FOREVER DESTINY : Ancient Era Arc 1
Before the Beginning
Episode 4:
"The Search for the Artifacts"
Story Focus: Hariel
By Nekochan
Author's Note
And up to bat is Hariel! Wish him good luck, everyone! He's gonna need it . . .
Arigatou Minasan! (Thanks everyone!)
Nekochan
(-)(-)(-)
4:03 PM Thursday- Sahenangell, Sahngell May 5th- 981 D.A.
Once at the High Temple to Kohmah, the Conduits found a guardsmen to ask for directions to the candle-burning chamber, but they encountered a bit of difficulty.
"WHAT?" Hariel demanded.
"Please, sir, ya' 'ave t'-" Tamer began, once more.
"I am VERY sorry," the guard apologized again, "but I cannot let you go upstairs. It is only for the priests. I would let you be escorted by one of them, but they are in the main chapel right now in prayer. The public, unescorted, is only given access to the first floor and the basement."
"The basement?" Shedosh questioned with feigned interest, "Where do we go to get there?"
"Go straight back the way you came, but take the first left you come to and you'll find a stairwell down. That's it," the guard instructed.
"Thanks a lot!" T'myra giggled like the child she knew she resembled and the group left for the stairs.
Sure enough, there was a stairway at the end of the corridor. However, as Kokuen-oh was about to go down the steps, Tamer stopped him.
"We're not goin' downstairs."
"Are you going to cast a spell, or shall I?" Shedosh asked T'myra.
"I'll let ya', since I've never seen ya' cast any," Tamer answered, "I want t' judge your ability fo' m'self."
"All right then." Shedosh began, "This one's called Shape Stone." The rest was in Magic, but T'myra and Hariel understood.
"(Stone to mist, above and below.
Stone atop, disappear to a flow,
To the steps down there, so, traverse we may.
I call your obedience, to me, this day!)"
The stone ceiling of the stairwell shifted and became nearly invisible. It flowed like lava down the steps and formed a floor. Then the molten stone shaped itself into a new stairwell, going up.
Lord Saberstryke and Hariel were awed by this display of magic.
Kokuen-oh whistled softly and smiled. "That was pretty good, Shedosh."
"I'm impressed, Shedosh," T'myra nodded her praise. "You'll 'ave t' teach me that one lata' - I was gonna' meld wit' the stone, but this makes things easia' for the 'ole group," she noted before ascending.
The gaping men followed the Half-Breed, still awed by the transformation of the stone steps, followed by Kokuen-oh. Finally, Shedosh climbed his creation, the stairs becoming liquid again after his foot left its surface and hollowing down to form the original stairwell down again.
"No one will ever be the wiser," Shedosh said as he stepped onto the next level and the magically created stairwell became a wall of stone once more.
They were now standing in the corner of a corridor. To the right - of the corridor they'd just come from - a hallway stretched for a short distance and they could see steps that led up and down. They were facing another hallway with four doors on either side and one at the far end. On each door, about the size of a man's torso, was a group of three symbols, each the same size and equidistant from one another. From far away, they looked like jumbles of thick lines. In between each set of doors, a brazier clung to the wall and lit the room with unnatural brightness. The hallway had an exceptionally high ceiling - twice the height of the doors. A single chandelier hung down from the ceiling and stopped only a short distance above the door-frames and the same distance away from the far door.
"Okay, we should start searching the rooms." Lord Saberstryke looked at a map on the wall. "There are nine," he told everyone.
"Two for each of you, and I'll take the last one." Hariel grinned as he spoke, "I'll keep watch, too."
"Stay on guard for the priests or anyone else who might come down the hall," Kokuen-oh motioned to everyone's right as he instructed Hariel.
"All right, let's go!" Tamer cheered.
(-)
4:05 PM Thursday- Sahenangell, Sahngell May 5th- 981 D.A.
Inside the High Temple, another group of rascals searched for the First Artifact.
"So, if we get the Artifacts first, then-" Antulpan whispered.
"The prophecy can't come true," Badamon agreed from under his cloak. "Now, Arago-" he continued, drawing a small, glass pyramid into view, "-use this to hold back the other Conduits. You can shoot out four different Elemental Blast spells from the colored sides of this pyramid; fire, water, wind, and lightning. So, for people like your one friend, in particular, use the wind, which won't do as much damage," Badamon instructed.
"Got it," Arago acknowledged and nodded.
(-)
4:05 PM Thursday- Sahenangell, Sahngell May 5th- 981 D.A.
In the first room, Lord Saberstryke found the prayer room of the earth priests who worshipped Bataphashree, in the Sahngellian tongue. In the center was a rocky sphere; it was encased in amber and on an earthen mound.
Perhaps that's it . . . He reached out to grab it, but an orange light filled the room and he was stopped from reaching it. So, Saberstryke tried again, but was again repelled. Completely amazed, the Lord decided to try and touch it with his sword; the sword clinked against the rock and nothing happened. I understand, Lord Saberstryke sighed, It must be a spell to keep people away from the idol for worshipping B'batpra, not Hariel's Artifact. Oh well, I shall try the next room.
In the ninth room, he found what he took to be the prayer room of the phantasm priests; those who called upon Sheemdahll, also the Summer Deku. It was misty in there; a blanket of fog, like that of after an early-morning rain, covered the floor. The Lord could even make out dew clinging to strands of webbing just inside the doorway. He searched for an idol similar to the one in the prayer room of earth, but eventually ran into it. It was a stone pedestal only waist high, so he was thankful for his armor's protection.
Very typical of S'spmdom's priests to have fog covering the floor so you canÕt see! the Lord realized.
Suspended above the pedestal, by numerous strands of spider webbing, was a ball, completely wrapped up in the webs. As the mists cleared and he extended his gauntlet to wrench the orb from the webs, his gauntlet went right through the webbing and the orb.
An illusion . . . I'm not too surprised. Oh well, another dead end, Lord Saberstryke sighed. Perhaps Hariel has to be the one to find it . . . it would make sense, after all. I wonder how interesting the others are finding the other prayer rooms.
(-)
Shedosh had been assigned two rooms as well, and he started with the second one. He was about to open the door when the symbol on the door caught his eye. Why that's . . . That's Dekutadin! The language of the Gods! He immediately began analyzing the symbol, but it proved difficult. I haven't studied Dekutadin in so long . . . I hope I'm reading this right - the first one is . . . signal? belief? lack of doubt? Ah! Trust! Now . . . the second is pair? matched? Wait- both symbols together could mean Balance! That is so unusual . . . Altogether, the three could be Conviction . . . Despite being exceptionally curious as to why such Dekutadin symbols would be on the door, Shedosh was now more curious about what was inside.
He presumed it was the prayer room to the Dekata of Water, Vahwahndha, because there was a stone-enclosed pool in the center of it.
Shedosh looked about him, If the Artifact isn't out here . . . then it must be in that pool. Did Banybandy's priests have to put it in water? Shedosh pondered that thought for a second, Yes, yes, they did.
Almost as if to respond, the water in the pool rippled near the middle.
I really don't feel like getting wet . . . I guess I'll just have to use Water Wake, Shedosh complained, and uttered the spell,
"(Torrent and waves, part before me.
I seek within your depths; let me see.)"
Where the ripple had once been, the water began to swirl. Soon, a small whirlpool had formed, and it reached the bottom of the pool. Shedosh caught a glint of something that reflected the light and he cast another spell, assuming he had found Hariel's Artifact.
Invisible Hand should get Hariel's Artifact to me, Shedosh thought.
"(Levitate, find my hand.
Come to me, here on the land.)"
A light the shade of the water from which he called the orb flashed in front of Shedosh.
Some kind of warding spell, Shedosh decided. How do I tell whether or not that's Hariel's Artifact? He wondered. He suddenly came to a realization, Ah! That's not Hariel's Artifact at all! It's merely Banybandy's idol! An idol to worship her! Determined to continue searching, Shedosh went to the room across from his current position: the eighth room.
Now, Shedosh was prepared for the sight of three large symbols on the door and he thought long and hard about them. Let me see . . . could it be complacency? adherence? Obedience! And . . . fortuity? chance? Ah, yes, Luck! Together, they look like Capability! It's so strange that the first symbol can be read alone, while the other two must be read together, or the entire symbol as one, in order for it to make any sense! I need to write all of this down . . .
After Shedosh had written down the six symbols and their various meanings, he decided to go inside the room.
Something inside this room had an awful stench, for Shedosh was forced to keep one hand around his nose at all times upon entering. Held in the center of the room by two stone snakes, one from the ceiling and one from the floor, was a clear, spherical crystal that contained an awful, red liquid that resembled blood and constantly sloshed about in its container. It was without a doubt a room devoted to Vehllnalm, the Autumn Deku who also had powers over snakes and poison.
This must be the prayer room to Bylalano! That would explain the snakes . . . and the awful smell; it must be poison. What an odd ball . . . I wonder if it can be removed . . . Shedosh really just wanted to hide the orb away so he wouldn't have to look at it. He tried to grab the glass ball, but it wouldn't budge.
Then something strange happened; Shedosh's hands began to get warmer. He looked at them and saw a dark reddish-orange liquid seeping out from them. Shedosh quickly took his hands away and saw smoke coming off of them.
My hands are burning? Shedosh gasped, then realized what was going on; Bylalano's version of a warding spell is burning poison! That means this isn't Hariel's Artifact either! Confound it all! Shedosh cursed, I guess I'd better meet up with the others now. I'll have to look at the symbols on our way out . . .
(-)
Inside the walls of the third room, easily the prayer room for Vohhanatta, the Dekata of Light, Kokuen-oh searched among the many candles and lanterns for some kind of Divine Artifact. Then something quite odd caught his eye: a column extending from the stone floor to the stone ceiling that was made completely out of ice.
Amidst all of this heat? How does it stay frozen?
A hint of light from within the center of the column answered his question with a twinkling light. It was a kind of ball, made of ice or gems, he didn't know.
Now how to get it out of there? He took one of the candles and held it next to the ice pillar. No change. How odd! He tried touching the column and was amazed at how durable it seemed. Perhaps if I punch it with a gauntlet on . . .
Kokuen-oh put a gauntlet on his right hand and drew back his arm, releasing it upon the pillar . . . or so he intended. Before his knuckles got within an inch of the ice, a pale green light shot out from the column, multiplied beautifully by the ice and gem within it.
Incredible! That must be some kind of spell to keep people away! Too bad I can't get that gem, Kokuen-oh sighed. It's probably Vohhanatta's prayer idol, anyway, which means it's not Hariel's Artifact. I'll try the room across the hall.
Kokuen-oh moved quickly to the next room, opposite the third one, which was the seventh. It sharply contrasted the third one, for everything cast a dark shadow and the only light permitted entrance was that from the doorway.
This place must be the Winter Deku - Dhoohtehroom's priests' prayer room . . . only his priests of darkness could stand to be in such deep shadows all the time . . .
His eyes quickly adjusted to this new surrounding, and he made his way along the walls, searching for any other kind of pedestal or dais or column that might hold another crystal orb. He found none along the walls, but, in the center of the ceiling, a dark colored stalactite was hanging. At it's base, something barely glinted from the small amount of light.
That has to be another one! How'd it get up there? 'How do I get it down' might be a better question . . . Kokuen-oh looked about him for something to wedge the black gem from its hanging post. Where's T'myra's whip when I actually want to see it? Kokuen-oh demanded of himself. I wonder . . .
Kokuen-oh came closer and examined the shining object. He tried to touch it, but a feeling of great dread overcame him.
Another spell, he groaned, Dhoohtehroom's priests don't want people near this rock. It looks like some kind of rare black stone; Raven's Eye, perhaps. I guess this is a prayer idol as well. Boy I'm having rotten luck! Kokuen-oh cursed, turning to leave the room.
(-)
" 'Ello! What 'ave we 'ere?" Tamer peered into one of the two rooms she had offered to investigate, this one being the fourth. Ooh! It's cold in 'ere! Tamer massaged her arms to keep the wind from chilling her body.
If this place was a prayer chamber, the priests were awfully frugal. The room was exceptionally bare; it was mostly paintings and rugs hung on the walls. Then T'myra found the source of the icy wind - another doorway that probably led outside.
Ahh! It's the prayer room fo' the Dekata o' the wind an' sky, Tybysa! She walked through it and found a kind of balcony, where a dark blue orb sat neatly upon a wire stand. Within it, T'myra saw a burst of white. It looks like a sta' in the night sky!
Tamer tried to approach the beautiful sphere but, before she could, the sun shone directly into her eyes through the sphere. The color was beautiful, but it hurt her eyes.
I guess ya' don't want me t' touch this, huh, Tybysa? It must be your prayer idol, then. All right . . . Tamer bowed in respect and stood back up again. I'll take your word fo' it; this isn't 'Ariel's Artifact. I'll continue m' search in the next room.
The other room was the sixth room and it resembled the opposite room's atmosphere, except that T'myra liked this room very much. Little jewels hung everywhere and shone like stars, as did the various weapons that hung on its walls. When T'myra looked up, she saw an arrangement very similar to the sky as she saw it every night of the spring. Those gems were varying sizes and color, so that the fake stars were almost identical to their corresponding ones in the sky. The largest one, in the center, seemed to jut downward.
That MUST hurt if it were t' fall . . . T'myra thought. Could one o' these weapons be 'Ariel's Artifact? she wondered as she looked around the room, I don't even see a prayer idol. I can't tell t' whom this room is dedicated!
Then, Tamer heard a noise at her feet. It sounded like metal against rock. When she looked down, she saw a sharp, four-pronged weapon attached to a chain. The chain led up to the the largest jewel in the center of the ceiling; it was attached to a scythe that was stuck in the crystal!
T'myra bent down and looked at the four-pronged end of the chain. There's Sahngellian writin' on 'ere! She gasped. She picked it up and slowly rotated the weapon so she could read the full inscription. " 'Deku Kihloddohr, grant us the endurance t' withstand the pain o' this world. Through ya', may we b'come stronger t' share your ambitions o' powa' through pain.' " Well, that explains a lot, T'myra chuckled slightly, I found the prayer idol to Cuydalure, the Spring Deku o' pain an' consequences. Oh well, the search continues, I guess. I wonder 'ow 'Ariel's doin'?
However, as T'myra made to leave the room, her wind wandered back to that strange weapon. Powa' through pain . . . an' endurance . . . Too bad I'm not one o' Cuydalure's priests; they'd love all the pain I've gone through. A lingering feeling of determination stayed with T'myra even as she turned away from the Spring Deku's room. I can withstand whateva' gets thrown against me; I 'ave t' believe that, wit' all m' magic an' all m' 'aart! Just like m' motha' always said we should . . .
Despite there having been no windows in the room, the jewel-like weapons seemed to sparkle as T'myra shut the door, winking at her from their stoic places of honor.
(-)
Hariel searched the room with the greatest of care, for it was so big he was sure he was going to miss something, but he couldn't find anything that resembled some kind of Artifact. It was obviously the prayer room to the fire Dekata, Shakkashah; he could tell by the torches and the small flames everywhere that were lit by wood. There was even an altar in the middle of the room; it was a carved, stone holder for the biggest, brightest, and hottest flame in the room.
What was that . . . Hariel thought he could see something burning in the fire, and then realized that it wasn't burning at all! It was some kind of spherical glass or crystal. I wonder if I could get it out of there . . . Hariel searched for tongs or, perhaps, just two pieces of metal to grasp the object. He found none. Hariel thought for a moment, That means there's only one other thing I can do.
Hariel put both of his hands out to the fire. They began to get warm until it was uncomfortable for them to be so hot. He kept them there until the temperature felt natural for his hands. Next, he shut his eyes and plunged his hands into the pyre. He grasped the orb, which was the hottest thing he had ever touched, so he recoiled. Hariel was determined, though, and quickly thrust them in again. He held onto the hot coal-like crystal with all of his might and then a fire erupted throughout the room. It didn't singe Hariel, or anything else in the room for that matter!
It- it doesn't hurt? What kind of fire IS this? The orb wasn't hot anymore, so he pulled it close to him. As soon as it was out of the fire, a white light flashed before his eyes. Hariel could see what looked like a bunch of lines thrown together.
That's what was on the door! Hariel realized, But . . . what does it mean?
Then, the fire that had swallowed the room was gone.
Just as he was contemplating the significance of the red orb and the strange symbol, a different kind of fire filled the room; this one burned. He held the sphere close to him and the white light flashed once more. Now he wasn't in any pain.
"I don't understand it . . ." A muffled voice came from the doorway.
Hariel turned to see someone dressed in a tight black suit, holding a colored pyramid with a red side facing the room. The figure rotated the pyramid so that it now showed blue.
"Oh well. Let's see if this one works!"
A great wave of water nearly drowned Hariel and he was flung against the far wall. As he struggled to regain his footing, he heard the figure laugh.
"Yep! That one works!" the voice proclaimed.
Hariel's vision was still blurry from the massive wave, but he could see the black figure reel forward - into the room - as a blast of energy came from behind. Rather, two energies.
"I'll show ya' magic ya' pathetic Angel!"
"Surrender the pyramid and we will talk like gentlemen."
"No way!"
T'myra . . . and Shedosh . . . Hariel murmured as he was helped to his feet by who he presumed to be Kokuen-oh, for he could see the black figure battling an armored figure that he took to be Lord Saberstryke in the middle of the room near the central fire's pedestal.
"Don't worry, Hariel, we've got it taken care of."
Yep, that's Kokuen-oh, Hariel managed to chuckle, but he looks . . . unhappy . . . discouraged . . .
"Antulpan! Stop! This isn't what you want!" he called.
T'myra and Shedosh had come into the room now and were standing in the left corner - as one entered the room. They were both watching Saberstryke's every move in case Antulpan, the black figure, made another attempt to use his magical pyramid. At the moment, Antulpan was so distracted by Kokuen-oh's voice and Saberstryke's sword in his face that he was only barely dodging the sword, let alone trying to use the pyramid.
"You don't understand, Kokuen! I have to stop all of you from getting the Artifacts, then the prophecy won't come true!" Antulpan called, "If you do then . . . then I . . ." He gripped the pyramid tightly and started to raise it up. "I'll become-"
"You're already makin' the prophecy come true, ya' bastard!" Tamer yelled as she tried to wrap Antulpan in her whip.
Arago grinned and held up the yellow side of the pyramid, right next to the end of the whip. He shot it towards T'myra and she screamed in pain as the lightning enveloped her, amplified by her own weapon.
"NOOO!" Hariel yelled as he stood up and out of Kokuen-oh's grasp. He ran towards her, not stumbling in the least, but left the large orb near Kokuen-oh.
The whip dropped from T'myra's hands and she looked as if she could barely stand. "I knew . . . that ya' . . . were trouble . . . Antulpan . . ." She began to sink to the floor.
Before her knees even hit the stone, Hariel grasped her around the chest and held her close to him. "T'myra . . ." he sobbed.
"Just let me rest a- a little while . . . I'll be fine . . . promise . . ." T'myra said and she slunk farther into Hariel's embrace, incredibly weak, but alive.
He set her on the floor, gently, and kissed her forehead, brushing the many ponytails the hung around her head, then stood up to face Antulpan.
"I will get my Artifact, Antulpan!" Hariel yelled, and Antulpan backed away a little, preparing the blue side of the pyramid again.
Somehow, Hariel knew exactly what to do, like there was a voice whispering instructions in the back of his mind. He held his hand out in front of him, palm facing Kokuen-oh. It began to pulse red and white, as did the orb from where he'd left it. The orb levitated above the ground and flew to just in front of Hariel's hand, where he grasped it firmly. The pulsations that the orb and Hariel's hands were giving off came faster than before and kept quickening. Then, there was a flash of many colors from the doorway.
Antulpan fired the aquatic blast at Hariel, but a light blue orb stopped directly in front of him. As the blast met the orb, a barrier rose up and the water was reflected. Hariel didn't flinch; he was glaring daggers at Antulpan.
"Oh shit . . ." Arago squeaked.
The light blue orb was joined shortly by an orange one, a light green one, and a navy blue one.
Kokuen-oh drew the dagger hidden in his sash at his back, then charged Arago. "You must be made to understand, Antulpan!" he shouted.
"But- Kokuen? Stop!" Arago held the yellow side of the pyramid up. "Wind!" he yelled, but lightning shocked his friend instead.
Kokuen-oh screamed in pain, dropping his dagger in the process.
Lord Saberstryke caught Kokuen-oh in his left arm and held out his sword in the other. "Come no closer, Antulpan!" he threatened.
"Oh no! Kokuen!" Antulpan ran for his friend, but ran into a forcefield, courtesy of Shedosh.
Shedosh called to him, "You are only making this more difficult on yourself, Antulpan! No matter what you do, The Prophecy will come true."
At that moment a golden-yellow orb flew into the room accompanied by a black one, a dark purple one, and a salmon-colored one.
The crystals swirled around Hariel in a circle about his head. They were no longer pulsing, they just looked like a single multicolored ring of light. Suddenly, they all shot up above Hariel's head and there came a brilliant, white light that forced everyone to shield their eyes. After it settled, Hariel was holding an orb double the size of the original ones, and it was pure white with two red characters inside it . . .
Dekutadin again . . . "Rage . . ." Shedosh gasped out loud; Hariel's eyes certainly reflected it.
"Tamer . . ." Hariel took a quick look at T'myra, then returned his gaze to Antulpan, "Now, Antulpan, I take my revenge in her name!" I can feel my rage growing . . . Hariel realized, Something wants to come out . . . words . . . All right . . .
"Arm! KIKOUTEI!" Hariel held the ball in front of him and it the orb grew to envelop him in a dark blue-black armor. The orb was gone now, but fires began to erupt around him. White arm guards formed on his lower arms and he held his hands together, which formed a white breastplate and helmet. He stepped back and his right leg received a shin guard and foot protector. He stepped back with his other foot and found the left set.
Hariel, still small of stature but large of heart, held his hands above his head and then flung a fist towards Antulpan, "(Kikoutei Gekido!)" ("Rage of Inferno!") he yelled.
"Badamon, help me!" Arago cried and a light blue mist enveloped him before the fire did. Arago had disappeared.
In his place, where everyone expected to see more than a little damage to the Prayer Room, the entire area glowed with a bright red light. The aura pulsed rhythmically for a few moments, then eventually died down.
My attack was fire-based . . . and this is the fire Dekata's room . . . Lucky me; I guess it's protected against fire. Now we won't have to run for our lives from angry Priests! Flames engulfed Hariel again, and he sunk to his knees, back in his orphan Angel clothes. "That . . . is the most power . . . I have ever felt . . . in my entire life!" Hariel gasped, "I know it sounds crazy but-"
" 'Ar- 'Ariel . . ."
T'myra! Hariel turned around and rushed toward her.
Shedosh had knelt near T'myra to do some minor healing, so she was conscious again. She spoke to Hariel, "I saw ya' . . . fo' just a second. . . your Artifact . . . it's a powa'ful arma' . . ." she murmured.
"Yeah. Kikoutei, I think it's called . . ." Hariel sat down beside her and held her hand.
"I'm glad ya' found it," T'myra sighed. I neva' noticed his eyes b'fo' . . . so warm an' invitin' . . .
Shedosh smiled and said, more to himself than anyone else, "I have something I need to take care of in the hallway before we leave." Without another word, he got up and left the room.
Hariel caressed her cheek with trembling fingers, "You had me so scared, T'myra."
"Ya' really think I'd give up that easily, Cotton?" Tamer chuckled slightly.
Fully supporting her weight, Hariel wrapped his arms around T'myra's waist and slowly helped her stand. "I guess I should've remembered how strong you are," Hariel smiled at her. "T'myra-" I was so afraid- no, terrified that she had been hurt badly. What does that mean?
"Shh," T'myra whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Jus' 'old me fo' a little while, okay, 'Ariel?"
Hariel buried his face in her neck. He let a few tears slip out of his eyes and fall down his cheeks onto her neck. "I'm glad you're going to be okay," he spoke softly, "Please don't scare me like that ever again . . ."
Is 'ee crying? 'Ee was 'onestly worried about me! T'myra smiled. "I'll try not t' . . . You're sweet, Cotton."
Saberstryke looked on, not wanting to disturb the two; it was quite evident to him how T'myra and Hariel felt about each other, even if the two of them didn't. However, he did glance at Kokuen-oh to gauge his reaction.
Kokuen-oh had been helped to stand by Saberstryke, but he wasn't nearly as bad off as T'myra. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes reflected both sadness and anxiety.
Slowly, T'myra tried to stand on her own. All the while, Hariel supported her by holding her right arm.
"Come on," Hariel said loudly so that the other two men could hear, "I think we need to get out of here before the priests find us."
Saberstryke looked at Kokuen-oh. "Do you need help walking now?"
Kokuen-oh glared at him for a minute, then stood up and out of Saberstryke's grasp. "I'm fine." He walked a short distance, stumbled a little as he picked up his dagger from the floor, but kept walking all the same in the direction of the door.
Saberstryke shook his head slightly and followed behind.
When Saberstryke exited the room, he saw Shedosh writing on a piece of parchment that he had pushed against the wall. He was to the left of the last door on the right, from Saberstryke's perspective. Shedosh was constantly glancing back and forth between the symbol on the door and his parchment. Hariel, T'myra, and Kokuen-oh were making their way towards him, with expression that showed their confusion, like Saberstryke, he guessed.
"Shedosh . . ." Saberstryke called with a mixture of wonder and questioning, "What are you doing?"
Shedosh ignored him for a moment, finished writing something down, then looked up at him as he put his items away. "I'm not sure if any of you noticed, but these doors have Dekutadin symbols written on them. The thing about Dekutadin is that each symbol, or character, can be read independently or with other symbols and they could mean something completely different each way.
"I don't suppose it's all that strange for the priests to put Dekutadin symbols on the doors to their prayer rooms, but I noticed that they didn't even mean things directly related to the Deku the room was designed for. The room for Tybysa - or Tahvahsah - has 'Wisdom' and 'Patience', or 'Oath' together, for example. Wouldn't you expect some kind of reference to the sky or stars on her door?" Shedosh explained. "I decided to write all of the symbols down, so I can analyze them better at a later time."
"It sounds fascinatin'," T'myra chuckled slightly. "Any thoughts on 'ow we're gettin' outta' 'ere?"
Saberstryke moved to the hallway that curved left from his new perspective; it had been their right initially.
"Where are you going, Saberstryke?" Kokuen-oh asked, unaware of his intentions.
Saberstryke saw a window in the hallway and looked out - it was only a ten foot drop or so to the alleyway below. "I think I found our way out."
(-)
5:15 PM Thursday- Sahenangell, Sahngell May 5th- 981 D.A.
"I failed . . ." Arago whimpered, pounding his hands on the ground.
"I don't blame you; you didn't know what to expect, but you have to be stronger than this," Badamon told him. "If you make a mistake, you must correct it quickly, not sob over the consequences of it. That way, you'll be one step above the other Conduits."
Arago stood up, eyes dark, "Fine. Where's the next Artifact?"
Badamon smiled, fangs protruding from his mouth in an evil grin.
(-)(-)(-)
Continued in: Stations in Life
1/27/2001
Hey, Hariel's got his Artifact, and what an Artifact, ne? O.O Let's see . . . who's next . . . Ah yes! The Lord Saberstryke! Follow The Map to the next Artifact, and keep reading my story; I hope that it only gets better! So, tell me what you think!
1/31/2005
How about that Kikoutei armor? Anyway, I hope you're following along with the characters and the storyline; it's a pretty important element to my entire arc. I'm just now laying down the foundation for all of Forever Destiny! Okay, maybe not all of it, but it a good chunk of it. Sorry if some of my corrections didn't go so well; I had a bout of insomnia this weekend and it's 12:36 AM Monday morning. I've been awake since about 9 AM Sunday. I was awake from about 12 PM Friday to 4 AM Sunday. It's a new record for me! (Sheepish grin) Oh, if only Hariel had talked with T'myra . . . How much you want to bet this comes back to haunt him later? (whistles innocently)
2/9/2005 and 3/31/2005
I feel like I really cut this one short now, but I don't know what else to put here . . . and then the next chapter is twice as long, I think! . . . Maybe something else will come up that I'll have to address and I'll add it in here. What do you think, should I have addressed the symbols here and now? Or later? In any case, I clarified a few more things, like why Hariel's attack didn't leave a mark. (smirk)
Nekochan