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Kyuu was found by Zayn during his quest to retrieve the Crystal shard stolen during the ball. Soft-hearted Zayn fed the 'wild animal'... which of course then decided to follow him home. Kyuu is playful and energetic, but has a bad habit of setting the floors on fire when overly excited.

Currently, Kyuu is being 'trained' on acceptible behaviour inside the inn. This seems to involve cold water being dumped on the moomba if he starts to cause sparks.

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Led back to the Tavern by a demanding Stiltzkin, Zayn arrived in time to learn some chocobo races were starting. Deciding to watch, they wandered over to the start line.

"Hey, isn't that your bard friend, kupo?"

Zayn looked over. Sure enough, Odilen - dressed in yellow feathers - was mounted on a chocobo and ready to race. He was about to call out good luck, when the race began with a sharp blast from a whistle. Surprised, Zayn watched as the speedy birds took off.

"Go Odilen!" he cried after the departing birds.

In the middle of watching the race, Zayn had lost track of Stiltzkin. Spying all the bright costumes around them, the moogle snickered to himself as he ran off to 'borrow' some items.

Returning as another race began (and was there some drama brewing about the last race, excellent, it wasn't a sport without drama!), he snuck up behind his chosen sugar daddy companion.

"Ack!" A strangled cry left Zayn's mouth as he was attacked from behind by the moogle. "Wait- stop - what are you doing to my clothes?!"

The dust cleared. Revealed to the public eye now were two moogles - one of them much larger than a moogle should be, and not quite... right. But a close match to the smaller, authentic figure beside it.

"Much better costume, kupo!" Stiltzkin crowed.


"Kweh... kweh... kweh..." Zephyr panted as she crossed the finish line wearily. It seemed the frantic run earlier had taken all the energy out of the blue chocobo.

"It's okay," Odilen soothed, getting off and wringing water out of her skirt. "You tried hard, and now you can rest. I'll bring you some greens later, okay? Thanks."

"Kweh!" Zephyr settled down on the grass and fluffed all her feathers, contentedly.


Feeling bad that Odilen had been elimated, Zayn walked up to the other Ieldi. "I'm sorry you didn't last for longer," he smiled, scratching at the corner of the hood around his face. Stiltzkin needed to find less itchy clothing. "It was very impressive, though. Those chocobos go so fast..."


Odilen blinked, not recognizing the other at first, then burst out laughing. It made her throat twinge, and she winced and tried to suppress it, but a few giggles escaped. "What... what happened to you?" she managed.


Zayn made an annoyed face, feeling the strange sensation of white makeup stretch on his skin as he did so. Well, that made two beings who found this situation hilarious.

"I was attacked by someone who decided he needed a fan club," he said wryly to Odilen. "Stiltzken apparently wasn't too impressed with my previous costume."

The little moogle flapped his wings and beamed. "Much better now, kupo!"


"My costume is somewhat the worse for wear," Odilen said, dryly - or, rather, wetly. "Oh well. I can fix it up once I dry out... and get some tea for my throat," she added.


Zayn smiled shyly at Odilen. "Your costume still looks great to me. It's very creative."

At the mention of drink, the little moogle perked up. "I'll have a drink, too, kupo! Let's go." He began to toddle over the to Tavern, intent on getting inside and having a human-sized drink again.

Shaking his head, Zayn sighed, somewhere between fondness and annoyance. "I suppose he's right," he laughed, indicating with an arm that Odilen should preceed him. "We can get a drink and have a rest inside and wait to hear who wins.


"Creative, yes.... I'm just grateful I didn't go with my initial idea of using paper for the feathers, or I'd be a mess all over. The cloth should dry, though." However, the paper folded moogle-ears on her head were a pulpy mess now, and she pulled them squishily off with a sigh.

"I suppose. A chair that doesn't move seems like an excellent thing right now," she added, with a grin, and began to walk towards the tavern after stopping to retrieve her flipper-shoes.


Zayn inspected the soggy mess in Odilen's hands. Hmm, the cat ears shape wasn't such a difficult one... Origami wasn't a favourite artform of Zayn's, but he'd learned a little through his travels.

"If you want, I can, uh," he shyly tried to offer as he followed after the other Ieldi, "I could make you a new set, if that Tavern has some spare paper, that is.


"They should, I made this out of some of the stuff in the back room... if you want to have a go, I wouldn't mind. The way you're dressed, you should be an expert, right?" she teased as they entered the tavern.

Odilen made a beeline for the bar and bent to locate materials for tea.


"Well, to be honest Stiltzkin made this outfit," Zayn admitted. "And then forced me into it, too."

The moogle blinked at the harsh glare he was being given before shrugging and letting himself loose in the kitchen. A large human-sized mug was grasped between two paws and flown to a bench. Stiltz then flew slowly over to the fridge, trying to see what was inside...


Odilen managed to unearth some tea bags - ah, chamomile, that would do - a mug, a kettle and some honey. Perfect! "Get some cream out for me if there's any in there?" she asked the moogle as he went over to the fridge.

Then she eyed Zayn speculatively as she filled the kettle at the sink. "That tiny little guy got YOU in that outfit? That's almost as unbelievable as the idea of Waltz staring down Neruheru and winning."


"Okay, kupo!" Stiltzkin called back to Odilen and began searching for cream. Wedging himself INTO the fridge, he began poking at items, trying to uncover what was behind them... never noticing the fridge door slowing closing.

"He's more violent than he looks," Zayn protested. "I admit I was distracted. But after he tore my other clothes, I didn't have much of a choice than to put on these ones. I think they'd kick me out if I ran around in nothing but my feathers." He gave a short chuckle, blushing a bit at the thought.

Checking on said moogle, Zayn wandered over to the fridge and opened the door. Reaching in, he walked back to Odilen with a pot of cream in one hand, and a very cold moogle in the other arm.

"D-d-dangerous, k-kupo," Stiltz chattered, shivering.


"Serves you right," Odilen told the moogle, grinning impishly as she took the cream. "Alright, a few minutes and oh, this will feel so good on my throat..." She was speaking more quietly than usual now, in an effort to save her voice as best she could without being completely silent. Might as well go home if all she was going to do was sit around not saying anything!

As the Ieldi put the kettle on one of the small gas burners, she felt an odd sensation - as though she were being watched. She looked up, quickly, and scanned the room.


"Was h-helping, k-kupo," Stiltzkin protested, snuggling up to Zayn for warmth. The moogle getting warm meant Zayn getting cold though, and he winced as yet more cold fur was pressed against him.

Noticing some newspaper on the counter, Zayn walked over and began folding. A few minutes and several tossed-aside attempts later, he had a decent cat-headband for Odilen.

"Here you go," he held out the item, walking after Odilen. He followed her gaze. "Did you see someone you know?"


"That works... thank you, Zayn." She smiled gratefully and put the new ears on, adjusting it slightly so it didn't interfere with the bobble already there. "How does that look?"

"And... I don't know." Odilen frowned slightly and surveyed the tavern again. "I got a sense like someone was watching me..." Her gaze lingered on one cowled figure before the teakettle began to whistle and she had to turn her attention back to it.


"Looks great!" Zayn beamed.

"G-great, kupo!" echoed Stiltzkin, teeth still chattering slightly.

Zayn peered out at the occupants of the Tavern. "Really? I hope it is a friend, then..." And not a stalker or something weird and scary like that. He checked each person closely, trying to see if any of them had been looking this way.


"Oh, I don't feel any malice, not here." Odilen spotted a flick of Aversham's bright feathers, and there were so many others about. "It's probably nothing."

She poured hot water into her glass, followed by the teabag, and then added a bit of cream and liberal amounts of honey - excellent for a sore throat. "Let's go sit down." Holding the glass with care, the Ieldi retreated to an empty table, beckoning for Zayn and Stiltzkin to follow.


"If you say so," Zayn calmed himself, willing to let Odilen handle it however she wished. Grabbing a drink for himself and a hot chocolate for the half-frozen moogle, Zayn followed after Odilen. "Maybe they'll introduce themselves later, if they really do recognise you."

Spotting a bright bird nearby, Zayn stared for a moment. Was this an Elysian? He looked rather sad...


"I hope so." Odilen swirled the brewing tea around with a spoon, waiting impatiently for the leaves to steep. Looking around, she noticed the direction of Zayn's gaze. "Oh - you didn't get to meet him, did you? That's Aversham. Don't let the feathers fool you, he's actually quite the gentleman," she added, with a faint blush at the reminder fo the Elysian's praise.


Fflewddur had had enough of this stealth. Ignoring Eilonwy's protests -- a Fflam was ever never faithful -- he marched over to where the two had situated themselves and tugged on the female's skirt.

"Pardon me, Madam Bard, but would you be so kind as to grant me with the pleasure of your name? I too am a persuer of the bardic arts and we must stick together! If you would be so kind, the name of your man-friend would be appreciated as well." He bowed his little bow and waited.


Odilen looked down as something tugged on her still-damp skirts. Below her was... a familiar? Her brow wrinkled as she listened to his speech, but she smiled when he finished. "I'm Odilen," she offered. "And... er... my... man-friend..." She stifled a laugh. "His name is Zayn. And you are?


"Ah, yes! ODILEN and ZAYN," he pronounced the names slowly and loudly, head shooting back to Eilonwy so she would be able to hear them. "I am Fflewddur Fflam, Master Bard! It is not so often that I see one's such as yourselves. Might I bother you for another tidbit of information? A triffle, really. From where do the two of you hail?"

He did alright that time. If he had had his harp... only two strings would have broken.


Odilen frowned ever, ever so slightly at the loud pronunciation of her name, but... well. It was a familiar, what harm could it possibly do. "From nowhere, really," she said. "I travel about here and there in my wagon, seeking stories to tell and then telling them to any who will listen. I don't have any single place to call home since my mother vanished."

She carefully fished the teabag out of the cup and set it to the side, then took a long, grateful sip of tea. The liberal amount of warm honey felt wonderful on her sore throat.


Zayn gave Odilen a bemused smile and poked at the feathered wings coming off her arms. "I would be hardly likely to judge someone by their feathers, would I?" Though his wings were hidden by his costume, he was definitely still part avian himself.

The stranger yelling their names back across the room startled him, almost spilling hot chocolate over Stiltzkin. "Careful, kupo," Stiltzkin pleaded, staring at the sloshing cup with fearful eyes. In a moment all was forgotten though, as he stuck his head back into his own mug.

"I'm from all over the place," Zayn smiled at the newcomer. "I rarely use it, but I have a permanent residence at an Inn in a hidden place atop Durem Tower..."


Eilonwy choaked on her own saliva at Zayn's words... "Hidden....Tower... Home Tree..." She felt herself move forward, though her brain cautioned her to stop. Pushing her cowl back just enough so her giant eyes and hawkish nose were visible, she stooped to pick up Fflewddur, "I'm sorry. Was the little guy bothering you?"


"No, he wa-" Odilen began, then stared. She did not recognize the features of the cowled woman, but they were still indescribably familiar. "You - are you one of the Kin?" she asked, gently, wondering why anyone would feel the need to hide when she and Zayn were here, so obviously proclaiming their kind.

Well, costumes aside of course.


"Really?" Zayn perked up and swung his attention back to the people who'd approached their table. She was too short to be a kyunru and far too timid to be one of the Pantheon. "You're an Ieldi, too?"

Staring at this new female, Zayn tried to remember just how many of them had been reborn before Neru screwed things up. His mother had said only a few, but she hadn't had a definite number either, having been more concerned with a young Zayn and his phobia.


A sad sort of smile momentarily quirked Eilonwy's lips and she hugged Fflewddur close. "I... I think so. You are both so different from me, but so much the same. I, too, used to live in the Tower in Durem." The capital was evident, so there would be no mistaking which tower she meant.

"There is so much that is fuzzy for me. I remember... being stuck... and then a bang and a bright light... It all gets kind of fuzzy after that. One thing that puzzles me, well one of many... You both have runes on your flesh and masks about your eyes, but... where are mine, if I am indeed of a kind with you?"


Odilen raised one hand to trace around the darker 'mask' on her face. "Perhaps not all of us have them. The runes... were burned in from our birth, I think," she added, glancing at Zayn for comfirmation. "But you look just like one of us - an Ieldi." She tilted her head at Eilonwy in curiosity. "Do you not... not know what you are?"


Zayn rubbed a finger along his nose, absently tracing part of the 'mask' that was under his white make-up. "I think my mother said it had something to do with the relics that were used to give us new life. There was a lot of magic, apparently, which gave us runes when we were younger."

He checked an arm and gave a bright smile. "Though my runes, at least, faded when I approached adulthood." Tilting his head to one side, he studied Eilonwy curiously. "Don't you remember anything about being born again? Didn't your parent fill you in?"


Again, the sad smile. "I-- I was lost. In the markets, when I was quite young. I never had anyone to 'fill me in.' I think that I am like you, but I do not really know."

She paused, not wanting to disappoint her potential brethren, "Do you, by chance, know of one who could tell me more?"

As dawn began to stain the horizon, a tired figure could be seen walking up the Temple stairs. The man appeared exhausted, and yet somewhat jittery - much like someone on too much coffee, though Zayn had had nothing of the sort. It was instead excitement and nerves that fueled him.

Sometime during the night, the mysterious lamp had begun acting up. Although initially sleeping, Zayn had been woken by a clanging sound and opened his eyes to find his bag rustling. The lamp was vibrating madly.

Fear had gripped the Ieldi. The Overlord had said to take it to the Temple. Had he waited too long, only to have the lamp explode on him now? Odilen's suggestion that the lamp summoned an Elysian also came back to him.

In any case, Zayn had thought it best to hightail it back to the Temple.

Passing through the entrance and main hall, Zayn felt the lamp in his hands tug in one particular direction. Following the silent instruction, he made his way into a smaller chamber.

"Stupid alarm clock, kupo," the moogle following behind Zayn grumbled. "Funny shape, too. Who starts an adventure so early, kupo~?"

"Hush," Zayn said quietly. Something about this chamber demanded respect. It seemed holy in some fashion, moreso than the rest of the Temple.

The lamp no longer jumped madly, but instead seemed to communicate an anxiousness all its own, buzzing with concentrated energy. Wait... wait... now, something seemed to echo in the air.


"You were not warranted to enter until the chamber was prepared..." The Crystal guardian mused as she slowly materialised before him, there was a hint of amusement in her dark eyes and her ethereal form seemed to present itself in a manner that was not quite so imposing as it normally was - it seemed that she was not impressed that he had entered but then again she could hardly chastise him for being worried about his crystal, this one was most unusual...

"Nevertheless." She drifted towards the altar and motioned gently towards the pedestal, ignoring the jangling of her chains as she gazed pointily at the Ieldi, "Place your Crystal upon the mount." She advised, a grimace flickering over her features as the walls began to crackle with an overwhelming amount of concentrated energy and the weight of such darkness seemed to bear down upon even her ethereal form.

"And hold your lamp, tight."


Gulping as something decidly unholy began to appear in the room, Zayn stepped forward. The Crystal he'd been directed to by the lamp was carefully set down on the mount, Zayn checking to make sure it wouldn't rock and fall off if the dark energy grew stronger.

Stepping back, he tried to brace himself. When his fingers tightened over the lamp, it was as much in search of strength and determination as it was following the Crystal Guardian's orders.

'A beast,' he thought. That was what the Overlord had said. That was what everything in this room currently seemed to be pointing to. Was he really strong enough to handle a beast? He could barely control a one-foot moogle.

'No, there's no place for doubts,' ordered the Ieldi. He would be strong! He could face this! 'This is my weapon against Neruheru, the destroyer of my world twice over. This is something that needs me, that called to me, of all people. I will trust in myself, and in this new companion.' His gaze fell to the familiars that had followed him. 'And also in those who depend on me. This is my destiny. This is my choice!'


The guardian nodded and seemed to involuntarily cover her eyes as the crystal began to glow with a surprisingly bright light. Despite it's element it was generating enough light to rival that of the light crystals and yet the aura in which it presented was significantly different to that of a light element - for a time the crystal continued in this manner until a pillar of purple light struck down upon it and proceeded to send ripples or petite shockwaves about the small vicinity of the summoning chamber.

In Zayn's hands, the lamp began to shudder in response to the pulses and the ornate runes upon it proceeded to sync with the ripples until the lamp itself was glowing in expectance of the arrival but alas - nothing emerged from the pillar as though the artefact within Zayn's hands somehow obstructed it's arrival.

How else would one release a spirit from a lamp...? An unknown voice whispered into Zayn's mind as the guardian lowered her arm ever so slightly and gazed towards Zayn patiently.


Nothing seemed to be happening... Zayn glanced around nervously. Maybe he had broken the lamp in waiting so long? He hoped not. The light show was working, that had to mean something was going to plan.

A foreign voice ripplied through Zayn's mind and he blinked down at the lamp. Oh right, this was meant to help in some way, right?

Acting as though in a dream, Zayn turned the lamp to face the Crystal and raised his arms. Now that they were in a direct line, he rubbed at lamp's side, almost able to feel the runes moving under his fingers.

Open Sesame? a slight hysterical voice in Zayn's mind giggled. He quickly hushed it. This wasn't the time to lose it.


The crystal began to shudder violently as the lamp was rubbed, the light growing ever brighter as the sheer weight of the air in the room became virtually unbearable - Even the guardian appeared to be struggling and with wide eyes she watched as the crystal gave a violent crack and a large slit appeared in the purple crystal. At this, the pillar of light seemed to fail only briefly until at last the ball of black light began to raise up from within it...but there was something amiss.

The black ball began to ripple and warp as though something within it fought desperately to get out, the struggle appeared to be unusually difficult and even the guardian was becoming rather worried by the apparent failure of the summoning until at last the red claw tore through the top and from within the demonic being emerged.

Nevertheless, the creature was still distinctly ethereal and even in this state the Guardian could see that his wings had been brutally warped and were grossly small for what he was. She grimaced at this and yet, found herself more concerned with retrieving him from the Nexus before any other problems occured.

"You must pull him free!" She ordered in a stern voice, yet with a hint of strain within it.


Zayn blanched as things seemed to be going wrong with the summoning. "Is he okay?" Zayn found himself very concerned. The Elysian seemed to be out of proportion, with tiny wings that could barely support it. Was it his fault after all? He'd done something wrong that had warped his Elysian!

"Pull him free, right," Zayn repeated, nodding. Even faced with a demonic 'beast', guilt and concern forced any other worries aside. Zayn didn't find it difficult to step forward and take a firm hold of the wrist that protruded from the ball of shadows. Uncaring of the claws that cut into him - perhaps he deserved them for being unable to summon this creature properly - Zayn pulled fiercely at the arm.

He was met with equal resistance. Something was truly wrong with this summoning. Suddenly there was equal pressure on his other arm. Looking back, the Ieldi felt his mouth drop slightly as he took in Stiltzkin, Albel and Kyuu all doing their best to help. He gave a watery smile to the familiars. "Thanks guys," he whispered, before turning his full attention back to freeing the Elysian.


At last, the Elysian broke free of his gate and with a curt nod, the guardian surveyed the Elysian and its attributes - for better and for worse the creature was out. Nevertheless the 'labour' of the summoning had caused the petite demon to become extremely tired and the guardian could only glance briefly towards Zayn and his loyal familiars.

"He will need much rest." She confessed in a gentle manner before glancing round towards the crystal once more that still continued to glow with the same pillar of light. Unlike the others it had not immediately stopped and the gateway did not appear to want to close...

Her eyes widened at the dangers this presented, the possible chaos it would cause and with a ethereal gasp she motioned towards the great doorway of the summoning chamber to tear it open.

"Go, leave the lamp!" She ordered desperately, "But do not stray far!" She added, her intense gaze fixed upon Zayn for the briefest of instances before she turned her gaze towards the ruptured crystal once more.


The Elysian growled softly as Zayn cradled him in his arms, wings curving around for extra security and protection. As the Crystal Guardian said, however, the demon was too tired to do anything about the indignity of being carried like a newborn - which he actually was, Zayn thought with a small smile.

Turning his attention back to the Crystal, he noted that things had gone from fairly bad to Omigod It's Possibly The End Of The World Or At Least This Forest Area.

"I really did break it," he whispered with wide, horrified eyes.

Snapping out of when a fierce moogle kicked him in the shins, Zayn followed his familiars back out into the main Temple area. Whatever the problem was, he hoped the Guardian could fix it without injuring herself.


The doors closed abruptly behind them and with that the guardian was left to a battle of wills against the chaotic energies seeping out of the rupture crystal. In her hand she held fast the lamp and with the deepest of ethereal breaths she immersed herself in the energy that could only obliterate a mortal being...she was amazed that Diablos had managed to survive the journey himself - it only revealed how truly powerful he was at heart.

The light within the chamber became almost blinding and eventually it seemed to cover the entire area, the crystal and the guardian no longer visible while the walls shuddered against the unseen battle and suffocating force of the air within.

I have endured worse... The thoughts of the Crystal Guardian echoed across the chamber, You will close.

And thus, the chamber was suddenly thrown into a void of absolute darkness, the power of the ruptured crystal no longer felt...


Zayn walked briskly from the Summoning Chamber, wanting to run but not willing to jostle his frail new companion. Reaching the main area - had it really been the eve of the ball the last time he'd been here? - he slowed to a halt. A regretful glance was directed back behind him. Would the Crystal Guardian really be okay?

Another soft growl from the being in his arms.

"I know, you're a tough beast," he said with a half-smile on his face. "I was warned. I'm sorry I couldn't summon you properly... You'll be back to your strong self in no time, I'm sure."

Mollified that he wasn't being thought of as weak, the demon settled down somewhat. Glowing eyes snapped open to stare at the flan hovering very close by. A baring of fangs was returned with an intimidating scowl from Albel, and a hopping that always preceeded a bodyslam from the flan. Strangely, this seemed to content both Elysian and familiar, and they calmed down instantly.

Slightly confused, Zayn tried to occupy his mind while waiting the the Guardian to reappear (or the Temple to explode, whichever came first). "I should probably name you," he mused. "I don't suppose you already have a name?"

The demon opened one eye to give him a baleful look.

Of course, the Ieldi realised, the Elysian was too tired to speak. And were names a solely human thing? Would Elysians even have them?

"It would have to be something intimidating," Zayn guessed. His mood rose when both the demon and Albel seemed to approve of this. "Something violent sounding..." More agreement. "Hmmm, how about Xanatos? With an 'x'?"

Albel bounced. Xanatos simply closed the eye he'd had open. Zayn guessed that meant approval, since he wasn't fighting it or growling...


The minutes drew passed as utter silence fell over the temple and then at last the familiar clank of chains could be heard, the weary wraith descending the stairwell with lamp and crystal in hand. The lamp continued to glow with what seemed to be renewed life while the crystal (although still glowing) seemed to have lost it's lustre and appeared to have turned a sickly black where the rupture had occured.

"The gate is closed." The guardian murmured in an exhausted voice, extending both lamp and crystal towards the Ieldi before her, "But the crystal, the gate, will not destroy itself completely." She took another ethereal breath and observed the Ieldi with an almost sympathetic eye, "It must be destroyed in a chamber that is its antagonist by nature...this temple is neutral." She shook her head from side to side and then leant forward a little more.

"The crystal will not spawn again but you must completely destroy the gate, lest it come into the hands of a foe - journey to a realm of 'holy' magic and destroy this crystal but I ask that you return the shards to this temple so that it may be properly laid to rest." She paused to allow this information to sink in before wrinkling her nose.

"Would you like me to return you to the tavern?"


"Holy magic?" Zayn repeated. "Where do I find such a place? I doubt a simple human church would suffice... I have felt little to no power in those during my travels..."

Placing the lamp and crystal back in his bag, he swallowed a lump in his throat. It appeared his quest to free the creature tied to the lamp was not over yet. Now he had to clean up after the mess he'd created.

"Holy," he murmured to himself. "Maybe I should ask the others... Odilen, with her tales and travels, or that bright Elysian bird, maybe he'd know about Elysians and places of holy magic..."

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Zayn realised that the Crystal Guardian was waiting on a response. "Oh, if you're not too tired," he gave a weak smile. "I wouldn't want to trouble you after all you've dealt with because of me."


"You will find what you seek in the most unusual of places, keep your eyes and ears open!" She whispered as she faded from view and the shadowy tendrils seeped upwards from the ground to embrace and pull the Ieldi and his innumerable companions through the shadows and back towards the Turtle's Paradise tavern where the guardian dearly hoped the appropriate entity was there to send the gentle Ieldi in the right direction...


Zayn stumbled as he was deposited back in the Tavern, trying desperately to keep his footing so as not to crush Xanatos if they fell. The familiars fared better - Stiltzkin using his tiny wings, Albel bouncing like the flan he was, and Kyuu landing with feline grace.

Controlling the urge to lose his dinner, Zayn decided against that form of travel ever again. Composure regained, he turned his attention to the small figure in his arms. "I guess we sleep, then?" he asked the others. "The Guardian said Xanatos needed lots of rest, and I'm sure the rest of us need some, too, after that early wake-up call."

"Laguna!"

*bounce*

"...zzzzzz... kupooo~"

With a soft laugh for his new 'family', Zayn slowly took the stairs back up to his room. They could worry about the crystal and quests later - for now, the health of his family was more important.

Hearing a commotion downstrairs, Zayn finally decided to leave his room. With Xanatos held carefully in the crook of his left arm (with the Elysians's claws digging into his shoulder for balance), he walked slowly down into the main room of the Tavern.

They'd all been too tired the day before to make an appearance. Xan had slept for almost 48 hours straight. Even Zayn and the familiars had slept in later than normal yesterday, exhausted from their early start and the effort of freeing Xanatos.

Feeling Xanatos glaring at the other patrons of the Inn, Zayn decided to quickly take a seat and then see if he could gesture over anyone he knew. It might not be a wise idea to wander around in case Xan decided to take a swipe at a stranger he didn't like the look of - or should that be, 'a stranger he liked the look and taste of'?


Artemecion had trundled over to the trash and held an impromptu funeral for the shattered kupo nut. After wistfully depositing the remains in the can, he wove his way back through the crowd to Odilen. "Kupo?"

"Not now, somebody showed up-" Odilen waved in Zayn's direcion, then began to make her way carefully over to the other Ieldi. "Excuse me... ouch! Pardon... hey, Zayn!"


Looking up as someone called his name, Zayn spotted Odilen forcing her way through the crowd. Being careful not to jostle his Elysian, he raised his right arm to wave back. "Odilen!"

Xanatos, realising that some other giant of a creature was coming closer than any others, growled his displeasure. He was used to being larger than people, to easily killing anyone who looked at him the wrong way. And now he was only twice the size of something as insignificant as a moogle!

Stiltzkin sneezed. "Someone's thinking bad things about me, kupo," he muttered.

A hand reached up and stroked Xan's head - an indignity the demon would only allow from his bonded, and only then because he'd learned that biting Zayn meant no food.

"Calm down," Zayn said softly. "You're meant to be resting. You can be as mean as you like when you're all better."

Xan considered this before giving a hiss of agreement. He'd hold his summoner to that!


Odilen came up alongside Zayn - and boggled at the creature in the other Ieldi's arms. "What... what is that?"

"Kupo, maybe it's the genie," Artemecion put in, having caught up to her again.

"And this thing keeps following me," Odilen added, pointing back at the purple moogle.


Gambling! Stiltzkin darted forward to help. And it was magic trick, too. How could the moogle resist?

Flying up, he landed on one of the shotglasses. He leaned forward from his perch to stare at Exodus. "Mine, kupo! Right? Help a brother out, kupo!"


Artemecion followed Stitlzkin. "More fun, kupo! I'll play this too with you, kupo!" He jumped, flapped a bit ungainly, and landed on the glass next to the other moogle.

Artemecion clinked the glass against Stiltzkin's, then flapped over to Exodus. "Kupo, I want to play! Magic tricks are good fun, kupo!"


"Ah," Zayn glanced down at Xanatos, uncertain of how to explain him without telling the extremely long tale of two nights ago. "This is Xanatos. He's an Elysian, and yes, he's what you thought might be a genie since he was tied to the lamp as well as to his own Crystal."

Xanatos peered at this new lady, eyes intensifiying in their glow for a moment as he tried to glare her into submission. He was good at intimidation...

"Unfortunately," Zayn continued, unaware of Xan's attempts to scare Odilen as he was focusing on the other Ieldi, "something went very wrong with the summoning. Xan almost didn't make it out of the Nexus, and the CrystalGuardian had problems closing the gate... Xan's wings ended up much smaller than they should be, and there's still something wrong with his Crystal, so I have to find some Holy Ground place and smash it there, or something..."

He gave Odilen a weak smile. "It's very confusing."

Glancing after the purple moogle, he noted it following Stiltzkin. "Looks like it knows Stiltz." He frowned. "I hope that idiot isn't telling other moogles to come here and leech off people for free things..."


Exodus simply stared wide eyed at all the people around him and for the briefest of instances sank into Aversham's warm embrace, however after a few moments he gave a giggle and crept forward again to take Stiltzkin's glass first, he then added it to his little collection and with surprising speed he shuffled them about until at last he was satisfied that the glass was hidden.

"Guess!" He squeaked in a childish voice.


Odilen looked thoughtfully at the demonic Elysian. "What a very odd creature... so very different from Aversham or the others I've seen. There must be an incredible variety of creatures in the Nexus!"

She listened quietly to Zayn's retelling of events, frowning slightly as he told her of the problems with the summoning. "So the crystal needs to be destroyed somewhere holy, huh? The Crystal Temple itself doesn't count, then?"


"Yosh, kupo~!" Stiltzkin flapped forward and peered carefully at the glasses. He'd tried very hard to follow the quick movements Exodus had made. The moogle thought he'd kept trakc of his glass... maybe...

"Hmmm," he paused for effect, before thrusting a pudgy arm forward to point at a glass. "This one!


Quinn -- the dirty eve's dropper that she was -- overheard the Ieldi speaking and skipped over, tail swishing. "I got an idea. You should take it to that Libern place. Onion said there was some holy Order of Tiramisu or something there... I bet Junkan would help you... I could make him, I think..


For a brief instance Exodus appeared mildly disappointed that he had chosen wrong and then with a squeal he leapt from foot to foot, clapped his paws and pointed towards the big bobble on Stiltzskin's head.

"WRONG!" He squealed delightly as the shot glass Stiltz had selected floated into the air, steadily towards the poor moogle and promptly turned into a water balloon that unceremoniously splashed atop his head.

Next, he took Artemicion's little shot glass and proceeded to muddle them again...


"Kupo, you lost," Artemecion giggled at the other moogle, then stared at the cups. He looked thoughtful, and hemmed and hawed a bit, fluffing at his cheek fur with one paw as he did so. "Kupoooo...."

"THIS one, kupo!" he said decisively, pointing at a shot glass on the end of the row.


"Ack!" Stiltzkin screeched as his was hit with cold water. Shaking himself off, he pouted and trudged back to Zayn, who was trying not to laugh at him.

"No," Zayn shook his head at Odilen's question. "Apparently the Crystal Temple is neutral ground, not Holy ground. CrystalGuardian has already done all she can there. I needed to return the crystal shards to her after I'm done though..."

He perked up as someone informed them of a possible temple that would count as holy ground.

"Really?" he swung towards the new person, excitement obvious on his face. "Libern, you say? Tiramisu?" The last sounded wrong for some reason, but he could always check with the source. "Ah, could you, please? It's really important that I get there. Xanatos is still so sick and with gates to the Nexus misbehaving so badly... I don't like to think about what could happen to any more Elysians who try to come through soon."


Stiltz flew back to take a good-natured swipe at Artemecion. "Be nice to someone who has kuponuts, kupo!"

He waited to see how his friend would perform with the magic trick. If Arte didn't get anything either, then maybe it was rigged... Stiltz and Arte were generally fairly lucky creatures.


The little Nalgae was in a state of shock for the moogle at gotten in right and for a few moments he almost seemed at a loss, as if the tiny little creature, the child didn't seem to be able to cast any magic at all - thankfully it seemed like a somebody was keeping an eye on him from obscure realms and soon the cup began to shudder before shattering into thousands of pieces - leaving in it's place somethign quite different...

The little nalgae gave a delighted squeal at this and promptly picked up the next shot glass from Quinny, muddling it about until he was content with that it was suitably hidden.


"Neutral ground... I guess that makes sense, it probably would have made your Elysian ill if it had been holy ground." She peered a bit closer at the demonic creature. So, this was why Zayn had been called... there was a small twist of envy in her stomach. It was right out of a storybook. Sure, she could record it, but...

Very rarely were the bards the heroines of tales.

"Tiramisu? Isn't that some kind of cake?" she asked, tilting her head to one side and smiling slightly.


"Kupo!" Artemecion jumped at the shiny ticket, catching it between his paws, and staring at how it caught the light. "I got a shiny, kupo kupo! That was good magic!" He clapped his paws together, then flitted back to land on the table where Odilen and Zayn were.


"Yeah, Tiramisu. I think that's what he said... And there's candy balls there too! I'll come and help. You can never have enough candy balls! Just don't tell Junkan where we're going..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "He doesnt like to fly." She confided, speaking to them from behind her head. "Just tell him that he'll get to squash lots of imaginary elves and stupid smelly dwarves and he'll come a runnin!"


Stiltzkin stared at Exodus. "Some interesting magic, kupo," he said before following after Artemecion.

Concerned, Zayn stared at Odilen. "I hope Holy ground won't hurt Xanatos. I can't leave him behind, after all, so he'll be coming with us..."

Despite the fact that Odilen hadn't said anything one way or another, the male Ieldi simply felt that Odilen would also be going on this journey. If she objected, perhaps he could convince her with the thought of all the stories a hidden Holy Temple might have...

"We have to fly to get there?" he asked Quinn.


"KUPO!" Artemecion leapt off the table and scurried towards Masa at all possible speed. "Kupo nuts~ Kupo nuts~!"

Odilen watched him go, rolled her eyes, and sighed before turning back to Zayn and Quinn. "With us?" She raised one eyebrow at him, and her smile grew just a little bit. "And what do you mean by that, sir Zayn?"


"Well, of course! How else did you expect to get to a floating mountain range? Just don't take any clothes from anyone, especially Little Red Ridinghood, otherwise, you'll get old and tiny." She spoke with such conviction, such personal belief, that she was almost impossible to question.

"But like I said, don't tell Junkan. He gets a little... urpy." She held a pair of fingers to her mouth and puffed out her cheeks in explanation.


Stiltz scurred after Artemecion, determined not to let his friend get all the kuponuts. Launching himself onto Masa, he began scurrying around searching for nuts that might have fallen into folds of clothing, in her hair, and so on.

Already prepared for the possibility, Zayn smiled brightly at Odilen. "Why, miss Odilen!" he countered. "I cannot believe that any self-respecting bard would pass up the opportunity to visit a hidden Holy Temple and record the tales they must have kept there. Especially not one that is located on a flying mountain rang- a flying mountain range?!"

Zayn blushed as his voice turned into something of a screech as he demanded confirmation from Quinn. Flying... mountains high in the sky... Zayn felt himself turn pale. He really didn't like heights.

... But at least it wasn't a giant flying tree.


Quinn patted Zayn on the shoulder, vaguely recalling his dislike of all things in the heights. "Its ok. I'm sure once you're there, its just like a normal mountain range." As if that made it so much better.

"I'll sing to you, if you'd like. It seems to calm Junkan. Or Llyan could zap you til you passed out and then we could just wake you up when we got there."

Llyan's ears perked at the mention of her name and zapping in the same sentence, little waves of electricity course down her whiskers.


Zayn smiled weakly at Quinn. "Hopefully you're right and I'll be fine once we're there..."

Mentioning zapping Zayn was apparently a bad move. At the (helpful) threat to his summoner, Xanatos jumped up to land on Zayn's shoulder. Crouching down, he opened his large jaw and let loose with a loud roar at Quinn and Llyan.

No one was going to touch his summoner!


Odilen blinked at Zayn. "Floating... mountains... why, then, there's no need to be afraid, we can find some means there and then glide about. You can glide, can't you?" She turned about, trying to catch a glimpse of the Ieldi's wings.

"But - of course, I'd love to follow on the edges of your adventure, if you'll have me," she said, with a smile and a half-bow. "You'll find no better chronicler, I daresay," she added, impishly.

"Kupo! We're coming too!" Artemecion called from under the table, where he'd rolled his hoard of nuts.


Mirror, shyly stepping up to the group huddled around Zayn, asked gently, "If you don't mind, what's going on? And...If it's also alright, would it be alright for me to join you?" The Al Sylian gave a gentle smile of embarrasment.


"Uh, yes, gliding is okay," Zayn flushed, embarrased to have his phobia paraded around in front of Odilen. "It's more the heights I have to start from that are the problem..."

Stiltzkin beamed as his moogle friend signed up for the adventure. "No need to worry, kupo, us moogles will save you!" Though he gave a soft chuckle at the thought that Artemecion would no doubt end up dirtying his precious fur.

"We would be glad to have you both along," Zayn said, excited at the idea of an adventure with friends.

Xan gave a grunt at his summoner's enthusiasm. More huge giants that he couldn't eat... yet.


"Ah, of course," Zayn beamed up at his friend. "Sit down, Mirror."

Xan snarled again, not happy with all these people showing up.

Hmm, where to start filling Mirror in...? Well, the snarly demon was a good place. "This is Xanatos. We're discussing a holy temple we need to visit to purify and destroy his Crystal, as there were very bad problems with his summoning from the Nexus. Quinn thinks she knows a place, so we'll just have to find a way to get there."


Mirror listened intently and nodded every so often, glancing carefully to Xanatos to make sure he wouldn't snatch hold of one of his wings which was closer than comfort. He knew he wanted to help Zayn with this, after pouring his life tale to Zayn only the night before. Smiling, the Al Sylian gave a flutter to his wings and replied with a grin, "Well, then, Zayn. Consider me your companion once again. I am here to serve and protect and I'll help you all. I overheard you guys speaking of flying there and I supposed maybe I could lend a wing or two." Mirror nodded at Zayn, remembering his fear of heights from the last time the Al Sylian picked him up, "Because I am an Al Sylian, I can carry...Or, for better thought, make two other people than besides myself float nearby me. Just a thought, of course."


"We'd be glad to have your help, Mirror," Zayn nodded at his friend. It would be good to be surrounded by friends when taking on this quest, especially as he'd be looking after Xanatos, too. Hopefully the Elysian would be healthy and well-rested by then, but it would still take a lot of effort to keep the demonic creature in line.

[**C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S**]

Your Elysian has been chosen to advance to the "Prime" Stage, this will give them unlimited access to all quests including those allowing you to enter the Nexus and to attain your elite spell.

Your quest destination to receive both your Primed Levels and your Elite Spell will be the: "Libern Range"

There is no time limit on this.

Please make your way to the statistics thread to allocate your spells, statistics and feats.

Statistics Thread