*hop.. Hop!Hop... *

Eee! She was delighted. Cold, tired, pained but delighted. Luck was in her side.. A little. She carefully step/hopped onto the last tree and giggled a little. She was alive!

She tried to angle the fireseed light at the shore, but it remained dark.. Perhaps that wasn't her intended Path..

A glow!

Another five tree's...

And holding the light was uncomfortable and her arm hurt! *pout*

Carefully, doing the whole process again, she wondered distractedly what had happened to the fairy eggs. Would they be effected by the water? Hum..

She reached the last tree, and making extra careful not to sway the bloody thing too much, she fell onto the rocks

Ow..

Bloody pus..

*grumbles*

Steam rises from the bush as the fire is extinguished, the glint dimming, and the cave growing darker once more.

Suddenly, you hear a rumbling and the floor beneath you shakes as the beanstalk has continued to grow and has, indeed, broken through the top of the cave. The holes are not large enough to climb out of, if you could even get good footing on the stalk. But, they are large enough to let light stream in. Slight tendrils curl off the main stalk and the light shining through reflects off something attached to one of them. It's just out of reach, unless you'd like to try to stretch and risk falling.

Elsewhere in your general vicinity, one aptly placed hole allows light to shine down illuminating a door. A door! Upon further inspection, however, a large, rusted padlock stands between you and what looks like your best exit.

The churning of the water had squished your eggs, though they remain in your pocket. Any that weren't cracked when you fell onto the rocks.

The rocks are steep and slick and dump you into the water. The rocks are not suitable for resting or walking.

The tree roots are close enough to grab, however if you'd like out of the water.

From here, you can see that the faint glow you’ve been seeing this whole time is extremely familiar—it’s your wand! It’s nestled safely in a tree, but don't celebrate yet! A number of sticks seem to be standing guard within the branches of the tree. The sticks are moving around and look like tiny little stick figures with very long fingers…they’re clearly Bowtruckles. It’s very obvious that the only way you’re going to get your wand back is to make it past this little army of tree men…but how?

OHGODOHGODOHGOD.

Shaking plus Raiden plus not extremely wide walkway/dark hellish abyss always, always equalled BAD. EXTREMELY BAD. Eyes widening, first in surprise and then in horror, as the dark world around him rumbled, the young man ended up leaning forward on purpose, hands touching the ground even as the wand in his hand lit. Balance. He had it.

...was that... Oh. Oh dear. Muscles tensed as the thing burst through the ceiling of the cavern, ready to throw himself in any viable direction should he need to get out of the way of anything falling. Cave-ins were called that for a reason, and Raiden had gotten this far, he wasn't going to get squashed to death now. He'd prefer the spiky bush, please.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he eased as the threats seemed to diminish; gigantic rocks weren't going to squash him, and the floor wasn't going to fall out from beneath him, at least not yet. So... safe? For the moment? And with the light filtering down from the holes above him, he could see a bit without his wandlight.

"Merlin alive," he muttered, hands shaking slightly as he stood up again. He decided that he didn't like caves. Not at all.

...the reflection of the light caught his attention, and his eyes focused on that. Something was... stuck on the stalk? What was that?

He wasn't stupid enough to reach for it and risk dropping into the dark abyss that was beneath him. Noooooo thank you. Maybe it wasn't charmed to be Unsummonable? Head tilted curiously to the side, Raiden flicked his wand, sending a silent accio in its direction.

He didn't notice the door immediately. He was more focused on getting whatever the shiny was. Because shiny meant that it had probably been put there, in the cave, for a reason, which meant that he might actually need it.

Eh. That hadn't been so smart.

The water dumped her back into the water and with only the remaining tree's she'd been on, for support she clambered back on. Exhaustion. She could feel it coming on.

*squiiiiiiiiint*

Was that her!?

OH MOTHER of sweet sweet numpties!

She grinned despite herself. Muahaha! It was almost over! With her wand, she'd have Light!

But.. HUH!?

Bloody bowtruckles..

Buht.. She had the eggs.. Didn't they like eggs? Pray they did.

Carefully extracting them from her pocket she was quite pleased when she realized that only two were cracked. Some were wet, but hopefully the Bowtruckles wouldn't mind soup..



She held out a few .. An offering, of peace and stepped into the tree. It made it bloody difficult with the branch of light. If they didn't eat it, she was annoyed enough to just

burn them.

That was a mean, mean thought.

She placed two or three eggs at the root of the tree and peered at them. Come ON!

Eat!

The she could just.. SNATCH her wand.

*fingers crossed*

The rumble has stopped and light streams in from the holes in the ceiling.

The shiny bit from the stalk wobbles as you summon it, before breaking free.

What flies toward you is a shimmering silver circular mirror the size of a dinner plate. The frame is ornate, with the roman numeral III engraved in the top center.

It flies through the air like a wobbly frisbee.

The bowtruckles, agitated by your clumsy arrival had circled and circled. They followed the eggs down to the root. But, as the eggs are soggy and cracked, it will provide only a minimal distraction instead of a gift to appease them.

You'd better grab your wand quickly, because as soon as they tired of your insufficient offering, they'll come back for you.

What was... Raiden reached out one hand and grabbed the thing as it flew to him; his bandaged fingertips smudged the surface of the mirror as he turned it to look it over.

It wasn't what he'd been expecting, but... if it was here, it was probably important, and he should be gentle with it. Holding it carefully, taking care to not drop it, he turned on the spot, and finally caught sight of the door.

DOOR. DOOR OH MERLIN DID THAT MEAN... was he almost done?! His eyes went wide and he even dared to maybe feel a little bit of relief and... was that hope, Kururugi?

Oh hi giant rusty lock that dashes our dreams of a quick escape. As the young man stepped up to the door and spied it, he let out a sigh. That was... probably there for a reason. And probably charmed to stay there.

"Alohomora." Giving it a tap with his wand, he muttered the spell under his breath. It... it was worth a shot, right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

The stupefies were working, though slowly. The immobulus, however, froze the entire section all at once, tiny fanged mouth things mid-snap. The tiniest glint can be seen along where the immobilized vegetation and the now-quite-angry plant life meet.

Hurry up. No telling if your spell will hold.

Watching the plants closely for any sign of fanged movement, Fletcher rejoiced when his immobulus seemed to succeed. YES. The boy quickly darted into the first section of plants, careful not to go too far into the still hungry ones, and then cast again.

"IMMOBULUS!" he commanded, less loudly than before but with the same amount of force. He just had to wait for those whippersnappers to freeze before moving on.

Were they.. Going down!? YES! She tried to internalize her jubilation, but let out a soft, WOOP!, despite it.

Now.. to get her wand. The tree men were eating - at least for the moment and with that, she snatched her wand and gave it a loving cuddle.

*snug*

She felt so much safer - even despite the fact it was dirty and gooey.. It was HER wand!

Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

"Lumos," She whispered and giggled slightly. The fireseeds weren't needed anymore. She had light.

Now.. What did she do now?

Miles swam and swam, his light getting dimmer and dimmer until it went out completely. Poking his head out of the surface briefly he looked around and spotted the glowing thing in the tree. MY WAND!!! He frowned and then saw the bowtruckles standing around the tree. Bloody things. Frowning he stuck his head back in the water as he tried to think about how he could do this considering the gillyweed was still in effect. If he didn't have fins he could try holding his breath and running up there. He had a few fairy eggs in his pocket but until he could actually get on the land it would defeat the purpose to use them now. Looking down at his hand he knew the fireseed branch was still there and pursed his lips. He could spend the remaining time of the gillyweed trying to get fewer bowtruckles up there that he had to deal with. Or...he could through this up there and hope to knock the wand from the branch. That sounded like a better idea.

pulling the shoestring off his fingers and untying it from the wrist he poked his head from the surface of the water again and spinning the fireseed bush around his head like a laso threw it in the direction of his wand. If he could get it onto the ground he could probably grab it real quick and make it back into the water.

There was a quick glow as the spell hit the lock and then.... nothing. Still rusted, still locked fast.

You're close champion. So close.

Perhaps there's something else?

The fanged plants freeze, allowing you to pass unattacked.

Just then, You hear a rumbling and the floor beneath you shakes as the beanstalk has continued to grow and has, indeed, broken through the top of the cave. The holes are not large enough to climb out of, if you could even get good footing on the stalk. But, they are large enough to let light stream in. Slight tendrils curl off the main stalk and the light shining through reflects off something attached to one of them. It's just out of reach, unless you'd like to try to stretch and risk falling.

Elsewhere in your general vicinity, the faint glint among the frozen plants remain, and one aptly placed hole allows light to shine down illuminating a door. A door! Upon further inspection, however, a large, rusted padlock stands between you and what looks like your best exit.

Your wand is back where it belongs, but alas, as you grabbed it, the bowtruckles tired of their distraction of cracked, soggy, unsuitable offerings. They come right for you, sharp fingers ready to attack and dig into your skin.

The clatter of the stick disturbs and angers the bowtruckles. Some circle tightly around your wand while others scurry in the branches. One or two are knocked off, but there are many more waiting for you. Some make their way down the trunk and cling to the roots swiping in your direction.

Your gills are still there, but your fins are beginning to shrink. It may only be a little while longer.

Meanwhile, the bowtruckles are still swiping in your direction.

Of course not. Raiden stared at the lock, barely daring to hope that it would actually open. He wasn't surprised at all when it didn't. It wouldn't be that easy. This was the Triwizard Tournament.

The boy took to pacing, eyes set on the stone-riddled ground as he moved back and forth. If he couldn't unlock it... it was doubtlessly blast-proof and everything, so that wasn't even worth trying. He waved off that idea, physically raising his hand as if it he were shoving it away.

Minutes passed, and the key wasn't just lying on the ground somewhere, apparently. The sunlight filtered down to him, and he looked at the ceiling of the cavern. He wanted to be out there. It was like he was being taunted. There was sunlight in here, but he was stuck behind a rusty lock.

Annoyed, he kicked the remains of the spikey bush as he passed by it. There had to be a key somewhere around here for it. Had he overlooked someth-

...

The boy turned around and stared at the blackened remains.

Surely not.

...surely not.

Approaching it cautiously, he knelt next to it, one hand patting through the dirt at the base. When the cavern had started shaking, he'd forgotten what he'd been unsure of seeing.

His fingers moved carefully through the dirt and ashes at the base of the bush's skeleton.

Did she jump to the other tree or -

Aaaaaaaarrrrrghhhhh!

They wanted to eat her, clinging her right arm, she readjusted her wand. Her arm hurt like HELL but she was going to have to make do.

"Stupefy!" She shouted. It was darker without the dual light but .. At least she could see her enemy.

Stupid twig men..

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

The fanged plants freeze, allowing you to pass unattacked.

Just then, You hear a rumbling and the floor beneath you shakes as the beanstalk has continued to grow and has, indeed, broken through the top of the cave. The holes are not large enough to climb out of, if you could even get good footing on the stalk. But, they are large enough to let light stream in. Slight tendrils curl off the main stalk and the light shining through reflects off something attached to one of them. It's just out of reach, unless you'd like to try to stretch and risk falling.

Elsewhere in your general vicinity, the faint glint among the frozen plants remain, and one aptly placed hole allows light to shine down illuminating a door. A door! Upon further inspection, however, a large, rusted padlock stands between you and what looks like your best exit.

A few seconds passed between Fletcher casting the spell and the actual freezing of the second group of plants. The boy gazed carefully at the group of frozen, fanged flowers that he was currently entrenched in and sincerely hoped that they wouldn't thaw out before he escaped them.

Then the second group suddenly stopped snapping and he was able to run through them unscathed. HUZZZZZAH. What could be next? A field of poisonous poppies? Shaking his head, Fletcher hurried onward. He didn't heard the rumbling but rather felt it first. Oh no. No no no no no no not ANOTHER rock slide!

His first instinct was to duck, so Fletcher did just that, turning around and around to see the source of the rumbling. Oh. Well that was something, wasn't it? His helpful, friendly beanstalk was back to see him!

"Hullo!" Fletcher greeted the plant loudly, pleased to see that it was something relatively harmless for once. He looked up, up uppppp at the tall stalk and saw it poking through the roof of the cave. While that looked like one way out, it also looked like a good way to get stuck, unless he could just blast the holes the stalk had created and make them larger. Then again, that could cause the whole caving system to collapse too.

Fletcher frowned and allowed his eyes to trail on down the rest of the plant. A bit of light happened to catch on something bright, and Fletcher's curiosity was sparked. He had to have that shiny thing, whatever it was. SHINYYYYY.

"Accio.... shiny!" the boy spoke, flicking his wand to summon the object. Maybe it would be of use to him. And now he noticed the door not too far off. Maybe the shiny would be a key! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Warm and wet. That's what you find underneath the charred remains of the spiky bush you annihilated.

That is, until your fingers hit something hard. It's warm, likely from the fire, and as you grope around, you'll notice it's heavy as well.

You found it. A rusty, clunky, simple key to a giant rusted lock.

The bowtruckles hit by the stupefy spell fall off the tree and into the water, but others continue. You need to get out of there, and quick, as they continue to scratch and claw and draw blood.

The shiny bit from the stalk wobbles as you summon it, before breaking free.

What flies toward you is a shimmering silver circular mirror the size of a dinner plate. The frame is ornate, with the roman numeral III engraved in the top center.

It flies through the air like a wobbly frisbee.

For a moment, he was afraid that he'd been wrong; his fingers were met with nothing but dirty, damp ashes from his fire and extinguishing escapades. But when his fingers touched something warm, and definitely not dirt or ash, his breath caught in his throat and he pushed the dirt aside faster, right hand still pressing the mirror and his wand against his chest.

Oh Merlin. Thank you.

Raiden lifted the key from the dirt and brushed it against his jeans. It... looked like it would fit. Hopefully it would.

Pushing himself back to his feet, and maybe wobbling ever so slightly, he sauntered over to the door. Expression impassable, he pushed the key into the lock, and turned it.

And then opened the door.

Was it... over now?

Oww!

Tears stung her eyes as they stupid little men clawed at her. She cursed them in Welsh and clutching her wand and the branch of light, she hopped back into thencold water.

Brrrr!

She needed to get out of this stupid Lake thing.. But the question was - to swim towards the shoreline on one side or the side she'd come from? Hmm?

Either way, she'd need to go fast. She was bleeding and tired which wa making it even more difficult to keep her head above water.

There had to be a clue somewhere around here.. something to tell her which way to go..

"Before I die of hypothermia, Mr TWT organizer, y'know?" What a lame way to die that would be..

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

The shiny bit from the stalk wobbles as you summon it, before breaking free.

What flies toward you is a shimmering silver circular mirror the size of a dinner plate. The frame is ornate, with the roman numeral III engraved in the top center.

It flies through the air like a wobbly frisbee.

Shiiiiiinyyyyyy! Yay! Fletcher was tempted to catch the reflective object in his mouth like a dog but realized it was probably heavy and would take a few teeth out if he even attempted that. Yes, the pressures of being stuck underground and continually assaulted by plant after plant were starting to get to him. Just a bit, though, as he did manage to catch his shiny and examine it closely.

Hmm. It seemed to be a mirror, roughly the size of a dinner plate. Fletcher peered close into the surface of the mirror and then eyed its fancy frame with a III at the top. Odd. Maybe that stood for his name, ya know, Duncan Mundungus Fletcher III?

Shrugging at the mirror and having no idea about its purpose, the boy started off toward the door. He reached it in a few long strides and was not at all surprised to see a giant lock blocking the handle. OF COURSE there had to be YET ANOTHER OBSTACLE to getting out of here. SINCE WHEN WAS LIFE EASY.

Kicking at the door frame, Fletcher let out an angry grunt and started pacing back and forth in front of it. Had he passed by a key on his way here? Was it also in some floating tree a ways back? Or worse, was it back at the entrance of the cave, between the fire bush and the mandrake box? WAS IT IN THE MANDRAKE BOX?!

Fletcher was going to throw a BF if that was the case.

Regardless, he paused in his pacing and took a moment to cool off and examine the lock. Maybe the mirror held the key? Glancing into its surface, Fletcher tapped the frame at the III and spoke.

"Show me the key."

Heh. Heheh. That was real likely to work.

The door swings open, revealing a steep, empty corridor, well lit from light streaming in from an opening at the end.

If you take a deep breath, you'll smell something you haven't since you entered the cave. Fresh air.

You're out. You're done. You're alive.

Just a little walking left.

The water churns around you, tossing you about. But you have your wand and with a little more light, a quick look around will tell you that you are in the middle of the lake, with the far shore in front of you. That is your destination. That is where you must go.

The lilypads \seem to bob in and out of the water as it churns and the trees spread further apart. Skittering among the leaves suggests that the bowtruckles in neighboring trees are anxious to be appeased, as well.

The mirror simply reflected the light streaming in from the ceiling. It holds nothing for getting you through the door.

Perhaps something you passed did, however.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

The mirror simply reflected the light streaming in from the ceiling. It holds nothing for getting you through the door.

Perhaps something you passed did, however.

Thanks, mirror mirror in my hand, for being yet another dead end.

Fletcher smacked himself in the forehead and set the mirror aside. Why had he even thought that would work? He started pacing around again, even walking to the edge of the unfrozen, snapping flowers to see if he missed something.

Then he saw it. A glint. In the exact middle of all the angry plants. "AHA!" he exclaimed eagerly. Hope had returned!!!!!!!! Fletcher quickly flicked his wand at the closest bunch of flowers. "Immobulus!"

There was so much more light in the corridor. Raiden closed his eyes, clearly having spent a little too much time in the dim caves. They didn't remain closed for long, however. He could feel the change in the air, the chilly freshness that wasn't in the cave.

Ohgodyes.

Without a second glance back, he started up the corridor, moving rather quickly. He had to get out of here. No more crazy plants, please. He was done with the caves.

The swim to the shore was hard, tiring, painful and she was pretty sure those Bowtruckles were on her tail so she avoided the tree's and just kept her head above water. Breast stroke.. With an arm in the air.

It took at least ten minutes.. Or something like that. She had no means of telling the time in the cave. She could only see up until her wand showed her but when she washed up on the shore, she looked around.

What could she see?

She let go of her jumper and the branch. She couldn't carry it. Her left arm was in pain and those Bowtruckles had drawn blood. Bloody twigs

She straightened - wet soggy shoes made movement difficult but she murmured, Lumos Maxima, perhaps she could see a little more?

Despite the cool, dark she felt safer with her wand. She was halfway home. She was alive. She wasn't going to give up now. Now that she was still she could hear murmurs.. Could that be the crowds? In the stands? But it seemed the sound wasn't there at all. All she could hear was the water - as of yet.

Her black vans - ruined from the swim were even heavier so water logged and she tried a drying spell on her clothes and shook out her hair. Where to now?

The mirror clinked as the champion set it down. The flowers had still been immobilized from before, but an extra shot couldn't hurt.

There, among the immobilized fanged florals, something was certainly shining.

The door swung closed as the Champion exited the cave.

As your feet touch down on the sand, an onslaught of bouncing bulbs begins. They do not target you directly, but as they careen off the cavern walls and the grass, they cannot help but pummel you in the process. There is nowhere to run, as the shore bumps up against walls of rock on all sides. If you can look around long enough - not likely until the bulbs are taken care of - one wall only goes so high. But, it is too high to jump and too sheer to climb. An errant bulb knocks a bag from a shelf in the wall, spilling a bean that burrows its way into the sand.

From that bean, green tendrils being to sprout, working their way toward the surface and breaking through.

Oh. MY. Gaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwd.

She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry! Was she that mean in a past life to warrant.. THIS!?

"Protego!" She shouted, just missing the bulb that'd come past her. Oh.. Crap..

They bounced off her shield .. Would it hold?

She needed to get out of here but she was being throw from side to side .. And what the HELL was that bean..

Oh... Nuuuuuuuu!

Cameron screamed as it started to grow.. She had little options..

Maybe she could climb the bean stalk!? And then jump onto the little ledge/wall? That sounded.. Promising

o______O

Well.. It was worth a shot..

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

The mirror clinked as the champion set it down. The flowers had still been immobilized from before, but an extra shot couldn't hurt.

There, among the immobilized fanged florals, something was certainly shining.

Fletcher dashed back through the flowers again, his eyes focused on the ground this time. He KNEW he had seen something there before - but he'd ignored it, thinking it was just a glint off the flowers or something.

And there, there it was. A key! Fletcher cheered and snatched the shiny object up. He ran back to the door and eagerly jammed it into the keyhole.

Your scream echoes off the walls and ceilings, reverberating dramatically. The bouncing bulbs continue to pound against your shield. Some bounce away and into the water, but others bounce off the stone walls and fly back at you.

At first, the stalk won't hold you, but as it grow, it thickens, with extra tendrils jutting out like ladder rungs. Up?

The key fits perfectly. Just a twist and you'll be able to open the door.

Behind it, a steep, empty corridor, well lit from light streaming in from an opening at the end.

If you take a deep breath, you'll smell something you haven't since you entered the cave. Fresh air.

You're out. You're done. You're alive.

Just a little walking left.