A/N: As usual, I would recommend to put the video on loop.

Back on foot, Tarhuinn tied the boat to one of the nearby posts before he began to walk beside her in a stream of water. The torchlight illuminated the continuing abundance of stalagmites and stalactites while torches on some of the rock formations lit the room up more. These sources of light continued far down the area, which meant that they wouldn't have to travel in darkness again at the moment. "Who lights all of these torches?" (f/n) asked, hopping over a small stream of water.

"Someone from the next complex is sent down here to relight them every other day."

"And, these torches continue until we arrive there, correct?"

"No, after another hour, we'll be using natural light to guide us through the cave."

Despite not having the comforting light of the torches, she was thankful that they would at least have some light. Hopefully, it would be enough so that she wouldn't have to rely on Tarhuinn's eyes again. She liked being able to see around her and know if something was about to sneak up on them. (F/n) jumped over the next small stream and looked at the path out ahead. Unfortunately, she would have a lot of streams to avoid.

On their way through the cave system, Tarhuinn had offered to carry her on several occasions, but she denied all of them. She had merely answered that she wanted to travel on her own feet and that she should get used to long distance exercise. A frown had graced his lips, but he hadn't argued her on the topic.

By the time that they reached the end of the torches, though, she was exhausted. She rested her hands on her knees and looked out ahead. There were three openings in the cave wall to their left. Water gushed out, and she could hear the falls of water. If they were to continue directly forward, though, they would run into a dead end. Looking to their right, she saw the cave path continue that way. The natural light continued on for some ways down the massive tunnel.

Refreshed, just by glancing at the water, she looked forward to taking a bath later. Right now, however, they had quite a bit of time ahead of them before night rolled around. Judging by the light's color, it had to be early in the afternoon. Then again, it might be a little misleading since there were probably clouds outside.

Whatever the case, the two of them started to head down the path again. (F/n) pushed herself to keep going even though she was tempted to take up Tarhuinn's offer of carrying her. She could tell that he was casting a glance her way every now and then, but she didn't meet it. If she did, he would probably convince her to let him carry her.

As their travel continued, they snacked on some of the dried foods. She favored the dried apple chips, but she forced herself to stop eating them lest she eat all of them in one go. It wasn't until the light in the area turned duller and only small beams of moonlight reached them that they stopped. (F/n) collapsed to the ground, glad to be done for the day. Her hands went to her legs and soothed the sore muscles.

Tarhuinn set down his pack, and she took off hers before her hands continued to comfort her legs. The idea of jumping into the cool looking water, though, sounded more relaxing. "Do you mind if I take a bath first?" She was also eager to take off her boots since her feet were desperate for a breather.

"No, you go ahead. Just stay close so that I can come to you if you need me. I won't look either if that's what you're wondering."

"Thank you." Despite him saying that he wouldn't peek at her, she headed behind a rock anyway and slipped out of her clothes. She pulled the sweet scented bath mixture out and headed into the water. It was cold to the touch, but her muscles relaxed into it. Soon enough, she was all the way in.

Ducking under the water, she made sure that her hair was soaked before coming back up and lathering it in the mixture. Once done with her hair, she moved onto her body. When she was finished, she went to change into a new set of undergarments and clothes, but she felt a tug on her right foot. She thought that she might have just caught her foot on some plant, but it pulled on her again.

Panic beginning to set in, she peered down at her foot. Horror swept across her countenance as she saw countless little creatures around her. Their tiny hands grabbed at her skin and continued to pull on her. Where had they come from? They hadn't been there when she was first bathing.

She tried to kick them off, but they wouldn't loosen their grip. Instead, they tugged harder. Personally, she didn't want to call Tarhuinn since she was still indecent. (F/n) couldn't shake them off, though. When they gave another pull, she felt herself lose her balance and fall towards the water. Pushing her embarrassment aside, she called out, "Tarhuinn!"

Before she went under, she heard footsteps rushing over. The creatures dragged her towards the deeper water, and she thrashed her right foot around. They still wouldn't come off. A splash sounded from the surface, and two arms wrapped around her waist. He began to pull her upwards against the creatures. When they tried to grab at him, a warning growl emitted from his throat, and they backed off.

Thankfully, they both reached the surface. He carried her out, and if it weren't for her adrenaline, her cheeks would be on fire. She peered up at him, but his gaze was looking straight ahead. Tarhuinn set her down far from the water and handed her cloak to her. When she had it wrapped around her form, she glanced up to him. "Thank you. I didn't see them until they already had their grip on me."

Looking to her now, a displeased expression painted him. "It would've taken several tugs for those tenlites to pull you under. Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"I was trying to get them off myself. I thought that I could handle them. Besides, I didn't ..."

Cutting her off, he barked out, "You didn't want me to see you nude?" She gave a small nod. "Did I purposefully look at you? No, I didn't. Even if I caught a glimpse, it went from my mind because I was more focused on your safety. Because of your hesitation, you could've gotten yourself killed. I could've lost you!" He combed his left fingers through his locks. "Just get dressed for now. I'll take care of those vermin in case they try to come back. I expect you to not go near the water until I come back. Understand?"

"Yes," she mumbled, clutching the cloak around her form. She didn't meet his gaze now, but she peered to her right foot. There were small bruises forming there. Honestly, though, she was more worried about Tarhuinn's mood. Hopefully, he would come back and be somewhat agreeable. Otherwise, she might get more than a lecture on how to rely on him more.

A loud splash sounded, and she took that as her cue to get changed. During this, she glanced to the water multiple times and recalled how the blue squid humanoids grinned at her state. She was just happy that she didn't discover where they had wanted to take her.

It had taken some time after she finished changing for Tarhuinn to come back. She became slightly concerned, but when she saw him come out of the water, she scooted back from him. A few tiny tentacles also rose to the surface, and she could only imagine the damage under the surface. "I'm going to bathe a little more upstream now. You're coming with me. There shouldn't be any more unexpected guests this evening."

Knowing that arguing would only make things worse, she picked up her things and went up beside him. She made sure to keep in pace with him. Tarhuinn grabbed his things as they passed by. (F/n) assumed that they were moving their camp up as well. "Are those creatures typical in these waters?" she inquired quietly.

"Yes, but not at this time of year. As far as I know, they're only supposed to be out in the summer. It's autumn. Usually, they're closer to the next complex. Something must have pushed them down this way. If something up ahead is too dangerous, we're not continuing."

"What?! But ..." she went silent when he gazed back at her. She gulped and cast her gaze downwards. Despite his threatening gaze, she decided that if something like that were to happen, she would find a way to continue. Right now, though, she wouldn't worry about it; she would focus on not angering him more. He was already in a foul mood.

The male dropped his things and started to take off his clothes without any warning. She quietly squeaked and turned her back to him. Seating herself, she set her own pack down and placed her dirty clothes to the side. "Can I wash these while you're bathing," she questioned, holding them up some.

"Yes, but stay close to the edge of the water."

Having no intention of going back into the water, she moved over and tended to her clothes. She made sure not to look to her left and focused on her work. Granted, she also paid attention to what was under the water and near her. (F/n) didn't need to get pulled in again by those tenlites. One time was enough for her.