A Good Old Fashion Treasure Hunt (Closed)

[Ajari]

Ajari nodded at Ephraim's words. "That is true. Navigating by voice can be very difficult, perhaps a torch would serve us better."

Ajari listened to Bonnie's explanation. It made enough sense to her, but it did seem a bit crude. If it was really that valuable, would throwing it in a hole be enough to deter most people seeking it? Surely they would be able to see where the ground had been disturbed? Still, these sailors clearly knew more about the practice than she, so she would defer to their experience. The six of them headed off, traversing the small island with little more conversation between them. Ajari didn't have much more to say quite yet, and it seemed that the feeling was mutual. The "First Mate" fellow didn't talk at all, Bonnie seemed focused on her hunt, and Ephraim had decided that trying to flirt with her wasn't worth the effort.

All in all, Ajari couldn't say she minded the development, though she did find Bonnie quite pleasant and fascinating.

The two other gentlemen Ajari knew nothing about, save for the mad man who claimed he swam to the island from the middle of the ocean and was as calm and healthy as someone who had just gotten off of a boat. Not to mention having perfectly stored and unspoiled peppers. His story had more holes in it than a sinking galleon, but she wasn't going to call attention to them here. She didn't trust the man, but that was no reason to be rude.

[Deleted]

The island proved itself to be minuscule. To cross it at its widest point would only take twenty minutes if one were to tread leisurely. With the aid of the map they came across a stream. Following it upstream led to a cave. It was nothing special to see. It did not sit behind a waterfall or have markings on it. Just a plain old cave.

"Perfect. The treasure will be in the back of here," Ephraim said to the others confidently. Bonnie took the torch from the one armed man and lit it as she led the way into the cave. A wide smile was upon her face as they went deeper. The mouth of the cave was wide enough they could all stand shoulder to shoulder but now it was far more cramped. They were forced into an absolute single file line. Squeezing between cracks. It was clear that if the treasure was here it took hours of effort to take it through even without burying it.

Ephraim had it easy, his limberness and thin body swam and danced through. Bonnie on the other hand was more well endowed and muscular causing great grief. She cursed without restraint as she passed through the cracks getting riled up all the way. "FINALLY!!!" Bonnie exclaimed brushing a hair out of her face.

The cave opened up into a small room with two torch stands around the edges. Bonnie quickly took to lighting them and turned to the others. Ephraim had easily gotten through and though she didn't need it he was eager to offer help to Ajari. The others, not so much, though for appearances he did. Locke was on his own for the most part but "First Mate offered his aid to the one armed one.

"Now ten, tis is clearly ta place it was marked." Bonnie looked excited like a young child starring at Christmas presents, though it was only dirt. "Let's get diggin boys."

[Locke]

"Hmm... Ah, yes. There is indeed something here... A foreign body rests here, embedded in the skin of the Great Earth Dr-deity. The ground is upset. It must be removed..."

The manakete dropped to the earth and began to dig, his hands gently probing the rocky ground. Unbeknownst to the others, their skin had grown hard and scaly, and the nails had extended slightly, becoming clawlike. Scraping some dirt aside, Locke grabbed the edge of a large rock, and began pushing it upward, levering it with his strength until he could drag it aside. With the large, protective 'cover' gone, all that was left was soft dirt; hopefully, whatever they were looking for would be there.

Taking a shovel from the first mate (no harm in being careful), Locke continued to dig, tossing the dirt aside as he continued to excavate. The earth was singing to him, and so he sang along, his voice echoing eerily around the room as he crooned in unintelligible words that seemed too feral to be human.

The dirt was loamy and the digging was easy; soon, he fell into a rhythm and was able to let his mind wander completely. He thought of the sands of his homeland, of the ancient temple and the sanctuary he had shown to Isis, his friend... He thought of his new friend Kyle, and the storm that had parted them, when their journey had hardly even begun... Thoughts of all types floated through his head, flitting and dancing like butterflies, as he dug and dug.