There's Snow Place Like Home

[Strazio Rockwell]

Something was awry, but Val was too busy entertaining thoughts of ancient floral leviathans to pay the creeping feeling any mind. He danced through the decaying stone walls of the catacomb-like structure with an almost wanton glee. Rope-like vines weaved through the stone and split in large fractal patterns. To the Verdant Mage it seemed almost like a lichen of some sort, but the occasional serrated-edged leaves proved him otherwise. For but a moment he paused to pluck one of the bladed leaves, and without sparing a moment he pressed it against his tongue and swallowed.

“Oh my.”

Stronger than any liquor the leaf submerged Valerie’s senses. It was both a moment of great clarity and one of frightening obscurity. In an instant he learned of the plant’s true nature, and in an instant his mind was too clouded to react. An “out-of-body” experience one might call it, he was merely a spectator as his body lurched forward and followed the pack of adventurers. Jade glanced over her shoulder and asked, “What is it Valerie?”

He tried to say ‘ We must abscond from this dreadful place!

Instead his body spoke for him, “I was just surprised at how expansive these caverns are, this wondrous plant has made quite a home for itself!”

“We should be careful,” Tartaros noted, “We’ve no idea what lies ahead.”

Eventually the party came to a massive atrium, with a gaping pit in the center. Above and below extended deep into the reaches of darkness. The walkway they stood upon was only wide enough for single file and they slowly poured out onto it. The vines seemed thicker here and a hard bark, similar to a coconut shell, covered the meatier portions. In a spiral along the walls the walkway led deeper into the abyss. Caverns, much like the one they entered through, branched out from the main pathway. An unmistakable heat vented out from deep within the pit, and a sweet aroma permeated the air.

“Ohkay, yeah I think we should head back, pit of despair? No thank you.” Karkat said, edging his way towards the back of the pack.

Valerie wanted to agree with the young troll, but his body spoke for him “We must see where it leads! Or our adventure would be all for naught!”

“I can tell you where it leads,” Karkat responded, “it leads to death.”

“Oh come on Karkat,” Jade mused, taking a few steps ahead of the group, “It’ll be fun, besides I’m sure we can handle anything that comes up!”

And so the expedition trudged ever forward, deeper into the cavern. Time had a curious way of flowing. Every now and again the group would stop for a breather, but no one could rightly remember how long they had been below the surface. Their bodies felt strangely heavy, moreso than general fatigue. Hell they hadn’t even been walking for more than maybe an hour or two. Still they soldiered on. The deeper they climbed the hotter the pit became, and the thicker the vines. In the walls they passed by several holes, just big enough to walk single file, They all led upward, branching out into smaller passageways and in some cases coming to abrupt dead ends.

It was at one of these branching paths that the group paused to rest. Valerie peered into the hole and was met by two glowing yellow orbs. Eyes. Angry ones. Val yelped as the creature burst from the darkness and tackled him to the ground. The eyes belonged to an emaciated troll, one native to the Frozen Fields. Only tattered scraps of cloth covered its gaunt body. It slashed at Valerie with yellow-stained claws, tearing into the mage’s clothing. Tartaros’s heavy boot slammed into the feral troll, flipping it off Val. Without a moment of hesitation the marine let loose a few bolter rounds, decimating the blue-skinned creature. The scuffle ended as quick as it began, leaving a bad taste in the group’s mouth. The troll was no grand warrior and certainly no assassin hiding in the darkness. It seemed more akin to a starved dog lost in the darkness.