ORIGIN

Turned to his search, Fahl did notice the offer of aid immediately. At the current depth, the waters were dim, only kept from impenetrability due to the distant roving lights of the group. Where a crevasse stretched like a mouth open mid-yawn, he dared to venture nearer to. Pressure maintained its tight hold on the descent, invisible fingertips tightening its clench around his skull. Poised directly above the immense dip in the floor, claws hovered close enough to jagged rock to almost scrape against it, and legs kicked out to generate thrust. The result of this maneuver a rapid forward tilt of the body, the iguana's head tipped down, his snout shoved straight into the area of interest.

Plunged into such a position, the sign his request had been answered made itself known in his periphery: illumination, soft and gradually fading in with the advancing presence. If choking on an inward flood of water hadn't been his concern, it would have been recognized by shoulder-sagging sigh of gratitude. But thoughts would suffice, and wasn't that a pleasant thing to realize? While being privy to others' unfiltered imaginings was unfortunate, this provided the first opportunity he'd ever had to be as articulate as he desired.

'Thanks. Let me move my big head out of the way. Way I am right now, I'm probably blocking you from doing any good.' He drew his forearms up, readying them for a shove that'd hopefully send him flying back up. 'Just a mo—'

The assurance went unfinished. There'd been a flicker of movement, and Fahl, stupidly enough, had leaned further into the darkness to find what had made it. What he knew first was a flash of color—purple, or was it white?—enough for instinct to jerk his head back from what he interpreted as a sudden approach. Face removed from what might have been harm, then the sting was felt. A sharp cut split through his upper lip and nicked the top of his lower one.

But with no reflection available to see the true extent of damage, his awareness of it was limited to the coiling wisps of red that leaked from him, drifting up in thin smokelike trails. Through the haze caused by this, he caught small but piercing eyes. His attacker's silhouette held many formidable points, and seeing this, the retreat away from the place he'd foolishly stuck his head into resumed, the shove he'd prepared redone in haste to achieve some distance.

What he had been able to glimpse proved one thing though: 'Fuckers really are ugly down here.' The sentiment had not been intended to be expressed, but it was difficult to not. Used to keeping these to himself and with few that he trusted with his full internal process out loud above water, these vulgarities were prone to announcing themselves as loudly and uninhibited as possible. 'Guess that's a dead end unless I want to try for revenge. Don't think it got me too bad though.' His shoulders rolled back in a shrug as he faced the bridle's glow full-on. 'You still up for staying close by? I don't think you'll have anything to worry about. It's me that's probably going to be baiting these things, poking where they don't like me and all.'

While there'd be a pause for any response, Fahl would not wait for long. Duty called, and he wanted to get ahold of this key so that they could continue on. An easy swish of his tail spun him away, mind already intent on exploring another section of the floor.

If it weren't for how irritated he was by having to participate in this search at all, a pang of jealousy might have crossed at not being the one to make the important discovery. After all, while a small accomplishment in the grand scheme of things, it still was one. Instead his impatience reigned above the rest of his emotions. Hearing that yet again another key needed to be obtained, a huff leapt from him.

'So it is a key of every color? A bit more of a scavenger hunt than a rescue mission.' The talk of guardians carried the possible weight of danger to it, but at the present it seemed so easy. Although not the most intelligent of wishes, where was the difficulty? The challenge? A Master had needed them for this.

He received his answer in the enraged stirring of the waters around them. 'Nice going, Patty. You pissed him off.'

Some of the Gembounds were attempting to assuage that reverberating outrage unbelievably enough. And yes, it'd be better if this guardian wasn't killing for an insult not their own, but, 'Guardians don't guard well by acquiescing to everyone that promises good intentions.' Rude or not, it'd be best to take what Patty had said to heart in case the attempt at pleasantries didn't turn out well.

Spiky and big. That meant a size difference he could play to his advantage, so long as he avoided the spikes. The rest could try to speak sense and charm their way to a key, but Fahl would wait for whether or not the worse of the outcomes emerged instead. His limbs tensed, at the ready to propel him away from any sudden lashing out at the gathered party. He didn't know how fast their potential opponent could be, but hopefully his speed and whatever disturbances he could sense nearby would allow him to avoid a painful blow.