Walking along the ever rougher rocks, Petrichor can't help but wonder what great discovery lay ahead. It had been silent ever since he'd stumbled upon the odd gravesite. Too silent. Well, silent enough with Riot flitting around and tapping every leaf it could access. The little energy ball had spunk and untapped curiosity he wasn't sure he was going to like if danger reared its head. Sue him, though, he was endlessly endeared by it.

Riot's glowing light continued to light a path and illuminate anything worth noting. Jewels embedded in cave walls glittered like mini suns as well as raw ore that seemed as if it wanted to reach out to him. Everything in the dungeon had a mind of its own and all of it made up its mind to try and compel him closer. A weaker Courser would follow the call. It was shocking how many egotistical adventurers came back at all. Did they get serious once below the surface or did their stupidity save them?

Often, groups of Coursers chose not to brave the depths alone. It was safer in numbers, that much was true. What was even more dangerous, though, was a team that did not mesh well together. Internal fights could hurt more than a monster ever could. It led to poor decision-making and more typically it led to groups splitting up.

How many souls were trapped down here? How many left to go at it alone and never came back?

Petrichor couldn't see any evidence of tragedy where he walked. Nothing but flowers with bioluminescence and a bunch of creeping ivy of many different variations. Dirt and bone seemed all but absent... if you exclude the mounted skull he'd seen what felt like forever ago. In fact, there was no evidence of other adventurers at all. He could be walking right past one starting their expedition and the dungeon would swallow them up. Never would they be fated to meet.

Magic worked in mysterious ways. Even for those who were skeptical, there were times their own heads bowed at a display so impossible they could no longer deny its looming presence. What would they do in the face of all this?

Petrichor could admit that maybe some idle company wouldn't hurt. The Wisp was a pleasant companion, but it didn't talk or interact with him as much as it simply followed wherever he went. He was one to enjoy silence, but then again he'd never had an actual friend before. Is that what his travel companion would be? A friend? His soul thrummed. So, it shall be if he can manage a conversation.

The mare, had she been a friend? Strangely, she kind of was. After his parents, she had appeared out of nowhere and began to offer him a daily interaction. Never could he make eye contact with her, but she never took it unkindly. Instead, it seemed to endear her to him more. Bizarre creature, she was. Then again, she was something mythical, wasn't she?

Stepping over a fallen chalice, he pondered for a moment about taking it along with him before hesitating. Looting wasn't what he came down here for, but he knew the deeper he went the more fortune would be awaiting him. Would his would-be companions want to take it all for themselves? That was all well and good for him. He had a mission. Let them plunder to their heart's content so long as it didn't interfere with his plans.

He could be their navigator. Riot made for a wonderful guide, and he was sure that he could learn to map the path they took should it grow too treacherous. Petrichor wasn't much of a fighter, but he was smart. So long as they could fend off foes, he would lead them to safety. It was a longshot dream, though. If he happened to meet someone down here there was no telling how they'd react or if they'd even want companionship. All the same, he'd continue even if it was all by himself.

It would just be nice to have safety in numbers.

The air was growing hotter and hotter. Plantlife began shifting from ivy to thicker stemmed succulents that stored their water in such warm environments. He had to be getting closer to whatever the depths hid. Just a little further...

Funny, he hasn't heard her voice in a while.