The dreary tunnels had another effect on us, or at least me, as I came to realize as we made our way through the underground. The rough hewn rock walls and the steel supports at regular intervals were not exactly made to inspire uplifting thoughts of any kind. Quite the opposite actually. These surroundings were utterly mind numbing and depressing. The silence was weighing heavily on me as well, almost as much as the weight of all the rock above our heads. I tried not to think about the latter, at least not too much, but it was a losing battle.

Gash'zur must have noticed. She tried to take my mind off it best she could but her options were rather limited. She pointed out the various rock formations as we made our way but I had a hard time seeing the differences she pointed out most of the time. The low light didn't exactly help either. Only every once in a while we stopped to allow her to test water dripping down one of the walls. Those occasions were the only slight change of pace and scenery we really had and I perked up a little as she explained why we shouldn't use any of these small wells to refill our water reserves.

We stopped at another spot where water trickled from a wall, only to disappear in cracks in the floor soon after. The latter was a good thing too. Otherwise we would have had to wade through cold water by now on addition to everything else.

I leaned a little closer to get a better look and to give the water a good sniff. There were no discolorations where the water trickled down the wall. There was no noticeable smell either. According to giantess's lectures either could have hinted at contamination that would make it unsafe to drink. I looked over at her. “How about this one?”

She leaned in closer as well, to check the rivulet. Finally she handed the lantern to me to gather a little of the water for a taste test. Apparently she wasn't satisfied though as she quickly spit it back out again, going so far to rinse her mouth with some of our precious water after wards. She shook her head. “There is still a slight metallic taste. A little wouldn't kill us right away but it in the long run we would still regret it. Anyway, it has been getting better. I think we will find something potable before long.”

I looked at the trickle of water longingly for a moment before sighing and turning to follow my companion once more as she picked up the pace once more. We still had some of the water we had brought but Gash'zur had rationed it. Even like that it wouldn't last us forever though. Not even close. We really needed to find some that wouldn't poison us one way or another.

The giantess must have noticed my antics as she turned to flash me a grin, pausing briefly to let me catch up. “Don't worry. It's getting better. We'll be able to wet our throats before long.”

I nodded. That wasn't the only thing on my mind though. I rubbed my arms and hugged myself. “What will we do about the cold? Its not like we can make a fire or anything.” That was, at least in my eyes, almost as much a concern as the lack of potable fresh water. The temperatures had dropped quite a bit ever since we left the dwarven forges and foundries as well as the inferno unleashed by the dragon behind. My armor and the clothes I wore under it were not able to keep the bite of the cold at bay.

Gash'zur nodded as I voiced my concerns. It was quite obvious that the cold was getting to her as well, as I could see the goosebumps on her arms. She didn't seem concerned though. “Bear with it for a little while longer. It will get better once we get deep enough.” Now she frowned. “As a matter of fact it might become warm enough that your armor could become a problem.”

I raised an eyebrow as I had a hard time believing her words. “You are not just saying that to keep me going, are you?” As I spoke another cold shiver ran down my back. It really didn't help that I had been sweating quite a bit as we ran to flee the dragon's wrath. My clothes had sucked up the sweat like a sponge and given the cold, wet air down here they wouldn't dry anytime soon even if I were to take them off.

The giantess shook her head. “No. It will get warmer. Quite a bit actually. When and by how much is hard to tell though. If we were further west, closer to Bleak Peak it probably would already be quite cozy. Here we might have to delve deeper unless there is some other volcano nearby that I don't know anything about. It already has been getting a bit better.”

Had it really been getting better? It was hard to tell. No, I couldn't tell. Gash'zur probably had more experience than me though. I was still mulling over her words as I suddenly bumped into her. I leaned to the side a little to look past her, to see why she had stopped.

Ahead of us the tunnel ended, opening up into a larger cavern of some sort. It seemed to be natural for the better part but some of it was obviously worked stone. More than that though the stone was not entirely bare. The cavern was a very welcome change from the rather monotonous tunnels we had been following up until now. I took a deep breath and was pleasantly surprised that even the air had changed. It was still cool and humid but not the same way it had been before. It smelled more like the forest after an early spring rain than a dead cavern.

Water was dripping down most of the walls and covering much of the floor at least ankle deep. At first I thought that it had to be more underground wells. Upon a closer look I realized that that wasn't the case. The water was condensing along the walls! It wasn't flowing down the rock unobstructed either. Moss, lichen and some mushrooms were growing on the rock, especially to either side of the opening across the cavern where apparently warm, moisture laden air streamed into the chamber.

It took me a moment to realize that none of the plants, small as most of them might be, in question were growing at random. Not quite anyway. Most of them were following patterns that had been carved into the rock. And quite a few of them, especially the lichen, were emitting a soft glow. It was still dark but by far not as dark as the tunnels had been up until now.

Gash'zur wrapped an arm around me and gave me a good squeeze while flashing me a smile. “See, I told you it would get better.” As she let go of me again she bent down to take off her shoes. “Better not get them any more wet than they already are. And if we have to climb in one place or another it might just be better to go barefoot anyway.”

I could only nod dumbly. As my companion stepped out into the ankle deep water I started taking off mine as well though before following her. I shuddered as I stepped into the water. It wasn't quite as cold as I had expected but it still was cool. At the same time I couldn't help but notice that the slight breeze blowing in from the other tunnel mouth was indeed noticeable warmer.

I followed Gash'zur, watching my every step. The floor seemed even enough though. I probably needn't have worried. As I reached the other side the breeze had already become pleasantly warm. Most curious. “How can the breeze cool off like that across a distance of just a few paces.”

The giantess looked up from where she had been inspecting some of the plants growing on the walls. She seemed uncertain. In the end she shrugged. “I'm not sure. It always happens in chambers like these.”

I almost missed a step as fuzzy memory from another life came to me. Was I sitting in a classroom there, listening to an old man droning on about physics and pressure differentials? Air cooling off when it expanded? Before I could properly wrap my mind around the concept the memory faded into a nebulous, gray mist again. I shook my head an pointed at the patterns the growth of the plants was following. “Are these runes? Dwarven runes?”

Gash'zur took a step back to get a better look at the larger picture. “Could be. If they are, they are downright ancient though. Hundred of years at least. Probably thousands. These lichen grow about as slow as stalactites and stalagmites. Don't eat those by the way.”

I hadn't really been tempted anyway but I now gave the plants a doubtful look before looking back at the giantess. “Not that I'm all that hungry, yet, but why?”

she patted a spot on the wall. “Well, for one these plants, have been cultivated to mark an actual entrance to the Deep Dark. The glowing lichen, the moss and even the mushrooms. They live in a complex symbiotic relationship. Together they form a living signpost of sorts. On the other hand anything that glows by itself down here tends to disagree with our digestion. It might even be on purpose to protect signs like these from creatures that would otherwise eat the plants.”

She stepped back into the cavern and cupped some of the water trickling down the walls. She did not spit it back out this time as she tested it. “The water on the other hand is save. Finally.” She flashed me another smile. “Go ahead, have a a taste and fill up your water skin.”

A little relief filled me at these words. That was at least one small worry off my mind. I followed her recommendation and gathered some water in my cupped hands to have a drink as well. Maybe it was just due to the thirst that had been building, or maybe it really was some of the most refreshing water I had ever had.