Episode Eighteen, Part Four

The small group gathered in front of the Shrine's main door, Serena trying to locate a knob or hidden switch that they could use, while Mercury attempted to scan the structure with her visor, hoping to find a hidden entrance. The key word being attempted, as it seemed to be nothing more than gibberish flowing over her computer screen. The rest of them milled about, keeping their eyes peeled for any new threats. Davidson's kidnapping had proven to be a very effective lesson for them all.

They were learning something else as well; knowing what a Goddess Divinity Sphere was, and experiencing a Goddess Divinity Sphere, were two entirely different things. Now, so close to the Sphere, all of them were feeling it. The near suffocating sadness seemed to permeate their whole being, almost driving them to their knees. But, each one of them found a way to cope.

"Nothing," Mercury sighed, shutting her visor off. "That door is the only way in and out… as far as I can tell. It looks like the barriers surrounding this place can muck up scans of every kind, so I couldn't tell you what lies beyond this wall… or any section of the wall that isn't in visual range."

"Yeah, I kinda figured," Serena replied, not really surprised. "This doesn't look like a place that would need a back door. It looks like a door that would require a hidden latch… or a key of some sort." She huffed. "I just wish I knew where it was located."

Luna Two turned to observe the door, making note of the symbol that was on it. A thought occurred to her, and she asked, "Serena, is there a strange depression of some sort near the door? It would be around at eye level on one side."

Serena looked one side, then the other, shaking her head. "Nope. I don't… wait a minute." Acting on a thought, she ran her fingers along the stone very slowly. "There is a depression of some sort. It feels like… a shape," she reported. "How is that possible?"

"A concealment charm," Jessica replied. "I'm surprised it's still active after a hundred years. Most stop working after a few years, unless it's renewed by the caster or another mage."

"Not if it is being powered by the Shrine itself." Phacia looked up, surprised by what she was sensing. Never before had she sensed such power coming from a place. "There is so much magic emanating from this place that it could probably power the defenses for thousands of years. Not even Vane has this much latent magic."

"Can we remove it?"

"Not if the Shrine is powering it. It would require more power than all of the mages in Lunar combined."

"What about the shape of the depression?"

"I… think it's shaped about the same as the insignia on the door, which probably means we're going to need a key shaped like that… wait." Grinning, Serena quickly reached up, pulling the pendant she had found in Davidson's tent out from her top. "This was in their commander's tent. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I decided to keep it." She turned her attention to Darien and Amy, seeing the unspoken question in their gazes. "And no, he didn't even try to get me into bed, though I think it's more due to lack of time than desire." She pulled the pendant off, fumbled about for a bit as she relocated the depression, then put it into the depression. After a moment, there was a clicking sound, and the door slid open, creaking from disuse, revealing a corridor on the other side.

"Well… what do you want to do, Luna?" Serena asked. "Do you want to go in?"

Luna Two hesitated for a few seconds. Part of her wanted to, but another part of her, for reasons she couldn't understand, didn't want to. Or rather, she didn't want to potentially desecrate this place… like she had no right to.

But then again… they had made it this far. It would be a shame if they simply turned away now. And so, she simply nodded. "Let's go in," she said. "It would be a shame to turn back now."

Serena smiled as the blunette entered, letting everyone else follow before taking up the rear. She pulled the pendant out of the depression, as she had a feeling that they might need it at some point. The door slowly slid shut behind them, plunging the corridor into darkness again.

It wasn't for long, as torches spontaneously blazed into life, illuminating the walls. This got a startled jump out of Rei, and a questioning look from Amy and Luna Two.

Serena shrugged. "I figured that if the magic here powered the defensive spells, it might also power everything else as well. As for closing the door… I don't think those two groups are the only ones wanting to get in."

It was a very good point. Even Rei had to admit that. She would have been shocked by this, except even before Lunar, Serena could use logic effectively on occasion.

They walked along the tunnel, somewhat wary as to what awaited them at the end… though they needn't have worried. It wasn't a very long corridor, and they exited into the light again.

Serena blinked as her eyes readjusted, allowing her to see their surroundings. "Well… this wasn't what I was expecting," she commented.

"Hear, hear," Greg stated. "This isn't a shrine, it's a freaking village."

He was actually quite accurate. It was indeed a village, and a decently sized one at that. There were about a few hundred huts set up around the shrine itself. They took notice of a blacksmith, various tools laying about, as well as a large field that most likely were used to grow crops. That was nothing really special about that.

But something seemed… off, as they continued their journey. For starters, there were no roads to speak of. There was a lack of pebbles, or other such hazards that could incite discomfort if one went barefoot.

Then there was the Statue of Althena that was set up in what they assumed was the village square, practically thrumming with power. And, as they were becoming aware by this point, a Statue of Althena went into a hibernation mode of sorts if there was no one nearby.

The final thing they took notice of was that every single residence they passed had no door on them. They hadn't been taken down… they had never been there to begin with.

"You know," Greg finally stated, "I just realized that these people took the concept of an Open Door Policy to an unhealthy level."

Serena shrugged. "I think that's because it's part of their religion. This place… I don't think it's a haven for Althena's flock. I think that this is the home for the faith of Dibella."

Rei turned to look at her, confused. "Who is Dibella?" she asked, surprised that she wasn't more surprised by how Serena knew that. After all, when one had no video games to play, they would really have no other option than to read. As such, she tamped down a snarky comment about her friend evening knowing what a book was.

"The Goddess of beauty, love and affection," Jessica replied. "Basically, she was the one who endorsed the pursuit of art, music, and other pleasurable pursuits. She's not really considered to be important, but there are those who worship her." She shrugged. "According to the ancient scriptures, Althena accepted her without question, and the two helped shape the Silver Star and its culture. Dibella's followers believe that love should be shared and spread to as many as possible." Her gaze shifted, taking in their surroundings. "What I want to know… is why didn't we know about this. We were always told that these were ruins. Why lie about this?"

"More to the point, what happened to the people?" Phacia added. "Where did they go?"

Darien looked around. "I don't know. But I don't think it was an invasion that caused them to abandon this place. There are no signs of battle damage anywhere, and I don't see any weapons or shields laying around."

"...We're going to need the others in here. I'm going to go to the door and open it for them. Rei, could you let them know that the door'll be opened in a few minutes?" Serena asked, making her back in the direction they had come from.

"Sure thing." Rei activated her communicator. "Guys, this is Mars. We're letting you guys in."

No response.

Frowning, the Mars Senshi slid her finger along the upper side of the device, activating its self diagnostic protocol. The answer wasn't long in coming. "Okay… there's apparently so much magic in this place, that we don't have any service outside."

Amy had to chuckle a little at the absurdity of it all, before a thought came to her. "I better go make sure Izzy doesn't use Serena like a pin cushion, then," she noted with a hint of concern.

Rei decided that yes, that would probably be a good idea.

-
"Serena? Darien? Amy? Damn it… anyone?!" Mina exclaimed, shaking the device in her hand in frustration. They had just entered the bandit camp, having missed Amy's little group entering the Shrine by a few minutes, and were now discovering that they couldn't even let them know that they had arrived. "I can't raise any of them!"

Izzy sighed, wondering how this girl was Captain of the Royal Guard if she got this panicked so easily. Then again, her Princess was kind of not there, so that was understandable. And she was still a teenager as well. "Mina, if you had bothered waiting for a second, I'm pretty sure Nash could give us an answer." His attention shifted toward the boy in question. "You can… right?"

Nash shrugged. "The only answer that would make sense is that there is so much magic within that Shrine, that it interferes with all forms of communication, except for direct line of sight. We're going to have go in."

"Well, if we can't talk to them, then they can't talk to us, either," Palmon stated. "One of them is probably on their way to open the door right this second, probably for just that reason."

Sora nodded at that, ready to say something. But whatever it was, she would never bring it to light, as her D-Terminal started beeping. Sighing, she pulled it out, bringing it up. "Yes, Tai?" she asked.

"Yeah, just thought you'd all like to know that there is another group approaching the Shrine very fast," Tai replied, sounding pretty concerned. "They're a pretty large force. And, I don't think they're from Meribia or the Nanza Barrier."

That pretty much changed their priorities at the drop of a hat, as they all shared a look of concern. For whatever the reason, this place had become a magnet for just about every single brigand out there.

"How soon?" Matt asked.

"About five minutes."

"Not enough time to hide," Jupiter noted. "So, do we fight, and probably lose, or do we just give up?"

Tentomon sighed. "How about Biyomon and I digivolve?" he asked. "We can get away from the Shrine, and we get to scare them away."

"What if this group aren't idiots? What if they have weapons that can hit flying creatures?"

"Uh, guys…?" Joe began.

"Well, we can't stand here," Biyomon replied. "We don't have a whole lot of time. Let's just digivolve and go from there."

"Guys…?"

"Why don't we just stand in front of this door, and wait for them to open it?" Nash suggested. "I mean, it won't be too long. Especially if they're trying to contact us-"

"Guys!" Joe finally shouted.

"What?!" they all replied as one, now exasperated.

The Digi-Destined of Reliability merely pointed to his right. Everyone turned as one to look in that direction.

There were about twenty mages in front of them, staves out and pointed at them.

Mina sighed as she looked at them. "And this is why we are not the leaders here," she grumbled to herself.

-
Serena stopped, just as her hand reached to open the door. A strange feeling of foreboding had suddenly emerged out of nowhere, warning her that doing so would be a bad idea. That was definitely different.

A flash of fear shot through her, and she took a step back. The fear was palpable, and a voice was almost attached to it. If she 'listened' close enough, she could just about understand it.

It would have said, Enemies outside. Do not let them in.

This feeling of foreboding, which was basically warning her not to open that door, was now warring with her concern for her friends on the other side of that door. She had no idea what was going on. Did those bandits find a way out of the trap? Did someone else arrive to try their luck? Were their friends in trouble?

"Serena? Are you alright?"

Serena sighed as Amy's voice washed over her, the concern in it letting her know that she had been standing there for quite some time. But her bad feeling didn't dissipate with her presence. "Amy… I think something's wrong," she finally responded. "Can you see if you can scan beyond the wall from this side?"

Amy nodded, not asking Serena what brought this on. She simply activated her visor, and did a close range scan. Her eyes widened. "There are over three hundred signatures out there. Most of our friends are at the entrance." A shot of worry shot through her. "They're surrounded."

The Moon Princess's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so. Not if we have anything to say about it. Come on. I'm going to need Rei to help here."

"The Fire Deception?"

"...Yeah… Mother definitely couldn't make good names for tactical plans."

"Like we're any better."

"Good point."

-
They didn't have to go far, as Sailor Mars was already on her way to meet them, having sensed that something was wrong. She listened to what Mercury had learned, asked what the hell the Fire Deception was, then found herself a good spot in which to implement the plan. Serena went back to the door, waiting for the signal.

Now, it was a relatively unknown fact that Sailor Mars could hurtle her fire attacks a considerable distance and an impressive height when pushed. It wasn't something she did often due to the trade off; the attacks became weaker as they moved further away from her. They were powered by her magic, and were always stronger when in close proximity to her (a small detail that she didn't really understand, and Amy could find no explanation for it.)

But here, now… causing actual damage was not the goal here. Getting their friends out of harm's way was. Hence, the Fire Deception, one of the worst named plans in history… but also one of the most appropriate.

Sailor Mars brought her hands together, calling forth her powers. "Mars Fire Ignite!" she intoned, releasing it at least six times into the air. And then she waited, praying that it would be able to reach its target.

That was the only major concern that they could see with trying this particular strategy was simply put, whether or not the magic in the air would allow that. Thankfully, it didn't look to be the case, as they flew over the wall without interference. She waited a few seconds before releasing another volley.

Mercury gave the all clear, and Serena quickly opened the door, getting out of the way as their friends shot through like they had the devil on their heels. Once Patamon had flown in, Serena immediately shut the door, wincing at the sound of magical strikes hitting the object. "That was close," she muttered.

Mercury was checking everyone over, performing a head count in the process, while Rei de-transformed, exhausted. She had never had to unleash so many attacks at so rapid a pace before. She hoped that it would be something she only did rarely.

"Tai, Alex, Agumon and Nall are missing," Amy reported after a moment. "Were they with you guys, or were they still on their way back?"

"They probably hid after warning us," Sora replied, eyes going wide. "If they're caught..."

Serena sighed, a twinge of guilt going through her at the fact some of their friends were still out there. "We'll deal with that if we get the chance to. Let's just assume that they managed to hide themselves again, and that they're coming up with a plan to join us."

-
"Well, this is a fine pickle we've found ourselves in," Alex growled lowly, watching from the hill they hidden themselves behind. "What the hell is so important about this one freaking temple that every single group of cutthroats has to suddenly appear? And where did they come from, anyway?!"

Tai shrugged, not really sure how to answer that. After all, he was still learning about Lunar's rules, so he didn't know the full extent of how magic worked. And his katana didn't exactly have sensors installed.

What he did know, was that there was yet another three hundred or so people between them and their goal. And, unlike the previous two, he had a distinct feeling that this group wouldn't be so easy to fool. Mostly because they looked more official looking, and they seemed more aware.

In fact… they seemed far more aware of what was going on.

"Something's different about this group," he said quietly.

Agumon shifted a little. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… they didn't show up until the other two groups were gone, and not coming back for a good long while. What's more, we barely had any warning, and our friends were almost captured because of it."

Alex frowned in thought for a second, eyes widening in realization. "They were watching the Shrine," he muttered. "They saw what we were doing, and saw an opportunity to gain entry." He sighed. "At least that part of their plan failed." His attention sharpened as he observed their movements. "We're going to need a way to talk to the others."

"Yeah, but what will work?"

"Uh..." Agumon waved a paw. "I've got a bit of an idea."

-
"They're still out there," Serena repeated, incredulous. "Sora, how far did they go to spring their trap?"

"It was about a mile out, so it was about thirty minutes in that direction." Sora sighed. "It was the best place for the ambush. We just weren't expecting this."

"… Well, best not cry over spilled milk. They'll find a way to get in soon enough. We just need to be able to open the door for them." Serena pulled the pendant off, and handed it to Sora. "Biyomon, could you keep an eye on this new force, please? When Tai and the others make their move, the two of you may only get a second to react if they try for the door." Her gaze turned. "Come on, guys. We better go and see if we can find another way out of here."

"What about communicating with them?" Joe asked.

Mercury shook her head. "Whatever blocks our signal works both ways. We'd have to find another way to talk to them, if only to let them know where to meet us."

"Send an email."

Rei blinked a little at the suggestion. And then… "You know, that might not be such a bad idea. Just one question; How?"

"Our D-Terminals can still pick up signals," Joe replied, holding his up. "We can't talk, but we might still be able to send messages through local, since they were all integrated into Izzy's computer and not the actual Internet."

"...Send one. Let's see if it works."

Joe quickly began typing out a message, then hit send. Then they waited with baited breath.

Relief appeared when the D-Terminal dinged, letting them know that an email had been received. The only message; Had the same idea. Standing by.

Rei grinned. "I'm beginning to understand why they call you Good Old Reliable Joe," she observed. "You sure know how to come through at crunch time."

Joe smiled a bit shyly at that, pleased with the praise.

Serena clapped her hands together. "Okay, we can continue building Joe's confidence up a little later. Right now, let's start searching for that other exit."

-
Greg whistled. "Wow, this is a pretty big forest," he commented.

The forest in question stretched across the entire back portion of the 'village,' its tallest trees only just slightly shorter than the wall it most likely rested against. The trees themselves didn't look much different than any other tree they had seen on Lunar, but there was definitely something… more that they just couldn't see. It also looked pretty dense, so much so that they couldn't see very far into it.

Jessica's eyes widened as she realized what they were looking at. "By the Goddess," she whispered. "Guys, this is a Nymph forest! But… I've never seen one this large in a civilized area before!"

"Uh… nymph forest?" Greg asked, confused.

"A nymph forest is exactly as it sounds," Phacia explained. "It's a patch of woods that houses a colony of nymphs. There are four large groups of wild nymphs that live in the Marius Zone, in forests about this size. And I believe there are others in other areas of Lunar. However, most cities on Lunar have smaller forests that the citizens are forbidden to enter. Those enclaves are where forest nymphs that have bonded to humans gather."

"… You know, I think I saw such a forest in Vane," Darien mused. "It was at the edge of the city, and it was pretty small. It was probably big enough for ten."

"We saw something similar in Meribia," Amy added. "Remember, Greg? It was located at the center of the residential district."

"Well, there can only be a small number of bonded nymphs in any city… due to a whole lot of factors. ...I'm not sure you really want to hear the reason why."

He took a moment to think about it, then nodded in agreement. He had a fairly good idea what she was talking about.

Luna Two was barely able to keep herself from giggling at the slightly red hue that appeared on Darien's cheeks. Some people were just too easy to embarrass sometimes.

Her amusement faded when Serena and the others approach, concern heavy on their features. "Serena, what is it?" she asked, then noticed someone… or rather, the lack of someone. "Where's Alex?"

"Him, Tai, Agumon and Nall are still outside the wall," Mercury replied, immediately scanning the foliage before them. "We're trying to locate another opening for them, but we haven't had any luck so far." Her Visor pinged. "We may have just gotten some, though."

Luna Two looked at the forest, wincing. "Oh, I really hope there are no inhabitants in there. Otherwise, we may have some problems."

Serena sighed, rubbing her face. She knew very well what kind of forest this was, and what most likely lived within it. "Joe, please let Tai know that we may have found a way in. Jessica, you and Phacia know what's inside this forest. Could you two please go in and meet with our friends when they finally get in? You know what to expect within." She thought for a second. "Rei, go with them as well. You might want to see what is in there, if they're still there." She turned her attention to the others. "Mina, Lita, I want you to wait here in case they need back up." She would take no chances with her friends.

Jessica nodded, taking a breath as she looked at Phacia. "Shall we?" she asked.

Phacia nodded. "Let's hope nothing happens to us on the way."

-
"So, why did Serena want me to go with you two?" Rei asked once they had entered the forest. She was genuinely confused, considering that she knew next to nothing about this place… or even what the big deal about this forest was.

Jessica didn't answer, intent as she was on her surroundings. It was quiet… too quiet, in fact. Even if the town itself was deserted, the nymphs should have still been here.

"Nymphs are a very spiritual people," Phacia replied when it became clear the priestess wasn't going to. "Many within Althena's Order believe that they are the children of Dibella herself, and are the personification of all of her teachings. They are artists, dancers… basically all of the most artistic aspects of life made flesh. You are a very spiritual person yourself, if I'm not mistaken."

"...If we run into any nymphs, she wants me to what? Be an ambassador?"

Jessica shrugged. "Who knows? Not that it matters, anyway. I don't think there is a single nymph here." She turned. "This forest is as empty as the town itself."

"How can you tell?"

"We would have come across one of them by now."

"...Well, at least their flowers are still alive," Phacia commented in relief, taking note of the massive flowers peppered around. "That is something, I guess."

Rei looked at her funnily. "Why is that something?"

Jessica chortled a bit, which only served to increase her confusion. "Rei, nymphs are half fauna, half flora. I think you can figure out the rest for yourself." She stopped. "And here is the wall. Let's check and see if there is a hidden entrance here."

The three promptly split in opposite directions, with Rei going with Jessica to the left, while Phacia went right. As it turned out, they didn't have to go far, as Phacia came across it very quickly. Difficult not to, as it had been left wide open.

Jessica sighed. "Well, at least we have an idea as to why this forest is deserted," she stated, as they looked outside. "They probably left through here. Rei, if you would..."

Rolling her eyes, the Mars Senshi stepped outside, activating her communicator. "Tai, do you read?" she asked.

"Loud and clear," he replied rather quietly. "I guess we can assume that you found another way in."

"Pretty much. It's at the other side of the Shrine, so you're going to have to walk around the wall itself. Probably an hour's journey."

"My favorite activity, especially with hostile enemies all around. We're on our way."

"I'll be waiting, Mars out." Rei sighed as she leaned against the wall. "This place is becoming more trouble than it's worth," she muttered despondently.

-
Serena sighed, taking a look around the area. "This place is becoming more trouble than it's worth," she muttered.

Amy looked at her, a little confused. "Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Well… we came here to see if Luna Two could gain some insight into her visions. So far, we haven't gotten that. Instead, we've been attacked by two groups of bandits. I was kidnapped by one of those groups. Then we finally get in, and we find ourselves in a town that has been completely abandoned for whatever the reason, with a Nymph forest that is just as deserted." Her brow furrowed. "And here's the thing; I feel like I've been here before. Me! Someone who has never even been to an alternate world before!"

Amy nodded, understanding only too well, considering her own issues at the moment. But where Serena was concerned… it might be connected with how her body had matured to that of a young adult...

Her musings were cut short as Phacia and Jessica came out of the forest, both of them looking despondent. "No nymphs?" she asked, not surprised.

"No nymphs," Jessica replied. "There is an exit though, and the forest does extend beyond this place, so they most likely relocated to outside the walls. The only question is; why?" She shook her head. "The flowers are alive, though."

Serena nodded, relieved to hear that. Still, to hear that her suspicions were confirmed… that sent red flags through her mind. "Where's Rei?"

"Waiting for Tai and the others. It'll be a bit, though."

"Serena! Amy!" The girls' attention quickly shifted over to Darien, who was running up to them rather quickly. "Greg found their temple, but we can't get past the main entrance."

Amy promptly came to the conclusion that they needed to give him a communicator in the future. Him coming to their aid in Tokyo without them contacting him, offering sage advice to bolster their confidence; that was one thing. In this world, he would need to have a more active role. He would need the convenience of being able to talk to them directly.

Serena nodded, turning to Jessica. "Can you go back to Rei?" she asked. "I don't her to be left alone for too long, especially in this kind of forest."

Jessica nodded, trading looks with Phacia for a second. "No problem," she replied. "Though I'm curious; why not Phacia?"

"She's here for information. I want her to get it."

"… Fair enough."

"Thank you." Serena sighed as both Darien and Amy put reassuring hands on her shoulders, feeling her muscles relax. "Well, let's go see the shrine. We should also let Sora know that we've found another way in."

Amy smiled. "I'm pretty sure Mimi has already done so."

-
Rei sighed as she leaned against the wall, eyes drooping. Waiting for the guys to show up was a lesson in patience that she simply wasn't ready for. Whenever she was meditating, she was at least doing something. She was focusing her thoughts and expanding her mental picture. Here, she was trying not to fall asleep, simply due to boredom.

But just as she was about to do just that, a rustling sound caught her attention. Her mind immediately became alert, her body following a split second later. "Whose there?" she demanded, getting ready for… whatever was coming. It was probably an animal, but she wasn't sure if that was case.

For a moment, the forest remained silent. Nothing moved. And then… a head emerged from behind a tree, the rest of the body following, purplish eyes blinking widely at her.

Rei returned the gaze with a degree of surprise. She wasn't expecting to see a woman in the forest. Let alone one like this.

The woman was clothed in what amounted to a leaf bikini, which did nothing to hide her physique. If Rei was honest with herself, it looked almost identical to Serena's, though Serena had somewhat more muscular arms. But other than that, there were only two different differences that made her stand out.

The first thing was her skin. It looked like it was very smooth, and sparkled wherever the light touched. The reason for that was made very apparent in the second difference.

The woman was almost completely hairless, from head to toe. The only hairs she had were her eyelashes.

The Mars Senshi quickly relaxed, as she felt no darkness emanating from this person. If anything, she seemed innocent, almost like a child. "Hello," she called out, keeping herself as non threatening as she possibly could. "Are you alright?"

The woman's head tilted slightly, as if she was analyzing her. Apparently pleased with what she was looking at, a huge smile appeared as she bounded over to her, getting pretty close… closer than she really had any right to, practically almost touching her nose. Rei took that as; yes she was fine. Her lack of hair and choice of attire were just that. "Uh… good. Could… could you back up a bit, please?"

"Yes, please back up a little from the young lady, child. You are making her nervous," a new voice interjected from the forest. The woman quickly stepped back, though she didn't go too far.

A few seconds later, another hairless woman emerged from the forest. This one was wearing what looked like a silk dress that, (Rei noted with a hint of a blush) was pretty transparent. She looked almost like the first one, save for one thing. Her eyes seemed to hold a wisdom in them that the one front of her lacked.

This new arrival stepped forward, putting a hand on the other's shoulder to gently push her back a bit. "My apologies," she said. "She is young, and has not seen an actual human before. So she has not yet learned to respect one's personal space."

"No… no problem," Rei sputtered out, immediately coming to the conclusion that these were the nymphs that Jessica and Phacia had been talking about. Though them being hairless was definitely not what she would have expected. "Uh… I'm guessing you don't see many people around here."

The nymph shook her head, smiling sadly. "I have not seen anyone here since the old days, when the city was filled." She stepped forward a bit, looking beyond the ravenette. "Have humans returned to the city?" she asked.

"In a sense. We're helping a friend try to find some answers." She had no idea why she was talking about this to someone she had just met. (Did nymphs count as people?) She felt like she could trust this nymph, though.

"Ah."

"Why are you here waiting, then?"

"Let's just say that we weren't the only ones trying to get in. A few of our friends were caught outside." Rei's head shifted to the left. "And there they are right now."

The small group, led by Tai, were running pretty fast, like the devil was after them. And it was pretty clear to see why as they got closer. Tai had a tiny cut on his cheek from what she assumed was an arrow barely missing his head. Nall and Agumon looked frazzled, but otherwise unharmed.

Alex, on the other hand, was not so fortunate, as an arrow seemed to have found itself a new home in his shoulder. Judging by how he was still walking, it didn't penetrate too far, thanks to his armor, but it still looked painful.

Jessica, who arrived a few seconds later, didn't even bother with asking questions. She simply walked over, took one look at the arrow, and promptly pulled it out, earning her a slight grunt of pain from the young man. "You'll be fine," she replied, applying her magic to the wound. "It was a standard arrow, so it didn't penetrate too far into the armor, thankfully. Otherwise, it most likely would have gone through and through."

"Good to know," Alex replied, before focusing on the nymphs. He sighed. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"Color me impressed," Nall threw in. "Uh… we're safe right now… right?"

The nymph shrugged. "It will depend on how determined they are to pursue you. If they believe that you are that dangerous, they will risk it. But I don't think you have to worry about it."

"And if they come in to see if there is another way into the shrine?"

As if to give them some credence to that concern, two arrows flew into sight, hitting the ground a good six feet away from them.

It was really morbidly fascinating, Rei would think later on, how quickly a person's expression could change when they became aware of a problem they didn't even know existed. The nymph's entire body stiffened, her gaze began to darken, and her mouth turned downward. She immediately turned to the younger one. "Return to the colony, and bring them here," she ordered. "We are going to enter the shrine for protection."

The younger nymph didn't nod, merely turned and ran into the forest with a grace and speed that Rei, if she were honest with herself, envied. That was a speed that she could only obtain at peak physical condition, and transformed to boot.

Jessica, on the other hand, was more concerned. "Are you sure entering this place is a good idea?" she asked. "I mean, most wild nymphs don't particularly care about being near a populated area."

The nymph smiled sadly, as if remembering something tragic. "I have a slight advantage over most nymphs in this case," she replied mysteriously.

-
The Temple, like the entrance to the place, had the same distinct architectural design points as the rest of the place; it had a small corridor leading to the entrance, and it lacked an actual door. Sadly, that didn't mean that it didn't have something protecting it.

Greg rubbed his face, rather peeved. He had a good reason to, as he had just run into an invisible barrier of some kind. "What the heck?" he grumbled. "Were these people paranoid?"

"Probably. Probably not," Matt replied. "Maybe they didn't want invaders taking their sacred relics." He ran a hand over the barrier, surprised by how much the spell felt like an actual wall. "This is pretty strong. I've had steel walls with more give than this."

Phacia turned to look at him. "How would you know that?"

"… … If you think that the Digimon were the only ones being thrown around in the Digital World..."

She nodded, understanding dawning. Now that she thought about it, it would make little sense that the children wouldn't have been hit at some point.

Her attention shifted a bit as Serena, Amy and Darien joined them. "Barrier spell," he explained. "And if it's anything like the rest of this place, it's being powered by the temple itself."

Serena was really starting to get annoyed, and Amy could understand why. To have come this far, only to be stopped by another barrier spell, was very exasperating. Quickly scanning the barrier, she noticed something. "This barrier spell seems to operate the same way as the door. Except I don't think there is a keyhole of any kind for us to use." She sighed. "We probably need someone who was a disciple in the temple to open it."

That was definitely not what any of them wanted to hear. Serena walked up to the invisible barrier, and slapped it in frustration.

And blinked in surprise when her hand passed through empty air. At the same time, Mercury literally saw the barrier disappear just before Serena's hand had touched it. Shutting her visor down, she turned to look at her 'sister.'

Serena returned her stunned gaze. "What did I do, my Goddess?" she asked.

"Well, if I'm correct, you just made most of the potential plans we could make completely moot, my Heart," Amy replied, not even bothering to hide her shock. "Once this is all done, I'm doing a full examination of you."

"No argument there. On the plus side, it is down, so we can continue on." Serena's communicator pinged. "Hold that thought. Rei?"

"It's me, Serena. Tai and the others are here, but there's a situation. We're not going to be able to leave through the back door."

Serena was really starting to get a headache. "You know, I'm beginning to think that Nash was right, and we should have just gone back to Vane," she grumbled.

"Well, we did make a new friend. Those nymphs we thought had left? Well, the forest extends beyond the wall, and the nymphs were living there. I'll tell you more when I get there."

"Alright. See you soon."

Darien shook his head as Serena shut her communicator. "Well, that's both good and bad news," he noted. "Maybe we'll get some answers concerning what the hell happened here."

Luna Two shook her head. "Should we wait for them?" she asked. "Or do we go forward?"

"I suggest we wait for everyone else," Phacia stated. "That way, we will not have to try and explain it to them."

After a moment, Serena nodded. "Call everyone here. We've got a lot to talk about."

-
Jessica had always been one thing and one thing only: a colony of nymphs moved with an ease and cohesion that would put any army to shame.

Within the space of twenty minutes since Alex, Tai and Agumon had made it to them, a group of no less than thirty nymphs had arrived, and had immediately entered through the door with them following afterward.

And then, to the surprise of those not of Lunar, the Elder Nymph brought her hands up, and promptly sealed the door, leaving a piece of wall that was indistinguishable from the rest of the barrier.

"That's a neat trick," Rei commented after a moment.

The Nymph gave a minuscule shrug at that. "Earth is my natural element," she replied, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "I learned a great deal about during my first few years of life. The others have learned much of the same, or will when their maturation is completed."

The Senshi nodded. She had a good idea what maturation meant, so didn't need any clarification on that. "Well, we're all safe, if that wall holds." She rubbed her eyes. "Well, we're going to head to the Shrine. It was nice to meet you."

"Actually, I believe I can help you a bit with your search for answers. I am familiar with the Town as a whole. I know a great deal about its lore."

Both girls looked at her in surprise… which lasted all of three seconds before they began to put a few pieces together. Her recent comments, which they simply took as another mystery of Lunar that had yet to be solved, were starting to make a little more sense. "How would you know anything about this place?" Jessica asked, a sneaky suspicion beginning to form.

The nymph smiled sadly once again. "It is because I was once a bonded nymph who lived in the town," she replied. "And I lived here until its end a hundred years old."

"...Do you have any clue as to why everyone left, then?"

"Unfortunately, no. I merely stayed nearby because this place is all I have known."

Tai nodded. "Well, let's see if you can get some closure, then."

And here is Part 4. Part 5 will definitely be the last part of this episode. After that, I'll begin re-uploading old chapters again.

I am beginning another story, which will be a crossover between BTVS and Kingdoms of Amalur. It will have Faith as the main character.