"The larger tunnel, huh." A terribly vague answer, she thought. Watching the length of the tunnel as the caster's flame lit it up, Shiloh analyzed the gradient of the slope and the state of the walls. It was very possible that these passages rose and fall not unlike the shape of valleys and hills. Very rarely did they every move straight up or down like mining passages. In other words, it was likely that Synthesis had come upon her by pure chance. The girl had also failed to mention any other methods of recognition regarding the path she had took, so that was as if she hadn't paid attention at all. She must've been incredibly lucky to make it this far undisturbed. Unwilling to throw caution to the wind, Shiloh licked her finger again and did the test as she had done before. It would seem that they were too far below the surface to detect currents, explaining why the air felt stagnant. This displeased her greatly.

When Synthesis asked her how long she had been down here, Shiloh didn't mince words. "How should I know? It's not like I have a timepiece on my person. Besides, without the sky overhead it's impossible to determine the passage of time in this darkness. In fact, the perception of time is entirely subjective. Sometimes a few minutes can feel like a few hours, and sometimes a few hours can feel like a few minutes." Either way, the less time they spent down here–the better. This was no place for beings like them. Drawing her sword again, she held it by the hilt with the point facing downward a few inches above the ground. As she prepared for what she was about to do, she spoke to Synthesis. "I'll need you to be still and keep quiet for a moment. Let's see if this works." It had been a while since she'd used her abilities to navigate, so now it was time to see if she had forgotten or if she still remembered.

Synthesis froze in place when Shiloh answered her question. It was true that there wasn't any way for them to track time.The Druid had been so sure that she'd been walking for an hour and studying for another and yet she had no proof. She's been lost in idle thought for most of her time walking downwards and maybe hours had passed her by while she obliviously wandered. She'd also closed her eyes back there for what she thought was only five minutes before she'd been disturbed. What if she'd been out for longer? Time was a trickster and Synthesis was now becoming increasingly sure that she'd been tricked.
As if to fuel her paranoia, her stomach churned and gurgled loudly. She was quite hungry and had no idea how long it had been since she'd eaten. She clutched her belly in a bid to make it still and, once it had passed, hoped that Shiloh hadn't noticed. She made a mental note to herself to keep her eyes out for any edible moss or fungi.
She remained still at the other's request and watched with curiosity as the woman drew her sword and held it in an almost ritualistic way.
Far in the distance, a faint sound could be heard. Perhaps it was the natural sounds of a cave system. Perhaps it was running water. Perhaps it was something else. Synthesis comforted herself with the thought that whatever it was, it was too far away to concern her.

Taking out a small dagger in her other hand, Shiloh struck the blade of the sword with it, causing it to vibrate like a tuning fork. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound, and how it moved the further away from them it was. In her mind's eye she saw the outline of both tunnels, wide and narrow, and what came immediately after upon entering. When she was done, she put both weapons away and opened her eyes again. "No signs of other living beings up ahead. The wider passage leads to a continuation, however the narrow one ends with a sheer drop. Looks like you were right after all." 

Hearing the loud growl of a stomach she looked behind her at the caster. Without hesitation, she conjured a loaf of bread cut lengthwise with some meat and cheese in between. She handed it to Synthesis with a monosyllabic response. "…Here." Thankfully Shiloh wasn't feeling any hunger pangs as of yet, but she wanted to conserve her energy in case they ran into hostiles up ahead. The bats wouldn't be interested in the food, so it should be fine. Shiloh began running various scenarios through her head while she waited.

Seeing the sight of such a wholesome sandwhich, Synthesis practically drooled. She had been sustaining herself for weeks on leaves and roots which she had foraged and enhanced with magic on her travels. She unfolded her wings and pushed her staff against her back, folding them again ontop. With both her hands now free, she took the food as though it were as rare and precious as a diamond.
"Are you sure?" She asked in amazement but took a bite before the other had the chance to respond. She then broke of a piece off the end of it and offered it back, swallowing in record time. "You should keep your stength up too."
She wasn't surprised that she'd been right about the tunnels but she was suprised that Shiloh had been able to determin so through hitting two weapons together. She was also suprised at her ability to make food out of thin air.
"How'd you do that?" She wasn't really sure which of Shiloh's actions she was refering to but she was too impatient to get to her second bite to elaborate for Shiloh or herself.

"Yes, it's fine. Your stomach was very insistent on making itself heard. I doubt that the creatures and plants down here are edible, so best to keep your hunger sated. As for me, I can continue on for a bit longer." In the past she had spent days getting by on water and a few bites of food, and was accustomed to surviving in such situations. Over time she had learned to exert a certain amount of control over her own body through willpower. She could keep going, even having gone without food for a day or two, as long as she had enough water. Shiloh wasn't too concerned with eating at the moment, as she planned to conjure more the next time they found a safe place to rest.

When Synthesis asked her, Shiloh replied accordingly. "It's trick I learned back when I was young. You take two metal rods together, strike them against each other and they make a sound. Normally the sound ends quickly, but if you hit them the right way, it produces a lingering echo of sorts. It's not as easy using swords and daggers, but I found striking edge against edge creates a similar effect. As I listen, I follow the echo and travel with the sound–" She then stopped herself when she realized what she was saying would likely be confusing, and summarized the last bit instead. "–In other words, I use it to hear what the rooms look like." Moving on to explaining the method which she procured the sandwich, she shrugged her shoulders.

"As for the food, I can't say I know. What I have found is that whenever I think of food, whatever I just thought appears in my hand. However there are three things that I've observed to remain constant. One, this only applies to food. Two, the food is indeed real and not some illusory construct. And three, it always gives enough for a single person–no more, no less. Thus, I have come to believe that it merely transports food from another preexisting location to where I am."

"I'm going to learn to do that!" Synthesis decaired enthusiastically, "That food spell is going to be the next one I master, mark my words!"
She then continued to stuff her face to the last crumb, including the section that Shiloh had rejected. She made to walk on she she swallowed her penultimate bite, not wishing to hold them up, and turned into the tunnel they had discussed. "Obviously that other trick of yours is impressive too," She added as she walked, turning to see if the other woman was following. She didn't want to dismiss anyone's skill and efforts for fear she might cause offense so was careful to compliment everything the other had done for her. She felt as though she had made a valuable ally down here in the dark. Her mind morbidly wondered to thoughts of how she might have been if they hadn't met up. They weren't comforting at all.

Shiloh gave a grunt of acknowledgement to Synthesis' praise. It was nothing special, really. She was sure a sorcerer could have come up with a better way to achieve the same effect, but her way suited her just fine. If it worked, it worked. Climbing up the slope, she adjusted her eyes to the new environment. By now she had established recognition of the girl's aura signature, so she would no longer need to check every new pulse of life nearby to find her. The most shortcuts she could use, the less effort needed to make a decision. And down here, effort translated to energy. The rest of the walk went on in silence, as Shiloh kept herself in a state of heightened focus. As they progressed, she had to filter out every drip of water and every step they took from the noises she was listening to, which over time began to prove itself draining.

Stopping to take a break, she closed off the influx of sensory information to give herself a break. As she did so, she took a deep breath and picked up a whiff of something rank and acrid. Speaking up, she was suddenly cut off when some unknown thing fell onto her face and began attempting to suffocate her. The sounds of a struggle and disorganized shuffling signaled that something was wrong and that Shiloh was in distress. Should a light source be present, Synthesis would see a semi-translucent amorphous mass covering Shiloh's entire head while the woman clawed at it with her hands in an effort to tear it off. In layman's terms, it was a commonly known as a 'slime', composed mostly of water. 

For some time, the two continued on in silence. Synthesis was content now that she was full and she was optimistic enough while they were traveling uphill. Then, with little warning, she heard a muffled gasp that might have broken out into a cry… but didn't. She turned, the sounds of rapid scuffles and shuffling alarming her to no end. The sight that met her eyes was both shocking and terrifying but even so she lept towards her companion and began aiding her in tearing the thing off her face. It was stuck tightly but was too soft to avoid the attack of both their fingers. Synthesis burrowed her hand into its center, scraping it away from the inside out so Shiloh's eyes nose and mouth were freed. It clung to the edges of its victim's face with fevor, seeming to try and slide back into its origional shape and place.
Synthesis was unsure whether this attack was purposeful because she couldn't see what it could hope to gain by killing an animal. How on earth would it digest one, if that were its goal?
The two of them scraped and pulled at the slime until it fell to the floor in sad, sticky pieces.
Synthesis breathed heavily. "Are you okay?"

Shiloh hacked and coughed until the last bits of the slime were expelled from her mouth and nose. It took a while for her breathing to return to normal, and she wiped her face with her sleeves. When she was able to speak again, she said between labored breaths. "…Thanks. Should've known that would happen as soon as I stopped using aura sight." Coughing again she murmured to herself, "Not letting me catch a break now, are you? Cursed misfortune rearing its ugly head again." Her tone was that of annoyance and familiarity, like this had happened before. This would probably explain why she seemed so insistent on making sure of the passage ahead and why the woman seemed so high-strung. If she had been alone, Shiloh was sure she would've been dead within the next couple minutes. Next time she went spelunking, she would bring a mask. 

Looking down at the gooey mess of her attacker, she glared daggers at it. Here she had been worrying about snakes and spiders only to be nearly done in by a soft-bodied, spineless creature. It must've oozed its way out after she stopped sensing the life signatures in the area. Pulling her shirt back over her mouth and nose again, she resumed walking. "So that's how it tries to feed. Suffocate anything that comes by and then feed on the decomposing corpse. I'm fine now, let's keep going." She then drew her sword to make sure that she wouldn't be caught defenseless like that again.

Synthesis was concerned for Shiloh, no matter how convincingly she carried it off.
"This aura sight," she queried, " What does it do? Does it drain you? And are you sure you're alright? Would you object to my healing you a little? Or some water? I always carry some in my bag." As she spoke, Synthesis motioned her hand towards the cieling and her orb of fire followed. It illuminated the cieling clearly enough to show several patches of damp which might easily be slimes spreading themselves very thin in a clever disguise. She pushed the fire so that it touched the roof and had it scour over anything that looked suspicious. A satisfying sizzling sated any need for revenge Synthesis might feel.