After a bit of fumbling around town making sure that we knew where we were going and what we were going there for, we set out for the mysterious cave. It was slightly less pleasant than expected. At least we went home at the end of our adventure, so I was able to sleep in a nice clean bed.

The cave's entrance was a very steep but short decline (this will be relevant later). It was dark, and vaguely musty and odorous as expected. Someone else had brought a lantern, fortunately -- yet another item I hadn't thought to buy -- and Vernon tracked some footsteps into the first room. While Vernon tracked into one corner, some horribly icky snake things with tentacles for heads attacked us out of the darkness! After a lengthy and incompetent fight wherein I felt much better about my relative lack of prowess (and I hit a couple times this fight! Unfortunately the snakes' scales were magically enhanced or some such and my rapier couldn't penetrate them), we emerged victorious. Malif actually fired off some rays of cold and waves of fire, which was more magic than I had ever seen used in one place before. It was pretty impressive. I wonder if I can do something like that someday. Somehow I doubt it.

Anyway. Blink was injured and unbelievably whiny about it. Given how limited our healing powers were at the time, it seemed needless to cure every last scratch he took, but he was not to be swayed. Vernon is at least as obstinate as Blink about these things, so after I used my healing song we decided to trek back to the city to purchase a wand of healing. Vernon...stayed behind. In the dark cave with the dead snakes. At some point I should verify that he was actually admitted to our school.

At the mage's guild we learned where to go to buy a wand of healing, and when we arrived there I purchased a wand using the group's funds. Someone mocked my choosing to offer more than he would likely have charged, but given our squalid, snake-blood-covered condition at that point I was disinclined to prolong the transaction, which I am sure the enchanter appreciated. In addition, we are planning ot purchase more items from this man, and a good relationship is key to a good supply. And finally, I do not "haggle". Does a king dispute the price of his robes with the tailor? Does a duke quibble over the cost of his meals? These people have much to learn about refined society. We also managed to find a reasonable restaurant for dinner before returning to the cave, again thanks to me. I do hope that some of this takes hold and rather than my having to learn to accept monster innards draped across my clothes all the time, some of them will learn the benefits of spending time at home.

Vernon was alive when we got back, to our shock and amazement. He had also found a small cache of treasure while poking around. As we pushed on, we found a pile of decaying corpses and bones. Other people searched this and found a pouch that we believe to be the courier's, as well as...some body parts that may also have been his. Someone else carried those.

As the night was still young, we decided to push on a bit farther before returning with our prize. We ran into some flying goo-monsters in the next section of the cave that stuck us to the ground and mostly ate Kestrel before we dispatched them. I got to use the wand once, and I injured one of the goo-things! An exciting moment indeed, until I had to clean my rapier. Kestrel was badly weakened by their poison, but even so we poked around a bit more before retreating. We found a clear potion in the goo-beasts' nest, but more interestingly we also found a cabin! Underground! An odd thing indeed. It had been abandoned, as one might expect. We discovered a journal that I'm sure had something of interest to someone else and a monocle that allowed one to see magical auras. We used it to verify that the pouch was a courier pouch. The others seem convinced that the cabin would somehow be useful to us if we wanted to hide out of the city, an eventuality I sincerely hope never occurs, but I can see its appeal. With a bit of work and some time spent clearing the area of the remaining denizens (some evil-looking lizards were on the far side of the river that runs through the cave) it could be an acceptable emergency residence. I suggested that we dig a pit at the entrance of the cave, where the incline is, and we could know to jump off the incline, but the others seem convinced that we should do something less lethal. I am unimpressed.

We returned home and delivered the pouch to the police. Malif was oddly convinced that we would be accused of killing the courier when we turned it in, or that Alana would, or something else improbable, but eventually he was shouted down.

Our mission finished, Blink and I headed home to get a midnight snack. Many of our classmates came by our table in the commons to congratulate us on our efforts for Tera, which I was apparently in error about the secrecy of, and that idiot Brock claimed he could have done my job better than I. I showed him the hardening goo still on my boots from where I had been bound to the floor and told him that if he wanted to endure what I have gone through in the last week he was more than welcome to. We also got an invitation to a post-finals party and Kestra came by to make eyes at me and such. It was good. Now I am going to bed.

Mar 3

I woke up, had breakfast, and went off to look for Pippy while the others took care of some errands. He was nowhere to be found; perhaps someone warned him of my wrath and he has gone to ground. I imagine he'll turn up again. I will have my explanation and some satisfaction as well. I then went to look for Tera to find out why everyone knew about our mission and she was also gone! She is taking a "leave of absence" at her home. Something is going on here.

After a fine lunch, we met up at the library and talked to Malif's mother about the dream we had a few nights ago which everyone but me seemed to have forgotten their concerns about. We got her to start doing research on that sort of thing. I also hired a professional researcher to supplement her work, and I think we will be doing some study ourselves. It is nice to be returning to the school routine. I hope I can slip off to my music lessons while we spend a few days in town letting Kestrel recuperate.

I did a lot of talking in the last few days and little drumming. I shall have to work on that.