Glace Treasure hunt in a Costal Cave

Like every morning, I woke up to the warm sunlight shining into the entrance of the cave where I lived. Sleepily, I looked outside and breathed in the fresh, slightly salty air blowing in from the sea. I stretched extensively to wake up properly and walked the usual way to the stream to get a drink. I saw my reflection in the water again. The bright orange crest and lower lip on my snow-white face gazed back at me from ice-blue eyes. Who am I? Well, my name is Glace, a Cryolophosaurus of quite a young age. I haven't been in this world that long, but I'm getting along quite well so far.
A fish swam into my field of vision. A moment later it was already between my teeth and soon in my stomach. Freshly fortified, I made my way towards the coast.

As I emerged from the trees and felt the sand under my feet, I caught sight of a dinosaur. I had never seen such a dinosaur before. I particularly noticed its feathers and a kind of horn on its head. I approached him carefully and spoke to him: “Who are you? I've never seen a dinosaur like you before”

The dino I spoke to paused, looked at me and scrutinized me. “Who am I? You must be new here on the island. I'm a shopkeeper - no, the shopkeeper. And I'm always interested in new things for my store.” I looked at the shopkeeper with interest. “What kind of things are you looking for?” I wanted to know. “I'm interested in all sorts of things. Bring me something and then we'll see.” I continued to look at him curiously. “That means I get something as a reward?” He nodded. “Yes, I will reward you. I hear the coastal caves are lucrative. Also in the urban areas, in the rocky cliffs of the scrubland and in the wetlands. Bring me a treasure from each region and I will reward you handsomely.” A sparkle in my eyes probably showed my interest in the tasks. “I'll go on the search,” I replied. He nodded in satisfaction and continued on his way. I looked around and since I was already on the coast anyway, it only made sense to look around the coast for caves. I looked left and right as I didn't really know which way to go.

Following an intuition, I turned left and walked along the coast. Soon the sand changed to stone and the coastline took on a cliff-like character. After some time exploring here, I discovered something.
Hidden behind rugged rocky outcrops, I discovered a fairly large cave entrance, which is apparently only easily accessible at low tide. Luckily for me, it was low tide, so I didn't hesitate and entered the cave. As I entered, the air became cooler, the sound of the sea became more muted and the salty moisture clung to the rock walls, which were covered in seaweed and shells.

I went deeper in and the cave gradually branched out into narrow, winding passages like the veins of a giant rock. Some of the passages were so narrow that I couldn't get through. Other corridors opened up into spacious chambers. Everything was illuminated by the daylight that shone in through small openings and cracks in the cave ceiling. The chambers were filled with gleaming stalactites and water-formed rock formations. Between the corridors are small, hidden pools of crystal-clear water that shimmer slightly in the light coming from above.

Fascinated, I took a good look at each chamber to see if there was anything exciting to be found. Apart from stones, shells and small columns of salt, however, I found nothing that would have been of interest to the shopkeeper.

I continued to work my way through this maze of caves and at some point found myself in the largest chamber so far. In this chamber lies the wreck of an old sailing ship, which was probably there centuries or even millennia ago - I couldn't really tell. It was probably wrecked on the cliffs and carried into the cave by the tide. The hull of the ship is partially embedded in the rocks, its broken masts jutting diagonally into the air and the wood is blackened and decaying from the salty water. Remnants of sails hang like limp flags, while ropes and nets wafted across the deck like ghosts. In this spooky-looking scene, I discovered a large chest lying half-submerged in the middle of the shipwreck. The chest was overgrown with barnacles and covered in algae. It seemed as if it had been untouched and forgotten for ages.

The cave walls shimmered in the subdued light that fell through cracks and holes in the ceiling. This light cast an unreal glitter on the wreck, which lay there like a ghost. The silence is only interrupted by the dripping of water and the distant sound of the waves. The occasional flapping of wings and whistling noises could also be heard. A cool breeze brushed against my scales from time to time through the waves, which only added to the eerie atmosphere. I had landed in a place full of secrets and long-forgotten stories. A silent graveyard for a ship that never reached its destination.

Finally, I managed to bring myself to move cautiously towards the wreck. I carefully placed one foot in front of the other, always careful not to slip on the slippery rocks, some of which were covered in algae. Despite all my caution, I slipped off a rock and luckily landed in a small pool of water. Once I had recovered from the scare and was sure that I hadn't been injured, I continued on my way towards the wreck.
I reached the wreck without any further incidents and entered it carefully. As I was immediately on the deck of the wreck, I came straight to the crate. I looked at it and began to remove the algae and barnacles. However, the latter caused me problems. I looked around and discovered a flat piece of metal that seemed suitable for the task. With the help of this tool, I was able to free the crate from the barnacles, which took some time.

Once I had made it, I tried to pick up the crate and carry it. I succeeded, albeit with some effort. I looked up and was startled to see that the tide was coming in. “Oh no!” I exclaimed in shock, not knowing what to do. I probably couldn't go back the way I had come, especially as I hadn't memorized it due to the many branches.

Then I heard a louder fluttering noise and suddenly a bat sat in front of me, looking at me curiously. Apparently she saw the fear in my eyes. “Are you all right?” she asked me. “No. The flood has started and I don't know how to get out of here,” I said curtly with a slight hint of panic in my voice. “Don't worry, I can help you. There are other exits here too,” the bat replied. “I'm Bathony, by the way.” I looked at her. “Really? Can you please show me the way?” “If you tell me your name, I will,” she replied. “Oh, sorry. I'm Glace,” I nodded kindly.

“Well, follow me,” the little bat said kindly and flew off. I followed her slowly, as it wasn't easy to carry the chest. She led me into a cave passage that was hidden behind a ledge. There were only a few branches here, and the winding cave passage soon brought me back to daylight.

When the sun touched my scales again, I breathed in deeply and exhaled with relief, panting with exhaustion. “Thank you, dear Bathony,” I replied kindly to the bat. “ With pleasure” she replied and disappeared back into the cave. I looked around and found myself not far from my own sleeping cave. However, I had not yet discovered the cave I had just come from, as this entrance was also very hidden. I picked up the chest again and made my way to the shopkeeper. Fortunately, he had told me where I would find him. When I reached the merchant, he examined my find, nodded with satisfaction and gave me something as a reward. I didn't look at it any closer and made my way to my sleeping place. When I arrived at my cave, it was already dusk and I fell into a deep sleep.