[h2]The Cove[/h2] Despite the annihilation of the cavern walls, the system of tunnels built into the cliffside showed no signs of possibly falling apart—for better or worse. Though many of fishmen were turned unconscious by the blast and many more drowned corpses annihilated to walk the earth no more, the event seemed to alert those who hadn't been caught up in the initial attack to the presence of attackers. Their cries, raspy and foreign, seemed to bounce around the cavern, though only a few began to (however cautiously) examine the gaping hole in their home without leaving the safety of darkness. Nanoha's own search would reveal [i]far[/i] more than was visible to the naked eye; in the immediate vicinity alone, there seemed to be dozens of fishmen, and the structure itself seemed to extend deep underwater—and possibly, even, into the ocean beyond. More than that, though, the attack from the young girl would reveal something a bit more notable. A chest, it seemed, had been caught in the crossfire; the lock that had clamped it shut had been annihilated, and a gaping hole was left within to allow access to the treasures inside. Jewels and gems, finely cut and with nary a trace of corruption, sat in a small pile next to a few pages of paper. Stained with blood though they were, the writing therein was more than legible to read. [hider=Contents] [i]These dark caves drip with an overabundance of humidity, beyond my threshold of comfort. I nearly broke my ankle on the rocks, made slick with some ubiquitous slime. The pools stir and slosh with no visible cause and the shadows beyond torchlight seem to grow and shrink of their own accord. [hr]My fears are confirmed! With our torch doused by an errant spray of seawater - we were ambushed! Strange fish-like homonids ambushed us in the sudden darkness! The pitch of the torch caught quickly and I glimpsed scaly appendages swinging crude weapons, glistening and barbed. They didn't last long with our torch rekindled. Alas, one bit me on the neck before I gutted it. The wound stings and tingles strangely. Our physic told me to keep it clean and covered... [hr]The wound is starting to fester. The flesh around it is grey, flaking and ridged, almost scale-like. As I write this, my breathing has taken on a hollow timbre and is more laboured. My compatriots are laughing, and tell me not to worry, it’s just the salt mist in the air that pervades these caverns. [hr]They are sleeping. I am kept from slumber by a distinct stream of whispers, as if carried by the currents and waves of the sea. I have not told them that most of my flesh has sloughed off, revealing a strange silvery membrane, I keep myself covered. They questioned me when I ate the meat raw at campfall and found my response difficult to understand. I suppose it would be best to explain my condition when they awaken, then they would be convinced of my urgency to leave and find aid in the hamlet. [hr]The others are gone. They were victims of a malevolent transformation! Their scales had rotted to soft, vulnerable flesh. Slowly suffocating without gills! The worst was their eyes! Close-set, and forced to squint through fleshy slits! I shudder recalling the horrific and unclean warmth of their blood as I rinsed my talons. I nearly retched. May Death grant them soft mercy! [hr]I cannot recall why we ventured onto land. Why did we leave when Mother Ocean provided all we needed beneath her tender waves? I will now return home, back to Her embrace…[/i][/hider] A few moments later, though, and Nanoha's search would reveal further results: two abnormally dense concentrations of energy of some sort; one sat upon the bottom of the abyssal labyrinth, and the other seemed to be moving further away from those present, surrounded by hundreds of smaller signatures. [@VitaVitaAR][@KoL]