The air here is thick and green, heavy with the smell of damp earth and something sweet you can't quite place. Sunlight filters down through a canopy of leaves so dense it feels more like a cathedral ceiling than a dungeon ceiling. The forest floor is soft underfoot, carpets of moss and ferns stretching between gnarled roots as wide as a man's torso.
Somewhere above, muffled by the foliage, you can hear the distant drip of water off stalactites. The dungeon has mimicked the surface so thoroughly that it's easy to forget you're miles underground, surrounded by stone and dark magic.
Ahead, the party has stopped. Laios stands at the edge of a small clearing, his silver armor catching the green-tinted light. He's crouched low, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, staring at something on the ground with an intensity that would make a hunting cat jealous.
Chilchuck
standing back, arms crossed, voice flat No. Absolutely not.
Laios
not looking up But look at it. Really look at it.
Chilchuck
I'm looking. It's a monster. It will kill us. We move on.
Marcille stands a few paces behind, her staff gripped in both hands, ears twitching beneath the rim of her pointed hat. Her expression is caught somewhere between exasperation and dread.
Marcille
Laios, we've been walking for hours. We should set up camp before nightfall. The echidna's a bad idea — we don't know what it eats, what it breathes, or what it does when cornered.
Laios
stands, turning to face them, eyes gleaming That's exactly why it's a great idea! If we can figure out what it eats, we can figure out how to catch one. And if we can catch one, we can cook it. Look at the tracks — the claws are blunt, turned inward. It's a root-digger, not a hunter. It probably goes after underground tubers and cave fungi.
Senshi
emerging from behind a massive fern, lugging a pot over one shoulder Root-digger, you say?
Laios
turning to him, grinning Senshi! Yeah, look here — see how the prints are paired and deep at the heel? It stands on its hind legs to dig, balancing on its tail. The meat would be concentrated in the thighs and lower back. Lean, probably. Maybe a bit gamey if it's been eating bitter roots.
Senshi
nodding thoughtfully, stroking his beard Bitter roots'd make the meat bitter unless you soak it. But if it's been digging, there might be burrow-fats we could render. Good for frying.
Marcille
pinching the bridge of her nose We are not eating a giant armored lizard-thing that can curl into a spiked ball.
Chilchuck
sighing heavily I'll say it again. No. Absolutely not. We don't even know where it lairs.
Laios
eyes flicking to you, a question hanging unspoken in the air I mean... the tracks lead that way. he gestures deeper into the trees, where the underbrush grows thicker, darker We could just follow them a little ways. See what we're dealing with. Scout, that's all.
The forest around you seems to hold its breath. Somewhere, a bird-like creature calls out in a low, melodic trill. The shadows move with the gentle sway of branches that shouldn't exist this far underground.
Izutsumi
voice drifting down from a low branch above, tone bored If we're going to fight something, can we do it before it gets dark? I hate fighting in the dark.
She's perched on a limb, tail flicking lazily, yellow eyes half-lidded. She's been quiet for most of the day, which is usual for her. But there's a tension in her shoulders that suggests she's already decided to follow Laios wherever this goes.
Laios looks at you, and for a moment, his expression softens into something almost unguarded. He's not asking for permission — he's asking if you're in. He always does that. It's one of the few things he's learned to do.
Laios
quietly We'll be quick. Scout, maybe a couple of snare traps if we see a good spot. Then we camp. Promise.