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Once the Dimernesti have collected a fair share of the treasure in the cargo hold, Seera dismisses the seaweed and they begin jumping into the water.

Half of the group starts swimming in one direction, carrying the booty with them. The other half transform into otters and wait for the surface dwellers to join them, to allow them the chance to grab on and be carried to their village.

"We will be unable to speak when we are below, we will have to rely on handsignals instead." Jerrard comments before they jump. "We will return, if all goes well we will come back with more than we left with." The mage had given most of his own treasure to ensure the elves had something to take back.

"I suggest you both stay close, I am a strong swimmer, I will aid you where I can." He smiles and holds Imani and Locky's hands.

"Ready!" Locky cries, and jumps before the Mage can grab her hand, she hits the water and giggles.

This is just as well, as regardless of how good a swimmer Jerrard is, there's no way he can swim while holding hands with others.

Although invisible, Locky does create a very visible splash when she hits the surface, and one of the sea otters quickly swims toward her before she sinks too far down.

Locky lets out a little squeal of delight as the otter swims her way.

Despite her reservations about this idea, Imani jumps into the water after Locky.

"In we go." Jerrard mutters, shooting Mailka a quick glance he jumps in gracefully.

Temeral swigs down his potion and follows in.

The sea otters swim to Imani and Temeral, as well, so they don't sink right to the bottom. Once they grab on, the otters begin diving down toward their village, carrying the party with them--save Jerrard, who's capable of swimming himself.

Once they get deep enough, they see some amazing things they never would have expected. There are all manner of exotic animals and plants, some of beautiful colors that rival anything found on the surface.
Meanwhile, with the seaweed and the Dimernesti gone, Captain Imaran jumps into action. He at once begins hollering orders to his crew to get the ship moving again. "Get us as far away from here as possible," he commands. "It's bad enough to get robbed, the last thing we need is for a dragon to smash the ship into splinters!"

Babushka stays out of the way of the sailors. She is now having second thoughts about not joining her friends. Now that the captain sailed away, would she ever see her friends again? She keeps a close eye on the dolphin sent by the Dimernesti, her only link now to them.

But going with them would have meant to abandon Dekker, something she could not think of doing. Not after all those years together.

Locky tries to make little noises, ends up disappointed, it ends in seconds when she sees the scenery around her.

Jerrard swims down slowly following the others, regretting leaving Babuskha behind he concentrates on the task at hand.

Imani looks at the wonders around her with wide eyes. She wants to say something, but it is impossible for her to talk while underwater. Though, the scene that she saw was breathtaking.

Horizon Seeker

Malika heads back down below deck while Ulster and Thuskar approach Babushka. "So...what are we going to do now?" the former asks. "Wait for the others in Silvanesti?"

Under the Sea

Down below, the otters continue to lead the way. It gets darker and darker the deeper they go, until Imani and Jerrard cannot see at all, and the mage must grab hold of an otter or risk becoming separated from the group.

Only Locky and Temeral have any limited vision at all. They begin to see the ocean floor after awhile, and a series of small caves that serve as the Dimernesti's village. The otters bring the party to one cave in particular, which is both illuminated and full of air.

The cave is small--about as big as a bear's cave would be. But there is enough room for the four of them. There is a king-sized bed (surprisingly dry and made up), a small table, a few chairs, and even a chamber pot. On the table is a bowl of what appears to be seaweed.

Once all four party members have entered the cave (which is surprisingly warm and illuminated by a magical globe on the ceiling), the otters depart save for one. The last one transforms back into a Dimernesti--one of the younger warriors, a male. "Wait for us here," he says in Common, his accent thick. "Once our leaders have returned from the dragon's cave, they will come speak with you. Do not leave here until then." With that, he dives back into the water, leaving the four surface dwellers on their own.

Babushka nods at Ulster's and Thuskar's remark. "That's a good question" she says. "I hope I will be able to persuade the Captain to stop after some time, after all, our friends want to clear his route for the future. But it might be that he only sees he is safe for this time. Right now, we can only wait and see. If it comes to the worst, waiting in Silvanesti, or hiring or buying a boat there for a rescue mission might be our only option."