The traps and pitfalls of the tunnels were as varied as the people who explored them. Everything from pressure tiles, to rolling boulders, to crumbling floors, to more darts, to a collapsing hallway, to squeezing walls, lined the passageways. And then there were the areas that were devoid of anything. Completely safe, these areas left the seekers with a sense of uneasy and worry over what was next It quickly became apparent why no one had been able to map the place before, and yet never before had so many people entered the tunnels so willing to work as a team and pull each other out of danger.
There were places where the tunnels were narrow, and there were places that seemed to be filled by an entire room. There were places where everything was so dark one could barely make out their hand in front of their face, and thee were chambers where lava carved its path from the volcano's heart. Place by place, they explored, drawing ever nearer to what they sought.
Each pirate, each marine, each civilian had their own talents, their own strengths, and each complemented those of their comrades. They worked well together for having known each other only a short time, and there was something about the tunnels and the danger that helped them grow stronger. It is impossible to go through such a situation and not come out something like friends on the other side. Where there was none before, trust bloomed.
Outside the cave systems, on the shore where the striker was docked, Lex smiled to himself as he looked up at the ship. There was no sign of life aboard, or if there was he was not supposed to know anyone was home, and he would respect that. He was not a thief after all. No, it was far better to retreat and watch to see if anything of interest happened. He smelled a story and he would not be so easily dissuaded from cataloging it. Even if it meant waiting hours for the owners of the boat to return. Besides, he wasn't entirely sure how to get back to town at this point . . . though he could just use . . .
Lex slipped off down the shore until he found a shady nook where he could rest but still keep the boat in sight.
As the Black Moon pirates worked their way through the tunnels they found themselves in a series of what seemed to be looping paths. Sometimes they continued forward in two separate groups, and sometimes they walked down a path all together. It didn't help that the passages seemed to have different levels and what seemed a split path would go up one set of stairs and come down later bringing them together once again.
It was during one of these episodes that Emrik's group ran into what seemed to be a contingent of marines, one of whom seemed to have taken a liking to Kyy's staff. Emrik was a heartbeat from unsheathing his sword to get it back when Lillian stepped in and he was able to see the girl in action. True to her word she retrieved Kyy's precious object for him and Emrik was one step closer to agreeing to letting Lillian and her sister travel with him. Actually at this point he had all but decided to do so, provided they continued to work well with his crew for the rest of the search. That was what mattered to him the most, that his crew was able to work together.
The two pirate teams worked their way through, up to the second level, up to a third and down again, one hallway, one trap at a time.
The marines were strong on the scent of the gorgon woman as she hid in the caves. It was easy enough to find her when they could hear the sounds of the battle between her and one of their own echoing through the tunnels. In reasonable time they had managed to send teams around so that Cassiopeia was quickly pincered between them and the Captain who held her expertly at bay.
It didn't take long before Captain Rosa was able to subdue the woman and her subordinates took and cuffed the woman in sea-prism lined chains.
"You're a hero Ma'am!" one shouted, "I've never seen anyone fight like that!"
"Now they can lift the freeze on the port!" another called.
"Three cheers for the captain!"
In no time at all they had taken their prisoner back to the base and it looked like Captain "bird catcher" Rosa was the hero of the day.
It was the group led by the Pirate Requiem that found their way to the treasure first. Their unique abilities giving their team an edge when it came to forcing their way wherever they wanted to go. The shield fruit user able to protect them from traps, the wax fruit providing the ability to create bridges and stairs to areas that would have been much more difficult to reach, or even impossible, and their Captain's gut instinct leading them more or less in a straight line in the direction he wished. The outsider pirate traversed the levels as well, moving upwards and then down again into a new area. finally their path was straight, and very clearly marked.
Eventually they came to a hall that led to an opening on the back side of the island. Sunlight poured through the entrance that made a sort of balcony with a view of the ocean. Settled into a crevasse of rock, facing them so it could not be seen from the sea was an iron-bound chest.
It was an ingenious place to hide something really. Lifted up on a pedestal of rock and lava that found its way to the area would flow around and into the sea. It could not be burned or buried and any seeker who wished to find the chest would have to brave both possibilities. From the sea the ledge was impossible to approach as well. The waters twisted and churned around reef and rock preventing the approach of a ship, and any brave enough to swim would then have to face a twenty foot climb up the cliff on slick, wet, rock. Only a mad man would come that way.
There was only one thing left to do, remove the chest from its place and then get the hell out of there. They could open it later, once they were safely out.
From the shadows Jacobs lifted and arm motioning Aden and Millie back. "No, wait," he whispered. "Let them take it out of here and brave the dangers of doing so. We will wait for them outside and determine the best course of action then. Who knows. Perhaps they will let us buy what we want when it appears to be worthless to them." He looked a moment at the younger man with the power to blink them out of the cavern.
"Take us home, Aden."
