A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 21)

One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon 1000 ALB)

Kysek chooses to proceed in stealth mode. The elficorn blends to the shadows and eases his hoof steps to be as silent and invisible as possible. The former proves simple as a heavy carpet muffles the sound of his footfalls. 

Raven stays even with Kysek, ears peeled for danger in the darkness.

Foil Hat whispers sharply to Kysek and Raven, "Be wary. They say this place is riddled with booby traps and secret doors. One misstep and we could find ourselves on a one-way slide to our doom!"

Abacus checks Foil Hat with his hip, "Seriously? It's been over one-thousand years. Any traps, if there were any, should be long rusted by now. And that brings up the question, how would the ponies living here have evaded the traps? It makes no sense, constantly having to disarm and re-arm any physical defenses so the scullery maid or the serving lad doesn't get a leg taken off by a falling spiked block or lost in a pit trap. What we need to be looking for is a storeroom."

Shadow, ever at home in the darkness, proceeds towards the stairs leading downward without much fanfare.  He peers deeply into the darkness. "Hello, anyone down there?  Your door stud seems to have taken the day off.  No one to greet us."

Ra’ziir glances toward the ceiling of the room (long aware of the adage that an adventurer should always look up when entering a chamber), taking in the corners and dark places where something might hide. Once he determines that all is safe, he trots over to the descending flight.

Cedron casts Light on the tip of his borrowed staff. “These eyes don’t see in the dark as well as they once did.” Cedron stays in the middle of the group, keeping watch over our escorts. Shadow winces at the light, more out of distaste than discomfort but keeps his peace as the group carries on.

Drax follows along, nigh-invisible and silent, staying just outside of the radius of illumination of Cedron's staff.

Nik steadies himself, let’s his eyes adjust to their new environment and observes their surroundings while maintaining constant readiness with the bow.

Grotto, keeps up the rear guard and follows the group to the depths.

And then, echoing from somewhere ahead, there is a long low growl and the musky odor of some large animal. Shadow's eyes are the first to pick out the shape of a large, lumbering beast ahead in the darkness beyond Cedron's light.
- - - - -
• Cedron: 95% health; Light (79 minutes, 9 rounds remaining)
• Drax: 100% health; Nondetection (lasts until about 10 pm), Undetectable Alignment (lasts until about noon tomorrow)
• Grotto: 94% health;
• Kysek: 100% health; Half of the Tome has been read
• Niklas: 100% health;
• Raven: 80% health;
• Ra’ziir: 80% health;
• Shadow: 97% health; Overland Flight (18 hours, 57 minutes, 8 rounds remaining)