Liana

Cleaning up

Liana wakes in a cold, damp cavern. Cobalt colored crystals drip from the ceiling, radiating a faint light that illuminates her surroundings. She sits up, her hair, body and armor slick from the puddle she was in.

"You're finally awake. Thank goodness," it's Khain, wearing a white, long-sleeved buttoned-up shirt, black pants, and straps over his chest that support the bag on his back. His eyes faintly glow. 

Liana looks around and sees the rest of the party, also rising from their slumber. Eldaren, wearing a now dirtied blue shirt and leather pants; Chance, wearing a gray, long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up and leather pants, and Da'al Wan, wearing a chain shirt with leather chaps. Each of them rises from the cold, stone floor. Their faces look like they had just awoken from a long coma, their eyes glazed over and bewildered.

Liana also notices that there are a few dead fish men on the floor just behind Khain, one with their jugular slashed open and the others saturated in their own blood.

Liana gets up and holds her hand out to help Eldaren. Eldaren takes her hand and Liana heaves him up. Liana asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," and Eldaren gives her a warm smile. "Thank you."

"Khain," Chance says, using his bow to steady himself upwards. "What happened?" 

Khain undoes the straps on his chest and places his backpack on the ground. He reaches into one of its pockets and pulls out a black crystal. It looks like a malformed sunflower, with sharp jagged shards in place of petals. 

"I remember now," Eldaren says. "I... uh, we found that gem lying on the ground and I insisted that I touch it and then... and then..."

"You all passed out," Khain says. "You guys were out for a bit, but your vitals remained stable during the few minutes you were unconscious. Did any of you see anything while you were asleep?"

Liana ponders this for a moment. Images of her and the others trapped on a deserted island, a storm raging from the heavens, and something of gargantuan proportion swimming around the island, but the details are fuzzy, blurring from her mind like a drunken night. 

Eldaren repeats the imagery Liana pondered in her head but also mentions that he doesn't remember much. Eldaren also says, "I wonder what god they follow."

"We can ponder their belief system some other time," Liana says. "We've cleared out most of the area already. Let's finish things up here so we can head home."

"Good idea," Da'al Wan says, and then he begins to head towards the one and only entrance, a giant oval opening with rows of stalactites creeping from its ceiling. 

Eldaren asks, "Do you believe in any of the gods, Liana?"

Liana begins to stride forward with Eldaren by her side, "Not really, but seeing as how your magic is different from Khain's, then maybe I can entertain the idea that they might exist."

"If gods are real, I would like to meet them someday."

"You have a curious mind," Liana says. "Please don't let that curiosity be your undoing."

"You worry a lot."

"You can't assess reality without fear, Eldaren. But you have a point. I do worry, but that's because I take my work seriously, and therefore, by extension, I take keeping you alive very seriously."

"You've done a great job so far," Eldaren says. "I'll be sure to write a good recommendation on your behalf."

To that comment of his, Liana smiles. She continues to walk side by side with Eldaren and the others following closely behind.