Discordant Note: Crescendo | TBATE

Chapter 180: Echolocation

Toren Daen

I awoke in darkness, blinking the stars from my eyes. I felt a momentary flash of panic at the blackness before a soothing warmth caressed my mind.

I sat up carefully, igniting a bare spark of fire over my palm for light. I blinked nervously as my eyes adjusted to the light.

Thanks, I thought to my bond, sighing as I remembered where I was. The darkness of the tunnels was an encroaching thing. It almost seemed alive at times, the shadows clinging to your boots and whispering in your ears. If I wasn't careful, I could imagine going mad from life in these caves.

"It is no worry, Toren," Aurora replied in my mind. "I dislike this darkness, just as you do. I understand your anxiety."

Around me, the three dwarves were already preparing for departure, a solid resolve in each of their movements as they cinched on belts and tested their weapons. Borzen nodded at me as I awoke, and Gruhnd offered out a palm to help me up.

I took his calloused hand gratefully, hauling myself to my feet. I gave him a thankful nod as I ran a hand through my hair, trying to tame it with my fingers.

I'd built a level of camaraderie with those two as the day went on yesterday. Protecting each other in the darkness had that kind of effect. If there wasn't a bit of trust, we wouldn't be able to trust our backs to the men at our side.

But as the dwarven elder narrowed her eyes in my direction, I felt a bit of disappointment. It seemed that the more time I spent, the less Jotilda liked me.

"Not everyone will like you," Aurora advised in my mind. "That is an unavoidable fact of life, my bond."

I sighed, tying my hair back before taking a drink from a waterskin I kept stored in my dimension ring. I know, but I still have to work with the elder. I'd like to understand where her dislike comes from, at least. Even if she doesn't like me, we both have a duty to keep Alacryan and dwarven relations civil.

"Then what are you going to do?"

I rolled my shoulders, adjusting my clothes and brushing out a bit of dust. I allowed the small pinprick of fire to hover near me still, bathing me in gentle light. I'll do what everyone should do when they have some sort of conflict. I'll talk about it.

—

Our small group continued on through the cave, the firelight I created earlier allowing us to continue. Jotilda had explained that this deep into the caverns, we would be fighting stronger monsters than tunnel worms and gallows spiders. Earlier, she had forbidden me from any sort of light for fear of scaring away potential mana beasts or allowing them to ambush us.

But now, that fear was pointless. Anything ahead would have nowhere to run, and my senses were sharp enough to protect from an ambush.

A team of dwarven earth mages had used an advanced Earth Sense spell to get a rough estimate of the size of these branching caverns, and according to Jotilda Shintstone, we were nearing the end now. Once we cleared out whatever was left, we'd be able to return to the main hideout.

As before, Gruhnd and Borzen trailed behind me, keeping up the rear with steady eyes and even steadier hands. They'd gained a few scrapes and bruises throughout this endeavor, but by and large, nobody had gotten more than a slight cut as we cleared out the tunnels.

Ahead of me, the dwarven elder walked with rigid purpose, her plate boots clanking in tune with her step. I allowed none of that sound to actually echo into the air, of course, but I'd realized that people found the sounds they made comforting, so I let them hear the familiar rustle of metal-on-metal.