Welcome to Gaia! ::

*he listened intently to the words of his students.

"No, you are right for saying these things. perhaps you are right. I have been thinking for awile now that perhaps you are ready to be tested. And with Shumaruka's arrival, i have been given a grand idea.........
This is a way for you to prove yourself and for you, shumaruka, to be tested for re-training. Akayo, i want you to find the ancient temples hidden within this very swamp. There are many secrets hidden there, and among them, there are many traps to protect them. I myself have gone there many a time to hone my own skills. This is where Odin, who also trained under me, was given his final testing, and so shall you.

Akayo, your mission is to go into the temples are retrieve the mindbender's sheith, an ancient and powerful relic. there will be many traps and perils along your way, and it will be very difficult, but if you truly believe that you are ready, then that is how you shall prove it.

As for you, Shumaruka, you shall also enter after her. however, you will not go as ally, but as enemy. Your mission is to keep her from retrieving it, and also to keep her from getting it back here. Ultimately, you will attempt to bring it to me as well.

Now go, both of you, at dawns first light, to the temples

After recieving her mission, Ayako had gone to her room and prepped for the task ahead. Each of her swords was sharpedned and oiled, and her many poisons carefully concealed about her poisons.

When first light finally crested the rotted marshes of the swamplands, Ayako was already waiting for it as she smoked from her piped just above the cave's entrance. Shumaruka left first, and then she follow, taking a different trail as she raced fleet-footed across the stepping stones and rotted tree limbs that jutted from the waters.

Her figure became a dark blur, as she headed for the temples...

Reaching the dojo at last, Ayako felt like how she looked...awful. She was covered in blood and her kimono was stained with burns, black fluid, and thicker things. She held the Minderbender's sheath wrapped in a sleeve cut off from her kimono, and the many laced sandles she wore up her calves had had straps snapped in her fight within the temples. She had injured her arm, but it was the least of her concerns. She was covered in human bites. They'd probably gotten infected in all of the swamp water and insects.

Approaching the cave limping, Ayako bowed her head to show respect as always. But a sudden wave of dizziness nearly keeled her over. She was still woozy...what was it had had forgotten? As she entered, she forwent removing her shoes since it was simply too much effort at the moment. Instead, she headed to the outside of the dining area, and kneeled outside.

"M-Master...M-master Azrael...I have...returned with...the Mindbender Sheath. Sir." She lowered her head and offered out the wrapped sheath on both of her palms.

Ayako looked up startled as Master Azrael handed her the precious ruby. "M-Master...this is..." As the gem fell into the palm of her hand, an explosion of light seemed to shine in her mind, although nothing outward could be seen. It was like someone had poured a jar full of knowledge in her head...she suddenly knew what those runes in the doorway had said, knew what that device she had turned was for...she was suddenly fed the locations and whispered secrets of objects and relics all over the land, hidden in their temples and tombs. Maps and memories of people and places she had never been or met filled her mind to the brim, and slowly ebbed into a comfortable place deep in her psyche. The gem flickered once and then went still in her hand. So many people...so many things...how could one earth contain them all? Through the gem, she had seen that there was an entire world beyond her swamp home...

Blinking back tears, Ayako clasped the ruby in her hand and bowed her head. "Thank you Master. Thank you for this...Your teachings have been invaluable. I will do my best to uphold all you have taught me." She was a graduate now, able to journey and put her skills to use in the service of the Twin Dragon Dojo. Her heart swelled with pride.

Giving a bow to her master, Ayako hurriedly headed to her rooms to get cleaned up. This was a most exciting day indeed! But for now she needed rest in order to recover from her recent trials at the temples. Thankfully, the salve that Azrael had put on her wounds had stopped the dull aches and had begun the healing process.

Sliding her paper door shut, Ayako set her swords carefully on their stands next to her bed.

*azrael sensed a powerful aura creeping closer to him.

"Ah, Odin, it has been a long while..........."

"ah,yes. I just completed training one promising young girl not too long ago, actually............... she passed a test in the ancient temples, just as you did................."