"Oh, rats . . ."

"Uh, those are bats."

"Do you ever shut your mouth, Dio?"

The trio stood frozen amidst the great hall of stone, only halfway through what ruins had half-eroded into a dark cavern over time in a great maw yawning around them. It was only by lanternlight they could traverse through this stretch, so, naturally, none of them thought to look up until they reached this far in. It was Icarus who thought he could hear.. something. Soft tittering, or skittering sounds, what he originally though could be the feet of nasty critters come to interrupt their exploration. However, no. They were not so lucky that they would be rats after all, when all three Coursers stared directly up at the ceiling.

To Icarus, it looked like a simple mass of black. Like the ceiling could grow fur. Now that would be the oddest thing to find down here. Hopefully.

"Should we turn around and find another path?" he asked, keeping his legs locked so that they wouldn't shake. They were well-equipped to handle monsters - he would argue him most of all, their shining knight, of course - but he'd never seen sheer numbers of bats congregated like this before. Icarus ran through his head different ideas; if the bats swarmed upon them, kicking would only take out a few at a time. He could use Dio as a meat shield, that usually worked well. There wasn't enough light from their lanterns to wake the bats.. he thinks. Turning to Archie, Icarus inquired, "Well? What kind of bats are they?"

Archimedes's eyes flitted over the mass above them. Their voices were harsh, quiet whispers. "If I knew, I would have told you both by now. Do not make a sound and we won't disturb them to find out."

"Oh." Icarus's limbs filled with renewed vigor. A stealth mission! "Piece of cake. Allow me to lead the way. Everything will-"

"Ah-"

"-be fine so long as-"

"Ah-"

"-we just stay quiet-"

"AH-CHOO!"

"Dio!" Icarus and Archimedes snapped in unison, as the earthshattering sneeze blew Diomedes a powerful step backwards.

Waking hundreds of pairs of beady, crimson eyes above them.

"Hey, do you think we should-?"

"RUN!" Icarus already launched himself at a full gallop's escape as the swarm woke to life, wings fluttering and cascading down in a column of alarm. "If I get any of these pests in my mane, Dio, I am KILLING you!"