Mai was extremely glad she'd decided to take a light, because the tunnel she found herself in was pitch black, despite the glow of some of the others' various light sources. The baubled rope tangled in her horns was something like a headlamp, and the faint, anxious glow of her bioluminescence made Mai herself very visible, even if it didn't provide much usable light for others.

Mai found herself creeping ever-forward despite her hesitance, her tail held high, its single eye warily scanning the shadows.

Rubble and ruin were not the environment that Audland had been created for. With the lack of snow to regulate his body temperature, he felt his hide rather quickly begin to swelter him half to death underneath the dense wall of fur draped over it. Nothing he could really do about that for now. Fortunately, this tunnel seemed like one of the cooler options. And also, for him in particular, one of the more visible given that his ability to see was much better in the dark.

Audland would not say much, but would watch the group move through tunnel, perhaps more blindly than he did. He would try to be aware of his surroundings as well.

Thalia saw some of her family head off one way. She greeted them, then moved off--in a different direction. "This way I can tell ya what the other ways were like! Or at least one of 'em," she'd laughed.

And then she'd looked around, trying to figure out which way was best. Which way, more specifically, would make for the best story. And after a moment, spotting the big spiky guys and the pale ones going together, she headed that way. She couldn't be sure that some were Chaos and some were Order. But she was pretty sure the one with the pumpkin-ey head was a Chaos dude, or dudette, or something; and ironically, she wrongly pegged Spark as Order on the flipside of things.

That sounded juicy, if she were right, so Thalia set off after them. She had a piece of rope that Attikias had baubled; her dad's magic was better than hers, but Bauble still wasn't good for giving off that much light. Her glow, then, was a very dim one: she found herself squinting into corners, creeping along with clicking hooves as she tried--her heart thudding with excitement--to see into the deeper shadows.

Zephiran made his way towards the dungeon. Apart from the necklace he wore, it was difficult to see. But he bounded off, following a set of scents ahead. Darkness surrounded him, yet when he felt to call to his power. It sputtered before it did any use.

It didn't stop him though.

---

"Speaking"

( )

There was a soft drip, drip, drip as the group pressed into the dungeon's first shadowed hall. And those who were particularly aware--whether it be by the lights so many of them carried, or simple caution--could take note of something just before their paws, claws, or hooves could trigger the-

-oh. Down came the paws, claws, and/or hooves that hadn't been so observant: the tread of Halcyon, simply unaware; the little paw of the jackal Fleas; the blinded stumble of the dragon Valkhound Menkheperre, the unseeing tread of the young wolf Zephiran.

Each stepped on a stone brick underfoot that, instead of simply being a piece of the floor, grinded audibly. And suddenly, from the ceiling, black iron spikes came plunging down!

...TRAP!

...Luckily, these spikes were dulled or rusted by age. A few simply turned to dust, the others cracking. Those hit would barely be cut or knocked aside--nothing too severe. And those with fast enough reflexes might even be able to help them avoid the danger.

Ahead, at the end of the room and hidden in the shadows, the gap of a doorway awaited them, along with whatever lay ahead.

---

Some Gembounds have triggered pressure plates, and a trap of spikes falling from the ceiling. Characters should post their reactions and results, and then proceed through the rest of the trapped room safely, into the doorway beyond...

Those who succeeded (barely+) in their rolls may avoid the danger. They may also choose one other to aid.

Those who failed their rolls and who are not helped by someone who rolled a success/barely will take a minor injury, such as a scrape or painful bruise.

Those who critically failed their roll cannot be helped by others (Menkheperre only).

This quest is now closed to new entrants. The next post will take place in four days, on June 11th, afternoon/evening GMT.

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

He nodded his head to everyone that joined, wagging his tail slightly though he remained stoic otherwise, his ears alert and his eyes flicking across the lands. The wisp cast light across something ahead of them and he paused for a moment, starting to investigate it, only to turn when he heard a voice that he recognized above all the others.

A warm smile crossed his lips, his tail wagging harder across the back of his spine as he turned towards the creature that he had met upon hatching. Yew! He aimed to push his nose into their shoulder for a moment, a quick nuzzle of hello. Be careful, there is something ahead. He would jump over the spikes, careful not to get caught in them, before turning to make sure Yew was able to get across without issue.

It seemed others weren't as observant as he watched a few walk directly into the trap that he had seen. He was still small, and knew he couldn't help everyone, but he would lunge forward slightly to grab the scruff of a creature closer to his size, a wolf that hadn't been looking where they were going, and yanked back, pulling them out of the way of the misshapen spikes.

Are you alright? He asked, panting softly from the exertion as well as the adrenaline, making sure they were okay before beginning to head into the doorway, his body tense and his attention alert.

@yew @Zephiran

Eleven did not know what a spike trap was. But the sound of stone grinding on stone made her bristle with sudden alarm, and then there was the awful sound of ancient, screeching metal-

And then she was faced with a decision. Would she let whatever was falling from the ceiling crush the Gembound underneath? Or would she do what most people would do in this situation: Help?

It wasn't that much of a choice for her, at least.

Someone else's words came back to her as she darted for the largest of the endangered. Something about big white ones that she was supposed to fight - but it was irrelevant right now, right? This thing was to spindly and weirdly cute to be a Drone.

They moved to yank them by the ankle with their jaws, the bite light but urgent, pulling them backward and away from where the trap was falling.

@Halcyon

Even if they saw it coming, their whole body tensed as the hidden mechanisms stirred to wretched, half-life, screeching downward like some awful bird of prey. They were not in immediate danger - but someone else was.

Adrenaline fueling them, they grabbed Fleas by the scruff with their own canine set of teeth, pulling them to the side as the rickety trap collided with the stone floor. Maybe the panic was an overreaction, in retrospect - the lattice of metal spikes had become toothless in its old age. This only made Spark think of how horrible they were when they were newly installed, and what would've happened if they'd fallen with the swiftness of a well-oiled machine.

Horrible, horrible things, no doubt.

Despite the fact they'd not been the one underneath it a moment ago, they were visibly shaken by the close call. "That was close." They observed mindlessly, golden eyes wide and staring.

Their hackles fluffed, then flattened as they attempted a factory reset, moving onward through the doorway ahead.

@Fleas

Seeing a friendly face makes Yew at least feel a little bit better in the unfamiliar territory. She nods with the warning the pup gives her, and trails along carefully. She's the adult gembound here, and should be the one protecting the others. An old, deep seated fear keeps her from moving to the front. Remembering the way the obstacle course ended, Yew really wants to try. Maybe later.

And then... TRAP! Yew, due to being careful, avoids the traps above them fairly easily. Ducking down quickly as the protrusions quickly fall upon them. Some of them don't seem so lucky, thankfully the others seem prepared and grab them out of the way.

"Go-o-d wo-rrk"

Hopefully there won't be more dangerous traps in here. Yew is not ready for that.

@Genghis

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

The feline had stepped in front of many of the group, eagerly moving deeper down the hallway when the sudden grinding sound of the trap behind her made her turn. She watched, wide-eyed, as some of them were knocked to the side by the old trap, making no move to really help anyone. Maybe if she'd had more of a protector's instinct, she would have reacted faster, but at the moment, she just watched.

And shrugged. Damn. That sucks. Good thing she didn't get caught in that.

Anyways, she turned back and continued forward, never moving too far away from someone that had a source of light.


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