[treasure] Treasure...Trove???

Balore sighed as his eyes adjusted to the dark and damp seaside cave. The golden grains of sand crunched and settled under his hooves as he slowly stepped back to take a look at the size of this cavern. The darkness was home to who knows what, and the sounds from the cave weren't very inviting either. He groaned and dug through the beat up bag on his side and pulled out his map. If he was reading it correctly, the last chest that the old Symps' left was in the depths of this cave. He's collected the others, one in the deep marsh in the swamp and the other in the strange library that he could consider a home…but this was by far one of the worst spots a chest could be hidden. 

Looking at Ream, his companion Sipzip who was perched on his shoulder, taking his fifth nap of the day, he mumbled a bit to himself before stepping in, the crunching of the sand slowly turning into the sound of his hooves on the rocks echoing around him. 

“Ream. If you like any type of exploration, I think this may be your forte. At least…” 

He pulled his flashlight out of his bag and turned it on, the light sputtering a bit before shimmering to life.

“You'll like it here. It's definitely dark enough.”

Ream yawned and stretched out his wings lazily, sleepily opening one eye before looking around happily. It's perfect for him, who lets out a happy squeaking noise before flapping around and gliding in the air around Balore, before quickly zooming further into the cave. 

“REAM! GET BACK HERE!”

Balore picks up the pace, his hooves going from a slow walk to a quicker pace as he looks around for any signs of Ream and of the treasure. Suddenly, a loud squeaking noise comes from in front of Balore, who quickens to a run before tripping over a rock, his bag, flashlight, and himself all falling to the ground in different directions.

“Oh, dang it. Now where is that-” 

He tries to get up and winces, looking down at the scratch on his leg. It'll probably leave a mark, but right now…the flashlight, which has landed a few feet away sputters a bit, the light slowly dimming. Scrambling to get to it before the flashlight goes out fully, he grabs it just before the light finally fizzles out with a small pop. 

“Oh come on…” 

He smacks it against his hand and few times, turning it on and off a few times before giving up and sitting in the dark. Is this the end? Is this really how he's gonna be found? About to start yelling for help in a dark cave with his companion nowhere to be found…he frowns a bit, then notices something…odd. A small light is flickering deep in the cave, the light casting a shadow on the walls. He gets on his hands and knees and crawls a bit, his hand reaching out for his bag as he feels it and drags it towards him, placing it back on himself again. He stands up, a slight bit of pain coming from the scratch on his leg, and makes his way slowly to the light. As he gets closer to the light, something seems to be moving around…the shadows of whatever is back there casting onto the walls. He holds the flashlight in his hands, prepared to use it as a weapon at any given moment again whatever beast that is. Turning towards the source of the light, he yells, lifting up the flashlight towards…Ream? Who is happily enjoying a few of the flowers that are growing on the caves walls, giving off a beautiful yellow glow. Ream looks at Balore, a confused expression on his face before bursting out in a laugh of sorts. Dropping the flashlight, Balore quickly grabs Ream, hugging him tightly.

“Oh, I can't believe I found you…please don't fly off again, I got so worried that I couldn't find you, I forgot about the treasure completely!”

Ream squeaks happily and once he lets go, he flies slowly forward, practically yelling Balore to follow him. Balore follows Ream just a bit further to a large pile of these bioluminescent flowers. Dropping to his knees lightly, the pollen puffs up as he carefully moves the flowers out of the way to reveal the old shining chest. He wipes off the last bit of pollen, the shining streaks glimmering as he slowly opens the chest. The final piece to his puzzle…what could hide inside…he stares at the contents. Then looks around a bit, trying to see if there's any other chest. But…that's it. 2 chocolate coins stare back at him, along with a cobweb and what seems like a dried up piece of seaweed. 

Closing the chest, he stands back up and wipes the pollen off his knees and clears his throat. 

“Ream…let's just go home if that's ok. I think this chest is a dud.”