Author: Dala, Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 11:15 AM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
“Let's head home then.” Dala sighed then smiled towards Mira, “But I’m glad you got to visit this place.”
The teenager stood up and went to inform the captain that they were finally ready to sail back to the island. For the rest of the trip Dala decided to do nothing but relax with her friend. When they got back to the island she decided to let Mira tell the story first. Dala and Simone would be able to talk later. She borrowed one of Mira’s many fish tanks to put Briar fish in until she could find the cure for such a curse. It was another thing to add to her list. They never found mounds of treasure or got to sell the artifacts but after seeing what happened to Briar she no longer cared about it anymore.
She still felt bad about what happened to Briar. But she realized something else too. She and Briar had similar attitudes. If Dala didn’t have her parents or her friends… she might have ended up as a bitch fish too. The thought was unsettling. The teenager shook her head and gave out a sigh. Maybe once Briar was back to normal she would be able to change her world perspective. Dala gave up on the pondering and jumped into her bed, preparing for tomorrow. There was a new day waiting for her with new dangers and new adventures.
Author: Vajra, Posted: Mon May 24, 2021 9:37 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
She puffed her chest out with confidence when Dala cheered for her. She wasn't sure if it would work, but it did! Then came the questions, and Mira did her best to explain. Shrugging her shoulders, she said: "It was a lucky guess? If it tried to take me, I'd just headbutt it until it runs away." Being stubborn was something she was known for, and she never really grew out of it. Her family would sometimes joke about it since they knew she was the orb, calling her 'hard-headed'. "Good thing it didn't know I was actually away this whole time, otherwise we'd be in big trouble. The first time I woke up was in Baltil in a dragon's stash and I have no idea how long I was in there so…" Some thing were better left unsaid. Her friend then realized that Briar wasn't in water anymore, and Mira quickly pulled up another water bubble to surround the fish.
"Whew! Almost forgot. Yeah, I think we had enough fun for one day. I think the captain probably would want to go back too." They did just narrowly avoid a bad encounter with a sea dragon after all; the little ship could've gotten flipped or smashed to bits. The ride back to Sidhiel was much quieter and shorter than when they set out with one of them now a fish. Mira checked her belongings to make sure everything was still there before preparing to go back home. She decided to leave the issue with Briar to Dala since her friend knew her better. She couldn't wait to tell her family what had happened! But maybe in small chunks–her family might try to pick a fight with the dragon even if it didn't do anything to her.
Author: Dala, Posted: Sat May 22, 2021 2:32 AM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
The teenager was worried for her friend but she pushed those thoughts away. She had to trust in Mira, else the girl might not trust in herself. Powerful waves rocked the boat as Mira floated above the ground. Water splashed violently as the massive head emerged from the depths of the ocean. Glittering gold eyes rolled towards their boat as the rest of its body unveiled itself. The dragon's power radiated off of every simple movement it made. Whenever it moved its body, powerful waves were created in the water. Dala clutched onto the edge of the boat, trying to keep herself balanced.
A booming voice filled the air as Mira held up the orb above her head. Mira made a bold declaration which the dragon responded with fury. For a moment, Dala dreaded an incoming fight with the creature. But when Mira told the dragon who she was, it seemed to calm him down. It seemed he wasn't aware that the orb had become something more than just a jewel. She had become a person. There was a sadness to the creature's voice but a sense of understanding had passed between Mira and the dragon. The creature vanished underneath the currents and left them alone. Once it was gone, Dala sat by Mira's side.
"Now I realize you're not a princess. You've gotta be a queen!" Dala declared, half joking "But seriously how did you know that it wouldn't drag you back there once it found out?"
There were so many things about Mira that Dala was still ignorant of. The teenager still accepted her friend completely but now she realized the layers of her friend. The feeling of something flopping around in her hand drew attention away. There was a red fish in her hand and suddenly Dala remembered Briar fish. She motioned for Mira to give it another bubble to prevent it from drowning on land.
"Well we'd better get back to the mainland." Dala said with a stretch, "Simone will kill me if you're gone for too long."
Author: Vajra, Posted: Fri May 21, 2021 2:08 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Even with the girls' confidence, Mira was nervous. They were pretty close to Sidhiel, and having a dragon show up wouldn't be good. Gripping her orb, she gave her friend a nod before turning to face the sea. In the distance there came a swell that slowly grew until something broke the surface. Waves rocked the boat as Mira began to float instead of trying to keep her footing. A large scaled head emerged, white foam and sea spray falling off of the great spire that was the dragon's neck. Gold reptilian eyes glowered down from above as a shadow fell over the little vessel. A lithe and slender, serpentine form was revealed from the ocean blue. Serrated fins and a streamlined body accentuated its powerful muscles. The sea calmed as there was a stifling silence. When Mira and the dragon made eye contact, the girl raised up her orb above her head. The steam hissing from its nostrils stopped as a look of confusion and bewilderment flashed across its eyes. A voice that echoed like the rumbling waves reverberated through everyone's ears.
"You… Do you know the significance of what you hold in your hands?"
Mira's purplish-blue eyes stared back in defiance. "Yes, I do." When faced with the great sea dragon, her mind finally cleared. "As the symbol of divine right, my word is absolute. As the heart of the kingdom, I am the will of the depths." Fragments of words she had heard so long ago now came back to her, forming her declaration against the dragon. But this time, they held a deeper meaning. She wasn't the heir to a forgotten land lost to the waves–this was her command, as the very jewel of that ancient land itself. "–Those who oppose me will bear witness to the wrath of the seas! This is my order!" The great rumbling voice spoke again in reply,
"And by what grounds do you declare your orders?" Tucking the orb beneath her arm, she pointed the thumb of her free hand at herself. "Because I–am me!"
The glittering sunlight shone on the orb, reflecting the same color in her eyes. It was then that the dragon understood.
"It appears time has passed so quickly. Although the waves hold their ruins, you alone still remain. I shall leave you in peace, my vigil has finally come to an end." Its parting words were somber and melancholy, like it was realizing it had lost something that had been gone all along. It sank back beneath the waves, the currents swirling and settling until they were calm once again. Whatever history that had happened between the kingdom and the dragon was now over. The only witnesses left to carry the memory were the depths of the sea. When the dragon was gone, Mira let out a sigh of relief. "I think we're safe now." She said, flopping down on the scrubbed timber boards. She didn't know why, but for some reason she felt sad.
Author: Dala, Posted: Wed May 5, 2021 8:01 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Dala knew that her friend was powerful but this was a sea dragon. Was she so powerful that even a dragon feared it? If so, she really was glad Mira was Simone's daughter. Nobody would try to manipulate or capture Mira if Simone was around. The bubble of air was recreated and they slowly ascended to the surface. Despite the underlining fear of the sea dragon, she couldn't help but admire the beautiful ocean. The waters were so calm and clear and unending. The fish… the fish were nowhere to be seen. The only exception was Briar Fish but she wasn't that pretty of a fish. Soon the city began too look like a tiny dollhouse version as they went further and further from it.
Suddenly, the bubble swung to the side and something was moving in the distance. As promised, Dala held onto Brair as the scaled body rushed by them at rapid speeds. The bubble spun through the water as the body continued to move. The teenager couldn't even focus on the dragon due to the spinning. The creature made a sharp turn and charged directly at them. Mira was quick-thinking and created a powerful vortex, propelling them to the surface. The girls were spat out to the surface and Dala took a deep breath of air, still holding onto Briar Fish. The waves carried them to the boat and Dala managed to board quickly
She found a bucket, dumped it into the sea and pulled out the sea water. Then she dumped Briar Fish into the bucket for safe keeping. A temporary space until they could deal with the sea dragon properly. Mira would need to focus her abilities and worrying about keeping a little fish alive wouldn't help. Dala quickly made sure Mira was aboard then watched the bright blue ocean for any sign of the sea dragon. It was impossible. The scales of that creature made it blend into the ocean better than any other creature.
"Mira. Are you sure you-" But Dala stopped herself.
There were so many days when people had doubted her when she was younger and even now. They worried so much and claimed her goals were just out of reach. The teenager gave a small smile and looked Mira in the eyes.
"You know what?" Dala said earnestly, "I know you can teach that dragon a lesson if it tries to bother us. I trust you."
Author: Vajra, Posted: Tue May 4, 2021 8:02 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Her heart sank when Dala told her the cube spell might have been here for years before they came down. "Oh…" Hopefully those fish managed to find water. And there was no way they could help them now. Mira did her best to keep a stiff upper lip and nodded, agreeing with Dala. Staying down here wasn't safe anymore, and they couldn't take the treasure either. It was better left down here where nobody knew about it.
"So what's the plan if the sea dragon shows up?" The girl paused as she stared at the floor, her orb hovering next to her in mid-air. "If it shows up and tries to attack us…I'll show it my orb. If that doesn't work, I'll knock some sense into it." Her tone was dead serious. "My orb is an important thing that only the ruler of this kingdom would have–if it's the same dragon, then it'll remember." Her fists clenched, then unclenched as she held the water bubble.
She remembered being scared as she ran away from Cordath when she first awakened, but right now this was different. She was in the sea, where she belonged. It didn't matter if it was a dragon, she'd beat it up if it tried to hurt Dala and Briar. She had the advantage. "Let's go. If the dragon or something big shows up, hold onto Miss Red Fish for me, ok?" Mira was confident that they'd be able to return to dry land safe and sound, dragon or no dragon. Even if it tried to eat her, she would be ok. She was tough, something like that wouldn't hurt her. Once they were preparing to leave the safety of the magical air pocket, she began to recreate the bubble that the girls used to travel through the water.
Everything was peaceful as they began the slow ascent. Even though they didn't swim down, it was safer to gradually rise upward. The pressure on the bubble began to decrease as the buildings on the sea floor were growing smaller. Mira concentrated on manipulating the current to push them up, until a sudden change in the flow made the bubble swing to the side. She quickly held her arms out to the sides to stabilize, then noticed something moving in the distance. Her purple-blue eyes went wide as she gasped. "Here it comes!" Something with a scaled body that looked a mile long rushed by them, sending the bubble spinning through the water. Its body seemed to stretch on forever and its hide blended in with the ocean. Its top scales were darker and iridescent to reflect the water, while the underbelly was lighter to resemble the skies above–a streamlined, finned body that was perfectly adapted to an aquatic environment.
After making a sharp turn, it was coming back towards them. Mira had to act; she couldn't fight while keeping the bubble up. Churning the currents, she created a vortex that propelled them to the surface. "We're going up! Hold tight!" The calm ocean began to swirl, until a large water sphere with the girls was spat out. The waves carried them to the boat where she started pushing Dala to get on board first. "Hurry, it's catching up!"
Author: Dala, Posted: Sun May 2, 2021 11:25 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Luckily, Mira was quick-thinking and managed to save the fish before it ran out of breath. The teenager backed away from the treasure and stood by Mira's side, glaring at the fish. If Briar had waited one more moment then Dala could have warned her. But instead, she went and did something stupid for the sake of gold. Dala liked money as much as the next person but a pile of treasure untouched was usually suspicious. Then Mira mentioned the other people and Dala let out a small sigh. There was something she had to tell Mira.
"Mira… that box and that spell could have been here for years." Dala admitted, "The elvish language is fairly dated in comparison to modern elvish. I'd say maybe forty or fifty years? If the fish are still alive, it would be impossible to tell them apart from the regular fish."
Dala disliked the idea of crushing Mira's hope for survivors but if she didn't tell her friend now, they would be on a search for nothing. The situation was grim which was why she never mentioned this earlier. The only reason why the spell for air survived was that it was written in stone. The spell would last until the stone broke or until someone changed it with magic. Suddenly the inside of the temple went dark as something above them passed overhead. A chill ran down the teenager's spine as she realized there was something else they had to worry about. Whether it was a dragon or some other giant sea creature, she didn't want to find out.
"Yeah, let's get out of here." Dala said, "As for the Briar bitch, I'll take responsibility for her when we get back on land. I'm the one who brought her, so I'll find a spell to fix this mess. Hopefully."
Her anger for her stupidity was still in Dala's heart and it would be a long while until she called the fish by her proper name. She would be known as the Briar bitch for a very very long time, even if they find a way to make her human again. Ignoring the thoughts of just chucking the red fish into the sea, she instead focused on how to get the both of them back without becoming dragon food.
"So what's the plan if the sea dragon shows up?" Dala asked as she followed Mira's lead.
Author: Vajra, Posted: Sun May 2, 2021 10:53 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the clicking. Running after Dala, she caught a glimpse of the two girls arguing before the older girl pushed the blonde aside and greedily started grabbing the old offerings. Mira looked on in horror as Briar was transformed into a fish, falling the floor with the coins surrounding her. Immediately she scooped the red fish up with a sphere of water in a panic. Her purple-blue eyes were wide, and she was hyperventilating for a bit until she calmed down. "Whew…" Even though she wasn't on the best terms with her, seeing a fish flailing around out of water made her act out of instinct. She stared at the pile of items, speechless. "Good thing we didn't touch anything. I didn't know this would happen." In a way it was a very cruel form of punishment; as the original people of this kingdom could just toss the transformed thieves into the sea. Survival in the ocean was far more dangerous if you weren't able to protect yourself.
While Briar would be fine for now, that raised the question on what happened to the people who arrived before they did. A lump formed in her throat as Mira shuddered at the thought. Turning into a fish after they made the spell to push out the water… "Maybe we'd better start looking for the other people?" Hopefully they were turned into something that didn't need to be in water to breathe–like crabs or a turtle. Suddenly the inside of the temple went dark as something passed overhead, blocking the light. Then it was gone. Maybe this underwater trip wasn't a good idea after all. Mira didn't know much about dragons; as far as she knew they liked collecting things and got mad if somebody tried stealing from them. But normally the dragons would be close to their stash pile so they could keep an eye on it. Was the temple like a fancy storeroom for the sea dragon's offerings? Did the sea dragon care about the treasure at all? She didn't want to find out.
"I think I still remember the path from the place I was kept and some of the temple's rooms. I never got to see the offerings because they were kept in a different place, so I don't know what else is in here." She looked down at the red fish swimming inside the water bubble in her hands, frowning and shaking her head. "We'll get you fixed after we get back on shore, so sit tight and keep swimming." Mira's tone said she wasn't mad, just disappointed.
Author: Dala, Posted: Sun May 2, 2021 9:37 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
"Ah, so there are dragons…WAIT WHAT?!" Dala spun around and looked Mira in the eyes, "A sea dragon?!"
Of all the things she had been prepared for, a sea dragon was not one of those things. Yet it made sense. The murals, the temples, all of it. They had to be worshipping something. There wasn't a mention of any deity with ocean connections in most of her history books, so it had to be the dragon Mira was mentioning. Dala took a moment to breathe in and out before looking back to Mira, slightly calmer this time.
"Well, we at least know what we're up against. As long as we don't do anything stup-"
Suddenly, there was a loud clicking sound coming back from the main room. Dala's eyes widened and she turned back towards the main room. She raced in there and spotted Briar standing next to the box, her hand still lingering in the air.
"Didn't I tell you to not touch it?!" Dala shouted.
Briar ignored her and walked closer to the box. The golden box in the center began to vanish, as though it was made of nothing at all. Another spell perhaps? Gold, treasure, and a variety of relics was the only thing that remained of the box. Dala's eyes widened in realization as she saw the treasure that had previously been hidden in the room. Briar drew closer to the glittering gold but Dala ran in front of Briar, blocking her from the treasure.
"It's not just treasure. It's a ceremonial offering!" Dala argued, "We can't take this!"
"I'll take what I want!" Briar said before shoving Dala to the floor, "Thanks for helping but I will do whatever it takes to survive. If that means stealing some stupid old temple's gold, then I'll do it. Besides everybody who lived here is dead. Who cares about them?!"
Before Dala could explain herself or stop Briar, she reached down and started grabbing the gold coins. The second her fingertips touched the treasure, her body began to glow a strange blue shade. A flash of light surrounded her and her body began to shrink. The light faded away and a red fish dropped to the ground. Dala's eyes were wide with shock.
"I…I wasn't expecting a fish spell." Dala admitted.
Author: Vajra, Posted: Sun May 2, 2021 6:01 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
"That's not a bad guess! I bet those sort of things happen more often than somebody being the a magical object." Mira was worried about how Dala would react, but she realized there was no point in worrying at all. Her friend wasn't somebody who wouldn't be friends with somebody just because they were different. With that now behind them, Dala shifted the conversation to a more serious topic. It had been ages since the last time Mira had been here in person, but she was determined to do her best to come up with information that could help. Looking around at the architecture that had sat beneath the waves for years, she put a hand to her chin in thought. "I don't think there should be any traps here, since this was more of a ceremonial place than a place to store valuables. Anything that would have value is already gone or turned to dust. But if somebody else has been down here for a while, then I can't say if this is true anymore. Like that magic keeping the water out."
This temple wasn't magical, it was just a building. There didn't seem to be much change in the structure and walls so it wasn't like there were hidden traps. Generally speaking, this place should be safe. However the mural back in the earlier parts they visited kept coming to mind. "…Oh. Um, actually there's something that's been bugging me for a while now after we looked at the paintings on the wall." Her voice was nervous as she was almost afraid to say it. "The people who lived in this city didn't just worship the sea. I remember they also worshiped the creatures that lived in it–like a sea dragon." Dragons lived for a very, very long time. Even if after the city fell, that didn't meant everything about the kingdom was dead. Come to think of it, they didn't run into any large sea predators on the way down, only schools of fish and turtles. "A-as long as we're inside, we should be okay. I think…"
Author: Dala, Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 12:24 AM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
The teenager silently listened to her friend speak, never interrupting and listening to every word. Her eyes widened with surprise when she said she used to live here. The temple and the city were old relics, perhaps 400 or even 500 years old. This new information made Dala realize one important thing. Everybody was older than her, even Simone's children! She was hoping to be the cool auntie of the family but now she realized that she was possibly younger than the majority of her best friend's children! It seemed everybody she knew was on some level extra-ordinary. Her parents were ex-gods, her previous teachers were either the undead or a goddess, her best friend was a super special phoenix, and another one of her friends was a magic orb! Dala didn't even know if she had any human friends!
Remembering this wasn't about her but about Mira, the teenager pushed those thoughts aside for some other day. She kept her face as calm as she could and listened to Mira's story. The explanation explained Mira's protectiveness of the orb and why she always had it with her. It explained why Mira was able to use water magic so well and her unique language that didn't seem to exist any other place in Revaliir. This was originally where she was from, though her memories of the place were fuzzy. Dala leaned against the wall, her mind deep in though when her friend finished her story.
"This… well its very surprising." Dala admitted, "Not in a bad way! But it wasn't what I was expecting."
Dala walked over to Mira and embraced her friend in a warm hug. It was the only way the teenager could think of to show Mira that nothing had really changed. She knew more information about Mira but her friend was still the same person she grew close with a long time ago. Pulling away from the embrace, Dala gave Mira a sort of half smirk before she started walking again.
"Not gonna lie, I originally thought you were a magical princess from a far away kingdom." Dala joked, "And that magic orb would help you reclaim your birthright or give you a magical transformation…. Or maybe I'm just reading too many books."
Dala then paused for a moment and looked towards Mira.
"So how do you feel about this temple?" She asked curiously.
Author: Vajra, Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 11:49 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
The tension in the air let up a little as Dala took her aside to talk. Things had started out fine in the beginning but now there was friction between everybody. There were more spells keeping the temple dry further in leading towards a place she knew she recognized. Now that they were by themselves, her friend asked her some questions. Dala was wondering why she knew so much about this place, since this should've been their first time here. Mira understood that it would seem weird, but it was hard to put everything into words. Crossing her arms as she thought, she did her best to put into terms that would be easier to grasp. "Well I guess you can say that I used to live here–but back then I wasn't really 'alive'…" Those memories were still faint as they were long before her awakening in the dragon's lair in Baltil. Anything past the time she was in this temple was a complete blank. "Mama never told anybody outside of our family, it's supposed to be a secret. But I think I should tell you." She trusted Dala, and felt that it was important to let her know.
She pointed at herself. "This isn't me–this is just a moving picture I made to protect myself. Even if I get hurt I won't bleed at all. And that's because it isn't my real body, my real body is…" Mira held up the purplish blue orb that had the same color as her eyes. "…This." She gave her friend a few moments to let that sink in. In retrospect it made sense. No matter where she went, Mira always had her orb with her. Even when she put it down, it would never be far from her. She was always carrying it in her arms or let it hover close by. People might have thought it was like a toy or security blanket, but in fact the truth was much deeper. It wasn't that she didn't want to be separated from the orb; she couldn't. The orb wasn't following her, it was the other way around. "A long time ago, the people who lived here kept my orb in a room in this temple. It was only taken out a few times during the year for important events by the queen. Only a certain people could touch it directly, everybody else had to carry it on a cushion or in a box. That's why I said there wasn't any treasure in the temple." The most important artifact hadn't been in the temple for hundreds of years.
"I don't know why, but somehow I ended up in a dragon's treasure pile where the dwarves live. I probably stayed there for a long time until one day I woke up."
Author: Dala, Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 10:29 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
There was something that Dala felt she wasn't seeing, it was almost in her face and yet she couldn't quite grasp it. Both Mira and Briar wanted to stay, so Dala sighed and gave them both a nod. If they wanted to stay, then she would do her best to defend them from whatever killed or happened to those elves. Maybe they were still around hiding somewhere? They weren't in this room, that much was certain. Dala had her hand on her dagger while Briar was still staring at the golden box, seemingly entranced by it. Dala carefully pulled Briar away from it and started investigating the other side of the temple.
"Lets find these elves as quickly as possible. And maybe we can find out what happened." Dala said.
Mira clearly knew this place from her references on what was supposed to be her and her knowledge. If this was a chance to help her friend discover more about her own past, then Dala would stay and do her best to protect them. She found an entrance at the back of the temple, a small hall that lead to another section of the temple. For some reason, this part also held no water. There were the same elvish spells that they had seen earlier.
"I'm going to stay in this main room. I want to have another look at that first spell." Briar declared.
"Fine. Just don't do anything stupid." Dala said before turning to Mira once they were alone, "If its okay to ask, what is this place to you? Did you once know of people who lived here or somethin?"
Finding out more about the connection to Mira and the temple might be the key to discovering what happened.
Author: Vajra, Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 12:44 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Dala was right. There was nobody here, no signs of the people who used to live here or anybody else. But nobody had mentioned people had gone missing, so it seemed like they were the first to explore this deep. Mira couldn't figure things out, so she moved on. Dala really wanted to leave now, especially since she was worried something was out there. While Briar still wanted to find any treasure that might still be left, Mira was reluctant to leave so soon. Looking at the main room she began to remember something from a long time ago–back when she was barely awake.
She would sit in a room all alone most of the time. But once in a while, people dressed in robes would come bring her out. They would carry her to a woman seated on a throne with a staff in her hand. As the woman held her, she would see people standing in the great hall of the temple, decorated with banners that shone when the sunlight came in through the windows. The windows never had glass in them. Vaguely she recalled the images of a blue dragon with a long body and no wings on those banners, wrapped around a circle. The woman on the throne would stand and raise her staff to the sky as everyone in the hall chanted praises to the Sea for its blessings, protection, and another prosperous year. Gifts of gold, crystal, and a precious white material were presented to the lady who had the staff. Mira didn't remember her face but she knew she was wearing something on her head made of gold and shells…
"I think we should be safe in here as long as we don't touch the magic box. If the people who made it are still here, then we should try to find them." She said, her face serious. Mira hugged her orb tight as she added: "They won't be able to last very long without air. It's not easy to swim so far down. And…I don't think there's any treasure in this temple anymore." The most precious thing that should be here probably had left long ago. If the banners she remembered seeing weren't here, then who knows how long everything had rested at the bottom of the sea? For some reason she kept wondering about the missing dragon on the wall. The people who lived here wouldn't remove something so important to them like that. What happened to this place before it sank?
Author: Dala, Posted: Fri Apr 9, 2021 10:45 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
"Nobody else knew." Briar said walking up to the strange golden box, "This thing seems to be elvish too."
Briar walked up towards the box with her hand raised, as though she was going to touch it. Dala quickly snatched Briar's hand to stop her. The redhead seemed slightly displease but gave Dala a nod and stood back. Their hunting for knowledge would have to stop until they could discover what really was going on. Dala instead began reading the inscriptions carved into the box, which were also in elvish. The inscriptions were a sort of seal that circled around the entire box.
"The seal roughly translates to sealed until the touch of a person." Dala said, "Or it could mean doom awaits inside. I'm still learning elvish."
"Didn't that mural display a bunch of gold and treasure? If this is a temple meant to give treasure to the ocean…then where is the treasure?" Briar asked.
Dala paused for a moment, starting to question if they could assume such a thing. There was a display of treasure but it could equally be some sort of metaphor. Then there were those pile of artifacts lying outside people's doors. There were only artifacts. No table or any larger furniture, nor was there any toys that a child might have. Just expensive pots and jewelry. Maybe there were people before them… who were looking for only treasures.
"Mira, Briar, I think we need to get out of this temple." Dala said with a sudden look of concern, "I don't think its safe here."
"Wait but we can't leave without finding the treasure!" Briar exclaimed.
"Look around! Where are the elves?!" Dala asked, frustration burning in her eyes, "I don't know when they were here but at some point they were! If they found all these artifacts, this city, and went back up to the surface then they would have told somebody! They would have taken those artifacts with them!"
Briar had grown silent with realization.
"Either they are still here… or something else got them." Dala stated.
Author: Vajra, Posted: Fri Apr 9, 2021 7:36 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Mira drifted a long, taking in the atmosphere of the long-abandoned temple. At first the place was unfamiliar, then she started to notice parts that she recognized. For some reason it felt…smaller than it used to? She had the impression that the place would be much, much bigger. The murals and wall art caught her attention immediately, and she spent a long time admiring the pictures. When Dala asked for her thoughts on what this temple was used for, the young girl gave an unexpected answer. "Really, you think so? It feels more like a place where people hold ceremonies to me. There's a lot of empty space with no chairs, the openings in the walls let in natural light. People would probably climb the steps back when it wasn't underwater." As she rambled on, it became clear that this was too specific for a guess. Stopping in front of one of the murals, she floated up to get a better look. "They're giving thanks to the ocean for protecting them and giving them life. But where's the dragon? Did the paint fade away?"
They chatted awhile until they went to explore the main room of the temple. When they entered, Mira's bubble was pushed back and she tried to hold it in place only to realize there was already air in the room. That was strange; why was this place dry? "Why is that shining box in the middle? That's not supposed to be here." Something like that never existed back when…back when this temple wasn't flooded. It didn't belong. Fear and worry formed in her stomach when Dala mentioned somebody else had gotten down here before they did. Maybe that's why this place felt more empty than usual. "Did the elves already take a look? I thought they didn't care about things in the sea." A thought entered her mind. "Hey Briar…did anybody else know about the stuff you found before you asked us to come?" As far as Mira knew, there should only be four people who would know about their plans coming here: the captain, Dala, Briar, and herself. Somebody must have snuck in while she and Dala were coming to meet Briar in Sidhiel. And whoever they were, they could read and write in elvish.
Author: Dala, Posted: Fri Apr 2, 2021 3:42 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
The temple inside was dark while the atmosphere in the center was quiet and peaceful. The temple had a long darkened hall that led to another section. As they went down the hall, Dala looked towards the walls of the temple and noticed the unique artwork. She paused for a moment and stared at it, wondering what it could mean. There were depictions of a pile of treasure and gold with several people around it, presenting it towards some sort of ocean. The girl wondered if the people here worshipped or at the very least, revered the element of water in some way.
"It seems this temple was made for worship or at least storage." Dala commented, "What do you think Mira?'
She was asking Mira rather than Briar, since Briar had already shown she was only interested in treasure and selling artifacts. Dala needed someone who held an interest in history and knowledge to interact with and help get new ideas from. Meanwhile Briar was just standing around impatiently, seemingly becoming irritated with the delay. Dala noticed this but chose to ignore it, as the history behind the temple was more important.
Once they discussed the mural, they moved onto the main room of the temple. Dala's eyes widened when she realized that there wasn't a single drop of water in this room. All the water of the ocean was being pushed outwards. The floor, the walls, and even the ceiling were all bone dry. At the center of the room was a large golden cube with several words written on it, words that Dala couldn't read. But when she looked at one of the pillars towards the edges of the room, she spotted a spell carved into it. A spell with words she recognized and what seemed to be keeping all the water out.
"….Someone else has been here before us." Dala realized. "This spell doesn't belong here. It's elvish."
Author: Vajra, Posted: Tue Mar 2, 2021 12:14 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Listening to Briar, that feeling in her stomach was getting worse. Mira let out a small huff as the others decided to look elsewhere for now. Shifting the water around them, she moved the bubble towards the center of the ruins where there were more buildings arranged in a sort of pattern. From the layout of the stonework that remained, this could have been a central hub of some sort. The temple Briar mentioned was a building that stood higher than the rest, yet still covered by the waves as the aged structures formed artificial valleys on the sea floor. The buildings here were in better condition than the house they saw earlier as the strength of the currents was dispersed by their close placement. A ramp of stone steps that were almost completely worn down led up to what they assumed was the temple, the highest point of this sunken city.
There were no doors blocking their way in, and looking in from outside there was a long corridor that stretched far back to who knows where. Unlike the house from before, the open architecture was free from clusters of coral and mollusk colonies. There were fewer nooks and crannies for things to hide in. "I guess it's good that everything's underwater. It'd take us a long time to walk up the stairs." Instead they could just drift along until they were in front of the temple's entrance. If they wanted to find anything, they would need to go in. There weren't any signs of creatures that Mira could see, so they were going in blind this time. She looked at the two older girls as if asking what they wanted to do, but she felt she could guess what Dala and Briar were thinking.
"If it's too dark inside, I'll light the way with this." She added, making her orb float towards her. Hopefully they wouldn't get into a fight with anything. She had a few spells for breathing underwater in case they did though. The atmosphere in the center of these ruins was quiet and peaceful. Schools of fish passed over them instead of darting between the pillars and supports. If they had been swimming, they'd notice the water was colder here as well. It was like this moment had been frozen in time, or trapped in an unchanging bubble beneath the sea.
Author: Dala, Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 2:30 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Dala finished staring at the beautiful ocean and listened as Mira pointed out the stuff looked like it had been moved. Her brow furrowed as she realized her friend was right, there was something strange about this. Mira was their current expert on the oceans and everything in it. If she thought something was strange then there was a problem. Meanwhile Briar seemed to be focused on the relics laying outside of each home, her eyes narrowing as Mira continued talking.
"Maybe if we just take the relics from the outside then? We don't have to go into the homes if the relics are already piled outside." Briar suggested.
"I don't think that's a good idea-" Dala was about to say
"Look we want to get this stuff as soon as possible, right? How long until somebody else takes this chance away from us?" Briar quickly argued, "You grew up on the streets Dala. You know what people are like. They'll take everything and leave you with nothing. If we don't take it now, then somebody else will."
"Mira, what do you think?" Dala asked turning towards Mira.
Dala never liked the idea of jumping into things but she knew Briar's words held some truth to them. It would be only a matter of time before other people came flocking in to gather everything and leave nothing behind. Yet, the teenager was beginning to wonder if they should even be here. These ruins were once somebody's home, these items were once somebody's stuff. Did they really have a right to just enter and take whatever they want?
"If you guys are really that scared, we can always just go into that temple instead." Briar huffed, "It's probably sealed so we won't have to worry about dangerous animals."
Author: Vajra, Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2021 1:41 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Mira moved the water around them so the three would drift closer towards the old sunken buildings. From above, she could see that there were many buildings past it, almost like a city. Any decorations that had been on the outside were either overgrown with coral, mollusks, or algae. This place felt…familiar somehow. She had played in sunken ruins a lot when she was little before she became part of the Terrowin family, so maybe that was why. But these ruins were comforting in a way she couldn't explain. It would've been a pretty place back when it wasn't underwater, and it was still pretty now. "Hey, there's a bunch of stuff outside already. There's a lot of stuff growing on them too." Dala's comment didn't go unnoticed as Mira realized how unusual this was. "Is it just me but…doesn't this stuff look like they were moved out by something or somebody?" Ocean currents couldn't pick things up and pull them out of holes to drop them in neat piles. While Briar was getting ready to start collecting, Mira was feeling uneasy.
"Maybe we should check to see if anybody's home? How about we toss a rock inside and see if it comes back out?" Old ruins were basically cave houses for sea creatures. No matter what was living inside, they were technically trying to enter their safe space without asking. Finding a good home wasn't easy either, so she didn't want to force something to leave after settling in. Life under the sea was colorful but also dangerous. The friends she brought back home in her room were living the best lives any fish, turtle, or crab could. No worries about being eaten, no worries about finding food, and a safe home that would always be clean. She started to wonder if they ever missed their life in open waters, just like how she would miss swimming in the ocean from time to time. Were they really happy? She'd come back to those thoughts later. First she needed to see what Briar and Dala wanted to do next.
"Sometimes animals get nervous if strangers come close to their home." She added. There was also the unspoken worry of it being a predator that liked to wait for its food to come to its door. Even if she could never drown, Mira's orb was why she hadn't gotten eaten by a big fish or sea monster. She hoped they wouldn't go in and just move on. She didn't want the other two girls to get hurt. Since these relics weren't disturbed and overgrown, they could always come back another day if they didn't finish seeing everything.
Author: Dala, Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2021 8:32 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Dala and Briar both entered the hollow water sphere. Briar seemed slightly concerned at the bubble's stability but Dala seemed completely unbothered. The teenager trusted her friend. She knew that if Mira thought this would work, then it would work. The bubble descended into the watery depths and into a new world. The land in water was a mix of sand and stone. The colorful coral grew like any plant on the rocks and sand. One coral was like a pink ball of hair, only with the strands of hair being much bigger. Orange fish with stripes rubbed itself all over this coral. Another one looked like a blue fern and swayed in the power of the waves of the ocean. When Dala looked upwards, she could see the white sun and the crystal blue waters above, sparkling.
A nearby passing school of yellow fish caught her attention. They moved as a group and reacted as a unit. If something scared one of them, it scared all of them. Yet there was something about the way that they moved that made Dala think that they were doing this as a way to protect each other. The school of yellow fish surrounded them then swam towards a purple coral that looked like a bunch of sticks growing out of the ground. The teenager's eyes were wide with amazement as she gazed at the ocean around them. Everything was so alive! Whenever Dala ever thought about the ocean, she imagined a bunch of water with fish swimming around, like one of those aquariums that Mira always love. But this was far grander and held so much beauty.
"I've never seen anything like it!" Dala exclaimed, "It's like a different world down here."
Meanwhile Briar had been focused on looking for a sign of ancient ruins or some sort of place where the pottery piece could have been from. Her eyes scanned the ocean floor until she spotted exactly what she was hoping to find. An small building covered in seaweed and coral lie in the distance. The building was made up of stones and was partially built into the hill at the bottom of the ocean. If they swam closer, they would find multiple buildings with a pyramid type of temple in the center of the city. Fish swam in and out of these buildings, treating it like it was just another rock or cave that occurred naturally on the ocean floor.
"Over there!" Briar said, "That's what we're looking for."
The walls were covered in graffiti in a language from long long ago. A silver eel slipped out from one of the doorways and slithered onwards while tiny little fish followed and started eating the dirt on the eel. The strangest thing Dala noticed was the piles of items left outside of each house. Every single house had a small pile of relics sitting outside the door, covered in algae. The teenager wasn't an expert on ancient ruins but she had a feeling that the relics should have been inside the ruins, not sitting outside the ruins in an orderly pile. Dala looked to Mira and gave her a quick nod, as if to clue her in to the strangeness of the relics.
"So much stuff to collect." Briar said with a smirk, "Lets get started."
Author: Vajra, Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 7:13 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
"Hmm, so that's why." So any elf who thought they were better than other people were 'high elves'. This was completely wrong, but it made sense to Mira. Was that why people called dwarves that? But if they weren't the shortest around, then it would probably be because the name stuck. She listened to Briar's explanation on how she got the piece of pottery. Bits like that could get swallowed by big fish if something they wanted to eat was on top of it. Sea creatures were pretty good at discerning the difference between food and non-food, since they had to rely on smell more than eyesight. "We'll see if there's ruins once we get to the bottom. Sometimes the waves carry stuff and the currents dump things when they swirl together." Mira replied to Briar's guess on what would be down below. They were far from shore and Sidhiel was a dot in the distance. While the other two older girls got their equipment, Mira brought her backpack and its contents.
Dala was worried about her pushing herself too far, but like Briar she felt she was ready to go. Putting her hands on her hips, she smiled confidently. "I'll be ok! But let me think about how I'll get us down safely." She could move large quantities of water, but parting the ocean was too much. There was much more here than in Jasumin Lake. Instead of moving the waves, it would be easier to make a big bubble to carry them down until they found a spot that was dry. "I got an idea." Her orb rose into the air and began to glow as a stream of water swirled upward. More seawater started to gather until it formed a large translucent, rippling sphere like a giant drop of water suspended above the ocean's surface. "We can go down in this, like a bubble. Swimming will be harder the further down we go, so with this we won't need to go up for air as often." Fish and animals liked being closer to the surface or in the middle when it came to the depths of the sea. Fish could do it because they had gills, but animals still needed air breaks from time to time. She didn't need to worry about the water pressure or drowning, so this was more for Dala and Briar.
Mira's purple-blue orb entered the hollow water sphere and she opened it up to let the other girls join. When they were all inside, she would close it and the encapsulated space would descend. The water barrier was dense enough to ensure they wouldn't fall out when they stood on the floor, but it was like they had a window to an underwater world. Fish swam by in groups while everything was tinted in blues. Below the water's surface there were mountains and valleys that went unseen by the world above. Strange plants attached to rocks swayed like they were blown by a breeze, while corals clumped together to make big hills of unusual and bizarre shapes. Mira moved the bubble around so the other girls could see if there was anything they wanted to look at up close. "If you see something, tell me which way to go and I'll move us there." She said to Briar and Dala. "This is what fish get to see everyday, isn't it pretty?"
Author: Dala, Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 6:22 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Briar's slight rudeness hadn't passed Dala but the blonde felt there was a reasonable explanation. Briar grew up on the streets and had been there far longer than even Dala had. Both her and Mira had found families and had spent many of their years with a comfortable home available to them. At the end of the day, Briar had no home and nobody to call family. Dala reasoned with herself that any rudeness was a product of her past and completely excusable. However, the high elves had little excuse for being so rude.
"They're high elves. They have habits of thinking they are better than every other species." Dala explained, "That's why we call them high elves. Cause they're on a high horse and refuse to get off."
Most of her information had come from books about the subject. It something different to see it in person. The way that they treated them reminded Dala of when she used to be a poor orphan scavenging the streets, looking for scrapes of food. People used to hate her and call her a rat. They whispered behind her back and used to treat her like garbage. It was only when she started to dress better, had more money, and gained her own sense of confidence that they stopped picking on her. She had made herself a harder target to torment. Dala stared out at the ocean, watching as the deep blue waves danced in the distance.
Meanwhile Briar had been relaxing on a chair with her feet propped up on the rails. Ship sailing came easily to the young woman and she seemed far more comfortable than on land. When Mira floated over, Briar inspected her for a moment. The floating girl's unique orb had caught her attention. It was a unique item that would probably sell for a pretty coin. Yet, when she saw Mira, she looked away from the item, deciding against that line of thinking.
"One of the men working on the ship found it in his meals. They'd gone fishing in the Nyella Ocean. Bobby over there almost broke a tooth." Briar explained, "He tossed it in the can and I dug it out. Apparently other folks have been finding stuff in the ocean, specifically around this spot. I figured we'd find an ancient ruins filled with relics. I met Dala and told her about it, she mentioned how you had talent with water magic and could get us down there."
Eventually the ship came to a stop. The captain of the ship gave Briar a wave, signaling her that they were ready. Briar gave him a nod then picked up a few items stored on the ship. There were two grappling hooks with rope attached to it, water canteens, and some dried food. The supplies were given out to each of them with the grappling hooks given to Dala and one kept for herself. She didn't want Mira to be weighed down with metal. Dala looked over to Mira with a concerned look.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" She asked, "I don't want you pushing yourself too much."
"Oh she'll be fine!" Briar declared with an easy smile and gave them both a confident look, "Mira looks talented enough for any challenge!"
Author: Vajra, Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 5:31 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
So the pot shard was found by her friend, not Dala herself. Mira wondered what Briar would be like as they made the trip, and the voyage to Sidhiel was smooth. She stared out from the deck as they took the ride across the enchanted waters to the island off the coast of southern Parvpora. Everything here felt magical in many ways. The plants were blue too, and if they weren't going to meet up with Briar–Mira would have dipped her toes in to see if the water here was any different. She remembered traveling before being adopted, especially how hard it was not knowing where she could stay to be safe. She was glad she had a family now, and Dala had her family too. They found Briar pretty easily as she stood out with her bright reddish hair. Not a lot of people had hair like that, and it was very pretty. Dala went to say hi and she followed only to be cut off when Briar wanted to get on board as soon as possible. Mira didn't really like that, but she figured it had been a long time to wait since Dala invited her to come along. Mira was tagging along at the back, busy looking around at the city and the people before they went to dive. The city was different, very neat and elegant. It reminded her of the castle back in the lake country, but it felt less warm.
As they hurried along, the elves were acting really weird towards them. Fiori was an elf, but she didn't act weird. Were all the elves from other places like this? She would ask mama later once she was back from the trip. Briar and Dala couldn't wait to set out, and Mira was excited too. "I can't wait to see what the place looks like underwater! Even if it's old and broken down, there might be coral reefs and art that's left over. If we can find a pot that's not broken, that'd be good too." She couldn't help but notice that everybody here was interested in this trip for different reasons. Sure, treasure was nice and finding old stuff people left behind wasn't bad–but the last bit Briar said gave her a funny feeling. When Dala asked her how she felt about the trip so far, she gave a nod. "It's fun, but I'm sure it'll be better once we get ready to get our feet wet. I've never been in this part of the ocean before." She wanted to tell Dala about that funny feeling she had about Briar, but she wanted to wait until later. "Hey, Dala… The elves on the island were really weird. They kept looking at us and whispering." She wasn't trying to be mean, but they were acting very strange to her. Maybe Dala knew why.
Mira started to take out her orb from her backpack once the ship left the docks. Once they got to the spot where the shard came from, it would be her time to shine. The purple-blue crystal orb was tucked under her arm as she began to float above the deck, looking around at the ocean around them. The water color was different when you got closer to Sidhiel, it was normal everywhere else. When they were done for the day she'd buy some presents for her siblings to bring back and maybe find a new plant friend for Shaya. There were plants here that weren't in the garden, and if she could get flowers for mama they could add them somewhere. Floating by Briar, Mira asked the older girl: "So how did you find that piece of broken pottery?" The question had been on her mind for a while now.
Author: Dala, Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 3:13 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
Mira came back with Simone's permission and Dala was practically jumping up and down with joy. Going down to the ancient city would have been fun but it was better when she had someone she really knew. Their adventure together was going to be dangerous and though she liked Briar, she didn't know the girl terribly well. They had become fast friends but Mira was someone whom she felt would always be on her side.
"Briar is a street rat I met recently. She's traveled a lot and has plans to win fame and fortune." Dala explained, "I think you'd like her. She's a lot like us in a way, always getting into trouble. We met when we ended up running away after insulting a nobleman. Then she showed me that shard along with a few other items and we started making plans on how to get to this underwater city."
Once everything was settled and packed, Dala said her goodbyes to Simone and the family then left for Sidhiel with Mira. The journey was fairly nice, as Dala was being very careful to make the trip as enjoyable as possible and they had some extra cash, mostly thanks to Simone sending them along with extra coin so her daughter Mira could be treated like a princess. Instead of walking or sleeping in tent, they were able to afford wagons and decent taverns. The weather had shown them mercy and been fairly warm with few storms to worry about. Eventually, they arrived at the volcanic city of Sidhiel.
They arrived on the northern coast of the volcano where the high elves had their settlement. The southern half of the volcano was covered in smoke and ash while this half was practically a paradise. The gates to the city were open, as they always were. The high elves felt little fear to the creatures of the forest and worked with them to create their magical artifacts. They had so few visitors that the idea of having to worry about raids seemed ridiculous.
Next to the gates was a beautiful girl with flaming locks of auburn hair that could rival the sun itself. Her evergreen eyes twinkled with intelligence and her skin was as clear as they sky. Yet the girl's outfit consisted of a simple tunic and cheap trousers with a whole near the knee. Despite her beauty, it was clear she was born from the streets. She sixteen and had pretty little half elf ears sticking out from her bright red hair.
"Hey Briar!" Dala called out.
"You finally made it!" Briar said with a smirk,
"I see you brought your water friend with you. Mira, was it? Pleasure's mine. Anyways lets get to work. The ships just about to head out so we'd better head to the dock as soon as possible."
Briar seemed to rush through the introductions and began walking into the city, expecting Dala and Mira to follow. As they walked, multiple high elf eyes were looking down upon them with disgust. They never liked visitors and had a particular dislike for half-elves like Briar. They judged Mira, Dala, and Briar's clothes and posture, making snide remarks behind their backs whenever they looked away. Eventually they arrived at the ship and Briar invited them aboard.
"The captain owed me a favor so he let me get a quick trip to the part of the ocean with the city." Briar explained, "
Are you both ready for the adventure of your lifetime? Just imagine all the treasures and artifacts we can get! And just imagine the looks on those snobby elves faces when we bring back all this wealth!"
"Don't forget about all the stuff we can learn!" Dala said with a gleam of excitement, "Even if the paper's all soggy, they should have some pottery and other art pieces that tell the story of their city."
"Yeah. Right. That too." Briar said.
Dala turned to Mira with a big smile.
"So what do you think of the trip so far?" She asked, "Has it been fun?"
Author: Vajra, Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 1:50 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
"Oh, let me see!" To Mira, almost anything from the sea was a treasure. Special seashells, pretty sea glass, and old things that had sat forever in the saltwater until it grew a patina were all things she called 'treasure'. It looked like an old piece of a pot, and she frowned as her purple-blue eyes stared at the faded pattern. "It looks like a feathery snake. There's waves around it." Dala was excited about what could be down there, and Mira was sure that they'd find more interesting things if they learned where exactly this piece of dried clay was fished from. "Hmm, if they recorded stuff on things that weren't paper I'm sure we can find something. Paper and wood turns to mush fast in water." Her friend already found somebody who could take them there, so Mira packed some things before getting ready to go. "I'm going to tell Mama and Papá first. Where are we going?" The Nyella Ocean was huge and she was interested in knowing where this was from.
If she was going to dive with two other people, she would need to give them a way to breathe down in the water. Most people weren't like her or Ezili and needed air after a few minutes. Actually, it was impossible for her to drown–since her real body was her orb. Stuffing her orb in a backpack, she slung it over her shoulder and put on her shoes. This was her first trip this far from home in a long time; there was that night when she helped Fiori get her shells for a last-minute homework project but she didn't tell anyone. Mira ran out to find Simone and asked permission, letting her mother know she was going on a short trip with Dala. Since it was Dala, it was ok. Her face was beaming with a smile when she came running back.
"Mama said yes! Let's go! Oh by the way, how did you meet Briar?" She wanted to know what kind of person this Briar girl was, where she was from, and what she liked to do. This was her first time meeting somebody totally new. A friend of a friend is still a friend, at least that's how it was in Mira's eyes. Her curly long hair was tied back so it wouldn't blow in her face when running and she wondered if she had packed enough stuff for the trip. Most of her past memories were around the Luna Sea and around Onnen. If she had been in the Nyella Ocean before, it was probably too long ago for her to remember.
Author: Dala, Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 1:14 PM, Post Subject: The Ancient and The Ambitious [P][R]
"Mira! Mira!" Dala called into the hall, searching for her friend.
The teenager was at Simone's massive home and searching for one of her friends of the family. A few days ago, Dala had found something that she needed Mira's help with. Only she would have the magical power to get them where they needed to go. Mira was renowned for her talents with water and was the only person Dala could think of who would be able to handle this underwater trip. After a little bit of searching, she eventually found her friend.
"Mira I need your help!" Dala declared before pulling out a shard from her bag, "Have a look at this."
The shard was bright orange and held little designs of waves and unique looking sea dragons. The body of the dragon was a serpent with multiple scales covering its body. The head of the dragon looked like a lion's head with feathers decorating its face. The whole creature was decorated in bright colors with bright greens and deep reds. The shard itself was aged and many of its colors seemed faded. There were parts where the paint had chipped off after years of water damage. The overall style was incredibly unique, something Dala had never seen in all her travels.
"Apparently people have been finding little treasures like these in the Nyella Ocean." The blonde girl exclaimed, "You know what this means, right? There could be a city or a town down there! Imagine what kind of information we could find out about that place! What if they have an entire record on taxes? Or have a history I could look at to see how they handle things back then? It could reveal how I could handle things in the future with my own village."
Dala had been fascinated with ancient cities and their information. It was one of the reasons she had been travelling around so much. She wanted to discover how each nation handled their own problems. History always revealed some sort of pattern and always told educational stories on how to handle problems. If she was able to learn from them, she could avoid the pitfalls that countries of the past fell into.
"I met a girl named Briar, only a year older than me, who was planning to do a little investigation. She already knows a ship sailing past that ocean, all we have do to is figure out a way down there." Dala explained, "I was hoping that maybe… you would be interested in helping us out?"
