When he woke up Coney found himself in pure darkness. No longer did he have the torchlight that the warrior had brought, nor did he see the rune light the rogue had. His mind was fuzzy, and he couldn’t help but remember his first moments in the simulation. His eyes made static out of nothing, which they were doing once more, since he really couldn’t see. Thankfully, he could hear. His own breathing, and the world around him.

Moving was hard, he got to his hands and knees and then stood up. It was his first instinct, even if it wasn’t a good idea. He moved his arms about, walking around the dark room, where there was no light. A part of him wondered how long he’d been out for.

“I… I couldn’t have been out too long.” He told himself, talking to try to drive back the darkness from his dreams. “I mean, they don’t have the tech to make me pass out, right?” He wasn’t really sure. A part of him felt like he’d been out for a while. He had the well rested feeling he got after long naps. As he was distracted it wasn’t hard for the unsteady flooring to make him trip.

Thankfully, Coney managed to throw himself backwards, unthankfully he managed to still fall, just rather than on his face he landed on his ass. It was at least rather soft, a benefit of his rabbit body. “I’m short, so that wasn’t too bad.” He said to himself, not entirely meaning it, but wanting to make himself look on the bright side. As much as there was a brightside in this darkness.

Finally, he realized something vital. “Oh, right, I have magic for this.” He facepalmed, though he managed to miss how far his paw was from his face and slammed it really hard into his forehead. Grasping he managed to put his paws together and get into a kneeling position, staring into the dark.

“Thesan, Goddess of dawn.”: He said, a soft pleading in his voice. “Please, grant me this wish, that I may have light at my beck and call.”

“Granted in full.” A whisper came into his sensitive ears. It was just barely at the edge of his hearing, but it brought with it a sense of warmth that was strange to the cold subterranean world. A warmth that was like the sun.

Spell Learned: Illumination

Description: Use your paw or a mirror like surface as a source of light for as long as necessary.

Duration: Sustained

Cost: 1 Mana point a minute, young love’s kiss.

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That was more description than his last spell, a lot more. It was actually way better in a way, but he wondered at exactly why it was like that. Especially that cost. Checking his menu the mana cost looked light, like extremely light, so light that he was able to sustain multiple lights with his mana recovery alone. However, the second cost was weird. He didn’t know what young love’s kiss meant, and he was weary of it.

Still, whatever he needed he could get through prayer, even if it might cost him something he wasn’t expecting to give. In that case, he was ready to try. Focusing on his left paw he cast the spell, feeling the soft flow of mana come from his heart and through his arm. As his paw began to glow, a soft glow that reminded him of the first light of dawn, he felt something brush against him.

It was warmth, like a soft summer breeze, and it felt like something was pressing against him. Perhaps someone, he thought, as he felt arms reach around his neck. And something that didn’t exist pressed into his mouth, a soft kiss that was passionate but chaste, leaving him speechless as it disappeared.

“T-That’s what that means.” He said, feeling his body respond to the unnatural presence, a little late to do anything with the feeling. “She kissed me. The goddess kissed me.” He wasn’t sure whether to jump for joy, or perhaps to cry in frustration because he didn’t understand the magic of this world. Whichever was right, a part of him was happy, and that was the part of him that got him to get to his feet.

“So, I’m deeper in the dungeon than I expected.” He said, looking around the cave. It was in fact a cave, not like the well constructed area he’d been in above. At least he assumed above, as now that he looked at it the ceiling had no marking that would make it seem he fell through it. More damning was the complete lack of Carrie, who’d gone before him, which meant they were probably sent to different places.

“She might have left without me.” He made the observation out loud, partially to his audience but mostly to get it out in the air. “But it seem like she should have known sticking together was a better idea. Besides, she was really freaked out, she wouldn’t run off right?” A part of him seemed to itch, making him remember that at the end she seemed excited rather than as horrified as she’d been before. It was hard dealing with his internal insecurities.

Shaking his head he looked around the room. It was empty, looking closer to the drive area he’d gone in than the more manicured section with the tombs. However, this was a different type of cave. For one thing, there were no stalactites or stalagmites, instead there was an odd kind of rock that seemed to have rolls, like rolls of fat. It was pretty, but also fairly different.

Running a paw against it he felt that the stone was cold and old. “It’s igneous, formed from a volcano. My grandpa loved to show me stuff like this. There are three kinds of igneous rocks that are really important. Natural glass, which most people know about from obsidian. Extrusive rocks which explode out of volcanos, like pumice. And These, Intrusive rocks that are formed by the slow cooling of stone as it goes closer and closer to the surface.” He smiled as he softly pet the stone. “The gods must be happy, I’m deep in the earth and looking at the stone rather than for a way out. I wish grandpa could be here to see this.” He sniffled, tears running down his face as he pressed his forehead against the rock.