Gaia's Ice Cavern... [RP w/kasumu_sekai]

[feathered_mages]

The dripping sounds and occasional gurgle of running water are more noticeable inside the Ice Cavern. A few patches of bare rock show through, but in most places the ice is still thick. The water and slush make the floor even more slippery than solidly frozen ice would be, as the Magelets soon find out. They seem to find it fun, though, not bothered at all by the cold as they look around.

Mistral looks around as well. He can see the place falling apart with the underlying magic gone, making it look changed and somewhat unfamiliar - but not as unfamiliar as it should be for someone who's never been inside it. He knows the way through, if none of the paths have been blocked by the thaw. And if they had, ice spells should let them make a way around.

Comments

[feathered_mages]

Magelets can waddle pretty fast for short distances. But they are prone to tripping, so Rydia might end up with one or two clinging to her. They can stop for a rest once they're a little way up the trail.

"The guard was some kind of yellow cat thing," says Juro, "but I didn't see a tail."

Mistral shakes his head at that. "It's a mask. He was wearing it the last time, too."

The Magelets look around, not finding all that much to look at but rocks, until they near the first bend in the trail.

Something is crouching on the ascending path near the bend. It tenses and then jumps down towards them on four long insect legs.

The Magelets collectively meep and try to hide behind Rydia and Mistral.

[mage_hatchlings]

At the sound of the bell the Tektite halts its attack, just standing there as if waiting for something.

Mistral shrugs a little. "We saw them last time, too, but I didn't get to get a good look at one. I thing they're some kind of big bug."

"Is it safe?" asks Kaze, peeking at it.

[feathered_mages]

And the Tektite is petted. It makes no move to attack.

At the question, the Magelets exchange glances and then Luca speaks up with a guess, "You rang your bell..."

Mistral nods agreement, as the Magelets waddle out into a semicircle to get a look at the Tektite.

[feathered_mages]

The Tektite just lets itself be petted, even when a couple Magelets join in.

Mistral, meanwhile, checks his pockets and then, with some reluctance, takes off his hat for a moment to scrounge together a bit of ribbon and a piece of cloth so that he can clean up One's old bell.

[feathered_mages]

The Tektite is, indeed, awkward to lift, being a bug-crab-thing the size of a small table. It doesn't weigh too much to lift, though, if one can just find a decent way to get a hold on it. Other than twitching away if grabbed in a way that's physically uncomfortable, and some confused leg-wiggling if picked up, it doesn't protest this treatment either. The Magelets just giggle at the sight.

[feathered_mages]

The Tektite has no intention of hurting them. It just goes back to being petted by Magelets.

Mistral chuckles as he tries to clean off his bell. "Congratulations on your first pet," he says.

[feathered_mages]

"I keep a lot of the bigger ones in the Nexus," says Mistral. "And some of them I've just taken with me instead of using spells to summon them, but using the spells works out better most of the time. Some people can be weird when we try to go into a town and I have some of my pets with me."

"It's a pretty bug thing," says Lono, still joining in on petting the Tektite. There isn't much else to do here, at the lower part of the trail, with cliffs on both sides. Until they notice a spot just ahead where the trail rises and one of the cliffs falls away. Several Magelets waddle over to look at the view.

Mistral, meanwhile, will be explaining some of the differences in the spells. Calling a pet that's kept somewhere else means they can be sent back to where they're kept, but calling a pet that's kept in the same universe means they stay. The best guess as to why is because they've only been transported distances, not between worlds. They don't take as much magic as summoning Eidolons, but with rare exceptions most of them aren't as powerful either.

"Everything looks so tiny," says Galen, looking at the view.

"I wish I could fly," mutters Kaze.

[feathered_mages]

"The view's even better higher up," says Mistral. "Do you want to go get a dodongo now, or take this one to the Nexus first?"

Galen looks over. "Would we have to go up all those stairs again?"

[feathered_mages]

Mistral nods and leads the way. It's not that much farther up the mountain before they'll reach another bend in the path - one that contains the entrance to a large cavern. Right next to the opening is what at first glance might be taken for a tan boulder with some lighter granite inclusions of some sort along the top. At least until they try to pass it.

"Hmmmmm?" The Goron sits up and blinks at them sleepily.

The Magelets are amazed and form their usual curious semicircle.

[feathered_mages]

The Goron moves slowly, looking at the Magelets, and Rydia, and then Mistral. He nods a bit. "I remember little things like you before," he says, and looks to Mistral again. "Do you still have the Dodongo?"

Mistral nods a lot. "Yes. I named him Dmitri, and he's a lot bigger now. We're here to try to catch another one for Rydia, because they make really good pets."

The Goron looks that way again, and squints slightly. "You have a Tektite following you. Is it a pet?"

[feathered_mages]

The Goron just nods. He'll make no attempt to stop them. "Just be careful. Some parts of Dodongo's Cavern are still dangerous."

Mistral nods. "I remember where the baby Dodongos are, and that's not near any of the lava and stuff." He'll look to Rydia and the Magelets, "There's only one part where we'll have to use float because the floor is hot." He'll head into the cavern.

The Magelets pause in the entrance to give curious looks at the row of bomb flowers growing near the archway to the main room.

[feathered_mages]

"They're bomb flowers," says Mistral. "The Gorons make bombs out of them."

"They blow up?" says Luca, as the Magelets back away cautiously.

Mistral nods. "If you can pull one up, they do. Or if something else blows up near them, or they get set on fire." He'll step into the main room and look around. It looks more or less the same as the last time he was here, hot lava rock for floor and all. "We'll have to cast Float to get around to the ladder."

He'll hop down to the right of the platform near the entrance, where the floor is still safe to walk on. And then he'll glance up at an entrance to a cut stone tunnel right next to him, but up above the floor on a walkway around the room. "If there was a ladder here, we wouldn't have to go around." He briefly tries to make one using ice spells, but it just melts too fast. Oh well.

[feathered_mages]

The lava rocks are very hard, and the hot section of floor no more than a few feet away if someone should take a tumble.

Kaze has tried casting float on himself, but that doesn't let him bob high enough.

Mistral nods. "I could fly up, but I couldn't carry the rest of you."