After watching Tabitha fly away, I looked down as well... and walked the final steps, stepping into the cave. And as I felt the cold magic surround me, I understood exactly what the bat girl had meant...

And I stared in stupefaction at what I had found.

A large, roughed-up sphere. It was obvious the magical aura came from there... and it did feel cold as ice. It looked like ice, as well, but... more solid, and with a darker shade of blue. Like stone and ice had fused together.

And inside... a body.

At least, it looked like one. A shadowy figure, posing as if it was crucified, inside the sphere. I couldn't distinguish its face, or what its body looked like. Some kind of fog swirled inside the sphere, preventing me from seeing into it.
I slowly raised a hand towards it, feeling the cold air surrounding the sphere... then put it down. Touching it did not seem like a wise move.
I did take a slow step closer, however... Then another. And another. And another. Until my breath could almost hit the odd construction.

And nothing happened. It seemed I wasn't in any danger. Even being this close to it, I still couldn't make much of what -or who- was trapped inside.
But in spite of the swirling black vapors inside the sphere, that body within... looked oddly human.

Which posed... a conundrum for me. I had seen what the magic channeled from here had done to Venefica, and Tabitha had been more than unsettled by this place as well.
But no matter if I appreciated them both (maybe even had befriended them-), they were still monster girls, weren't they? If the person trapped there was a human... Maybe even an adventurer like me? Did being trapped in ice fall outside the Lucidian barrier's scope?

I focused, and put some thought into it as I walked restlessly left and right in front of the sphere. I really was taking my time here. With any luck, Tabitha wouldn't worry too much...

All the people I'd met were nothing but friendly. Vivian, Elena and Elly, Lillian bouncing around in the church... Nara as well. If the person in there was human... Maybe I should help. After all, if no others came here after me, they might stay trapped forever.

Looking at the sphere one last time, and at the hidden figure within... I made my decision.

Location: Town

"You found what?"
Elena slightly raised her head from the paperwork she was studying, and raised an eyebrow at her sister's sudden exclamation. Slightly flustered, Elly adjusted her glasses, and looked at me again.
"A-ahem. I mean, are you sure? Ice magic is powerful magic. Especially if combined with sealing magic to imprison someone, as you're saying. I would never have imagined something like this was the source of what we felt down there..."

Elena stood up at that, and came over to us with a concerned look. "What are you two talking about, Elly? Something sealed?"

I shrugged helplessly. "Yeah, sealed with magic, deep down in the caverns. And... I sort of think it's human. Which is why I think we should do something, but I wanted to talk about it first."
I definitely wasn't too knowledgable with magic, after all. Which was why after going back to the surface -and reassuring Tabitha- I'd gone straight back to town, to the Adventurers' Guild.

While I explained that, Elly had skipped to a bookshelf, and eventually pulled out a book before coming back to us. "There. All the information we should need about sealing magic. If you're serious about this, we should check it out."

Elena crossed her arms over her ample chest, looking thoughtful. "If you think this is serious, Elly, shouldn't I come along? I can put aside the paperwork and accompany you, if you think you'd need the help."

Elly rolled her eyes at that. "Jumping in at the first occasion to get out of the office, huh, sis."
That earned her a scowl, and a slightly reddening face from Elena. "W-well- So what? It's no big deal! I've been late on reports before, I can handle it!"

While the two sisters argued in a low voice, I put my hands in my coat pockets, considering our options. It was true that we might be rushing in, without exactly knowing what we were getting into. But I knew how busy Elena was... And in spite of how odd the situation was, I didn't feel like we'd be in danger. Bringing her along felt a bit like overkill, and I'd regret dragging her down there for nothing.

So I shook my head- before another thought entered it.

"... Thanks, Elena. But I think... someone else might be more interested in coming along."