[center][b][h2]Vael 'Virisusai[/h2][/b][/center]

[hr]

Vael grunted as he glanced back towards the entrance of the cave. The storm still raged outside, and showed no signs of weakening. [color=orange]”We do not know how long this storm will last. If we can reach our objective through this cave, then it is where we must go. I will lead. Tar and Ryker, move behind me. Grikgar, Roy, Elna, and Flint move in the middle of us. Everyone else guard the rear. Have your blades ready to cleave any vines should they attack. We have the weapons to destroy this plant if need be.”[/color] He ordered definitively. 

As they moved deeper into the cave, light from the outside became more and more dim, though the low-light vision provided by Vael’s HUD was more than sufficient to allow him to keep leading without issue, not to mention the bright blue glow of his energy sword. 

Eventually, the relatively narrow passage opened up into a much larger chamber. The small stream on which they had been walking flowed down into a basin, filled with water, surrounding the massive Tengmaa bulb. That sweet smell in the air had only grown stronger the deeper they went, but now that they were in the main chamber, one could finally see that the scent was a mask as well as a lure. In the basin surrounding the bulb were a large collection of carcasses in varying states of decay, though not [i]rotting[/i] exactly. Something about the water seemed to be preventing the normal stages of decay, though the animals caught within did seem to be dissolving over time. 

At first, the movement around them was subtle, and easy to miss if one was not attentive. Thorny vines moved towards their feet from below all around, looking to puncture their skin enough to apply its toxin.