The venture to Lacerta had been a success. Thalassa had paid to have the leather on the goggles she'd found replaced, and it'd only cost her a fraction of what she found in the treasure piles. The burns she'd acquired, while severe, were healing well. The gray-pink scar tissue dappled her left wing, but they did not affect anything aside from aesthetics. In fact, she liked the way they looked on her. Proof that she'd earned her prizes.

Was it bad that she wanted more of them?

She wanted more items, too. To unearth more of those secrets deeper in the caves. To... Share them, even, with Gembound who saw what she did. If she couldn't find them, maybe she'd create them.

She stood at the edge of the crystal river. It'd swollen outward some, the shallows stretching a little further from the drop off. The corners of her vision were tinted a bright blue as her goggles glowed softly, the light strengthening as Thalassa slunk slowly into the water.

From behind them, her pale eyes scanned the rocky surface below her. There was a bounty she was hoping to claim, after all.

She'd picked out the piece of parchment on the bounty board in her brief return to the inn, before asking the bartender to translate for her. 10 Luckbites for 10 coins. seemed simple enough - and maybe she could catch the fish they'd been looking for while she was down in the depths.

The goggles proved to be a boon in navigating deep waters, the glow of them illuminating Thalassa's surroundings further like her own personal bauble. She must've looked terrifying, a dark shape with two, giant spotlights for eyes.

It was either luck or skill that lead her to the first cluster of molluscs. She certainly felt lucky, spotting them only a minute into her search. In her fore-paw she held the pouch from the training dungeon as the other began to pluck the Luckbites from their home at the bottom of the river.

(Rolling a d4 to determine the amount of Luckbites she finds with a roll. Crit success doubles the count, barely halves it. They're fairly common and the real gamble is if they're actually worth anything so I'm being a little more generous with it.)

(4/10 Luckbites)

Thalassa scraped the last Luckbite into its pouch. It wasn't sure if the old cloth would survive being soaked so thoroughly, having seen a bit of wear and tear already. It noted the sharp edges some of the shells had, and began holding the pouch from the bottom - just in case.

It began swimming again, down the river's length. It ignored the small fish that darted away from it, or brushed against its scaled hide. Too small to care about. It'd search for something worthwhile after. Anything under the 12 inches it'd probably just eat.

It spotted another two gliding slowly across the river bottom, making quick work of scooping them up with the rest.

(6/10 Luckbites)

There was a lapse in the amount of snails now, expectedly. Their luck wouldn't have held forever, but it'd gotten them further than they'd anticipated regardless.

Thalassa's powerful tail propelled them forward at speed as they quickened their pace through the water, hovering close to the floor beneath as they sought for another four to complete the ten they were shooting for.

(6/10 Luckbites)

The search was proving difficult now. Thalassa felt as though he was moving too fast, missing something in the rush - surely there were more of them here. The river was too big for there not to be. He took a moment to pause, jamming a forelimb into the rocks to still himself.

He twisted in the water, moving his head to bathe as much of his surroundings with light as he could. What had he looked over? The sides, namely. Anything that hadn't been in front of his face.

(6/10 Luckbites)

The change of strategy paid off. Thalassa picked out the small, slow-moving shapes scattered near and on the walls of the drop-off. His gills flared with a surge of satisfaction, seeing that he'd found the fated four to complete his set. They weren't clustered together this time, so they'd been easy to miss.

He swam to each one, picking them like fruit from a tree. A slimy, unappealing harvest.

Next was the fish, if he could find one. And also not scare it off with his big, glowing face. The issue was there was little way of determining the size before deciding to try and catch it. He'd have to leave it to lady luck again.

(10/10 Luckbites)
(0/1 fish)

She figured that whatever big enough to turn in was hiding deeper in the river, further away from any hungry Gembound. Thalassa's search was extended to a couple of minutes before she managed to make out a pale, small and slow shape making its way down the river depths.

She surged forward, using her wings as well as her tail to propel herself. The little fish didn't seem to make much complaint about it's imminent death. It was way too small to count, anyways. Thalassa let it disappear down her throat - but was a little put-off by the amount of slime. All fish are slimy, obviously. This one felt like more slime than fish.

(the size of the Whiteling she just ate, because I am a NERD: 8.43 inches)
(/r command:1L[Orion's scale, Silverling, Whiteling,] <- So I don't lose it!)

This time Thalassa recognised the species of the fish, only because it was the same as the one they'd swallowed a moment before. This one was noticeably bigger, which was good. It was just as slimy as the last, which was... Less than pleasant, also considering they'd be carrying this one back to Scorpio. Hopefully Bartholomew would still accept it, even if it wasn't the most conventionally appetizing fish.

They surfaced, shaking the water from them like a dog. The pouch hung heavy with the ten Luckbites inside, and they pressed it close to their chest for extra support, leaving the water with three legs and a fish in their mouth.

Thalassa made quick work of the Whiteling, putting the suffocating animal out of its misery with the slice of a claw. They considered expanding their ambitions, having fulfilled their previous goals in under an hour. They could fit just a little more in the pouch, and there was a bounty for mice, right?

(Second Whiteling size: 12.84 inches)
(10/10 Luckbites)
(1/1 fish (13 inch Whiteling))

It set down the pouch at the river's edge, content to leave their collection unattended for a couple minutes. It wouldn't be away for too long.

Its nostrils flared as it searched for a scent. Plenty of rats here, but fewer mice... It managed to catch a trail, though faint, leading it to the closest cavern wall. It wasn't long before it heard the tell-tale rustle of a mouse nearby, its tiny red shape catching the cave light in flickers.

Finding a mouse was one thing, but catching it was something else entirely. It would have to be very slow, very quiet, and very patient. Thalassa called upon its big cat heritage.

Thalassa's big cat heritage did not answer. The Red Mouse spooked early, and in it a sudden panic she scrambled forward in order to catch it before it escaped completely. Her paws found nothing but rocks and dust as the creature scampered off to hide where she could not reach.

She huffed, staring at her empty claws.

Maybe there were more nearby. Thalassa raised her head again, scanning the cave floor for movement. All senses strained to catch any sight or smell of mice.