Chapter 5
...
A loud, long buzzing noise in her ear awoke the young lens hunter. She shifted several times then lifted her head up, searching for the origin of the noise. When she found an alarm clock placed neatly beside the bed she briefly wondered how it had gotten there, then decided she simply didn't care.
Turning it off she sat up and was still for a moment, thinking.
"Last night...it's kind of hazy. I came back from my bath and then Stahn appeared. Then..."
A bright blush came across the girl's cheeks when she remembered specifically the events of last night. Fretting about it for a few minutes her worry eventually melted away to a content, warm feeling. Sighing happily she flopped back down onto the bed, wrapping the blanket securely around her body.
"It was...beautiful..." She whispered to herself, lost in the sweet memory.
...
Leon tapped his foot impatiently on the marble floor. Everyone was supposed to be ready to go and yet his sister was still missing. Though he didn't let it show too much he was sincerely worried about her.
"That's it, I'm going to go get her." He announced, turning to walk away.
"Don't bother! I'm here! Sorry I'm late."
Rutee bound up to them, bag over her shoulder, looking slightly red.
"You alright?" Mary asked. "You look a little flushed."
The girl laughed uneasily in response and nodded, touching her burning cheeks to try to cool them. "I'm fine." She lied. "I just had a nice dream that I didn't want to wake up from. But that's not important now, let's go to this new ship and get to Straylize temple!"
That was good enough for anyone. Taking the lead Garr lead the small group towards the castle's exit. Before they made their way to the ship's loading dock the monarch stopped and addressed the youngest of the group.
"Chelsea, I want you to stay here, it may get dangerous and I don't want you to get involved in it."
"What?!" She screeched. "No way! Where ever you go I go too!"
"Not this time. Stay here."
"But-!"
"No buts." He said sternly. "Don't worry, I will be back in a few days, I promise you won't miss out on too much and I'll tell you all about it when I return, alright?"
The girl seethed for a moment but nodded her head. "Fine. I'll stay, but you better bring Stahn back, I wanna know what it's like being dead."
Rutee buried her head in her hands. She hadn't needed to hear that remark.
Sensing the woman's distress Garr quickly stood, ruffled the girls hair then gestured for them to follow him. As they passed Chelsea waved at them, smiling. When she saw Rutee pass she caught her by the wrist and tugged.
"Yes?" The lady asked, slightly startled.
She blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that..."
Smiling fondly at the girl the dark hair woman nodded her head and continued on after the group. While walking silently she thought to herself how kids are funny, though she wouldn't mind having one or two herself some day.
"First, though, I'll have to bring Stahn back, I will not have anyone else's children!"
...
The small ship could barely occupy all five of the travelers, but then they had to cram in a pilot. The ride was rather long, but it wasn't too bad, to pass the time the five would swap stories and compare scars. Leon sat by with an unamused look on his face but reluctantly joined in when his sister yanked him to her side.
...
When the ship finally touched down in front of the forest that surrounded the temple it was a relief to all. Garr instructed the pilot to wait for them, for he thought that they wouldn't take long, but if they weren't back by nightfall to go to Hermenz. The man complied and wished them luck and then saw them off.
The party disappeared into the thick brush, remembering the times when they walked the same path under different circumstances. The trails had become more distinct and very few menacing creatures were present, if any. Birds flew overhead and the air was less forbidding and when the sight of the high temple walls came into view it looked like a sparkling castle.
"There it is." Philia said happily at the sight of her home.
...
The travelers walked through the large arches of the temple's entrance and waited patiently while the green hair priestess called for help. A moment later two young men came rushing to their side in aid.
"Philia!" One exclaimed. "We found what you're looking for!"
"Really?" She asked, overjoyed.
"Yes!" The other said. "It was in a book on religious legends and had a section all to itself. Come, follow us to the library and we can show you!"
Doing as instructed they trailed after the two, pleased that fate was being so kind to them. When they entered the room with sprawling shelves of books they realized how long it must have taken them to locate what they were looking for and became very humbled and grateful.
"Here."
The priest handed a small, red leather bound book to Philia, who flipped to the marked pages. She skimmed them briefly, taking in what she could. Closing the book after about five minutes she declared,
"I know where the next crystal is."
Rutee glanced at Leon, who returned her stare.
"You do?" the woman asked.
"Yes." Came the confident reply.
...
The air was warm and stale, still with age outside of the temple's 'hidden' storage room. The room was located off of the chamber to the eye of Atomoni, which meant it often went neglected, none of the current priests or priestesses could even remember going in there, which made sense when they found that the door was barred.
"It's crammed tight, it won't budge." Garr said, pushing his full weight against doorframe.
"Let me see."
Rutee gently nudged the door herself, then pressed her ear against it, and then knocked on it in several different places. There was a hallow spot near the middle of it.
"Try hitting there, Garr." She instructed.
"Will do."
Backing up the silver hair man took a running thrust into the door, successfully knocking it, and himself, down. Tripping over boxes and small objects he came to a stop when he toppled over a small chair.
The others entered cautiously as Mary went to help the man up.
"Being a king you'd think I'd have form and poise fused into my body." He mumbled, embarrassed.
Rutee paid no attention to him, just walked silently through the many antiques that were scattered about. Leon followed behind her, unsure of if he should let her wander off. Ignoring him as well she wandered, picking up small things and moving them, checking every possible spot she found.
The room was big and it might take longer to search than they had first assumed. Quickly assessing that fact everyone set out in different corners and started searching. Objects were moved and flung about frantically but half of the room was inspected and still nothing.
Rutee shuffled through a group of boxes, opening them and looking through them. Had she still maintained her lens hunter, no shame attitude she might have pocketed some of the jewels she found, but since she had grown so much she simply tossed them aside and continued looking. When she could find nothing in that pile she stood and walked over towards a shadowed part of the room.
When she walked by a full-length mirror she did a double take. Backing up to take a better look she was slightly startled to find Stahn staring back at her with a grin. Not wanting to risk alerting the others she made hand gestures, trying to ask him what he was doing there.
Smiling at her he just shook his head then lifted his hand and pointed from the glass. Following his pointing finger her eyes settled on what looked like a decorative white music box. Going to it she opened it, light music filling the air, and found the last crystal. Lifting it out she turned it about, searching for blemishes, then glanced back at the mirror.
Stahn was gone.
Sighing she got to her feet and walked towards the others, announcing,
"I found it."
...
Leon looked up from the pictures he was shifting though and walked to his sister. Brushing aside dark bangs he nodded at sight of it and sighed.
"So we have that now, what about our temple?"
A small silence was broken when Philia began to leaf through the book again, looking frantically. The falling look on her face, and the fact that she went back and forth between the pages, wasn't too reassuring. Finally she looked up with a frown.
"It doesn't say anything."
Hope visibly fell from everyone's faces, except Rutee's. It was clear she was thinking about something but what they could not tell. When she suddenly shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper they became slightly worried.
"Rutee, what is that?" Mary asked, leaning over to look at it.
"It's a picture of the temple, Stahn gave it to me awhile ago."
"Stahn?" Leon asked.
"I can't explain right now, but when he gave it to me I knew I had seen the place before, but I couldn't place the scenery. I remember now! Look!"
Flashing the picture at all of them they looked at it and waited for her to finish.
"Those bushes are Bengal root, they only grow in Fitzgald! The temple is in Fitzgald!"
Grabbing the picture from her hands her younger brother looked at it with disbelief.
"I don't believe it." He muttered.
"Believe it, bro! Garr, let's get going! We're headed to Fitzgald!"
...TBC
A little short but the best possible place to leave off. As a note for places I'm using the Japanese names for them (since I can't remember their English ones). Next chapter, "Okay, so we're in Fitzgald...Where's the temple?!"
...
A loud, long buzzing noise in her ear awoke the young lens hunter. She shifted several times then lifted her head up, searching for the origin of the noise. When she found an alarm clock placed neatly beside the bed she briefly wondered how it had gotten there, then decided she simply didn't care.
Turning it off she sat up and was still for a moment, thinking.
"Last night...it's kind of hazy. I came back from my bath and then Stahn appeared. Then..."
A bright blush came across the girl's cheeks when she remembered specifically the events of last night. Fretting about it for a few minutes her worry eventually melted away to a content, warm feeling. Sighing happily she flopped back down onto the bed, wrapping the blanket securely around her body.
"It was...beautiful..." She whispered to herself, lost in the sweet memory.
...
Leon tapped his foot impatiently on the marble floor. Everyone was supposed to be ready to go and yet his sister was still missing. Though he didn't let it show too much he was sincerely worried about her.
"That's it, I'm going to go get her." He announced, turning to walk away.
"Don't bother! I'm here! Sorry I'm late."
Rutee bound up to them, bag over her shoulder, looking slightly red.
"You alright?" Mary asked. "You look a little flushed."
The girl laughed uneasily in response and nodded, touching her burning cheeks to try to cool them. "I'm fine." She lied. "I just had a nice dream that I didn't want to wake up from. But that's not important now, let's go to this new ship and get to Straylize temple!"
That was good enough for anyone. Taking the lead Garr lead the small group towards the castle's exit. Before they made their way to the ship's loading dock the monarch stopped and addressed the youngest of the group.
"Chelsea, I want you to stay here, it may get dangerous and I don't want you to get involved in it."
"What?!" She screeched. "No way! Where ever you go I go too!"
"Not this time. Stay here."
"But-!"
"No buts." He said sternly. "Don't worry, I will be back in a few days, I promise you won't miss out on too much and I'll tell you all about it when I return, alright?"
The girl seethed for a moment but nodded her head. "Fine. I'll stay, but you better bring Stahn back, I wanna know what it's like being dead."
Rutee buried her head in her hands. She hadn't needed to hear that remark.
Sensing the woman's distress Garr quickly stood, ruffled the girls hair then gestured for them to follow him. As they passed Chelsea waved at them, smiling. When she saw Rutee pass she caught her by the wrist and tugged.
"Yes?" The lady asked, slightly startled.
She blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that..."
Smiling fondly at the girl the dark hair woman nodded her head and continued on after the group. While walking silently she thought to herself how kids are funny, though she wouldn't mind having one or two herself some day.
"First, though, I'll have to bring Stahn back, I will not have anyone else's children!"
...
The small ship could barely occupy all five of the travelers, but then they had to cram in a pilot. The ride was rather long, but it wasn't too bad, to pass the time the five would swap stories and compare scars. Leon sat by with an unamused look on his face but reluctantly joined in when his sister yanked him to her side.
...
When the ship finally touched down in front of the forest that surrounded the temple it was a relief to all. Garr instructed the pilot to wait for them, for he thought that they wouldn't take long, but if they weren't back by nightfall to go to Hermenz. The man complied and wished them luck and then saw them off.
The party disappeared into the thick brush, remembering the times when they walked the same path under different circumstances. The trails had become more distinct and very few menacing creatures were present, if any. Birds flew overhead and the air was less forbidding and when the sight of the high temple walls came into view it looked like a sparkling castle.
"There it is." Philia said happily at the sight of her home.
...
The travelers walked through the large arches of the temple's entrance and waited patiently while the green hair priestess called for help. A moment later two young men came rushing to their side in aid.
"Philia!" One exclaimed. "We found what you're looking for!"
"Really?" She asked, overjoyed.
"Yes!" The other said. "It was in a book on religious legends and had a section all to itself. Come, follow us to the library and we can show you!"
Doing as instructed they trailed after the two, pleased that fate was being so kind to them. When they entered the room with sprawling shelves of books they realized how long it must have taken them to locate what they were looking for and became very humbled and grateful.
"Here."
The priest handed a small, red leather bound book to Philia, who flipped to the marked pages. She skimmed them briefly, taking in what she could. Closing the book after about five minutes she declared,
"I know where the next crystal is."
Rutee glanced at Leon, who returned her stare.
"You do?" the woman asked.
"Yes." Came the confident reply.
...
The air was warm and stale, still with age outside of the temple's 'hidden' storage room. The room was located off of the chamber to the eye of Atomoni, which meant it often went neglected, none of the current priests or priestesses could even remember going in there, which made sense when they found that the door was barred.
"It's crammed tight, it won't budge." Garr said, pushing his full weight against doorframe.
"Let me see."
Rutee gently nudged the door herself, then pressed her ear against it, and then knocked on it in several different places. There was a hallow spot near the middle of it.
"Try hitting there, Garr." She instructed.
"Will do."
Backing up the silver hair man took a running thrust into the door, successfully knocking it, and himself, down. Tripping over boxes and small objects he came to a stop when he toppled over a small chair.
The others entered cautiously as Mary went to help the man up.
"Being a king you'd think I'd have form and poise fused into my body." He mumbled, embarrassed.
Rutee paid no attention to him, just walked silently through the many antiques that were scattered about. Leon followed behind her, unsure of if he should let her wander off. Ignoring him as well she wandered, picking up small things and moving them, checking every possible spot she found.
The room was big and it might take longer to search than they had first assumed. Quickly assessing that fact everyone set out in different corners and started searching. Objects were moved and flung about frantically but half of the room was inspected and still nothing.
Rutee shuffled through a group of boxes, opening them and looking through them. Had she still maintained her lens hunter, no shame attitude she might have pocketed some of the jewels she found, but since she had grown so much she simply tossed them aside and continued looking. When she could find nothing in that pile she stood and walked over towards a shadowed part of the room.
When she walked by a full-length mirror she did a double take. Backing up to take a better look she was slightly startled to find Stahn staring back at her with a grin. Not wanting to risk alerting the others she made hand gestures, trying to ask him what he was doing there.
Smiling at her he just shook his head then lifted his hand and pointed from the glass. Following his pointing finger her eyes settled on what looked like a decorative white music box. Going to it she opened it, light music filling the air, and found the last crystal. Lifting it out she turned it about, searching for blemishes, then glanced back at the mirror.
Stahn was gone.
Sighing she got to her feet and walked towards the others, announcing,
"I found it."
...
Leon looked up from the pictures he was shifting though and walked to his sister. Brushing aside dark bangs he nodded at sight of it and sighed.
"So we have that now, what about our temple?"
A small silence was broken when Philia began to leaf through the book again, looking frantically. The falling look on her face, and the fact that she went back and forth between the pages, wasn't too reassuring. Finally she looked up with a frown.
"It doesn't say anything."
Hope visibly fell from everyone's faces, except Rutee's. It was clear she was thinking about something but what they could not tell. When she suddenly shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper they became slightly worried.
"Rutee, what is that?" Mary asked, leaning over to look at it.
"It's a picture of the temple, Stahn gave it to me awhile ago."
"Stahn?" Leon asked.
"I can't explain right now, but when he gave it to me I knew I had seen the place before, but I couldn't place the scenery. I remember now! Look!"
Flashing the picture at all of them they looked at it and waited for her to finish.
"Those bushes are Bengal root, they only grow in Fitzgald! The temple is in Fitzgald!"
Grabbing the picture from her hands her younger brother looked at it with disbelief.
"I don't believe it." He muttered.
"Believe it, bro! Garr, let's get going! We're headed to Fitzgald!"
...TBC
A little short but the best possible place to leave off. As a note for places I'm using the Japanese names for them (since I can't remember their English ones). Next chapter, "Okay, so we're in Fitzgald...Where's the temple?!"