[Game Thread] Together Again

[Chekken]

Turin seemed distracted until Willow poked him. He gave a start before realizing it was only his companion. "Huh? Oh...oh yeah, she's pretty busy now. I guess I can't blame her. She took care of so many sick people when we first arrived, and now Black Grove needs her to heal this church." You had expected Turin to seem happy for Mazia, but there is disappointment etched all over his face.

"I didn't know that Mazia and Illya were acquainted. They seem to like each other quite a bit."

[Chekken]

Mazia suddenly sees Turin and approaches him. "Turin! It's been so long! I've...I've missed you. I've heard so much about what you've done. It's...well, it doesn't surprise me, to be honest. I always knew you would come through" She smiled wildly and bent over to give the dwarven man a hug. Illya glances over, and blows on his Ocarina more loudly.

[Emurian]

The Warrior watches over the commotion inside the church with interest. Mazia her frustration causes him to look towards Illya, sighing the man keeps his gaze locked upon the young musician while his face portraits that he is not pleased with his act. Mazia het word was law for now in the Church, and that meant that anyone visiting the Holy Place should abide her wishes.

Nonetheless the Paladin had no intention of wasting his time with solving trivial matters like this. He seems distant towards his companions as if lost in thought before he speaks up all the sudden.

,,It seems like Turin has his hands full on his girlfriend, I propose that the two of us are heading towards the Catacombs Willow so I can show you what I meant yesterday.''

[MystOtter]

Willows nods, like Emurian she preferred to get things done/ And being in the church gave her this odd feeling.

"I'm not sure how much help I can be. Maybe we can get something out of it."

[Chekken]

Willow and Emurian head towards the catacombs, while Mazia's voice and Illya's ocarina slowly fade away.

-------------

The catacombs are just as frightening as the first time you were there (particularly for Willow, who was seeing them for the first time). The strange red lights have dimmed a little bit, but as you step down the stairs, the brooding feeling returns. Your bodies are so hot, it feels as if you are standing next to a pool of lava. Even though Emurian has not used detect evil, the presence from this place is so strong that a twinge of pain courses through his body each time he steps, as if somebody had placed a bag full of needles in his boots.

The insignia is still on the wall when the adventurers reach it. It speaks in a low, super-human voice. "I am a magical device capable of seeing who is a believer and who is not. Those of true blood will be admitted: those who are impure will be shunned." Then, the insignia added a new part of it's speech that even Emurian had not heard before.

"She is coming."

A short, ominous pause followed, and then the voice spoke to Emurian in a calm voice. "We see that you have once again brought a non-believer to this place. You are like the pied piper of filth. Still, the girl has red hair, a sign that she is not nearly as filthy as the dwarf, who is a pariah in the eyes of Our Queen." The device spoke to Willow this time. "Our Queen loves the colour red. It is her favourite."

[MystOtter]

As they descended into the catacombs the feeling of dread greatly bothered Willow far more than the heat. She wasn't sure why she felt so hot but being around forges for a good part of her life helped her to deal with the heat.

I knew there was a reason why I didn't like churches

Once they reached the insignia Willow grew worried as the thing said those three little words, she is coming. It could only be referring to Aurora. But after that Willow couldn't help but giggle as it was clear that the thing didn't like Emurian. She hand a hand through her red locks. Willow always did like her fiery hair.

“It is right about me. I'm not a follower of any deity.”

Then she adding one last thing for the insignia, “Thank you, I like the color red as well.” She found the thing interesting, it had intelligence of its own.

[Chekken]

“It is right about me. I'm not a follower of any deity.”

The device spoke to Willow as if she had spoke directly to it, even though she had been talking with Emurian at the time.

"You do not yet believe in a deity, of this much We are sure. However, We sense that your intentions in coming here are mixed. You are curious to learn of Her ways, but at the same time anxious and un-trusting. Perhaps the dragonoid is not quite as much of an un-believer as we first thought, as he has brought another sheep to our flock. We sense that you were not coerced; you came here of your own accord. Tell Us...why did you come here?" The voice remained calm and unchanging: the tone changed up and down to express emotion, but was otherwise level.

Then, almost as an afterthought, the voice added, "...and you, dragonoid? You were not permitted to enter before. Our stance remains unchanged."

[Emurian]

The Paladin raises a eyebrow as he watches the exchange of words between Willow and the device. He hadn't expect her being able to converse with the machine but then again, he wasn't to sure about anything when dealing with this thing.

What even more worried him was that the device didn't seem to respond as automatic as it did before, instead it seemed to converse out of its own will, as if it was more then just a magical device. Narrowing his eyes slightly in response to the device his last remark he speaks up.

,,I am here to sate my own curiousity, I wasn't finished yesterday when I came here with the Dwarf. It was his motion to see our companions that made me halt my questioning as I was far from done.

You never clearly stated what I should accept from within to gain acces to Her domain, you said that I was a half-blood, capable of accepting something within me to be considered a pure blood. Or at least, thats the way how I interpreted your words. I pondered your answers for a long time yesterday but there is nothing I can think off that makes me a part of Her.

You said that I have seen Her before, that She has implemented some power within me that needs to be released. You said that I opposed Her teachings yet I only oppose Aurora herself. Are you able to shed some light about Her teachings and tell me how to use this power. If what your telling is true, then I should be able to evoke the power within me in some way to witniss Her teachings. Correct me where my logic is flawed.''

Clencing his fists the Warrior tries to sound as calm as possible while conversing with the device. His instincts where far from calm however as the constant stinging pain that racked through his body caused his guts to turn. In truth he hated to stand here, to talk to something that he identified as the enemy instead of applying force to cleanse this evil that defiled the Church. Reason was what kept him in control to take further action for now yet the Paladin felt that his patience was sorely tested with the cryptic answers that he received from his questioning. Looking at Willow his face betrayed his emotions in the form of a wary look, he hoped that perhaps his companion might be able to decypher the answers at the parts where he failed before.

[Chekken]

The voice chuckled, the eerie sound of the laughter echoing through the catacombs. It spoke in an angry voice. "You are a fool. You do not simply "evoke" Aurora's power, as if leading a cow to a pasture. You act as if you have even the slightest understanding...the truth is that you cannot possibly grasp such concepts. Our Queen's power is absolute. It has been passed down for hundreds of years, since the age of the Vetas Elves. It is only through years of studying, years spent understanding the Dark Art, that one may use even the smallest amount of Aurora's power."

"However, if you meant that you wish to enter here using what power you do have, then the possibility is certainly present. There is one specific part of you that contains Aurora's blood. Present me with Aurora's blood, and I shall let you enter."

[MystOtter]

"I was drawn here by my curiosity, much like a moth drawn to a flame. As much as I am a warrior I have an artisan's soul. Without that curiosity I would have never come. It's weird I felt more out of place in the main part of the church than here in the catacombs."

Willow placed a hand on the insignia. She never heard of anything like it before, it intrigued her.

[Chekken]

The voice was strangely warm and receptive to Willow. "You are here for a reason, red-headed human. Aurora has called you, and you have come to her meeting place: a place of great significance to Aurora. In this way, you are the first of the White Guards to submit to her will. This deeply pleases us."

"We shall make a deal with you. As you have guessed, I protect a gathering place for the Cult of Aurora. If you agree to complete an initiation on behalf of the Cult of Aurora, we will allow you to enter today...at this moment, if you wish. Only you may enter: the dragonoid and dwarf must stay behind. Your allies may assist you in completing the task, but you alone must complete the final stage. You may take as long as you'd like to complete the tasks. However, if you fail to complete them in a satisfactory manner, severe consequences will befall you and your allies. As much as we would not like to make a deal with an unbeliever, let alone a White Guard, we see that we could mutually benefit from this transaction. What say you, human?"

[MystOtter]

Willow was greatly surprised by the offer. Like it said, she was a member of the White Guard and they were the ones that were fighting against Aurora. She gave an awkward glance to her fellow warrior than calmly nodded to the signet as if it could see it.

"Tell me what I need to do."

She had no clue what she was agreeing to but she did anyways. It was more than just an opportunity to satisfy her curiosity. It was a chance to gather intelligence.

[Chekken]

"Good. We are pleased with your choice."

"We have been informed by members of our various chapters that there is something of interest on Sister Red. Deep within the volcano underneath Sister Red lies the body of the demon Ognus, who is preserved only by the volcanic ash surrounding him. This demon is of no importance to you. Our lore suggests that he and Our Queen were once in a quarrel over a trivial matter...likely some sort of treasure from an unlucky adventurer. The holy nature of this relic is matched only by it's value to historians."

"Your task is threefold. First, seek Ognus underneath the volcano on Sister Red. Secondly, steal the relic and return it to us. You are not to give the treasure to anyone else, no matter how much they offer, and you are to protect it with your life. If anything happens to the artifact..." The voice abruptly stops, and then begins anew. "Thirdly--and most importantly of all--you must humiliate Ognus. This is the final task we spoke of earlier: the one that only you can do. What do we mean by "humiliate"? Use your imagination. Research the topic. For example, if you had read a Demonology book, you would know that Ognus enjoys two things above all: bedding with humans, and creating offsprings. We are certain that you can figure out a plan based on those facts. This device lacks the intelligence to interpret data beyond the scope of the Cult and our beliefs."

"That is your task, Willow. Bring us the treasure and humiliate Ognus. Oh, and avoid fighting him whenever possible...he is far too powerful. Shall I allow you to enter the temple, or do you have any questions?"

[MystOtter]

Just the thought of humiliating Ognus made Willow smile. It sounded like it could be fun and to a demon no less.

"Can you tell me more about this relic that I'm require to retrieve?"

[Chekken]

"The relic is the crown of the legendary King Titus. It is engraved with a golden 't'" The device glowed a bright shade of red and the voice became angry. "After the Aurorian Wars, Titus took what was supposed to be Our Queen's, took her position as ruler of the Vetas Elves. While Aurora would have led the Vetans to a golden age of power, an age of independence and newfound respect for magic, Titus simply led the Vetans to ruin. Ognus and his demons supported Aurora's imprisonment. THEY ARE BLOOD TRAITORS!" The angry, booming voice echoed through the catacombs. "She is coming. And when she does, she shall wear the crown that is rightfully hers."