[Remedy]

Fraser - Richard
Monday - Forrest

A group of four steadily ascended to a high opening of the infamous Craiss Caverns. Dusk was upon them and light was slowly fading from the surroundings. This wasn’t too much of a concern for where they were headed, for the Caverns were known for being dark and dangerous. The group had come well prepared for such an excursion, with an assortment of supplies and back-up supplies distributed among them. Lanterns, flashlights, and matches were of necessity the most abundant collection in their possession.

[Remedy]

Fraser, the tallest of the group, walked ahead and paused momentarily to light a lantern. Behind him was his second-in-command, Richard: a stout, ill-tempered, middle-aged fellow who lacked the virtue of patience. “Hurry up then! We haven’t got all day, in a moment you won’t be able to see what you are doing,” he snapped at Fraser.

The latter was doing his best to start a flame, though a persistent breeze was hindering him. “I hope you’re not afraid of the dark, my friend, because this will take me a moment. Let’s take a few steps in out of this wind.”

[Remedy]

Richard complied and followed Fraser into the cave. The other half of the group trailed not far behind, though one was momentarily distracted. Monday Castor, the astrologist and only woman of the group, held an almost mystical fascination with the stars and couldn’t help but marvel as she always did when they began to appear in the night sky. It was to her disappointment that this quest was taking them underground; she still wasn’t quite confident that she would be of any use once they were inside. Her expertise in maps had brought them to this point, but she feared that to go any further would prove her to be a burden to them all.

[Remedy]

Rather than voice this concern, Monday resolved to carry on anyway. She was new to the team and wanted to prove however she could that she was worthy of being one of them. When they all met, she heard a great deal of their many adventures and developed a high level of respect for the trio.

A light ahead drew her attention away from the stars, and she saw that Fraser had managed to light the lantern. He and Richard were well inside the cavern at this point. Without another pause, she hurried ahead to join them.

[Remedy]

The fourth of the quartet was already with the other men and stood attentively, seeking a moment to voice some advice should the need arise. This busybody was Forrest Boswell, another partner whose profession put him slightly out of place in this environment. He was a botanist, though with the lack of sunlight where they were going, it was doubtful they would find any plants. His hope, however, was to discover a new species of cave-dwelling algae in some spring or another, and aptly carried his own supplies for that intended purpose.  

[Remedy]

The rest of the group held less interest in Forrest’s side-quest, though still endeavored to help him in any way possible – they were a team, after all. No, the primary focus of this journey was to capture a rare creature which, if subdued, could be traded for enough keystones to improve their ship, which had been slightly damaged during an unfortunate altercation at sea. Richard had done what he could to patch it up, though a more thorough job was necessary for any long-term use, and for that they needed new materials.

[Remedy]

Fraser and Richard had been rehearsing the plan, both carrying a copy of the map. One was the original, purchased from a sketchy vendor in Jawan, and the other was a copy drawn up by Monday, who was surprisingly as proficient in tracing land-maps as she was in making maps of stars.

“This tunnel goes on for a while, but then it will branch off. How do you suppose we should split up the party?” Forrest inquired, peering over Richard’s shoulder at the map.

[Remedy]

“Gah! Insufferable man, you’re spitting in my ear!” Richard flinched and stepped away from Forrest, of whom he was always the most annoyed. “What makes you think we should even split up at all? That’s a sure way to get into trouble.”

“I think Forrest has a point, my friend. We will cover more ground that way, and we could all agree to meet up back at this point,” Fraser interjected, pointing at a spot on the map where both tunnels intersected again. “That way we won’t be apart for long.”

[Remedy]

This opinion seemed to fully satisfy all but Richard, but he conceded to the plan anyway. Fraser had a way of being lucky and, though Richard would never admit it aloud, was usually right when it came to such things as this. “We’ll split up in pairs, then. I’ll go with you, Fraser.”

“I think not- we’re both too experienced to pair up together. We should divide up more evenly. I’ll go with Forrest, and you take off with Miss Monday.”

No arrangement could quite be enough to satisfy Richard – he was not convinced of Monday’s ability to be of any use, but agreed on account of his not being stuck with Forrest. Fraser knew that this would be the only acceptable alternative for his friend and was pleased to see his suggestion tolerated.

[Remedy]

Monday was disappointed with her assigned partner, but did her best not to let it show. She had a greater admiration for Fraser than any other man in the group, and certainly would have wished to be paired up with him.

Forrest held a somewhat similar sentiment and happily accepted the arrangement, as he thought Fraser to be the most dependable one of the group. He felt considerable pride in being singled out as their leader’s partner, not recognizing that the choice was only made to separate himself and Richard.

[Remedy]

The four set off again, conserving light by following Fraser’s lonely lantern. Some lost their footing a few times on the jagged ground, but all managed to save themselves from a fall. It wouldn’t be good to have any of their equipment damaged so early in the journey. Monday was particularly light-footed and well-balanced; she made it over the rocks with ease.

Forrest and Richard were far less graceful and made a lot of noise as they moved along. Their footsteps echoed and the contents of their backpacks rustled and clanged with each swaying step. They were very alike in this way, though Richard would balk at the comparison.

[Remedy]

The swift-footed Monday had caught up with Fraser at this point. She liked being close to him, as he had an air of confidence that always inspired her in her own endeavors. “I don’t think we’ll sneak up on any creature, making as much noise as this,” Monday quietly whispered to Fraser, though her voice echoed throughout the narrow tunnel they were in.

“That better not be an insult to me,” Richard growled lowly, fully aware of the amount of noise that had been continuously emanating from his direction.

[Remedy]

“Oh, not at all,” Monday replied nervously, “just an observation.”

“I don’t think any of us could be silent in this environment,” Forrest chimed in. “The acoustics are too profound.”

“It’s to our advantage, in a way. We’ll be able to hear something approaching just as easily as it could hear us. Plus, I’m certain we are fully capable of doing the job without the element of surprise,” Fraser replied assuredly. This sounded very agreeable to all of them, and they continued on in verbal silence.

[Remedy]

As they hiked further and further from the entrance, the sound of the whistling wind went away and was replaced by deeper echoes of their own noises. It also got a considerable degree colder, though they were all dressed appropriately to handle the temperature.

It did not take long for the group to reach the anticipated fork in their path. Fraser set his lantern down and drew out the map to review before they parted ways. Richard drew close to look as well, though he still had his own copy.

[Remedy]

“We should meet back up in a few hundred feet. It won’t be too long. Let’s get your lantern lit, Richard.” Fraser motioned to take the unlit lantern from Richard, who had been carrying it the entire way. “I can do it myself,” Richard snapped, fumbling in his pocket for a box of matches. Fraser complied with his wishes, and within another few minutes they had a second lantern and were paired off as planned.

“See you soon,” Fraser chimed with a wave to Richard and Monday. Richard ignored the gesture and began walking on, but Monday paused to wave silently in return. Moments later, the group was separated.