The wind escaped Steph's lungs as her back hit the hard, clay-covered earth. The splash of the broken waterballoon and the thud of another body caught her attention. She rolled her head to the side to see a slightly out of focus Max, kneeling a short distance from her with his hand underneath his red cap (which was glowing slightly). The ring, which Steph wore as a pendant, felt warm in the hollow of her neck, which was her final clue as to what had happened.

"Don't they usually warn us first, Max? Geez..." groaned Steph, sitting up. As a sky, yellowed by the rising sun, came into focus, a dark form approached her. She caught the familiar scent of leather, dirt and perspiration. "Ah, hey Norman," coughed Steph. "What gives, big guy?"

"My sincerest apologies, Mighty Ones!" replied a nasal voice from behind Norman, who was stone-faced as ever. The owner of that voice, Virgil, approached Max and continued. "Although I might add that had the portal not appeared in time, you both would have been in a much worse state than you are now." Norman extended a hand the size of a dinner plate to Steph, his sage eyes dull and cold, as they had been as of late. Steph took his hand and was firmly pulled to her feet, though staring at her dusty green converse sneakers.

"There's never enough time with you, Virge!" protested Max, getting to his feet with far more vigor than his sister. "You're always running around like a chick-"

"Fowl, actually" Virgil interjected, clearly having less tolerance for Max's antics than usual. "Please Mighty Ones, I need your fullest attention. We are currently in Mongolia, more specifically, the Gobi Desert. I have discovered that there is a Lemurian artifact in this area which could double - or even triple - the power of Skullmaster's Crystal of Souls. We have to find this artifact first and use the powers of the Crests to seal its properties."

"How's that work? I thought these things were just used for portals and travelling. And what's with the camping gear, big guy?" inquired Max, who had just noticed the small back pack Norman was carrying, bulging with dingy rolled-up blankets.

"We Lemurians were a race who's history was rich with magic," replied Virgil, dodging Max's second inquiry. "Magic is certainly not a black-and- white art; there are many grey areas and everything is connected..."

Steph found her gaze travelling up to Norman, who stood beside her, his eyes fixed on the agitated fowl. His chiselled arms were crossed in front of his broad chest, his brow pulled downward and his lips curled into his usual growl. Steph knew that Norman really only had two moods: blind rage and, well, anticipation of said rage. She could never recall a time that he had actually smiled, and after having to live 10,000 years after witnessing your father's death, fighting endless battles to keep a couple of smart-mouthed kids intact, who could blame the big guy?

The closest she had come to seeing even a less hardened side of him was when he was reunited with Mujaji, a strong and beautiful African warrior woman. One hardly had to guess that the two of them had been more than friends; Norman may have taught his lips how not to smile, but his eyes never lied. Steph never saw his eyes glow as they had when he was in the company of Mujaji, and after performing her noble sacrifice a few months ago, Norman seemed only to live for the adrenaline rush of battle, his drug to keep him free of despair. Before the encounter with Mujaji, Steph was able to joke with Norman, even tease the big brute, especially when he made that comment about having big feet. There were even times when he would spar with she and Max, each of the trio weilding long sticks. He never let them win, but he would always yield to her and Max (otherwise he'd have killed the two he was destined to protect, of course). Now Norman's eyes were as dull as the stone slab on which he slept. If being a warrior woman is what it took to get through to that man, then Steph was certain she was not willing to play the part.

"Er-hem!" crowed Virgil, his saucer-sized eyes locked onto Steph. She looked up quickly to see Max's snickering face and Norman's cold eyes also upon her.

"Ah, yeah Virgil, I got it." Steph stuttered. "We gotta get that thing before Skullmaster does and.. we... uhm..."

"As I was saying" moaned Virgil, followed by a sigh of exasperation. "I believe if we expose the artifact we're looking for to the magic of the Crests, it will act as a locking device, allowing only the Crest bearers to release its potency. Of course, this locking would only last, say, a few hundred centuries, and would have to be re-applied every-"

"Hold it, Virgil." replied Steph, hoping to win some points back by asking questions. "What if Skull Master gets the Crests and wants to use that thing?" She picked some bits of the desert scrub from her golden brown hair, to appear more casual.

Virgil looked up at her grimly with his glossy, yellow eyes. "Mighty One, if Skull Master ever obtains the crests, we will have far more to worry about than this one artifact."

The group was silent for a moment before Norman unsheathed his sword. "Let's roll."

* * * * *