with the gift. As for how I actually learned to harness and use magic, it was through a master mage of a local mage order where I grew up. Regular classes and study. Sometimes I learned new things on my own, sometimes it was through the mage's lessons that I learned. It's all a lot of study, and practice."

Violet eyes scan the area they were at now, knowing they were getting close to the spot she had seen in her vision. "Almost there.. then we'll have to dive into the water.. I know a spell to make that a bit easier on us."

 

[Crystal Raine]

Listening closely as Jin explained a bit about his history Elys didn't even realize that they had traveled as far as they had, a part of her mind latched onto the idea that she might be able to learn something magic in nature at some point in her life. Taking a moment to look around she noticed that there was very little wear on the overgrown path they were walking and the little that did exist looked like animal tracks. She had figured that a dungeon with as much wealth as this one was rumored to have would have so much more traffic. It was certainly possible though that others may have taken another route to their destination or just never found what they were looking for.

Picking up the pace to keep up with Jin Elys decided to throw caution to the wind and share her own story with her fellow adventurer. "My skills were taught a bit differently. See, I am a thief...though not really one of those thieves that goes around cutting purses and killing for their coin. I have belonged to the thieves guild since I was very young, when I lost my parents to disease. Since then I have been trained to be nimble and quick, to open locks and disarm traps...all this to help the guild and its employers. My reason for being here is related to that in a way... I believe I was set up on a job but because I was caught the guild has effectively banished me until I can repay my debt in full. I have lost all of their aid as well as the friends I have made within the guild...basically I have lost my family again..."

Feeling like she might soil the atmosphere if she continued Elys turned the topic to the magic Jin had mentioned might help them. "So what is this other spell? Will you turn us into fish or make us able to breath water? Both could certainly be helpful in quite a few circumstances. I can hold my breath for a rather long time but even once we reach the entrance we don't really know how much farther in the water actually goes...since no one ever comes back from here I can only assume that this place won't be a Cakewalk by any means..."

 

[Ecchi Kunoichi]

Jin nodded as she listened to Elys's story. "That sounds rough. Sorry to hear of your misfortune." She watches their surroundings, making sure to follow the path as it was in her vision. When they got to a certain point, she turned toward the water, moving up to its edge. She looks around the area, then back to the water, giving a small nod. "This is it.." She turns toward Elys, waving her over to the water's edge. "Yes.. a spell that will help us breathe underwater... Rather, a spell to help me do so, that I will need to share with you. I hope you're ready..."

She turns to face the water again, closing her eyes as she spends a few moments muttering an incantation. She takes a deep breath after the spell is cast and then turns toward Elys. "Sorry.. this is the only way of sharing the spell..." She then reaches to gently take hold of Elys's shoulders and lean in, aiming to press their lips together, in what would seem to be a kiss, though in fact, if she was able to do this, it would transfer a part of the spell to Elys.