After the previous difficult encounter in the dungeon, the trio of Salacia, Mocha and Cygnus needed a bit of a break. It had been Salacia’s interest to study the mechanics of the dungeon, but Cygnus and Mocha were indifferent. Seeing as it was a bit too dangerous for just the three of them, they moved on to more natural areas. 

“Look! The plants here are so lush,” Salacia squealed and ran over to the varying kinds of plants. “I’m so surprised they look so nice for being so far in a dungeon. There's hardly any light here.” 

“They’ve probably had a lot of adaptation,” Cygnus said, looking around. “There's still some faint light through the cracks in the ceiling though.” Small streams of light seeped in, highlighting the gorgeous plant colors. Salacia wanted to document and study all the different wonders of the dungeon. It would make diving safer, and open up new opportunities for materials. She cruised around recording data from every plant she could find. The three wandered through the dense foliage, which was oddly somewhat comforting for them. Previously they were used to cold stone floors and metal moving walls; it gave all of them a chill thinking about it. The flourishing greenery felt happy and pleasant. 

“Guys over here!!” Salacia called out to them from a room entrance. It was covered in vines, only with a small layer of fog seeping out. It smelt sweet and felt warm and friendly. Cygnus grabbed a handful of vines with his mouth allowing his companions to walk through with ease. The room was large, foggy and cozy; many vines were hanging from the ceiling, moving slowly. The air was still but heavy, enveloping the coursers like a blanket. Salacia began her studies as Mocha and Cygnus took a moment to relax. The room seemed to be the perfect location to rest for a while. 

“Cygnus, do plants glow?” Mocha questioned. 

“Not that I know of, why?” Mocha then motioned toward a thickly foliaged area, with a faint glow; the light barely breaching the fog. 

“Salacia, you might want to see this!” Her two companions walked over to her, excited to show her their discovery. 

“I don't know about this, I haven't ever seen anything in here glow like that” Salacia was puzzled. It would be new data, but she also hadn't seen anything like it before. As she approached the glow, she heard Mocha scream. Salacia whipped her head around to see Mocha and Cygnus held up in the air by the vines, now moving like they were alive. Before she could run, the vines from behind her lifted her as well. All three of them were stuck, with no clear way out. 

“HELP!!! HELP” Mocha screeched as she wriggled around. 

“Stop wasting energy,” Cygnus sighed. “Nobody will hear you, we will figure this out.” In a flash of red light, the two were suddenly freed. They dropped to the ground with a big thud, watching as the creature freed Salacia. A madder heraldic courser had arrived. He jumped up the walls and used his weapon to effortlessly slice the evil vines. Once all the coursers were freed he made a break for the glow and scooped up a big chest. He started to run for the exit before he was blocked by Cygnus, Salacia stepping on his tail from behind. 

“Hey! What's your problem? I freed you now I want to leave with my payment.” He snarled. 

“Who are you? That's our deserved treasure, this area was reserved for our campaign.” Mocha sneered back at him. 

“The name is Caspian, I don't involve myself with your association rules. The dungeons are free reign. Now excuse me while I take this chest.” 

“Wait,” Salacia paused. “If you party up with us we can guarantee you many more treasures like that one. We know a lot of treasure routes, just haven't had the speed or strength for them.” Although it sucked admitting, Salacia was nowhere near as fast nor as strong as Caspian. She knew having him in their party would be a great help to future situations. The party needed someone who could help them fight off their foe. 

“I guess I could try.” He replied. “Just, please get off of my tail.” Mocha released him and Caspian relaxed. Working with others would be new to him, but he knew Salacia had a point. Despite his great abilities, this was his first opportunity at a chest in weeks. As embarrassing as it was to admit he only found the location because of Mocha’s screams. Maybe collaboration would be best. 

“So it's settled then! Onwards my friends!” Salacia proudly announced and ran back through the vines, her companions right behind her.