What the hell are you doing here, Drae?
It was the question he had been asking himself for the last hour as he had paced back and forth outside the entrance to the Cavern of Resistance. Finding it had not been a difficult feat, after all, Angela had gates all over. It had simply been a matter of asking which one he needed to take. Of course, he had not asked Angela specifically how to get to her niece's temple. That had just dawned on him as being a VERY odd thing to ask the Goddess he had given his heart to. After all, what reason would he need to visit the Goddess of Love if he had the perfect woman? None, right?
Wrong.
This is ridiculous. Either you turn around and go back to Angela's Shrine, or you put a lid on your nerves and walk into the darkness. It can't be as difficult as choosing to walk into the Koschei swamps can it?
Drae growled mentally to that thought and instinctively rubbed his leg. That had definitely NOT been his favorite adventure, and currently ranked up there with one of the worse experiences of his life. This definitely could not be any worse than Koschei.
Not physically as bad perhaps…
It was true. He had heard about what could await one down in the caverns. He wasn't sure he was quite ready to face that at the moment either. He sighed. This was getting him nowhere. He pushed a stray lock of his typically pristinely kept black hair out of his silvery eyes and gripped his staff tightly. There was no point in just standing there doubting himself. He needed advice. With a growl of determination he stepped into the cave and let the darkness wrap around him.
He was surprised to find that even with his elvish heritage it was very much dark inside, and the gift of the fey seemed to falter. It was a tiny bit disconcerting, but Drae decided to push onward regardless of the discomfort of being denied his vision. It certainly left him alone with his thoughts, though there seemed to be music wafting on the air. It actually made all rather pleasant. Blindly, Drae continued onward until he arrived at the fork that was lit with the dancing lights and the music stopped.
He looked at the words etched above each archway and considered which path the choose. The right tunnel he could hear soft crying from and it sent a chill down his spine and he found himself honest to goodness afraid of what he would have to face down that tunnel. He turned his focus to the left tunnel and carefully read the description of what was to be expected. He the understanding dawned on him, he had to laugh out loud.
"Yes, yes, they are definitely family," he chuckled before he pulled off his rucksack and deposited his staff inside the waiting chest. Next went his boots and his cloak, followed closely by his vest, tunic, breeches and underclothing. He even went so far as to pull the clip he used to keep his hair out of his face from his head and dropped it unceremoniously upon his clothing before he ventured onward in nothing but his skin.
The cool cavern air made his leg ache. The bite had long healed, but there was still something about magically enhanced atmosphere that made the cursed mark ache. He couldn't figure out why, but he did hope in time that the pain would subside as he gained control of his newly acquired forms. The infliction of Lycanthropy was part of the reason the Warlock was seeking advice. He needed the strength to control himself, to keep from harming those he had come to care for so deeply in the short months he had been with them.
Down the natural stone steps he went, until his bare feet met with the cool touch of the wading pool. A renewed chill went up his spine, this time from the legitimate cold that he was faced with as he waded deeper into the pool that would guide him further on to the Realm of Rhea. Ripples moved out from him, disrupting the glassy surface of the water as he pushed onward, the statues becoming visible. He watched as the visages of warriors slowly faded and became faces that meant something to him as he passed. The Duke… he felt anger begin to burn inside him, and his eyes shifted from the silver to the angry gold that accompanied his transformations, and he growled. He forced himself to look away from the likeness that he had torn apart some years ago, but was met with the face of the Duchess, and he felt the anxiety build up again, and he had to turn away yet again, fighting to find the will to breath. He had to keep going.
He was seeing new faces now, faces that brought a sense of happiness and joy to him. Angela, Iva, Sapphire, and the twins. All those he had come to care for at Angela's temple. A smile painted his face as he passed them, and he lightly let his hand pass over Angela's foot, and gently caressed the hem of Iva's dress. Yes, they were his strength now.
He moved onward, out of the wading pool where he found a modest robe waiting for him. He donned it and tied it tightly about his waist and went onward, across the bridge that waited on the other side of the tunnel. He watched the fish swim past him, as brightly colored as some of the flowers that grew in Angela's realm, while above him, he saw twinkling star-like lights that guided him onward. As he crossed the bridge, fish jumped and broke the glassy surface, filling the cave with the sounds of splashing, and he entered beneath the archway.
He saw the red draped throne there, and a figure upon it. He had finally arrived. As he drew closer he realized that the figure upon the throne was asleep. He chuckled softly, before he lifted a hand and coughed a bit loudly to wake the Goddess who slept there.
