Test 5.

[azumods]

VERITY The journey this month has been easier on you in several ways; despite your losses, your numbers have been bolstered by the addition of two more this month, and unlike the unforgiving terrain on the way to Lake Acuity the routes to Lake Verity seem downright hospitable - they're straightforward, the climate is far more temperate, and there are patches of cheer visible here and there along the paths in the form of those brightly-colored flowers, even as you make your way toward the lakefront. But the lakefront itself is perhaps unsettlingly silent; a reminder, perhaps, of what you're here to do, of the importance of your task. You'll reach the lake sometime in the evening. The sun isn't down yet, but it looks as though it won't be too long before it dips below the horizon; there's more than enough light for you to see what the lake itself looks like, however - the water is still and clear, to an extent where you can see straight down to the bottom regardless of how deep it gets. There's no bridge or other way to cross over the lake that you can see, but once again there's a large rock formation rising out of the center of the lake and a good-sized opening in the stone, leading to what's likely a system of caverns further inside. Your exploration starts here, next to the crystal clear waters of Lake Verity; what happens next is up to you.

Comments

[azumods]

[There's another one of those corridors built into the rock face, likely leading to another chamber further down; thankfully it's less claustrophobic than the one at Lake Acuity, it actually seems fairly widely-spaced and less like it's trying to bottleneck you all into something terrible.

Going to go down, then?]

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[Yeah, sure. After, uh, retrieving Nin, who seems to be doing her best impression of a moth flying at a lightbulb. And uh, encouraging his other Pokemon - they didn't get this far without pushing forward, right? Step forward with courage, guys!

it...kinda works.]

[azumods]

[The lower you go, you'll eventually start hearing something.

It sounds like footsteps. Human ones, light and pacing back and forth in the next cavern, judging by how they're echoing.]

[discutio]

...Be on guard. Someone else may have beaten us here.

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

Uh oh...

[He looks up at Ignis warily.]

Want me to run up ahead and get a quick peek? [Since, uh...the Pokemon don't seem up to it right now. And he can...kinda keep up with a Pokemon? The slower ones!]

[discutio]

Not ideal; we should stay together as we proceed to be safe, but be prepared for what may come if we’re confronted.

[azumods]

[It actually doesn't seem like you're in for much of an immediate confrontation, anyway.]

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

A...alright...

[He'll...be as prepared as he can, anyway, trying to encourage his Pokemon to do the same. With those footsteps getting farther away, though...]

...Are they moving?

[azumods]

[The footsteps seem to stop abruptly at the sound coming from that corridor; there's a pause before they just...seem to move rather quickly somewhere off in the other cavern. Presumably getting somewhere out of sight, though it's not like that's going to matter as Ignis goes.]

[heritrix]

[Rin keeps her voice low.]

It sounds like they're retreating further in.

[gekkaju]

Maybe they weren't expecting company.

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

We should follow them then, right?

[All stealthy like and quietly, obviously.]

They might already know something about this place.

[radiantflame]

We need to head in this direction anyway, and they already know we're here if they're retreating. We may as well continue.

[enjoymyatelier]

We should definitely be careful, though. We don't know if it's someone from Team Galactic or if it's someone who might be able to help us.

...

Or someone possessed by a minor deity, I suppose.

[gekkaju]

Neither of those sound like good things.

[And what would someone else be doing out here, anyway? It's obvious why they're here...]

[discutio]

They're not, but we're limited on options.

[perfectselfie]

They aren't, but we don't have much of a choice but to go ahead.

[heritrix]

It's too soon to say. If it's an enemy, they likely have been expecting us, and may have prepared traps. But it could just as easily be someone trying to protect the Guardian and thinks we've come to threaten it. We should keep a lookout for anything odd, either way.

[gekkaju]

[Atsushi nods.]

With the Pokemon acting like they are...I don't have a good feeling about it either way.

[heritrix]

[Rin nods.]

Now that they know we're here, though, there's no sense waiting. That'll just give them more time to prepare, or hide away. We should catch up quickly.

[And with that said, she'll proceed forward with brisk, but light steps, keeping her senses perked for anything strange.]

[azumods]

[The cavern that corridor opens up into is another wide, circular one; there are other, different rock formations in this one, notably massive stalagmites jutting up from the cave floor. The arch of the ceiling doesn't seem to allow for proper stalactites, but there are the small starts of something that look like they might be trying very hard to be despite the odds.

The stalagmites also seem to have those crystals embedded in them; they also seem, thankfully, to actually be rock formations and not anything creepy or potentially made of people.

There doesn't seem to be anyone immediately visible in here.]

[radiantflame]

[But of course, those stalagmites make for plentiful hiding places.

Morag takes a few cautious steps into the new cavern, eyes peeled for any sign of someone laying in wait.]

[azumods]

[Well, there aren't any visible signs, but...]

[discutio]

[Visible, smisible.]

[If Ignis gestures for everyone else to can it for a hot second, is there anything audibly off?]

[heritrix]

[If it weren't for how strange the pokemon are acting, Rin would love to stick around here and examine all the different crystals and minerals that are forming. Given she's a Tohsaka, even now her gaze kind of lingers on it all.

First things first though, while there isn't anyone immediately visible, did anything get left behind? Marks, belongings? She's looking for any evidence of someone being around for a while, basically.]