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 Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:25 pm
As the last bolt flew past the group, Kieran finally let out his breath and pushed Kaimana back towards the path. “I didn’t realize an alol could be so heavy.” He managed quietly, fixing his glasses back onto his nose and surveying the damage. “Did anyone get hit?” Fixing his satchel that he had used as a shield for both him and Kaimana, Kieran looked towards the other two who had been pressed into a crevice on the opposite wall. They were fortunate that the bolts were only from the other end, not along the sides where they had hid. The very thought turned his stomach, but Kieran had to shake his head to clear it from such worries. They were already invested in this and would just need to be more careful moving forward.
[Kieran 12]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:25 pm
“Noel.” Ami whispered, her heart racing in her chest. “Are you alright?” Once again Noelani had raced to protect her without giving her a moment to do the same! How reckless! Her gaze was full of worry as she inspected the tattered backpack, another soft sigh leaving her lips as she tried to regain her composure. “It’s been a while since we’ve had bolts fired at us.” She managed shakily as she helped to gather up what belongings they could save from Noelani’s supplies.
[Nanami 12]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:25 pm
“Yeah.” Kaimana winced as he pulled away from the cavern wall. It looked like there wasn’t any injuries…save for that little bit of blood on the cavern floor there. Wait a second! “Kieran.” Kaimana moved forward so that he could look closer at the Yaeli. “Did you get hit?” Gods, dammit! He was supposed to be the one guarding here, not Kieran! What if something was on those bolts? Kaimana would never forgive himself, especially since this was his adventure that he had dragged the others into.
[Kaimana 12]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:25 pm
“I’m fine.” Noelani gestured towards her belongings as she offered Nanami a comforting smile. “I had a shield.” She managed though her expression fell when she realized that her orb of glowing jellies had shattered and the light was no more, the impact too much for the delicate things. “At least we still have other lights.” Noelani sighed before her gaze darted towards Kieran at the mention of injuries. “Kieran?”
[Noelani 13]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:25 pm
“I’m fine.” Kieran winced though as he moved to glance over the back of his upper arm that had been struck by one of the bolts. Thankfully it hadn’t embedded into the skin but was just a glancing blow, enough to draw blood but little more. The skin there would be a bit ragged if not treated quickly and would probably add to the few scars that he had acquired from similar incidents exploring over the years. “I think we have a medical kit, yes?” He blinked a few times and made certain to glance around to test his vision. “No blurriness so it’s not coated in any fast acting poison like other bolts would be.” He confirmed before glancing at one of the bolts laying on the cavern floor. Perhaps it would be best if they checked the tips, just in case.
[Kieran 13]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:25 pm
“Kieran!” Nanami quickly shifted through her own supplies before coming over towards the Yaeli with a medical kit. “You always tell us to be wary, but you went ahead and got injured.” She chastised him quietly while going over the wound and cleaning it out, the Kawena quick and experienced with healing thanks to her own background and studies. Making certain it was properly sealed and wrapped tightly with fresh bandages she glanced around warily. “I think that ointment should prevent any infections from swimming later, but I’ll look at it once more when we get back on actual land.” She promised though she found herself glancing towards a fallen bolt and picking it up. Taking a silver hairpin from her own hair, Ami rubbed it along the tip of the bolt and let out a sigh of relief as the silver stayed pure. “No poison.” She confirmed, making certain that there truly was no other substance sticking to the edges before placing it down and kicking it away.
[Nanami 13]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:25 pm
“Thanks, Ami.” Kaimana let out a sigh of relief as he placed down another bolt he had picked up. It did look clean so they could rest assured that Kieran shouldn’t be knocking out anytime soon. That’s the hope at least. He shook his head before looking back down the passage warily. What else could be waiting down there for them? Hopefully nothing else, but he was thankful that they hadn’t brought the snaptrotters. That could have been a very worse situation if so. Kaimana shook his head once more before grabbing his trident and heading forward. “Let’s get out of this area and find this treasure quickly.” Now that the one trap was triggered it shouldn’t be a problem, right?
[Kaimana 13]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:25 pm
“Ah, yes.” Noelani pressed her lips together thoughtfully. Did they want to continue? It was a silly question, especially since she knew that even she wanted to press forward now that they were so close. And so she simply followed Kaimana as he went along, the hybrid staying vigilant as she kept an eye out for traps and wandering alol. This time she would not let anything touch any strange rock or device that could potentially kill them. Noelani’s gaze narrowed at the thought as they came to a twist in the passageway. “Now which way do we go?”
[Noelani 14]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:26 pm
“Left.” Kieran murmured as he trailed along, the Yaeli ignoring the urge to itch at the bandages that were wrapped around his arm. He had given Ami an appreciative nod before trudging along after the others, the Kawena by his side while the lights danced ahead and guided the way. Refusing to delay the party and not wanting to return to the beginning, not when they were already in the cave after so many hours spent getting here, Kieran continued moving and the crossroads did not surprise him. “There was a riddle along the faded edges of the map. Left is right, Right is wrong, Right is right, Left is left. Fairly simple, right?”
[Kieran 14]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:26 pm
“Very simple.” Nanami agreed quietly as she walked next to Kieran, the Kawena attentive and making certain that he was alright despite his injury. “I’m assuming that means there’s four choices within these passages, left first, left again, right finally and then right once more.” It was simple enough wording, but could easily confuse anyone in a rush, especially the last direction. Ami wouldn’t be surprised if the final left passage actually had another trap, considering how close it was to the actual treasure.
[Nanami 14]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:26 pm
Kaimana chuckled. “This is why I’m thankful for you two.” He joked despite their situation, the Matori finding some humor in the fact that a riddle could be so easily solved by the pair of scholars. “So left it is and if we go the wrong direction then I’m sure we’ll find more than just bolts waiting on us next time.” The passage started growing more narrow now that they took the turn and he had to groan. “Guess we’ll be going single file for now.”
[Kaimana 14]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:26 pm
“I’m just glad that part of the map wasn’t lost.” Noelani mused as she trailed after Kaimana, the hybrid keeping her guard up as she walked along. The condensation of the cave continued gleaming above them but she had to frown. Was something changing as they moved along? More crystals perhaps? A cavern full of crystals, even geodes, would be worth a lot in the market if they didn’t find actual treasure here. So at least their pain wouldn’t be sacrificed if they gathered a few of those on the way back. “Imagine taking a right then falling into a pit of spikes, I’m sure that’s here somewhere.”
[Noelani 15]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:26 pm
“You’ve dealt with pirates and treasure caves before, correct?” Kieran asked with a soft chuckle. “So I’ll take your word for it and avoid any pitfalls.” He rubbed along his arm with a slight wince. The last thing he wanted was for any other sharp objects to pierce his flesh. Pirates were always so nasty about hiding their treasures, it made him wonder why they had chosen this particular cave and who would have even found it in the first place. Though…honestly it probably was not always underwater. “I wonder how old these traps are for the ocean to have already swallowed the cave. Surely at one point it was actually accessible by land so that they wouldn’t need to swim and risk their lives bringing loot down here.”
[Kieran 15]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:26 pm
“At least a few decades, depending on the ocean and the overall weather of the area.” Replied Ami quietly, thankful to have something to focus on other than the quiet cavern. While she loved caverns and had been in ones like these her whole childhood, there was something eerie about this particular one. Was it because they had already been attacked by a trap here? Probably. “Unless you had some of my kind in the area then it would be more likely that this cave was accessible, even if it was only for a limited time with the tides, before a bad storm or decades of ocean waves washed away the outer areas of the island and the ocean took over.”
[Nanami 15]
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Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 7:26 pm
“I hope you both understand that you make my brain ache.” Teased Kaimana as he pushed on ahead, only stopping after a few moments to survey the next passage before going left as directed. So far so good. He took a deep breath before moving forward, testing the floor and acknowledging that it was indeed safe. Though those steps slowed down to a stop after a moment and he glanced around the crystals faintly glowing about them, the clusters now bigger in this wider passageway. “Did I get water in my ears or do I hear something?” Kaimana swore that he had just heard something!
[Kaimana 15]
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