Yunalesca shifted postions silently, moving to a watchful mind-set. She walked forward into the cave, not speaking , or making a single sound at all. She had her bow in her hand this time,rather than its normal place on her shoulder, and an arrow was ready to fire. She was not going to be taken be suprise, not here in this place. She was not going to make a child's mistake and beleive that she was impossible to sneak up on, because she knew better than that, but she was also not defencless, as she had proved more than once. She walked carefully, listening for any sound that would alert her to a spider being near, or even another humanoid. She paused for a second...listening carefully.

She walked forward a few more steps, then heard a sound from one the right of her. She turned carefully, taking aim into the shadows, too late... The spider came forward staying in the shadows. It jumped at her then. She twisted in time to avoid being attacked fully by it, but one of the spider's legs caught her side, off balencing her.

Yuna turned carefully, taking several steps back. She tried to get herself positioned to attack. She drew her bow back to her ear, as a spider dropped on her from above. She shifted positions, trying to aviod being hit...but no, it landed on her. She rolled and got to her feet, this time, at least, she had time to release her arrow at one of them. It was not enough to kill but maybe enough to slow it down...a little.

Ethari stood on the mountain path, his foot against the side of the mountain, and his hand pressed against his fore head. He was mentally preparing for going inside the cave. He was deathly afraid of spiders, and in this part of the world, spiders were abundant, similar to the underworld, were the drow worshiped the spiders.

Ethari stood upright and began to continue up the trial, to were the entrance of the cave was. It was covered in shadows, and webs. Webs were all around, in the trees, and on the floor, and hanging from the mountain walls. It made him sick, and lonely. He missed the companionship of his animals, and his Balance priest, Tarkin. But he wanted to face his fear himself, and he didn't want to risk the safety of his friends.

After about fifteen minutes of walking up the mountain path, he came upon the cave entrance. He took a deep breath in, and scanned the inside of the cave. He could only see about five meters inside the cave, until it was enveloped in darkness. He drew his diamond blade, and muttered some words under his breath, moving his hand across the blade. The blade itself began to glow, providing him with a source of light.

He started walking inside the cave slowly, and soon caught a glimpse of a spider leg. Ethari jumped back, and yelped, terrorfied. He quickly saw the complete image. It was a spider, trying to pin a lady, but she managed to escape, and then pulled herself up, and shot the spider. The spider reared back, with a sickly green blood pouring onto the ground.

Ethari muttered more words under his breath, casting the bless spell. A blue shock wave erupted from his hand, raising his morale, and the other persons. Now that his mind was cleared from his fear, he could defeat the spider. Ethari raised his hand, and cast the Blind spell, while muttering the Arcane words. The spider seemed unresponsive, and lunged at him. Ethari cursed himself silently.

The spiders lived in darkness, and relied on motion, rather than sight. Thankfully, due to his intellect given by Therenody, he had foreseen the spiders attack, and held his sword in front of him. The spider landed on him, and knocked him on the ground, and landed on his sword, killing him. Ethari pushed the body off him, and stood, wiping the green blood off his shirt, and outstretched his hand, saying "I'm Ethari Xilophent, whats your name?"

Yuna shifted positions carefully, as she watched the spider fall. She stood there for a moment, clearing her mind, and calming herself from the panic that had over come her. She took a deep breath and sighed softly.

"Thank you...I do not know if I could have fought and killed it on my own. As you saw, my attempts were failing badly." She said, blushing slightly, then wincing as she brought one hand up to touch her shoulder, which had been torn open at some point during the fight.

She looked up for a moment, then sighed. "I am Yunalesca, called Yuna by most." She said softly. She looked at the cave floor, still blushing slightly.

Yuna shook her head very slightly, then she looked up, to actually look at him. "Another Angel?" She said softly, looking at him carefully. How could I have been so foolish? I knew what they were capable of after they killed Araina, but I was still unready. I knew better than that...

Ethari listened to what she had to say. "Thank you...I do not know if I could have fought and killed it on my own. As you saw, my attempts were failing badly." She continued, saying "I am Yunalesca, called Yuna by most." Ethari smiled, and said politely "Greetings Yuna, I am glad that I ran across you, for I'm not sure if I could have killed him ether. I'm afraid of spiders, and I choked up back there. If I hadn't cast that Bless spell, I would have been eaten alive by that spider."

Ethari winced at the thought. He knew it was true. He was deathly afraid of spiders, and the giant spiders that would attack him, and try to kill, that just gave him the creeps. This wasn't the first time he was attacked by giant spiders. When he visited the underworld, he was kidnapped by a drow, who used spiders as her minions.

Ethari continued, saying " What brings you down to the spider caves? Its dangerous down here, and who knows how many more spiders there is. Let me answer the question first. I'm down here to kill some spiders, plain and simple. I've already said I'm afraid of the creatures, and I want to face my fear and kill them, and I don't care if I kill the queen or just some old spider, I just want to conquer my fears." Ethari pointed his sword into the darkness, revealing some of the cave ahead. The cave walls were barely visible, due to the thick webs that covered most of the walls. Spider feet skittered across the floor, making a erie noise. Ethari turned back to Yuna, and said "would you like to accompany me inside the cave?"

"Greetings Yuna, I am glad that I ran across you, for I'm not sure if I could have killed him ether. I'm afraid of spiders, and I choked up back there. If I hadn't cast that Bless spell, I would have been eaten alive by that spider." She listened to what he said carefuly. " What brings you down to the spider caves? Its dangerous down here, and who knows how many more spiders there is. Let me answer the question first. I'm down here to kill some spiders, plain and simple. I've already said I'm afraid of the creatures, and I want to face my fear and kill them, and I don't care if I kill the queen or just some old spider, I just want to conquer my fears. "would you like to accompany me inside the cave?" " She nodded slightly, with an odd loook on her face.

"Me? I am here for revenge. The spiders killed my twin around two months ago, I want to...get back at them would probably be the right words." She siad in a quiet voice. She sighed. "I know, it is foolish. I should not feel that way...but I do. And yes, I will come with you into the cave, the two of us are more likely to come out in one peice than the two of us seperately." She siad calmly. She looked toward the cave floor, then sighed, looking up.

(I am dead for ideas at the moment...)

Ethari listened quietly to what Yuna had to say. "Me? I am here for revenge. The spiders killed my twin around two months ago, I want to...get back at them would probably be the right words." She sighed softly and continued. "I know, it is foolish. I should not feel that way...but I do. And yes, I will come with you into the cave, the two of us are more likely to come out in one piece than the two of us separately." Ethari nodded knowingly.

"I understand family death." He sighed himself, and continued, his own head held low. "Most my family died when I was a child. All I have left is my sister." Ethari sighed again, ashamed of his sister, but wished not to go any further in that subject. He raised his head again and finished, saying "I have still yet to seek revenge, but mark my words, those filthy little cultists have yet to face my wrath, and I will avenge my family, and destroy all in that cult."

By the end of the speech, he was practically shouting, so angered at the people who killed his family. "I'm sorry," Ethari said quietly ," let us continue on into the cave." Ethari held his lit sword into the cave, illuminating the path ahead of them. He took a cautious step forward, swiping at spider web in front of him, and wiping his hand on his pants, riding himself of the sticky substance.

Ethari faced Yuna again, and scanned her body, checking to see if she happened to have a sword on her. Ethari detached his own long sword, keeping his diamond blade to himself, and handed it to her, saying "these spider webs are proving to be quite a nuisance. Would you mind using this long sword here to cut away any of the webs in front of us?"

"I understand family death." He sighed himself, and continued, his own head held low. "Most my family died when I was a child. All I have left is my sister." Ethari sighed again, ashamed of his sister, but wished not to go any further in that subject. He raised his head again and finished, saying "I have still yet to seek revenge, but mark my words, those filthy little cultists have yet to face my wrath, and I will avenge my family, and destroy all in that cult. I'm sorry," Ethari said quietly ," let us continue on into the cave. these spider webs are proving to be quite a nuisance. Would you mind using this long sword here to cut away any of the webs in front of us?"

Yunalesca listened to his words carefully. She tilted her head very slightly to the right. She gazed at him, as if deciding how to reply to his words. She bit her lip for a moment, still uncertian of what to say. Yuna was not the kind that felt sorry or pitied another person.

"I am sorry for your losses." She said finally, gracefully, bowing her head slightly in respect. After a moment, she raised her head and nodded in agreement with his words. "I do not mind using the sword, if you are certian that you want to let me use it. Mind you, the sword is not my weopon of choice, I only know a little of it." She said very calmly. Her eyes flickered around the cave, or at least, the part of it that they could see. She sighed softly shaking her head very slightly.

Yuna seemed relaxed, and calm now. Yes, she was focused and listening for any sound, but she did not seem afraid.

Yuna took Ethari's blade gently, and said "I do not mind using the sword, if you are certain that you want to let me use it. Mind you, the sword is not my weapon of choice, I only know a little of it." Ethari smiled gently and responded "Don't worry, feel free to drop it if combat comes, and draw your bow. And after we kill the spider, you can pick up the sword again, and we can continue."

With that Ethari began to walk down the tunnel, chopping the webs along with Yuna, his light shining brightly, illuminating some of the cave ahead. Ethari soon saw another leg skittering in the small source of light. "Watch out, I fell there is another spider approaching. I fear that the sounds of combat that happened in the front of the cave attracted more of the spiders."

Ethari stopped, and scanned the cave, sounds echoing all around. His eye's darted around, trying to find the spider. He heard a sound, and quickly tried to find it's location. It came from the ceiling of the cave. Before Ethari had time to look up, a spider fell from the roof of the cave, and crushed his body. Ethari grunted, the weight of the spider knocking the wind out of him.

He reached his hand up, placing it on the spiders hairy body, and cast the Energy Drainage spell. The spider collapsed on Ethari, due to his sudden lack of energy, but soon pulled itself up. By the time the spider regained his composure, Ethari had already pulled his leg up, and used it to kick the spider, sending it off his body. Ethari stood and pointed his sword at the spider, but only to meet a gruesome site. There was another spider, which looked even larger. Ethari gulped, and readied his sword for combat.

"Don't worry, feel free to drop it if combat comes, and draw your bow. And after we kill the spider, you can pick up the sword again, and we can continue. Watch out, I fell there is another spider approaching. I fear that the sounds of combat that happened in the front of the cave attracted more of the spiders."

Yuna nodded easily. She sighed, well at least she knew that he wasn't going to kill her if they got it to a fight and she found herself in a fight, because she knew almost nothing of the blade. She held the sword pretty well, but not perfectly. She had not been joking when she said that she knew only a very little about fighting with the sword.

Yuna looked at him "I do not doubt it." She said coolly. She was listening to every sound, for anything that would hint to the what the spiders whereabouts were. She was still startled by the spider, she hadn't expected it so fast. She literally dropped the sword beside her. She pulled her bow from over her shoulder. She found herself unable to shoot until it got off of Ethari, because she feared hurting him.

Yuna's eyes widened as she saw the second spider come up. "Ohh no." She wispier softly. She placed an arrow to the string, and drew it back to her ear, taking aim very carefully. When she was sure her shot was clear, and as sure as she could be that she would hit one of the spiders, she loosed the arrow.

She watched the arrow hit the first spider in the abdomen, his body. She winced, realizing that most likely that was not the best thing for her to do.