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PSL: fullcowl

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(continuing from this)

[Even though he still has a long way to go to restore his strength, Law manages to last out the rest of the night without dropping off again. It helps that once or twice something a little too large passed a little too close to their hollowed-out tree, but whatever it was either didn't like fire or wasn't into humans and kept going on past. His haki alerted him in time, but he sat tense until it passed rather than wake Deku. Kid needs his rest, after all.

The gap in the tree must face east, because Law eventually can see a gray line in the distance as light starts to come up behind the hills, and then the approaching dawn getting brighter and brighter. The fire fizzles out about then, and he stretches out a heel to scratch some dirt over it lest the smoke attract attention. With dawn coming, he won't be able to sleep anyway, so he just lets Izuku sleep for as long as he needs. Besides, he's nice and warm.]

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[Law nods crisply; he couldn't ask for a better student. Committed and focused with a good memory.]

That's enough for one day. Since it looks like the rain isn't letting up at all, we might as well get some exercise looking for...anything, really.

[anything dry and flammable, anything edible, anything to mitigate the cold, hard rock on which they'll have to sleep tonight.]

[When Izuku decides he wants to learn something, he's dedicated about it. Even so, he won't be a surgeon by twenty.

He'll do the best he can to learn everything Law can teach him though.]

So we're going into the cave?

[He'll start getting up, stretching out his legs and arms.]

Let's take a look deeper inside it. If we're going to sleep here, we need to be sure it's safe.

[before he gets up, though, he checks the bag again, fishes out the flint, and then hunts around the mouth of the cave for any sticks that might still be dry enough. His shirt has gotten tattered from their hard journey, so he can easily rip a strip off to bind around the end of a stick and make a real torch to carry. It's all they have for light.]

That should do. Stay alert.

Right.

[He can't use haki, but he can keep himself alert, listening for any other sounds that might be in the cave.

For now though, he'll stay at Law's side as they move forward.]

[while Law is relying on haki to alert him to any living things ahead, he's sure he can trust Deku to be ready to move if need be. Still, he keeps his younger charge close, not letting him fall behind.

He almost wants there to be something just to have a chance to hunt, but at the same time, he'd rather not deal with that kind of mess. As long as it's not the den for a pack of wolves or something. A few feet back from where they were sitting the ground changes from rock to dirt, that's...a small comfort. Maybe something once used it for a den but not at present? Hmm. The torchlight can't penetrate far into the darkness, it's too small, but at least they can keep from stumbling on anything.

But wait, what's this? Broken weapons...rusted-out armor...]

Strange. Maybe soldiers deserting the battlefield stayed here.

[or maybe something much, much worse]

I hope that's all it is.

[He will very gingerly pick up one of the broken spears, and look over the armor.

Over the border just means less of a chance of monsters- there's still the possibility of monsters around.]

It looks like the same kind of armor that the Wulgrimm soldiers are currently wearing. Not sure how long the soldiers have been wearing the armor, but there's a good chance this is more recent. I don't know how long this kind of armor would take to rust...

[don't worry, Deku, he's listening to your speculation as he picks carefully through the debris, looking for evidence. Law crouches down and uses his free hand to pick up a helm with a huge chunk taken out of the side - which could just as easily be from a monster's jaws as a heavy blow from a lance or a shot from a cannon]

If it was enemy soldiers, seeking shelter...either they were too injured to live and died here, or they were captured. I don't see any bones...

[Yet]

[He starts to look a little worried as he starts looking at another pile of armor and weapons.]

If they died here, shouldn't there be bones...? If they were captured... then the broken weapons make sense. But why would they be ordered to take their armor off here?

[He looks over the broken armor- in the low light it's hard to tell if there are teeth marks.]

[the torchlight isn't enough for them to be a couple of forensic geniuses, nope. Even knowing what he does of habits among the Wulgrimm infantry, Law can only make wild guesses.]

This kind of damage means they had to have been injured. It's possible they tried to treat themselves. Yet... [he looks back the way they came, by now they've turned enough corners that no light from outside can reach them] ...we're pretty deep into the cave. It's impossible to tell whether they left it or not.

[and by not, he means they died here somehow. Not on the spot, that's clear from the lack of bones. Law raises the torch a bit in the hopes it would cast enough light to reveal a hidden clue. He still doesn't sense anything living, but the cave seems to just go on and on - something could still be down in there, out of range.]

We... still need to figure out how safe this place is.

[He stands back up, taking another look around the broken weapons and scraped up armor. It's impossible for him to tell much from just this pile...]

Alright, let's keep going.

[he looks up, and then gets up as well, raising their light high]

You're right.

[he got distracted, good thing Deku is there to step up. Law falls in with him as they keep exploring, noticing that the cave floor is slanting slightly downward as they go. It's also far more damp, a clear sign that they're heading genuinely underground rather than into the side of the hill. The farther they go, the less he expects something like snakes or wolves. Anything down here is probably much more gross and not at all a pushover.]

[He notes it too, and as usual mumbles his thoughts to himself.]

A worm...? Some kind of underground monster...? Is this how the soldiers died?

[he doesn't mind Deku thinking aloud, it gives him something to bounce off of.]

Don't get too ahead of yourself, we don't know that a creature...

[and then he feels it, against his senses. Just enough of a ping to make him suck in a quick breath.]

I need to learn to stop saying these things.

[but what he can't tell from here is what it is. How large or small it is. If it's strong. If it's awake. If it knows they're there.]

[He sucks in a breath as Law does.]

So it's here?

Any other information?

No. [said so quietly, practically a whisper on a breath] We would have to get even closer. At least, I only sense one living thing.

[Law turns to him and gives him a serious look down]

So, Deku. Do we risk it? At this point I can no longer make my Room big enough to get us back to the mouth of the cave, if we get attacked. We don't know if it will attack, or not, but knowing now that something does live down here, it means we also risk it finding us in the middle of the night while we're asleep.

[he knows his own opinion, but getting out of this together means he wants Deku's, also]

[He only takes a short moment to decide-]

We should deal with it now.

[Leaving it for when they're asleep or drowsy sounds like a way that could get them killed.

And he's pretty sure that he can pick Law up and run if it really came down to that.]

[the story of Law's life: always being picked up and carried off by people shorter and stronger than him]

I agree. Tread lightly, though. Haki can only tell me that something's there, not what it looks like or how it's going to react to us. Right now I can't even gauge its strength, so either it's too far away or it can mask itself somehow. Quietly, and carefully.

[he subconsciously puts himself half a step in front of Deku as he continues on, lowering the torch this time to guard the light. If he's not careful, the light itself could alert this thing to their presence well before sound or scent or anything else.]

[He nods and falls into step right behind Law. His running commentary is actually in his head for once as he obeys the order for quiet and careful.]

Let me know when you can tell more, alright?

Mm.

[it takes a bit for them to descend deep enough into the cave to get in range, but even then, Law frowns darkly at what he can sense. It's muted, unclear. What is it? Not nearly as vibrant as most of the animals they've hunted]

It might be dormant, or asleep. Something. I'm not sure.

[either way, this is looking more and more like something they just need to get before it gets them, and not dinner. Dinner may be bread after all.]

[Izuku's worrying at his lower lip, but he's not about to back out now that they've gotten this far.]

So it's not moving yet...

[That doesn't mean too much. It might startle awake once they get closer to it.]

No, not yet.

[if ever there was a moment in their journey where he really really missed Kikoku, it would be right now. The nodachi could be the difference between a messy conflict and a quick resolution. But Law doesn't have it, and can't let that stop him from ensuring their safety.

There's a corner of the cave wall ahead, reflecting the torchlight in a way to suggest that it's wet, maybe from water seeping underground. But then, the light falls on something less rock-like and more squishy just beyond, making Law hesitate and shrink back. If it's asleep, better to leave it that way until they know what it is.]

[He looks forward, at the wet seeping water- and then the squishy thing beyond.

...It's kind of hard to tell if the animal? Monster? Creature? Is asleep or not.

He thinks he hears it breathing, but he doesn't want to say that, not when he doesn't know if the thing has very sensitive hearing.

He looks up at Law. What's the plan?]

[it's the real moment of truth. Law raises a finger to caution Deku to wait while he slowly stretches his neck to peer around the corner, foregoing haki in favor of good old fashioned investigation.

And then, his eyes go wide.

Is it a lizard? A dragon? A slug? A snake? It's somewhere in between all of those, with slimy, scaly skin pulsing faintly in the dim light as it breathes. How it's wrapped around itself hides any eyes or teeth, but what is clear is the pale white coloring, typical of albino creatures who spend their entire lives in the darkness. Given that, it may not be able to see them, but that means its other senses would compensate...

Law draws back and hastily whispers his observations to Deku, though he does give him a little tug to bring him over to see for himself]

We're in luck. It's not moving, possibly hibernating.

[of course, the longer they hang out there hissing at each other and waving a torch, the less likely it's going to stay dormant.]

[He looks at the creature with nothing but suspicion. This thing might wake up in the middle of the night and try to eat them.

The longer they stay here talking about it, the more likely it's going to wake up and decide that they don't need to exist.]

Fight it or leave it?

[that, my young friend, is a very good question]

It hasn't threatened us yet. I don't even know if it can. It would be pointless to waste energy on something harmless.

[on the other hand...] Things that live their lives in caves, never seeing the sun...could never grow this big feeding only on insects or fish.

[the stupid thing to do would be to prod it awake to see if it's dangerous, but then again, that may be the fastest way to solve this internal debate]

PSL: fullcowl

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