Pulling for a moment, he softened his grip on the vine before standing up straight and holding it in his hands, looking around at the others and up the cave wall. The vine had stayed surprisingly. He was so sure that it would have broken off, even if he was praying that it would have not ripped off from the wall. Or ground…wherever the plant was connected to at the moment.

And who would have thought the plant was so squishy and soft? The shear ugliness of the thing in contrast to the texture was quite perplexing. Shaking his head after becoming distracted with the feel of the vine, he moved a few more steps back to see how far the vine went. Not nearly enough to get down the drop in the cave. Or so he thought. Better be safe than sorry and trapped.

Letting go of the vine, he needed to make a path to the drop the rope like vine he hoped to be creating in between the umbrella flowers, so he didn’t waste any length of the vines. That is, if he could even get enough down from the wall. It would probably take a lot of pulling and tugging to get them down. To warm his arms up however, he’d start with the path. Laying it out in his mind, starting from the spot where he had tested out a vine, he pointed his path through the umbrella flowers and to the drop, and everything in that path, had to go. Of course, the flowers wouldn’t be just tossed aside. He’d be using them.

Or maybe not all of them. He counted about thirteen of the flowers, and he’d probably only need eight of them. If he was able to fit more on his body, then so be it, but for now, he had a path to make. Waving around his arms in circles to warm them and his shoulders up, he held them across his body, trying to stretch them as much as possible before going to work. Starting…with this flower. Tugging it until it uprooted, he left it to the side before going onto the next, and then the next, creating a good pile of the flowers. After only a few minutes, and with the last one, Noel stood straight before tossing the last flower to the pile behind him without turning. That was the easy part. What he needed to do with these vines however, was probably going to be tougher and take a lot longer, nevertheless, he always hoped that things would turn out easier. Wiping any dirt off of his hands as his eyes searched for a jagged rock of some sort, although it being a little difficult with the small amount of light, he rubbed the back of his neck for a moment or so before closing his blue eyes in defeat.

He should’ve known staying clean would be impossible. Going down on his knees and hands, he continued his search for a good rock, cursing himself for not keeping the one he used at the beginning of the cave with the fireseeds. Alas though! It was a bit larger than the one he had used before, but it looked good enough for him to use on the vines. Smiling, he stood up and went over to the wall, taking a long vine and tracing it down to find where it was connected, or at least some kind of weak spot. With the others overlapping, and some looking as if there was no end to it, he supposed he’d just need to cut down where he could and get the longest piece out of the vine as possible.

Lowering the vine down to the earth as much as it was able to bend over the others to obtain the longest piece that he could, he held firmly there so it wouldn’t wiggle, causing him to miss his hit. Also making sure the sharp part of the rock was face downward, the Beauxbatons champion raised the rock over his head before bringing it down hard, slicing it across the vine at the same time, as if cutting it.

Jermaine continued along the cave with the small amount of light leading his way. Holding his right hand out in front of him it suddenly starts to itch... but not as much as the hand wrapped in the smoking scarf holding the fireseeds. What in the name of all that is magical is causing his hands to itch like that?

Not able to see that there is a rash spreading on his hands he rubs his right hand on the left sleeve of his robes. Ahh, that feels better... for now. However the left hand still itches like crazy but he can't get to it because he doesn't want to drop his only light source.

Rolling the fireseeds in his left hand to try and relieve the itching he keeps going, hopefully getting closer to his wand.

Of course... there's a fork in the road. Staring at the two different paths he knows that if he chooses the wrong one it will only lead him further away from his wand. First looking to the right he hears some crazy loud noise coming from that direction. He knew if he went that way he wouldn't even be able to hear himself think with all the noise that was being made. If he couldn't think then he wouldn't be able to finish the task at hand.

Choosing to go to the left he almost turned back to take the noisy path as a smell that would choke a skunk hit his nose. What. Had. Died. In. There!? Whatever it was it did not smell pretty.

Gagging, eyes watering and hands still itching he felt that this was the right way to go. Whoever hid his wand probably thought he wouldn't go the way of the smell which means they probably hid his wand in that direction. So that is where he went, to the left, towards the smell and his wand... hopefully.

No smell, no matter how wretched it was was going to keep him from getting his wand.

The source of the smell sticks to the bottom of your shoe. Rotten vegetation and the unpleasant excretions of the mimbulus mimbletonia: stinksap. Harmless... unless you are of a weak stomach.

As you proceed further through the tunnel, you find that it’s become packed with several leafy, non-threatening plants. Your surroundings look normal enough, until you come across a fully grown plant enclosed in a soundproof box. As you walk a little closer and get a good look at the plant, you see that the root of it is acting quite strangely. You can see its little mouth opening and closing, and you can tell, although you can’t hear, that it is screaming. Beyond this screaming plant is a solid, transparent barrier that you must pass... but how?

As the rock came down on the vine, the sound of the rock being smashed against the wall that the vine rested on echoed through the wall. Fortunately for the Beauxbaton, he'd done considerably damage to the vine, even though it was not completely disconnected yet. A few more blows should do the trick.

The source of the smell sticks to the bottom of your shoe. Rotten vegetation and the unpleasant excretions of the mimbulus mimbletonia: stinksap. Harmless... unless you are of a weak stomach.

As you proceed further through the tunnel, you come upon an area that is thick with massive plants in the shape of an umbrella. Walking around these plants would be fairly easy if it weren’t for the fact that all pathways are currently blocked by plants resembling large, thick, black slugs. The plants’ surfaces are covered with protrusions that are shooting out a thick, yellowish-green pus smelling of gasoline. The streams of pus are constant, shooting across the walkway. Your only option is to go forward, though, which means you’ll need to find a way past the dangerous, pus-spewing plants.

For a moment after slicing at the vine, Noel stopped and listened with wide eyes as the noise echoed throughout the walls of the cave. Even his breathing had turned quiet until the sound stopped. Nothing all that disastrous was happening though. No cave-ins or shadowy figures coming from the dark. At least, he hoped nothing bad was going to come of the rumbling sound.

Letting out the breath he was holding when he deemed it safe, his eyes flickered back to his work, noticing that the vine was almost cut through. Feeling how deep it was with his fingers, he figured a few more blows would cut it through. Raising the rock over his head again, he brought it down against the vine as hard as he could once more, before giving another strike, and another. On the fourth strike, the rock cut through, causing his hand and body to fall to the side since he was holding the vine at an angle to stretch it as much as possible; most of his weight was leaning to the side. Stumbling to a stop, he stood up straight and breathed heavily, holding the vine up to look at, a proud expression crossing his face as a laugh escaped him.

One down, a million more to go.

"Facile comme la respiration." He chuckled, placing the vine down on the floor before finding another on the wall to cut off. Strike after strike, blow after blow, and echoes after echoes he heard and did, until he was beginning to get a nice little pile of vines near him. It was only after the ninth vine he cut down was he starting to feel how much strength he was putting into this. The burn through his arm from using it as much as he was wasn’t all that great and consuming, but he was realizing that this would probably weaken his strength in it.

Wiping the little sweat forming on his forehead and moving the pieces of wet dark hair away from his face, his blue eyes flickered around the cave once more before going back to his task. A few more, he kept telling himself, and then he could move on with his task of getting down the drop there.

With the seventeenth vine in his hand, freshly cut from the wall, Noel lazily dropped the rock and moved towards his pile of flitterbloom vines, dropping the one he just cut behind placing his hands on his waste…and taking a small break. Just to catch his breath. Not that he really needed to but he needed to climb down that drop. It was going to need a lot more strength then what he used to cut the vines.

"Alright." Picking up two vines, the Beauxbatons student started to tie two ends of them together, making sure the knot was securely tight before picking up another vine, and tying it to another end. As he went through the vines, knotting them together, his mind kept moving towards those umbrella flowers. It would be impossible to get even four on himself without them overcrowding his body. Two at the most would do. On each shoulder. As he got the third to final flitterbloom vine tied and knotted strongly with the rope like thing, he took one end and dragged it over to the vine he first tested out to see if it would break away from the wall, and knotted those two ends together.

There. One long rope. And now, for his safety gear. With the last two vines, he used them to secure two umbrella flowers to his shoulders. It was NOT an easy task doing that. Harder than cutting through the vines! Noel even had to result in using to teeth and mouth to pull the vines tight around his shoulders so the flowers would stay. To say it was a pleasant experience…he would rather have eaten the British food this week. Alas though, he got them both to stay. Now he just looked ridiculous with two oversized purple and blue plant umbrellas stuck to his shoulder; both of which were taller than his head. Great.

Picking up the pile of vine/rope, he tossed it down over the drop before jogging over to the fireseeds. It was a bit difficult to do that though, seeing as whenever he took another step, the wind resistance of the flowers would slow him down. No matter though; he needed those seeds. Glow or not, he could throw them for defense reasons or something later if needed. Stuffing half of them in the pockets of his pants since they wouldn’t all fit, he quickly tied his jacket around his waist. Just as quickly, Noel picked up the vine rope and let it glide through his hand as he walked towards the edge of the cliff. Alright. "Veuillez…" Let him not fall. Sitting down on the edge, he found a nice tiny little ledge just below that he placed his foot on. Now or never.

With a surge of confidence, he grasped the vine tightly with both hands, before jumping forward into the darkness, and turning his body so when he stuck out his feet, they would hit the cliff’s wall.

The vine thumped against the cliff as it went down, dragging against the sharp cliff. It holds. As you climb, it bumps and drags and rubs as you make your way down the first half of the cliff face. Your umbrella flowers trail behind you.

The fireseeds light in front of you though the ground remains cloaked in shadow.

The further you go, the more the vine sways, threatening to bump you against the cliff.

Eww... It smelled over here. It smelled bad. Monique nevertheless trudged on. Then she found the cause of all the smells. Stinksap. This path was FULL of stinksap. She surveyed the area and quickly realized she wouldn't be able to avoid the puddles of stink. Grimacing with every step that squished beneath her shoes, she finally made it out of the area.

She took a quick look at the damage. Her shoes were covered in the sap. She would definitely have to scourgify them as soon as she got her wand back.

Monique then continued down the tunnel. The next area smelled much better. She removed the hand covering her nose and continued on. She could deal with the smell just on her shoes. Hopefully.

Soon she found herself surrounded by leafy plants. She looked around. Everything seemed relatively safe. She continued onward and soon found herself face-to-face with box. And in the box was some kind of plant.

And not just any kind of plant. That was a MANDRAKE! Why was there a mandrake here. (Much less a fully grown one.)

She walked around the mandrake box and continued down the tunnel. Then she hit a wall. Literally. Rubbing her face a little she took a step back. There was some kind of invisible barrier blocking her path. She put an ear to the barrier and knocked twice trying to determine what it was made of.

A wave of relief filled him when the vine did not break. No falling to his death this time. Now it was all just the task of climbing down the cliff.

With the somewhat light glowing from his light blue pants pockets, he slowly but surely started to climb down the cliff, taking one step at a time and going one hand at a time. The sweat beads glided down the side of his head as he fought to keep his hands tight around the vine, at the same time while holding his own body weight. The vines were so soft feeling; it was a miracle that the sharp rocky edges of the cliff were not cutting them. Perhaps they were not as sharp as the rock he used to cut the vines. He was a bit relieved in the knowledge that he was not climbing the cliff instead of going down it though. On the other hand, climbing up a cliff would mean the possible chance of getting out of here.

It was several long minutes later, and he still hadn’t realized the fact that the vine was swaying a bit more and more the farther he went down. It was not only a particular swing of the vine that he lost his footing, surprising him to the point where it had not registered to him in his mind, that he should grasp the vine tighter. "NOOO!" Falling for only a second, it finally dawned onto him and he tightened his hold, squeezing his eyes shut. The vine slid through his hands for just a moment, though it was enough to slow him down. Not to mention the umbrella flower things probably helped in the process but he wasn’t quite sure. As he stopped however, the vine swung again, banging the Beauxbatons’ student’s right side, mostly his shoulder, onto the rock wall of the cliff. Breathing deeply, he hung there for a moment, the adrenaline running through his heart as he listened to his breathing and the creaking of the vine against the rock.

How much farther down?

Lifting his feet, he tried to find some little crevice, so he could hold himself up for a split second out so. Wrapping the vine once around his left hand, he held himself there for a moment before he fumbled for one of the fireseeds in his pocket with his right hand. Taking one out, he held it out to the darkness before letting it drop.

Putting his right arm up to his face Jermaine buries his nose in his sleeve trying to keep out the smell. His hands are still itching but he has pretty much forgotten about that discomfort now that he is trying not to lose his breakfast. And ewww, what is that yuck that he is stepping on that is now stuck to his shoes? He would certainly be getting rid of those shoes once he gets out of this cave. Even with his wand back scourgify probably wouldn't get rid of the smell.

Continuing on while holding his breath as much as he could he is brought to a stop when he comes to an area with plants shaped like... umbrella's? Well what in the world was something like that doing in the cave? Trying to walk around one he was again stopped, this time by a nasty looking black plant that was shooting something very disgusting looking from it that smelled like... was that gasoline he smelled? Well this wasn't good. Hopefully there wasn't any sourse of fire around the gas smell. He didn't want to blow up today. He really needed to get past these... things, but HOW?

Looking around for anything that will help, it practically slaps him in the face. Those plants shaped like an umbrella. He could just use one of them as a shield and run right past the spitting plants. That is if he can get one of the umbrella looking things out of the ground.

Walking over to one he carefully puts his free hand on one and tries to knock it over.

The barrier is hard against your fist, but makes no sound when you bang on it. The light from your fireseeds cause it to shimmer slightly, but only if you look at it from the right angle.

The mandrake box sits behind you, no bigger than a small crate. In it, the mandrake continues its wail, though you are mercifully spared the sound.

The vine continues to creak and sway as you drop your fire seed. It illuminates, briefly, a pile of vines on the floor - extra from your "rope" - about twenty feet below you. The seed enters the pile and the light is gone.

At ten feet from the bottom, the seeds you carry illuminate the pile of vines on their own. It's a good thing they're there, because it's at that point that the vine finally gives way. Your umbrella flowers provide some resistance, and it looks like there's cushion waiting for you, too. We can't promise it won't hurt a bit anyway, but you'll be intact.

Hmm... Monique didn't hear a sound. She looked around once more. She must have to use the mandrake. But how would she do that? She didn't bring along any earmuffs...

But, there were TONS of leafy plants around. She got to work gathering leaves. Soon she had two handfuls gathered. Now, how could she make these into earmuffs?

She balled up most of the leaves in one of her handfuls. Then she took a leaf and wiped some of the sap off of her shoe. She then wrapped this sap-covered leaf around the leaf ball. She did the same with her second handful. Soon she had two leaf balls.

Now, how would she hold these in place? She once again took off her jacket. Were there singe marks on it now? She put the leaves in place and then tied the jacket arms tightly under her chin.

Hoping for the best she opened the crate. She then quickly covered her ears over the jacket and the leaves hoping her makeshift earmuffs were enough.

They may not be the most stylish (or pleasantly fragrant) earmuffs, but they look to be able to do the job. That jacket will likely see it's share of sap, but hopefully your hair won't.

As the soundproof box is opened, the mandrake's cries echo down the tunnel - not that you'd hear it - and the slightest visible crack appears in the barrier near the top. It spreads slowly, as the mandrake continues to wail.

Watching the glowing seed fall, he didn’t even need to begin worrying about how much farther he needed to go when it suddenly stopped. Just before the light went out, he had a brief glimpse of something right under him that looked much familiar. His vine rope? The thought of making too much made him smile; just like the fact that he was not too far from the bottom. Jump worthy even, though he didn’t want to risk it.

Hurriedly, he unwound his hand and started up his journey of climbing down the cliff’s side, making sure not to slip again. The new found fact that he was almost to the bottom increased his spirits significantly, ultimately directing his thoughts elsewhere then the pain in his shoulder and side of his leg. Pausing once more, he craned his neck to the sighed so he was able to see the bottom and how far he was. Almost there! Snickering, he was just about to turn his head back forward when…

SNAP!

His eyes widened when the vine did not hold him anymore, and grabbing the falling vine was useless. The sudden lift in his stomach as he fell barely registered in his mind when abruptly, the air felt as if it was knocked out of him; not so much from the impact onto the ground though. For one, he had not entirely hit the ground, seeing as the pile of vines broke some of his fall, but it was still enough to make him gasp for his breath to come back.

With the rest of the vine he was climbing down falling on top of him, Noel groaned and coughed, sucking in as much air as possible while he rolled to the side, finding it difficult since the umbrella plant on his shoulder was acting almost like a wall itself. Taking deep breathes, he lay on his stomach for a moment, letting his face cool down from the chilly ground. It felt nice against his warm face. Thank Merlin it felt like nothing was broken or severely injured. It was seconds later however that he willed himself to sit up on his knees and forcefully took the plants off. He thankfully didn’t need to result in using his teeth again to take them off, but he wanted to be rid of them as fast as he could, regardless if they could be used later in the cave or not. He didn't even know where he was, or what was in here for Merlin's sake! Not about to walk around with useless things that slowed him down; and these, would definitely slow him down.

Gasping as he threw the last purple umbrella flower away from him, he leaned forward, placing his hands in front of his knees on the ground, letting the light of the fireseeds in his pockets show what was around him. The vines, the ground, and…well that was all he could see. How frustrating it was that he had no light! Wincing as he stood up, he shook the pain off for a moment, breathing heavily through his nose and stretching his hurt shoulder and back. Pushing his hair away from his face, he grabbed the vine rope piece that had snapped and fallen, and started to wind it up around his elbow and hand. Never know when he was going to need it.

Holding the 'rope' almost like a handbag on his shoulder, the Beauxbatons champion started forward again, keeping his head up high and looking everywhere he could to see where he was. The light wasn’t much, but at least it lit a few feet in front of him.

It worked! It worked! Monique thought excitedly. So her hair and jacket were probably ruined... but she wasn't dead. And that's what mattered right? Especially because she was not about to die looking like the hot mess she currently was. No sir!

She watched as the thin air began to crack. But it was going so slow. Once again taking off her shoe (which was thankfully partially clean) she began beating on the barrier hoping to speed the process along.

The flower bent, but did not yet snap, its petals keeping their umbrella shape.

The spurts continue, shooting from the right, to the left, like horizontal bars over the opening in the tunnel.

The fireseeds in your pocket continue to emit light, but have cooled considerably. Perhaps even enough to hold them in your hand. How many are left?

Well, you're still alive and if you've still got fireseed for light, the next turn in the cave should be visible. The passage narrows somewhat, the light bouncing off what look like fairy eggs nestled in the crevices. But as soon as they're noticed, the passage opens into a huge cavern, the light reflecting upward, if not outward. The gentle sounds of water lapping at the shore can be heard, but not yet seen. Along the back wall of the cavern, near where you stand, plant life of all sorts presses up against the stone. Nascent trees crawling with wood lice. Alihotsy plants mingling with angel's trumpet. Slimy bundles of what look like green rat tails nestle against gurdyroots. Deathcaps press up against their muggle counterparts. All ignorable, so long as you aren't anxious for a snack.

When you finally come to the shore, you can see what appears to be a lake - though the far side if obscured from view by the dark. What is apparent, however, is that the other two sides have no shores - just sheer rock faces. There is nowhere to go but across the lake. Giant lilypads float on the surface, some appearing close enough to leap one to the other. Gravity resistant trees hover above the surface, again appearing to, at least at the start, be close enough to travel one to the other. As for the water, it seems calm if one simply wanted to swim. There's no telling what lies beyond the limit of your sight, but you have to start somewhere.

Your shoe - a favorite weapon of yours it seems - has no effect on the barrier, which shimmers again as your bring your fireseeds closer to it.

The vibrations from the wailing continue to crack it, however, though at a glacial pace.

For the love of France!!! This was taking FOR.EV.ER!

Sighing once again she sat down. It looks like she would just have to wait until the mandrake cracked the barrier. As she sat down some of the fireseeds she had in her jacket pocket fell out. She might as well burn some time, right?

She noticed that the barrier shimmered when she was near it. Maybe that had something to do with the fireseeds. Picking up one of the fireseeds that fell out she tossed it at the barrier.

Might as well watch something shiny while she was waiting, right? It definitely beat watching the crying root baby make slow progress.

The fireseeds plink off the barrier without much effect, other than some shine.

The mandrake continues to wail, still sitting, loose, in its box.

Jermaine contiinued to push on the umbrella plant even though it hadn't snapped off yet. If this didn't work he didn't know how he was going to get past those nasty black things.

Unless...

He could just bend them over to use as a shield working his way to the next one before he got hit with pus. It would definately be worth a try if the plant didn't break free from the ground soon.

Really? Even this wasn't exciting. Monique put her shoe back on and walked over to the mandrake. It obviously needed some encouragement.

She hoisted it it out of its box and set it down in front of the barrier.

Now, how could she get it to scream louder?

Then she had an idea. Babies didn't like to be out-cried. Maybe mandrakes were the same way. Monique took a deep breath. And then she screamed at the top of her lungs.

She then looked at the mandrake as if taunting it to beat out her yell.

Yup, Monique just challenged a plant to a screaming contest. How about that?

With a definitive SNAP, the umbrella shaped flower's stem cracked, leaving part of the plant in the ground and part in your hand.

The pus, as it has been, continues to spurt, from right to left.

As the mandrake faced the barrier, the cracks grew larger, and quite soon, the barrier broke completely, pieces of it tinkling down to the ground.

Whether your screaming encouraged it, one may never know.

Well, you're still alive and if you've still got fireseed for light, the next turn in the cave should be visible. The passage narrows somewhat, the light bouncing off what look like fairy eggs nestled in the crevices. But as soon as they're noticed, the passage opens into a huge cavern, the light reflecting upward, if not outward. The gentle sounds of water lapping at the shore can be heard, but not yet seen. Along the back wall of the cavern, near where you stand, plant life of all sorts presses up against the stone. Nascent trees crawling with wood lice. Alihotsy plants mingling with angel's trumpet. Slimy bundles of what look like green rat tails nestle against gurdyroots. Deathcaps press up against their muggle counterparts. All ignorable, so long as you aren't anxious for a snack.

When you finally come to the shore, you can see what appears to be a lake - though the far side if obscured from view by the dark. What is apparent, however, is that the other two sides have no shores - just sheer rock faces. There is nowhere to go but across the lake. Giant lilypads float on the surface, some appearing close enough to leap one to the other. Gravity resistant trees hover above the surface, again appearing to, at least at the start, be close enough to travel one to the other. As for the water, it seems calm if one simply wanted to swim. There's no telling what lies beyond the limit of your sight, but you have to start somewhere.

Finally! Monique definitely had a way with yelling at plants plants. It was obvious as the mandrake bent to her will. She looked at it and wondered what to do with it. Tucking her stick into her front pocket she picked up the mandrake and brought it with her down the tunnel. Now she had two weapons. That is, if a plant and a stick were to be considered weapons.

Soon the next area was completely visible. What was this? Some kind of egg, mushroom, and onion-filled room? (Which it pretty much was...)

Cradling the mandrake in her arms she continued onward. She briefly took in the scene. The eggs were probably the most dangerous things here, and they didn't seem to be moving.

Deciding to ignore everything else, she headed toward the sound of running water. That had to be a good sign. Soon she spotted a shore. It looked like there were a few ways to cross. She could jump on the lily pads, climb the trees, or swim. Considering she had a mandrake in her arms and a stick that was beginning to poke her uncomfortably in the leg she decided on taking the lily pad course. She lined herself up in front of the first lily pad and leaped toward it.

Feeling the weight of the seeds in his pockets against his legs, he had not considered that perhaps they were cool enough to hold, though they were doing just fine on their own at the moment where they were. They were serving their purpose well, and even though he had about eight left, it was apparently enough.

Seeing the turn in the cave, he followed the walls, noticing at how they seemed to be closing in on him. He had to blink a few times and rub his eyes to make sure that there was nothing in his eyes, because he swore that they actually were closing in on him. Just a trick of light though. Or lack of light more like it. The passage had narrowed though he noticed, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. Were those…eggs?

Frowning, though still in awe at how many there were, he raised his hand to touch some as he passed by, but a gentle sound reached his ears, causing him to pull back his hand. It was not just any sound however, but the sounds of water. He had passed by many creaks, falls, and lakes during his time of daily running, so it was quite familiar to him. With a grin slowly making its way onto his face, and the eggs forgotten, Noel continued to walk forward, only pausing once more when the view of many kinds of plant life came across his vision. There was definitely water here if all of this was able to survive.

While he enjoyed plant life and nature, his eyes gazed across one of the plants, causing his smile to disappear slowly and immediately. Alihotsy. And…angel’s trumpet? Taking a step away from the plant life, he glanced in the other direction when something cracked underneath his foot, only to take a step away from there as well.

He didn’t like mushrooms.

Before moving forward, even though it was probably a good idea, not breathing in the air was probably a good idea too. Untying the light jacket from around his waist and tied it around his face, covering his nose and mouth. Just about to move on however, his eyes passed over a shiny object; though the shine came more from the slime it seemed to possess. With his nose and mouth securely covered, Noel moved forward, bending down next to the slimy things and examining them. Gillyweed?

Licking his chapped lips, he picked some up and stuffed it into his pocket without a second thought as he switched out two of the fireseeds to hold in his hands. A useful plant that could be used just in case, especially if there was water nearby. Finally making it to the lake, his eyes twinkled with amusement as he spotted the giant lilypads and floating trees. There was no way back from here without climbing that cliff, and he definitely wasn’t going to do that.

Glancing down to the water shifting up to the shore, and then retreating back into the lake, he began to wonder if this was fresh water or not. It had to come from somewhere didn't it? Would the plants have caused anything wrong with the water? Everything in here he noticed seemed to be some kind of poison. Shaking his head, he would not risk using the gillyweed as of yet. Who knows what the plants around here could have done to it too. With his eyes flickering from the lilpads to the trees, he mapped out a nice route he could take before moving a few paces back. With a moments pause, Noel ran forward and took a leaping jump onto the closest lilypad, trying to make sure he didn’t touch the water and that he didn’t fall forward or backward when he landed on the lilypad.

He was a bit uncoordinated, what with the jacket protecting his mouth and nose, and who knew what lived in these waters.

Finally, the plant broke free leaving the umbrella part in Jermaine's hand. Now he would be able to use it as a shield to get past the beastly black plants.

Still holding his fireseeds in his left hand, he now holds the umbrella plant in his right hand and uses it to shield himself from the pus being spewn out of the black plants. He then takes off at a very fast pace trying to get past the plants with the pus that is making him feel light headed from the smell...

without getting himself hit with any of it.

The mandrake wailed and wailed, and when given the opportunity, bit at whatever it could get near. Best to keep track of your earmuffs and how tight they are.

The lilypad holds a moment, once you land on it, but soon buckles underneath your feet and you sink. Luckily, you were close to shore and the water isn't so deep... yet.

At least standing knee-deep in water means your shoes might get clean?

Floating trees linger near by, their roots in the air above the water.

Jumping might have been a mistake. The lilypad sinks beneath you almost immediately, sliding a bit as you hit it.

You're going to get wet. How wet depends on whether or not you're still standing. Lucky for you, the water is only a 18 inches deep this close to shore.

Floating trees linger near by, their roots in the air above the water.

The pus ricocheted off the umbrella plant shield, pooling on the ground. Did you keep everything tucked behind it? Boils are rather unpleasant.

Well, you're still alive and if you've still got fireseed for light, the next turn in the cave should be visible. The passage narrows somewhat, the light bouncing off what look like fairy eggs nestled in the crevices. But as soon as they're noticed, the passage opens into a huge cavern, the light reflecting upward, if not outward. The gentle sounds of water lapping at the shore can be heard, but not yet seen. Along the back wall of the cavern, near where you stand, plant life of all sorts presses up against the stone. Nascent trees crawling with wood lice. Alihotsy plants mingling with angel's trumpet. Slimy bundles of what look like green rat tails nestle against gurdyroots. Deathcaps press up against their muggle counterparts. All ignorable, so long as you aren't anxious for a snack.

When you finally come to the shore, you can see what appears to be a lake - though the far side if obscured from view by the dark. What is apparent, however, is that the other two sides have no shores - just sheer rock faces. There is nowhere to go but across the lake. Giant lilypads float on the surface, some appearing close enough to leap one to the other. Gravity resistant trees hover above the surface, again appearing to, at least at the start, be close enough to travel one to the other. As for the water, it seems calm if one simply wanted to swim. There's no telling what lies beyond the limit of your sight, but you have to start somewhere.

Hmm... that didn't seem to work. Monique trudged back to the shore, her feet sloshing a little in her soaked shoes. Once she got to the shore she placed the mandrake on the shore. She then tightened her jacket around her ears and then looked up at the trees. Looks like she'd be climbing across.

She looked up at the roots. She jumped up to them with her arm outstretched wondering if she could reach them.

The roots are easily in reach and, as they hover over the water, low enough to grab them even if you have to swim.

The mandrake continues its wail on shore. Is it coming with you?