As the Bauxite charges to follow her assault on the golem's bracer, Hargrave wrenches the Iceblade back toward herself and the bag she'd been using as a makeshift holster; both for its safety (as much as she loathes the thing) and to further expose the wound it'd put into the metal. It snaps with a resounding noise, and then the beast is... no longer shackled. No longer so incandescent.

It merely leaves, and that comes as a small surprise.

The Gray Hare remains braced, for a moment, to ascertain whether it will return for a fiery encore. When it doesn't, she turns to the rest of the gathering, bowing her head in the direction of September as he congratulates them all. "Well fought, indeed."

Despite all the fire and flames, the crowd seems rather intact; though it isn't as if she has more advice for them to follow, other than the "stop-drop-roll" she had suggested before. Thusly, Hargrave plods toward the ashy remains that the lava golem had produced before, and snuffles for yet another slicing weapon to add to her growing arsenal.

Looking for yet another sword or similarly sharp object.

The cool thing about having six eyes--which Vargas hadn't ever told anybody--was that you could cry with ALL of them. Overpowered as hell. Wyrm blinked tears from all six as she turned and stared at Fahl.

"I'M OKAY?" she squeaked, overly loudly. Her throat constricted from pain. The burns were... burns. As such, they hurt. Or "fucking" hurt, to use her new favorite word! But also... they were hers. Her element. Nothing new to her. She stood from the ice, shuddered, and closed those six teary eyes for a moment, then sniffed and wiped them away--and looked around. "Everyone's okay?" she managed, hopefully. But checking, too. Not that she was a medic, or had any idea how to heal stuff, but... she was concerned, okay?

Once all was said and done, though, the loot rush began. Wyrm tried to distract herself with that, accompanying Fahl to the bones and picking through things. She was looking for something armored, but... dark? Not too shiny. She lived in a swamp, after all. Or maybe something just magic! Or jewelry! ...Something she could wear, in any case, like the cool bracelet that she'd already found.

The gate at the end of the room began to grind away as the Gembounds searched for loot. And loot there was aplenty: coins scattered here and there, armor, weapons. It was a fitting reward for what had in the end been an adventure with... relatively minor risk.

Beyond the gate lay a tunnel. This tunnel was one that merged with three others: all four dungeon wings recombining into a single exit, a half-collapsed (but still traversible) open passageway that wound, quite far, back up to Lacerta's surface. The top was safe, overgrown but miraculously free of predators, and in fact not too far from the staging ground where they'd started.

They would be free to go, with the experience, minor injuries, and loot that they'd acquired--and a story to tell, if they chose to share it.

Surely Bartholomew Bear would wish to know of their survival.

Click for Loot Results!

Rajani finds a total of nineteen more coins in a small, if battered and aged, leather pouch. It will nevertheless remain intact if handled carefully, for now. In addition he finds a shining brass crown. While not enchanted, it is inlaid with little rubies, and seems oddly pristine for how long it's been down here.

Thalassa finds a similar pouch with nineteen coins, though the leather was once dyed purple. It's since faded to an ugly gray. He also finds a strange 'ring,' though shaped more as a cuff: tarnished-looking silver, intricately engraved with black carvings of a stylized nature. This ring slides perfectly onto one of his jutting teeth, if he so chooses, and is enchanted with Dissipate, shrouding it in a shadowy aura. While it won't hide all of Thalassa, it can help shroud him from the front--or create a cool "maw of darkness" effect should he open his mouth.

Bauxite-T-One finds a strange little pile. It was like the skeletons, with armor and weapons and pouches: three broken, rusted axes. Two broken shields. A pouch. But... no bones. And why so many items in one place? The odd opal lying in the middle of all these things had teeth in it, arranged almost... circularly. Like a Sandworm maw, but cut in half, as though the stone had once been part of a rounded, many-fanged mouth. A mouth... without bones? The stone would be easily revived, rife with magic. And at that point, the reason for the many (now useless) weapons and shields would be clear. The long-dead adventurer had been, by the simplest definition, a humanoid starfish. To explain further would be to enter a strange territory of spined, pebbled orange-pink flesh mottled purple. One would need to describe a full six limbs, capable of regeneration. A head--and eyes--and stomach, and... other parts, all clustered at the center of those limbs. It had been an incredibly resilient, tough and adaptable creature, until it had been burned to death.

Tourmaline would locate eight Coins, along with an interesting pendant: an ash-covered platinum chain, the platinum pendant at the end (a circular disc) featuring a ark brown-green gemstone carved in the shape of a blooming flower. This gemstone--ironically dravite Tourmaline--was enchanted with Flourish, and would somewhat increase the rate of plant growth around it.

Surgis finds seventeen coins in a tiny cloth sack, barely holding them. There's also, hidden in a corner half under ash and rotten leather, something shining. Or, at least, it would be--once the treasure-hunter cleaned it up a little. It was a box, not too large--maybe a foot across, and eight inches tall--made of filigreed and engraved silver. Open it up, and within was a chess set: an unfolding board, attached to the case itself, with squares of beautifully polished obsidian and alabaster. The chess pieces were made of shining, hand-carved and richly blue-green Aquamarine for one side--and these were water-themed pieces, flowing and elegant--and bright, fiery and glittering orange Topaz for the other, which were shaped more like fire, with upward-sweeping waves. It seemed to have been an adventurer's looted treasure, before they themselves met a terrible end in this room.

It would take Fahl a bit of searching to find something to fit his body but he would locate something, in addition to the nineteen more coins he'd find: a backswept steel helmet, inlaid with a line of glittering diamond. It had backward-pointing spikes, and was fitted to curve around the eyes and over the longer snout of a reptile or mammal with his general shape. Any padding or latches had been worn away, and it was not enchanted--though both of these things, to the optimistic mind, simply meant that it could be better tailored and customized to Fahl himself if he so chose.

Tyrin would find eleven coins in a leather sack. To his dismay, he would also find that his magic didn't do what he thought it would. Gem Sense would ping off all the living Gembounds in the room, not lost stones. For that--Detect Magic might have aided him. Still, with some searching, he could find a red gemstone; not his own, but a simple Ruby. Though easy to revive, it had once held a rather odd shape: a hulking, gorilla-like humanoid about seven feet tall, heavily muscled but perfectly bald, bearing peach-hued skin over its entire form. That skin also covered the otherwise scorpion-like tail that curled along its back, its hook dangling over its own head until needed, ready to inject a paralytic and painful venom.

September would find four coins, scattered about, and an interesting trinket... an orb, formed of mottled green Agate, with bronze filigreed throughout it. Despite being round, the orb's metal filigree was a map of the caves as a whole, as accurate as could be made by whoever had created it. Carefully etched lines depicted each cave and tunnel, with a couple connections he'd find weren't open to this day--such as the tram between Draco and Cassiopeia. Otherwise it was mostly a work of art, unenchanted but of superb quality--the sort of thing a wizard would proudly place on a display shelf (and keep carefully dust-free).

V-Agate-One would find a very interesting enchanted little item, in its own black leather pouch alongside seven coins. The pouch was oddly intact, and would remain so. The item itself was a pair of engraved bone dice. On its own, they might have seemed simple: just bone dice, albeit in surprisingly good condition, with unknown little dots and symbols on each face. They had probably been intended for idle gambling, or maybe fortune-telling--but they'd been enchanted with Pebblequake. That meant that they were constantly rumbling: vibrating and occasionally toppling themselves, rerolling their own facing sides. Self-rolling bone dice. Interesting, but strange.

Hargrave plucked from the ashes a beautifully crafted battle-axe: one intended for two hands, but not overbearingly large. It had two cutting edges, one to each side of the axe's head. The thing was formed of bronze, shining, but inlaid with--and with edges of--steel. The designs etched across it were reminiscent of curling flames, but it was unenchanted, as were the four coins scattered around it.

Wyrm would find a single coin, but it was half-embedded in a pile of ash, in which she'd also find what had once been a cuff or collar. It would easily clasp to her neck, and was a darkened steel with spikes, but one enchanted with Charm. Instead of helping her to charm allies, though, the enchant simply made others view the object positively. So she might be seen, at least, as very stylish. It was engraved with dark streaks of brown agate, curling and artistic, but with no real motif to it.

Players may add the Coins found to their characters' accounts. Those who received Enchanted items may post in Update Me to have simple icons added to their Enchanted Items profile field, if they wish.

---

Characters may exit at will. After posting their exit, they may a) post in Magicka Market for the thread claim, b) add their loot to their inventory, and c) post in Update Me for a soon-to-be-released achievement!

Those who did not post this round must make up for any missed rounds before their loot search/exit/claim. This should be GM-tagged for, as this thread will no longer be checked otherwise! Other wings of the dungeon will be completed in the coming days!

@Fahl @Thalassa @Bauxite-T-One @Rajani @Tourmaline @September @Surgis @Hargrave @V-Agate-One @Tyrin @Wyrm

With a few imprecise tugs of the muzzle, the battle-axe is pocketed and set among the rest of her newly-acquired burdens; leaving her free and able to brace for yet another something to come of this dungeon as the gate grinds to an open stop.

Nothing but a cooler, more refreshing breeze comes of it. After a few moments of waiting, Hargrave turns to gaze at the group one last time, and takes her leave as quietly as she'd arrived. With all the threat over, she finds herself disinterested in waiting to see if infighting over the hard-earned gains is to come next.

exit hargrave, unless interrupted ...

Their eyes hooked on what they'd previously assumed was a piece of smoking charcoal from the fight before, catching a glint of something behind the odd, matte black that cloaked the object and emanated from it. It had a permanent, ephemeral blur, like a shadow.

Thalassa pocketed the strange item, along with the coins, into the pouch they already wore around their neck. It was beginning to bulge noticeably with the weight of all the coins and items it carried. A suitable haul.

They made their exit, heading back to Scorpio. They addressed no one as they left.

[exit]

Of all the things the Bauxite had pocketed over the course of this journey, it'd be the opal that would bring him most use. If he chose to revive it - if he could think outside of himself and his hunger for that long.

His brain connected the dots slowly, eyes flicking back and forth to the axe in his claws and the broken ones scattered in a circle. The chest-plate would likely be useless to him and whatever spawn the Opal produced... But the axe could at least be wielded by someone who neared his level.

It'd be better than hoarding it indefinitely, which had been his previous plan.

Though the question was... If he were to reproduce, would the result want to usurp him? If he were to share his genes, would they be used against him? Things to ponder on the way back to Scorpio.

[exit]

guess who forgot to roll a SECOND TIME.

He was so done with everything that he simply just grabbed what he gathered, putting all the coins and other items in the small pouch he had found. Picking it up in his mouth, he turned to leave, wondering what he was going to do with all these things.

He had a decent amount of coins now, plus a dagger and a crown. While he was interested in keeping the dagger, the crown wasn't really his forte, so maybe he'd think about selling it, or bartering for something else.

But that was a thought for later, for now he wanted to rest and recover.

-exit-

Vocal cords betrayed the pain just as much as the obvious superficial damage and tears brimming in eyes. Were Fahl capable of a significantly larger range of expression, no doubt a brow would've risen in response to the strained reassurance heard. The elder of the two and having been on the receiving end of more than a few self-inflicted burns over cycles of magical practice, it required a level of cluelessness he was incapable of possessing to fully ignore the signs of injury. Seeing as Wyrm remained speaking instead of screeching agonized incoherence, though, he remained silent on the issue. After all, growing accustomed to minor suffering was a necessity should she decide to develop her fiery talents further.

That, and the mere thought of pursuing the topic caused his raw throat to throb. No reason to announce thoughts aloud when a situation could be resolved without them.

A certain morbidity couldn't help but be found while picking through the belongings of less successful adventurers. Although most evidence of their extinguished lives was mere ash and charred bone and the occasional shiny rock, an inevitable grimness settled upon the task, evident in narrowed eyes and hunched shoulders. Skepticism reflected in a murky gaze once he managed discovering the gleam of a helmet amongst less desirable scorched items. The good condition indicated this hadn't been the source of the previous owner's downfall, yet Fahl couldn't resist questioning the quality. Had other similar pieces existed and been reduced to puddles of molten metal by that enraged golem?

Despite misgivings, claws grasped the protective piece and tested its fit: imperfect, but snug enough to resist a punch knocking it loose. He turned then to his niece, head tilted inquisitively, both modeling the helmet and curious as to what she might've salvaged.

A lucky find, he concluded, seeing the collar. While his armor won in terms of practicality, that certainly won any contest revolving around stylishness. Surely, if she wished to make a big impression, wearing such a fashionable thing would guarantee it. Truly loot worthy of Dragon's spawn.

"Nice," he remarked, teeth gritted against fresh soreness from expressing himself. Steeled against another hot swell of damaged soft tissue, he jerked his head toward the open tunnel and croaked out another word. "Home."

His intention had been a question, not a demand. Too bad he'd neither the energy or strength to add the necessary inflection.

@Wyrm (for visibility)

-Exit Fahl

With the wind as you fly away
Give a smile from your lips and say
"I am free! Yes, I'm free!"

September picked through the treasures to find, finding really nothing that sparked his interest and ended up settling with the strange agate orb that he'd found. It was a beautiful thing, if fairly useless in his eyes. Perhaps he could get a good price for it, or trade for something else? Hm, unsure what he would do with it.

The other adventurers were picking themselves up and heading out with their own treasures so he, too, decided to take his leave. All the injuries had been minor, thankfully nobody had DIED. He curled his long tail around the orb as a way of carrying it and headed out as well, thoroughly entertained and satisfied.

*exit

september

She isn't sure what she's looking for in the piles of treasure, so when the pendant falls out and skids to her feet it immediately catches her eye. A polished gem, carved into a blossom, surrounded by engravings of vines and leaves.

It's beautiful.

Tourmaline takes the amulet without a second thought.

The others start to move on, having found their own prizes. And Tourmaline is eager to follow. The dreadful heat is agonizing, especially with her burns. She's looking forward to splashing around in the water on the beach when this is all over.

exit Tourmaline