February 18th:

talking to Z:
"I don't suppose you remember (or heard about for that matter) how millions of green mages just fell dead 15 years ago from unknown causes. I was just a small boy, but I remember like it was just an hour ago how my good friend just fell dead in front of my very eyes. Now I figure that can happen to any type of mage especially black mages. better safe than sorry."

"I doubt a ship long out of commission had anything to do with that," Rory interjected. "Whatever time we have, we should devote as much as we can to fixing your condition." He strides off after Z.

"I remember as well as anybody. It was a tragedy, but I refuse to live my life cowering in a corner afraid of some unknown doom that might possibly find me at any time for unknown reasons."

Over in a corner, Snarg snorts rather loudly as he continues to go around the area.

The hallway seems to go forward for some ways, getting dark very very quickly as you go. The torchlight only really highlights the few dozen feet ahead of you, but the trip down the long corridor goes fairly uneventful until without any real warning it opens up into a black abyss of a room. The room is at least somewhat large, as the light does not reach the ceiling, walls, nor floor. All you can see is the platform that seems to be hovering in the air, connected to the hallway you have just traversed, which heads out into the darkness.

Spoiler:

"A good way to live your life, although philosophy wont save ether of us from whatever is in here."

Zeiss takes his ring of light and activates it.

Spoiler:

Zeiss activates his ring, which shows more of the platform heading out into the darkness, and the walls immediately behind you where the hallway was leading from. Nothing else.

Snarg stops short and cautiously peers over the edge. "Hrm. I didn't care for what happened the last time I was on something like this." Getting down on all fours, he grabs the torch in his mouth and drops it over the side of the platform, tracking it intensely.

"...How the frell..."

Zeiss examines the platform and tries to find out how such a thing is possible.

Spoiler:

*Z had been turned facing Araignuna and not particularly watching where she/he was going. Upon walking out into the room and finding herself face to face with an unending abyss of blackness with no bottom in sight she gives a soft yelp of surprise, stumbling backwards into Rory and promptly burring her head in his chest.*

Rory: you can hear her breathing very very rapidly and shallowly.

"Watch your step," he says in a distant and unfriendly tone after helping to steady her.

At the sight of the darkness below, he retreats toward the walls, avoiding the edge.

*Z scampers back into the hallway and stands several feet away from the door. After a few minutes her breathing returns to normal and she slides down the wall and is now sitting back against the wall knees pulled up to chest and head wrapped in arms laying on her knees.*

The torch plummets and as you watch it zip down you see it blaze by several chunks of metal scaffolding and otherwise before finally, at least four hundred feet down, it clatters to the ground with an almost inaudible thunk that takes you a few seconds to hear.

"Ooooh, this place is pretty deep." Snarg scampers backwards from the ledge, turning around to see everyone at the wall. "Uh, can't say I blame you." Lighting up another torch, he places it in his mouth before hunching over on all fours and proceeding slowly to the edge of platform. Taking several deep breaths, he turns around to the rest of the party. "A-are we going?"

Zeiss sees Z walk away from the rest of the group to go sit against the wall. He says to Snarg :

"One minute."

He approaches her, his ring of light still activated.

"...You are gonna be alright? We have to walk over there."

Realizing that what he is saying is not helping, Zeiss waits for any kind of reaction.

"G...gggooo.... No! Uhh... I mean... do we have to?"

*Z is glancing quickly back and forth between you and the blackness of the room beyond a deep crease in her brow.*

As the party is talking and examining, Fierneceal has been slowly walking out onto the platform, frowning faintly.

Snarg trots over to Z and spits the torch out beside her. "It won't be so bad once you get over this fear ... same as the other one. I know I want it over with too, believe me, I'm in the same boat. If you want, I can tie us off before we go over."

Spoiler:

Zeiss tries to take her gently by her arm so that she stands up. He is trying to find a good thing to say to calm her.

"Yes, we have to. Look, huh..."

He searches for something in his sack. Rainbow's head pops out of it at which Zeiss signs her not go out. Then, he finds what he wanted, a little hand stitched cat, not bigger than his hand.

"While we walk on the platform, just hold onto that. It's good luck."

He gives it to her, then stars walking.

*Z actually scampers a few feet further back into the hallway away from Snarg at the mention of dragging her out there.*

"I am NOT afraid of living you rat. And how the hell could THIS! and that be compared. Did you SEE that cliff!?! Who knows how far down it goes!"

*Z is clutching at the little doll not really paying attention to what it is. Sumomo has now awoken and is now headbutting Z in the shoulder, anxious to join up with the others on the walkway.*

"If she can't come with us, she'll have to leave," Rory calls out. "That is, if she doesn't want to see her insides plastered all over the hallway." He follows Fierneceal, his mind reeling at the ponderous distance between the platform and the ground below.

Standing up on two legs, Snarg picks up the torch in one hand, the light illuminating a stern yet pitiful expression. "Then stay back and hide some more." With that, he turns and walks towards the platform, looking straight ahead as he shakily makes his way across.

While everyone was talking, you look up and realize Fierneceal has vanished.