Episode 25

Episode 25: Iced Over.

After the argument, Ganymede confronts Callisto for snapping, understanding where he’s coming from but telling him that he needs to pull it together and work together with everyone. Callisto feels terrible about what he did, but just needs some time to recover from losing it the way he did. Gemevieve is also distraught, Ganymede doing her best to comfort her as well. Ganymede is able to at least comfort both sides and help them on the path to make things right before they decide to rest for the night. The morning after the heated argument, everyone wakes up, feeling awkward and guilty about the fight from the previous night. Before heading out to explore more, Wood helps the tiny mushroom people prepare a burial for their passed friend, and Gem discovers a necklace left next to her overnight by an unknown admirer. Callisto and Gem are still tense, but don’t get a chance to really speak to one another before getting going.

Leaving Ras’s shrew creature behind, the party heads out of their cave for the day to search more, going down a narrow path that leads to not just a fork in the road, but a fork in the road blocked up by some collapses in the cave system. With a combined move of Wood’s water power and Callisto’s fiery skill, the ways are opened up, but the party has conflict over which way to go. Gemevieve decides to scout one of the paths first by herself to investigate a noise heard from it. Unfortunately, Gem jaunts down the path alone to find a Bell Viper, this one much bigger, stronger and more ravenous than the one in the Kenai Pass. Gem wakes it up right away with a clumsy fall, and panic ensues. The Bell Viper chases the party around the tunnels, snapping at them with quick jaws. In a panic, Gem quickly apologizes to Callisto for everything, feeling that they are all going to fall victim to the Viper. Death seems almost certain, until the party ends up in a dead end room with the Bell Viper… but also someone else. As if a savior sent to rescue them, a draconic humanoid with powerful ice abilities begins to help the party defend against the Bell Viper, dealing devastating damage with ice attacks. Dae, the draconic champion the party has been searching for, leaps into the fray with ferocity and vengeance. They do not hesitate to brutally murder the Bell Viper attacking them, leaving the party dumbfounded and terrified of their raw, untamed power.