Chapter 1: On Duty

“Next please!” The ever dutiful Katheryne beckons me over, as the line for daily commission work continued on.
Noticing it was me, Katheryne put away the usual Commission book, the one usually filled with monsters and banditry and odd mechanism challenges, and pulled out the Requests book.
Unlike a lot of the Adventurers, who craved fame and glory, I was more into the exploring and surveying, helping the various Mages and Alchemists of Mondstadt with their work, so they didn’t have to go out into the field for basic things, so they could keep their eyes on more important work.
The Surveyors were a small bunch, but we’d done much to earn the trust of the Adventurers Guild.

“Thanks.” I said, nodding to the different book.

Katheryne beamed that official smile she was well loved for.
“Your work is just as important as the others, so its no harm.”
Unlike Adventurers, who got to choose their tasks, which made sense given the known danger, me and mine were given a list of locations and what we were supposed to look for, with the expectation that atleast one location would be marked off. More locations and tasks, meant more pay. But a single location was enough to guarantee a bed for the night, and a meal or two.
She started to hand me the task sheet, but stopped just before I could grab it.
“Just a warning: The Hilichurls and other wildlife in the areas listed have been unusually aggressive lately, to the point where we are willing to give you a day’s pay if you don’t think its safe.”

I blinked in surprise. None of the Guild work was without danger.
If anything, the Surveyors were more like to encounter the mysterious Abyss Order, or the dangerous Treasure Hoarders. But they’d been safer lately, an Outlander apparently pushing them back to the point that the Knights of Favonious could atleast vaguely predict areas that needed patrols.

“That bad, huh?”

“Yes. This warning is also given with the knowledge that some Knights might be in the area. We cannot decide your actions for you, we can just do provide you a safe alternative.” The Guild representative bowed in apology.

I sighed, and reached for the task list. As tempting as the idea of a day off was, I needed to refill my rainy day coffers, which meant extra work.
“I’ll take your warning under advisement. Ad Astra Abyssoque.”

Katheryne smiled, noting my name on the original copy the Guild used for invoices.
“Very well. I wish you good fortune in your endeavors. Ad Astra Abyssoque.”

Steeling myself for a potential day of hardships, I made my way towards the gate.
Passing through and half way across the bridge, I swear the breeze carried the voice of Katheryne, “Oh, Miss Eula. May I have a word?”

—————————————-

“Huh, who’d have thought there was Oceanid samples in Springvale…..” I mused aloud, thinking about the commission.
I’d been confused as to why someone had wanted samples of Springvale’s water, since they’d long tested it ages ago due to the legend of the Spring Fairy.
And seeing that the testing kit in question had been for a type of Hydro Energy only Oceanids could produce, left me even more confused, since you’d have thought someone would’ve already tested for this.
But here I was, with only the spring water vial glowing strongly, with some of the other nearby sites glowing weakly, and others showing no reaction.
I marked down the results in my Findings book, just like how the Alchemists had taught me.

Despite Katheryne’s warning, the day had been uneventful, if long.
I’d been forced to make the trek to Stormbearer point, and collect rainwater samples if it rained, or at minimum just do some basic atmospheric readings. I had followed one of the patrols who’d left shortly after I had, yet had managed to overtake me.

I’d then taken a quick windglide across to the large gap, aiming to cut a lot of walk time for my second target, the Starsnatch Cliff. I’d planned to glide down to near where the Statue of the Seven was, but the area was known for its tribes of Hilichurls, and heeding the warning I’d been given, I’d decided to push my skills and try and land higher up. While the cliff tops seemed inhospitable to climbing, I knew of some paths other Surveyors had long maintained, that’d allow me to bypass most of the threats I was worried about.
But I also wasn’t exactly skilled at windgliding. If not for the apparent grace of Barbatos blessing my wings, I most likely would’ve had to try an emergency wall landing, but instead a strong gust of wind appeared below me, pushing me up and the edge, well out of harms way.

………only for my wings to give out and me to crash land, breaking them in the process. Luckily I’d have the money to buy a new set after today, but I’d had to cut down the amount of targets I could aim for.
It had taken me until Midday to get to the designated area on the Cliffs, and another hour to get the information required.

I’d really lucked out with the Springvale request, since there was only a few easy to reach places for water samples.

But it also meant I only had one choice left for a final commission, one which also promised a hefty bonus, which now explained the warning.
The Brightcrown Canyons. I didn’t need to head into the hostile area surrounding the ruins at the heart of that area of Mondstadt, but the cliffs I was being directed to were known for wild boars and roaming hilichurl bands.
The boars were troublesome, but they tended to run long before I was in danger of meeting them.
The Hilichurls were another problem. No tribe was established in the area, but the Abyss Mages were common, meaning large bands were constantly roaming with no set encampments.

Standing at the path that led out of Springvale and diverted towards Mondstadt in one direction, and Wolvendom in the other, I consulted my map.
Main roads weren’t a great idea, atleast without a few Knights. And none of the paths that other Surveyors used got me anywhere near where the request wanted me to go.
“How do I even get there? What is worth this much Mora out by the cliffs overlooking Cider Lake?” I mused aloud, starting to get a little frustrated. It was getting late, and besides the inherent dangers of Brightcrown Canyon, going through Wolvendom at night wasn’t worth the anxiety.
I knew the Wolves wouldn’t attack me without me doing so first. But feeling the eyes of so many predators in the dark was one of the many reasons I chose Survey work over true adventuring.

“Oh, that’s easy. I know a path! And it’s within the acceptable range of my patrol route, so I can take you!” Came the happy and helpful voice of a young, energetic woman, who was standing just behind me enough that I hadn’t noticed her, despite her obviously also studying my map.
I flinched briefly, before I realized who it was.
There was only one woman with such a bright red ribbon in her dark brown hair, reminiscent of rabbit ears, whose red outrider outfit was its own symbol of safety for the Surveyors.
“Oh, its you, Miss Amber. You gave me a start.”

The famous Outrider Knight herself was before me, in the flesh. I’d “worked” with her before, where she scouted ahead, and reported back to the Knight in charge of guarding a group of us, when we needed to do work in the more dangerous areas around Mondstadt.
She looked just as beautiful as ever. Her long, flowing brown hair only vaguely windswept. Which made sense, since it wasn’t common for her to stay still long enough for it to be anything but windswept behind her.

I don’t know who designed the outfits for the various Knights, or if the leading Knights specifically had their outfits tailored to their own tastes, but the way it hugged her form was very appreciated.

“Heehee, my bad. I thought you’d heard me before, but it seems you were to engrossed in your map!” She beamed, her smile as bright as the explosions she was somewhat renowned for.
She might not have the same explosive reputation as the Sparknight, but everyone knew Amber somehow had a small arsenal at her command.
Or, as I noticed her red Vision, it had something to do with the Pyro energy she could probably manipulate.
“It’s been a while. Would you like me to guide you to that spot you mentioned?”

“…….wait, you remember me?” I asked, very confused. I’d never really had any direct interactions with her, so I was under the impression she didn’t know me beyond ‘a surveyor’.

“Mm-hm! I see you all the time when I’m out on patrol! Like how you crash landed earlier today!” She laughed good-naturedly, at my mix of good fortune and misfortune. If it were anyone else, the remark might’ve annoyed me, but she was also renowned as one of the best Windgliders in Mondstadt, so I couldn’t work up anything but resignation at her accurate remark.
“But it seems you must have Barbatos’ favor, with how the wind picked you up. The crash was probably the price you paid for it.” She smiled, easing the blow the my ego with that remark.

Again, her remark made sense. Barbatos looked out for those who took a chance, and would reward you for doing so.
But he claimed a price, usually in the form of a minor, but embarrassing, misfortune. I’d been alone when it happened, so I’d assumed my price had been self-embarrassment.
But nope. Apparently, my price had been having the best windglider in the area watch me break my windglider.

Noticing the dejected look on my face, she proceeded to pat my head, causing her to strain a little, due to the height difference.
“Oh, don’t look so sad. I didn’t meany anything by it.” She then proceeded to grab my hand, and pull me along.
“C’mon, we’ve got a trek ahead of us, if we are to get there before dusk AND avoid Hilichurls!”

I followed the insistent tug of the bunny-like Outrider, as we started on the path that led us to the nearby Dawn Winery.

——————————————-

“How was this a shortcut?” I wheezed, pulling myself up to the top of the plateau. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but Dusk was threatening to break over the horizon.

My guide giggled.
“I never promised you a shortcut. I promised to get you here. And here we are!” Amber beamed, before turning back to watch the shift from day to night. While a Mondstadt sunrise was a treat to the eyes, few people seemed to notice the serene beauty of a full moon starting to rise over Mondstadt.
She was right, of course. All the ‘shortcuts’ led through Hilichurl or Abyssal order territory, so we’d had to have gone this odd zigzagging climbing path. But we’d gotten here, which was all that mattered.

“Beautiful…” I whispered, after parking myself against a wall, so I could catch my breathe.

“Huh? I don’t…what????” Amber was suddenly flustered, a bright blush almost lost in the orange light of dusk.

I gestured to the moon.
“It’s beautiful. I never tired of seeing the moon in all its splendor.” I replied, gazing at the slowly rising planetary body.

Amber looked from me, to the moon, and back again, before calming herself down.
“Right. The moon. Of course.” Apparently collecting herself, she redirected the conversation.
“So, where exactly do you need to go here?”

Oh right, the reason we were here.
“Um……something to do with Geo energy readings, I think?” I guessed, pulling out my checklist.
As I found the page for this specific job, a powerful gust of wind stole the page, making it dance away as it followed the natural air flow the sheer cliff besides us allowed.

Both Amber and I were quick to give chase, with the Outrider Knight managing to catch it just before it flew into a strange, glowing cave entrance. Geo Energy was slowly but surely pulsing around the entrance.
“I guess this is what it means?” Amber guessed, also confused at what we were seeing.
Geo Energy wasn’t uncommon in Mondstadt, but it also wasn’t particularly strong. So beyond some natural concentrations, or Geo Slime aggregation zones, having a place with noticeable Geo Energy actively forming a cave was very strange.

“I would assume so……” I trailed off, moving closer to properly look at the strange formation.
Upon closer inspection, there was actually a small break in the rock face, enough for one of us to easily get through. The request was vague, so I made the assumption that exploring this Geo Cave might be what was required. Even if it wasn’t, the results would probably be of interest to both the Knights and the Alchemists.
Taking my backpack off, I started to attempt to pull myself through. As part of my training, I’d done some spelunking, enough to be able to test whether an opening was safe to try pushing through.

And it turned out this one was. It was a little tight getting through, but I didn’t get stuck. I then repeated the process, to ensure I could get out if needed.
“Cool. Once I’m through, can you push my backpack through?” I turned to ask Amber, who was keeping her eye on the surrounding, her face scrunched up in a concerned frown as she scanned the surrounding area.

“Sure. I’ll just keep lookout until you’re done. My instincts tell me we shouldn’t stay here longer than necessary.” The normally energetic Knight was now solemn and cautious.

“….good to know. Shouldn’t take long to record what I find in there.” If a Knight of Favonious was concerned, I was going to listen to her. She was one of the Acting Grand Master’s well regarded Knights, after all. And being an Outrider, a scout who rode out much further than was safe, she probably relied on those instincts a lot.

Pushing myself back through, I then stuck my hand back, ready to help.
“Okay, pass me my bag.”
It was quick to my hand, and just as quick to pass through.
I began making my way down the path inside this cave. Given how smooth the bedrock here was, this may have been a Cave formed the natural collision of the different types of Elemental Energy. Rounding a bend, I found a rather beautiful sight.

A web of roots, coursing with Pyro Energy, the energy playing a beautiful dance in the shadows, as it ran along various complex patterns.
“Are these Flaming Flowers, or Pyro Whopperfowers? The roots don’t seem thick enough to be a Regisvine…….”

I also found a small clutch of roots at the back, quietly pulsing with Cryo Energy. The Pyro-infused vines seemed to overtake the majority the ceiling, but this small clutch was close enough at the back of the strange cave for the Cyro and Pyro energies to be reacting, some small pools having formed at the back, underneath the Cyro vines.
If not for the fact it was deep in Hilichurl territory, this might have been considered a rather nice secluded spot for rest.

I wrote down what I found. Even if no one found this cave useful, it’d be a good idea to mark its location for future use. It wasn’t easy to get access to plants infused with Elemental Energy that didn’t attack you on sight, or have violent reactions.
Turning back to the way I had come, I noticed that a similar Geo Formation also surrounded this entrance.

That explained how smooth the path had been!
The two formations were connected, with the Elemental roots apparently powering it and enabling it to stay open. Atleast, that was what my hypothesis was.
I was about to start making my way out, when a dark shape quickly rushed into the inner cave.

“Shhhh.” The dark shape that turned out to be Amber shushed me, pushing me further into the cave.
“An Abyss Mage appeared at the other end of the plateau, and it seems to be convincing a band of Hilichurls to settle down for the night. We need to lay low and keep quie–” Amber stopped as the Pyro roots resonated with something, and the Geo formation responded in kind, the rock slowly shifting back into place. The Geo energy winked out, the formation now looking like normal rock.

Trying not to panic, I was quick to investigate the now closed pathway.
In the dark, shadowy light of the roots, it seemed as if the opening was sealed shut. But running my fingers along where I had seen the Geo formation, my heart calmed as I found two very useful bits of information.

“Are we trapped?” Amber asked, starting to fidget a little. I realized that, as the Outrider Knight, she was probably used to not being in enclosed spaces.

I now had to be very careful in how I approached this. Cave Ins were terrifying experiences, especially without the right tools, or a Geo Vision Bearer.
“Yes, but we’re aren’t in danger.”

The conflicted look of terror and confusion warring for control of Amber’s features thankfully stopped her from panicking and scaring herself before I could elaborate.

“The Geo Formation is still intact, just inert. I’m guessing it’ll open up after draining some energy from the Roots above us.” I said, using a knife to trace one of the rather energetic roots, back to where the Geo formation had been. The metal was quick to heat up, the pure Pyro energy being very potent.

Amber let out a sigh of relief, before a more controlled look of concern replaced the almost terror she had previously worn.
“Then what about air?”
She might be calmer now, but she was still fidgeting at the potential answers to this very serious concern.

I carefully reached for her hand, and brought her over to the entrance.
I ran her hand over a few small gaps in the wall, and a gasp rewarded my effort.

“The entrance isn’t sealed!” Amber sighed in relief, and the tension eased out of her form. As her hand brushed past the Geo formation, a strange circle formed in the formation. I ignored it for now, since getting us both comfortable for a long haul was more important.

“Yup. Beyond food, we should be fine here. We’ve got water, air, and I’ve got a large enough tent to make a comfortable sleeping area.”
I wasn’t going to set the tent up, since that would be impossible.
But using it as a base to then spread out the blankets on, it would make the floor somewhat more comfortable.

I turned to see Amber studying the roots.
“Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah. But I think I can do something about food….” Amber kept studying where the Pyro energy was pulsing and gathering to, and began digging into the softer dirt.
Which then revealed some partly developed Pyro Slimes. Not developed enough to be a danger, but they were definitely growing to a point where they would soon start being active.
“It’s not gonna be pretty, but we can technically eat them.”

“Really?” I asked, curious. I’d heard rumors of a few wandering using Slime Gel to make food, but I had yet to see any recipes grace the Good Hunter’s menu.

“Technically. Its not advised, since you can’t be sustained on it, but it does give you energy.” Amber mused.
“But that was for Vision Bearers.”

She then glanced at me.
“You should be fine. At the very least, eating some will…….ensure we don’t make waste……” She looked away, the dim red light of the pyro roots failing to hide the blush on her pale skin.

“Oh.” I bushed as well, since that was a major drawback I hadn’t accounted for.
Hoping to divert our conversation away from that odd topic, I doubled down on my curiosity in eating Slimes.
“So how exactly does one eat them?”

Amber very eagerly began digging out one of the proto-slimes, the solid gelatin-like structure glowing dimly with a weak pyro energy.
“Do you have a Spoon? A spoon is best, but we can work with knife if needed.” she stated, carefully cupping the strange almost-being.

“I’ll check.” I was so glad I’d had the foresight to bring my backpack with me.
As I search my equipment, I began to be dismayed. I technically had the tools, but they were contaminated with the residue of the various chemicals I’d been doing tests earlier with. But it did seem I had a few spare vials.
Wait a minute……

“How viscous is the slime?” I asked, a clever idea forming, as I brought out a small vial holder, and placed my empty vials in them.

“How what?” Amber asked, apparently confused at the word. Which made sense. Viscosity isn’t a word the average person was likely to hear.

I paused, thinking of a better way to phrase what I needed.
“Is it like a water skin, where once you pop it, it keeps draining until its empty? Or is it more like a thick jelly, where you can use a utensil to carve out what you need and it’ll retain its shape?”

“Oh.” She perked up, understanding what I had meant.
“Like jelly. Its why using a spoon is usually the best way to attempt it.”

“Then I’ve got something we can work with.” I picked up a vial, and turned towards Amber and the proto-slime.
Noticing the light layer of dirt covering the proto-slime, I paused. I’d eat the light dirt covering if necessary, but first I’d atleast wanna try to clean it first.

Seeing me pause, Amber looked at the slime, and nodded.
“Ah, right. We need to clean it somehow.” She looked back to the two water pools.
“Should we used one as a cleaning pool?”

I shook my head.
“No, I’d rather not risk it. While we can survive without food for a while, water is not something we should risk lightly.”
Turning back to my backpack, I started pulling out bits and pieces of different testing kits.
Between the few clean kits I had, I had enough bits of metal mesh and metal stands to hold a decent sized slime, if necessary. I went back to the small hole Amber had dug, and carefully balanced the stands and mesh so that any water we passed through the mesh would seep down into the disturbed dirt, and hopefully not dirty our covered area.
I paused, turning back to the expert.
“Are you going to be able to dig up any more without disturbing this?”

Instead of looking into the small slimebed, Amber glanced at the roots above.
“Yeah, there should be other areas I can dig if needed.” she answered a moment later.

I motioned for her to put the proto-slime on to the mesh. It was apparently fine enough that he weight of the slime didn’t immediately cause it to flow through.
While Amber positioned the Slime, I filled one of my vials with water, and proceeded to slowly trickle the icy water over the slime, quickly removing the light dirt.

Setting up another vial rack, I put the vial I’d used for water in it, along with a spare. That meant we had two racks, with two vials each.
One for water, and one for food.
I then picked up a new vial, to see if my idea would work.

Very carefully, I pushed the vial through the slime, gouging a small chunk from it, before it reformed itself, now slightly smaller.
Pulling the vial back, I eyed my victorious meal.
“Well, here goes!” I said, before placing the vial to my lips and quickly upturning it.
The strange gel was an odd sensation, akin to very thick water, leaving behind a strange warm feeling as it traveled down my gullet.
Having swallowed it, I took a deep breath, and waited. Beyond the strange sensation of the gel seeping deep into me, and a pleasantly warm sensation spreading throughout my body.

“You all good?” Amber asked, slightly concerned.

“I feel a little warm, and I’m definitely not going to willingly eat Slimes outside of an extreme situation like this, but otherwise, yeah, I think so.” I sighed in relief.
There was worse ways to spend time, than being trapped in a room with a beautiful woman.

As Amber reached for a new vial, I suddenly became very well aware of how tight fitting her outfit was. Of how short her pants were. Of how pleasingly open her top was, not quite showing off what she had, but enough to draw your attention there.
As she sat back and swallowed her own ‘meal’, I watched the motion of her throat swallowing rather intensely.

I diverted my eyes when she was done, unsure of why I was now VERY AWARE of the Knight’s body.

“Oh.” Amber said, hand resting on a similar spot on her body where the warm feeling had originated in mine.

“Problem?” I asked, doing all I can to avoid admiring her curves.

She sighed tiredly, apparently resigning herself to something.
“No, it’s fine. Do you have a blanket you can spare? I might need it later.”

“Uh, sure.” I rummaged around and found one, more an undersized towel than a blanket. We couldn’t use it for bedding, so it’d have to do.

Having received the towel, she eyed how small it was, then looked down at herself, and sighed again.
I don’t know what was causing this change in demeanor, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.
“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” She stopped, before sighing and just stating what was on her mind.
“So, that warm feeling? Its gonna make us feel very hot later, especially the more we eat. I’m just…..preparing in case I need to take off this outfit.”
Now that she mentioned it, I was definitely starting to feel warmer than normal.

“Ah.” I said, unsure of what to say.
As much as I now suddenly really enjoyed the idea of Amber sans outfit, I couldn’t blame her for wanting some modesty.
Well, getting to know someone usually made these sort of things easier to deal with, so what was the worst that could happen?
“So, what’s it like being a Knight of Favonious?”

“Huh?” She blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden inquiry.

“We’re going to spend who knows how long stuck in here. Might as well get to know one another, right?” I asked, smiling weakly.
It was rich, coming from me. I’d join the Surveyors to be away from people, or to work in small groups. It just sounded like the right thing to say.

She laughed heartily, brushing a tear away from her eye.
“You know what? You’re right!” She sat herself down beside me, using my backpack as a backrest.
“So, being a Knight of Favonious is quite the job.” She began, as I settled in.
If nothing else happened, atleast the Outrider and I might be friends by the end of this.

——————————————————-

I got up to stretch my legs. We’d talked for quite a while, Amber regaling me with various tales of what she and the other Knights got up to and their idiosyncrasies, and I told her about the various commission work I did. She also told me about her Partner, Eula Lawrence.

She’d been vague about what she meant by the word partner.
As far as I knew, Knights would work together often, but they weren’t “partnered” with each other.
And the way she spoke about Eula was definitely hinting at being very close.
But I didn’t press the topic. If she wanted to tell me what she meant, we’d have time.
I was also glad that whatever had caused me to become hyper aware of every movement Amber’s body made seemed to have released me, atleast for the moment.

Looking at the spot where the Geo formation had been, I remembered the small circle that had lit up, and went to investigate.
Upon getting close enough to have a proper look, the flat circle of energy suddenly increase in size, and gave us a clear view of the area outside the cave!!!
……………which happened to be a clear view on an Abyssal Mage Ritual.
“Hey Amber?” I asked, wanting to check something.

“Mmm?” She replied sleepily, probably close to falling asleep. Which made sense, given how it was nightfall outside, and the Pyro roots were now pulsing dully, not longer getting as much energy due to the sun having set.

“You said there was only a Mage, and some Hilichurls, right?”

She properly woke up at that, stretching before coming over to join me, by the strange viewing magic.
“Yeah, that was all I could see before I came to get you.” She paused mid stretch.
“Why, what did you find?”

I indicated to the strange viewing circle.
“This thing is letting me see outside the cave. But I’m seeing a Mage ritual, and atleast two Mitachurls.” I tiredly stated.
Mitachurls usually meant a decent sized band. They were also a bit lazier than the mages who enjoy corralling the smaller Hilichurls around. So seeing two sitting around enjoying the ritual meant we were in this for a long while.

Amber sighed. “No one knows I’m out this far. What about you?”

I thought over what she asked.
I didn’t have any friends close enough to ask after me, or notice me missing. I was an only child, and my family had long since left this world.
But as I remember the reason why I was here, a glimmer of hope shone in my mind.
“Katheryne!” I sighed in relief.

Amber cocked her head in confusion.
“What does the Guild Receptionist have to do with this?”

I rummaged through my bag, for my commission slip.
“I’m on commission. It came with a warning, for this area specifically! So in theory, after the minimum missing in action time, a search party should be formed!”
Relief washed over me. Never had I been happier for the bureaucracy of the Commission system.

“Oh sweet. How long will we have to wait?” Amber asked, curious.

Reality suddenly hit me hard, as I remembered the protocol.
“For normal commissions, two days.” I paused, as I was having trouble forcing myself to turn the information in my head into audible words.
“For a Surveyor commission, four days…..” I trailed off, sliding down the wall by the Geo Formation.

“Oooof, this is gonna be rough, huh?” Amber asked, sitting down beside me, giving me a pat on the back.

“…….thats only the preliminary investigation, to see if traces can be found. A full search won’t come until a week has past.” I said from between my knees, hanging my head dejectedly.
While our job was still risky, we were often encouraged to stay at nearby towns or settlements, or camp if it was safe enough, since our work didn’t require immediate results.
So we were given more leeway.

The patting sensation on my back froze, as the situation we were in finally sank in for us both.
“Ah. Well, I’m going to try to sleep.” Amber sighed as she crawled over to the bedding.
After quickly getting herself as comfortable as she could, she passed out. A trait that she shared with other explorers, I noticed. I envied them their ability to fall asleep anywhere.

Waiting to ensure she was properly asleep, I crawled over to the slime, and forced two more vials worth down my throat, while I could still easily stomach it.
The warm feeling I’d thought gone returned with a vengeance.

Oh archons. I see what she meant now.
I was now quite warm. Warm enough that I needed to strip down into my underlayers.
Let’s hope sleeping will make this easier……..

I used a water vial to cool myself off a little, before laying down beside Amber, and eventually managed to pass out.

—————————————–

“It’s so hot……..” I groaned, noticeably damp with sweat from the heat of the Pyro roots. I was now ninety percent sure the roots were from Flaming Flowers, given how brazenly they were releasing heat into the small cave.

“Yeah, this is probably real rough for you.” Amber agreed, her boots and stocking off in a neat pile, but otherwise seemingly unaffected. She still felt the heat, but it didn’t affect her like it was me.
She’d said it was due to her Vision, that Pyro didn’t affect her as easily.

“I know this is awkward, but do you mind if I strip?” I asked, hoping she was fine with it.
I’d much rather be hot from awkwardly being naked, then suffering with the heat of my own body being contained.

“It’s fine, so long as it’s okay if I do so to.” She meekly added.

“I thought the heat was fine for you?”

“It is. But the humidity is becoming a bit too much.” She explained, turning around to give me some privacy, which I then followed suit.

Ah, that made sense.
While the direct heat of the Pyro energy might not be affecting her, the humid air still would, since her Vision apparently didn’t do anything to help with it, atleast in this scenario.

I was quick to strip my underlayer, and didn’t even entertain the idea of keeping my underwear on either. This was very much a ‘it all most go’ type of heat. But I waited until I could hear Amber stop moving, before I asked, “You all good?”

“About as good as I can with what we’ve got.” She sighed.
“You’re good to turn around. Thanks for the privacy.” She added, a sweet note in the way she said that last part.