September 7th


Lloyd wakes when the sound of a fire bursting into life reaches his ears. With a yelp, he sits up. Kratos ignores him as he feeds the fire.

Daichi stirs awake. "Mph...What's goin' on?"

"Kratos startled me." Lloyd brushes it off, and some of the sand in his hair as well. Kratos turns, and goes back to his favored pillar, as Genis wakes with the voices, and Raine rolls over, muttering about ruins, and Colette sits up, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Daichi sits up, yawning. He, too, shakes sand from his hair. "Did I mention that I hate the desert?"

"I think you did..." Lloyd mutters, rubbing his eyes as well. Raine wakes completely, and spots Shikka.

"Noishe, did you roll in sand after cleaning yourself?" Raine asks. The large dog whines at her from where he was trying to wake Piers with the 'cold wet nose' treatment. "...." Her eyes widen.

Piers flails awake. "Noishe!" He sits up, pushing the overgrown puppy away from him. "What's everyone staring at?"

"...Incredible!" Raine crows, standing and moving over to Shikka. "I was unaware that felines could grow to such sizes!" Raine moves to run her fingers through Shikka's fur.

"Uhh.." Lloyd says, with a spoon half in his mouth. Shikka blinks up at Raine having just woken up. He stretches and yawns. Raine immediately pounces on him, running her hands through his thick main.

"I've never seen a feline with this much hair about the neck! Extraordinary!" the teens are drawing a bit back from the Professor, and Kratos looks like he's wondering where all the sanity has gone. Shikka looks scarred for life, flailing beneath Raine. Kratos seems to remember there was no sanity in the first place, and then ignores this all. Noishe stops trying to clean Piers, and heads on to sneak behind Raine.

"Not a good idea, Noishe.." Lloyd whispers, eyes wide.

"Amazing! And this is Shikka? Can you speak the common tongue while in this form?" Raine is oblivious to the sneaking Noishe.

"Uh...Yeah...Can you get off me?" Shikka has a whine in his voice.

"Remarkable!" Raine crows, backing up a little bit, but still keeping her hands in his fur. "How does the feline vocal cords produce the correct vocal-vibrations?! is it because of their larger size?!" She yelps, as Noishe gently grabs the back of her coat and shirt, and pulls her off Shikka. The animal was large enough to do so, and hold her there as well, backing up. Shikka stands, shaking the sand off before reverting back 4nto human form, stretching. Noishe gives Shikka a 'good choice' look, before releasing the healer, and fleeing as she chased him. Genis and Lloyd laugh at the pet.

Shikka winces. "Scary..." He whines slightly.

"It's OK." Colette says, coming up with a bowl of oatmeal. "She only threatens to dissect things." she doesn't realize this isn't the most comforting thing to say, Genis distracting his sister with food as well, while Lloyd brings one each for Daichi and Piers. Shikka has an x.x face as he eats. Daichi seems to have enjoyed the show, but is still moody. Piers yawns, still wiping Noishe's nose damp off him. Raine eventually calms down, they finish eating, pack up camp, and Kratos dissipates the fire with a bit of magic, picking up the now cool wood-remains and putting them into a sack for later use. Genis appears curious of the spell used, but isn't inclined to ask the man. They get ready to head for the ruins themselves. Daichi starts practicing Aqua.

Genis moves to watch. "This is Aqua Edge." he focuses for a short amount of time, then three rings of water form, and slice through the desert, hovering at a half-foot above the ground. They start walking into the ruins, more and more pillars around the winding path that Kratos finds. Noishe halts, whining.

"If I can't master Aqua, how am I supposed to master the second level." Daichi moans.

"Aqua Edge is the second level?" Genis asks, confused. "I didn't know that.."

"what's wrong, Noishe?" Lloyd pauses as Noishe whines again. Kratos halts, drawing his sword.

"Be on your guard." Kratos raises the blade to his shoulder level. "There are enemies about!" A pair of floating, round stones approach, the air heating in a mirage-shimmer about them, a few pot-like things as well. Daichi and Piers cast Aqua at exactly the same time, nailing a pot-being. Shikka shifts, pouncing at a floaty stone. the floaty stone cracks, revealing a ball of fire inside, sections of it floating out to create a barrier of sorts. Lloyd darts in, the other stone moves the square sections about the middle out in a beat, a red circle under it.

"Stop the Magic!" Kratos barks, slamming his blade into a pot creature that was too close to Colette.

Piers casts Diamond Dust. "Stand back!" He warns. The main target was the Fire Element. The ice coats it, then explodes. Lloyd crosses his blades in defense, blocking the shards from hitting his face and upper torso, and a minty green bubble covers Kratos from head to feet, deflecting the shards of the monster that came flying.

Piers smirks. "SuperCool!" He points at the pot-being, it being skewered by a large icicle. The monster that Shikka had pounced on shudders, and as Kratos retracts his blade, it dissipates.

"... This is going to be a nuisance..." Kratos sighs, watching as Lloyd puts out a fire on one of his weapons.

"What is?" Lloyd asks, looking at the singed spot. Shikka flinches from the flames.

"Ah." Kratos apparently didn't realize Lloyd would hear him say that. "Nothing." he sheathes his blade, turning to survey the party. "... Anyway, it would be a good idea for you to learn techniques to protect yourself." He addresses them all, and none in particular.

"Are you talking about self-defense training?" Colette asks, strapping her rings together and sliding them back under her cloak.

"Something like that.." Kratos has an interesting note in his voice. "Techniques to raise your defense during battles." He makes a slight shift in stance, and the green bubble forms around him again. "I'll show you how it's done. Once you grasp the theory, the rest should be easy.." he sounds like he might doubt that some of them will grasp it easily, bubble shrinking, vanishes. Piers knows that he can't learn it at all. Daichi doesn't seem wanting to defend. Lloyd learns one called Guardian, the Sages Force Field, and Colette learns Damage Guard. they all look the same, but they have to call out the names of the skill before it will appear. Apparently, Kratos was good at this.

"Ok!" Lloyd cheers. "I don't really get it, but I already feel stronger! I can't wait to try it out!" Lloyd says, pleased.

"I think you're just imagining things..." Genis sighs, shaking his head.

"Hmm?" Raine notices something missing. Something large, green and white. "What happened to Noishe?" Lloyd looks startled.

"I think he ran that-away." Piers points toward the exit.

"You're right. He's gone." Lloyd looks at the sand around them. "Ah, man, He's run off again." Kratos tilts his head.

"He's probably nervous about the monsters." Kratos turns for the path once again. "I think it would be best not to count on Noishe in places with monsters around.." Kratos finds their path again, and continues on.

They reach the remains of a stone building, a floor, a door, and a slat that looks different than the surrounding stone. a small pillar by the side.

"Say, is this the seal?" Colette walks over to the small pillar. "It has my family's crest on it..."

"Fantastic~3!" Raine cries, clasping her hands. Lloyd, Genis, and Colette look a mix of startled, and horrified. Kratos looks at the woman, then proceeds to ignore this. "Look at this slab covering the entrance!! It's clearly of a different composition than the surrounding stone!" Raine walks up to it."Hahaha~! It's just as I thought!" She crouches, running her hands along the slab.

"Shouldn't we hurry up and unleash the seal?" Piers says, shifting in the heat. Raine ignores this.

"This is polycarbonate, developed during the Ancient War to defend against magic! Oh, feel the smooth surface! It's wondrous! ?" Raine says, rubbing her cheek against the surface. Kratos appears a tiny bit disturbed.

"... Is she always like this...?" Kratos asks of Lloyd. Raine turns and examines the small pillar.

"..Is she?" Lloyd asks of Genis. Genis sighs.

"Take that as a yes." Daichi mumbles.

"..I've been trying so hard to hide it, too." Genis mutters. Raine appears to be reading the small pillar.

"Hmmm? This depression..." she traces some runes. "It reads, Oracle Stone." turning she beckons to Colette. "Colette, place your hand here. That should reveal the entrance."

"Really?" Lloyd looks at the simple stone pedestal.

"This Stone is enchanted with magic designed to identify the Chosen." Raine says. "there's no question about it." Raine moves asides so Colette can place her hand on the pedestal, and the polycarbonate slab moves into the side of the floor, releasing hotter air, and fire Mana.

"It opened!" Colette cheers. "Wow! I guess I really am the Chosen after all!" Watch as Lloyd, Genis, and Kratos sweat-drop.

"Yes, I think we all know that already." Genis shakes his head.

"I-I am gonna stay out here." Shikka says.

"Are you sure?" Colette asks, as Lloyd looks down the stairs.

"Ok! Now it's getting Exciting! Let's hurry up and go inside!" Lloyd looks enthusiastic, despite the heat.

"....I hope you will be able to maintain that enthusiasm...." Kratos mutters.

"Wanna bet on it?" Piers asks.

Shikka nods. "I-I can't handle fire. At all. Beast Laguz have a weakness to it, but...I just hate it." Kratos ignores Piers, but Genis shakes his head.

"There'll be fighting, I bet he won't get bored." Genis says.

"Oh..." Colette tilts her head. "So, are you sure you want to stay out here...?"

"I-I don't want to risk hurting people when I panic..." Shikka says, looking uncomfortable.

"Will you be OK?" Colette asks, even as Lloyd starts down the stairs, Raine and Genis behind.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me. Worry about releasing the seal." Shikka smiles. "Thank...Thank you."

"you're welcome!" Colette says, smiling.

"We will be gone most of the day." Kratos tells Shikka, before following Colette down into the ruins.

"That's fine. I like the desert. The quiet." Shikka says.

It's a long corridor, which reaches a circle-wall, with a door ahead, and to paths that loop around. the heat intensifies, but since it isn't sun heat, Lloyd seems to be fine. that red jacket of his must be a weird cloth. they finish a puzzle that involves using the Sorcerer's Ring to light torches, which raises platforms from the lava below them to heights that allow them to reach stairs, a few chests, and finally, a warp panel. Lloyd now has a pair of actual blades, since his wooden ones didn't last long against the Fire Birds and Fire Warriors that inhabited the Seal, curtsey of a chest. Daichi's casting speed gets better as they proceed through the temple. There was one close encounter with a chest that tried to eat Lloyd's hand, and it was resistant to all attacks. They wisely took the choice of fleeing for that battle, picking up a small collection of Red Quartz from enemies. The small crystals radiated heat, and Kratos paused them to show a small slot on their weapons, a standard feature, where the crystals could be placed. Piers heals any wounds with a burst of Ply. The second he places the quartz into the slot on his own blade as demonstration, fire wreathed it, then he knocked it back out, reminding them that Fire monsters won't be vulnerable to fire. they are currently gathered around the Warp. Colette, followed by Kratos, her Shadow, warp first. Piers is healing a nasty burn on Daichi's exposed arm. Raine follows, and then Lloyd.

"You two ready?" Genis asks, waiting before the warp pad.

"Yeah." Piers replies, the two joining Genis. Genis warps.

"This place is also built with Magitechnology!" Raine crows, looking at the surroundings. the room was cooler in there, despite the faintly visible sparks of fire Mana that floated in the air. "Absolutely Fantastic!" In the center of the room, is a similar altar to the one in the Martel Temple, but this one seemed to have more to it.

Piers looks around. "Wow..." Colette in the lead, they approach the Altar. it reacts, metal bars shooting into the air, a swirl of the same red Mana flaring into existence. Kratos reacts, drawing his blade.

"Ahh!" Genis shivers. "What the...?" the fire Mana in the air pools in, and forms three long shapes, two the same size, one much larger. Piers hands crackle with newfound Mana. Daichi draws his Axe. A large cat-tiger-thing, with large spikes running down its back, and two smaller, more raptor like creatures, but of the same patterning and spikes. Raine whips out one of the small lenses.

"Ktugach!" she shouts. "Water and Ice!"

"Two Ktugachlings!" Genis also has one. "They're both weaker than Vidarr, that big old Desian guy!" Lloyd nods, turning his sights on the large one.

"Tundra!" A storm of ice blasts at one of the smaller creatures, courtesy of Piers.

"Aqua Edge!" Daichi yells, firing the water bullets at the creatures. "D-Did I...?"

"Focus." Kratos barks, as Lloyd attempts to attack the Ktugach, and gets a tail-whip for his troubles. Lloyd yelps, flying backwards, and flips in the air to land on his feet before Genis. Again, green lights flicker about party members, although its Raine this time. Kratos is rather acrobatic, out there distracting the Ktugach and the Ktugachlings. one of his cape-tails is smoking. Piers keeps pelting the big guy with Tundra. Daichi goes in with his Axe drawn, joining Kratos in the distraction.

"Icicle!" Genis gets a new spell, a small glacier of ice striking up from the ground under one of the Ktugachlings, and with a cry, partially because the boy had aimed the spell under the creatures two legs, it vanishes in red Mana sparks. Lloyd jumps back into action, and with a slight glance shared between him and Kratos, use a co-op attack called Cross Thrust.

"SuperCool!" A larger series of icicles rise below the remaining smaller...thing. This one too vanishes, and Lloyd joins Kratos and Daichi in tormenting the Ktugach. With a swipe of hits head, it knocks into Daichi, then opens its mouth to roar flames at Colette, Raine and Genis.

Piers blinks. "Deluge!" Orbs of water fly at the flames. Raine holds her staff out horizontal, and her Force Field spell reaches the other two back-liners, protecting them from the fire that isn't taken care of by Pier's spell. Kratos dashes in, stooping to stand under the monsters jaw as he slices at its neck. Piers watches the monster, panting. It makes a ruined scream, and flops to the side, Kratos backtracking and Lloyd jumping away as it crashes to the ground, and vanishes. The Fire-Mana spirals out more, the bars shooting up once more to form some sort of light-holding like pattern, before a silhouette, of a buff torso and arms, small head, obscures part of it. the silhouette vanishes, and the bars hiss back down. The Mana remains there, but dims a little as the golden-yellow light starts back up.

"You, Chosen of Regeneration. Offer your prayers at the altar." Remiel's disembodied voice calls out.

"..Yes, My Lord.." Colette moves from next to Raine, walking past the slightly sooty companions, and kneels before the altar. "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!" Daichi watches, awed. He's never seen this. The spiral of red flows out, dissipating. a golden spark floats down, and flashes brighter, then reveals Remiel, exactly the same as last time. He gives a single flap of his wings.

"Colette, my daughter." Remiel says, his slightly glassy eyes only on the girl. "You have done well."

"A-an angel...A real angel..." Daichi mumbles, awed.

"Thank you... fa..ther.." Colette stumbles with the last bit, standing. Remiel doesn't react, and according to Kratos, the walls are more interesting.

"The Guardian of the Seal has fallen." Remiel proclaims."And the First Seal has been unleashed. Efreet will surely awaken soon. In the name of the Cruxis, I shall grant you the power of the Angels."

"Thank you, My Lord." Colette says, keeping her hands clasped in prayer. Purple-pink lights, a quartet of them, descend from Remiel's level and spiral down to Colette. she watches them, as to the other teens and Raine, fascinated, until they all dive in for her Cruxis crystal. with a faint twitch, the back of her cloak shifts, and wings of light, shaped like wedges of pink to purple, spread.

Daichi blinks. "A-Amazing..." Colette blinks, and shifts her arms, the new appendages slowly flap once or twice, then settle for a gentle fanning back and forth, shedding small sparkles of Mana, and pale pink-purple feathers, like down. She flaps once more, and floats upwards, despite the small size of her wings.

"The Angel Transformation will not be without pain." Remiel says solemnly. "Yet, it is but for one night."

"Angel Toxicosis...The rumors are true, then." Daichi mutters to himself.

"Be strong, and endure." Remiel continues, he doesn't seem to register anyone but Colette.

"I humbly accept this trial." Colette says.

"The next seal lies far to the east, across the sea." Remiel says. "Offer your prayers at that temple."

"Yes, Lord Remiel." Remiel vanishes, leaving white feathers that don't vanish like Colette's upon touching the ground.

Daichi picks up a white feather. "Wow..."

"I shall await you at the next seal, the Chosen of Regeneration, my beloved daughter, Colette." Remiel's voice echoes, and fades. Colette flaps her wings, and descends, turning around. Lloyd finds his tongue.

"Colette... has wings!" Lloyd says, awed.

"Uh-huh, and look, I can put them away too." Colette partially turns, and they vanish.

"This is so awesome." Daichi mutters, watching Colette.

"Oh, wow!" Genis rushes up to the step below Colette's. "That's so cool!"

"Here, look, look!" Colette poofs her wings out and in, flapping them rapidly, kicking up a small cloud of Mana Sparkles, and Genis jumps up and down excitedly.

"He said the next place is across the sea!" Lloyd says to the people next to him, Raine and Kratos on one side. "That means we get to sail on a ship! Haha! I can't wait!"

"Me either! I miss the ocean." Piers says, speaking up.

"A ship.." Raine looks a tiny bit green. "Hmm.. I wonder if there are any ships sailing with the way things are right now..."

"We should head to the coast to see what we can find, before making finite plans." Kratos says, turning for the exit-warp. Lloyd turns to Genis and Colette, who are still playing with her wings.

"Ok, you two." Lloyd grins. "We get it already. That's enough." Colette slows her wings, and then poofs them away.

"Ok." The two teens say in chorus.

Daichi stows the feather in a safe pocket... "I cast Aqua Edge..." He mutters, remembering. Kratos is waiting by the warp, arms crossed in what seems to be his standard stance. Colette hops down the platform, and leads the way out. Lloyd seems to be in a bit of thought, watching Colette's back. Kratos steps onto the warp before Colette, and then both vanish. It doesn't take them long to leave, a strait path out, and all the monsters seemed to have vanished. They come out into the late-desert evening. Shikka is laying atop a sand dune in lion form. He seems to be taking a catnap. Noishe is curled up next to Shikka, large tail over his nose. Colette spots them, and smiles, making her way over, when she collapses.