Tal looked genuinely impressed as Thal announced that she was ready and willing to dive back in. That couldn't have been easy, and he respected her courage and resilience after what was pretty much a near-death experience for them both. He patted her back as they disentangled from each other, but when he turned to check on Maea his expression shifted back to concern at her revelation of past trauma.
"Shit, sorry, Maea. I didn't realize... hail. I've had my own troubles almost drownin' afore I learned t'swim," he admitted with a grimace. He reached over to squeeze her arm reassuringly and shook his head. "We're not goin' down at all, then. After what happened earlier, I don't want any o' us gettin' left alone in case somethin' happens. I've seen y'fight, but th'damn pollen or poison or whatever it is..." He reached up to scratch his nose ruefully and only scrunched up his bandana a little before remembering his mouth and nose were covered now. "... Anyways, let's try an' find a dry way down first, yeah? We can always come back an' investigate from here if there's no other way."
He pushed himself to his feet and offered wet hands to help his friends (yeah, you, too, Thal, more or less) up, too. "But this time we're stickin' together," he decided. "Lessee..." Thalassa already had a stick, but Tal cut two more from a nearby tree for himself and Maea so they could test the edge of the foliage-hidden water. "Let's head around th'rim o'this big well thingy. I'm pretty sure that tunnel was over on this side. Keep an eye out for any... I dunno. Sinkholes or caves this way? An' don't fall in again!"
The cenote was a small one, as it turned out, but as the trio pushed through the thick underbrush there were no obvious signs of the tunnel or where it went from above the ground.
What there was, however, was a very lovely group of red flowers that swayed gently as they passed and then suddenly pulled themselves free of the ground to snap at the trio with surprisingly sharp teeth!
You have encountered a pack of Preying Orchids!
Maea: 210/210
Thalassa: 54/54
Tal: 720/720
Preying Orchid 1: 25
Preying Orchid 2: 5
Preying Orchid 3: 15
Preying Orchid 4: 10
Preying Orchid (uncommon) - If looked at from far away, it simply looks like a flower. However, upon closer inspection, instead of a pistil, it has a mouth with sharp teeth, and its stamens are replaced with eyes on tall stalks. However, by the point most notice, the Preying Orchid has already attacked them and ran away on its roots. When its roots are in the ground, the flower is less than 1 ft. tall. However, when standing on its roots, it becomes around 3 to 4 ft. tall.
"Shit, sorry, Maea. I didn't realize... hail. I've had my own troubles almost drownin' afore I learned t'swim," he admitted with a grimace. He reached over to squeeze her arm reassuringly and shook his head. "We're not goin' down at all, then. After what happened earlier, I don't want any o' us gettin' left alone in case somethin' happens. I've seen y'fight, but th'damn pollen or poison or whatever it is..." He reached up to scratch his nose ruefully and only scrunched up his bandana a little before remembering his mouth and nose were covered now. "... Anyways, let's try an' find a dry way down first, yeah? We can always come back an' investigate from here if there's no other way."
He pushed himself to his feet and offered wet hands to help his friends (yeah, you, too, Thal, more or less) up, too. "But this time we're stickin' together," he decided. "Lessee..." Thalassa already had a stick, but Tal cut two more from a nearby tree for himself and Maea so they could test the edge of the foliage-hidden water. "Let's head around th'rim o'this big well thingy. I'm pretty sure that tunnel was over on this side. Keep an eye out for any... I dunno. Sinkholes or caves this way? An' don't fall in again!"
The cenote was a small one, as it turned out, but as the trio pushed through the thick underbrush there were no obvious signs of the tunnel or where it went from above the ground.
What there was, however, was a very lovely group of red flowers that swayed gently as they passed and then suddenly pulled themselves free of the ground to snap at the trio with surprisingly sharp teeth!
You have encountered a pack of Preying Orchids!
Maea: 210/210
Thalassa: 54/54
Tal: 720/720
Preying Orchid 1: 25
Preying Orchid 2: 5
Preying Orchid 3: 15
Preying Orchid 4: 10
Preying Orchid (uncommon) - If looked at from far away, it simply looks like a flower. However, upon closer inspection, instead of a pistil, it has a mouth with sharp teeth, and its stamens are replaced with eyes on tall stalks. However, by the point most notice, the Preying Orchid has already attacked them and ran away on its roots. When its roots are in the ground, the flower is less than 1 ft. tall. However, when standing on its roots, it becomes around 3 to 4 ft. tall.
