Just a simple swim

Nicole looked around the pink-lit chamber. It was more a dome, the walls blank and featureless except for the one patch of writing, and no tunnels leading out. She frowned, before her eyes settled on a small pool of water by one side. She took a careful step closer and looked down into the inky depths. Gingerly she prodded it with her toe.

It was cool, but not unpleasantly so, and it was deep. It seemed to be the only way out of there.

The more she bent over to look down, the more she caught sight of a faint, purple glow from something growing in the rock. At least the Cult of Huraine had good lighting.

With no other option, Nicole sat herself down on the edge of the pool, legs kicking the water. When it still didn't seem like she was close to the bottom she took a deep breath and submerged herself entirely, ducking down into the pool.

If she opened her eyes, she could make out a blur surrounding her, paths of faint purple light stretching off into the distance. It looked like there were a lot of routes she could take, but they all had stone ceiling overhead. Shit.

Nicole surfaced again. She starting treading water, catching her breath. A cultist would probably know the way to go, but she wasn't one, she'd just been declared chosen one for no adequately explained reason. If she took a path that didn't have a gap to exit from...

Drowning, or naked forever? Drowning, or naked forever? Nicole continued to float, panting in the dark cave, soaked red hair clinging to her skin.

She took another breath and went down again. That time she noticed the scent of strawberries as she turned around. It wasn't always there, strangely, but if she faced one way she could smell it. Weren't they part of Huraine's thing too?

There had to be some way through. Before she could chicken out, Nicole kicked off of the wall behind her and started swimming. The water felt cool against her bare skin, wrapping all around her body. Somehow she was more focused on the fact that at least no one else was around to see her swimming nude through the cave pool than she was on what it would mean if she was wrong.

Something seemed to move under her. Nicole kicked off a little more desperately, not sure she particularly wanted to know what kind of water life the shrine of some sex goddess had.

She followed the smell of strawberries, up to a distant wall, and then up. She broke the surface, gasping for air, chest heaving, before pulling herself off onto dry land. Water dripped off of her naked body, and she took a moment to gather her thoughts, crawling away from the water. Hopefully nothing would follow her out.

She sat up eventually, and looked around the next chamber. Once again a pink flame lit up, a stone tablet positioned just by it.