Backscene: Lost Backscene: Lost Who: Falina Bjyr, Nivak Aldurral Where: The Deep Roads When: 9:37 Dragon; 21 Nubulis Summary: Falina at the height of her impulsive foolishness, follows her older brother Belebere on the day that he is selected to check gas pockets in the Deep Roads. The Roads prove too unpredictable, and Falina is soon cut off from the shadow of the much larger group. Belebere never knew that she'd followed him, and by the time someone realizes she's missing, it could be too late Rating: Mature for Violence, and dark thematic themes. Status: COMPLETE
The cavern was broken branch work; long crackling shoots of broken tunnels, and deep unimaginable horror. Every outcropping of rock simply led to another, endless paths with no real way to distinguish one from the other. Falina's heart hammered hard between her ribs, so loud the she felt the vibrations of it in her forearms, in her trembling legs. It wasn't as dark as she thought it would have been, and her pupils felt too wide, sucking in every last reflecting glance of light against the stone.
Falina was young, but she wasn't stupid. The dwarf didn't run, keeping a slow, deliberate pace through the Deep Roads. The cavern of tunnels twisted too deep into Thaigs long buried, and were lost to the ever spreading Darkspawn. If she ran, she'd make more noise than her frantically beating heart, and she'd be forever lost. It was easier to walk barefoot, with her hands against the outcropping of dry rock.
'Do you like fried mush and nug?'
She'd recited the poem since she'd gotten lost, only getting as far into the verse as she could remember. It was both soothing and irritating, but it kept her company, and was the only poem she knew. The path became narrow, suddenly less smooth, and her hand was unable to find easy purchase as she went on.
Should I turn back?
It was too humid on this path, pungent rolling heat beading moisture on her forearms and upper lip. Rancid rot seemed to emanate from each of the last two tunnels that she'd tried, but it smelled older here. She could see a reflected glow ahead, a light, flickering blue. She covered her nose and mouth with her freehand, trying to breathe in without the foul taste overpowering her.
'I do not like them Mister Klug I do not like fried mush and nug...'
Suddenly her bracing weight slid, palm smearing and slipping through a heavy condensation coating the rock, just as the path broke off into a wider alcolve. She stepped no further; trembling at the sight of the large pods hanging from the ceiling, the black, inky ooze that seemed to spread even as she watched it. It split in veins, and Falina felt the quick warm wave of relief that she needn't pass through the room. She hadn't been here before, and it wouldn't lead her home.
Her toes wriggled against the rock for a moment, and as Falina took a deep breath, it choked out a small sob, which echoed through the empty chamber. It was the first real noise that she'd heard outside of her body in an hour, and it startled her, deeply rolling through her shaking shoulders.
She tore another piece of cloth from her dress, thankful for the weak frayed fabric, and for the stained shift the lay beneath it. And headed back the way she came. At the mouth of the path she left the fabric, a small signal to herself that she had already been through the tunnel.
It was hard, and scary, but she had to keep her wits about her.
There was an incline, and she followed it, hoping that up was out.
'Would you eat them on a rug? If you eat, you'll get a hug!
I would not eat the-'
Footsteps clanked ahead, armor battering footfall against stone, and she heard the whispering hiss of giant spider legs. There was no humming, and it sounded like there was only one Darkspawn. She froze first in fear, her wide terror stricken eyes catching a glimpse of the flickering torchlight. She saw the spider before the monster, one long hairy leg stepping into her view, and she kicked herself into motion, running back toward the the small alcove, the path wasn't narrow enough to block the spider, but there were places small enough for her to hide in the chamber.
She covered her mouth again, rushing behind one of the smaller rocks, stepping into the black, vile corruption. Falina braced herself, locking her legs in preparation that she might slide, but the substance wasn't wet, and merely seemed to reform as her feet stepped from it. She shuddered, choking a muffled sob into her palm as hid behind the stone. The girl pressed her back against her hiding place, unable to watch her potential death step through the mouth. She clamped her hand fiercely, and buried her forehead against her knees. Paragon poetry was forgotten, and all she could do was beg to her Ancestors. Please make me invisible, please, please, don't let it see me.
Tear blurred her vision, cresting and spilling quickly, streaming over her cheeks, dropping hot against her thighs.