I awoke to the sound of leather boots scraping the ground outside my tent. After listening to the anxious nature of the pacing, I knew Ulvarion was probably walking back and forth debating whether or not to intervene in my sleep.
"I'll be out shortly," I called. The tall, lanky shadow just beyond the entrance to my canvas tent perked up.
"Ahh! You're awake then," he chirped. "That's wonderful because I could use you outside, preferably dressed. Our own Silgis Marvane is coming to approve our plans for excavation and give his official blessing as the auditor."
I wet a cloth from my basin and washed off the fading scent of my unexpected romp with Sylvia last night. I was hopeful it would become easier later in the day to focus on anything else but my fresh memories of pleasuring her.
Dressed and ready, I found Ulvarion waiting for me impatiently outside flipping through one of his notebooks. We began to walk toward a rather regal looking command tent that had been setup on higher ground. It was near where I had first arrived and offered the same glorious view of the chasm.
Several drafting tables had been set up just inside and a few of the Guild scribes were already busy sketching what appeared to be the terrain of the chasm floor. They would need to keep it updated as we moved along collecting the mushrooms. Some areas would need to be kept pristine to encourage regrowth, while others would be stripped bare.
Other adornments of the luxurious tent included several ornate pieces of furniture undoubtedly owned by the Marvane family. Their colors were on display prominently here. Silgis was no doubt compensating for the fact that the chasm find did not belong to him.
Ulvarion stood nearby, politely ordering porters around as several other groups of workers and Guild members began to gather for the meeting.
Silgis arrived shortly with Aladria by his side, seemingly floating over the rough terrain in her red, form fitting dress and thankfully, terrain-appropriate footwear. Her long black hair lay down her back in a tight braid, adorned by some sort of white metallic thread woven in with it. She looked stunning in her family's colors.
Trailing just behind the wealthy, middle aged couple was their debutante daughter. I was happy to see Phila again. Her black hair was decidedly untamed, though certainly not unkempt, and blew gently in the ever present breeze of the badlands. She wore the inverse of her mother, a white dress, exposing slightly more of her chest than I was used to seeing. Red fox fur was embroidered all along the trim of her collar. The same fur also made an appearance adorning the cuffs of her wide sleeves.
Aladria and Phila continued to stand just behind their father as he raised his hands to douse the nearby chattering.
"First off," Silgis began, slowly eyeing the crowd. "I want to thank each of you for your continued efforts to make this camp a more livable space as we will undoubtedly be here for several weeks."
His gaze shot up fleetingly toward Ulvarion in a somewhat accusatory fashion.
"I know the local terrain is rather exciting," he continued. "But I would like to warn each of you to please steer clear of the chasm unless you are authorized to be working on the scaffolding down to the bottom. We cannot begin the harvest until the climbers have secured a route down. Any unnecessary interference creates liability and slows us down."
His tone became more stern.
"As the auditor for this expedition, I will not tolerate insubordination or inefficiencies in the process. The extreme locale should serve as enough warning to mind yourself and others. Let us gain access to the crop quickly and without incident. We are representatives of the Guild and will act accordingly and serve in honor."
The speech ended almost as abruptly as it began. Everyone cleared out and headed to begin their duties in the camp or the chasm. A server from house Marvane poured two goblets of wine for Silgis and Aladria. Phila came to find me while they were occupied talking to one of the scribes.
"Good afternoon, Henrik." She dipped down into a playful mock of a curtsy.
"My lady. What activities do you have planned for the day?"
"I was more concerned with your schedule," she said. "Do you have much to accomplish until they finish building a pathway down into the chasm?"
"No, not really, just preparation. It will be about a week until the scaffolding is done. We may reach the first outcropping of twilight fungi on the third day though."
"Wonderful. Then you have time to help me fetch some fresh water?" Her playful tone persisted.
"I'm sure the porters can fetch it for you," I said dumbly.
"No, no, that won't do." She gestured over toward her parents. "While they get drunk, I'll be bored. I would like some pleasant company and fresh water for my tea."
I truly had nothing to do and it was hard to ignore a pretty face. We took the scenic route down to the chasm, going exactly where her father had just forbid unauthorized personnel from going. No one bothered to stop us.
The desert sun had begun it's reign of terror already this morning. Phila opened her parasol as we walked and chatted, her hair occasionally wrapping around the handle as the wind blew through.
We talked about our mutual friends back in Arigostas, the city from which our guild was based. Phila was resigned to being completely bored out here in the Inskagi Badlands for the full duration of the expedition. Her father's insistence that she come along fell in line with the family's own obligations of pride and of maintaining their familial image.
I couldn't help but be thankful that I was not as embedded into high society as she was.
I helped her fetch some water from the well that had been set up to tap into the river which flowed with abandon through the bottom of the chasm. Without it, we would have already run dry of what we brought with us.
