Looking out to the forest below them, Auriel smiled and sighed. It certainly was beautiful. If the place were half as dangerous, he might have considered it a nice place to take a break and perhaps a nap. The sap from the trees was supposed to be delicious, as well. That would have to wait. Slowly blinking, he turned to his partner.

Emlyn was definitely right about one thing: this mountain was far from an ideal choice. There were a few others that could be used, and Auriel figured that there had to be an easier way to their goal. "I say we get to another. One with...less drastic an incline. something less than sixty or so degrees." The fact that they had had to [i]climb[/i] this far had been maddening. Even if each step went as far up as it went forward, that was fine so long as they could walk. "I think perhaps the one to our east would be a fine choice." Turning towards the other mountain, Auriel took the lead this time. The descent was exponentially faster than their previous ascent, and soon they were moving on a steep incline, but not nearly so steep as their last had been. He figured that they'd reach the summit in perhaps in hour if they kept a good pace.

"Maybe if we make it back before night, we can have a niiice, hot meal. I'd love that." Looking upwards, he frowned, locking a set of grim determination onto his face. "Either way, if we stay down here and never get an artifact, we'll either be laughing stocks....or we'll get killed. Personally, I'd prefer to find one. We've come this far, and I can't afford to turn around. I don't think any of us here can."