2. A Shady Cove

[Diamond Master]

Glossy scarab beetles climb over everything in this cove. Spanish moss hangs from a few trees. Dark water reaches out like black fingers, creating damp inlets along the shore. A few boats similar to the one Ptah took are in some of the coves. Steam rises from the water around them.

[AIiCE]

I investigate the boats. Why is the water steaming?

[Diamond Master]

There is a lot of dissolving matter inside, including a ton of carrion beetle bodies. Many of which are being eaten by other carrion beetles.

Some of the boats are sound enough for travel. Many are not, and have become wrecks where sunfish hide, darting in and out of planks.

[AIiCE]

Where are all these beetles coming from? I look for patterns in their paths.

[Diamond Master]

The beetles are the dominant biomass in the area. They squirm up from underground, crawl up and down plants, burst forth from decaying matter.

You can indeed find patterns in their paths. It is much like observing a complex of thoroughfares in a crowded city.

[AIiCE]

Are they doing anything? Carrying stuff? Interacting? Where are they most concentrated?

[Diamond Master]

They are slowly devouring everything that was ever alive.

They are most concentrated in the floor of the Bay and the floor of the scummy creeks and drains leading to it.

[AIiCE]

I'll try moving one of the boats further out into the water. Is there anything interesting under the surface?

[Diamond Master]

Puzzle ID #: 10
Discoverer: AIiCE
Time: 4 days - only AIiCE may attempt this challenge for 4 days.
Resets: None (only 1 egg available)

You move aside the boat and notice a hard slab beneath the pond scum. You clear the weeds and beetles away and find cells etched into the marble stone beneath, in a tiny rendition of a labyrinth.

crossword.png

The boat itself contains a few waterproof scroll cases. Inside are several snippets of text, notes from various sources. Some are on vellum, some on paper, some etched in stone runes. One clue is even encoded in digital storage. Compiling them all into one format, you have the following:

Across
4. ___ back! ___ and run!
6. It smells old, of mild decay
7. Flee!
10. Silences
11. Planted (but not harmless!)
12. Smaller
14. Favored by the gods
17. Thick, slimy, engulfing
18. A fight
19. Angered or sweet scented
21. Tied up
23. Use your eyes
24. To continue would be ____
Down
1. She holds the hawk to her wrist
2. Thick growth
3. Hurry
4. The Siren's long golden hair
5. Reed or run
6. To disorder
8. Reeds or runs
9. Ruins, shambles, disorderly areas
13. Stitches to seal the wounds
15. The sound of wind whispers through the rushes
16. Melted snow, pieces of plant fibers
20. Murky, sickening pool
22. Slimy sediment

[AIiCE]

"I think a collaborative effort would be appropriate here. Would anyone like to help with this puzzle?"

I use holographic letters to 'pencil' some words onto the marble.
Accross:
7: Run
23: See
24: Dangerous