Mari And The Temple Of Light
Back to the main page
In the depths of Valkshawsen...
Seven Times Blessed by the Sun sits behind Mari, milling through a variety of books. Mari had found Seven Times Blessed By The Sun (or Seven, as she called him) in the helot district, after a quick visit to check on Ash, the deathknight in the creepy abandoned house with the corpses. Seven had been running an impromptu backstreet clinic, and she'd observed him for some time before he realized that he was being watched. Needless to say, it soon resulted in her sitting on his shoulders, as though he were giving his little sister a ride. Now she's in here, ensconced in his lap, while he makes himself comfortable in a pile of already-perused books.
"I don’t quite understand why you keep pulling me along. Can’t you look through dusty old tomes by yourself? I’m certain I could be more use to someone else.”
The Twilight isn’t really whining though; he enjoys Mari’s company. She isn’t as serious as some of the other Exalted he’s run into in the past and he’s made this known to the Exalted girl.
“I’m not even certain what it is we’re looking for. You had some vague dream about eggs. Next thing I know, we’re in here. I may be wrong, but eggs are usually in markets full of farmers and fishermen, aren't they?”
"It was a special egg," Mari insists. "There was... something shiny inside. Really shiny. And besides, you owe me, I saved you from those baldies on that boat. Although, I would have done it anyway, it's the right thing to do."
The girl plops down yet another hefty book. Dust hundreds of years old wafts up in the air, in the shape of a mushroom. Her dream had been vivid. She's seen an egg, not like a chicken egg, but it had... something in it. She didn’t know what that something was, but she was pretty sure that it was candy or something important. Her dreams always ended up leading her to something important, or at least a fun adventure.
Somehow, they'd gotten permission from Amilar Kraik, the Master of Valkshawsen, to pore through the sealed archives of the College of Sorcery. He'd seemed quite delighted after a couple of books unlocked themselves and made reassuring noises when she picked them up, as well as a handful of previously inert artifacts reactivating themselves around the two of them. While the headmaster was busy examining the rejuvenated items, Mari went on to scour the endless sea of knowledge for something about the tidbit she sought.She's opening multiple books at once, flipping through them for illustrations matching what she saw, while Seven leisurely pages through the reams and reams of paper.
Kraik can be heard in the background playing with one of the small artifacts that activated with Mari’s presence. The sound of whirs and buzzes emanate from his direction, some from him others from the artifact.
“I believe this was once a child’s plaything. Absolutely fascinating in its delicate structure,” he says and then the sound of him banging the small artifact toy against a heavy oak desk. “And absolutely impervious to mundane damage. However, it must be radiating some form of essence field that works the musculature of the handler because my arms and neck are absolutely in pain after only a few bumps. I feel as if I’ve lifted a warstrider arm above my head for half a day.”
“Yes, absolutely fascinating professor,” Seven’s voice is a bored drone. He picks up Mari and sets her in a chair next to him and then picks up an open book. He reads it as he walks. When he passes by Kraik his hand darts out unconsciously, striking Kraik in the elbow, shoulder, and neck. Kraik rubs his neck, “I must say it’s handy having you about. I could use you in my workshop for the aches and pains of a long night working.”
“I don’t do house calls.”
“Well I may come to that clinic of yours, but only if you’ll have me late at night. And keep me hidden from your normal clientele.” Kraik touches the metal that covers one portion of his face as he slams the metallic ball into the table once again. “Fascinating.”
Mari, on the other hand, has been spending her time flipping through pages trying to find an answer to the question that will not get out of her head. She flips through one of the many ancient books when she comes upon a page with a picture of an ornate egg. The picture brings flashes of brilliant imagery to Mari’s mind. She holds it in her hands and with a few finger taps the thing opens. She places…something within it.
The entry reads in Old Realm:
The Efficacious Containers of Significant Consequence were used primarily by couriers in the employ of the Solar Deliberative during the First Age. The Containers provided a secure method of transporting important artifacts between provinces. Containers were keyed with the essence imprint of the deliverer and the recipient so that a Container could only be used between the two imprinted Solars.
"Hey... I think I found something! Lookie!" Mari says, pointing excitedly to the entry for the Efficacious Containers.
"They're like... big eggs and stuff, and they were used to store treasures too. Maybe this is it..."
Seven obligingly flares his anima brighter so Mari can read by it as she redoubles her attention on that particulat segment of the book. The funny thing is that while the text was hard to decipher at first, as she went on, it starts to make more and more sense, as though her vocabulary was literally growing with every word she took in. It wasn't just the language either - as she reads, she's beginning to comprehend more complex and numerous concepts, largely pertaining to Essence physics and motonics.
Of course, while her comprehension is improving at an impressive rate, it's not really helping her expression, which probably explains why her excited explanation is full of such words as "this thingamajig", or "that spinny bit".
"If the Containers were used to transport items, and they were keyed to only respond to two Solars... what if I had one addressed to me which was never opened? And... where would it be?"
Kraik sets his plaything down and moves to stand over Mari. He scans over the page taking in the information as quickly as he can. “Interesting, but seems like it would be trying to find a needle in a haystack.”
He may be right, but Mari’s mind is racing so fast over the information that she completely skips over whole trains of thought. She closes her eyes, leans back, then turns her attention back to the book, and begins parsing through the information slower. This time, she manages to link one reading to another. She looks over the vast stacks of books that they’ve gone over. Leaping up onto the table she gingerly plucks a tome out of a tall stack of books. The books that rested on top of it land in place with a thud and a whiff of old, moldy leather.
She opens the book and rifles through the pages stopping abruptly with her finger on the exact entry she was looking for. It’s all very much like a chocolate sugar high without the numminess. The tome is actually a diary from early in the Shogunate before all that Contagion unpleasantness. It reads of finding an egg in the countryside surrounding Deheleshan. If Mari remembers right, that’s what Lookshy used to be called. The diary describes a mountain to the south. It is capped by a manse dedicated to the Unconquered Sun.
As Mari plops back down into her seat a piece of parchment falls out. When opened, it reveals a map of the surround area, including everything from Lookshy to Nexus and south to Thorns and north to Port Calin. The map shows the location of the manse upon it in what is now the ranging home of the Marukan horse tribes.
"Oooooooh..." Mari enthuses, putting the pieces together. There was an egg in the countryside of Deheleshen - i.e. Lookshy, which was where they were now. There was also an old Solar Manse in the vicinity, on top of a mountain...
"You know, if that Manse is unoccupied, you should claim it," Seven suggests. "No sense leaving it there to gather dust if you can make use of it. Of course, Lookshy may already have laid claim on it," he notes, glancing over to Amilar Kraik.
"I actually wanted to know about the Marukan horse tribes," Mari replies. "I mean, it looks like we'll be going into their place for this. Are they, like, grumpy and stuff? Do they like to attack outsiders? Can we be friends?"
Mari flips through another book she remembers reading about a similar manse in the area. While she looks Kraik talks to her, "The Marukan are a proud people. Independent, strong, and abhor the practice of slavery. They are people of their word. If they say they will fight you, they will. If they say they will embrace you as brother or sister, they will. Woe be to him that backs out of an agreement or breaks his word with the Marukan."
"Hmmmm... I think I kind of like them already," Mari smiles. "They do what they promise to do, and they like horsies. I mean, Chikktikka is nice, but I've always wanted to ride a horsie..."
Indeed, Mari has long envied the Delzahn noble riders on their majestic steeds (no small number of them having come from the Marukan tribes themselves). Alas, her lack of delicacy frightened many dealers away; they'd rather risk Shrike's and Mari's wrath than allow their precious horses to be brutalized by the poor girl. So, Mari has sadly shelved her plans for equestrianism... until now.
"They have plenty of horses for the looking, but they take great pride in those horses. They revere them more than most gods or spirits. I would watch the way you act toward them if we are to go there."
"Got it. Be good to the horsies, no poking them, or pulling on their tails, or figure-four-leglocking them... well, they've got four legs, so it'd be hard, anyway.
Kraik begins packing a small satchel full of books that Mari had been looking at as well as some of his General Theory of Motonics books that have now unlocked themselves thanks to Mari's presence. "We'll need rations enough for a week there. Hopefully we can replenish those supplies before coming back."
"All right, we're heading up to the horse people right now!" she declares with a gleam in her eye. Then her attention is caught by a passage about the egg on the pedestal in the Manse on the mountain. The book indicates that a traveler to the manse, which fits the description of the manse on the mount, discovered an egg upon a pedestal. He was unable to retrieve the item because the tests were too great and his will too little. He left before attempting the first test for fear of his demise, or worse.
Mari considers these, before another pertinent question comes to mind.
"Hey, how long would it take to get here?"
She pokes the map, indicating the location of the Manse as she shows it to Kraik and Seven. "Maybe the treasure inside that egg could help Lookshy or something against Masky..."
"The Mask can wait; we'll be back in time, girl." Kraik looks even more animated than before. "What wonders we shall see, doctor?"
"I can't say, but maybe I will find some answers up there as well. If nothing else I can save you both from certain death if that occurs."
Mari nods vigorously.
"But... did you say a week? That's... going to be a really long time," Mari says. "I should probably tell Nee-san first. She might get worried if I'm gone for a week without telling her," she muses. "Say... are you coming with me? Er, us, Mr. Metal Man?"
"Yes I'm coming. I wouldn't miss this for a dinner date with the chumyo." He pauses packing books. "I estimate a week to be safe, in case we get sidetracked. It shouldn't take that long, but you never know what interesting things you will find on a trip."
She looks over to Seven and Kraik.
"Teehee, it's like a double date~" she giggles. "Hmmm, you mentioned the chumyo... was she the pretty lady on a horsie? I think she was talking to Nee-san and Frost earlier today... yeah, she was pretty," Mari nods. "Have either of you been on trips like this? Did you find anything interesting? And... well, I have a friend I'd like to bring along. He's a demon, and he says he used to be my servant. Would it be all right?"
"I have traveled quite extensively. Searching for cures to ailments beyond my understanding," Kraik says. "Unfortunately I proved quite inept at such pursuits, unlike the good doctor. I only found trouble for my efforts." He has a smile, but on the inside he feels only bleakness and it shows on his face.
"I too have traveled more than my fair share. Trouble always found me. As you saw aboard the prison barge, not everyone appreciates a good healer. Some villages ran me off as a demon, others embraced me so much that it brought Wyld Hunts down upon my head."
They look at each other when Mari mentions the demon. Kraik finally shrugs, "I guess so. As long as he won't attempt any...negative things upon us."
"Ohhh, so you guys have been around, huh..." Mari nods. "Well, I promise that demon will behave. If not I'll discipline him," she grins, holding up her fist before her. It's fairly certain that both of them know the force she can apply when she's in a mood for it.
"I'd like to hear about your trips on our trip," she smiles. "Although... I guess I should inform Nee-san and get ready for stuff. Should we meet somewhere? Will your patients be okay without you?" she asks Seven. "How about the... stuff here?" she turns to Kraik. "I hope someone protects it. Otherwise I might not be able to run back here in time to fix Happy Fun Ball if something sets it off again..."
"Of course. We will have plenty of time to get to know one another," Kraik hauls the bulging satchel onto his metallic arm. "And the soulbreaker orb will be fine. There's a full fang below waiting for someone to try that business again."
"For my part, the clinic will be fine. There will be some disappointed people, but the sicknesses within the city are not so bad. They will survive." Seven bends down and picks Mari up. He places her on his shoulders knowing that she is not that great of a burden.
"Shall we?" Kraik says as he motions toward the exit.
"Whee!" Mari enthuses as her thighs lightly grasp Seven's neck. She hopes there aren't any low ceilings, though. She nods when Kraik mentions the fang of guards waiting to protect the Happy Fun Ball.
"That's good," she nods. "Yeah, I trust your people. They're... gun-zo-sha, right?"
"Yes, gunzosha make up the entire outfit. No more regular guards. Not with what's coming."
"I hope they'll be safe," Mari says as she hugs Seven's head.
While she waits for an answer, she runs a list of people she has to tell that she's leaving. Let's see... Nee-san, Coral, Sena-lady, Frost, A Friend (assuming she can iind him), maybe Wrath (if he comes back), Kaneda and Yagami and... hm, that's it, really. Her servant, Seven and Mr. Metal are all coming with her, so that's no problem. Hm, maybe she should try and get Rina here too...
"Mari, I can't see," Seven says, already starting to veer into a wall.
"Oops. Sowwy," she whispers, unwrapping her arms from around his eyes. Seven ducks hastily so Mari doesn't slam her head into the door frame, which would tear it from the surrounding wall.
"Give me a while to say goodbye to people, and we'll meet tomorrow in front of that inn we all stay at?"
"We will meet you there. I'll gather the food and what supplies I can. Um, after I drop you off."
"Hrm. We still have some daylight left. Why don't we head over to a certain place outside of town to pick up that demon servant of mine? Although... you have to promise you won't tell anyone. They're apparently hiding from people there..."
"We won't say anything. Promise." Seven looks at Kraik expecting the same answer. Kraik nods his assent.
At Coral's Lodge...
The three make it to the cabin. Coral is still alone other than the demon, Shimazu, Keeper of the Five Score Lores. When Mari enters the cabin the demon almost comes out of his dematerialized hiding place, but then spots Kraik and Seven.
"Oh Mari, you've brought visitors." She nods to both and gives Seven a coy smile. She shows no emotion when viewing Kraik who has covered his head with a hood and wears long sleaves to cover his other inadequacies.
"Hiiii~" Mari waves to Coral. "Yep, I brought friends! This is Seven. He's a doctor. And this..."
She wonders whether she should introduce Kraik. He seems intent on keeping his identity secret.
"...this is Another Friend. We're going on a little hiking trip to look for a magical egg full of candy on top of a mountain," she smiles. "I was hoping Mr. Servant could come with us. I have a bunch of questions for him..."
Seven bows to Coral, "I wish I could say that Mari has told us much about you, but we've been in such a hurry. If I had known I would face such beauty I would have brought an appropriate gift."
"Your friends are as dashing as you are Mari."
She giggles and then bows her head.
"It is good to meet you, Seven and you Another Friend. Mari gives such colorful names to her... companions" She looks around the room.
"Shy, you heard your master, come out now. No need for hiding."
The demon coalesces not far from Coral's side. He bows to her. "It was a pleasure to be in your presence, Lady Coral. It has been too long." He takes hold of her hand and kisses it. He walks over to join Mari at her side. "Your servant is available for anything you need."
"Oooh, it's you!" she smiles, patting him on the head. "Did you have fun with Coral? She was the goddess of Solars and Lunars doing naughty things with demons... I don't suppose the two of you got naughty?" she winks.
"We had a nice time." Coral nods, "Very nice."
Mari smiles, and then she unrolls the map she brought back from the basement to show everyone.
"Anyway. We are going here," she points to the Manse's location, "and we are going to look for treasure. It's apparently pretty dangerous, but we're going anyway. Don't worry, I won't let you guys get hurt," she smiles.
"I need to go and say goodbye to everyone first, but we'll meet in front of our inn tomorrow morning at dawn. Is that okie with everyone, Seven, Shy, Another Friend?"
Then, she whispers into Kraik's ear.
"Oh, by the way, I don't think Coral will mind if you told her who you are. Unless you did something bad to her in the past. Did you?
Kraik begins to speak but he sounds like he's having a hrad time of it, "I, well, it's just I don't want to offend her with my hideousness."
"Posh, there's no such thing. I lie with demons after all." Her smile is demure.
"Very well," he says as he lowers his hood. "I am Kraik, headmaster of the Valkshawsen Academy." He bows, "It has been a pleasure to meet you. Mari, we will meet in front of the inn tomorrow morning, first thing in the morning," Kraik says while nodding toward Coral.
"But for now, I must return to the Academy; they require constant oversight and I hrav to make sure they won't fall apart for at least a week without me."
He hurriedly leaves the room and waits outside for the others to join him.
"He's odd one, but lovable in his crankiness," says Seven.
"I was worried that he might have annoyed you and stuff. I think he needs a hug. And candy. I don't think you get a lot of either when you're cooped up by yourself in a basement researching all sorts of dusty books. Have you found Blossom, Coral? Do you know which way she might have gone? Maybe on our trip out, we could try looking for her..."
"No, Blossom, hasn't shown up. I hope you are able to find her on your way and that you make it back in time to stop the Mask of Winters."
She looks at the sheet and her hands. "I probably won't be in the cabin when you get back. I'm moving north of Lookshy. I'm not much for fighting the dead."
Mari nods.
"You're going to hide? Well, that's a good idea, I guess. Where will you go?"
The imminent invasion of Lookshy suddenly takes on a hint of additional urgency. Coral's not the fighting kind, and her court probably isn't a really elite fighting force either. She doesn't know why... but she feels that she needs to defend them, one way or another. It's an itch in her heart, which just won't seem to go away...
"Marin Bay is nice this time of year and it's far enough away that I'll feel safe." She gets out of bed and runs over to hug Mari. She's soft and squishy and doesn't hug very hard. "I'm sorry that I am such a coward." She looks genuinely sad and a tear runs down her cheek turning to ice before it hits the floor. "I don't want to lose you again."
"What do you mean coward?" Mari giggles. "It's better than fighting if you know you can't win, right? I mean, some people do that, and it works, but if you don't win in the end, then you just end up looking terribly silly. Unless you do it awesomely. But don't worry, Coral, I'll come back for you. I promise. So what you should do is stay safe so I have someone to come back to," she winks.
"Thank you, Mari." She gives the girl a kiss on the forehead and then on the mouth. "Be careful."
"Of course I will. Who do you think I am?" she winks. Then, she turns to Shimazu, or Shy, or Mr. Servant. Well, she doesn't think of him as a Servant, just Yet Another Friend...
"Well, maybe you should follow me back to town so you know where to meet us tomorrow. I think you and Coral need to have some fun tonight before you go, though. Just in case," she giggles.
The next day...
Seven and Kraik are waiting outside when Mari leaves the inn.
"Morning, Mari. Ready for the trip?"
Judging by her bounciness and the big grin on her face, the question was obviously rhetorical. Kraik is wearing his signature cloak with hood up. Seven is wearing a sturdy set of traveling clothes that reveal nothing about his body. They are far too baggy to show any musculature or fat.
Getting out of the city is far easier than getting in. The guards are stopping every traveller and merchant as they enter the city gates. However, those leaving can go unmolested by the guards.
The journey south is hot as the days wear on and the hottest day of the year approaches. The plains of the Marukan Alliance reflect the warm sun and cause the ground to shimmer. It's nothing like the heat of the true South, but it's much warmer than the forests of the East.
On their fourth day and second within Marukan territory, the mountain in sight, a dust cloud approaches and not longer after, the sound of thundering hooves on the ground.
"Mari, don't do that," Seven scolds gently as the girl tries, for the umpteenth time, to take her clothes off.
"But it's so hoooooot," she whines. "And besides, I don't mind if you or Kraik or Shy sees it," she grins.
Kraik stifles a cough, while the cloaked demon sniggers. "Ah, Miss Mari's body, I see it has not deteriorated much since I last saw it... ah, I'll behave," he nods to Seven.
Then, they notice the approaching riders.
"Should we meet up with them, or try to skirt around them?" asks Seven.
"Hmm," Mari thinks. "Well, it depends. I figure we should at least introduce ourselves. Otherwise they'll chase us, and we'll have to beat them up, and that wouldn't get us anywhere, would it?" she says.
She climbs onto Seven's shoulders and waves to them.
"Oiiiiii!" she calls out. "How are ya!"
The horsemen pull up short of the odd display. A naked girl sitting on a man's shoulders waving to them. "Who is it that treads on these lands? Friend or foe of the Marukani?"
"We're friends!" she shouts back. "My name's Mari! Who are you?"
Seven sighs, and pushes the dress offered to him by Shy into Mari's side.
"Get dressed, Mari. They must surely think you're strange now."
"We're looking for a temple on top of a mountain!" she continues. "It holds a magic egg! And stuff!"
"Mari, you don't have to shout, he's right there," Seven says.
"Um. Yeah. Well. We were hoping to pass through your lands," she says in accordance to the script prepared for her by Kraik. "To. Uh, recover a great treasure. And save Lookshy."
Her voice trails off as she notices their leader's horse.
"Ooooh, a horsie! He's like those horsies the Delzahn riders ride..."
She reaches into the pack Seven is carrying, and fishes out an apple she's saved for this occasion.
"Horsie wanna apple?" she giggles, leaning forward.
The horse shies away at first but then cautiously takes the apple from Mari's hand into its mouth.
"The Delzahn trade for our horses. They honor the horses as they should be."
The horse, satisfied with the treat turns to the side as the Marukani horselord turns it. "I know of the mountain you speak. I would take you to the temple but we ride for Lookshy. We need their help, but if they need saving..."
"Well, it'd be nice if you could take us there... but yeah, the Masky of Winters is going to attack Lookshy soon, in a couple of weeks or so. I think what we find in the temple could help us... but well, if you want to go to Lookshy, I understand. Although, could you spread the word that we're friends? I'm, er, running low on apples... oh, and what's your horsie's name?"
"Hm, troubling. We have reasons to suspect the same is happening to us now. Nothing so organized as an army, but entire villages to the south are being sacked and burned. We haven't found the culprits. We suspected a neightboring kingdom or possibly the Mask of Winters. I will have to hold court with the General Staff." He looks back toward the mountains and points to the highest peak.
"Ooooh," Mari says as she looks in the direction of the man's finger. "Thank you for your help," she bows. "I hope everything works out for you... and rest assured, my friends and I will definitely keep Lookshy and you safe," she smiles.
"The place you seek is atop that mountain. Few go there, it is considered a test of one's strength and will to climb to the top. Few try it for fear of death, fewer still survive."
"A test of strength, hm..."
Mari knows she's really strong, but she wonders if she's strong enough - or if the others are strong enough...
"Oh well. Onward, guys!" she enthuses. "And thank you, Mr. Kordak!" she calls to Kordeth.
The foothills of the mountain...
The rest of the trip is marked by occasional meetings with Marukani horesmen who seek to trade but once they discover why the three are there they move on. Mari's supply of apples dwindles quickly so that by the time they reached the mountains there are none left.
The peak of the central mountain rises high above all the others. Clouds surround the top like a comforting blanket. Only in the mid-day sun do the clouds evaporate but by late evening they are back. "I'd say that's as high as the Imperial Mountain but I know better. It's a damn sight bigger than anything else in the East," says Kraik.
Seven moans, "We have to climb that thing? This had better be the first of the three tests."
"And we won't have any apples to do it with either," Mari pouts. "Hmmm," she hmms as she looks at the mountain. "Yeah, that's a huuuuge mountain. I don't suppose anyone knows a way to summon a cloud or a horsie so we can go straight up?" Mari asks. "Although... that would kind of go against the spirit of the whole thing too," she says."Well, I could carry you guys," she beams. "It's not that hard."
"I can climb it lass," Kraik says. He's out of his hood for the first time in days. "It shouldn't be that big of a problem."
"I'll maintain my dignity as well and climb," remarks Seven. He cracks his knuckles and his neck moving his head in a full circle.
"I don't believe I'll have any problems, mistress," Shy replies.
Halfway up the mountain...
The way up is treacherous and Mari can see why the Marukani revere the mountain for its deadliness and challenge. Kraik isn't able to keep up with Mari but he does not struggle to climb either. His pace is slow and efficient.
Seven slips several times, once almost falling to his doom except for Mari's quick reflexes and strength. Midway through the day they come to a ledge. It is large enough to fit a small campsite and the group sees that it has been used as such in the past. A fire pit has been formed in the stone and the stone is black from much use.
In the face of the mountain is a small recess with a statue slightly taller than Mari.
"We should have a good rest here, she says. "Although, I don't know how to make food or water come out of nowhere..."
Her voice trails off as she studies the statue. She's not sure what exactly it is, or what significance it has, but it's the closest thing to a person she's met on the mountain. Mari scratches her head as she tries to remember if any of the books she read referred to anything like this.
Mari remembers her time in the library, poring over the mountain of books available to her. She remembers the mention of the three challenges and how one is outside of the Manse. The first challenge was the key to entry into the manse and its mystery. Each challenge is held by a statue of ordinary statues. She remembers the sketch in the diary looked similar to the one before her now, but some features are missing.
"Hrm... okay, so this statue looks like stuff I've seen in the books back in the library, but the face isn't quite right. Maybe I have to mess with it..."
Saying so, she begins poking at the statue's face.
"Let's see... I think it looked like this..." she murmurs, a look of supreme concentration on her face.
Mari steps up to the statue placing both of her hands on the side of the statue's head. The edges of the statue begin to shine like the noonday sky over head, the bright yellow light destroying all shadows around. The statue begins to move its head, the sound of grating stone. Finally it steps forward, and Mari takes a step back in turn. When both feet touch the ground the statue appears human. The head is a little too round. He's a baldy too, but he's suffused with a faint yellow glow. He wears a yellow gi with the Unconquered Sun's emblem on his chest.
"Welcome traveler," it speaks, in the voice of a teenage boy. "Do you seek passage to the Temple of the Sun's Evershining Light?"
The statue's lack of hair on its head instantly makes her suspicious, but her air of unease is dispelled by the sight of the radiant symbol of the Sun on its chest. He also had a youngish voice, and all the bad baldies tended to be old and crusty and stuff. Plus, they never asked her nicely.
"Um. Is that what it's called, the Temple of the Sun? Mmmmm, well... yeah! Yeah, I guess we're looking for it. May we enter, please?" she smiles. Perhaps a more savvy Solar might not have felt the need to be nice to an automated greeting / defense system, but Mari's never been one to worry about such details.
"Only those that possess the proper soul may seek the manse out and call it their own. The Sun shines on but requires the proper sacrifice to cpntinue on its journey"
"The proper soul? A... sacrifice?"
Mari wonders what the strange baldy statue could be talking about. She knows what sacrifices are; after all, she's seen people make offerings to Ahlat before, and some of his Brides even told her what their lives were, while taking her on their knee.
She turns back to the others.
"Hey, do we have any sacrifices left?" she asks.
"The Sun is Purity, Excellence , and Unconquerable. The worthy must prove they are all three."
Seven shrugs his shoulders, "Sorry I'm all out." Kraik shakes his head no.
"The first test is the Test of Purity."
"Purity?" Mari says to herself as she scratches her head, considering all the terrible, sinful things she's done recently. "Oh dear."
The boy statue turns on its heel and points to the recess. The blank space shimmers. Then a scene appears: a small lake is surrounded by a barren ridge on all sides. Birds can be seen flying about the lake and nesting on its edges. In the center of the lake is a stone, natural pillar. Atop it is a nest at least 10 meters in diameter.
"Ooooh... hey guys, come look!" Mari calls out excitedly. "It made a picture!"
"The creature that resides there is unique. It neither ages or gives birth. It was a gift to the sun. Receive a wing as a gift and entrance shall be yours."
The statue points east to a part of the mountain range not far off. "There."
"Ohhh... okay. Hm. Guys, I'll be heading out for a bit," Mari says. "Make something for me when I get back, ya?" she smiles.
They nod and go about setting up camp as Mari heads off toward the lake.
On the way to the first test...
"It neither ages nor gives birth. It was a gift to the sun. Receive a wing as a gift and entrance shall be yours," Mari repeats to herself. Hrm. Well, it definitely means she can't beat it until candy comes out; the wing has to be given as a gift, so pulling it out of its socket probably won't work...
Mari reaches the edge of the mountain lake. Birds circle and dance through the air, occasionally diving at the water and coming up with a fish. The central nest appears barren of any bird or creature.
Out of idle curiosity, she picks up a nearby stone and tries to skip it to the other side of the lake.
The stone makes part of the way across before something clear like water emerges from the water, swallowing the stone as it dives back into the crystal-blue lake. Its mostly-invisible body is as long as three of Frost's Cloud Runners.
"Hmm... so if I try to swim across, I'll probably get eaten. Might not be good," she thinks. "Plus, it's biiiig. Hmmm..."
Mari sits down on the edge, wondering how she should get across to the big center pillar thing,
Mari looks out at the water examining the surface and thinking. She runs the image of the creature that ate the stone through the analytical part of her mind, though it takes a while on account of being so small. Its form was distinctly snake-like, but something seemed wrong about it. Then she has a revelation - the sea monster has a small set of wings on its back!
"Oh! That's it! Hrm. I'll have to go in there, though..."
With nothing else left to her, she launches herself through the air, coming down in a graceful swan dive that plunges her deep into the lake.
Mari is able to see the creature much easier once she's underwater. It looks like an everflowing evershifting current in the still lake.
"Hiiii~"she waves to it, the bubbles pouring out of her mouth. On a whim, she swims toward it, heedless of the fact that it might choose to suddenly eat her.
It changes course and heads in a serpentine fashion toward her. Its huge maw opening causing a tiny underwater whirlpool to form. What's inside isn't flesh and guts' instead, it gleams like orichalcum in the noonday sun.
"Ooooh..."
And then, without a second thought, she swims into the serpent's maw. She enters the golden mouth and it closes shut as soon as it has eaten her. She is dumped without ceremony into a closed off section separate from the mouth. Inside are the remains half a dozen bodies. The flesh and cloth long departed leaving white bones behind. The sound of churning can be heard over the vibrating shell. The insodes are lined with golden veins that pulse with white light.
"Oh dear. This looks bad..."
She approaches the corpses, trying to see if there's anything shiny in them, or if they're just dried bones.
"Wow. This is really neat," she says. She reaches out a hand to touch a vein, running her fingers along them...
The veins and metallic flesh shift under her touch. Along the back wall is a gleaming red jade heart that appears attached to something blue and pulsing on the other side. It seems to be a door of sorts; it's circular and looks as if it opens in an ocular fashion. THere's a tiny hole in the wall next to it.
"Hmm. A door. And a heart..."
Resisting the urge to simply punch it, she lightly touches the strange heart-shaped object, like she were caressing Nee-san's tender bits. On a whim, she presses her face to it, so she can see if it really beats like a heart. There is a pulse of sorts but not like a living heart. Nearing the heart raises the hairs on the back of her neck, the feeling of so much essence terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
"Mmm," she purrs, before glancing down to the tiny hole. Actually, she bends over to get a better look at it. It's rpughly half a foot deep, it's dark and appears absolutely lifelees. unlike the rest of the room.
"Hmm..."
Not knowing what else she should be doing, she inserts a finger in there, then two, wonder how much of her hand she can fit in there.
She is able to fit her entire hand in the recess. As she does so, it comes to life, moonsilver enveloping her hand. She can feel the cool metal as it hardens around her flesh - then the sensation of something electric coursing through her. It doesn't hurt. It sort of tickles actually.
The electric sensation passes and the moonsilver sloughs off of her hand, back into an inert state. The iris door slides open to reveal another much larger chamber.
"I can't believe that worked," she giggles. "Awesome."
And then she reflects on the statue's words. "It neither ages nor gives birth..."
Hrm. There's got to be some significance here, but it eludes her. Since there's something beyond... Mari goes forth.
The blue light that Mari saw attached to the heart proves to be one massive hollow blue jade sac that fills and empties water. A bank of consoles sits against one wall, displaying fluctuating patterns of Essence. In the console is another recessed hole. The console appears to have no buttons, dials, or joysticks.
"Hrm," she muses as she dances carelessly around the large room. "Well, it worked the last time, so maybe this will work too!"
She approaches the orifice and... inserts her hand into it as well.
The same moonsilver effect happens again. This time no door opens. An automated voice sounds in the room, "Identity verified, Essence signature approved, Purity scan complete. System override initated. Guard mode off." The voice cuts out and a sluing sound comes from the far end of the room. Something golden and small lays in the floor. As Mari gets closer she sees that the golden shape is a tiny wing.
"Is this it? Awesome!" she smiles, going over to pick it up.
"Although, I wonder... what exactly is this thing? Place? Or whatever it is?"
"I am Fapadis. Created as a gift to the Unconquered Sun. Given as a gift to the Solar Exalted known as,<entry deleted> to serve as protection and guidance system for dragon lines in the Lake of the Sun's Endless Light."
"Wow, you can talk! So, hm... Fap-at-dis... I know you swim around in a lake, but there's a stone pillar thing in the center. What does it do?"
"It is the focal point of the dragon lines that intersect at the lake. It is also a trap for the unwary, so that the unworthy may be consumed to protect the manse."
"Would you be referring to those guys?" she asks, pointing to the half-dozen skeletons outside.
"Indeed. The intruders have been dealt with as programmed."
"All right, Fap-at-dis... can you return me to the shore? I, uh, need to get into the Manse. And stuff."
"As you wish." A few moments later and the iris door opens once more. Through it, Mari can see that the mouth is wide open. Dry land and air is visible.
"Thank you~" she smiles, skipping back out of Fapadis the crystal dragon. It dives back into the lake as she hops back out.
Back at the campsite...
Mari enters the campsite the smell of stew wafting in the air. The statue sits with Seven and Kraik, who greet her as one. "Great! You're back. Did you get what you were looking for?"
"Yup!" she beams, holding up the golden little wing "Given as a gift, too!" she exclaims.
"Good job! Then, once we have dinner, we'll continue on."
"Awesome!" Mari smiles as she plops herself next to them. "More for me, please~" she grins.
At the gates of the Manse...
Mari, Seven, Shy, and Kraik ascend the mountain. They must climb up through the cloud bank that hugs the mountain peak. A temple sits against a part of the mountain peak, and the Unconquered Sun shines down brightly upon the group. His rays reflect off the light brown stone and white marble that are everywhere.
A set of double doors are the entrance the manse. Flanking each door is a statue like at the ledge down below.
"Wooooo. This place is big. And shiny," Mari comments on the obvious.
She innocently saunters up to the door before anyone can stop her.
"What are these?" she wonders out loud, before paying full attention to the statues.
"Oooh, baldy statues!" she giggles, reaching out to rub the bald heads.
The statues come to life as she touches each one. Light creates a halo around each one as they step off of their platforms. The stone becomes flesh once their feet touch earth. "Who seeks entrance to the temple of light?" They speak over the top of each other, not in synchronicity like the twin brothers from the burning barge.
Mari blinks at their transformation. "You can walk? Ooooooh..."
She continues poking them; and delight fills her eyes as she confirms with her hands that they really are made of flesh. They do not react to her poking, although each contact does generate a ripple of light from where she touched them.
"You're meat! Meatpeople!"
"I think you should introduce yourself, mistress," Shy coughs from behind them.
"Oh! Oh. Um..."
She steps away from the inscrutable constructs before curtsying to them, like Nee-san taught her.
"Erm. My name's Mari," she says. "And, uh, I was told by a dream, a dragon and a statue that I had to come here. May I come in?"
It's not terribly elegant, but then again, Mari has never been terribly elegant.
"You are welcome. The Temple of Light may only be held by those of virtue. The shining light of the Sun demands it."
"Vir-tue? What's virtue? Can you eat it?"
"The four virtues are Valor, Compassion, Conviction and Temperance. To gain the key you must be pure of heart. Those that do not hold the key will meet certain doom."
Seven speaks up from behind her. "Lovely chaps."
"Indeed, they are fascinating Mari." Kraik perks up at the back. "This place seems most foul, mistress," mewls Shy from beside her.
Mari pauses in her poking of the statues to turn to Shy.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" she asks, patting him.
"It is so bright her mistress. That is all. I serve at your pleasure and convenience."
"Ohhhh, I see..."
Mari vaguely remembers the virtues from quick skimmings of the texts down in the basement of the Valkshawsen Academy.
"Virtues. Hm."
Then, in response to Shy, "I like having you around, but I don't want to make you feel bad. If you really, really don't want to go in, it's all right. Of course, if you do follow me in, I'll protect you," she winks.
"Same for the rest of you guys too," she winks to the others. "Though I doubt you'll need protecting."
"After you Mari," Seven says with a smile.
"Onward!" Mari smiles cheerfully as she marches into the temple.
Mari inserts the tiny wing key into the only slot in the doors. The doors blow open with a gust of wind, slamming against the golden backstops. Inside, a crystal dome filters light into a central pool with a large mural set into the pool's floor.
Mari wanders closer to examine the pool, wondering if she should touch the water...
...as though that ever needed any consideration. She wades in, great splashes disturbing the temple's silence.
The First Flashback
The world around her changes. She feels as if she is falling and she hears the concerned voice of Seven off in the distance as if he is miles away.
But now, she stands in a great banquet hall, where dozens of shining men and women watch naked dancers prance and parade for their satisfaction.
"Huh? Wait! Whoa... what's going on?" she mutters softly, as she watches the celebration, or whatever this event is. Wasn't she just in a pool of a really old temple?
She looks around and discovers she has rather larger breasts than she remembers and she is much taller. She wears beautifully made dress of essence silk. A man approaches her from behind. He wraps an arm around her and nibbles on her ear.
"Darling, are you enjoying the celebration?"
Mari blinks a little as she suddenly realizes her extra... endowment. That, and she's further off the ground than before. She's about to start touching herself to see if she's really bigger when the man grabs her from behind.
"Eeep!" she eeps, though being held like this isn't really frightening.
"U-uh... what celebration?" she asks.
He spins her around so that she faces him, a devilish grin on his face. His face is handsome, with perfect features.
"Had too much wine already? The party has barely begun."
He frowns when he sees she doesn't seem to recognize what he's talking about.
"The party our dragon officers are throwing for us. Remember?"
"N-no..."
An unbidden instinct tells her to continue pretending to be terribly drunk.
"Um... who are you? Where is this place? In fact, who am I?" she slurs, with a goofy smile. He laughs at her apparent drunkenness.
"Meru, my darling, you're in Meru."
He guides her over to a table and pulls a seat back for her. She notices a stylized "5" and a moon intertwinded on a silk scarf at the chair he seats her at.
She also notices the tint of the skin of the now-erotic dancers. They are Dragon-Blooded.
"Ohhhh, Meru..." she nods lazily. It must be practice from watching Nee-san in the hookerariums, favoring other dancers with a languorous dip of her head.
"So... we're in Meru... and there's pretty Dragon-Blooded boys and girls dancing for me... so what's the occasion?"
"A celebration of our greatness. Where is that Lunar mate of yours? No doubt galivanting across the Blessed Isle in search of mortal girls to spoil."
"Hehe.. I have a mate?" she smiles. "Mmmm, must be like Frost and Nee-san," she thinks. "Tell me about my mate, and about you..."
"Who?" He seems at a loss for words for a moment. "Well, other than being a right bastard to you, he's a brilliant general in his own right and a fierce fighter. And you are too good for him; why you haven't dominated him like many of the others have their mates is beyond me."
"Dominate people? Nahhhh, that's not right. It wouldn't be fair. How about you?"
What he says about a mate makes her think, though. Does she have someone out there who's meant for her, like Nee-san has Frost?
"Sweetheart, I'm the best thing to happen to this world, this side of Yu-Shan. Don't let that blowhard Desus tell you otherwise," he gives Mari a wink. He turns around, taking another two drinks off of a passing tray. He sets one in front of her and downs the other in one gulp, before putting his arm around the back of her chair and leaning forward. "Name's Darian." He puts out his hand for her to shake and as she does so he leans in for a kiss.
"Teehee~" she giggles, accepting his affection. Darian was nice. At least, he treated her nicely; and that was enough for her.
On a whim, she asks "What day is this?"
"Calibration my dear." He slides her glass back over to sit in front of him. "I think you've had enough."
"Nyooo~ want drinky~" she pouts as she reaches half-heartedly for the glass.
"Hmm, how about your mate? Won't she be annoyed by how you're spending so much time on me?" she smiles.
"Well, if she's not here, and mine's not here, and the two of us are here..." she winks. "Then why don't we have some fun of our own? Dancing, singing... stuff like that."
As she says this, she thinks about her mate, the one she never knew she had. Spoiling mortal girls... well, she knew Nee-san sometimes got high and banged about a dozen boys one after the other. But it never seemed that important to Mari. Cuddling was nice and good, right?
And there's something inside her which makes her feel a sense of loyalty, perhaps even a bit of pity for her absent Lunar...
"That sounds good to me." He smiles as leans in for another kiss. As he gets closer his face is covered in blood and screams. Fire, heat, dying screams, and a dozen Dragon-Blooded close in on her, and ten everything goes black.
Back in the Manse...
She wakes up coughing water looking up at a giant crystal dome. It's different now, fine statues are everywhere, then there's nothing but the concerned look of Seven, then she's back in the opulent room staring at her statue servants who help her up.
"Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa. Are we still in Meru?" she asks. "And what happened to my boobs? And my dress? Oh wait, my dress is still here. But my boobs!"
"Mistress?" Shy ventures, reaching out a hand to her. Mari sighs, accepting the hand.
"Well, I guess I'm back home again," she says to herself. "Or rather, back here again. Man, I saw the weirdest thing... I thought I was in this place called Meru, and there was this guy called Darian being nice to me, and I had a mate who wasn't there because he wanted to spoil mortal girls..."
She looks at the others.
"It's true!"
"You're in the manse. You passed out more than an hour ago."
"That's some vision, child," Kraik says as he comb's Mari's hair back over her ears.
"An... hour? But it only felt like a few...:
She looks down at the strange crystal orb thing in her hands.
"Okay, word of warning, don't step in the water. It makes you see things. Like naked Dragonblooded dancers and people trying to kill you. And stuff."
As the last word escapes her lips she falls unconcious again.
The Second Flashback...
She stands atop a floating platform, strapped to a metal pole. She feels drained. Her Essence is being continually drained from her body by the man across from her.
"You will renounce your past actions and be cleansed of the taint upon you, or we will make your death long and horrible."
He was...is a Chosen of Endings. His name slips from her mind as he pours the drug down her throat again. Then, he leans in close.
"The dragons seek a spectacle in the few of you that remain. You would be doing me a favor by not renouncing."
"Oh man... not this shit again... okay, now where am I and what exactly is going on?!"
She struggles against her bindings. They refuse to budge.
"Don't attempt to escape, Five Moons. The reign of the Solar Deliberative is over, forever. We will catch you all and destroy you on by one."
"Five... Moons?"
She looks down at her chest. Yup, boobs. So that's her name...
"The reign... is... over?" she repeats.
"Do not act ignorant. Recant and perish mercifully or don't and..." he slides a cruel looking blade from a pouch.
"Re... cant? What am I supposed to recant? What's a recant, anyway?"
The Sidereal turns from her, facing a crowd.
"She refuses to give up her corrupt ways. Let the faith in the Dragons spread as one of the former cruel masters of the world dies." He spins around brandishing the jagged blade, Mari can feel her stomach tear and stretch. Her guts fall to the ground.
"H-hey... my... my insides... you..."
She looks up to her tormentor, doing her best to memorize his face. Maybe she can find him to kick his ass...
She gasps for air and then she's soaked and wet again, staring at the dome ceiling.
Back in the Manse again...
"Whoa. This time some purple guy tied me to a pole and made me drink something and then he cut my tummy open."
SHe lifts up her dress to inspect her tummy. The skin is still intact and her guts feel like they're still inside. Her penchance for going commando is also evident to all, but nobody here really cares about that.
"Okay, that water is really bad for your head," she says.
Seven, Kraik, and Shy all looked concernedly at one another.
"Ah, mistress you did not have that crystal orb before did you?" Shy asks
"This?" she holds up the orb. "No, no I didn't. You think that could have anything to do with it?" she asks.
It has grown in size from a bead to a small ball that fits in the palm of her hand.
"It's... growing. Hm. Is that bad? Do any of you guys know anything about this?"
She shows the strange orb off to the others.
Shy looks up at the domed ceiling. "I believe so. There were devices once upon a time much like this. They were originally meant for recording events. Essence channeled images to a dome which could be reactivated when the user desired. They never worked like this however."
"Really? Wow. Well ,there's a dome up there..." Mari comments.
"Yes, I've been studying it."
"Hmmm... that statue down there mentioned that there'd be two more challenges in here. And the magic egg thing would be here too..."
Her attention wanders off as she notices the other animate statues. Remembering what happened at the doorway, she walks up to them and pokes them to see if it makes them light up.
"Say, do you guys know anything about a silver egg thing in here?" "And did you find anything, Shy?" she asks the demon.
They stare at her wordlessly. The same effect from before happens as she pokes them. She notices Old Realm script lining their edges. The same word is repeated endlessly on each one. Strength. Tenacity. She falls, her head slams into the floor and then dark blue sky drifts above her. The sound of water rhythmically slapping the side of wood. The sound of wind rippling through cloth sails greets her ears as well.
The Third Flashback...
"Wow, is this going to happen every time I do something?" she wonders as she looks around. "Where am I now?" she asks.
"My love, you're on the Western seas." A different man stands over her. He is handsome like a wolf is handsome. His features are sharp, she knows him but can't tell from where. "I'm gladx you woke up. I wouldn't want you to miss this."
"Hmmm, are you Darian?" she asks. "And woo! I'm on a boat!"
His features distort into a snarl. "No, I'm not that twit. How dare you throw your lover in my face." He turns from her and appears to adjust the sail on the wind skimmer.
"My... lover? Aw, come on, don't be angry," she says, reaching up to his shoulder. As she does, she glances at her chest. Big. Definitely Five Moons.
"Of course," he growls.
"Look, I know you're mad and all," she says as she wraps her arms around his neck. "And... yeah, I've probably done a lot of bad things I don't even know about. Can you tell me about why you're mad? I'd like to help if I can..."
"Why? If you don't know why then you are as lost as some of the elders say." Mari can hear the essence engines die as he cuts power. "First Darian, then Coral, now a demon. I know I can't please you but I had hoped you hadn't fallen that far."
"But it's... well..."
She looks down at herself. He... sounds really hurt. Was Five Moons really such a horrible person?
"I guess I really messed up, huh," she says quietly. "Or, I'm really messed up."
He looks down at Mari. Even at her new height, he towers over her. "You really are sorry." The anger has fallen from his voice.
"I guess I am," she nods sadly. "You're my mate, after all. I should be better to you. There's... there's a lot of things I don't remember. Like, your name, and where we first met... if we were happy together. And stuff."
"Then maybe we can work things out after all."
His image fades from view. Mari isn't able to see Shy, Seven, or Kraik until, she lifts her head. She sees them all laying on their backs in the pool.
Back in the Manse yet again...
"Wait. Now it's everyone's turn?" she asks. "Okay, does anyone have any idea what's going on or why I'm seeing all these things?"
She's not angry as she says this, just a mix of curious and... a little sad. She hurt someone in the past, and who knows how many others, besides. And the big boobie lady... she was her, but not her... and..."
"Nyarg, thinking about it makes me headache," she pouts.
"The past is irreversible," the voice comes from behind her and is that of one of the statues. "The ability to ask for forgiveness and seek personal atonement, though no such deed is required, requires strength untold. You lasted through it all. Hope that your companions can do the same. They have been unconscious longer than you."
"Whoa. So... that was the bad stuff I did? In my... past life? When I was me, but... not me? I don't think it was my fault. I mean, I didn't do it, not... me now. But... even so, I still feel sorry for them. What was his name? That... wolfy guy on the boat. I think he was my mate. Do you know?"
"We do not. The orb pulls the memories from the shard within you. If you had been mortal you would have died instantly. If you had been Exalted of anything but the Sun you would have died."
"Really? Wow. Good thing it's me who picked it up, then... but how about the others?" she points to Seven, Kraik and Shy. "Are they... you know, dead?"
Mari notices a crystal orb in each of their hands.
"Unknown at this time," comes the reply.
"Uh oh." She remembers what the statue said about mortals and not being Solars. "Shy? Mr. Kraik?" she calls out., shaking their shoulders. "Guys? Guys?!"
"There is one more test you must complete before the manse and everything within it are yours. There is no turning back. The Test of Mercy must be finished."
"The Test of Mercy?" Mari asks.
The statue only nods.
"If I finish the test, will they be all right?" Mari asks, indicating Kraik, Shy and Seven.
It says nothing and then the living statues both walk back to their pedestals and return to stone.
"Don't I even get a hint as to... oh, fine! I'll do the silly test! Where is it, anyway?!"
Silence answers her.
The lack of response leaves Mari to fume by herself. "Dammit. Okay. Let's try and wake the others up."
Mari approaches Seven this time. "Hellooo, Seven..."
Mari shakes him until he finally comes to. He holds his head. "I've had the weirdest dream."
"Are you okay?" she asks, glomping him hard enough that his bones creak. "I was so worried!"
"Erk." He pats her on the back. "Ya, I think so. What the hell is going on?"
"I think... that was the second trial of the Manse. That that that statue thing mentioned that those orbs, if someone other than a Solar holds them, they die... can... can you help me check on the others? Please?"
He gets up quickly and heads over to Kraik. He touches him at several points and then lays his hand on the mans chest. "His breathing and heart rate are slow. He appears alive for now."
"Whew," Mari breathes. How about Shy?"
"He seems okay as well....for a demon."
"May I ask what you saw?" Mari asks quietly.
"Just visions of...stuff. nothing I did. It was all dreams and nightmares."
"As long as you're okay," she says quietly as she squeezes his hand.
"I feel fine, but that might stick with me for a long time."
He looks around. Hallways and rooms branch off in all directions. "So now what do these things want?"
"They said something about a test of mercy. I don't know what that means, though... and they wouldn't tell me anything."
"This just gets better and better." He stands up and looks around. "Maybe we should take a look around..."
"Yeah, we should," Mari says as she takes his hand. "Come on, let's try this way," she says as she tugs him toward a random corridor.
The Test of Mercy
They head down hallway after hallways and room after room. At long last, they finally reach what is obviously the hearthroom. An egg sits upon a pedestal next to where the hearthstone lays. The sound of a mewling cat can be heard from one of the shadows.
"That must be the magic egg!" Mari exults as she spots the prize. But then, the sound of the cat gets her attention.
"Awww, poor kitty," she says, heading toward the sound.
When she gets closer a part-man part-tiger creature leaps from the shadow. It doesn't attack her, but it does appear to be trying to frighten her away.
"Waa!" Mari exclaims in surprise. However, it's not trying to eat her face off, so...
"Hey, can you talk?" she smiles. She's willing to give it the benefit of the doubt so long as it doesn't try to maul her or Seven.
It edges away from her and then snarls at one of the statue men that appears from around the corner. Its hands are clasped in front of him as he watches.
"The Sun requires sacrifice in its name. Even the weak fuel his unconquerable inferno."
"Sacrifice? What kind of sacrifice?"
"It has no tongue, it has been declawed. It was a failed experiment of the lover to this temple's former master. Its purpose is to be sacrificed to the sun. No greater mercy can be given to such a wretched creature of darkness."
Seven throws his hands up, "No! We are not killing that poor creature. Not for an egg, for a dragon ot all the land of the Realm. Right, Mari?"
He looks from Mari to the statue to the creature and back. He has unconsciously entered a defensive stance.
Mari looks at the strange man-tiger. As she does, she remembers her wolfy mate, and what Wrath tried to tell her after they first met.
She thinks about the flashbacks, and the prize that waits for her if she does this.
"I'm sorry," she says as she advances on the tiger. "I'm so sorry."
With the delicacy of a mother, she bends down to embrace him tightly.
"How long have you been here by yourself?" she asks, though in all likelihood, he won't be able to answer.
"It must have been lonely, huh?"
She remembers the time she was separated from Nee-san, the way the world turned so dark and cold and oppressive, even in the middle of the desert, because she didn't have Shrike around.
She remembers the loneliness.
It cries in her arms. Seven watches with concern, he know the strength in those arms. The statue watches impassively.
She squeezes him, one last time... and then rises to her feet.
"Right," she tells the statue. "I'll be the sacrifice, then. "Seven, no matter what, make sure this kid is never lonely again."
The statue looks puzzled and then walks out of the room.
"Mari it isn't worth it. Not you, not it."
"Well, then the alternative is that I leave with him. Because there's no way I'm going to sacrifice him, or anyone else, for this temple. Which is really nice, mind you, but like you said, it's not worth it. Not if I have to hurt him."
"Either way, you get your sacrifice, "Him, me... or this place."
They hear footsteps coming down the hallway. They stutter, pause and then continue stutter stepping. Kraik and Shy appear from around the corner, bedraggled but alive.
"Mari!"
"Guys!" she exclaims, throwing herself at them. "You're all right!" she sniffs, squishing them together in her relief.
"Yes, we are. I'm not sure what all that was about but my nights will be fueled by nightmares in the future," Kraik says. Shy does not look up from the ground he is intently staring at.
"Awww..."
Then she turns to the demon. "Hey..." she begins, reaching out a hand to him. "Will you be all right?" she asks.
"Yes mistress. It was... nothing." he looks around at the roomand then points at the egg. "Is that what you have been looking for?"
"I... think so. But the statue thing says I have to sacrifice someone for it. And... and I can't do that. Won't do that. I tried offering myself, but it refused to take me."
She sighs.
"Yeah, it kind of sucks that we went through all of that for nothing. I'm sorry."
"Are you certain it hasn't accepted Mari. It's a statue again. See," Seven points at the statue that went around the corner. "They did say it was a test of mercy. Maybe you passed."
"But... it wants a sacrifice, right? So... well... wow, I don't get it," she says, scratching her head. "This place is weird. I thought it woudl be like those dramas where the guy has to choose between his duty and his girl, and then they end up committing suicide together, or something."
She mutters darkly to herself.
"I hate those."
"None of the tests have been straightforward. The test pf strength and tenacity was not a physical contest. Purity only remotely had anything to do with sexuality. The Sun knows you would have failed that. Maybe it was meant to test your selfishness. Your desire for material gain over a creature's life. From our dreams I'm certain the old us would have ruthlessly murdered that creature."
Mari shudders a little. There were... other memories, not just those of Five Moons'. Her hands, wrenching the heads off every member of a family of dozens,the collective soul of a Primordial, lashed down for sxecution. Chuckling to herself as she heard reports of hundreds killing themselves in her name, and feeling the Essence their devotion released through their deaths. She didn't live through all of them... but the memories now lie in the back of her head and she knows she can pick through them at any time.
They do not make for pleasant remembering.
"I... don't want to be the old me," she says quietly. "I'm not a bad person. I'm Mari," continues, her confidence growing.
"And like it or not, this place is just going to have to live with it!"
"I don't know if the manse or its statues will have a problem with it,but if they do I'll be here to back you up." Seven says.
"Thanks, everyone," she smiles. Then, she approaches the strange little beast-boy.
"You are coming with me," she grins. "Seven, the statue said he has no tongue and he's been declawed. Can you do anything about that for him?" Mari asks.
It shakes its head vigorously as she pulls him close. Seven quickly examines the tigerboy, and then looks to Mari.
"Something you should know. He's a she."
"What? Really? I couldn't tell..."
Her voice trails off as she studies the curious tigergirl. Behind her, a throat is cleared.
"Mind if I take a look around, Mari?" Kraik asks.
"Go ahead... and what's wrong?" she asks the beastboy.
"There's not much in here. The statues, that dome, the hearthstone, and the egg."
"Hm. Well, I wonder if I can take the egg. And the hearthstone. It's not like it's stopping us..."
"Go ahead and take it. I doubt statues can stop you and that crystal dome seems inert. I walked through the pool and it did nothing."
"Okay, here goes, then..."
Mari steps forward to retrieve the strange egg, wondering if she has to do anything special to open it.
"Maybe I have to sit on it. And hatch it. And stuff," she thinks out loud.
None of them say anything knowing better. When she picks up the egg, she instinctively knows where to touch and what to turn. The egg hisses and opens. Thousand year old air escapes, stagnant and dry. Inside is a shining golden hand.
"I guess it was somehow linked to you." Seven finally speaks up. "Her shard is in sync with it. I wonder who the other person linked to it is."
"Maybe it was Five Moons," Mari says. As she picks up the hollow hand, she feels like she should put it on. As she does so, she feels a buzz of energy run up her arm, through her shoulder, and into the rest of her body.
"Hey, wh-what-" she begins, and then a floodgate of memory breaks open in her head. She falls too her knees, like she's drowning in the understanding that's overcome her.
Seven reaches out to her and is about to say something but she already has the glove on. Her lips and mouth are moving, but she's not saying anything - either she doesn't have strength for it, or she doesn't have the words. Knowledge from Five Moons and her many past incarnations flows into her mind, like a swarm of flying books that flock around her in a storm of fluttering pages that eventually slot themselves neatly into the shelves of her mind.
She slowly opens her eyes, and blinks, looking to Seven, Kraik, Shy, and her new daughter.
"Whoa. Okay. Wow. I... I don't know how to describe this, but... wow. It's like remembering, or learning something new."
She turns her gloved hand over. A softly-pulsing ball of gentle white light rests in its palm. Even without the ability to see Essence, everyone knows that it's a sea of power with no shore, compressed into a sphere the size of a chicken egg.
"Hopefully something useful for the Rec-... nevermind," Shy says as he looks at the others.
"And... wow. I know this place now. I know how to use it. And this," she says, holding up her hand.
"And then..."
She lifts the silver egg, revealing the strange little Hearthstone sitting beneath it. Instinctively, she reaches forward to rotate its cubes and facets. The smile on her face grows as the multicolored gem turns and shifts under her manipulation.
"Awesome," she grins. "So many new toys! And a new friend," she says as she puts an arm around the catgirl's shoulder.
"What does it do?"
"This?" she asks, pointing to the golden hand. "Well, by itself, nothing," Mari says. "But... there's a thing I can do now, something that lets me... shape the Wyld, or the world, I think? And this glove thingy... it lets me do it faster. Better. And stuff. I think, if used right... it can do anything. Anything at all."
"I'm not sure that kind of power should be anyone's Mari..." says Seven.
The Essence of the world pulses as the ball of light in the glove's hand glows. Sparks of Essence flow in from all around her, accreting into tiny glittering constellations, merging into small shapes of pure white energy... and a shower of candy rains down onto the ground before her.
"Candy! It makes candy! It's the most awesome thing ever!" she grins.
"Okay, maybe you're perfect for it" Seven says, as he pops a handful of candy into his mouth.
Mari idly considers the thought of creating a horde of baldies to beat up. But she knows, even as she thinks it, that her Charms and the glove will make it real if she so desires. If she chose, she could make a giant rampaging monster to trample stuff. Or she could fill the world with flowers and cuddly animals.
It's a heady feeling. the thought of wielding such power. But Mari simply nods, and smiles, and folds her arms behind her head.
"No worries, Seven. I'll take good care of it," she says.
"But, just in case..." she continues in a more somber tone. "Let me know if I go too far, okay? I know I do silly things sometimes. I need people to help me behave."
"I don't have a problem being your concious," he says as he smiles
"Hmmm," she says as she fiddles with the Hearthstone. "Messing with this reminds me of stuff. Like, say, there should be rooms around here. Maybe we could go relax there for a bit while I figure this thing out..."
She walks out of the Hearthroom, in the direction of the nearby guest chambers. As she steps out into the dim corridors, the lights come on overhead, as though in response to one who bears the Hearthstone.
"Neeeeat," she giggles, still fiddling with the stone.
"I think the Manse accepts you," Shy says.
"That's great! Hmm... I want to go explore a little bit, though. Let's see what we can find..."
And off she wanders, humming tunelessly as she explores the long-abandoned halls...
