章 44: Professor Gemstone in the snake pit. part 3 (44)
Ezera woke up slowly, as he processed what he had seen and heard through his dear students.
"Did you know we stayed two days in the interspace?" he whispered in the darkness of the cave.
The light orb had disappeared. There was movement in front of him for an instant.
"I did not," Ilya said. "It is convenient that we have a way to keep track of time," he added, once he realized how Ezera knew this information.
"It sure is nice," Ezera stretched his heard above his head. "In any case, where you sleeping too?"
"I was keeping guard, just in case."
Ezera tutted at him. He said with a click of his tongue:
"Take some rest now while I get in condition. We'll start the operation when you wake up."
"...operation... The plan?"
"Oh. Oh yes, the plan. Sorry for that. It's a word people around me used to say a lot. Is it confusing."
"A bit," Ilya sounded mildly curious.
"I'll tell you about it later, alright? Go to sleep."
True to word, Ezera spent his waking time stretching himself, awakening his body and scanning the entrance of the cave, far down the tunnel between the cracks. Going by his internal clockwork, less than three hours had passed by the time Ilya showed sign of awareness again.
"I'm ready to go," he said, after having left the man ten minutes to completely wake up.
Ilya nodded.
"Come back if anything attacks you."
Ezera smirked a bit defiantly at that, even though Ilya surely couldn't see it. Ezera was perfectly able to kill one or two of these creatures. But it admittedly wouldn't go well with their plan, at least for now.
"Any special request before I throw myself out there?"
Ilya frowned, his eyes still somewhat glowing even in this darkness.
"Find the hatchlings."
Oh, that made sense. If Ezera could pass as a neutral-maybe-intruder to the nocturnal drakes, then he would totally become neutral-good if he could cover himself in the youngs' scent.
"Smart."
Ilya and he debated the pros and cons of buffing him with spells. Unsure if that would leave traces of firelight on him, they abandoned the idea, Ezera heading out with no more protection than his own silence and instincts.
Once Ezera came out of the cave through the cracks, he couldn't help but scan his surroundings, in vain. The place remained very dark. He only knew from his internal map where the entrance of the dungeon was.
He started walking, slowly, along the walls. He was slow, silent and his hand rested against the stone as he moved. It made the snakes possibly aware of his presence, but not in offending ways. Ezera was just there, non-offensive, sliding like the rest of them along the stone, moving at a non-threatening speed...
Ezera had wondered if this would work for some time. After all, whether or not he was a firelight being, he was still a prey. Did they not eat, in this place? Ezera had nearly expected to be the next meal. He thought that perhaps, the organisms affected by dark matter might change under its influence, resulting in a change of what consists as a prey.
In other words, Ezera would not be preyed on, as long as he did not intrude on their space too much.
His hand hit something solid against the wall. Upon further inspection, he realized it was a torch waiting to be lit up. Ezera would transmit that discovery to Ilya.
The place was vast, but mostly circular. There was no exit in the wall. Wherever the nest was, it was probably closer to the middle of that big cave, and Ezera wanted to map the place some more before he thought about investigating the middle of the snake pit.
Once he made the entire tour of the place, he slipped back inside the cracks.
"What did you find?" Ilya asked.
Ezera related to him what he had found, and what he would be doing next.
"Good job," Ilya approved quietly. "If I can help in any way..."
Ezera thought for a minute.
"There are torchs all around on the walls. They might have their use eventually. I'll map what I know out and..."
"You could sneak one of the scrying lenses you have left on a drake."
Ezera cut himself of, considering Ilya's idea dubiously.
"You're serious," he constated.
"I am. You could slip it between the scales."
"They would feel it. I could only if they let me."
"Then... The hatchlings."
Right. If he could come close to vulnerable hatchlings, undiscerning of dangerous or protective, he could try to do so. But it would be risky...
"Give me two more days," Ezera said. "Do we have food?"
"We do. For two months. After that, it's monster meat."
"Yummy. Anyway, it will do for now. I'll map this out and send messages to my students, then we rest a bit."
"Fine."
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