Garridan helped Ariela up the wall, then the pair watched Talas helped Eythil haul himself out of the water and back onto the unsteady platform.
Back at the observation deck, Thedra grinned at the progress of the Apprentices. "Things are looking a bit better. That wobbly walkway is a surprisingly mean trick."
Darian smiled. "Stole the design from a Grippli village. It was one of their defenses. Worked on Vedic twice."
Vedic looked pained. "They were Boggards, not Grippli."
Darian shrugged. "Their architecture was more memorable than what flavor of angry frog they were."
"Are we telling embarrassing stories from our youth now? Is it my turn." Vedic said with overly exaggerated friendliness.
Darian cleared his throat. "...this isn't something I can pull rank and weasel out of, is it?"
Thedra and Vedic replied simultaneously. "No."
Seeing Eythil's made it back on, Talas gives him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Don't try and imitate me again!" he jokes, before testingly moving forward, at a careful pace. Speed didn't serve him well before.
Talas nimbly moved across the platform, ending up at the base of the wall.
Talas gives a thumbs up at Garridan, mixed with a wry look of 'how did we get ourselves here' before turning back to Eythil and cupping his hands together.
"One and two, aye? I'll give you a boost on this end and Garridan at the top-- no point if any of us lagging behind."
Talas's hands are not as secure as he thinks.
Eythil watched Talas make it past the swaying bridge. He hadn't been trying to run before but he thought he might be able to make it.
His legs faltered again. The cloying cold from the water brought back those memories unbidden. He didn't like this feeling, he didn't understand why his legs shook so bad, he knew logically he should be able to move normally but instead his body refused to move normally and when the next sudden turn from the walkway occurred, he fell right back into the water.
Darian interrupted the beginning of Vedic's story. "Is that one alright?" he said, watching Eythil fight to keep his limbs under control, then fall back into the water. "This shouldn't be that hard."
"The water." Vedic responded. "He is panicking. Seems confused by it though, which is odd."
"Not that odd." Thedra said shaking her head. "He took a swim in the Styx, remember. That's not a normal kind of fear. He might not remember much of it it, but he's still having a reaction."
Vedic nodded. "He doesn't know enough anymore to realize what fear is, or where it is coming from. Impressive that he's not just curling into an unresponsive ball."
"Should we stop the exercise?" Thedra asked.
Darian thought for a moment then shook his head. "He's still pushing though it. As long as he still has fight in him, we should let him fight."
Garridan will maintain his position and continue working to help everyone up the wall.
Talas swore as Eythil slipped into the drink again. "Hang on! I'll help you out!"
Ariela finds herself caught between the desire to continue on and the pull to dive in and help Eythil. Though it was still hazy, whatever they'd gone through in.....that river.....had created a bit of a bond between them. She holds her position, ready to dive in should things get any worse.
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The world spun among darkened water and bubbles of air. Panic was starting to rise within him, he didn't want to be here anymore. He had to get out somehow. Why couldn't he move normally? He threw his arms out to the side and kicked his legs wildly. Air escaped his lungs in large bubble and breathing was impossible again.
He watched the bubbles shoot towards his legs. He realized with a sense of dread and vertigo that as he moved, he was getting further away from the light.
He didn't want to go further down. He didn't want to make the others fail because of him. He had said he wanted to help others not have others keep helping him. His face was growing hot and his lungs were starting to hurt. He wanted to see Ariela.
Then in a strange moment of realization, he realized he wasn't facing the right way. He was upside down.
Spinning his body with his arms and legs Eythil kicked and pulled his way up, following the bubbles and finally he managed to surface.
He gasped for air as he grabbed desperately onto the walkway and pulled himself up.
Amid coughing out water, more gasping, and shaking he looked at the others who were further ahead.
He wouldn't fall in the water again. It might take him longer but he was going to get to where there others were. So he started to crawl along the ground.
Ariela didn't realize she was holding her breath until Eythil's head broke the surface and she took another one. Even more noticeable was that the feeling of relief was probably the strongest thing she'd felt since......before coming here.
It didn't matter, he was okay. Worn out, shaken up, it was c;early more than just the physical challenge, but he was okay. Breathing another sigh of relief, she prepares to continue the course.
Talas tried to help Eythil climb out once he broke the surface, but Eythil was still too panicked to cooperated. He was scrambling, clawing at the tilting platform, and managed finally to drag himself up and roll onto his back, gasping.
Talas watched worriedly as Eythil struggled. "Come on, man, you can manage this, he called, feeling useless. Eythil managed to haul himself out under his own power, and Talas gave an encouraging nod. He stepped partially back down the platform, reaching a lanky arm as far as he could, to help Eythil along. After a second's thought, Talas hauls off his own water-logged plain uniform shirt, rolling it up as an impromptu rope-- it won't reach far, but at least it's something to grab.
Talas frowns uncertainly. "Well... alright then," he says to Eythil. "Suppose I can't blame you, I haven't exactly shown I'm steady on my own feet either."
Ariela crouches atop the wall, wordlessly encouraging Eythil.
Garridan reaches down to aid Eythil up the wall once in position.
After what felt like forever Eythil finally crawled his way to the wall.
With Garridan's help he tried to climb the wall.
It was more difficult than he'd thought due to being covered in water.
Darian's brows were furrowed with concern as he watched Eythil scramble on his hands and knees slowly across the wobbly platform. "Well, he's still pushing forward. Not fast, but still going."
"They aren't going to set any records." Vedic said flatly.
Thedra backhanded Vedic in the shoulder. "That kid's been through a lot in the last two days. Cut him some slack."
"No." Vedic said. "The multiverse is dangerous, judgmental and unforgiving. We won't be doing him any favors by 'cutting him some slack.'"
The first bits of frustration were beginning to show on his face. Eythil wasn't sure how he was going to do things differently but he wasn't about to give in when everyone was watching him.
Gritting his teeth he took a step back and leaped at the wall, attempting to scramble up it, reaching for Garridan's hand.
Ariela reaches down to help Eythil up.
Seeing Eythil finally seem to be getting his feet under him, Talas smiles encouragingly then starts up the wall himself.
...and doesn't embarrass himself further at least.
Garridan will also grab hold of Eythil and assist in pulling him up the wall!
Eythil and Talas managed to get up the wall with a little help. They stood on the raised platform looking at the next challenge. After what they had just gone though, it almost seemed insulting.
A zig-zagging beam six inches wide separated them from the next decent sized patch of ground. Resting in the middle of the beam was another of the white balls Talas had noticed earlier when he was underwater.
Chuckling at the lack of a challenge, Ariela turns to Eythil and smiles, squeezing his hand. "You can do this. It's easy watch."
With a wink she almost runs across the zig-zagging balance beam with stunning grace.
"Hey, it's another of those balls. Before we step on the beam, does anyone have the ability to see if it's..."
He trails off as Ariela takes off across the beam.
"...magic." Talas winces slightly, and waits to see if the white ball does anything when Ariela displays her admittedly-impressive moves.
Wary now after the platforms, Talas scans for traps, though it might be too late to do anything for Ariela if this one is trapped.
The ball sits on the beam, easily stepped over by the nimble Ariela. It does nothing as she passes.
Talas scratches at his head. "Well, can anyone look it over for magic? No?"
If Eythil and Ariela can't look it over, he tries to make his way to the center of the beam to inspect it.
Talas has finally remembered how to balance, it seems-- the lanky half-elf holds both hands out and walks easily to the ball, then carefully crouches to examine it, since this one he can actually see up close.
The sphere was a little larger than a fist. It looked like it was made of smoked glass in greys and dark blues, like a storm cloud. Etched into it's surface was a stylized symbol of a lightning bolt. It sat on the beam in a small divot clearly designed to keep it from rolling around.
Aside from the precariousness of it's perch, Talas could not find anything dangerous about it.
Talas gazes at the little orb, then up at the spectators, the judges, assessing their progress through the maze. He cups his hand around his mouth and shouts, with a grin: "I don't suppose any of you want to tell me what this does?"
"...well, nothing ventured, nothing gained," Talas says cheerfully. "Garridan, I might be about to get hit with a jolt of lightning. Please drag me out of the drink before I inhale some water if that happens."
And Talas takes a breath and tries to pick up the orb.
Her touch surprised him. He'd finally felt a moment of relief as he climbed up past the wall. Inspied by her words, Eythil watched Ariela gracefully bound acrosss the new set of boards.
He glanced at Talas who was asking about magic.
"Sorry Talas, I don't really know anything about magic. If you fall in, I'll try to help you."
Feeling a moment of confidence, Eythil made sure to not look directly down as he tried to get to the far side of the beams.
Garridan winces and nods to his friend when he suddenly moves to scoop up the ball... "Just don't knock me over as well!" he adds playfully to his friend.
The ball...
...does nothing.
"...that was anticlimactic," Talas muses. With a shrug, he decides to put off further study of the orb until he's back on solid(er) ground, and attempts to start traversing the second half of the beam, hands splayed wide still, the orb held in the one because in this utilitarian uniform, he has few storage pouches.
He has to adjust to the new balance of the orb in hand... he makes no progress.
Ariela and Garridan could see the end of the narrow beam ahead of them. It ended at a small platform with a rope suspended over a drop down to the water below. The rope was tied off on a platform on the other side.
It looks like there is another glass sphere over there.
Eythil started to move after Talas but like the Half-Elf, he nearly loses his balance as he realized that no one was making any immediate progress. Fortunately he didn't fall in.
"Another of those orbs up ahead," Talas points out with a frown. "I may have to start learning magic..."
He tries to make progress once more.
Focused on the new orb perhaps more than he should be, Talas goes on tiptoe and... loses his balance.
"--for the love of Desna's starry tits--" is heard in a resigned tone of voice as Talas topples off the beam and down into the water again.
Taking Talas' word for it Ariela comes to a stop, looking at the rope. Deciding to go with the less risky option, she moves to swing down, pulling herself hand over hand.
Unfortunately at that point the fatigue of the ongoing exertion gets the best of her as she looses her grip and plunges into the water.
Garridan chuckles a little at the futility of walking across the rope. "Sometimes the tortoise finishes the race before the hare. A snail's pace is better than none at all, Talas."
Ariela and Talas plunged into the clear, cool water.
Another of the small orbs is nearby in the water with you.
Talas tread water a bit and studied the course arching overhead, the curving path it took around, and the eventual finish line.
"Whoever's last across, see if you can untie that rope once getting over it, maybe?" he called up. "Doing this without gear is like riding a wild horse without a saddle. A rope might make future obstacles easier. I'm going to try something... else."
Talas started an over-hand stroke in the general direction of the orb he'd noticed earlier in the center of the 'horseshoe.'
Talas swam to the middle of the water beneath the course.
Eythil's eyes widened as he watched as Talas tripped and fell cursing. Then with a shocked feeling saw as even Ariela fell into the water too.
Suddenly his confidence was shaken and he stopped trying to move on ahead normally. As Garridan said his words, Eythil glanced at him and decided to settle for a slow but safer movement across the rest of the beams.
Garridan heads over to the rope and examines it briefly for a moment. He then prones out in front of the rope and begins to slowly pull himself onto the top of the rope. He hooks one foot around the rope itself and lowers his other leg downward as a balance-point. He then begins to pull himself forward along the rope!