Duty Session 277: Spooky Scary Skeletons

    With the Shadow Festival in full swing that means events are happening! One such event... Seems to have the desert chock FULL of undead. The Hunters Guild puts out a call and Amalthea is among those to arrive.
    "The desert'll be treacherous." She warns. "If the undead don't kill us, the heat just might." She considers, making sure to pack extra drinks in her inventory.
    It's about now that a Hunter's Guild guide makes note: "The largest concentration seems to be towards the oasis. So head that direction and kill as many as you can. It should slow them down from reaching the city." They note as they take the moment to retreat, apparently not coming with the group.

Yeowang has joined the group, looking around curiously. She's dressed for the desert, a white robe, belted, with loose sleeves, and a hat with a broad brim that provides shade all around. She carries no obvious weapons, but carries herself confidently. "Not a problem," she says about the treacherous desert. "Or it shouldn't be." Those who know her have seen her fumble the class skills that she's not familiar with in real life.

The tall figure of Giganpor is present, but seeing all that undead? Well, he probably wishes he brought a bigger hammer. Still, his trusty hammer-axe spear will have to do!

Not to mention he's apparently been working on his armor. The suit he's wearing looks a bit newer than what most have seen him in, and less scuffed. Perhaps even slightly upgraded.

Shaking his head, he pulls up a hood over his head and hefts the hammer-axe spear. "Well, I do need to wash away some of the rust." He starts that direction that the Hunter's Guild pointed.

When the dead become undead, it's time to make them redead!

At least that's the mindset for Kotono as she heads into the desert with (who else?) Miyako. "It's a hot one, but I came prepared!" Kotono double-checks her inventory to make sure. "We'll teach these undead a lesson they'll never forget!" The girl stops to wipe sand off the soles of her shoes before looking to the others. "Ready when you are!"

When potentially dealing with the undead there's one or two Adventurers most would turn to.... And seeing as the actual Necromancer doesn't seem to be available right now, you get the Nightmare Bard instead. Who's arrival is announced with an abrupt plume of magical smoke, from which she seems to appear from.... and dressed up for the festival. She's already got the appropriate coloration naturally, so really all she needed was the helmet, a pair of fake wings, and some glamour magic to make her mane ripple about like its got a life of its own defiant of any real wind (or physics). "Muwahaha! Finally, after a thousand years, I'm free! It's time to conquere Equestri--" Then an audible scratch sound effect as she stops mid maniacal speech. "--Wait, this isn't..." She pulls out a map (it's probably fake). "Maybe I took a wrong turn at the last eclipse. Oh well." The map is crumpled and tossed over her shoulder. "How may the infamous Princess of the Night be of service?"

When Kauchemar gets into characer she -gets into character-.

Syx loves events like this. Especially Halloween. So he's naturally going to want to participate in a limited time event related to Halloween, "Bring on the heat. I'll take it." He grins an flexes, "I'm gonna break an undead in half. That's my plan for today." He does stop to look at Kauchemar, "Wow."

    Miyako flashes Kotono a grin. "Right, time to remind these guys that they're not welcome around the world of the living." She's still in her festival costume, the distinctive black-and-turquoise Jedi robes, not caring that it might look silly or out of place. "You did bring plenty of water, right, Ko-chan?" She pauses to check her inventory for it, then nods. Good, plenty. "Is this everyone, then?"

    And it looks like people are arriving, Amalthea flashes a warm smile as she tosses out party invites.
    Briefly, that smile turns into something of a scowl, but she does not elaborate on just what is wrong as she finishes up shooting invites to the group and-
    "..." Well she stares at Kauchemar for a good moment.
    Amalthea is not up to date on the newest generation of My Little Pony, so alas, Nightmare Moon is lost on her but.
    "Goldar went that-a-way." She says pointing in the direction of the undead.
    So it's time to mosey.
    Even from afar there's no mistaking it though. The roaming dead will make the desert all the more troublesome; the heat and dry air causing many of the ghouls to wither into shrivelled and dessicated shadows of their former selves. Though from the looks of it they're made up of a number of the usal races, their skin clings to bone with a papery consistency. They groan and shamble, seeming to take little notice of those around them until the group gets too close or makes too much noise.
    "... Let's try to sneak around them." Amalthea suggests.

"Plenty of water check," Kotono replies to Miyako. "We're gonna need it in this place."

Of course, what they're really gonna need right now is skill to deal with these creatures. Capturing them could be possible, but not for someone like Kotono. Right now the best tactic is to avoid them in her opinion. Just like Amalthea suggested.

Crouching down, Kotono steps lightly and moves carefully while keeping an eye on the undead creatures, making sure they can't see her at all. She almost stumbles at one point but catches herself and continues moving without difficulty. "Nothing to it," She says softly.

Yeowang walks along with the rest of the group in her desert-wear. She looks out across the dried wasteland and blinks as she spots the shambling monsters. "Not too much of a threat," she observes, and it seems the consensus is not to even bother with them. "No one's really threatened by these, I guess?" she hazards, ducking low behind a dune and sprinting around them, avoiding their gaze and proceeding onward.

Unfortunately, her route provides poor visibility, and she winds up face-to-face with one of them, having not realized there were stragglers. There is a very quick and brutal fight, which she ends with a snap-kick, and grumbles, proceeding onward with fewer hit points then when she started out.

Kauchemar isn't worried about water, it's her best element! .. Though the desert heat might still put a crimp on it. She does smile slyly at the looks, and Amalthea at least getting one reference. That makes it worth the performance.

"I knew I should of kept him on a shorter leash!" She goes along with the moment if nothing else. Then taps a finger to her cheek. "And no one told these brain dead zombies to wait until night, when the desert is cooler, either. Worthless!"

Acting or not, there is one thing Kauchemar is good at, and that's being both quick and nimble. She bounds off across the sands, almost literally dancing through the disiccate horde.

    Miyako smiles lightly as she sets off after Kotono, letting the ninja take the lead as she pads on through the sandy soil. "Good to know," she whispers, and then falls silent as she does her best to avoid the notice of the dried-out monsters. Even if they look like they could be cut in half by a butter knife, she knows full well that monsters are not always what they appear.

Giganpor looks at Kauchemar, then just face palms. "Zyuranger was so much better in story-line." He comments.

Then he frowns at the skeletons, "Sneaking around is good, but we should perhaps try to move some out of the way of travellers."

That being said, Giganpor shows that perhaps he knows a thing about capturing monsters. Pulling some rope, he makes a lasso of it before calling on one of his quicker summons for the desert environment. "Come forth, Drudge."

What pops out of the summoning circle is a small armadillo looking earth elemental. "Hey, Drudge, see those guys? I'm going to toss this rope around one. I want you to ball up and get ready to roll around them a lot. I got some tasty ore like what I give Granit usually if you do it."

The elemental gives a nod, and Giganpor proceeds to try to lasso a zombie, then use an armadillo counterweight to tie up a bunch. Afterwards, he gives the armadillo a small bag that's undoubtedly some ore before moving to catch up with the others.

Syx isn't really much for sneaking. So instead he tries to just dodge duck dip dive and dodge his way through the undead.

He gets to about dip before he gets swarmed and while he'll probably manage to make his way out of the swarm, it won't be unscathed.

    Oh Amalthea got the references. Both of them in fact, considering she brings a finger to her lips.
    "Shhhh. Be vewy vewy quiet. We're huting undead." She says, unable to stifle a slight chuckle before she gets to work on trying to ease herself by the undead.
    As a group, the team does well enough in passing by the ghouls- with a large number of them russled by Giganpor's summon, making the path easier to traverse as the party moves along.
    So the journey continues, after Amalthea helps fish Syx out from the undead. But then... Then the drum-like beat can be heard. Distant at first but quickly approaching. a horde of skeletons march in line to a set beat, making their way towards the group.
    Once the adventurers are in range, the front line skeletons rush them, while the back-lines pull out their own bones and hurl them!
    "Oh dear." Amalthea muses as the UNDEAD CONGA LINE pelts her shield with bones.

Yeowang asides, "I don't think we're sneaking oast these undead." She uses the magical powers she claims she doesn't understand to raise a platform of earth, only four feet high, or so, but it puts the monsters at just the right level to take her boots to the face, while putting her face out of reach. It's quite a defensible position. Never give up the higher ground if you can hold it, she'd heard, and after the kicking these zombies take, they'd agree. If they could.

Syx is, once again, not quite able to get the rhythm down. He stumbles his way through the line, shoving a few of the undead out of the way. Which knocks a big portion of them down.

The issue is he's not exactly trying to do that. It probably looks intentional because everything he does he does intentionally, at least if you ask him.

A shrug is given towards the others, then he blinks a few times as he hears the drum beats. He even pauses to listen, and shake his head. "Anyone else notice these skeletons like their music? Maybe we should challenge that undead army to a dance off?"

Then comes the flying bones that ping off his armor and his buckler as he raises it. The charging skeletons, though, have him grinning. He winds up his hammer-axe spear as they approach. The weapon head is noticeably a very deep green signifying his use of earth magic, "Well, those bones have to have something on them. Let's see how much!"

Then twists and takes as many as he can with the swing, sweeping them and tossing them back at their fellows tossing bones at them bodily before he tries to charge through whatever opening there is.

What is Kotono going to do?

Right now, she's going to try to utilize an earth magic rune to try to take those things out in hopes of keeping things going smoothly...

Unless, of course, the spell fails and all she gets are a few pebbles.

"Oh... no..."

A few moments later, Kotono has slashed herself away from the undead and is staring at them with a scowl. "I make mistakes too! Don't get used to it!"

Bones bones and more bones... a couple of which Kauchemar catchs out of the air. Inspects one of them. "Yes, this will do." By the way her ear is twitching she's already picked up on the subtle synchronization in the undead movements. And far be she one to ever pass up the chance to put on a show or a song. Especially in one of the few times this is actually appropriately. The marchers charge... and deftly she sidesteps a strike to position herself amongst them.

And starts beating the bones she grabbed against her attacker's ribs. A classic, using skeletal bones like a xylaphone. She quickly overtakes the military beat they had been marching at, and turns it into a hilariously horrific musical number in getting them to dance along with her.

o/~ Spooky scary skeletons, send shivers down your spine
Shrieking skulls will shock your soul
Seal your doom tonight!

Spooky scary skeletons, speak with such a screech!
You'll shake and shudder in surprise, When you hear these zombies shriek! o/~

While 'Nightmare Moon' is clearly having a fun time with this little show it's not just for her own amusement, as she's leading her little dancy party away from group to reduce their number of attackers.

o/~ We're so sorry skeletons, you're so misunderstood. You only want to socialize, but I don't think we should o/~

    Miyako chuckles lightly as she spots the pattern of the skeletons' movements, and... gets out her guitar. Wait, what? Yes, guitar. And starts playing 'Yakety Sax'!

    Time to zip back and forth through the hail of thrown crap like someone playing a game of Space Invaders! All the while still playing!

    Then she goes back to get Kotono and repeat the dodge'ems game.

    Nope, as Yeowang puts it, there is no sneaking past this batch of bones. The group has to put up a fight.
    "Good going, Syx, bowl them over!" Amalthea calls out as she deflects more flung bones. He totally did that on purpose right?
    He totally did that on purpose.
    Nevertheless, the group retaliates!
    Giganpor crushes bones with his axe-hammer spear, Yeowang boots them in the head, Kauchemar...
    Kauchemar does what Kauchemar does.
    Amalthea, herself, breaks into a little shuffle, a slight dance that... Oh, oh her every step soon starts shaking the sands, helping to disrupt the rhytm and... Well in no time the skeletons are ground to bone dust to the tune of Yakety Sax.
    MOVING ON!
    It's not too long after dealing with said skeletons that the group spies hints of structures within the deser. Stone buildings, ancient and half-buried, worn down by wind and sand. But the oasis should be just beyond them!
    The issue comes from the skeletal hands that burst up from the sands, guardians of the desert, these linen wrapped bodies pull themselves from the sands, each wearing a strange beetle-symbol emblazoned necklace.
    They're faster than normal ghouls, too, be careful of their quick movements and grasping claw-like hands and gaping, biting, mouths!

Yeowang finds herself, strangely, skipping around the grasping monsters to read the runic markings she finds on the necklaces these monsters wear. She's evading them, mostly, after punching the owner of the necklace quite hard, after which he had nothing to say. Not that they're saying anything anyhow. But after reading the necklace, she says to the others, "Pull off their necklaces if you can. That should make them go down more easily."

Once again, Kotono tries to use some magic, this time of the light kind... but all she gets are a few sparks. "Not again!" She says as she prepares to take evasive maneuvers.

At some point Kauchemar slips away from the redirected musical marching line, because she's rejoined the rest of the group as they venture on... and into absolute cliche desert monster territory.

"I suppose, it was inevitable," she sighs in exasperation. "Not that we have time to deal with ancient curses and plagues. And seeing as I don't have Scorpia..." Her eyes flash even more unnatural than usual as she makes ritual gestures with her hands... And the sands of the desert churn abruptly, becoming almost like quicksand. "Back to the tombs of Anubis with you!" From which spectral, almost dog-like, hands emerge. They only grab several of the mummies though, and drag them back down to be swallowed beneath the parched sands once more.

Giganpor shakes his head, "I will settle for something a bit more classic."

His shield glows brightly before he raises his weapon high, "Light of the heavens, bring peace to the land! Come forth, Auris!" There's a screech as the light bird elemental appears out of the summoning circle that appears over his weapon and takes flight.

"Auris, Ola Repth! Let them feel the power of the light!" Giganpor calls and the light elemental flies forward, the wide range healing spell flaring out in a blast of light as he uses the undead's own worst element to deal with against them.

    Miyako shakes her head. "Sorry, mummy isn't here," she comments quietly, and casts a glance over at Kotono. She tries a rune of her own, but all she gets from it is a little explosion that blows her back into the sand, her face covered in soot. "Well. That's a big No, then." She sighs and shakes her head, slinging her guitar behind her and making ready to run with Kotono.

"Now we're talking!" Syx is definitely looking forward to going to town on something finally.

Flames encircle his body, as he starts to laugh. This is going to be fun! Syx rushes straight into the group of mummies, starting to swing flaming punches and burning kicks. He even jumps in, throwing one mummy to the ground with a ton of force using a hurricanrana.

He's a flurry of fire and pain in the midst of the Mummies.

    The mummies come...
    Yeowang says to pull off the necklaces, and the melee begins! Mummies get dragged back under the sands from whence they came by Kauchemar's summoned hands, Giganpor showers the undead in Light while Syx conflagrates his fists and lays into the damned.
    As a group, once again, the team handles the challenge of the undead and progress through the desert, leaving the ruins behind them.
    The oasis is... Oddly quiet. There are no animals present despite the fact that it's the perfect respite from the deser heat. It's the monster that proves to be the cause of this. A glowing undead creature flots around the edge of the water, just a floating ribcage with an arm and a head, an eerie faint screaming noise emanating from it as it hovers along. It wears a tattered hood that hides its face and glowing red eyes, and when it finally spots the adventurers it reaches out a bony hand, summoning a large black scythe which flies at the group to try and cut them down like wheat!

Well it makes sense to stop a supernatural weapon with a supernatural shield, right?

It did at the moment at least, as Kauchemar draws her Binder Shield. Then gives it a spin and hurtles it at the scythe swinging through the air. The two collide... but the shield being lighter and more aerodynamic actually loses out against the scythe's extra force of rotation, and the impact sends the shield crashing right back into it's master!

"Oh, that's not good." Giganpor states, then he moves to near the front of the group. "Auris, return to your realm! Repelling Shield!"

His shield suddenly makes a very reflective look as it catches the scythe and holds it for the others alongside his weapon. He pushes hard on it to avoid getting cut down as the shield flares back.

He comments towards Kauchemar, "Try to be Captain America some other time! This thing looks dangerous! Someone take care of it!" He calls out.

The oasis may be oddly quiet apart from some strange monster floating around, but ... well, that's probably -why- it's quiet. Strange monsters floating around is an unfortunate problem, but Yeowang has just the solution. One part boot to the head, apply vigorously several times very hard, and poof, problem solved.

So, it's not quite as easy as that sounds. It takes several punishing kicks, for one thing, as part of a concerted team effort to defeat this monster. Her hard kicks combined with the rest of the party's attacks, though, form a punishing gauntlet that this monster is unable to survive.

Even when your luck is bad, things can get better, right?

While her past couple of efforts messed up miserably, Kotono is able to come back with her air magic runes. "This'll blow you away!" She says with a grin as she summons forth some aerial magic to help deal with those monsters.

"Watch this!" Syx calls out to the rest of the group, as he rushes at Death. It seems Syx has it in his head still that he's going to break an undead in half, and this one is as good as any.

The wrestler rushes through, dropping down onto his knees in order to slide under the scythe as it swings past him.

He comes up behind Death, and despite the size, grabs around the creature's waist, and then bending at his own waist, delivers a picture perfect german suplex to the literal incarnation of Death that has attacked the group.

    Miyako shakes her head. "... right, big monster. Oooookay." She slides her guitar back into Inventory to protect it as she produces her naginata, re-applying the little mini-illusion that makes it look like it has a lightsaber blade (and sound like it, too!).

    "Hey, Ko-chan, watch this!"

    She sprints forward, ducking and rolling under the swinging scythe, springing lithely to her feet as she twists around to bring the polearm into place.

        ./~ Oh give me a locus, where the gravitons focus,
        ./~ Where the three-body problem is solved
        ./~ Where the microwaves play, down at three degrees K,
        ./~ And the cold virus never evolved....

    And with that, she sweeps the blade across the monster, leaving a trail of pixellated crimson behind.

    And so... So the team faces Death.
    Though flung shields fare ill, others step up to meet the monster. Giganpor stops the flying scythe and Yeowang leaps in, legs a flurry in a series of brutal kicks as Kotono's air runes hold the ghastly creature at bay in time for Miyako to cleave the beast!
    And then...
    Then...
    Syx shows Death what Pro Wrestling is all about, suplexing the undead reaper like he wanted the thing's belt.
    But as the Reaper's health dwindles it lets out a shrieking cry like many voices joined as one, before it floats away from the party- over the water where it crumbles to dust.
    A sickly green light appears on the water's surface... And rising from the depth a new enemy appears with an even larger health bar!
    With billowing robes and magic crackling from its body, the Lich raises a hand and sends out a pulse of green light which suddenly seems to resurrect many of the undead the party had already deafeated!
    The dancing skeletons CONGA their way along with the ghouls, the Reaper reconstructing from dust and bones, and the mummies rise once more.
    This will certainly be a difficult battle to come as the undead rush towards the party in a wave of bone and decrepit dessicated flesh, ad the Lich raises its staff, siphining life away and restoring its own.

Sometimes, it's best to resort to the simpler methods of handling things. And in this case?

The simplest way of handling things?

A pair of blades that Kotono carries with her.

"Slice 'n' dice!" Kotono yells, using her blades to carve up some justice!

It -is- a difficult battle, but not one Yeowang will shirk. When the undead reforms himself and enlists an undead chorus line, the martial artist kicks it into high gear, dashing lightning fast as she kicks and punches and drops the adds like last week's news. Striking viciously, the adds fall quickly to her assault.

And then the Lich.

But her speed is still speedy, and she's much too fast for it to hit. Darting around behind it, she delivers sharp kicks and hard punches, and when it turns to confront her, she's not there. She's behind it again, and another hard kick to snap a shoulder, or at least suck away its HP. Kick by kick, it trickles down, slow but steadily.

Giganpor brings his weapon up to help with the suplex a bit, but when the undead rise up he moves to play the role of tank better. At least at first. Then he sees the numbers. The sheer numbers of the undead.

His shield takes on a deep green glow as he balances the hammer-axe spear over the top of it and holds a stance for a moment.

"Oh, this is why I hate undead." His eyes glance to the others, "Especially ones that don't have to touch you to do this sort of thing."

The green glow finishes transferring to his weapon as he glances around.

And begins to swing. Specifically at the undead that are skeletons. The green glow gets brighter as he goes as he carves a path towards the water's edge and the Lich. Somewhere in all the swinging he finds the time to cast a summoning circle and charge into it. Transforming into his Were-Lion form as he goes, he leaps upwards and takes aim with the hammer end of his weapon.

By the time he reaches the Lich, he's already hopefully planned it out and is swinging to try to disarm it literally before coming full circle and trying to bury it's own scythe into it as he calls out, "RIDDLE OF STEEL!"

Alright this is going to be an interesting fight. Seems like the team is going to have to face off against everything they've beaten so far. Syx isn't the kind of person to back down from a challenge like this though. Not when there's more fun to be had an baddies to beat up.

He has another trick up his sleeve still, as he focuses, and with a flash of lightning, disappears. He appears again next to Death, delivering a superkick to the reaper, before vanishing in another flash of lightning and running over several ghouls with a clothesline.

This repeats over and over as Syx moves across the battlefield, appearing, striking with some maneuver, and then disappearing again before anyone has a chance to realliate, using the Lightningstep ability to his advantage to move around the field.

Well, that would explain all the different undead. And there sure is a lot of variations... but the Nightmare puts her focus on the source of the problem. As flamboyant and flashy as she may be, it doesn't mean she doesn't know how to handle a serious situation. In her particular style, of course. She strides up to the oasis like she already owns it, ghastly fire crackling around her eyes as she stops, turns, and points towards the Lich at the center of the undead apocalypse as she utters the one phrase she needs.

"I put a spell on you... And now... You'rrrre.... MINE!" This of course is not only the start of her spell to weaken the Lich's power by counterspelling it with her own dark magic, but the appropriate musical number to go with it as she turns the arcane gestures into part of her dancing movements.

"o/~ I put a spell on yooo-ooou... And now you're gone! Gone, gone," she makes a mock blowing kiss motion. "so long!
My Wammy FELL on you, and it was strong, so strong, so strong! o/~" Strong enough the shadows can be seen even as they seep and swirl around the Lich like a counter-current.
"o/~ Your wretched afterlives have all been cursed! Cuz of all the nightmares lurking, I'm the worst! I put my spell on youuuu, and now you're miiine! o/~"

"o/! If you don't believe, you better get supersticious. Just ask the heroes..." Kauchemar clenches her outheld hand shut, enacting the final sealing squeeze of magical force upon the Lich. "Cuz I'M VICIOUS!"

    Miyako steps back, avoiding the mass of undead, and settles herself to spellcasting. Her fingers fly as she inscribes the runes upon the air before her. "You just had to do one thing," she yells at them as she builds up the spell. "STAY DEAD!"

    She lashes out with her naginata, pointing out into the middle of the crowd, and a hail of ice-crystals rains down on the crowd. It's too bad that they mostly just punch through without doing much in the way of harm. .

    It's a ROUGH fight. Multiple encounters all returning at once, with several different attacks and mechanics for each, the sheer number of undead alone is almost crushing... But...
    The party leaps to action!
    With Amalthea drawing absolutely insane amounts of aggro, Giganpor disarmin the Lich, Yeowang simply deciding she's gotta go fast, Miyako's ice, and Syx's battering bruising mayhem-- all to the tune of Kauchemar performing the boss battle theme...
    The Lich's staff shatters in the chaos, and the undead collapse into piles of dust and ash. Soon enough the Lich itself shudders and explodes into pixels, the dark clouds that had been gathering overhead dissipate and the undead no longer a problem.
    ... For now...
    "Whew... That was something... But it's over now, huh?" Amalthea says with a huff as she stows her sword.

"For now." Kauchemar echoes. She picks up a piece of the shattered gem of the lich's staff and inventories it.

"But beware, and be wary my little ponies. Or next time... THE NIGHT. SHALL LAST. FOREVER!" She throws back her head with appropriate lightning effect as she over-the-top evil laughs. "MUWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Dropping to one knee and balancing on her blades, Kotono catches her breath and sighs before fetching a drink from her inventory. She takes the time to quench her thirst before looking at Miyako. "We made it through, although that could have gone a bit better on my part." She pauses for a moment as if thinking of what else to say before adding, "For now, let's just get out of here. I don't want any more undead freaks for a while."

    Miyako leans heavily on her naginata-haft, for a long few moments, then walks up to join Kotono and slide an arm around her. "We made it, yeah." She pulls out her own canteen and drinks deeply before pouring some more water over her head. "Yeah, I'm done with undead. Let's get back someplace we can get some nice ramen or something. Pizza maybe."

"Yes!" Syx throws a fist in the air as the group finally takes the lich down, "Suck it you undead bastards!" He bends down and scoops up one of the broken gems from the staff, and pockets it, "Yo food sounds great. Who's buying? Not it!"

Yeowang wipes her brow with the back of her sleeve and looks around at the aftermath of this last fight. "_Was_ that all of the monsters we'd already fought?" she wonders. "Or was it just like a bunch of similar ones?" But she nods quickly about getting out of here. "Let's go," she agrees, and will head out with the others.

Giganpor pulls himself out of the water where he landed, shaking his himself. "I think I would like to go and dry off a bit first." He sighs, then shakes his head and follows the others back to civilization more or less. He does pick up one of the gems, giving a 'hm' at it.