The train was perfectly unimpeded by the fish. In fact, it is unclear if it is even aware that they showed up. Upon a relatively safe, Mary Poppins-esque landing, the train directs the eyes sunken into its flesh pillar-gemstone head towards Soh-ling, and then towards Hecate. Words will begin to appear in a spot Hecate might be able to read, if the light allows:

ᛡᛂᛚᛚᚮ、

ᚮᚿᛂ × ᚹᚻᚩ ᚠᛚᛁᛖᛋ。

The train would then head for the treasure, although what a train could possibly want from the dead, it's really hard to say for sure.

@Hecate (interaction)

[oh, i love you!]

With Yvan so close to her side, Ryoto continues to harbor no true worry about what dwells within the deep, dark waters (except that he's diving down and she doesn't want to lose him, but—). Not until a shoal of fish swarms close, and her friend startles and thrashes to scare off the hook-fanged things. Ryoto bares her teeth in kind, arching her back mid-stroke to slap the broad side of her tail against the water's surface with a resounding SMACK!.

They scatter quickly enough, but they leave Ryoto uncertain enough to idle and tread water, wide eyes peering unseeing into the depths. She can't even see her own feet, much less any shimmering scales...

Fluffy ears cant in the direction of Yvan as he surfaces, panting, and she paddles over to float alongside him as he speaks. Her nose wrinkles with uncertain suggestion at the thought of going down to the bottom, but if Yvan's been down there and back, then... and he's doing the voice that sounds like he's making wet-eyes at her too, even if she can't see it very well...

Ryoto spits her glimmering worrystone into her palm, holds onto it tight, and ducks below the surface after him.

The bones... aren't anything that she is interested in touching, once she's down there. Neither are the weapons or armor— though she keeps eyes out for the yet to be found "sword" that Yvan has been looking for since their younger days— so she squints, looking for something ... palmable. Like a statuette or carved. Something to toy with like her worrystone, though nothing can compare to the one that she holds up to each mound of algae that they investigate.

"What?" He had not- he would never-

What the fuck is happening-

"Yes." He answered flatly, attempting to recover the dignity he'd had before entering. Vestyge was finding the less he said the better.

in response to Nebula's confirmation. Vestyge squinted at a distant wall for a beat, considering something. "Maybe?" While the wall itself was no Gembound, something about it seemed to glitter and pulse invitingly when his gaze lingered, as if the cave itself was attempting to seduce him. He tore his eyes away from it, perturbed.

He caught the shine of valuables below in his periphery, but he wasn't sure if they were actually there, and he was frankly a little scared to check. But others seemed to see them, and began to dive to the bottom of the lake to retrieve them. Vestyge did the same, his armoured spine and tail curling downward as if he were some prehistoric leviathan - he was not, and he struggled to keep his momentum with ill-equipped limbs.

But he wasn't leaving here empty-handed. He had a prime opportunity to improve the Lapidary's stock.

Responds briefly to @Hecate and @Nebula

Had Hrimfaxi not questioned further, the world would've been spared Richter's ramblings for a few precious seconds longer. Instead he paused at the end of the ramp he'd safely leapt upon and cocked his head, gigantic ears flopping to one side, giving the possibility serious consideration.

"Gosh, I never really thought about it that way," he responded. Idly a paw rubbed against the back of his neck while he mulled over and visualized the idea. "I mean us... the bones inside us could count as walls maybe. Not all of them really link together to surround something though. Arm bones are simply... well, there."

"But!" followed an exuberant epiphany. "Maybe our skin would. They're around the bones. And pretty much everything else inside us, right? I, uh, just don't know where skin would end or begin."

Inaudible mutters accompanied this latest thought, and the paw migrated to stroking the underside of his chin in deep contemplation. He hummed before speaking up again. "I might have the wrong idea about walls then. The definition might need to be, ah, broadened? 'Cause, see, I thought walls were always really solid. But it could be that they can be softer too. Then we actually might be rooms after all."

The water freezing beneath the horse's hooves broke off this tangent before it descended further into confusion, however, fascination refocusing on the astonishing crossing over a surface that normally wasn't easily strolled upon. Richter spun around in order to rapidly backtrack his hops, eager interest spilling from his mouth.

"Golly! That's a neat little trick you've done there. Do you need to concentrate much for that?" He leaned forward for a closer peer at the water's edge to better admire the frozen over parts, an act that coincidentally also resulted in a better glimpse of the treasure lurking within the depths and the bones scattered among it. "Oh, wow. And would you look at that. Quite a place to end up, poor fellas."

Curiosity guiding his actions as much as belated concern for the fate of the deceased, Richter waded into the shallows but didn't stop there. Much as others had already done, he swam out to the remains of those past travelers and fished about for a possible clue to who these unfortunates might have been.

@Hrimfaxi

As the chimera stepped up to the water, all three turned their heads enough to look into what was beneath the surface. Buckley gave a soft, sad sound at the sight of bones, while Gore huffed. Treasure for the taking, they all recognized. The lion seemed a little reluctant.

"What are we going to look for, then?" Ishani spoke first, curling up and around to look at the other two. Gore didn't hesitate. "Well OBVIOUSLY we are looking for a WEAPON OF GREAT POWER! To destroy our enemies with!!" Buckley looked up, exasperated. "I don't want a weapon. I'd like...something nice. Something that we can wear. That looks nice." Ishani snorted. "What about something enchanted? Magical? That could be nice." The other two grumbled at that. None of them were in agreement, so the search they made throughout the water was with opposing gazes, but at least they stepped through together so they weren't physically pulling themselves apart.

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

Looking for a WEAPON OF GREAT POWER, something enchanted, or something that "looks nice"

Hrimfaxi sunk into quiet. Everything Richter said was confusing to the few weeks old Hrimfaxi, but they listened as if it all made sense, though some concepts stuck out to them. Such as bones. Before Hrimfaxi could even question the horror that bones were inside them--let alone what bones even were--Richter had moved on to questioning if walls could be soft. Wait, what was soft? That thought was pushed aside as Richter asked how they froze the water.

"Mmm, don't think so! I just stay still. Like this--" Hrimfaxi put a hoof forward, in example. The dark water rippled beneath their pale hoof, and Hrimfaxi realized with a start that something down there was glinting. More than something, many things! "Oh! Shiny!" Hrimfaxi said, and with absolutely no hesitation dove in fully. Unaware of the horrors of death, Hrimfaxi swam up to a skeleton with something interesting lying next to it. They wrapped their teeth around it. The water rapidly chilled around them, and Hrimfaxi kicked towards the rock ramp across from them. They shook themselves off, clinking and cracking in their thickened ice. It resulted in a bizarre suit of droplets frozen midflight.

"Whats softer mean?" They asked. They glanced back at the bones in the water. Hrimfaxi wasn't sure why Richter felt bad for them, but didn't press it, uninterested. Instead, they looked back at the thing they'd pulled through the depths.

@Richter

There were several disconcerting or outright confusing things happening. A lot of Gembounds talking, which was overwhelming for someone who'd been solitary for so many cycles and whose hearing was so sharp. The... long... flesh-thing passed her, twisting; she couldn't fully make it out past the gemstone shell across her eyes, but she'd swear the markings that had appeared across its--hide? skin?--had been ordered and deliberate.

She was starting to think that maybe she was hallucinating, just a little. Like the way her visions showed her things that had happened before, that weren't happening now.

Vestyge assured her she was not in fact being flirted with--and she wasn't sure whether to feel relieved, or insulted. Put down. And-

-What was everybody doing?

It took her a moment of observation to drag herself from her own bizarre thoughts. Treasure-? she wondered, studying what was happening.

Not one to be left out, or outdone, she hopped down too. Any thought that it might be a trap was pushed aside; the fish were steering clear, and she couldn't really dive deep anyway. She could search the edges of the water, though, and she did: on the lookout for anything... arcane, in the esoteric sense. Something to do with her magic, with visions and telepathy. Or just something that looked the part, at least.

Beyond the room with its deep, dark pool, beyond the bones of the dead and their now-looted treasures, lay a tunnel.

This tunnel split into two. Each of those? Into two more. Some were well-lit, others shadowed. Some were filled with tangled, thorny vines, and others had shallow pits in the floor where water had worn away the stone.

Navigating forward would be taxing, time-consuming, requiring coordination and patience. And there was no telling what dangers--serious or minor--might lurk past any bend.

Click for Loot Results!

Nebula's find was not magical, but it looked like it should be, like something from a fantasy story. It was a steel helmet with silver inlay in sweeping, ornate designs, fixing with a black leather strap with silver buckles that went beneath the lower jaw. The helmet was designed to perch over the head, with long, backswept spikes that conveniently would not hinder his horn placement at all. Two matching, forward swept spikes pointed out beneath the jaw, balancing the design to be a thing of beauty. He also found 16 Coins.

Yvan finds something like a sword, except--on a stick. One might describe it like a sword-spear; it has a long, full-length sword-like blade with a gentle sweep becoming more pronounced toward its end, but beneath the crossguard, what should be a hilt instead becomes a haft that doubles the weapon's length, increasing its reach. The blade is blackened steel inlaid with shining gold in curled designs along its unsharpened edge; the haft is some form of metal made ribbed for a grip, and was likely wrapped with leather at some point but now no longer is. The pommel holds a brilliant cut ruby shining in a gold-and-silver setting. A small fish was living under it, and darts away as the blade is taken. Yvan also finds 18 Coins.

Survivor finds something interesting in its search. A skeleton, once an adventurer, their metal armor rusted mostly away, clutches an old and mostly decayed bow in their hand; it will need extensive repairs, its wood not having survived well beneath the water, its string gone. Yet what was interesting is that they had died locked in combat, and the other skeleton yet remains. The other was... well, a giant fish. The odd thing is that there's no sign of what killed the fish, yet its bones are crushed, and in the adventurer's other hand is a quiver of arrows. With time, Survivor will find that it has uncovered a fairly standard yew-wood bow, and a quiver of fifteen arrows enchanted with the Flora Call spell. An enemy struck with an arrow will find nearby plants animating, raising to attack and ensnare them. While the bow will need repairing, Survivor could always stab someone with the arrows in the meantime. It also finds 8 Coins.

Titivilus finds a golden chalice: a beautiful ornate goblin studded with a ruby, emerald, sapphire and orange-yellow topaz, fallen to the floor of the pool. It seems odd to have such beautiful treasure lying among the skeletons, who otherwise carry utilitarian items: but the Enchantment on it may explain that. The goblet is enchanted with Sterilize, ensuring that anything the bearer drinks from it will be free of disease or bacteria. The train also finds 17 Coins.

Ryoto finds, at first, very little aside from bones. But as she searches, a red glow appears: and grows brighter, stronger, the closer she gets. She finds a small marble statuette depicting a serpent coiled around a column: white threaded through with black and gold, but the entire thing is Enchanted with Red Sense, and glowing brilliant red by the time she puts her hands on it. Then, the glow dims almost completely. The statuette glows more brightly near living creatures, at least those not holding it at the moment. Ryoto also finds a single, shining Gemcoin!

There's a few gemstones scattered here and there, but Vestyge finds the most glorious among them: a huge emerald skull that looks like some strange mix between canid and humanoid. Long, sharp canines jut far down. Should he choose to revive or have it revived, it is strong enough that the magic is guaranteed to take. Vestyge also finds 16 Coins.

Richter finds plenty of indication, firstly, to answer his question: the skeletons are often wearing armor, bearing weapons and other tools that clearly mark them as adventurers and warriors who'd tried to tackle the dungeon--and failed. Whether they truly were, or are simply props to set the scene for training, isn't clear. One thing seems out of place, worthy of a second look: a pair of shoes, though designed like sandals. The sandals are made of thick, black hide, tied over a foot with black cord. They are Enchanted with Pickup, making the bearer travel a little faster, and a little lighter on their feet. With slight adjustment (or discomfort) these could be worn by Richter himself. Richter also finds 7 Coins.

Triage almost misses their loot: it's sat smack in the middle of an admittedly small pool of unnatural darkness shrouding it from sight. The item is a silvery steel breastplate enchanted with Summon Void, able to briefly blind those who strike it in combat. While far too large for child Triage (though it can be taken with), it may well fit the adult they may some day become. They also find 5 Coins.

Hrimfaxi finds a humble but beautiful golden locket on a jewelry chain. The locket opens to reveal-... well, whatever the little painting was has been ruined by the water and rotted by time. But someone could hide something in there, for fun. However, the locket is also Enchanted with Telepathy, and as Hrimfaxi touches it, a soft voice murmurs the enchanted message directly into his head: "Remember, I'll always love you." This happens any time he touches it after putting it down. Hrimfaxi also finds 18 Coins.

Hecate finds a delicate silver bangle, wrought as if to imitate serpents winding around the limb that wears it. A clasp allows it to be adjusted tighter or more loose, to a small extent, and it is Enchanted with Water Breathing, allowing its wearer several minutes of underwater breathing. This may be immediately recognized, as Hecate will suddenly be breathing underwater after picking the item up from the pool's floor, where it lay beside a skeleton. She also finds 6 Coins.

Players may add the Coins found to their characters' accounts. Those who found Enchanted loot may optionally post in Update Me to have simple icons added to their Enchanted Items profile field. (Please link to the loot post in your request!)

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Gembounds should roll to find their way through the maze of tunnels; splitting up may be needed so that someone can find the right path. Rolls can be used for navigation, perception, protection, or to sense danger. Characters who missed last round should double-post to catch up.

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The next post will take place on June 29th in the evening GMT.

@Nebula @Richter @Vestyge @Survivor @Triage @Yvan @Ryoto @Hrimfaxi @Titivilus @Soh-Ling @Hecate

In the shallows, Survivor finds the two unfortunate who were locked in combat. The explorer's weapon is theirs for the taking, and it heaves the bow out of the water. Old. Damaged. Needs work. But the arrows in the quiver? They all seem intact. So the Drone snatches every one it could find, bundling them up under a arm.

But the the tunnel leads ahead. Two tunnels. Four tunnels. Many, many, tunnels. A twisting maze, of vines, water, lights and shadows, of rubble and pitfalls. Too many tunnels for it to explore all of them.

It glances at the other Gembound, bantering and collecting their own treasures. Then Survivor thinks about its wounds, showing its allegiance. So it slinks away from them wordlessly, to navigate on its own. It is no stranger to being alone and far from company.

It just hoped the dark didn't have any more surprises for it.

Oooh a helmet. It looked soo cool and of course he put it on instantly, a warm smile on his lips as he bounded up and down for a moment. If he was a bird, he would have taken liftoff, but instead, he just jumped around like a crackhead.

Taking a deep breath, he continued forward, trying to use clicks and other small sounds to echo around the maze, trying to find his way, moving slow but steadily in the darkness.