Even in Tchisa's wildest dreams even a small aluthium deposit was beyond her wildest dreams and here there was a deposit that was massive beyond anything she'd ever heard about. While she liked the valley that the gate lay in as well as the idland, all of that was more than enough of what Tchisa had wanted in some land of her own.
Yet, to get an aluthium deposit, that felt like it was more than she could really accept.
Or it would have been if she hadn't been able to see that Jenn had no idea what value that had. Apparently Jenn hadn't thought as to what it might be, just that it was something strange. Something that she hadn't experienced before.
As such, even though she had never imagined obtaining such wealth, she was willing to accept the land, but on a few conditions. One being that she didn't get all of that aluthium to herself.
Not because she didn't want it, but more because she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle that much wealth. Not when she'd been trying to eke out a living as a bandit not too long ago. An occupation she hadn't ever wanted to have taken up in the first place. An occupation that had fallen to her out of necessity rather than preference.
Not that she had been bad at it. It was more that she didn't like preying on others. It felt too much like what she'd gone through as a child after she'd been taken by the Lost and returned. Something she never wanted to inflict on others.
Tchisa planned on talking with Jenn about her conditions for accepting the land, although while she knew she needed to protect the gate, she didn't really plan on working at building her primary defenses in the valley with it. That would just be foolish, no matter how peaceful this world was.
As they started to make their way back to the gate for the day, Tchisa also noted that she'd need to figure out the difference in time between the worlds, as it otherwise would get a bit troublesome to always try to remember on her own which one might be dark and which one might be light. At what times. Especially when it looked fine right now on the island, but in the mountains, it could be at sunset already.
They had almost reached the gate, when someone noticed that the water level was lower. Not so low that it felt overly strange, but it did create a path into the water. As if it led somewhere. Somewhere that couldn't be seen where they were right then.
"What's that?" one of the members of their party called out, pointing to the hidden path that had been submerged and rendered invisible until the water level started going down.
"I think it might be the tide going out," Jenn remarked, as if it wasn't that important.
"Where does it go?" another asked.
Jenn looked troubled at the question and didn't answer right away. Tchisa wondered if she'd even known that was even there with how troubled she looked.
"Not a clue," Jenn merely replied.
"Want to find out?" Tchisa asked, feeling the excitement build in her chest. While it was nice to have ahd a guide on this island, it was even better to explore something without even knowing what they'd find.
Maybe it was a bad idea, but it was one that Tchisa was ready to order Jenn to comply with if it proved necessary. After all, Jenn has appointed her as the one in charge of the expedition. As such, it was in her authority to command the Blue Rose during this expedition, as she was only the second-in-command. By her own choice too.
Jenn looked at the gate, looking rather conflicted. "Any idea how much time we have before the tide starts coming back in?"
Tchisa felt like cold water had been thrown over her. She hadn't thought about the idea that the water could start coming back up. She wasn't sure how long it'd take, but that didn't douse her excitement one bit. If anything, it made it blaze even brighter.
"No clue," she replied to Jenn, "but where's the fun in knowing everything that's going to happen? We might as well see where it goes for as long as we can. If the water comes back up, then we can just make our way back here as fast as we can."
Jenn looked like she wasn't happy about that, but Tchisa could see in her eyes that there wasn't anything she could do about it. No matter how much she wanted to.
"Uh, I am in charge of the security of this expedition," Embris called out. "I'm not sure if this would be entirely safe."
Tchisa looked at Embris in annoyance. She would have the authority to stop this, she knew. After all, if it involved the security of the expedition, then she outranked Tchisa. Which she hadn't had a problem about until now. When it could stop her from doing something that she really wanted to do.
"Of course it's not," Tchisa declared. "That's part of what makes it fun!"
Embris herself looked torn. Tchisa could see that she wanted to do this herself, but she also had a duty to fulfil herself.
"Jenn, when will low… uh, the water lower again like this?" Embris asked, looking like she was looking for the excuse she wanted.
Jenn merely shook her head. "I'm not sure. I just know it will get back like this at some point. Just not when that'll be."
Tchisa didn't like where this was headed. If it continued, she was certain that Embris would talk herself out of it. Just because of a little danger that they couldn't quite get around.
"Well, if that's the case, why don't you stay here and find a way to measure it while the rest of us see where this stretch of sand leads to?" Embris asked, annoying Tchisa in another way this time.
She'd wanted to see what Jenn's reaction to whatever they'd find, but now it was clear that she wasn't going to have to accompany them. That Embris had found a way out for her. One that Tchisa couldn't even argue with, let alone dispute.
However, that hardly mattered in the end. The biggest part was that there could be something down along the hidden path that would be rather interesting to see. Especially since Jenn didn't know anything about it.
"So are you coming or are you going to wait with her like a twig?" one of the others in the party taunted. "If you're coming, then lets go! From what she said, the water won't stay like this forever, so we should go see what we can find before it starts coming back up!"
Tchisa couldn't have said it better herself, though she wasn't sure if really all of them should go, but she felt like he'd make enemies if she tried to keep others from going along with her.
Somehow she felt like she was young again. Much younger than she was right now. Back when she'd had hope that she'd make it big on her own. Maybe eve become a great warrior that would be known all over the world. Rather than having been rendered a bandit with hardly any other means to survive.
Tchisa wasn't sure when she'd taken the first step even towards the hidden path, let alone on the path itself. Only that the next thing she knew, she was walking along it, full of excitement at what would happen.
The water around her was crystal clear. She could easily see fish in it and could only wonder what other treasures might be held within. Treasures that were probably surrounded by dangers that would be difficult to get around.
As her imagination started to run wild, Tchisa couldn't help but notice that the sand had turned to hard rock. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she could feel the difference under her feet.
It wasn't until she heard a splashing sound coming from under her feet that she even thought to look around.
First, she realized that the island was was out of sight, given the rising and falling of stone formations that were between her and the island. Second, she could see dorsal fins in the water around; not as big as a megalodon's but still those of a shark, and decent sized ones too. Third, she wasn't sure, but it looked like a cave between her and the island; just a lot closer to her than the island.
The cave looked filled with water, but she wasn't sure how long she had before the water was deep enough that the sharks could get to her. Which she didn't like the thought of. Although, as she looked closer, she could see a ledge inside the cave, hidden in shadow, that looked like it might be a place she could hide within.
She didn't see the point of asking someone else to look into the cave, All she knew was that if it didn't work, they might as well take their chances with the sharks. Dismal as those odds felt to her.
–Tchisa, can you hear me?– Tchisa heard Jenn call out to her with her magic. Although, for some reason, she sounded like she'd just woken up.
–Yeah, I don't think I'm going to make it back before the water gets too high. I saw some sharks and I don't like the idea of swimming with them. Though, I found a cave that might let us survive until the water goes down again.–
–Understood. I'll let the others know that complications arose and you'll be back in a few hours.–
–I'll be ready to return when that happens.– Tchisa assure her friend. –Just make sure you have something ready for us to eat. I don't think any of us has any food.–
Tchisa felt like Jenn nodded, though she couldn't quite explain how she knew. –Got it. I'll have something ready for you when you return.–
Tchisa wasn't sure she'd like to wait hours to get something to eat, but she didn't think that it was a good idea to risk it. The only thing she could think of in regards to that was that she was grateful someone had been left behind. She certainly didn't want to go through the gate to find that the others had left because they thought something had happened to them and presumed they were dead.
"Everyone, into the cave!" Tchisa ordered, heading straight for the cave so no one would misunderstand what cave she was referring to. If they were going to be stuck here, she didn't want anyone to die who wasn't already aware of the cave and the possibility that it holds. Especially since she couldn't be sure how far back it went.
It looked like it could go back a distance, but she wasn't absolutely certain. As far as she knew, it'd only provide enough shelter for a few of them. Although, if that was the case, she doubted they'd have enough air to last hours. Maybe her magic could do something about it, but she hadn't really worked on learning to use it. Talking with it just somehow felt natural to her and she couldn't explain how she did it.
Despite her reservations about the cave, Tchisa found that it did extend quite a distance. They didn't have any sources of light, so she couldn't see exactly how far, but based on the echoes in the cave, it wet quite far. At the very least, she hoped that they'd have enough air to last them for a while.
–We're in the cave, though we don't have any light, so it's going to be a dark several hours.– Tchisa sent to Jenn, not wanting to find out that Jenn had already left.
–It'll be okay.– Jenn replied, her voice somehow helping keep Tchisa's nerves from overwhelming her. –I'm sure the tide will go out soon enough.–
–How long?– Tchisa didn't want to wait in there a minute longer than she had to.
–I'm not sure.– Jenn answered, sounding uneasy. –My best guess would be somewhere around twelve hours, but I'm not sure how accurate that would be. I'd suggest that all of you try to go to sleep. Not only will it help the time go faster, but you'll conserve air down there if you do and I'm not sure how much of that you have.–
–Ugh, could you not make it sound like I don't know what I'm doing?– Tchisa asked, grateful for Jenn's advice, even though she didn't want Jenn to think that she actually needed it. Especially since she wasn't sure about everything that Jenn was talking about in regards to 'how much air they had.'
As everyone reached and settled into the cave, Tchisa had everyone stay a little away from the edge of the ledge that would keep them from the ocean water. She didn't want anyone to fall in by accident and possibly get attacked by the sharks. Not so much that she was overly worried about those beneath her, but just the idea of someone getting killed by a shark like that made her rather uneasy.
Eventually the sounds from the world outside the cave were muffled by the rising water. Tchisa knew at that moment she was officially trapped in here for the time being. Tapped with no place she could go to escape until the water started to go down.
Tchisa did her best to make herself comfortable and wanted to continue talking with Jenn, but she worried about bothering her too much. She didn't want to get Jenn annoyed by her constant need to talk. Besides, it wasn't like she was a twig. She could handle this for a while.
In the end, she could tell if she'd fallen asleep or not. All she knew was that suddenly she could hear a different sound coming from the entrance to the cave. It wasn't something that was easily identifiable, but it certainly a sign the water had started to go down.
It was still too dark to see anything, but she didn't plan on waiting for too long before making her way back to the island. She wasn't going to wait until the water level rose and fell again before getting out of there.
"Okay everyone, wake up!" Tchisa called out, startling a number of those with her awake. She could only tell based on their reactions and the sounds they made when she'd made that announcement. "The water's going down, but I'm not yet sure how low it is. Once I'm confident we can make it back, we're all going to hustle our way back there. I don't want anyone acting like a twig and complaining about the pace or wanting to take it slower. We won't know how long it'll be before the water starts rising again, so unless any of you want to wait until the water rises and lowers again, this is going to be our chance to get back to the island."
"How long before we can head down?" one of the young women with Tchisa asked, her voice crisp and clear, not showing a trace of the unease Tchisa knew rested inside herself.
"If I knew that, I'd wake you all when it was time," Tchisa retorted, glancing back at the entrance of the cave, catching a glimmer of light off the water as she did so.
She wasn't sure how much longer it'd be, but she was at least confident that it wouldn't be much longer. At least not compared to how long they'd spent already.
"I can see the water from maybe the moonlight or starlight, so once I stop seeing it, then we'll head out," Tchisa announced, worried that she might not be able to wait that long. Not when she was ready to start heading back right then.
After all, the sharks might have moved on. She couldn't be sure that they were still around. Yet, she also knew that if she guessed wrong on that front, she wasn't likely to get another chance at this. That the sharks would be able to get her before she'd be able to do anything about them. Especially in the dark.
"Are you okay?" Embris asked quietly, though Tchisa was certain others heard her words just fine. It wasn't like there was any other noise that could drown out any conversation, not to mention the words echoing off the walls, even with how quiet Embris was being.
"Of course I am," Tchisa said, hoping her words were true even as she said them. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm not a twig or anything."
"You just sounded a little… strained?" Embris replied, sounding like she was picking her words carefully, which Tchisa felt a little grateful for. "Much like my mother would get when she was having difficulty with something she didn't want to admit having difficulty with."
"Waiting like this is nothing," Tchisa replied, feeling the truth in those words as she spoke them. "If it was, I'm sure I'd have been falling to pieces since we started this."
Embris sighed, as if she knew that's not what was troubling Tchisa. Though, Tchisa didn't plan on letting that conversation continue any further. Embris might be a friend of Jenn's but that didn't mean Tchisa accepted her at the moment. Plus, if she continued with that conversation, she wasn't sure how that would appear to all those who were counting on her to get them safe out of here. After all, who wanted to be saved by a twig?
"Anyway, conserve your strength," Tchisa told Embris. "We'll be needing all we can muster soon enough."
Tchisa couldn't see Embris in the dark, so she couldn't say how Embris had taken her words and she didn't care at the moment. Her attention was solely on the water. Though, every so often she did see something creating ripples in the dark. She wasn't sure what was creating them, but she knew that it meant there was still something moving in the water down there. Something she'd much rather be able to see than to let her imagination run wild with trying to think of all the possibilities it could be. Such as how many sharks were waiting down there for them to come down into the water?
Eventually she blinked and realized the water had started to part as it had reached the otherwise submerged rock. Which meant that they'd be able to return to safety, away from the sharks that Tchisa knew were going to haunt her for a while.
Although, she did think it'd be worth trying to figure out a way to make this submerged cave available to them regardless of the water level. She'd like to see where it might lead once they had time to explore it.