Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Indeed. On my first visit, I was completely lost." Hul chuckled to himself as they went down the crampt corridoor. When they got to the bottom, it was a large circular room, lined with small pillars, filled with candles, and sported four large double doors in different directions. One doorway going northeast, one northwest, one southeast, and one southwest.

"We'll start with the living quarters then, so you can put your things down before we continue." the young monk said as he headed towards the doors on the northeast. However, as he began to reach out to pull open the doors, they seemed to open on their own, as someone on the other side was making their exit from the area towards the main hall.

A wave of chill met the two, even though the interior of the monastery was quite warm, its heat insulated underground. But this was no normal draft of cold air, there was an odd taste about it which marked it as unnatural, it did not chill the flesh, but chilled the bone. Following the chill, a tall dark figure moved out of the doorway as the young monk stepped aside to allow the figure to pass. Black robes were draped over this body, entirely covering the person from head to toe. A few crude belts and buckles attached themselves to the robes of the figure, and even under the shadows cast by the cowl of the dark robes, a black mask hid the person's face, plain black with two slits for eyes and a red tear underneath each one.

The figure seemed to drift past across the hall to the opposite door.

Hul exhaled, as if he was holding his breathe the entire time in the figure's presense before he continued on, the chill air disappating. He opened the doors and stepped in.

A straight hallway greeted the two, stretching down in a perfect line and ending at a door at its opposite end. There were twenty-two doors on either side of the hall, and one at its far end. As they strode down the hall, the young monk began an explanation of the area, "Here are the living quarters of the monastery, where the tenth door on the right is the washroom." He indicated with a push against its doors when they got there. Inside was a rather large, but simple public washroom where one side was lined with stalls and on the opposite wall, sinks. It was nothing big, and as most of the time, there were only monks in the monastery, there was little use for separate washrooms for different genders, just a lot of stalls.

Moving on, Hul pointed out the difference between the doors on his left, and the doors on his right. "The doors here on the left side of the hall house most of the monks who live here," he explained, "Each room houses two monks and are relatively the same. And since most of us are usually traveling between towns and the monastery, each room is usually fitted the same for those of us who come and go." Pushing open a door, it revealed a fairly simple room, with a bed lining each side of the room and a small desk opposite from the door. Every single room on the left side of the hall would reveal to appear the same, for there was no need for claim for each monk in the monastery for living quarters, they all just seemed to rest in whichever one appeared vacant when they wanted.

"However, the doors on the right side of the hall are built for guests such as yourself." He said as he went a few doors down, looking over each one, reading the vacant/non vacant sign until he found an empty one. With that task done, he pushed open the door and waited for the woman to enter before he himself followed and continued his explanation. "Here's a vacant guestroom where you'll be staying in. Unlike those that the monks live in, these rooms are made for guests, providing luxury and privacy." The interior of the rooms on the right side of the hall were quite large, with a single large bed, rugs, and a circular table decorating its interior. He turned around and took a key from the keyhole. It was some pretty old-school stuff; as a key was used to lock and unlock the door from the outside and the inside, and that was how the young monk was able top tell that this room was vacant. He gave Lucind the key and then continued on after she put her things down and locked the door on her exit. On the key, there was a number written on it; 17G. Guest room 17. Of all rooms on the right side of the hallway however, going from room 1 to 22, there was no key for the tenth, as it was the washroom.

Continuing onwards down the hall, passing a small group of monks which Hul gave a friendly greeting to, the two stopped at the last door, the one directly across from the main doorway into the hall. "Here's something quite interesting." The monk said as he pushed open the door. Inside, there was a large hot spring, its steam drifting around the interior lazily. In the center of the shallow well, there was a large bamboo wall erected, which in turn branched off around either side of the spring to provide privacy between the two genders. "It's kind of a wonder, this thing," Hul said, "A hot spring underground, inside the frozen wastes. I think it has something to do with the heat melting a part of the ice, and then the ice acting as an insulator that keeps the heat in. It's some sort of perfect balance or something that allows this phenomenon." He shrugged, not really caring about it.

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"Yup." was his cheerful reply. "Lets go on then." he said as he turned about and went back up the stairs to the main hall.

After Lucind would follow him, he'd continue on towards the southwestern door. "Heres something else that isnt so special, but it would be important tomorrow." he said as he went on forward.

Through the southwestern doorway of the main circular room, the two wound enter a large room filled with heavy rectangular tables and benches. Here was where the monks ate. However, due to the special occasion, a separate section was set up, this made up of smaller circular tables which seated four. Hul explained that this was for the guests, such as Lucind.

A few monks were setting the area up for tomorrow's wine tasting ceremony, and other than that, the place was relatively empty.

On the far wall however, there was a doorway which turned and would open up into the kitchen and the panty. The guests were not allowed to go in there however, but Hul explained that there is a tunnel which leads from there to the brewery and vineyards so that they could transport the wines here without going through the main access.

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The voices of the entity echoed in his head, as ones voice might in an empty cave. In due time, Silver looked up weakly at the man, if it truly was a man. For a moment that seemed like an eternity he stared into the singular eye, mesmorized by its seemingly enchancting glow. To him, this being symbolized impending doom and death, but at the same time it was like a dark and twisted angel of salvation. With a weak grin on his face he spoke softly.

"This fool has no home. Only a quest of destitude and foolish respite."

He thought bitterly at those words. Silver had no home so to speak. His family died out years ago, and his relatives didn't even know he existed, living in his own splendorous home. Anywhere he tried to go he was outcast as a potential threat; a freak. The last place he truly considered at home was the leviathan stadium, but that was destroyed by what must have been the god of destruction.

Silver would have sighed if he had the breath to do so.

((sorry for delay. I've been busy.))

Now naturally, Madison was confused. She didn't understand how the whole death complex worked. But she was attempting. Slowly she began to think...What would the doctor do? She was in a panic, her paws shakey violently as she slowly bent down beside him. Her arms had completely lost feeling as she moved. The heavy weight that was on her chest awhile back had returned making her wish she could cough.

"What would The Doctor do...what would he do?" Her voice sounded worrisome as she countinued to move. She was no longer addressing the boy but herself. Finally she began to slowly move his inestestines back towards his body hoping not to cause him pain. She gagged alittle with each movement towards the wound that it was. The feeling of the organ was like a slippery rope that made her shudder with every movement. The cool feeling of death swooped before her causing a panic to fill her. The boy's eyes seemed fearful and frightened. She paniced more so knowing that a familuar face was going to return.

Her thoughts began to counterdict one another. Finally her paws let go of the intestine as they gathered back to the gash in the boy's stomach. With the boys whimpers of pain caused Madi to panic and sob alittle bit. She was doubting herself, she could simply leave no and let nature's take place or try and stop the predicted.

Time was definately running out.

::He spoke again, and just as before his voice echoed, and also as before it lacked any emotion what so ever. Granted his sentence had tenses but it had no feeling it. It was as if he lacked a personality...no passion and no concern for Silvers predicament.::

We all have a home, a place of eternal respite, as well as a place of eternal torment. Your life will decide where you belong. My station is to carry you to judgement...

::As he spoke he stepped forward until he was no more than 4ft in front of Silver, and his right hand tilted the scythe so that it could be held by both his hands.

About now in an completely unrelated occurance, Silver might begin to see the figures moving in the distance, they were vague for now though. Only whispy blurs moving to and fro across the tundra, thousands on thousands of them though despite their large number in this vast landscape never did the feeling of being "crowded" rise up.

Despite the surroundng the figure hadnt paused his single sentence flowed right into his next.::

...Are you read to take your leave?

::For some reason the green orb on the scythe was pulsing. And as it pulsed Silver might feel a tug. But as it pulsed a truly disturbing image came into view below Silver. The image of himself, or rather his body, which was resting below him and had only recently come into view...Being dragged off by some monstrosity of a beast. Its details were foggy as the creatures motions were very blurred by the time lapse between the worlds. But, it could be said this creature had many an apendage, and was quite large in size as well as musculature, and it was making off with Silvers body...::

In the dead of night, when all the candles of the monastery was blown out, and each and every person, be they monk or guest retired to bed, something was on the move. In the darkness, a single person in the monastery was active; a part of the darkness, he was hidden and silent.

If not for the dull thud of a door closing, he would be unnoticed. If not for the missing sound of a door being locked he would be identified as one of the guests. So who was this? Down the hall, without even a sound, another door opened and closed.

Up the stairs through the circular main hall, and out the heavy doors of the dome, he disappeared, a trail of noise marking his movements.


It may not be well known, but on the eve of the day of the wine testing in the monastery, every four years or so, the moon was always full. Not a cloud in the sky, it could be clearly seen, illuminating the black and white world below in shadows and lunar glow.

He stood in the center of a clearing, having walked through the perfect snow from the monastery. Without even a breeze in the night, the snow muffled all sound. And at his feet, his dark shadow was outlined with the white of moonlight and frost. His own clothing black, he never moved from his place, his head tilted skywards, mask in his right hand, hidden by the long sleeves. Like an artists painting, the world was seen in black and white tonight.