And the treasure is revealed. This is what everyone was here for, right? The others get to rifling, and Angel mostly just... stands there.

They aren't really awestruck by the hoard, not really. Maybe there could be something to eat, but they weren't really hurting for metal right now. Case in point, they scraped their nail against their armor idly and leveraging a solemn stare towards the unscratched surface. This is what they get for curiosity.

Shrugging, Angel stepped behind Audland's dive into the pile, huffing at his misfortune. He's kicked up enough for Angel to nudge aside some dull metal with their sabaton in curious searching. They're not bending over unless they find something truly interesting— that'd take it being something studded or not metal amidst everything. Not just a gem either; something with like... a gem in something? A cool shape? Honestly, they were just being picky.

Angel is looking for something that is not completely metal, such as leather, wood, or stone; OR is looking for anything with interesting art or is studded with gems. Probably something small enough to be held in one hand, but literally anything interesting/different than just pure metal would do.

Stone was hard on the knuckles. The conclusion had been obvious before even slamming their fist against the brick, yet that knowledge couldn't cushion Halcyon's flesh from the stinging scrape made against it. They repressed a wince and stood steadfast in the wake of the far more impressive punch swung by the brute that'd swaggered into their midst, the wall almost seeming to quake due to the additional force applied. Though their face didn't betray the emotion, irritation stirred inside the Drone. They should've factored in that the nature of this button would draw beings with more combative tendencies in as well.

No matter. They'd endure. It wasn't as if they had no experience with those inclined to needling remarks instead of calm discussion. So long as group cohesion already less perfect than Order's own was necessary for best traversing this unknown route, attempts to erode it would be ignored unless peace became an option unavailable for them.

Resisting the demands of their programming grew ever more difficult once a new area was exposed by the ragtag team's efforts. Where others beheld gleaming treasure with awe or greed, they eyed the bounty with quiet apprehension. As they strode into the room, claws twitched upon observing gems adrift in a sea of coins and waiting for someone to pluck them free. Weapons mingled with armor when they ought to be separated and sorted by design and purpose. Such a chaotic room; were their restraint weaker, they'd spend cycles putting this to rights.

Tension built in their jaw, but Halcyon bent forward to gingerly rummage through the chests. While they cared little for material items, displaying no interest at all would be unusual. Scavenging might yield something useful for the Hive's benefit too. In a hostile environment where enemies were around every corner, finding protection was a good priority to focus on.

I used to think that the day would never come
I'd see the light in the shade of the morning sun

A mental "pat on the back" later for being so smart and helping figure out the puzzle and Callista was stepping into the treasure room with everyone else. Eyes widened minutely and she felt her body get tense. Okay, she needed to control herself here. She wanted to take a lot of things, everything actually, but if she took everything, she would have her arms full and would have to leave. There could be better stuff later. But...oh, she wanted to take things...

Control yourself! She took a breath and began to search - for one of two things. Either something that would be useful and practical to her or potentially...something enchanted to trade with the Collector.

That my life would depend on the evening moon
That the night would never comе

Fleas waited, shivering, until most everyone had gone in to assure she wasn't walking into another trap. Fleas followed, fur puffed. She watched as the others opened chests, shocked they weren't worried about them being...trapped or something. Fleas bit at a patch of fur on her leg that was already on deaths door, and now was likely passing the threshold. With a sigh, Fleas decided to approach an unassuming chest. It didn't look too deadly. She sat on her back legs, using her thumbed paws to lift the lid. With any luck, it'd be something she could use.

((Fleas is looking for a tool or something that'd be interesting, ex: pocketwatch))

Thalia was a little wary, at first, of another trap. Not that anything so far had been truly dangerous, but... Well, it was a dungeon, after all. The fact that nobody else was screaming horribly or dying while sifting through the cool stuff made her think maybe it was worth a pick-through, herself.

Could she find... maybe... something worth of a bard?

She ran a hand through her hair before studiously examining the contents of the chests, moving from place to place throughout the room. A musical instrument... now that would be just the thing.

Maybe she could find an enchanted electric guitar. ...Or at the very least, a simple flute.

Once the treasure had been picked through, and the Gembounds had taken what they wished, it was time to move on.

Ahead lay a long, ruined stairwell: a little overgrown, very dark, and treacherous in terms of missing bricks and areas crumbled long ago to sand. It was hard to tell what might lurk in the shadowed edges, or what traps might be sprung as they made their way down.

Click for Loot Results!

Zephiran finds a Ruby. Though he does not know it, the gemstone holds life, and its revival will automatically succeed. The creature that last held it will not be known unless otherwise discovered, until revived. He also finds a whopping 17 Coins.

Genghis uncovers a large, strange piece of armor consisting of two pieces of steel connected by straps. It appears to be intended to hang over the shoulders, held in place by a canine-type harness of old leather (which could really use some repairs); the metal itself then forms an almost body armor-like shape over the shoulders and ribs. It follows the shape of the dog's ribcage, and while engraved, is not very ornate. It has been deliberately darkened with smoke, so that it is less reflective and more matte. He also finds 2 Coins.

Spark, with some searching, does find something that appears to be a set of tools. This set in particular consists of three metal-forged objects, strong and set into a toolbelt-like design of worn leather. These objects include a small but sturdy hammer with a wooden handle, a chisel, and a device almost like a crowbar. Likely these were used to deal with traps, but could be adapted to artwork, or just breaking open doors. Interestingly, the chisel was dual-purpose, Enchanted with Fire Trap, so that if used against an enemy as a weapon it would emit a small blast of flame. This might be difficult to uncover, but the faint buzz of magic on the thing could lead Spark to experimentation. Spark also finds 2 Coins.

V-Chaos-Eleven procures a gemstone: a large, impressive-looking fang made of sapphire. Whether it belonged to someone lost here, or was actually used as a weapon, is unclear, but it's wicked. This gemstone's revival will be a guaranteed success, though the creature it belonged to will only be revealed once revived, unless she finds another method. She also finds 19 Coins.

Menkheperre would not find journals among the treasure: they were looting not the dead, but chests overflowing with special loot. But he could locate what appeared to be a book, at least. The cover was leather, extremely worn but ornate, with beautiful golden corners and sigils engraved and dyed on its front. The problem was that this place was... well, ancient. And while some magic of preservation had done some work, the leatherbound tome's leather had hardly survived, the parchment had almost all crumbled to dust. The moment he opened the book, it would begin to decay. If he were quick, he could recognize it as a wizard's spellbook, and glean knowledge of a single spell from the pages before it fell apart. The cover he could keep and reuse to bind a new book, if he wished. Menkheperre receives an empty but beautiful bookcover, and may claim any rank of Spell Borrow in Update Me. He also finds 6 Coins.

Audland procures... a steak knife. It could, if one squinted, and if it were nighttime, be mistaken for a combat weapon. It was relatively small, with a serrated edge and simple black wooden handle. And maybe it was a good thing he'd nicked himself on the blade, which could indeed use a sharpening, as it'd teach him an important fact: the knife was Enchanted with Decay. Its strikes inflicted a necrotic fungus that would prevent a target's healing, and cause pain. This wouldn't really affect Audland until the infection spread through the wound, and it could certainly be treated, but the uses of such an object were interesting. And questionable. But the buzz of magic would assure him that this item was worth taking. He also finds 1 Coin.

Yew finds a strange little ring made of wood, twined to look like wreathing vines or branches--or maybe it was grown that way. Incredibly delicate, detailed little blossoms are carved along its length. The ring is Enchanted with Blossom, and Yew may discover over time that it increases the rate of plant growth all around it. Yew also finds 14 Coins.

Angel finds a small hand mirror, though such a description does not do it justice. It is shining glass, an oval, framed in labradorite; a hinge of silver latches a matching labradorite cover that swings shut to close over it. The mirror is extremely well-made, with truly reflective mirror glass being a rarity in the caves. It is suitable for travelling with, with the protective cover and its silver clasp to keep it shut. He also finds 19 Coins.

Halcyon finds a cloak. At first glance it's plain gray-brown where it lays folded against the stone, a little ways away from the treasure. Maybe this is the cue for a practical mind: the cloth has survived the test of time where little else organic has, despite a clearly organic origin of rough, thick wool. The cloak is Enchanted with Camouflage, changing to match the hue of its surroundings: a worthwhile treasure for a stealth mission, for keeping one of Mother's chosen hidden beneath its embrace. Halcyon also finds A single, shining Gemcoin.

Callista finds a mask, heavy for its thin size--made of solid gold. It was molded and forged to look like a horrific, grinning, fanged face: a war-mask of some kind. It is inlaid with horrifying ruby eyes over the actual eye-slits, which almost seem to glow red, and two curled horns twist back from the war mask's top. It looks valuable--and as though it might have history. Callista also finds 8 Coins.

Fleas finds an item that's a bit bizarre in the context of a treasure dungeon, at least at first: a steel-encased mercury thermometer. This is a small object hanging on a silver chain, and is quite ornate rather than utilitarian, its mercury gleaming between the fine notches intended to indicate temperature--either in the surrounding air or beneath a creature's tongue, perhaps. Even stranger is that the thermometer is Enchanted, with White Sense. Perhaps it was intended for use by a medic, to detect infection from fever, or even to warn of a trap of disease. The stronger the bacterial or viral presence, the brighter the white glow shrouding the silver object would become. FLeas also finds 18 Coins.

Thalia finds a small silver flute. While sweet in its music, it's simple, unadorned. However, it is Enchanted with Pause, causing the passage of time close around it to slightly slow. This makes carrying it, too, a little strange: events outside its "bubble" will appear to move faster to Thalia while she carries it. She also finds 7 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 Perception or any form of self-protection they deem useful to safely traverse the long, dark stairwell and any hidden dangers.

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

Mai is at risk of chrysalizing. If her player wishes to continue, her WIP post should be completed and the missed round posted for. (If Mai departs, the WIP post should be edited into an exit.)

@Genghis @Halcyon @Spark @V-Chaos-Eleven @Fleas @Callista @Angel @Yew @Menkheperre @Mai @Audland @Thalia @Zephiran

Audland pushes himself up off the floor and, for a moment, goes just about cross-eyed trying to see what happened to his poor little nosey nose. It stung, more than it feels like it should have, and Audland didn't really know why. His burning yellow gaze flickers down to see what caused him such unbearable suffering (paper cut), and finds a thin, dull knife... Clearly not dull enough.

With two delicate claws, he gently picks up the knife, careful to maintain his balance. Examining the blade up close, feeling the ever so slight thrum of magic travel down into his fingers... After a moment Audland breaks out into another smile. "Oh, I like you." He snatches a small bag with a little drawstring (which a small, rusty coin already inhabits) and gingerly places the knife inside, blade side up so as not to cut the bottom of the bag open. He then ties the drawstring of the bag to a branch of his antlers. Perhaps a little bit haphazard of a storage method, but Audland believes he can make it work. "We're gonna be the best of friends, little knife. I think I'll call you... Betsy. Good ol' Betsy Backsta—"

In that moment it seems that Audland's body detected the beginnings of a fungal infection before he even had the chance. Chaotic flame sputtered and spit forth from his f#&%ing nose, just close enough to the cut to make it really hurt. "ARRGH!" Audland's frustrated growl escaped him as his hands went straight up to cup his cut nose, his jaws clenched together in more of a tight grimace than a smile. One frustrated fuzzyfoot stomped the ground for a moment before Audland shook his head and body to dislodge the... well, pain. But the fire didn't stop there. Patches burst forth against any force of will, singing the skin where each burst erupted.

Not good for light, or warmth, or Audland's scent and sense of dignity, but it could theoretically function as a deterrent for whatever might await them down the dark, dark staircase.

Audland only got a small chance to point his painful nosy nosey-nose in the direction of anyone else. He had wanted to make note of what everyone else picked up from their group grave robbing session, but the acrid smell of the smoke and the fire biting away at his skin was irritating his eyes and nostrils too much. Hopefully there would be something to cool him off deeper in...

(OOC: Audland descends the staircase with chaos fire protection and a steak knife. Yay!)

Zephiran dug around a bit, finding a neat looking gemstone. A shiny ruby. Heck yes he could use this. He slipped it between his jaws, just as he was about to turn on his paws- he found a small collect of coins. In a small enough bag he could put the ruby in it. Zephiran did that, using his muzzle to open the pocket. Putting the gem in it.

Then he stuck his mouth onto the bag to carry it. One day he would find oh something he could carry with him while he explored. The silver wolf did a final shake of dust from his fur. Then hed move to go to the next area. A dark area.

Since he saw the spikes last time, he deemed to try and use his new power to help protect himself. That is.. if he could call it right. Otherwise he'd be distraught.

---

"Speaking"

( @ None)

He didn't get much in the ways of coins, but that was okay, he didn't really mind. What he really wanted, he was able to find, a fitted armor that worked perfectly for his canine body type. He shifted to put it on, shaking out his fur for a moment as he picked up a small container to carry his coins and any other items he found along the way.

His wisp was still following him, a light blue light in the darkness, but he still remained on guard, alert and waiting, hoping he didn't have to pull anyone else out of danger once more.

The puzzle was solved rather quickly, and the next room was absolutely FILLED with treasure and trinkets. Mai hangs back warily as others flood into the room, only trailing in behind when most of them had dispersed to do their looting.

Mai doesn't have anything particular in mind as she searches the room, but she hopes to find something that might actually be useful to her. Weapons and armor are cool, but Mai is absolutely NOT the fighting type.


[Catchup post. Mai is searching for some kind of tool or non-armor accessory]