Author: Dala, Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:04 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

She watched as Cyril cast out a spell, which should have been a simple light but instead was an explosion of blinding radiance. Dala luckily hadn't been looking in that direction so successfully avoided the pain that Cyril was currently experiencing. She clamped her mouth shut to avoid laughing at this grown man rolling around on the floor. Suddenly, the circular pattern in the middle of the room glowed brightly as if it had reacted to the spell. A portal had opened up on the floor, clearly showing their destination. Dala checked that she had all the weapons and materials that she wanted to bring with her then stepped into the portal alongside Cyril. In a blink of an eye, they were outside once more. There were teams of adventurers sitting at small campsites a good distance from the temple with survivors that had been rescued. They sat with bandages and were getting healed up while other teams of adventurers were preparing to escort the escapees home.

A part of Dala was disappointed that she hadn't been able to figure out everything or been able to save everybody but she realized that they had probably gotten further in than most and learned more than expected. Cyril and Dala returned to the safety of Revaliir with enough loot to satisfy any pirate. Being in Revaliir made her realize how nice it was to be in a friendly place where the rules of reality made much more sense than in some foreign realm. She could breathe easy now. Suddenly, Cyril took off the strange amulet and offered it up to Dala, much to her surprise. The young woman took the necklace carefully and looked back at Cyril with wide eyes. She had expected he would take this along with the scrolls but instead, he was passing off such a valuable item to her?

"You're serious, right? No take backs?" She asked.

Dala had a giant grin on her face and attacked him with a big crushing hug.

"Thank you! This is so cool!" She exclaimed loudly.

Dala put on the amulet as fast as she could. Even if it wasn't a legendary item or anything world-breaking, to her the magic was within the mystery and history of the item. It had come from another realm and belonged to some dead magic ninjas. That alone was more than enough for her. She then handed Cyril something in return, an address to her new home in the small town of Cardawen.

"Stop by if you need someone to go on adventures with you!" She said, "And let me know what you find out with the weird scrolls. Till next time!"

With that, she ran off to go back to Cardawen, there was a lot more work to be done and more places to visit.

Author: Cyril, Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2022 4:13 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

He didn't realize what her intentions were when she had him wear the amulet. Cyril, good natured as he was, typically wasn't the type to doubt people. Fortunately for both of them, nothing strange happened. "I don't think so?" He replied to her questions, and then suddenly she sat on him. Despite being totally caught off guard, he concentrated and proceeded to do a push up with some difficulty. Nothing still happened, so she got off and began thinking of other ideas. Seeing that their attempts gave no results so far, Cyril decided to do as Dala instructed. "Hmm, a simple spell should work just fine." He said. Grasping the amulet, Cyril cast holy light. What normally would've been a glorious radiance became an accidental flashbang, exploding into a blinding burst of it. "AHHHHH!" The increased output of the amplified spell momentarily blinded the folklorist, causing him to drop and roll around on the floor until his eyes readjusted. 

While he was reeling, Dala came to a satisfied conclusion that she was right about her guess. The innocuous circular pattern in the center of the room then began to glow, as if in response to the great discharge of magical energy. From the pattern came forth a dimensional door, much more stable and smaller than what you would expect from a portal spell, except on the ground. The scenery visible through it reflected the reddish tinted landscape of the area outside of the temple doors they had entered through a while ago. Feeling a bit tired from all the things they had went through up until now, Cyril was ready to leave. "We should leave." He agreed with a nod. Upon entering the activated magic circle, they were outdoors again. This time there were more people, many partially injured an heading back out towards the rift leading to Tyr. In the time they had spent exploring the hidden vault, the rescue parties had managed to retrieve some people from the bizarre temple complex and were leaving.

With plenty of spoils and possible new information, it would soon be their turn to do the same. Back in Revaliir, he let out a sigh of relief he had been holding in. The atmosphere of that strange realm was overpowering and wore down one's spirit after a while. Looking down at the amulet still around his neck, he took it off and handed it to Dala. "My bag is full with all these books and scrolls, so I was wondering if you'd like to hold onto this as a souvenir? There wasn't a lot of stuff in good condition down there, so it'll be something you can remember it by." Although she had been more than enthusiastic about whatever items they came across, he felt a bit bad that they didn't find anything legendary. Even if the brass amulet wasn't extremely powerful, it certainly had cultural and historical value.

Author: Dala, Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 7:10 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Unfortunately Dala's depth of knowledge regarding medicine was limited. She knew how to put a bandage on an arm and how to get her hands on a potion. This whole lines going through people's body or diagrams went over her head. Despite both their best attempts to figure out the writing, they both came up with nothing. Cyril showed her the strange brass amulet that clearly called for careful investigation. There was always the chance that such an item would cause massive mayhem or possibly even be cursed. Dala took the amulet and put it around Cyril's neck. 

"Nope. No magical transformations. Do you feel cursed or lightheaded or something?" She asked, "Okay. Try doing jumping jacks. At least five! Maybe it'll make you super strong! No wait get on the floor and start doing pushups. I'll sit on your back to add some extra weight."

The young woman didn't even wait as she shoved Cyril to the ground and sat herself on the poor victim's back. She crossed her arms and waited patiently for him to make an attempt at a push up. Soon it became extremely clear that the amulet was NOT an amulet of strength. Sorely disappointed, she stood up and helped Cyril to his feet. She eyed the amulet a bit longer then came up with a new way to test it. 

"Maybe its a protection amulet? Or something to do with healing?" Dala suggested, "But both of those involve actual battle. I'd rather not test that out until we aren't in a terrifying trapped temple. Maybe you should cast a spell instead? Might have somethin to do with that." 

Dala usually would have tested it on herself but her control in her own magic was… lackluster at best. Once he casted a spell, she could see the power of the amulet working to amplify the magic itself. Her eyes widen with surprise and with excitement at the discovery. Holding a smug look on her face, Dala decided that their success was solely do to her investigative work. 

"Well now that I've solved that mystery, lets get going. You never know when this rooms gonna decide to close down again." Dala stated. 

Author: Cyril, Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 3:10 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Turning to look at where Dala was standing, he saw what she was looking at. The folkorist pondered a bit, noting it's position and pattern while trying to recall anything that was familiar. "Hmm…maybe. It wouldn't surprise me, with how often magical mechanisms have been utilized here so far. I suppose it's their way of adding a door latch or a lever. The design is symmetrical, and it's location seems to be in the absolute center of this room. I can't say for sure what it does though." Coming over to where she was, Cyril looked at the documents she had. He squinted and made several faces as he tried to make sense of the text. "Uh…I think…this is some kind of instruction manual? Or maybe a diagram of some sort? Um…I can't understand most of these words, so I have no idea if this is about magic or if it's an ancient medical textbook."

Struggling to process what he was looking at, he grasped at straws making a few guesses. "There's a lot of lines going through the drawing of the person's body, particularly through the arms and legs. They converge in the torso. 'Akashic cycling'…'five viscera'…'qi lung dragon'…." At this point he was as confused as Dala was, and didn't go any further. One problem with these esoteric texts was that they made your head swim. "I don't think I can figure this out." He said, shaking his head. "It might have something to do with how to use magic, but the words are too vague and weird."

He then showed Dala the brass amulet that he found while searching the place, and fiddled with it in the light. "I don't feel anything special from this, but maybe it has a purpose? When I tried to sense if it was magical, it reacted a little before reverting back to normal." Should they choose to investigate further, they would find the amulet had an amplifying effect when the person holding it attempted to use magic. It also would briefly sharpen one's focus. 

Author: Dala, Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2022 2:37 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

At the sound of the click, Dala jumped and held up her fists as though she was about to start a fight. The waterfall fell into silence as the water pulled apart to reveal a door leading to some unknown room. The young woman confidently walked into the room, feeling reassured that the frogs did not open up a trap this time. As she stepped inside, the first thing she noticed was the lack of dust or cobwebs. Was it magic? Or perhaps some mysterious maid who was extremely intent on keeping up the cleanliness of this one room? Dala plopped herself down on the mat and stared at the circle on the floor. She was hoping to recognize it or see if it was some sort of magic circle. Dala was still training to use her own magic now that it had finally revealed itself but there were many levels of magical study that she had yet to reach.

"Cyril, do you think the floor circle is a magical thing?' She asked.

Cyril appeared extremely intent on gathering up as many documents as he could find. Never one to ignore new information, she decided to gather up some of the documents herself. Beyond the pile that Cyril had, there were a few more wrapped up in packages towards the edge of the circular room. Dala tried to read some of them but they were a bit beyond her understanding. She had no idea what akasha was and the majority of the language was too old for her understanding. Yet with her curiosity peaked, she decided she would simply have to ask Cyril about it.

"Can you read this stuff?" She asked, "It's a bit too old for me. Mind translating?"

Dala handed him the few documents she had gathered and listened to his explanation if he gave any. Her eyes would widen in fascination with any explanation he would give. Despite all these years, her passion for learning had never faded.

Author: Cyril, Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 7:26 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

This place was very cold, unusually so. "OK, I won't!" He said, nodding. His train of thought was going elsewhere looking at the pool. Where did the water come from? Was it from the underground river? Was this waterfall originally here or was it man-made? Was the water enchanted? Why were there frogs here? Did this pool have koi fish? It was then he noticed the frog statues had their mouths open. His eyes lit up as they seemed familiar. Going over to one, he instinctively had the urge to shove something into its gaping maw. Just to be on the safe side, he used the tiger tablet he had. When both of them inserted their tablets, there came an audible click and a brief flash in the statues' eyes. The waterfall's roar grew quiet as a passage opened up in the wall, revealing an isolated circular stone room. The room was well-lit by wall sconces and was free from cobwebs or dust. If they hadn't been the first to enter in ages, one would think this place was still in use.

Inside resembled a study or meditation room or sorts, meant for private use. It was rather spacious and the temperature was comfortable. On a well-maintained hardwood table low to the ground, there sat piles of scrolls and scattered parchments. A woven mat was set behind the table, presumably for sitting on the floor. A brass amulet inlaid with a piece of polished nephrite sat on a stack of papers. The design was simple, something rather ordinary. More importantly, it didn't radiate any ominous energy like the previously possessed sword Dala had scavenged. Unlike the monastery above, traps aside–this underground vault was relatively peaceful. Perhaps the rest of this realm had once been the same before it became warped into what it was now. The sect that had built this place certainly was affluent enough to afford carving out these underground tunnels, let alone build such complex mechanisms. There was a circular pattern in the floor's stonework, leaving the rest of the room rather plain.  

When the wall that had opened up didn't immediately close up, Cyril went in and started carefully examining the documents left behind. Many of the scrolls had diagrams of geometric arrays and drawings he couldn't quite make out. One that still had most of its words talked about something called akasha which was viewed as the essence of all things. The following paragraphs went into detail on how to manipulate and read this 'universal essence' to perform miraculous feats, from strengthening one's body to creating arcane tools which acted upon command. The concept here had strong similarities to the way magic and mana was used in Revaliir, just with a less secular view. He didn't have time to read them, so Cyril decided to take them all. He was sure his family would be interested in their contents. Besides, they were also the first real clues on the history of this place before things fell apart.

"We should probably take what we can find here. These things might not be here the next time we come back." If there was a next time, that is. Better to take them now and keep them preserved than to let them crumble away, secrets lost to time.

Author: Dala, Posted: Thu May 12, 2022 5:28 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Having acquired new weapons to protect herself and her friend, she kept her eyes alert for any potential traps as they walked further into the hall. Of course now that she was looking out for traps, none of them appeared. Dala’s slight annoyance fell away when they came upon the strange thin stone tablets. Cyril commented that they looked like tickets or passes, though he didn’t have the exact words for them. Shrugging her shoulders, she took one of the tablets. She always had a fondness for the fire birds so she chose a phoenix tablet.

Dala was tempted to take more than one but after the whole boulder incident, she was hesitant to trigger traps for those who were too greedy. The sound of rushing water grew closer as they entered a massive open cavern. A shiver ran down her spine as the cold air lingered no matter how far they traveled. The crystal blue pools sent off all the alarm bells in her mind. Suspicious temperature, strange pools, and a ninja aesthetic? This place HAD to have a monster nearby. Probably in the water itself.

“Hey Cyril. No swimming. There’s probably a toad monster or something.” Dala stated.

The bronze toad statues were a possible hint as to what hid in the waters. The young girl walked towards the statues, finding them to be more fascinating than any other part of the room. She circled around one of the bronze toads in an attempt to find any clues about what to do with them. After her careful observation, she took her tablet and shoved it into one of the toad’s mouths. If it was a pass or ticket like Cyril had suggested then these fancy statues would be the only ones to accept the tablets.

“I swear these guys had way too much cash.” Dala said partially joking as she hoped that something would happen. 

Author: Cyril, Posted: Tue May 3, 2022 3:59 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

When Dala praised him for pulling through to avoid imminent death, he gave a small smile. Somehow he was sure that this sort of thing was exactly what ninjas had to endure before they could perform their tasks. Fortunately there weren't any more traps around the archway, which was rather nice of the original builders. Getting up after drinking some water Dala offered, he looked at their surroundings until she came back with several training weapons. He didn't object to her taking them since they'd just rust away down here, but he did give them a good look to check for any magic. "Hmmm, well let's see if we can find another exit out. There's probably a training ground somewhere nearby if these weapons were left here. It's probably a secret passage I bet, something for emergencies in case they needed to flee." With how old this place was, Cyril was positive there weren't any animals in these tunnels. Most creatures couldn't survive on water alone.

"I think this place might have an armory too. It's the most secure place in this entire compound and outsiders normally wouldn't get this far." He added. For a temple situated in an open valley, underground was safer than the surface. As they moved on they passed several wooden training dummies and equipment for martial arts. What was notable was the relative peace and quiet down here compared to the dorm rooms up top. Near the end of the training hall there was a dry wooden plaque that once had been lacquered, the lettering worn out and eroded by the cold dry air. There was another board with several wooden pegs sticking out, and small thin tablets of carved grayish white stone were hanging off of them. He stopped in front of them, turning his head this way and that with a hand on his chin. "Are these…name cards? I don't see any words on them. No, wait–maybe they're like those things you take to show people at the door before they let you in?" The word he was looking for was probably 'pass' or 'ticket', but you could get the gist of what he implied. He decided to take one from the top row of pegs, selecting a stone tag with a tiger engraved into it. There were four other beast themed patterns present: a serpentine dragon, a phoenix, a large tortoise, and a lionlike horned beast. 

Further ahead was an open cavern and the sound of roaring water in the distance. A cold damp draft was coming downwind from that direction. The noise became more deafening the closer you got, and there were many pools of cold water leading up to the underground waterfall that fed into the pools. The air here was unusually chilly, and a strange glow came from the pools. There was no obvious path leading out in sight, however there were strange statues of giant toads cast from bronze positioned by an empty cave wall. A thick green coating of patina made them look even more lifelike,  and their mouths were open. What purpose they served was anyone's guess.

Author: Dala, Posted: Tue May 3, 2022 2:23 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Without a drop of hesitation, Dala grabbed onto Cyril locking her arms into place. He leaped at the wall and began running along the wall faster than even those big cats she had seen in Onnen. The exit of the passage was in sight but so was a massive pit. Dala closed her eyes and tightened her grip on Cyril as the boulder barreled toward them. Cyril made his guess and they landed on the ledge safely with only a few seconds to spare. Seeing that they were safe, Dala jumped up and pumped her fist in the air with a big smile.

"Fuck yeah that was awesome!" She shouted, "You were like an epic warrior ninja!"

The coughing from Cyril caught her attention and she knelt down next to him with a small canteen filled with water. It was one of the few items she had been able to keep since they got dumped on this island. After offering him a drink and helping him to his feet, she began to investigate the arched doorway, choosing to be more careful of traps to prevent another boulder situation.

Or at least she tried to be careful but when she spotted the gleam and glint of shiny weapons from within, she simply had to get her hands on them. She quickly dashed into the room and snatched herself a sword and a spear despite the fact she only needed one weapon. If only she had her bag with her! She could have stolen all the weapons and sold the remaining ones for later. Once she was geared up enough to look like a mini warrior ready to go on a warpath, she turned to Cyril with a big old smile.

"Alright where to next?!"

Author: Cyril, Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 6:40 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Before he could think about their current choices, Dala pulled him towards the path that led to a tunnel passage. "Wait–" He was cut off by the yanking, his eyes going wide when in her haste, Dala set off a concealed pressure-plate triggered spike trap. Thankfully Dala stopped just short of it, but he was starting to think that maybe it wasn't always so great to be right sometimes. If there was one of these, then there surely would be more of them–which revealed themselves after a slight delay. The folklorist's face was slightly perturbed by their predicament. They couldn't just stand still if they wanted to progress. He nodded in agreement when Dala pointed to the bright side of things, only to hear something rumbling in the distance. 

Turning to see the incoming boulder, he quickly shook off the initial shock and his mind went into overdrive. This path probably was lined with these retracting spike traps, but fortunately not all of them would trigger at once. If he was an apprentice in a secret martial order, how would the examiners expect you to escape? Scanning the walls, he tightened his grip on the strap of his bag. "I have an idea, but we're going to have to be quick. Dala, hold onto me as tightly as you can and don't let go." As soon as she was secured, Cyril jumped with as much force as possible–pushing himself toward the walls. Quickly shifting his footing, the folklorist ran along the length of the wall of the passage at an incredible speed without stopping. At this moment, he had a very focused expression and seemed like a completely different person. His eyes were locked onto the light that likely signaled the end of the tunnel.

Exiting the passage at last, they were met with a deep pit below a high rock wall. The boulder was still coming after them, and there weren't any obvious ways to escape. As imminent doom rapidly came closer, Cyril glanced up at the rock wall opposite of them. He had no time to double check, however he felt the pit was a trap. He could feel the muscles in his legs starting to burn, but grit his teeth and crouched slightly before pushing off into a jump one last time. Having given 110% in the take-off, the two sailed high up into the air as the boulder crashed down into the pit, landing onto a ledge. The ledge led to a continuation of a path, meaning this was supposedly the correct answer to the trap they had triggered. Any ordinary person would've died by implalement from the spike traps or be sent down into the pit to be crushed to pieces. Cyril rolled onto his side, taking in deep breaths after narrowly escaping certain death. "The defenses here are no joke," he said, coughing. "If we were off by even a few seconds, we'd be goners."

The path up ahead led to a carved arched doorway with two torches by the sides. The way was already open, and some old crates and munitions were lying about inside. From the looks of it, this was a small storage area. The interior was more organized and racks of ancient weapons were mounted against the walls. They were all identical in appearance, likely sparring equipment used for trainees in bouts. Still, they were in better condition than the sword Dala scavenged earlier. Spears and shortswords were present, unguarded for the taking.

Author: Dala, Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2022 1:39 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

"Winding paths, whispering wind, echoing dark caverns… This is a quality hidden cave lair." Dala stated with a smirk.

Throughout her adventures, she had seen a few cave lairs. Most of them were not hidden and the entrance was only a trapdoor. Even the caves were often disappointing as they were small, quiet, or otherwise boring. These caverns in comparison were exactly what she had been hoping for when going on her first trip. The fact that it had been artificially hollowed out flew right over her head. Cyril called it a secret training ground which only increased her excitement.

"Let's go in!" She exclaimed despite Cyril's mentions of traps, "We NEED to go in!"

When the vault closed itself behind them, she didn't even notice. There were three paths but Dala didn't even consider the other two. Grabbing Cyril's hand, she raced down the path that lead to an obscured passage. While running her foot stepped down on a stone that stuck slightly out from the floor. There was a click sound as she stepped on it. Jagged spikes sprouted out from the ground and Dala barely managed to stop herself from stepping into it. She managed to stop and held out her arms so Cyril wouldn't fall into it. Catching her breath, she pointed to the trap.

"That…is dangerous floor. We can't step on it. Thankfully there's only one." She stated with a confident smile.

The confidence was ripped off her face as spikes popped out of the ground all around them. One false step and they would be feeling a lot of pain. Now Dala was starting to get worried but she knew she couldn't show it for the sake of gentle Cyril. He was probably terrified!  The poor thing. Turning to him, she gave him a shrug and tried to play the dangerous system as merely a small problem.

"The good news is that we have plenty of time to figure out how to escape!" Dala declared.

Just as she finished saying that, a large round stone was dropped from the ceiling by some unseen mechanics. The boulder was massive and more than enough to squish them. It began rolling down the path at alarming speeds.

"OH FOR FUCKS SAKE!" Dala shouted in frustration!

Author: Cyril, Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2022 9:25 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

With some finangling, the hands were moved into the correct position. There was the grinding of ancient gears and mechanisms, causing the floor before the statue to recede, revealing a steep stone staircase leading down. The tall stone slab of a door to a vault loomed above the carved bedrock. From the depth of the staircase it would seem this doorway led to something deeper below. When the two approached the stone slab pulled away granting passage into an immense underground cave system. Though part of the caves looked natural, it was clear most of it had been artificially hollowed out. Damp air filled their noses and sounds of a current echoed off the dark walls. Focusing on the reverberation, Cyril determined there was an underground river somewhere. There were winding paths leading through the caves into passages from where they stood. Old standing torches flickered to give the dim place some light.

The caves were so deep that it was hard to grasp just how far they went. He stood in amazement for a while before entering. "This looks almost like…a secret training ground! Like in those stories of warriors who train hidden in the mountains. On one hand it acts as a place to test one's skills, while being a secondary stronghold in times of seige." His eyes were wide with awe, like a child seeing a magical beast for the first time. "Oh, that means there are probably lots of traps here too–to keep intruders out and all." If there were any treasures here, they'd be better than what they found in the rooms. "I can't say what kind of traps we'll find. There could be complicated puzzles or simple arrow traps. But there's some levers and mechanisms around, and I can hear running water." 

The grinding of stone came from behind as the entrance to the vault closed itself. It would appear the best way now was to go forward. There were three distinct paths visible from their current position: a path leading down to an obscured passage in the distance, one going up to a level set in the wall next to a short cliff, and a broad path leading to a sheer drop before a turbulent underground river. There was a continued path on the other side, but it was too far to jump or bridge across. There were no signs of enemies nearby and it was peaceful if you ignored the roaring water.

Author: Dala, Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2022 8:33 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

"A boarding school? Guess they really do eat children here."  Dala said as she looked around the decrepit room.

She had never had much of an interest in boarding schools but she had heard rumors from street rat orphans when she was much younger than the wealthy would ship their unwanted kids off to boarding school to get eaten. These were some of the many rumors she just assumed were fake as it seemed a bit too dramatic and pointless to actually be reality. But the rooms were creepy and almost evil looking that she had to assume that no real children survived past the eating point. They continued onwards, realizing that there was nothing left in this room. A strange stone statue lacking a head caught Cyril's attention while Dala was observing the rest of the area. When Cyril spoke up about the statue, she turned her attention to it.

"Heck yeah! " She exclaimed.

Without a moment of hesitation, Dala whacked the stone hands with her newly acquired rusted sword. When the metal blade hit the hard stone a ting echoed throughout the temple. Unsatisfied by the statue's silent contemplation and the fact it wasn't doing anything, she began hitting it over and over again. After a minute, the sword must have hit the right spot. There was a click and the sound of gears moving beyond the wall alerted them to the vault's opening.

"See? This is the effort of patience." Dala instructed Cyril, "Now let's go in and see the awesome shit it has!"

Perhaps there would be a pile of glittering gems or some ancient court drama records? She loved hearing the tea of ancient civilizations, especially since they had nothing to do with her and were typically more dramatic than a romance novel on drugs. Dala turned to Cyril with a big excited smile as she beckoned him to follow into the vault.

Author: Cyril, Posted: Sun Jan 2, 2022 7:26 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Cyril gave her a thumbs up and dusted himself off after she helped him up. The room was safe with the miasma gone, and there was nothing of value left now Dala had the rusted relic of a sword. "Well…I guess that's it for this room. Hey you know this kind of reminds me of those rooms in boarding schools, not that I've actually been to a boarding school." His mother told him about those once. They were like schools you lived at with other students and teachers. Monasteries often had rooms for resident clergy to stay in too, and based on his assessment of the architecture this was one on a very grand scale. Back in its heyday this would have been an excellent fortified position based on…wherever it should have been in the world before. They wandered around the dormitories a bit, not finding much aside from trash and dust. There weren't even cobwebs in some rooms, meaning the spiders didn't feel like it was worth living here. There were no bugs.

By chance they happened to find a very ominous looking stone arched alcove flanked on both sides by lit sconces. From the looks of it, it must be something important. A headless statue with is hands in a praying position rested in silence beneath a thick blanket of dust. The inscriptions were worn off and unreadable. Cyril stared at the statue and tilted his head back and forth. "This looks important. I don't see any hidden buttons or levers…" As he continued to check, he noticed there was a seam in the stonework of the wrists of the statue, obscured by accumulated dust. This was most certainly odd. Normally statues were cut from a single stone, otherwise it would fall apart unless they used mortar or some kind of adhesive. 

Instinctively he reached out to grab the statue's hands, only to stop himself. As a child he had a bad habit of doing things without thinking: like taking an orange from the bottom of a pile, trying to make friends with animals, tasting edible flowers in gardens that he recognized from books… Cyril was worried that if he tried to move the hands, he'd break it or something. He was hesitant, but his curiosity was urging him to try. Looking back at Dala, he asked: "Do you think we should try moving the hands? They look like they were attached separately from the main body." He also didn't see any other obvious mechanisms as of yet.

Author: Dala, Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2021 9:01 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Dala clutched to the handle of the sword with all her might as it waved around the room, trying to throw her off. A screech pierced the air as the thick fog scattered. The sword stopped swinging around and for a moment Dala believed the sword had surrendered to her superior strength. Then it fell. She and the sword dropped to the ground but luckily Dala found somebody to cushion her fall. The young woman held up the rusty sword in delight and pride. Even a cursed sword was no match for her! 

"I got it!" She exclaimed with a big smile. 

Dala hopped off of Cyril and observed the sword. Then she looked down and spotted Cyril still lying on the ground. The monster must have gotten to him. Poor little man. He was truly too weak for this harsh world of ghosts and ghouls. She would have to be extra careful to protect him from whatever darkness lie in the corners of this mysterious temple. Approaching the unfortunate man, she held out her hand to help him up. 

"Come on Cyril. We can't be laying around all day. There's work to do!" Dala joked. 

Once he was standing, she held out her sword and began to observe the rest of the room for any more dangers. 

Author: Cyril, Posted: Thu Dec 9, 2021 3:38 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

As the miasma retaliated, Cyril quickly entered a defensive stance as it drew a weapon that was hidden beneath the bed. Preparing to dispel the malevolent energy, his train of thought was interrupted by Dala grabbing at the sword, then being flailed about as she and the specter fought over it. The folklorist watched the scene for a few moments before remembering why they were here. Using a talisman would be difficult with the two moving around so much, so he decided to directly attack the miasma. With his staff in hand, he infused it with light magic and waited until the timing was just right. When he saw the miasma controlling the sword had moved into an ideal position, Cyril swatted it with his weapon with a loud whack! 

There was a screech followed more more repeated hits until the ominous condensed fog was completely obliterated. The force holding onto the sword vanished, leaving the old decrepit weapon behind. He let out a sigh of relief and waved his hand to fan the dust away. "Alright, it's finally go–" He then realized that when he was hitting the specter, Dala was still hanging onto the floating sword. His eyes went wide. "Ahhh!" Things were happening too fast–with no time to think, he dove underneath Dala in hopes of breaking her fall. There was nothing else that was able to soften the landing unfortunately, and any leftover bedding would just disintegrate.

The weapon thankfully didn't have any grudges attached to it. It was beat up and had seen better days, but it was better than nothing. There was no sheathe for it, which explained the rust and junk encrusted around the blade. The design was archaic and the craftsmanship had a certain level of quality due to still holding itself together. But most importantly, it was Dala's first real piece of loot!   

Author: Dala, Posted: Wed Dec 8, 2021 9:57 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Dala followed Cyril into the left room. Half expecting something to jump out at Cyril as soon as he opened the door, she had prepared her remaining knives to stab at the problem. Instead, a bunch of old books sat there. Dala's eyes lit up as she caught a glance at the books. She hoped that a few of them were history-related or had some information on agriculture or a variety of other topics. Cyril took most of the books but Dala eyed some of the crumbled paper, curious of what it once was. They went into the other room to see what was hidden away.

The other room was filled to the brim with dust and the walls towered above them with imposing darkness. Cyril told her to shut her eyes and at first she was about to tell him she had seen more horrors than he could count. Then she realized what his actual plans were and closed her mouth. Covering her eyes, she waited until the sparks of light weren't as blinding. The screech sounded like a dying cat mixed with the hyper pitched voice of something inhuman. A humanoid figure made of smoke glared at them with ruby red eyes. She could tell how much the thing hated their presence.

Suddenly, a metallic object flung out from underneath the bed and into the air as though it was being puppeted by some unseen strings. A smile formed on Dala's face as she realized that whatever that blasted thing was, it could touch the sword. If it could touch the sword, then it could be hurt by it as well. The young woman dodged to the side as the sword darted towards them like an angry boar. As it turned around to take another swipe, Dala snatched the hilt and held it for a few seconds. The sword, still being puppeted by the dark creature, lifted into the air. Refusing to let such a unique sword go, Dala was also lifted into the air.

"I got it!" Dala shouted to Cyril "Now the sword is mine!!"

The sword began shaking violently as it tried to throw her off. She managed to hold onto the sword but was being flung around the room like a ragdoll with an iron grip.

"FUUUUUCK YOOOOUU SWOOOORD!" She shouted as it started spinning around.

Author: Cyril, Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2021 6:16 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

When in doubt, why not both? With her decisive thinking, they now could see into to the rooms proper. "Alright, let's see…" Cyril put on a mildly serious expression as he focused on the two rooms. The left room didn't feel off, but the closet seemed like a good place to hide things. There wasn't anything else to really look at in there. On the right, there was thick miasma–likely supernatural in origin since it wasn't moving out of the room with the door gone. "The right side looks like a bigger concern at the moment. I can't see anything with all of that in the way. Safety first." Pulling out more talismans, he proceeded to make a line around the door frame and on the floor, creating a temporary barrier. "How about we check the left side first? If anything tries to come out of the other room it'll get blocked for a while." 

The room on the left was dusty but thankfully didn't have any traps. The bedding had disintegrated, leaving behind a pile of fibers and brittle wood. Casting a spell of protection over himself, he inspected the closet and then opened it. Cyril held his breath expecting a dart or something to hit him, then opened them when nothing happened. And the contents of the mysterious closet were…books. Very, very old books. The paper was yellow and extremely fragile, practically close to becoming parchment crumbs. There was no water damage, curses, or mold–so it was safe to take. "I wonder what these books are about. I guess we can check after we clear out the other side." So into the bag they went, carefully.

The folklorist then sneezed a few times, sending more dust into the air. From the looks of this place, it was like the room of a boarding school. The room with the ominous 'fog' was quiet, eerily so. With his nose no longer itchy, Cyril prepared to remove the talismans on the threshold before they went in. Immediately he felt the suffocating pressure inside. Whatever was in here was much stronger than the ones that made the maze, but he did his best to keep a straight face. "You might want to close your eyes for a bit, it'll be over in a second." He said, giving Dala a heads-up. Then, he swiftly motioned with the fingers of one hand, causing a pulse of light to burst in the midst of the dark. The moment the first sparks of light appeared, there came a grating screech that sounded like an enraged rusty hinge. The miasma recoiled, writhing and twisting around trying to get away. 

The foul smoke then condensed into a vague humanoid shape complete with glowing red eyes giving off an intense feeling of hatred. As the remaining talismans outside the room were still in effect, all they had to do was block the way to prevent it from escaping. The haunted room's interior was no longer obscured, showing similar contents as the other–but with something metallic radiating malicious intent from under the bed. That metallic object moved on its own, the raspy scraping of the floorboards revealing an old double edged short sword now suspended in mid-air within the specter. With a howl, the poltergeist attacked!

Author: Dala, Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2021 7:25 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Just as she finished with her last taunt the entire corridor shook and the air grew frigid. The stupid maze was gone, which had been her goal, and she quickly drew her sword to fight the enemies. Unfortunately, she had no idea where the ghosts were or how to fight them so she ended up swinging her daggers in the air, hitting nothing while Cyril did all the important work. She didn't stop fighting air until Cyril said that they were all gone. Once she heard that, she sheathed her daggers and ran to Cyril's side to guide him through the corridor.

Using her thumb of power, she was able to see a lot more than before. There were a few old doors on the sides of the corridor ahead. The walls had no windows which explained the darkness of the room. Cyril carefully observed the doors and began to wonder which one would be the best to enter. Dala looked at the doors too but lacked any ghost or supernatural knowledge to figure out which was more important or less important. With a shrug, Dala walked over to the left door and slammed her foot at the center. The door flew off the hinges and fell onto the floor with a loud bang. Turning around, Dala ran over to the right door and jumped kicked it. The right door fell down too.

"Okay, Cyril. Do your ghost detective stuff.  If you look for ghosts then we can know which to take." Dala reasoned.

At the end of the day all that mattered was getting something cool out of it. The young woman also wanted something more than just a few daggers to protect herself. She was secretly hoping there would be a ghost sword or a ghost detecting item so she could be of some use in a ghost battle. Behind the left door was an ancient room with the scattered remains of what looked like furniture. The only survivor among the destruction was a strange closet lurking in the dark. Whatever was behind the right door was too dark to see. Fog unfurled from the room and a strange pressure could be felt whenever one stepped inside. Like something was pushing down on your lungs….

"Sniff out any ghosts yet?" Dala asked. "I'm ready to punch a dead bitch."

Author: Cyril, Posted: Sat Nov 6, 2021 1:26 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

According to exorcist protocol, adepts in training were strongly advised against verbal provocation when handling earth-bound spirits. Cyril made a slightly pained expression when Dala immediately started challenging the spirits, throwing quite a few strong insults in the process. Lo and behold, as soon as she finished talking the entire corridor started to quake violently as the ambient temperature began to rapidly plummet. The ghost maze disappeared, and without hesitation he threw the talismans in the air. Charged with spiritual energy, the slips of incantations became homing projectiles and attached themselves to the floor, walls, and ceiling–causing a few disembodied wails as a few ghosts were sent into the light. The shaking then stopped, and the air warmed up in an instant.

"That's all of them…for now." He said with relief. Cyril hadn't expected Dala to openly aggravate them head-on, but fortunately these ghosts weren't very strong. On the bright side, they could make some progress exploring now. With the supernatural phenomenon dispelled, the light cast from Dala's thumb revealed a few old doors on the sides of the corridor up ahead. The presence of these ghosts must have interfered with the level of visibility. The rest of the corridor past those doors was still too dark to see, however. Come to think of it, there weren't any windows. There were rusted metal brackets on the walls that might have been designed for torches. No wonder it was so dark. 

"I think I see some doors up ahead! With how we walked into a ghost maze right off the bat, there's probably going to be spectral activity behind them too." He couldn't say the same for traps though. They'd have to figure out where those doors led to first to get a grasp on the temple's former layout and function. When they approached the doors, Cyril carefully inspected them. "Which one do you want to try first–right or left?" So far he didn't see any noticeable trap mechanisms, and the handles were simple. They looked like completely ordinary doors. There was a suspicious-looking discolored spot that contrasted with the wood grain of the door situated on the right.

Author: Dala, Posted: Fri Nov 5, 2021 1:24 AM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Her new friend brought out a bunch of what she assumed to be talismans but she was still unsure about what they were. Dala continued onwards, holding out her thumb to light the way. They continued walking for an uncanny amount of time and eventually, Dala began to wonder how long this hallway actually was. From the outside, it didn't appear to be that long. It wasn't until Cyril pointed out that the room was looping that she even realized they were going into circles. But all they had done was walk straight forwards? They didn't even take any turns. Her eyes widened in realization as she looked around the room.


"Ghosts…" She muttered.

She didn't actually know if it was a ghost or not but any room that had this kind of magic was obviously supernatural. The temple looked like the sort of place that a ghost would hide with its eerie cracked walls and darkened interiors. Her temper began to rise as she realized they were wasting their time with the walking and it was all some stupid spirit's fault. Dala held out her thumb and placed her other hand on her hip as she raised her voice to shout.

"Hey ghost jackasses!" The young woman yelled, "You are so fucking pathetic!"

A confident smirk appeared on her face as she continued.

"I mean tricking us with these little pranks? Instead of fighting us with any pride or courage you just hide behind your magical abilities. Then again, you probably died because you were too useless in a fight. Maybe that's why you chose not to fight." Dala said, "Or maybe you died some other way. Doesn't matter to us. We can come and go as we please. Unlike the rest of you who are stuck here for the rest of eternity. How fucking sad is that?"

Dala turned to Cyril and gave him a thumbs-up, letting him know to get ready. The air around them turned frigid as the spell on the looped room stopped. If that didn't draw them out, then Dala had much more that would make them even more irritated.

"Now how's your family?" She asked then made a fake shocked look, "Oops. Probably shouldn't have mentioned that. They're probably in some nice afterlife somewhere while you're all stuck here. Or do you even have families?"

Author: Cyril, Posted: Wed Nov 3, 2021 7:30 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Keeping up with her pace, Cyril nodded sympathetically when Dala explained how she ended up here. It seemed like the sailors didn't like that she preferred the air to the sea. Still, wasn't beating someone up badly and stealing from them before leaving them in the open too much? With a bit of difficulty Dala got the temple doors open, and they only had a few moments to see what the inside looked like before the doors shut themselves. The sudden slam made him jump before he let out a small sigh. "Oh, I guess I shouldn't be surprised it would do that…" This place definitely seemed like a place teeming with spiritual activity after all. As he blinked to adjust his eyes to the darkness, a small glowing light illuminated the corridor. Cyril watched as Dala cast her magic, causing her thumb to become luminescent. 

There was a short silence before she recovered from the large gap in her expectations. "Oh! That's much better now!" The folklorist was pleased nonetheless. It was a good thing Dala could use magic. He would be pretty put out if he woke up without anything, and it would be worse if he couldn't cast spells either.  "Hold on, let me get something." Fumbling a bit, he pulled out a handful of warding talismans before slinging his bag back over his shoulder. "Alright, I'm good!" With Dala lighting the way, it would be important to have these ready just in case. As they walked, they made several twists and turns in silence. Cyril carefully listened for anything strange, and took in every detail–whether it was the walls, floor, or ceiling. After a while he started getting a funny feeling he couldn't quite shake off. He didn't say anything, and kept observing. When Dala had cast her light spell, he noticed a crack on the left side of the corridor behind her. In unfamiliar places it was important to keep track of landmarks so you wouldn't lose your way. But they had been walking for a while now, and he had seen the exact same crack three times…

"Hey Dala, I think we're going in circles." He said, fretting. "I think we've passed the same walls and floor for a few times now." Supernatural phenomena worked in mysterious ways, and the 'ghost maze' was a well-known one. He didn't want to create panic, so he had waited until he was sure they had been repeating the same loop more than once. There was another reason why he didn't bring this up right away: if they were being watched, whatever had made this trap would make changes or take action. You had to be careful with what you said when you weren't alone. But if something did decide to act up, he had his talismans ready.  

Author: Dala, Posted: Wed Nov 3, 2021 2:20 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

The guy she decided to protect reminded her of a soft-spoken puppy getting excited to see a stranger. She was surprised to hear that he was a folklorist despite the fact she had seen him drawing earlier. The idea of a folklorist coming all this way to such a dangerous place just for inspiration or a good story. Then again, she was thrown here so at least he came intentionally. There was something else that was unique about him. He had light purple eyes and something about him reminded her of flowers. She decided she would call him flower boy.

"Nice to meet ya!" Dala said.

She understood what he meant about this place being a little dusty. There was something about it that reminded her of nostalgia despite the fact she had never seen this place before. It wasn't even nostalgic. If somebody described what nostalgia would look like, she would describe it as this place. Still in the back of her mind, she could feel that something was wrong.

"Oh me? Well, I pissed off some sailors and was left for dead on the beach. I think they stole my stuff too." Dala said casually as if such a thing was normal, "I said that air travel was better than ocean travel."

The doors of the temple were made of stone that had cracks running along the frame and edges. Dala shoved against the door as hard as she could until it gave way and opened. Past the door was a twisting corridor with an eerie silence she had to ignore in order to step through. Even the wind dare not make a noise in this place. Suddenly the door slammed shut and cast them into darkness. Dala quickly reached for her bag, only to remember it wasn't there. It was only now that Dala realized how lost she was without her massive pack of equipment. Irritation stung her as she recognized her own helplessness until she remembered her own magic.

"I have an idea. Behold my epic abilities!" She declared.

Holding up her hand, she concentrated as hard as she could and focused all of her magic into one spell. Dala's original plan was to light up the entire room with light magic and make everything visible. Suddenly, her thumb began to glow with light magic. Only the thumb. But it was enough to light their way.

"Seriously?" Dala muttered then looked to Cyril, "Um… behold my epic thumb!"

With that, the young woman started marching off towards whatever laid at the end of the corridor.

Author: Cyril, Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 12:58 AM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Blissfully in his own world, Cyril was busy getting the details on the uniquely shaped bell copied as accurately as possible when a voice came from behind. Turning around with a smile, Cyril stopped sketching to see a blonde girl. "Oh, hello! From what I've heard, this is the first time this place has shown itself to the world so I'm drawing what I see for posterity's sake." Sketching from a reference sure took a lot of time. Maybe he could ask his mom if she had some sort of magic device that could record images instantly when he went back home. He didn't mind, but he was afraid that he wouldn't have enough time to record everything. With his sketch of the bell tower done, he put his sketchpad away into his bag. 

She looked like someone who came here to look for treasure, which worked out just fine for him. Cyril didn't expect the mercenaries on the boat to wait for him. After all they had other things on their minds. Having someone traveling with you made the journey more meaningful. The half-fey wasn't bothered by Dala's strong attitude. He was the kind of person who went his own way, but if somebody wanted him to come with, he'd tag along. It was just like those times where he would follow his older brother on wild adventures. Neomi and Sapphire would love to hear about everything afterwards. "Alright then! I'll do my best to help too!" He said in reply. While most might at least be a little bothered, Cyril was rather easy-going.

He quickened his pace to catch up with her brisk pace. Perhaps it was a good thing he found somebody to hang around, lest his mind and body wander off to who knows where. "I'm Cyril, a folklorist! So what are you here for? This place is pretty weird, it reminds me of this one book I read about a world inside a painting. The air smells kind of dusty, like old dry paper." His clothes were a mix of light armor with padded clothing. It was suitable for someone on the road most of the time, but had a slight ascetic feel–similar to what you expected from someone affiliated with a meditative religious order. His silver hair was tied loosely in a low ponytail, and his light purple eyes made him feel ethereal. As a good acquaintance of his used to say, when you looked at him you'd think his head was full of flowers.      

Author: Dala, Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2021 5:34 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

The stone steps lead up to the main gate decorated with rust and yet somehow looking new. She passed through it, planning on entering the temple behind it. From the corner of her eye, Dala could see a young man with a notepad sketching out the scenery. Was this some sort of trick? Or maybe he was making a map? Either way, starting with him would be her best option. Ever abrasive, Dala walked straight up to the young man to speak with him.

"Why are you drawing this place?" She asked directly without bothering to say hello.

The young woman listened to his explanation. If he was a monster secretly posing as a human, he would choose a more mundane reason or avoid the question altogether. The fact that he was displaying such unique behavior likely meant he was legit and not some shape-shifter. After all, a shape-shifter would know better than to let themselves stand out. Once he was done, she gave out a sigh.

"Well, I guess you better come with me. A guy like you can't be left alone." She said with a confident grin, "You'll get killed if you keep on like this. But don't worry. I'll protect you from any threats!"

Despite the fact she only had one set of weapons, magic she wasn't used to, and no other materials to rely on, she decided to pretend she knew what she was up against. Dala turned to the temple with a smile as she stepped towards it. Whatever dragged her onto the island would be inside, she was certain of that. Perhaps her stolen stuff wasn't even taken by the sailors? There was also something about the temple that was calling out to her. Maybe it was the darkened windows, the time-frozen trees, or that air of mystery that begged her to explore? Either way, she was determined to find out what this place was about.

"Are you coming or what?" She asked the silver-haired man, "I'm Dala by the way. What's your name?"

Author: Cyril, Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2021 5:45 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

It had been a while since he had traveled to a faraway place. Ever since he and Sapphire got married and had Neomi, most of Cyril's time was spent with his family and friends in Sularia. Every day was exciting with Arri's best blacksmith–Tempest, who was also married to Belen. Poppy and Lys lived nearby and his little brother was in the city's Black District. Normally he would have stayed, but he worried that his skills would get rusty if he passed up every opportunity. It wasn't hard to find a boat headed towards Tyr, as many people were interested in the new realm that appeared in the city of the dead. The half-fey had gotten separated from the mercenaries he came with as he started examining the valley. Most went straight up to the temple while he lagged behind, drawing pictures of the surrounding area. Recording the environment was an important part of being a folklorist. This whole place was some sort of hidden dimension isolated from the rest of Revaliir. Since this was the first time new people had seen this valley, it was necessary to record everything. Sometimes you didn't get a second chance to visit realms like these before they disappeared.

By the time he was done drawing, he was by himself. Taking his time climbing the ruined steep stairway, Cyril busied himself with inspecting every rock and statue along the way. Despite how long it took to reach the top, the eclipsed sun was still high in the sky. "Hmm, maybe I should've brought a timepiece with me? I can't really tell if it's just me or if everything feels like it's moving slower." Now standing at the ruined gates of the Eclipse Mirror Temple, he shaded his eyes as they followed their line of sight into what remained of a once-grand temple complex. It was so quiet…too quiet.

Pulling out his wayfinder's widget, Cyril tentatively walked in. Not even the sound of the wind was in this valley. None of the surrounding landscape looked familiar, so he wondered where this place used to be before it got trapped in this weird space-bubble. When he was a kid, his mom tried to explain to him what a pocket dimension was, and that was how she described it. Looking at it now, it made sense. Yet somehow, this space-bubble separated from everything else in the world still had the sun. What if this was a fake sun? He mulled over the thought for a bit. "Even if it's a fake sun, it still counts as the real thing in here. If everything in here isn't real out there, then that means it is real in here." Satisfied with his train of thought, he continued exploring the area. 

From the way he saw it, there were a lot of buildings but most of them were missing most of the roof or just exposed walls. The few that were intact looked very old. The main hall of the temple was in the best condition, while there were other side wings likely meant for other things. There was a watchtower nearby where he spied a large patina-encrusted bell hanging at the top. The shape was more like a barrel than the standard form, so this location originally wasn't from Canelux. Giving a quick look around to check he was safe, he started sketching the bell tower. The silver-haired young man stuck out like a sore thumb standing around with a sketchpad and pencil in hand.

Author: Dala, Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 10:28 PM, Post Subject: Beyond Silence [O][R?][Event]

Dala's eyes shot open to see a blackened sky above her. There was a pounding in her head and she could feel a bruise somewhere on the back. She sat up, staring into space for a moment as she tried to remember what happened. There was an argument on one of the ships she was traveling with over whether it was better to travel by air or by sea. She had chosen air, due to her bias with her dragon. That was a mistake on a ship full of sea-faring sailors. The next thing she knew, she was brawling with the rest of the ship crew. Although she was a competent fighter, she couldn't handle everybody at once.

"Shit." She muttered as she reached for her bag.

Her hand closed around empty air and she took a look down and realized it was missing. The bag that held all her equipment, coins, and rations was nowhere to be seen. Those blasted sailors! Dala shot to her feet and reached for her sword, only to find it too was missing. Did they want her to die? She knew she had insulted them but this was ridiculous! Luckily her pair of hidden daggers were still there and she was relieved that she wasn’t completely defenseless.

Dala turned her head and realized that she wasn't even on the ship anymore. It wasn't a beach either. She was in some sort of valley with broken statues but something was off about it. Besides the eclipse and blood moon, everything was silent. Valleys were supposed to be filled with crickets or birds or any other sounds. Even the sound of the wind would do. But there was only silence.

The young woman took a look at her clothes, trying to figure out how she had gotten here. Surely the crew wouldn't have bothered to drag her all the way inland. Even if they hated her they wouldn't have enough hatred to bother that much. Her trousers had spots of sand clinging to the fabric and a few grass stain streaks. The crew apparently had dumped her on the beach, even her hair had bits of sand in it. The grass stains suggested that something dragged her off the beach and into this strange valley. Confusion wracked Dala's brain as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on. If it was a monster, wouldn't it have just eaten her?

"Standing around doing nothing isn't going to help," Dala told herself.

An eery broken temple stood in the distance, practically begging for people to get trapped inside. She wasn't keen on entering but if whatever dragged her off the beach was in there, then there wasn't really much of a choice. The young woman raced towards the temple, keeping an eye out for danger and her ears out for any noise beyond silence.