[Quest] The Training Dungeon - Natural Caves

Yvan huffed at being pulled to the front, only to mumble a quiet agreement soon after. They'll just... keep going and ignore everyone? Sure. Alright. Following in Ryoto's wake, Yvan doesn't let go of her hand for a single moment, kicking into high gear all the way to the water.

He doesn't really stop because of the water, either. Unafraid, he plants his forepaws into it and struggles to stare out across it, squinting into the dark and soon Ryoto wading in. The smarter option would be to jump across, but he doesn't want to lose her either. Alright.

Yvan breathes in deeply before padding in and weaving into the water, dipping down and rising to check in with Ryoto. "Right behind you."

Their eyes would remain locked, or at least closely related, even as the flesh pillar sways with the train's unsteady motion. When the valkcat attempts a playful swat, the puppet easily drifts out of its reach. The train's single set of eyes would not be able to leave Soh-ling's visage, even after the valkcat had already headed into the cold, dark waters. Perhaps it had something to do with that hypnotic noise Soh-ling was making?

As entrancing as Soh-ling proves to be to the train, something about the path ahead seems to call its attention more. Perhaps it is a train's instinct to follow the rails, and let those who must depart do so until their paths cross again. While the train has the capacity to swim, it is not the best equipped for the task. Additionally, it seems to prefer a straight path. And so, the train elects to summon a more natural ability.

A slight shimmer passes over the train's exterior, and for a moment it seems to... squat down? Then, with a sudden heft and some effort, it jumps. And when it hits the earth again, for a moment—even in the darkness—one might be able to catch sight of its many, many tentacles splayed outward in all directions from underneath it as it all but soars into the air.

So cold.

The thought came instantly when the horse prodded against Richter's side in thanks. Certainly, the sensation wasn't entirely unexpected; the other Gembound exuded a chilly aura detectable simply by standing next to them, and he had already felt it before upon lightly brushing his claws against their pelt. Nevertheless, this second exposure drew an involuntary shiver deep out of bones. He rubbed his arms together, attempting to restore some body heat through friction.

Then a hum resonated in his throat, mild disapproval at the child's ignorance being addressed in a manner not harsh but also not overly helpful. Hrimfaxi was eager, and the walk onward would likely give enough time to craft a simple explanation. While far from the best at phrasing definitions, coming up with one didn't seem too much of a troublesome task. Richter attempted to in his warm, lethargic drawl.

"Well, y'see, uh... a room is a space within a space. A walled off place you can enter and leave. Sometimes, there's four walls, other times less. Sometimes the walls are rounded and other times they have corners where they meet. What matters is it's a, um, a compartment. Separated from the main space. You could call this here dungeon a room if you wanted to; it's a space within a cave. And the spaces within it can be called rooms too. Rooms within a room."

"I wonder how many rooms in rooms there can be. How small can a space within a space within a space get? Surely you'd run out sometime," he pondered further, having completely lost track of why this discussion had started in the first place. "Is there a point where a room exists, but it's so tiny that we just can't see it?"

"Well," eventually he remarked with a chuckle, "I better think about the bigger rooms for now. Bit important I remember what's going in those so I can watch my step."

Indeed, so engrossed in his thoughts had he been that the kangaroo had nearly ignored the obstacle in front of him and willingly slipped down into the darkness. The slope of the stone beneath his feet had been the miraculous thing to alert and drag him back to reality, a sudden shift in the landscape that demanded notice. Other than his near stumble at the beginning, he took to crossing the water-filled pit with relative ease. Hopping from stone to stone came naturally to him, after all, that being his normal method of travel.

There was a continuation of arguing from the chimera as they descended, Gore snapping at anyone that got too close (because they were DANCING and GIGGLING and it was WEIRD and felt like a personal insult!!) while Buckley and Ishani tried to get it to shut up. Despite their animosities towards each other, they managed to get down safely and cross the water without issue.

Well, physical issue. They were being very loud. (One of them was being very loud)

"Buckley is speaking!" "GORE IS SPEAKING!!!" "Ishani is speaking..."

Hecate blinked unevenly at Vestyge. One eye, then the other. "You were flirting with me," she huffed, scandalized.

Except, he hadn't been? Just a wink? And--she still couldn't tell if he had eyes. For one thing, she was half blind and for another, he was huge, dark fur in a dark space. She hesitated, blinking again as he seemed to leer at her. "...Do you have eyes?" she blurted, and it was guileless. Not an insult, not a demand to know if he wasn't SEEING something. She really could not tell.

But there was a strange amount of argument going on. Maybe if Hecate had been a smarter being, she'd have realized there was something fishy but as it was, she shook her head and just moved on.

The room ahead was darker, at least down below. And while she navigated more through sound, she still didn't like the lap of water: she couldn't hear if there were sea monsters or something, so she summoned up a wisp to light the way. Her flight down was silent, but she maneuvered the wisp carefully. "Use the light if you must. This way," she informed the entire group primly, even though most of them had already navigated the gap.

And then there was the train. Hecate paused to stare at the wobbly tower of skin flopping around at the top. The hallucinations made it worse: she would swear that the train was dancing. "Excuse me!" she called after it, even though she'd not actually heard it speaking anything she could make sense of. She drew closer. "Excuse me. What are you?" she asked.

The first Gembounds to proceed across or through the water and up the ramp would find a series of branching tunnels extending forward--but before they could quite depart, those with stronger perception, like Soh-Ling, would see something in the water.

Several somethings, actually: first, the FISH.

Hook-fanged fish lurked, waiting for prey to fall in. They nearly went for Yvan before the cluster of bodies and bright lights scared them off; scales gleamed silver as these fish darted away. The only Gembound to fail at safely navigating the water, Survivor, would find themselves bitten, and--given their Ordered nature--exposing a horrific glassy webbing beneath the flesh rather than dripping blood. But the bites were relatively mild: the fish were frightened off before they could do worse.

The other something then became visible: bones in the water.

Bones of those who had failed. And... the treasure those bones--or rather, err, their previous owners--had been carrying.

The gleam of old coins scattered in the deep was only slightly muted by the algae that had covered them; the glint and shine of armor and weapons was visible, if far below. Still, the fish had retreated--as far as possible, in fact, now wanting absolutely nothing to do with these particularly large intruders.

The loot was free for the taking, before the far ramp was fully ascended, and the branching tunnels tackled.

There's LOOT for the taking, sunken in the dark waters below. This is safe to take.

Gembounds should roll, and post a general concept of what they are looking for (ex. "a sharp weapon," "fitting armor," "a living gemstone," etc.) and the next GM post will detail what they have received! They may also collect a number of coins equal to the number of their roll. Characters will then proceed to the natural ramp exit of this room, and the branching tunnels beyond...

Reminder: those who inhaled Dust Moth dust will continue to see the others doing happy, overly friendly, or romantic things, like flirting, dancing, singing, and so on.

Characters with placeholder posts should have these posts filled in before posting for the next round.

The next post will take place on June 25th, afternoon/evening GMT.

Yvan hadn't particularly noticed the fish approaching, thinking they were a part of the group that he'd missed until they surged close, dangerously close. His alerted thrashing and surfacing for air drove them off well enough; were they looking for an easy meal? Treading water for a moment, Yvan squinted in the dark as the figures changed course and hid well enough away from the rest of them.

All he had to offer was an unamused huff before returning to his swim.

He braved going deeper at each paddle, holding his breath for longer until the glinting caught his eye. It must've been from Ryoto's light. Curiosity piqued, Yvan swam towards the depths, reaching into the murky depths and reeling once gooey algae scrapes his palms. Yuck!

He'll look in a second, but he needs Ryoto's light. Yvan rushes to the surface with a quick kick off the waterbed, sucking in air once he can. "Ryoto!" He pants, looking in her general direction. "There's stuff down there. Need your light? Please?" And there's the biggest, wettest eyes he could possibly manage.

Sucking in a breath, Yvan willed everything into himself to preserve this one, magic thrumming in his chest. "C'mon, I'll show you." Another deep, deep breath and he ducked back below, brushing his tail against Ryoto's and gently nudging her towards himself.

Survivor hits the water with a deafening splash, and it's immediately flailing in an attempt to keep its head above the water. But an animal struggling is a free meal, and then there's teeth driving into it. The fish, the fish! The pain of cookie-cutter holes being nipped into it is not something it has felt for itself.

Thankfully, it doesn't last long, the fish scattering as the rest of the party descends. Struggling onto a rock, Survivor hoists itself out the water, taking inventory. A hole in its foreleg, another hidden in the fur of its tail, a third on its thigh. The wounds themselves were not of concern, for it could not bleed out. But there was still and issue - normal Gembound do bleed.

It would have to hid its front leg, and turn so its hip was facing away from the others - or maybe it could hide that one with the algae sticking to the rocks? ...as gross as that was.

Then the Drone's eyes wander back down to the water. Light dances off the lake bed. Gleaming metal and shining stones. Treasure. The others are reaching for it all, and it must fit in. It thinks, what might be of assistance to it, in the future. It was well armored and defended. It also had its own weapons, in talons and teeth. But if the enemy stayed distant from it, using magic? It had nothing to use. So maybe it could find something it could use from a distance. If it ever needed to.