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From time to time, Ixyguin thought that she had seen a figure--the Goddess of Ruin--traveling to and from an area near the Spire. Although she feared what would happen if she were to be caught, the girl let her curiosity lead her by the hand that day, guiding her to the path that the Goddess so often followed. It was not hard to find--the bright red slashes stood out in stark contrast to the rest of the dully-colored environment. Slowly, she began her trek onwards.

It didn't take her long until she reached the cave, and upon slipping in, she noticed with some confusion that the cracks running along the walls were slightly unusual looking. Upon walking in further, she realized that there was a bowl sitting atop something akin to an altar, a fact that set the already-nervous girl on edge. What exactly went on in here?

She moved towards the walls next, hesitating before reaching out and running her fingers against the edge of one of the cracks. They were not random, jagged lines that ran through the walls, but shapes. Shapes that had been on the bowl, and the rock that it had been resting on as well.

Hhm...

Before she could dwell on it for long, her thoughts were abruptly interripted by the sound of heavy footsteps. Bristling in alarm, she whirled around, eyes darting back and forth as she searched for the source. Of course, said source was rather hard to miss--once it emerged from the darkness, Ixyguin immediately balked, intimidated by its large size. Even if she were to run, there would be no way for her to get away in time.

But it does not attack. She hesitates, and then realizes that it is looking at something--the bowl, and then her. What did it expect for her to do? Warily, she backed into the altar without taking her eyes off of the creature, and then she notices it--a knife.

...No. No, it seems too dangerous, too reckless to give her blood to some unknown cause. However, it is not as if her next idea is any wiser--clutching the knife in hand, she turns to face the creature and gets ready for a fight she's sure that she'll regret.

[EXIT]

[Battle Thread].

After some exploration, Nush found himself at a cave near the spire. It didn't really garner a whole lot of attention from him, but he noticed the goddess wandering into it. This piqued his curiosity, and he found himself heading on in as well.

Inside, he noticed that the walls were cracked and lit. But aside from that, there was an altar at the center. A large bowl rested upon the altar, and a number of symbols decorated the area around it. At some point while he was looking this over, a large beast had shown up. He narrowed his eye, looking it over. It was a fearsome thing with dull eyes. No doubt it could tear him apart if it wanted to.

He crouched down defensively, then held still. It was watching him, and he would watch to see what it would do in turn. For awhile the two stayed put. Perhaps this creature was waiting for something. Nush looked to see just where it was staring at. It didn't take long to see that it seemed to be looking back and forth between him and the bowl. He wasn't really sure what to make of this.

It was then that he realized there was something near the bowl. Nush took this and looked it over. It was a knife. There was the temptation of attacking, but the beast had made no hostile movements as of yet. Yes, it was a little unsettling to see it staring at him like it was, but it didn't seem entirely malicious. It was waiting for something. But what? He looked between the knife, the bowl, and the great beast, trying to think. There was something about the bowl... Bowls are meant to be filled. It was big enough. Maybe as a water bowl for the beast. Or something else entirely.

With a bit of hesitation, he decided to cut himself. He sliced his palm and held it over the bowl. Something dripped on out. Was it blood? Did he bleed? He wasn't certain. The beast began to move, pushing him back and beginning to drink the contents. It seemed that he was right about one thing. He took an extra step back while gripping the knife still, warily watching the creature.

When the beast lifted its head again, he noticed that its eyes now glowed. He gave a sort of half-bow in return but then saw it step back and nod towards the bowl. Did it want more blood? Nush frowned lightly at this notion, but stepped closer anyway. He never really had a chance to think about it much more as the bowl began to try and suck him in. He fought against it, but it was to no avail.

With a grunt, he hit the ground. The bowl had sent him somewhere. Though he couldn't tell just... where this was. Before he could get a better feel of where he was exactly, he heard a voice from within shouting him to move.

And so he quickly moved.

Rolling off to the side, he just caught sight of something bright slamming into the ground. He also quickly realized that he was wearing a cloak right now. Where the hell did that come from? Something was not right here. He never really had the chance to think about it more, as something roared at him to keep focus.

Right.

Focus. Focus.

It dawned on him that he could do a number of things in this situation. But for now, he decided to not draw on that. He lunged out with his hands. Wait. No. They were claws, weren't they? He was able to parry aside the radiant weapon, and deal a fair amount of damage in their own right. Yes. This would do for now. He continued to strike his foe repeatedly. It gave him an odd rush. He danced with his opponent in a deadly manner. The weapon wielder slashed at him, and he just continued on like this.

He took notice that more of his body had shifted. Right. There was more to him, wasn't there? He decided to try this out. Nush could feel power building up within him. It was something strong. Grand. He could release it at any moment.

But it was also now that he heard something else. It was soft, barely audible. Tilting his head, he tried to hear what the whispers said. Was it the inner voice that had saved him earlier? No. This was something else. It was a different voice. This one offered him... what was it offering? Ah. The power to keep his loved ones safe. The power to strike down his enemies. It was incredibly alluring.

And all he needed was that weapon.

Nush grabbed a hold of the shining weapon, which enraged its wielder. The two began to have a tug of war over it. And so he tried to rip it away from its owner forcefully. It was surprisingly easy to do just that. And so now, this weapon was his, and it felt good. He stared down at his foe as they tried to fight to get it back. It was no use. He had the power now. And so now he loomed over his opponent, who was stunned from that last blow.

He rose the weapon up high, staring down coldly before slicing the man in two. Blood sprayed in all directions. The whispers spoke to him. There was still more he needed to sacrifice in order to attain this power. If it meant keeping those who mattered most safe.. he would do it. Anything for them. He would give his life if it came to it, but that was not the price today. And so he paid it

His eye snapped open as he jerked awake. Nush scrambled up, crouching down while in a defensive stance. What the ******** just happened? It seemed that he may have been dreaming. In which... that was one incredibly messed up dream. There was nothing here. The crimson light that had filled the cavern had now dulled.

Shaking his head, he just slowly left. His mind felt numb.

Igny had somehow managed to mull past the plaza park and had ended up in front of a spiral shaped cave. It was still a little ways off, and she didn't think much of it. After all, there were many rocks in this land. Igny decided it wasn't worth the time to explore, and moved onwards.

Or ... she would have, if she hadn't caught the red goddesses' wings disappearing into the rock formation. Now that was worth exploring. She had a few questions to ask of the goddess, especially after the last task.

Red slashes littered the ground as she walked the tresses up to the path. It was unsettling for Igny, as she was reminded of the glowing dagger given to her by the goddess. What horrors might lie in this cave then?

She pulled herself together enough to make it to the opening. Delving in further, she realized the room was actually somewhat furnished. It was hard to make out with so little light, but she could at least see an altar with some dishes on it. It was relatively sparse- almost a disappointment compared to meeting the goddess.

The shapes went relatively ignored by Igny- she assumed they were decorative additions to the room, nothing more than a fanciful delight for someone as impressive as the goddess.

Walking down to the alter, she ran her hand over the rough stone, careful to avoid the cracks along the edges. Where had the goddess gone? Why had she left this place unattended? She tried standing on the tip of her toes to peer in the basin, but poor Igny was too short. Still, it was a heavy shape. She ran her fingers over the shapes for a moment before growing bored with the delusions.

There was movement in the back of the cavern. Igny froze. Panic struck her body. Was it the goddess- was she angry that Igny had trespassed? Was it a monster? Was it the shadow from the goddesses' task come back to get her-

Monster.

Dull eyes stared at her, watching her closely. Igny was too frozen in place to do anything but stare, frightened of what was to come. She was, and always would be, prey.

The creature responded in the same way, staying still. There was an awkward stare off going on. Igny had no choice but to look around for an escape route. She couldn't go out the cracks- too small. The door behind her was too far to run- besides, she have to turn her back to the beast. Her eyes fell on the bowl, and she noticed something she hadn't before. A knife.

Very quietly, she picked it up. The beast stared quiet- maybe it couldn't see from so far away? "I do not want to hurt you ... please let me leave ..." she said quietly. She'd made a promise- no killing unless necessary.

In her clumsiness, Igny took a step backward, but the action caused her to fumble and accidentally cut herself. The knife and the blood were placed just so precariously over the bowl that it dripped into the bottom of the basin.

The creature backed down, and Igny sighed with relief. She didn't know why blood in a bowl was so special, but if it appeased the big scary monster, she was okay with it. She leaned over, just to see what was so special, and ended up falling in!

Move.

Igny jerked to the left- just in time to avoid the oncoming enemy. Her cloak floated in the wind; Igny knew this feeling well. She was a bystander, yet it was also her. She was watching, yet participating. A roar split the air and Igny held up her hands in defense. She had no choice- she had to fight with what she had- her hands.

Though it upset her, Igny took comfort in the fact that it wasn't ... quite her. Claws laced up her arms, fur growing rapidly. Now it was confirmed- this couldn't be her. She used them rapidly, and Igny surprised herself with how lively she felt. Moving, jumping, dodging- she was performing every action with great skill. Once again she had to remind herself that it wasn't ... actually her doing the skills. She liked to pretend it was though.

A soft voice bit at the back of her mind. Igny listened to the whisper, leaning inwards to hear what it had to say. It promised something she yeard for- she just had to-

Igny shook her head from where she was standing. No. She would not kill. She promised herself, even back in the cavern. If given the choice she wouldn't kill. Instead, she tried to end the conflict peacefully by taking the opponent's weapon away.

"What the ******** are you doing?" The words were strange to Igny, foreign, yet familiar. "Don't you ******** dare-"

The weapon was her goal. She pulled lightly on the weapon, trying to force it from his hands. If he had no weapon, surely he would surrender and they could talk things over? That was fair.

Igny collapsed in pain as a dull pain replaced the triumphant feeling in her stomach. A well placed shoe had her double over in pain, followed by a swift jolt to the back of her neck. It was over too soon, far too soon. She could have solved it. They could have been allies.

Everything was darker. Igny stood, head throbbing and mind aching. "I do not understand," she murmured. There was no response, but a light feeling fell on her. A blessing.

Mnezara supposed that she could call The Spire her home, of sorts.

After all, her core had initially shone a bright red, just like the color that tinged the area here. And it was the place she returned to after she was done with exploring the other areas each day. And so, it wasn't terribly hard for her to notice the Goddess disappearing into the Spires, and her curiosity immediately peaked. Where did the Goddess go?

It didn't take long for her to find the path where she had seen the Goddess enter. She followed, without any hesitation, and finally made it to a cave.

So this was what the Goddess had been visiting?

Red slashes on the wall lit the room, glowing eerily. Mnezara's attention were soon drawn away from them, examining the altar and the bowl that lay atop it. Attempts to lift the bowl to further study it were to no avail; it was too heavy for her.

She stiffened. She was not alone.

A monster drew out from the darkness and she froze entirely, watching the large beast. She had never seen anything like it before, and she held still, waiting. Perhaps it was one of the Goddess' minions?

It was looking at something else. She realized. Not only her.

She turned her head slightly and realized it was staring at the bowl, and then back at her and wait-- the bowl was not the only thing there...

That hadn't been there moments before, she was sure, as she inched towards it and picked the knife up. There was only one way forward, as many battles she had experienced taught her.

Knife in hand, she leaped forward to attack.

[EXIT]

[Enter from Battle Thread]

And with that, she found herself blessed once more.

Anni Rohn explored her home, taking careful strides to make sure she wouldn't fall from one of its many cliffs or small bridges. There were monsters lurking in the caverns, you know. She examined a particularly large stalactite, intrigued by its size and form, when something caught her attention and stopped her cold: the Goddess of Ruin was entering a cave right before her eyes! Her heart leapt with joy at the memory of when she first encountered her Goddess, those outstretched wings and lonely plaque calling to her very core, promising protection and guidance. Her fear of the Goddess' immense power terrified her, but her blind faith in her Goddess urged her to follow the deity, in order to thank her properly. She went inside, gasping in awe at this ancient altar, the bright glow of the moon bathing the area in a glittering, crimson light. She examined the markings etched in every object, the exact same shapes represented on each artifact, reflecting the simple shapes indented deeply into the hard stone walls. She examined the shapes closely, of course she remembered her Goddess' crescent moon, it was the first thing she saw when she was given sight, but with the others, only one seemed familiar...

Something rustled from the back of the cave, something large...
Its footsteps rang out in the silent cavern like a gunshot: 'thud...thud... Thud.' The creature stopped behind the Altar, its head lowered, its eyes alighting with an ancient glow. It made a sound like a growl, its posture defensive, ready to attack her with a single bound. Anni held still.

'What if this creature was sent by Ruin?' She thought. She didn't want to hurt her Goddess by attacking her familiar, and even if she tried, the creature would only tear her apart.

"I won't fight you..." Anni's voice was small, but she hoped the creature understood her. It lowered its defense, looking at her with all-knowing eyes. Its focus shifted to the bowl, its contents empty. She looked at the bowl as well, and realized the creature was staring back at her.

'I'm supposed to do something with the bowl?' She asked it in her mind. It looked toward the Altar, its eyes focusing on something on top of it. She looked around and noticed something embedded into the stone surface: a knife. It glinted with the light of the moon, the red veins within the metal lit like blood. She lifted it into her palm, its weight as light as air. Anni could feel the creature's gaze upon her, and she looked up. They stared into each other's eyes, the creature's stare questioned her motives.

'What will you do?' It seemed to ask in a rumbling voice that was as old as time itself. She looked toward the bowl and its runes, thinking of her Goddess, the only one who inspired her to keep going. There was no hesitation, she placed the blade in her opposite hand and drew it across the soft flesh, cutting her hand. She held out her palm over the bowl, her blood falling against the bottom with a steady dripping sound, each drop glittering like a ruby with the aid of the moonlight. Strangely, she felt as if she were sacrificing not just her blood, but something else... A part of her... The creature seemed satisfied with her work, it pushed her back gently, away from the altar, before it turned its back on her. She could hear it quench its thirst with the contents of the bowl as she waited for something to happen. Should she leave? Should she stay? Anni watched as the creature finished, turning towards her and staring with those eyes full of ancient wisdom. It lowered its massive head, as if bowing... Thanking her? It looked into her eyes, not with ethereal grey light, but with power. The air shook with its very presence, making Anni's heart warm with the feeling of its gratitude. The creature looked towards the altar once more, and she walked to it with understanding. She looked into the bowl, entranced by it... when she was sucked down into its shadowed depths.

Anni crashed to the hard ground with a thud. When she awoke, the sky was grey with fog and smoke, instead of the red moon she was accustomed to seeing. She didn't have to see where she was, she felt it. This was not the altar she had met the creature in, but someplace else entirely.

'MOVE!' Screamed something within her. She obeyed the instinct, rolling to the left, just as something crashed down where she was just seconds ago. It blinded her with the brilliance of a fallen star, but something told her it was not friendly. She leapt back quickly, her-- cloak?-- flowing gracefully behind her movement. The garment fluttered and pooled around her as she crouched, awaiting the moment when the something would try to attack her. She didn't feel like herself at all, but felt as if she were looking through someone else's eyes.

'Focus!' Her inner voice berated her. Anni felt her new body hummed with energy, she needn't be afraid of the something any longer. She had all the power in the world... But she didn't need it, she never needed it. This was her fight, and she was going to win it herself, by her own two hands... Or rather, what were once her hands. They surged with energy, transforming, becoming powerful muscle and vicious claws. She used them to block the someone's weapon, using this opportunity to distract them, by landing a slash across their side. They fell back, wincing, even though Anni knew she hadn't hurt them too badly. She just needed time. The power sang within her, but she refused to be corrupted by it, continuing to use her han--- claws, instead. Her heart leapt with happiness, she actually enjoyed fighting. The strength traveled to the rest of her body, covering it with fur as thick as armor, her claws sending a shower of sparks as she blocked and retaliated in an endless dance. Nothing she tried gave her an advantage, she had to use another tactic. Anni tried another skill.
She slashed at her opponent one last time to give her the space she needed to try her next move. The power pulsed through her veins, causing her opponent's eyes to widen with fear as she grew to an immense size. The power made her feel confident, vain... But this was not a fair battle. Her mind burned with the look of absolute terror on her opponent's face. This wasn't her. Something called to her, something she felt was important. She listened to the whisper.
"You desire to protect others..." its voice was surprisingly soft within the sound of her power, "... to never be lonely again. I can grant it to you, but first, you must---" Anni obeyed, trying to take her opponent's weapon away.

"What the ******** are you doing?!" Her opponent snarled, as she grabbed a hold of the shining weapon in his grasp. Anni Rohn tried to take it from him without drawing upon the power, trying to wrench it free of his hands, but he was strong...

"Don't you ******** dare --" ...too strong. She used all her might to rip the weapon out of his hands.

She was better than him, stronger, powerful than ever before. At the cost of ---, she knew she had made the right choice. The weapon felt flimsy in her hands, almost made of glass. She felt a joy so strong, it made her heart rise, even as he yelled at her. He attacked, but she was faster, Anni blocked him with his-- no, her-- weapon, something making a sickening crunch as they collided. He fell at her feet, stunned. He was powerless, no longer a threat to her or anyone else again. All the power in the world... and she showed him Mercy. She felt her lips rise into a smile, her outstretched palm aimed at his head, her power rising to crush him beneath her hand... But she didn't need to do it now. She had defeated the threat, and there would be peace in her kingdom. She placed his weapon on her shoulder, intending to lock it away. She gazed triumphantly at her domain.

He was nothing but a puppet to her, a plaything, really. She made him dance and fight, testing her power, but it didn't feel at all familiar to her. She had used him... But only to help her become stronger. Anni felt something in the back of her mind play like an echo... She was supposed to be watching him, helping him, and she failed him. Her heart darkened with the memory of despair...

And woke with a start on the floor of the cave. She got up, confused, the once bright red light faded to a dark crimson. She was alone, the Altar's guardian gone, her opponent nowhere in sight... not even the Goddess she had followed in. Sadly, she picked up the Black Claws and Red Vial, and left the cave, completely powerless, but not truly alone.

When a large, winged figure soared above, Acerola was surprised to see the Goddess of Ruin, flying by. "What could they be doing?" She hid behind a large rock, watching them enter the cave, and reappear soon after. While it wasn't any of her business, Acerola wanted to know if it was important, especially since it was a Goddess who had gone in and not anyone else. When she was sure the Goddess had left, Acerola quickly made it up the path and entered the cave.

The room seemed to glow from the strange cracks on the wall. Acerola walked up to the Altar, touching it. It had the cold, soothing touch of rock, but it was covered in red, glowing scratches. There were scratches all over the sides of it as well. Because of the glowing color, Acerola wondered if it had been the Goddess who had made those marks. She took a glance at the bowl. It was large, and Acerola knew at a glance that it would be too heavy for her to lift., and so she didn't try. She lightly touched the edge of the bowl, and felt the marks, similar to those on the altar. One shared the same symbol as the Goddess.....another felt like it was on the edge of her memory, but not quite within reach. "Where had she seen these symbols before? she thought.

Something seemed to be coming from the back of the cave. First, a shadow appeared, and it moved closer and closer. Acerola felt the room dim as a large beast appeared, blocking some of the glowing cracks with its large body. Acerola stood still, hoping the creature wouldn't notice her standing there.

The beast stared straight at Acerola. Or maybe not. Its large eye seemed to be moving ever so slightly between her, and the bowl she was standing next to. Was it waiting for something to happen? She glanced over at the bowl. There was something she hadn't noticed before. A knife. What was it doing there? Surely, it wasn't for attacking the enormous creature. That would be brash and stupid. It would mean death.

Acerola held the dagger in one hand, unsure of what to do with it. Meanwhile the beast continued to stare at her and the bowl. Maybe she had to put something in the bowl? At first, she tried putting the knife in the bowl, watching the beast's reaction as she did so. The beast didn't do anything, so she picked it back up. So that wasn't what she was supposed to do. Then, a thought struck her. Maybe... she took the knife and cut her palm with it, letting the contents from the cut fall into the bowl.

The beast's large head appeared in front of her, nudging her out of the way, as it made its way to the bowl and lapped up the contents.

Suddenly, something about it seemed to change. Acerola felt gratitude surging from her. Was it from the beast? The beast looked at Acerola with its now bright eyes and nodded at the bowl. Acerola, cautiously, walked up to the bowl and looked in. Her face had gotten too close, and she was sucked in.

Landing painfully, Acerola sat there for a moment before something in her head screamed at her for move. Almost instinctively, she moved to the left, just as something seemed to strike where she was before. She let out a breath and got up. A cloak? Surely, she didn't have a cloak....

A roar. Acerola....or whoever she was, was brought out of her thoughts. There was something else here. She had to fight it. But how? Then, she seemed to feel like...she could do anything. She shaped her hands into claws, blocking the opponent's attack with them, before striking at them. She attacked once again with the claws, feeling more alive than ever.

It was then that Acerola remembered she could do other things too. Power surged through her, as she prepared to strike the enemy once again. But a voice seemed to stop her. It was dangerous, it seemed to say. Acerola realized that as the voice said it. If she let power consume her, then she would succumb to it. She opened her jaws and flames erupted from her jaws. As the opponent was caught off guard, she resorted back to using her claws and soon, the enemy was hardly an enemy anymore.

She laughed wildly.

Her vision began to fade, as well as what she remembered from what just happened. She sees something and picks it up before leaving.