Bones

SPACE It doesn’t take long for the barbarians to completely lose interest.

SPACEConner scans the sandy area for a few moments, shrugs his shoulders, and bellows, “Me think we hunt men.”
SPACE “Pictures scare children,” he continues, pointing to the drawings. “They no happen,” he says.
SPACE “What men?” Alliandra asks.
SPACE “Men in boots that limpy man find footprints on beach,” he explains.
SPACE Tharg’s anxiousness is quickly replaced by boredom. He mumbles something about ‘bug butts’ and then walks beside Conner as the blonde wildman speaks to the rest of the group.

SPACE “Tharg get bug stick. We find men.”
SPACE Tharg grunts his agreement and then rips one of the spears topped with the Fire Beetle gland from the coral. He smiles at the pretty priest.
SPACE “What we do now?” he asks her. Turning his head back to look at Conner, he adds, “Alliandra clever. She know.”
SPACE “I’m not sure,” she answers. “We could go back, but that wouldn’t improve our situation any. We could stay here, but I don’t think this place is exactly what I’d call a safehaven.” She looks about at the faces staring at her. Grant joins the circle after taking a closer look at the drawings on the back wall.
SPACE “Alliandra what we do?” Conner reinforces the group’s faith in her judgement.
SPACE She ponders that for a moment, then turns to Kavan and Tarsis. “What do you think we should do?”
SPACE Kavan steps forward and says, “I agree with the barbarians; we should continue. These drawings could just be here to scare off would be intruders. I suggest we continue down the tunnel.”
SPACE Alliandra nods as do the smiling barbarians.
SPACE “Tarsis?” Alliandra inquires.
SPACE “I don’t know,” she answers, “but I certainly don’t want to remain down here.”
SPACE Alliandra falls into deeper thought once more. She seems to be weighing the options.
SPACE “Grant,” she finally speaks. “What say you?”
SPACE The dwarf has been silent up until now. He gruffly looks at the other faces in the group. He runs his finger across his nose once, and then spits onto the coral at their feet.
SPACE “I agree with the elf, though to continue on almost certainly brings danger.” Grant scuffs his feet once across the rough and somewhat slimy and worn down coral. “And I hate spiders.”
SPACE “Me kill spiders if want, dwarfy man,” Tharg comforts. “Tharg not scared. Me big.”
SPACE Grant looks up at the giant man, amused. “Well, then, since I have my guardian angel here, let’s see just where this tunnel ends up.”
SPACE “That’s it, then,” Alliandra sums. “But what of Garn and Alasdair? They went off to lay Sable to her grave. Are we to just abandon them out here?”
SPACE “They’re big boys, priest,” the dwarf reasons. “Besides, we can always return to the camp later.”
SPACE “Alright then, let’s get going,” she says.

SPACE The group begins double-checking their equipment and inspecting their weapons. Conner takes the glandular light source from Tharg and Tharg makes a few practice swings with his oar, giggling a little to himself.

SPACE Sighing audibly, the group enters the water once again and follows the cavernous path onward.

SPACE The group begins making waves into the otherwise still water. The group kind of wander in no particular order onward. Conner holds the speared Fire Beetle light source aloft, casting an almost soothing glow about the walls and water surface. The hallway narrows again passed the beachy area.

SPACE A few pillars away, the tunnel splits off and turns around back the way you came from. The water seems to get deeper in that direction. It also continues on passed a few more pillars and narrows even more. There seems to be light at the end of that branch of the hallway.

SPACE As you all congregate between the two, contemplating further actions, Tarsis jumps back a few steps and yelps. Alarm is raised and everyone tenses up.
SPACE “There’s something in the water!” the elf yells.
SPACE The rest of you freeze your bodies and crane your heads about the chamber, waiting for an anticipated pounce.
SPACE “What is it?!” Grant asks, stepping forward.
SPACE “Something at the bottom,” she says. “I don’t know. It didn’t move when my foot hit it.”
SPACE Grant wanders over, checking the bottom with his club of driftwood. Tharg and Conner close in on the scene.
SPACE After pushing his weapon across the bottom for a bit, the club suddenly stops. The group looks at one another. Alliandra breaks the silence.
SPACE “What is it?”
SPACE A pause follows. Everyone looks nervous and no one seems to want to check.
SPACE Conner steps forward, finally, and slams his arms into the water, dropping the light source in the process.

SPACE “Me get fish! Me get fish!”

SPACE The red light falls below the surface and illuminates a small portion of the bottom. It is just enough to see the skeletal remnants lying all about this intersection of the tunnel.
SPACE Bones and skulls lie scattered and piled in gruesome positions and heaps. The red light, darkened under the murky waters, casts eerie shadows across the skeletons. Alliandra makes the sign of the cross. Tarsis’ breathing becomes audibly more rapid and heavy.

SPACE Down the darkened hallway, echoes of a high-pitched chittering sound resonate throughout the tunnel.