Unlike Rayne, Sylvia took the opportunity to change back into her own armor. "I don't think you want to go for a dip in this water though, who knows what things are in it." She had a point too, the water was dark and murky and it was impossible to see how deep the underground river ran, much less what manner of slimy creatures lived in it.<br/><br/>"But perhaps you can take a moment to cover up a little more...?" Youmu suggested gently, casting a sidelong glance at Rayne's showcased nipples and twitching skirt-tenter with a blush on her cheeks.<br/><br/>"Pfft, don't listen to them Rayne, I don't mind the view!" Starstrike cheered. "Anyways, don't worry too much about the city, such a fast rate of reproduction is unnatural, probably magically boosted, and once it wears off it'll all be under control. What you should be worrying about is getting as far away from here as possible before that happens. Anyways, if you keep following the river it'll circle around to the docks. I'll cut across the city and meet you there."<br/><br/><hr/><br/>An ancient road had been smoothed out along the river bank, long unused from the look of it, with no one else besides the three women travelling along it. The occasional stream joined the river coming from their own tunnels that merged into the larger one. Some of these streams came in from a higher elevation, and when they intersected the main tunnel the water casaded down the drop in a roaring waterfall. The noise echoed back and forth within the tight underground confines making it nearly impossible to hear one another speak above the sound of crashing water.<br/><br/>Eventually the tunnel they were following opened up high up along the wall of a far larger cave. The underground river poured out the end of the tunnel and down in a waterfall taller and grander than all of the previous ones, ending in a vast subterranean lake. Looking down, at one end of the lake was the outskirts of the dwarven city, with a harbour of stone quays and piers extending out over the water. Docked was a fleet of exotic looking ships shaped like sea creatures - metal-shelled turtles with wooden flippers, sleek fish with sail-like fins, and even an angry red lobster with elaborate claws, while other ships plied the lake waters. The other end of the lake stretched on... until it ended at the other end of the cave wall, leading far but ultimately nowhere.<br/><br/>The middle of the lake rippled, something was rising out of the water - another ship, or more accurately a submarine, this one in the shape of a squid with undulating tentacles trailing behind it that served as its propulsion. As it headed towards the docks, a turtle ship heading the other way sank lower and lower into the water until it was entirely submerged, visible only as a dark shadow beneath the surface as it headed for underwater passages.<br/><br/>Sylvia and Youmu stopped, taking in the sight in awed silence. Even if they tried to speak, they would have to shout at the top of their lungs to make themselves heard above the waterfall. Closer at hand, a series of steps had been cut into the stone by long-gone architects, undercutting the waterfall and descending behind the falling curtains of water, providing a narrow and treacherously slippery way to head down to lake level.