Atrius' vision swam with black spots as he rolled over onto his back. The fall had been nastier than the simple length of the drop would imply. He breathed deeply and felt a burning pain in his side. That was familiar, it had been his fourteenth year and he had fallen from the lower boughs of a tree, cracked ribs. There was also the throbbing in his ankle would make movement interesting for a while. He managed to get to his feet. "Damnation..." he muttered scratching his head. Other than than a little blood his head from a scratch he seemed well in that area. Blinking a few time he looked around. A ways away lay his hatchet, and hunting knife. He stooped painfully and scooped them up. He also found his hunting satchel with his days gatherings: Herbs, mushrooms, and a couple of rabbits along with the ration of dried mollusk he'd taken along. He picked that up along with his water skin.<br/><br/>Looking around again Atrius spied the strange metal. He didn't like this. What was metal doing down this low. The smooth walls of the passage made him uneasy. It seemed ominous. With a sense of excitement and dread. He wondered if this was a work of the gods, he spied the tarnished words warning him not to release some kind of artifact. Carefully he moved through the passageway coming to the glass. It had an unearthly beauty that was tarnished by several cracks. Atrius barely had time to look away before glass was gone. A new hot sear of flame shot through his ribs. Atrius' groan echoed dully through the metal corridor. Struggling back to his feet he looked into the wider room that the glass apparently obscured.<br/><br/>Now his feelings of dread were all but affirmed. "Damnation..." he muttered again. This was definitely related to the gods in some way; there was no mistaking it anymore. He turned his head back toward the hole, and the turned back to the bright light. He murmured a prayer and continued inward. He was already in and he doubted he'd be able to climb out on his own, perhaps there was another way out.<br/><br/>So Atrius continued onward. Soon he saw the woman. At least he thought it was a woman. "gods..." he said in wonder. She was perfectly beautiful. Her long locks seemed to cover her form. Atrius had reached the age of manhood a half decade past, and if he weren't so scared he'd be smitten. He needed her help though, he didn't know what machinations of the gods had put her here, but he didn't really care. He was not going to be stuck down here without even someone to talk to.<br/><br/>He didn't trust the strange crystals and light around him and that only provided more motivation for him to get away from this thrice-damned place. He looked at the girl again. He didn't want to touch her. Partially out of modesty  and partially out of the fact that he believed in bad omens. He was a competent sailor and you didn't get competent without knowing how to appease the goddess of the waters. Touching a naked floating woman had to be a bad omen. Atrius was about six feet and one inch in height so his cloak should be more than enough to cover a woman.<br/><br/>Brandishing his cloak he limped forward and spread the cloak out. He wasn't careful enough and one of the fingers of his right hand brushed the woman's long hair, "Alright, lady... I'm just going to put this cloak around you..." he all but threw the cloak on her like a blanket and tried to lift her down from her suspended state. He scrunched his icy blue eyes. If the gods deigned to strike him down now he didn't want to have to see it.