Where the Temple Leads

[Cyrus the virus]

The day was finally drawing to a close, the orange-hot sun above Raiaera beginning to retreat over a horizon that Luc could not see. Trees that reached for the sky blocked all but the smallest glimpses of sky, their blood-red leaves an ignored indication of the dangerous beasts that roamed the forest.

Luc, hands free of the gloves for the first time in hours, lifted a bottle of icy water from the ground, a summoned item from somewhere else in the world. In front of him was a fire of his own creation, furiously nipping at the air from its hole in the ground. His eyes loomed over the reaching flames, watching the distant lake as Kially began his return.

The boy was a reminder to the mage, a mirror image of a young Luc before his innocence was stolen. Kially, of course, was not human, but one could never guess it from his look. Maybe their similarity was the reason Luc wanted to keep Kially around, or maybe it was just for company. He himself hadn't figured it out yet. After all, it had only been a day.

"I don't know about you, but I'm famished," he exclaimed as Kially returned, sitting up straight. About him lay, atop silver platters, roasts, cakes, vegetables and fruit, along with drinks aplenty and many Luc himself had never heard of. Not all of them came from this world, after all.

"Your Naturian temple intrigued me, my boy. Your goddess speaks clearly and with strength. It is something to be admired, I believe. She leads the Naturians with her vast power and knowledge of the land, yes? I believe I've read something about her, about Naturians before, in a tome I'd struggle to find amidst the hills of papers I've collected. But you weren't referred to by name, as Naturians."

Ripping off a leg from a nearby roasted animal, Luc took a succulent bite of the juicy meat, chewing it slowly. His eyes watched the crimson, dancing leaves above, as he rushed through his brain for knowledge. "It was written from the perspective of a scholar, but I recall that he sounded confused, as if he was watching from a distance. Most interesting."

[Kially Gaith]

The Naturians of times past were formidable geomancers that would be enough to take on a large military unit when maturity and adulthood had refined and built up their skills. Those lucky enough to have met a Naturian that was still young and naïve found them pure, without hatred and with amazing latent power waiting to spew forth.

Kially was no exception, his whole existence consisted of a pure element given a soul and physical form. His presence was a divine, though nothing about the child other than his ice blue eyes portrayed such.

Sitting before the fire, Kially shivered, trying to gather warmth, the flames flickering in a soft gentle reflection within his eyes. A yawn showed that even the overly energetic child had his limit, and the excitement and events of the given day were enough to drain any self respective living element.

“Luc…” He said quietly, thinking what to say next. He attempted coherent common, but was at a loss of how to describe a full belief and race in such a small vocabulary. Instead, his physical condition was stated in but a few words, having soaked himself with the lakes water. “I’m cold.”

A red forest, seemed strange, not something of his Goddess’ doing, he was sure of that. This was something he would remember and report to her, it was in need of urgent correction. Even still, he able to identify each tree with surprising accuracy, despite their colour being that of something not usually defined by nature itself, a permanent autumn.

Taking up an apple for himself, he bit into it with utmost glee, avoiding food he was not sure of, his age portraying across once again. He knew what he liked and what was safe to eat. No need to be adventurous if the single flavour alone satisfied the bodies need for nutrients and vitamins over and over again.

Holding the apple however, was rather difficult given how tired and cold he was. His fingers betrayed him as he violently shivered, making gripping the fruit all that much more difficult.

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc, hand grasping the roast leg, let a stream of grease run down his arm. "Warm yourself with the fire," he encouraged, using his free hand to indicate the flames which separated them. "Manipulating the elements is something you're capable of. Those strings in your mind that I told you about, use them to prod the core of the fire and make it stronger, or move it closer to you."

Reaching into a bowl of steaming vegetables, Luc retrieved a bean and ate it quickly, followed by another bite of meat. Taking a moment to speak the words which allowed him to speak and understand languages, he began to speak to Kially in the Naturian tongue once more. "There are ways to use magic and the elements to make things easier, to provide yourself with comfort and ease. You are not a normal boy, there is no need to act like one. Kneeling to water? No need, when you can have the water rise to you.

"That is only the simplest of ways magic can influence your life. Truly, you can learn to do anything."

The sun had gone down now, but the western sky still glowed orange. Above them, stars were visible between fluffy white clouds.

He could feel the dirt on himself from the Naturian temple, as if the place hadn't been visited in a long time. Feeling tired, though, Luc would wait for the morning before he washed. For the time being, though, another need had to be fulfilled.

"Work with the fire. I'll be back in a moment." he said, rising and taking the roast leg with him into the woods.

[Kially Gaith]

Sitting quietly, Kially obeyed. Pointing out a single finger, the boy spun his finger in varied circles like a musical conductor, manipulating a minimal amount of air within the fire , making the flames dance to the movement of his finger. Eventually, sparks would kick off, reacting to the added air, making the fire blaze stronger, kicking out a stronger heat that provided the boy with some comfort.

When he finally began to warm back up a little, the apple was revisited, another chunk removed with pale teeth, now without a shaky hand. Sitting on dry leaves, he’d listen to the crackling kindling, snapping and breaking under the intense and immense heat.

Looking into the forest above him, he lay back, leaves crunching under his light weight frame, eyes admiring what light of the stars fought their way through the leafy cover. The night sky always gave Kially a sense of being small, he always felt every star was more than just a light in the darkness and that if he tried hard enough, he could perhaps touch one. A small hand would reach up, to take a star for his own, quietly trying to grasp what he could not take.

His spare hand continued in slow motions, bringing it back and forth to his mouth when he so thought necessary, chewing on the crunchy apple as a little of the juice kept pooling up at the right hand side of his lips, which was periodically lapped up by a small tongue.

Turning his head on side, he looked into the darkness for Luc, not all to sure where the older fellow had gone.

“…Luc?”

[Cyrus the virus]

A hushed zip followed Luc's relieved sigh, before he rounded the tree and began his walk back to the campsite. Kially still hadn't touched very much of the food, save for his apple, but he looked warmer.

"Eat some meat, it'll do you well. A growing boy needs more than just apples, you know."

He went back to the ground then, crossing his legs and taking the white tome into his hands. Heavy and dense with stacked papers, the book promised a secret Luc wasn't quite sure of, yet wanted. It was the power associated with it, wafting up like a scent that sunk into his skin. He scratched at the dirt caked against presented, foreign letters.

Allowing the boy some silence, Luc moved a few feet over to lean against a tree, opening the cover of the book. The first page offered bolded letters in a language he barely recalled, yet knew he'd seen somewhere before. The ones he did recognize formed words that made sense to him. Ritual. Create. It was vague, but most ancient texts were. They all yielded their secrets to him, in time.

[Kially Gaith]

Scooting up close to Luc, he finished off the apple, core and all. Without a ‘come as you may’, he pressed himself up to the side of Luc to share in his warmth, looking to the book he’d chosen. He didn’t recognise the words at all, other than the fluency which was very similar to that of his own native script, it was obvious that it was a script of a powerful race. Perhaps the Naturians from further back before they were more documented, but truth be told, it could be any race.

Taking up a large rump of beef, he looked it over curiously, taking in the crimson colour, it had obviously at one time, been a living animal, but alas, it was now dead. Nothing he could do. Teeth quickly tore at the flesh of it, savouring the flavour,

Right now, he wished he could cover himself up with something. Unlike most children however, Kially was content, even with the varying sounds through out the forest. Most would be paranoid, Kially was at ease, resting and bathing in the warm glow of the flames.

The evening had already encroached upon the pair and overtook the day like oil in a puddle.
It was now obviously getting progressively darker and with such, came the nocturnal creatures of the night.

[Cyrus the virus]

Time passed. Luc hardly moved.

Kially's presence wasn't quite welcomed, but it surely wasn't shunned, either. As far as the mage knew, his young friend had been alone for some time, with only nature to provide him with company. As the night chill began to set in, he was glad to have another person near.

For Luc, it was only a matter of thought to have the flame grow and become hotter, shedding orange light over the two humanoids and the tome's words. The branches were long consumed, but the fire burned on thanks to the magical prodding of the mage. Steadily, he grew to understood parts of the first few pages of the book. In hardly any time at all, he was done an entire chapter. It had been a historical account of death, death's significance and impact, possibly written by a philosopher. As of yet, there was very little mention of magic at all.

In time the forest was dark, save for the heartbeat of orange shed against the trees and leaves. Quiet save for the nip of the fire, the Red Forest was unnaturally safe. For a time.

A low rumbling drew Luc's attention away from his tome. Kially, asleep and wrapped up in the cape Luc had removed, didn't move from the mage's thigh. The rumble continued, low and with depth, as if from the gut of a grand creature.

With haste and sudden fury, Luc jumped up, nearly throwing Kially aside. "Move!" he commanded, dragging Kially by an arm, breaking away from the fire and their small clearing.

Not a moment later the ground beneath the fire erupted upward, the maw and talons of a grand beast rising from underground. Black as the night itself, a beast as large as a wagon rose up. Roaring, the slick creature had the shape of a bear, but with shorter fur. Its teeth extended beyond a protruding mouth, hanging over the lower half of its jaw.

Without his cape and gloves, a bare-armed Luc took hold of Kially and pushed him back a few steps, eyes locked on the surfaced creature. "A Gorian'fel!" he hissed. "Either we are in Corone, or this beast has wandered far from home. Stay behind me!"

Sneering angrily, the Gorian'fel screeched aloud and barreled at them, through the shrubbery.

[Kially Gaith]

The night seemed peaceful, in his dreams, he quietly wandered a forest as the creatures around stood silently and watched without fear. A dream of a land that he was sure would one day come. Also, in his dream, a deer had began to approach him, when the deer was in 3 steps of touch, the bright light of the sun in the forest quickly merged into darkness, his body suddenly out of control as he was tugged from both his dreams and position.

Stumbling, the boy paled, confused for the majority of the moment until he snapped out of sleep. “Uhh…Huh?” So much for keeping out of combat. Remaining behind Luc, Kially would scour the ground for something he could use as a weapon amongst his blurry eyed confusion, however all good branches and sticks had already been claimed by the small campfire that had been destroyed moments before, so, instead, he scooped up a small rock of opportunity.

Gasping as the onset of the beast finally hit him, he looked on in both admiration and fear amongst the confusion of his sudden waking minutes, he’d grasp the small rock tight, waiting for an opportune moment to defend both himself and Luc.

Luc’s cloak would drop to the ground, to be collected after the fray, catching on the leaves of a bush.
Kially was familiar with the creature before him, even though their rarity was scarce, it didn’t stop him seeing one or two in the Coronian forests where he oft’ spent his time, unfortunately for Luc though, Kially’s sightings had been so rare that he knew not how these creatures were defeated, what they ate or even what their movement pattern pertained to.

Standing behind Luc as demanded, his clenched right fist pale as he tightly gripped the stone within his hand, his left hand free and tentative, perhaps somewhat nervously shaking, whether that was the adrenalin rush of the moment or partial fear, would not be made immediately clear.

It was obvious this overgrown teddy bear had teeth, teeth that it probably wouldn’t have a problem tearing Kially limb from limb with.

[Cyrus the virus]

Crashing through a bush of crimson leaves and stiff branches, the Gorian'fel roared so loudly it silenced its own crushing footsteps. Luc burrowed deep into himself, planted his feet firmly, and threw both hands forward.

From around him and in front, a gust of immense strength rushed forward. A thousand pebbles, branches and rocks tore forward from their resting places, the branches bended, and the furious wind struck the legendary beast head-on. It halted as its head was forcibly bent to the side, releasing a roar that was swallowed by the wind.

About Kially and his magical ally, the forest was torn apart. The ground itself was uprooted and thrown into the Gorian'fel's face, but it would not stand down. His hair nearly ripped from his scalp, a determined Luc grunted and spawned blades in the storm, tearing at the beast's tough hide.

It came onward, though, more determined in light of its wounds. Digging its long claws into the ground, it came forward, pressing through the immense force of Luc's wind. Eyes seeming to glow with desperation, the Gorian'fel pressed on.

Sneering, Luc abandoned the gust, whirled to grab Kially, allowing a new gust of wind to grab and carry them swiftly into a thick brush as the beast tore past.

"This will protect you from anything for a time," he spoke quickly, putting a hand on Kially's head and casting Stoneskin, a green aura forming around the boy. "Three times, against anything. Try not to let it see you."

Turning again, Luc rushed back into the path, drawing and igniting the Slykrit Blade. Again the Gorian'fel snarled at him, bloody cuts all over the bulk of its muscular neck and shoulders, which extended above its head. Again it charged, but this time Luc took a step back and raised a diagonal spire of earth directly into its path with his free hand. Incredibly, the Gorian'fel nimbly pivoted and swerved around it, rather than impaling itself. Its speed was incredible.

[Kially Gaith]

Kially couldn’t help but get caught up in the action, the beasts skin taking more and more substantial damage and still it roared on. The boy was unsure of just what he could do, it would be pointless to get close as he’d have no offensive position squaring against something of thick hide and a domineering will.

Readying himself to throw his own rock into the fray, he suddenly found his whole form lifted from the floor and carried over to a large amount of red shrubbery. Kially remained as placed, confused and bewildered now, unable to quite comprehend what was going on around him. Watching only got the child more and more pumped, no fear for personal harm or death. But Luc on the other hand, was damaging the forest and this displeased him to no end.

In the given chaos and mayhem of battle, no one would hear Kially whisper into his own hand “Sneak.” – This made him completely invisible, which would allow him to pick his fight even more carefully. Climbing out from the brush he’d been placed into, the child moved in a slow arch, positioning himself behind the beast that was rushing Luc. It was obvious that Kially alone could not handle this, even Luc was having a hard time. Then, it clicked.

The stone in his hand took flight, it would more than likely do no damage to the beast, but as the stone fell, making impact with the beings back, the weak pain it caused it was a distraction that would take the Gorian’fels attention briefly from Luc, a head turned to try and find the second opponent that had launched the project.

This brief moment would hopefully give Luc the advantage he needed.

Kially, despite invisible, backed himself up against a tree, kneeling down, placing his left hand to the ground amongst what leaves had pooled against it in Lucs larger gust, this hand slowly charged a meter area circle of leaves about said hand whilst the right hand was stretched up to his left shoulder, preparing an emergency offensive in the unlikelihood the beast would find and charge his position.

[Cyrus the virus]

Bringing the Slykrit Blade in front of him in preparation, Luc watched as the Gorian'fel suddenly slowed and turned, curious. Without wasting a moment, the mage thrust his blade forward and urged the fire to burn, rushing forward in a narrow stream to strike at the face of the beast.

It fell back, pulling its head from side to side to avoid the hungry fire. Eventually it rushed straight into the flames, attacking that which harmed it, and Luc needed to abandon his attack. The ground below him cracked apart and gave him a circular platform to stand on, which rose up into the sky as the Gorian'fel charged under.

Turning upon his floating pedestal, Luc spun the Slykrit Blade above his head, creating a ring of fire which he sent into a spin. Sending it down at the creature below, he crafted a furious whirlwind which only spread out the fire more, creating a flaming tornado-like attack.

The Gorian'fel was struck by it, roaring in pain as the fire struck. Its hide melted beneath the fire, which only seemed to grow in intensity as Luc focused. Trees, shrubs and bushes nearby felt the fire as wall, as tongues of flame whirled out of the wind. Soon he could maintain it no more, but to his shock, the Gorian'fel still stood, though most of its body was blackened.

"Still it lives," he said, amazed.

Then, catching him completely off guard, the Gorian'fel braced itself and leapt right for his platform, using powerful legs to ram straight through the large circle of floating earth. Luc dropped his sword and fell to the ground, slowing his fall only slightly. The beast landed not far off, on its side, but it slowly began to rise again.

Grunting, Luc did the same.

[Kially Gaith]

Keeping his back to the wall, he was proud to see that Luc saw well to Kially’s weak plan. It had gone just as he’d expected…That was until a large bunch of trees turned an even deeper shade of rapidly changing red. Crimson, to cyan, to orange, and back, in a multitude of heat and flames.

When Luc fell, he couldn’t decide between what to be angry at first: Luc for destroying what he was supposed to protect, or the beast for attacking and endangering Luc.

This situation made no sense, but he knew if he didn’t do SOMETHING, then the whole occasion would result in more tragedy, be it the blood of Luc, or even more helpless trees and plants being set a blaze.

Standing to his feet as he grabbed a pebble rooted into the soil with a burst using both his hands against the scorched floor, the heavy metal of war would begin as the child ran in the flurry of razor sharp leaves, some burning, some smouldering, some still fully shaped, it mattered not, as the child used his one physical advantage against the currently bewildered and somewhat dazed beast – His speed.

Getting up close, the large fiend would take a flurry of natures finest, tearing up it’s chest line until Kially reached the head of the thing, where he’d leap towards it as it roared, his hand charging the pebble with an edge at the very last given second. "Jüesry orervgf!" The beast was now aware of the boys offensive due to the voice/leaves and retaliated with a swing of it’s mighty head in the lads direction, which impacted Kiallys solar plexus with a flash of green, Lucs spell protecting him from the mass of hurt that would of occurred.
The impact, all the same, sent Kially flying like a rag doll, his legs and arms out front, his torso behind, without pain, towards a tree, where he’d once again impact solidly with a second flash of emerald green, then the ground with a final and less bright third flash of the lime light, which dissipated before the boy could take any more damage, much to his fortune.

However. The beast did not follow the path taken by the airborne sent Kially as for when it had swung its’ head, it had aptly positioned itself for what was sheer luck. The beast now bounding up and down between the hind and front legs, in utmost pain, because, for its mistake, the left eye of the mighty opponent was split in two through the middle, by a lowly pebble which remained implanted cleanly in the socket, having been thrust in by the child that had taken a risky (yet successful) dive at the legendary foe.

Kially however, was still in shock. He had expected pain, he had expected the crunching of bone and the tearing of flesh when his supple frame had left the ground. He had truly underestimated the power of Lucs spell. But painless or not, the body was not supposed to move with rag doll physics and he still ached from the vibrations of impact all the same. He was just fortunate that not a single injury had occurred upon his person…Yet…That, and he was unaware where the pebble had impacted, having tookthe strike of the beast before affirmation could be acchieved. All said and done...It was now upto Luc to finish the job.

Translation - Die already!

[Cyrus the virus]

Rising to crooked, determined legs, Luc summoned his sword back to him using his power over metal. Sensing it several feet away, the blade came to his call and flew to his waiting hand, igniting once more at his touch.

Kially rushed into the fray, Luc's scream demanding he get out of the way. Gruesome as the boy's dismissal was, the mage was confident he wasn't terribly hurt, so much faith he had in his homebrewed spell. Still, he shuddered to imagine what Kially would look like, had he not been protected. The legendary beast's rage turned back to Luc, whose burning sword was like a beacon to it. His anger, too, had only increased.

The Gorian'fel had lost some stream, but the mage was just heating up. With his anger to fuel him, he approached with slow steps. The creature burst into a quick run and Luc threw a hand forward, spawning a spire of earth from the ground ahead of it, on the same side as its damaged eye. The pointed spear tore into the creature's side, tearing a roar from its tired throat. Swerving his hand in a circle, he created another on its opposite side, pinning it in place.

Then, rushing forward while the Gorian'fel was still writhing in agony, Luc closed the gap and thrust his blade upward into its neck. With a mental command, the flames grew more intense, swallowing the beast's head in hungry fire. In seconds, its cries ceased and it went limp, though it remained standing due to the earthen spires.

Luc sheathed his blade as he extinguished it, taking long strides to Kially's location in the forest. "Are you alright?" he asked, but the boy seemed it. Reaching down to pick the boy up by his underarms, Luc pressed his hand against Kially's back and chest, checking to see if he'd cry out. "It seems it. Good. That was a foolish move, child. A Gorian'fel is no foe to charge blindly at. If anything, you could have struck from a distance with some magic, hiding from harm."

Rising to full posture, Luc sighed and approached the dead creature, its face so charred and black that its maw was no longer recognizable. Even in the dead of night, its eyes had shone brightly. "It's the way I dealt with danger before I developed the magic I have now. Have you any knowledge of Gorian'fel? It's said that even a small piece of its hide is a strong deterrent to mental attacks."

Luc searched the creature's body for an undamaged portion, managing to find only a small bit on its underbelly. Using a blade fashioned from wind, he cut through the tough hide, ripping off a small square of it. Cleaning it of wet flesh, he examined it. "Such protection from such a violent beast. It's too bad there isn't enough for the two of us."

Suddenly, he tossed the piece of fabric to the child. "We can have a tailor make that into a hat for you, if you like. Or perhaps some fingerless gloves, we'll see. To find someone who can craft that may take some time, as the only one I know of is in Eluriand. Eluriand and I are... not quite compatible."

Keeping a firm hold on his blade of wind, Luc forced open the clenched jaw of the Gorian'fel, cutting deep into the flesh of its maw for over a full minute before finally letting out a gasp and revealing two whitish fangs.

"A keepsake. Gorian'fel are rare creatures, I'd like to remember this." he tossed a tooth to Kially. "We'll find some string and make our memories easier to carry with us. Until then, hold tightly your prizes. You're a brave child."

Luc took a moment to gather his scattered items, annoyed that his cape and gloves had been covered in dirt. The tome was intact, however, with not even a speck of dirt on it. Instinctively, a shield of wind had covered it - though Luc didn't recall creating such an effect.

"I feel my spells have replenished," he spoke once more, as the first hint of morning lit up the eastern sky. "When you like, I can take us to Radasanth to begin our day."

Looking up at those many leaves, like hearts impaled on forks of wood, Luc found himself anxious to get the sky's view of this forest. The fly to Radasanth would take no more than an hour, but only after he got his bearings.

((Spoils: A Gorian'fel tooth as a keepsake. It's a tooth. A smidgen of understanding of the Ancient Naturian language.))

[Kially Gaith]

Kially watched helplessly as he remained lay on the floor gaining his composure. The initial three impacts had been painless, but the ragdoll effect through the air left him aching, his body had still moved in many ways that it should not – He’d be sore when the adrenaline finally ran out.

As the beast fell silent, Kially sighed in relief, allowing his head to rest into the moist soil. No sooner had he done this than had Luc hoisted him to his feet, apparently checking for injury. Kially did not flinch, but did indeed notice that his hips and shoulders ached and throbbed, a feeling he recognised from occurrences of pain long past. He understood he was not injured, but simply over exerted and strained from what had happened before them.

Taking in the event that had occurred, Kially found himself standing in silence, curious as to Lucs actions. Kially truly had no knowledge of gorian’fel, nor what properties any of them held, be it skin, teeth or internals.

As such was explained to him, Kially tilted his head on side, despite the mild chastisement from Luc, nodded obediently. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry.” Then came towards him, a strip of what he could only describe as a small square of flesh and a tooth, unlike any other child, he’d catch them and stuff them in his pockets without a second thought, even if both were still wet and covered in both dirt and blood.

The tooth as a memento seemed like a good idea, a collection of memories from their travels would symbolise both power and a deep hidden friendship.

Kially was still officially exhausted, limping lightly as he followed Luc in step, leaving behind the lifeless corpse of the mighty gorian’fel to the flies and mercy of nature.

"To Radasanth!" Spoke Kially, throwing up a hand in victory, before flinching at the light pain his shoulder provided.

Radasanth, huh? What chaos awaited the city?

Spoils request: A small strip of gorian’fel hide and a gorian’fel tooth for a memento

[Breaker]

Where the Temple Leads
Quest Judgement

I just want to say one quick thing, and then on to the numbers. With a relatively small effort, you guys could boost the scores of these threads 5-10 points, easy. You're definitely good enough writers, and it would make these more enjoyable to read. That said, here's your judgement.

Story

Continuity: 2
Setting: 6
Pacing: 4

Character

Dialogue: 5
Action: 7
Persona: 6

Writing Style

Technique: 5
Mechanics: 6
Clarity: 6

Wild Card: 5

Total: 52

EXP and GP Rewards

Cyrus the Virus receives 1930 EXP and 100 GP
Kially Gaith receives 400 EXP and 100 GP

Other Rewards

Cyrus the Virus receives his requested spoils under the assumption that the tooth has no special powers.

Kially Gaith receives a gorian'fel tooth with no special powers and a damaged piece of gorian'fel hide. Unknown to him, the hide was damaged beyond repair in the battle and as such has no special powers. It is just a piece of animal skin.

[Witchblade]

EXP and GP added!

Kially reaches level 1!