Chapter 2: Out of the Frying Pan

Is this how Verrian feels? It's like a fish bowl.....

Ember starts heading back via the rope.

I think I should step out. It feels crowded, doesn't it?

Ember does step out, smiling at Viani, but clearly confused.

His mom hid the horses in there. But for some reason, the more of us there are, the stuffier it gets. Do you want to look? I'll hold the rope.

Viani is thinking about this for a moment. One the one hand, she's really curious. She's never seen another plane, only in the illustrations in some of the more mysterious books she had borrowed from the library back in Meriava. On the other hand, going into some strange plane that tightens around people as they enter seems like a very dangerous idea.
"No thanks, I prefer to stay in this world. But you could tell me about what you saw in there! Were there demons? Or devils? Or daemons?"

Krav turns to Verrian, "Blaze says they see 'others of two legs in the distance, but they do not approach. They are dark, and have no scent, no sound.' Unlike us."

Then he turns to Yelnar, "If you have anything else to communicate with Blaze I suggest you do it quickly, I can only keep this up for a short while longer."

Then to Blaze, he says, "I will not be able to speak with you for long. In case we are cut off, thank you for your help. I will let Yelnar, who you call "the young one', determine when it is safe for you to return home."

Ember cocks her head at Viani's inner conflict.

Just Yelnar's family horses. Krav's been talking to them.

"He's speaking to them? That's so cool! Maybe I should go in there..." She pauses for a short mometn. "No, I'll stay out here. But having horses might be useful. Are there enough for all of us?"

Verrian moves a few steps and peers into the distance, looking for signs of the humanoids the horse had described.

I'm not sure. I think Yelnar wants to keep them in there so we don't draw attention. Oh, come on, V! Just poke your head in. I think that'll work.

Viani makes a careful step towards the gateway but then stops. She's scared of even looking through the portal. In the book she read about other planes, it was never a good idea to interact with them. Granted, she only ever read about the lower planes because they seemed so much more interesting, but still. She doesn't want Ember to realize she's scared, though. She needs to think of something to say to distract Ember from it. Maybe she should play on the girl's own fears.
"Well, maybe you should... stick your head into... some... bowl of... something non-magical."
Viani curses herself silently. That didn't make any sense, did it?

"I do see something off in the distance, but I can't make out any details at all. Whatever they are, they appear to be moving." She becomes aware of the sensation of compression. "Does anyone else feel like this place is slowly squeezing them?"

Ember just kinda stares at Viani.It's rare that she can get the voices to shut up, but all things considered, she's too emotionally tired to let them be angry. Instead, she starts laughing. A lot.

You're cute, Viani. Suit yourself. But what do you plan on doing until they get back?

"Guys... we can't all be in here." Elora feels herself becoming attuned with the environment, which worries her greatly. "I think this is a shadow plane, there could be undead here, or other monsters. And this particular plane wasn't meant to support so many people, it could collapse under our combined weight, and then we'll be stuck! " She does her best to maintain her composure, consciously taking a step back.

Verrian nods. "I'll go back out. Yelnar, decide what to do about the horses quickly. I have a feeling those are undead out there, and they are probably on their way to confront us." She goes back through the portal, leaving the shadow plane.

Hey! Verrian! Why does it feel weird in there? Viani doesn't want to go in.

She pauses.

Which is her choice, and I respect that.

"Elora says it's a shadow plane that's not designed to support so many people at once, so we were pushing its capacity to the limit. She's worried that it might collapse and trap anyone who's inside at the time."