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[quote=Tubal]. . . something else caught his eye, something shiny and possibly valuable. He picked it up and examined it.[/quote]

The shiny, as it turned out, was a key: a small, silver key, bright and not at all tarnished, with no markings nor features of particular interest. It was threaded onto a similarly new and delicate silver chain.

This chain was stuck in a mass of old roots and vines that was shaped curiously like a man-sized cocoon half-buried in the ground and obscured by tall weeds. The white lever-like thing that had been visible from a distance was, indeed, a bone: the bone of a human's upper arm, to be precise, sticking out from inside the cocoon of roots. The hand and lower arm must've been snapped and carried off by the hungry wildlife long ago.

Or, rather, not so long ago, given that the bits of silk and embroidery that peeked out from between the roots were as new and bright as the key. Even the bone was fresh and white, if a little gnawed.

There were hand-sized gaps between the roots: through these, in the very dim light at this farthest reach of the lantern's light, the full skeleton of a man could be seen, stretched out as if trying to escape his coffin. His robe and belt were expensive and mostly intact -- as was an embroidered scabbard and the knife inside it, and a stoppered glass bottle of purple liquid.

From this position -- far from the metal platform and at the very end of the lantern light's reach -- a flash of pale blue light could be seen shimmering deep in the woods, appearing and disappearing as the trees moved in the breeze.

Out of the darkness of the forest, silent as a shadow, a dark root slithered through the weeds. It touched the sole of Quintilliano's shoe, then lifted itself up and snapped around her ankle, holding her tight.

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[quote=Alexander]. . . he began to walk to the edge of the platform, towards the rodent, attempting to shoo it away and see what it was digging at.[/quote]

The little rodent went very still when big Alexander's shadow fell upon it. Upon closer inspection it was a curious little thing, with big beady eyes, a long bushy striped tail and ears each as big as the rest of its body. it stared at Alexander for awhile with an adorable sheen in its black eyes -- but when it became clear that the human wanted its treasure, the animal's fur stood on-end and it [i]hissed[/i] like a snake, flashing teeny needle-teeth in defense of its prize.

After a moment, the rodent leaped high in the air and was immediately attached to Alexander's sleeve; it scrabbled and scurried up his shoulder and down his back in a blink, pricking through his clothes with its claws.

Beneath the freshly turned soil where the rodent had been digging, a hand-sized silver box shone in the light.