I NOW HAVE IDEAS-

PoV: Etho

I don't care how many times I've nearly died, I love my new job. And, it turns out I'm good at it. In just a couple moons, I've followed Hypno and Cubby on surviving level 2. By sun-season, I'm becoming the first to find a lot of new stuff. 

Including safety.

I don't know how it got there, but halfway into my best attempt ever, I come across a giant underground lake, home to a huge old ship. Immediately, I dive into the water. The beast chasing me stops. I note quickly that they don't like deep water. Another trick to escape them as well as dodging or looping them. 

I climb onto the ship, unable to fight my pride for finding this place before anyone else. Hypno said something about seeing water, but that's as far as he's got. Cubby's been slowed by preparing quicker paths and bridges to areas we couldn't climb to.

After a brief search of the ship, finding only a little bit of treasure, I know I have to search elsewhere. So I dive into the water around the back of it, instead searching the small caves.

And I find even more new stuff.

As interesting as the ship was, it made some kind of sense... it crashed, rocks fell over the exit, it's stayed here ever since. But as I stumble across a doorway, I feel like I'm hallucinating. Black pillars, and a path leading down. Curious to the last, I explore it. 

Unlike the one leading to these caves, these steps are rough, barely steps at all, guiding me into the dark. Burnt out torches line the walls as I step into the vague light of an even darker cave, though far shorter, stopped from falling in by beams. Like the start of a mine that didn't get very far at all. I'm thinking I've reached the end and there's nothing to see here until I spot something shimmering.

I pick it up, seeing through the bioluminescent lichen that it's a rough crystal, the size of my fist.  It's almost blue, beautiful. TFC's stories tell me exactly what it is.

A diamond.

'I've got news.' Is all I say as I leave the caves, the diamond still in my pocket.

'Yeah?' Hypno tilts his head, 'What did you find?'

'A ship... but that's not important. I found somewhere even deeper. An old abandoned mine. A... diamond mine.'

'What? Really?' I hold up my diamond for proof. Hypno approaches. 'How did you find that?'

'Curiosity.' I explain, pocketing my find again. 'Has anyone else found anything?'

'No... my path was blocked by a couple of those beasts. And Cubby's just been working on that bridge to the new area... come on, let's show everyone!'

I follow Hypno into the main area again. Jevin waves me over. I sit next to him and TFC.

'Guess who got further than everyone else again...' Hypno begins. 

'Seriously?! Leave some for us, man!' Cubby says back. 'Stop lootin' and scootin' so well!'

'I only got as far as I did because the beasts couldn't reach me.' I try to excuse. 'I only found a boat and a single path down...'

'A path straight into an old diamond mine!' Hypno shoots back excitedly.

'A diamond mine?' TFC repeats through everyone's immediate questions.

'I mean... this fitted your description of a diamond.' I show off the diamond I found to a collective 'woah...' I let TFC take it, look over it, and confirm.

'Yeah, that's a diamond.' He hands it back and I pocket it again.

'Dude... we're gonna be rich!' Cubby grins. 'A few more of those and we can get free of this place.'

'Pay off our debts to the king... buy a mansion and live out our days in peace and prosperity.' Joe daydreams. 

'Doc, you've got access to gunpowder and TNT, right?' xB remembers. 'We can just blow a tunnel for ourselves to get some more of these diamonds... one each? How valuable are they?'

'Less valuable the more we have.' Doc growls back. 'If we all show up at the King's place with diamonds he'll get suspicious...'

The mood falls slightly. 

'Who can we trade them with?' Joe asks instead. 'Do we know any diamond traders?' Attention turns to TFC, who's about to explain before...

'Get OFF me! Please! Can a man not be imprisoned gently?!' Comes a new voice. We all turn towards the interior entrance, the main castle. Dungeon Master Tek comes into view first, followed by a pair of guards. And dragged along by them is a man with ragged brown clothes.

'Your punishment, Mr Goodtimes, is not imprisonment. As the king already said.' The prisoner is dumped next to us. I glance at Cubby. We all know he got here through arrest too. 'I'll let your coworkers explain again for you. After I collect their latest findings.'

We all hand over what we know isn't all our treasure, explaining the ship, and the bridge progress, and everything except the diamonds. 

'You. Mountain guy.' Dungeon master Tek looks at me. 'You're hiding something.'

'Me?' I pull my hand quickly from my pocket. 'Why?'

'You ask me. What's in your pocket there?'

'Berries. For food,' xB comes up with. I try to nod, knowing I'm a terrible liar. 'To eat.'

'Show me.'

'Surely you know what berries look like,' Jevin replies. Tek scowls at him.

'If it was just berries you wouldn't want him to hide it, would you.'

'Fine! It's... this.'

I hold out the diamond.

Tek's eyes widen. He steps closer, past where Cubby's checking that the prisoner - Goodtimes? - is ok. I have to hand it to him, daring to add.

'Keep it a secret and I'll let you keep it.'

'Where did you find it?'

'The crypts.'

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Because I wanted to keep it.' I barely manage to say. Dungeon master Tek turns to his guards, signalling. Next thing I know they've pulled me to my feet.

'You can't hurt him! He's our best explorer!' Jevin follows, drawing a knife. 'Please!'

'I wasn't going to hurt him. I was going to let him explain to the King what you found. And get all of you to stop exploring those worthless caves and make our kingdom rich instead.'

I had nothing for about a month and then suddenly I wrote this in a couple hours