Rowan had been carving the tunnel for a while now, and while the silk structure showed no signs of collapsing, it also didn't appear to be getting any closer to the ground. During the time he had been cutting the strands of silk, Rowan had noticed a biting chill during their descent.
At first he had brushed it off as the weather of Ireland, before he remembered his supposed skill, which could bring warmth. Curious, he had opened the system to check what was wrong with it, but nothing had been listed in its description.
It was only as he had willed it to activate in a surge of cold that it had done so, the blanketing warmth spreading around him. He also noticed that it now had a passive drain on his aether, or rather, the passive drain had been reactivated.
He hadn't noticed it when he first acquired it, but the skill actually regenerated the same amount it used, and that regeneration was continuous even when the skill was inert.
'Well, that's handy to know. I guess I can control it now that I've achieved mastery of my regeneration, though it still reads as 1/2 next to the name.'
He decided to keep the warmth active for now, for both his sake, and Gid and Bea's. They were still injured, and the last thing they needed was the cold weakening them further.
Gid followed behind, carrying Bea on his back. He had decreased his weight to half, as he claimed it would make carrying her a breeze. So far it seemed to hold true, as despite his injury he had followed closely behind Rowan down the tunnel.
This continued for some time, though it was made much more comfortable by Rowan's warmth. As they descended further and further, the silk began to lose some of its rigidity, and Rowan began to notice parts of the floor would give way under his feet.
"We're likely nearing the bottom, so just make sure that you watch your feet. If you fall, you might get lost."
Gid nodded while adjusting Bea on his back. He would have to be the most careful, as he currently weighed as much as a person and a half. It was also only a matter of time until his aether was drained, and his weight came back in full force.
Turning his attention back to the tunnel, Rowan continued to carve his way through, though he started to be more selective of which strands he cut, cautious of which ones were integral to holding the tunnel up.
Minutes later, Rowan felt his feet go through an especially soft patch, and felt a sinking feeling as he began to fall. Holding the sword, he had to be careful not to cut any more strands as he slipped through the gap he was falling through.
Which was only about a couple of meters off the ground, luckily. The impact was rough, though there were enough loose strands to stop the brunt of the impact. Rowan shed the silk that clung to him, and looked up to where Gid was waiting with Bea.
"You might have to drop, I don't think the strands down here are strong enough to support our weight at all. Drop Bea down to me, and then jump down after."
Gid hesitated for a second, but decided to trust Rowan. He knelt down at the edge of the hole Rowan had made, and slowly lowered Bea down through the hall... Before he came quickly tumbling after.
Rowan managed to catch Bea, as he was standing beneath her, but with his hands full he had to dodge to the side, and let Gid crash straight into the floor. Rowan winced as Gid groaned, coming up from his faceplanted position on the ground.
"Uh... You okay?"
Gid nodded with a grimace, before standing up and dusting off the silk and dirt that stuck to his face.
"I sort of forgot that because I was lighter, I would be off balance when lowering Bea through the hole. Oops."
They shared a quick laugh, which was relieving to Rowan. Gid had been quiet for the trip, still mourning the loss of his friends, so it was relieving to see him laugh.
It was also a relieving experience for him, tension he had forgotten about came loose as he and Gid chuckled at Gid's misfortune. They took the brief chance to catch their breath, and determine where it was they actually were. The silk was much thinner down here, so it was faintly possible to see the surrounding buildings.
They were in a street of some kind, though it looked vastly different from the streets of Cork Rowan was used to. Vehicles he recognised as cars were covering the street, with the occasional metal behemoth he couldn't recognise. It looked as though it were a green trapezoidal car, with something mounted on top. Rowan couldn't make out much more details than that, and didn't bother getting any closer.
Vehicles had long stopped being useful, as the people of Cork were trapped in their city, and had no need to travel long distances. Apparently, they also needed fuel, which was already in dwindling supply according to the older people in the complex.
Rowan inevitably decided there was no better path than the one they were already on. So long as they continued going in one direction, they would have to reach the outside of the town eventually. So Rowan continued along the street, cutting down the silk with strike after strike.
They didn't have to go far, as Rowan suddenly found that in front of him was a thin wall of silk, which seemed to stop abruptly. As he cut down the final barrier, he stepped out into the moonlight, and took a long, deep breath.
Finally, he could continue his path to Cork, and enjoy a long night's rest without having to watch over his shoulder for beasts.
...Or at least he could tomorrow. It had been a long day, and Rowan was desperate to get some rest.