Seasons in the Sun

[Bjorn]

Bjorn looks around, eyes narrowing, and checks to make sure that his shield is up as strong as he can make it.  Pushing the mindboard out towards the others, he says, Nathan, do you think you can get your bag out without being noticed?  Just in case, I'd like to have weapons handy.

[Brian]

Nathan nods dubiously, producing the bag.  No one seems to notice, given that they're all studying the backs of their eyelids pretty studiously.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn quickly takes Shinmyouken out of the bag, and then sets it down to his left, edge turned outwards.

And then he sits and waits.

[Dracos]

Dracos stretches out a bit, curiously continuing to watch around them.

Dracos

[Brian]

From the darkness shrouding the western face of the Rock, Ezmereth emerges, walking slowly, and looking around cautiously.

[Huitzil]

Paul look around at the other tourists to see if they're all asleep by now. Of course, he already knows that they're going to be, but better to make sure.

[Brian]

Not a tourist stirs.  Ezmereth nods in satisfaction, then turns to look at you curiously.  "You've come for the trial, then?"

[Dracos]

"Seems to be the case," Dracos answered flippantly.  "As we said back then, we're in."

Dracos

[Brian]

"Then, follow me,"  he says, turning about, and walking towards the western face of the Rock.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn does not say a word, but picks up his sword and follows Ezmereth.

[Brian]

You're led down the western face of the rock, into the thickly wooded slopes.  It's difficult to see at first, but Ezmereth pauses and fumbles for a moment in the dark, coming up with a hand-held torch after a moment.  It sheds a soft green light that seems ... sourceless, somehow.  You know it's coming from the torch, but no shadows are shed by anything the light touches, unless it's beyond the five meter radius of light.

   There's a path through the woods, which you take carefully to avoid slipping, as it's steep.  After a few dozen meters down the slope, Ezmereth's path turns sharply.  When you look back, the path that's beyond the direct illumination of the torch-light doesn't look like a path at all ... unless it's a trick of the light, because of the dark?  Regardless, you can't see the path where you came down, only what lies ahead.

   And what's ahead is a cave in the side of the rock.  The brochure that Paul pocketed on the bus indicates that the rock is riddled with caves, though....

   "This is where our path takes us," Ezmereth says, nodding to himself.  "Are you ready?"

[Dracos]

Dracos is frankly smiling as some instinctual nature of his loves traveling in caves, the weirder the better.

"Let's keep moving."  Dracos nodded.

Dracos

[Brian]

"Speak nothing once we enter, until we reach the heart of the stone," Ezmereth warns.

   Inside the cave opening, it's dark.  The walls are covered with aged stalactites and stalagmites.  A path weaves between them, with the roof perhaps two meters high.  As you go in (and down) the roof grows higher, and the walls further out.

   You're only walking for perhaps ten minutes, deeper into the heart of the Rock of Gibraltar, or Hades, depending on your interpretation, when you lose sight of the walls and ceiling.  The spikes here have merged, long ago, into vast columns that support what you imagine is a great roof overhead.

   You proceed through this, until eventually Ezmereth leads you to a small crack in a far wall, only a meter high.  This leads through myriad galleries just like the first one you passed through.  Occasionally, he pauses, as though consulting some internal map and compass, and then makes a turn.  You quickly lose sense of time (your watches, if you check them, no longer run, and your cell-phones are flashing 12:00 at you repeatedly), and direction.  You could be led in circles for all you know ... except for the fact that you're certain you're being led down ... down ... and ever deeper.

   Occasionally, in the distance, you hear running water ... or perhaps the sound of moving feet ... or a child's giggle ... or a whisper.  You're not certain where it is ... maybe in the dark beyond the light of Ezmereth's torch ... or maybe in a neighboring gallery ... but the longer you hear it, the longer you're certain something is out there.

   Eventually, of course, your path reaches an end.  You don't know what time it is ... how long you've been walking.  But this final gallery has pillars shot through with multi-faceted crystals, reflecting the green of Ezmereth's torch like a host of tiny eyes, peering at you from the darkness....  Through this room, you enter a chamber that you feel is larger -- there's a wind in this area.  It's a constant updraft, and your journey ends here.

   An outcropping of stone twelve meters wide, and nine long projects into darkness.  You can see no walls, no floor beneath your outcropping, and no roof.  This room FEELS more boundless, as when Ezmereth scuffs his foot against the stone, and kneels, knocking his knuckles on the stone, there is no echo.  It's as though the area was so vast, it just consumed the sound whole.

   At the sound, though, something in the depths of this cave comes to light.  A pattern ... and indistinct formation of rocks.  The scale is difficult to determine.  You know there's water in this cavern, deep enough.  It reflects the light back up, so you know it's moving, too.  You know there's wind, soft as it is, breezing up from below.

   But that wind suddenly fades to nothing, and then halts.  A slow, rumbling noise, low and quiet sounds, vast enough to echo in this chamber, and is quickly repeated a second time.  The echoes fade, and the wind returns, this time being drawn down, beneath you.  The massive rock formation remains indistinct even with the lighting.  It looks like a jumble of rocks ... or, perhaps, with some imagination, huge sections of rough stone piping coiled in the center of this massive underground cathedral.

   "This is where the Earth sleeps," Ezmereth whispers.  "This is where you step beyond our world, and into the dream."

   There is a long moment of silence, lasting ... you don't know how long.  But the wind dies, once more.

   Again, two echoing rumblings sound.

   And again, the wind resumes, reversing direction.

   "This is your final chance to flee," Ezmereth adds, very quietly.  "If you are willing, then we shall proceed."

   Note: To Phil's eyes, the entire room is blurred with some low-level magic power that completely saturates the room into an indistinct fuzzy wall of color and noise.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn doesn't say anything in response to Ezmereth's warning -- but netiher does he make any sign to retreat.  Instead, he simply stands there, holding his sword, watching Ezmereth expectantly.

[Dracos]

Dracos shakes his head dizzily, keeping focused on Ezmereth.  Dracos whispers back, "We will proceed."