Welcome to Gaia! ::

She nodded, a bit blankly, then looked up to the path before them. "I'm sorry, I'll try not to be too much of a distraction. I'm aware that being new to this is quite burdensome, as a new troop on the battlefield..." She trailed off, face frowning despite her calm tone, as she began down the route indicated by Naoko. She hated dragging others down, and right now she couldn't see how she was anything more than a nuissance.

I can't just be a burden now, I'll have to do whatever I can to help out, or Reika-

Oh, I see how it is - just ask me a question then go on rambling to yourself. I swear, if you women wouldn't ignore us and run like that we'd -

...You, you're the amulet?

Hff, well not really the amulet. I'm your Guardian who resides in the amulet.

For a few moments there was a silence as Verdis let this set in.

What, you aren't impressed or thankful, or resistant or anything? You should be honored I chose you of all people to be my champion!

She felt crazy, but she could feel the impression of a huge, beaming, anticipating grin emanating from her guardian.

Pardon the ignorance of this inquiry, but that would make you the same voice from earlier, when I had just landed, correct?

A nod.

She shook her head. Pardon my blunt and tactless request, however I feel we have not the time for formalities. I am uncertain of what lies ahead, but I'm going to ask you to guide me through whatever it may be. As I'm sure you're aware, I don't want to sit on the sidelines doing nothing, nor do I wish to run around as naught but cannon fodder, so please help me in this endeavor.

Hmf, well, that's what I'm here for, right?

Yet despite those words, there was a hint of nonchalance, mischief, and deception that somehow told her that might not have been all there was to the matter.

Daewyn watched the transformation with rapt attention. "Wow, Bryce! she exclaimed, "you looked so pretty... did I look as pretty as that?

Bryce couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable at Sion's answer to his question. He seemed to brush it off far too easily.

I wonder...

He shook off his thoughts for a moment, and concentrated on the task at hand. He joined Sion, facing the barrier, and soon his own green aura was melding with Sion's blue one, both churning simultaneously against each other. Bryce and Sion remained concentrating on the barrier and their own energies, and Bryce looked to Daewyn with his glowing green eyes, telling her to join them.

You can do it Daewyn. We're almost through this one.

Daewyn nodded tersely and scrunched her face up in a funny expression as she tried to find that cool, inviting feeling from before. She found it almost instantly this time, probably since she knew what it was she was feeling for, but it took her a minute to manage to control it; the aura flashed erratically for a while.

It seemed that every time she thought she had a grasp on it, the essence slipped just out of reach. Just before she got entirely frustrated, she relaxed and quit trying to grasp it so hard, mostly likely simply because she was getting worn out from the chase. That moment is when she sensed the magical feeling settle into one place. Fighting the urge to grasp it with the eagerness she did almost everything else, Daewyn simply worked at holding the magic in that one place near the center of her being. It was then that one of her lessons with Terra came to mind...

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Daewyn sat crosslegged in the middle of a field, just a stone's throw away from where the rest of the group was camped for the night. She was fidgiting with impatience, and so for the umpteenth time, Terra gently chastised her.

You must not be so impatient, child. In order for you to do what I'm going to show you, you must be completely focused.

I'm trying, but why do I have to sit for so long?! she asked, more than a little whine in her voice.

Terra paused for a moment, then replied slowly. I know this must be difficult for you, Daewyn, she began, you are very young, and because of that you are not accustom to waiting patiently, but there is something very important you must understand. The earth is slow and is not used to moving very rapidly, and because of that you must go slowly when you try to control it. If you do try to hurry it, it may not respond... if you're lucky. If you're unlucky, you can lose control, and that is dangerous. Never forget that as slow as it is, the earth is very, very powerful.
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I understand now, Terra, Daewyn whispered softly. Thank you... Forcing herself to remain patient despite the persistant feeling of urgency, the girl drew more energy into her center until it felt like a semi-solid orb. The energy spun around her amulet in a slowly swirling orb that pulsed steadily as it grew. The color that was a soft green before deepened into a dark hunter green that glowed with a deep light, streaked through with shoots of amber. She grasped it gently, but firmly, and held it out in front of her.

As she opened her eyes she could see once again the churning blue and green energies of the other two. She once again resisted the impulse to hurry as she stretched the orb and pushed it into the other two energies at the barrier. Once she let it go, the three energies combined into a riot of green, blue, and amber. At first they nearly solidified into something that looked more beautiful than any gemstone she had ever seen, then the stone began to shrink in diameter as shoots of energy stretched through the barrier like the branches of a tree. The barrier faded, drained into the shoots, then they also faded away. When they did, a small orb about the size of a pearl dropped to the ground. Daewyn picked it up quickly and held it where the other two could see. Look guys, a present!

"A number of years, though not long enough for one to say I have spent the greater part of my life in her service," came the politely brief reply. Having observed the tension between the general and Naoko, Verdis wanted to ask why the two seemed to put each other on edge, but refrained, as it would be overstepping her bounds.

Continuing to follow the dark haired woman, she slowed momentarily, her hand pushing her mask against the frame of her face. as she slowed to a stop she lowered to a kneel and touched one hand to the ground fingers spread so only her extended fingertips grazed the surface.

"Naoko, please tell me I am wrong, but it seems there is some thick semi-liquid coating the ground. I cannot identify it, and it seems to be pulsing, or something," she said, rising warily and looking around to see how far the substance reached. Her brow furrowed slightly beneatht the mask, as she reached reached for her fan, pulling it out of it's case with a snap, and making certain her over-sized nekote were secure on her other hand.

Daewyn followed Bryce and Sion down the narrow hall, staring at the stone intently, as if it would change or disappear the moment her eyes left it. She was trying to forget her unanswered question; she did NOT want to fall like they did before.

After what seemed like an eternity (she had lost track of the actual time they had been down here by now), Daewyn bumped into her older brother. Looking up from her treasure, she saw that they had come to a dead end. A gloomy light diffused through the air around them, but the girl could not tell where it was coming from.

"Well, what do we have here?" Sion asked aloud, to no one in particular.

"I know this is the right path, there has to be a way through here somewhere," Bryce stated, looking around.

Slipping in front of her two companions, Daewyn joined them in inspecting the walls in front of them. They were covered in abstract lines circling pictures that she couldn't quite make out in the gloomy light.

She could hear Sion muttering, and suddenly there was a bright globe of light hovering above his upturned palm. In the sudden illumination, the first thing that caught Daewyn's eye was a circular groove cut into the rock just above her eyelevel. "Hey!" she exclaimed, "that looks about the right size for this thing here." She held up the little gem she had been treasuring and pressed it against the groove.

With a flash, the little orb clicked into place and the blue and green colours from the stone poured out from the stone and into the carved lines and pictures on the walls. As soon as they were all filled, the lines on the wall to her left flashed, and a carved doorway opened. Daewyn gasped in surprise, but as soon as she knew they had a way forward her eyes were drawn back to the carved pictures. "These look like some of the carvings on the old ruins in the Melbane temple," she said, a hint of awe in her voice. "Do you know what they mean, Bryce? Do they tell a story?"

Ah, yes, Naoko forgot about that.

"My apologies for not explaining earlier," she said as continued to walk on, motioning the other to follow. "I guess you could say that I was addressing more to your guardian than to you.....I don't think he would want you dead."

Her eyes were wary of above them, around them; it seemed as if the oil was moving along side them as they walked.

"You'll learn most likely from this trial how to control your amulet and when to use it," she turned her head slightly, her bangs covering her eyes even more by the motion. "The jewel that you picked up. He talked to you, didn't he?"

Why she was thinking "he" was beyond her, but Naoko reasoned that it was because she often times remembered Phey shouting at the amulet from time to time when they were travelling.

Hey, Daemon, do you even know where we're going?

She stopped suddenly, gauging the area with her eyes. Was this why? Had her ancestor gone inside this temple before at this exact area was why she knew somewhat where to go?

Melchoir, just be quiet and let me think.

No, they were trapped inside here centuries earlier. She looked off to her left, her eyes catching an insignia ingrained onto the wall behind the oil.

Now, what's this?

Daewyn stared at the biggest tree she had ever seen. It was glowing brightly, providing the only light source in the room. The roots of the tree were twined firmly into a bank of clouds elevated several feet off of the floor, with a series of steps leading up to the base of the tree. The girl slipped out of Sion's grasp and started toward the tree.

Wait, Daewyn! Sion called after her, Don't go running off on your own again.

Well hurry up and come with me then, she retorted. Sion bit his tongue and did what she said, knowing there was no point arguing. The pair made their way up the steps and onto the cloudy surface surrounding the tree. The surface was spongy, but held Daewyn's weight. When Sion stepped onto it after her, however, he slipped through it, any sound of his passage muffled in the soft folds. Daewyn didn't notice at first, however. Her attention was drawn to a gold plaque melded onto the trunk of the massive tree.

There were more glyphs carved onto its surface, but since she couldn't read, they meant nothing to her. Hey Sion, do you know what this says? she looked back over her shoulder, but saw no trace of him, nor could she see any sign of Bryce where they entered the room, or anywhere else for that matter. Sion? Bryce? she called out, but was only met with her own echo. Great, they separated us already....

With a sigh of resignation, she returned her attention to the tree. Looking up in its branches, she noticed a bright glowing orb hanging from the branches high above. She didn't have to search long for a way up, because the branches were low and even-spaced enough for a young thief to climb her way up without any trouble. Without another word, she was quickly making her way up to the glowing object.