Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » For the Crown of Laurels (closed)

Amara is dressed in much more practical gear today than her pretty pink dress from the council meeting. She's wearing darker leathers strapped to the decidedly vulnerable parts of her body and has wrapped the rest in a sturdy purple cloth in honor of her namesake. In place of a flowing veil she has drawn that same cloth over her nose and mouth, using it as a much more practical mask. The mask is pulled tight to her throat so that it won't catch on passing branches and the like, though not tightly enough that you can see the outline of her lips when she speaks.

"Yesh...though Amara ish fine. Nice to meet you, Shyla." Soft grey eyes regard her companion with interest for the brief time her face has been turned upwards. Another elf wearing a mask. How interesting. Apparently she isn't the only one of the chosen with something to hide. Of all the contestants Amara has had the privilege to meet so far, oddly it seems as if Gweyr is the only one that actually fits the mold in her head of the type of elves that she had expected to be competing for the honor of the crown. Liam also perhaps, though she had such a brief amount of time to speak with him that it's hard to say at this point.

When Xyla turns and walks away, Amara merely nods in agreement and follows her new acquaintence. She glances back only once at the crowd of observers loitering about the dais where the Council is seated to see if Valens was among them. While several of the others are still milling about attempting to identify their assigned companions, the two masked elves slip away, locating an unattended entrance a little further on that is nothing more than a small arch cut in the exterior of the massive hedge. The other side is decidedly dark as, unlike the much more massive main entrances, there is no way for additional light to pierce the thick foliage.

There they will wait, shooing the slower teams away and on to their own entrances, until the call comes for the competition to begin in earnest.

Liam had slept somewhat fitfully the night before. He was nervous. He didn't even want to be here in the first place, but here he was about to take on the first trial. However, he also didn't want to withdraw from the competition. He had some ideas as to what he'd like to do if the Crown of Laurels ever sat atop his head. He just hoped he'd be able to block his father out. Despite his nervousness, he outwardly appeared calm and in control, so long as nobody noticed the nervous tapping of his fingers against his right leg.

When Lord Nemoto called his name and paired him with Lady Illy'vana, he felt a slight sense of relief come over him. He knew that Gweyr was a ranger who patrolled the forests protecting the kingdom, and would probably be in her element with this trial. Also, If he remembered correctly, she knew his father quite well. The young noble looked around and saw her with her hand in the air. Taking a breath to calm his nerves, he walked over to her.

When Liam got there, he offered a slight bow to her out of respect. "Hello, Lady Illy'vana," he said. "I'm Liam Haleri. I hope that this partnership is successful." Yes, that sounded good, or at least he thought so.

The fae was curious enough to find a secret entry into the maze. As rambunctious as she was, she was quite clever. “Over here.” She whined like a puebescant; fairy dust sputtering all over the ranger’s good cloak. Gweyr sighed in frustration, thus pulled the lever that created an opening.

Haleri had finally found her. He was all grown up now and very handsome. He even introduced himself proper. Gweyr knew well who he was and smiled at the noble, sweetly—offering him a bow in return. “Good to see you again Liam. You may not remember me, but I was good friends with your father. Even though he and I shared different views.” She said. “Come we found an entrance.”

After her words, she waved for Liam to follow and vanished inside the darkness of the interior; seeing that other groups had already gone in—they were far behind. ‘What is your name fairy and why won’t you leave me be?’ She spoke to the creature telepathically, reading her thought responses. ‘I am Rosalina D’Marily...and I think you are terrific! I seen you before riding and cutting down big Orcs. Orcs hurt my people and eat us. I-I just want to follow you and be your helper. Please it is so boring now. With the forests dying. I just want a friend. I want to help.’ Rosalina pleaded.

Gweyr smiled, her hues softened by the infantile creatures confessions. ‘Very well. Try not to die and stop getting fairy dust on my attire.’ Gweyr said to her mentally. ‘You act like I do it on purpose.’ Rosalind folded her little arms. ‘I’m a fairy, geez. If I was a nymph I would have turned you into an apple and eaten you.’ She grinned. ‘What?’ Gweyr smirked. ‘Not really, but...I heard nymphs like apple flavored elves. I’d take fairy dust any day over apples and elves I’m just saying. Yuck. Nymph’s are worst than bugbears.’

Gweyr chuckled softly at her little companion and turned back to see if Liam was getting on okay. She would offer her hand to help him into the narrow entrance—Gweyr was much lighter and slimmer being a lady and so she got in easily.

(EXTREMELY SORRY!!! A multitude of factors (primarily of my own fault.) Made me forget and leave this slightly inactive. Sorry, sorry.)

Varen popped into the council room, unobtrusively. He was late. This was his own fault, in a way....

He remembered stepping into a relatively comfortable, yet dusty inn. He had chosen this place precisely because of this, in a way. Elyzia had told him that this place was where a powerful haunt..well, haunted. Varen planned on removing the haunt in exchange for a place to sleep. Cheap, he knew, but he much preferred sleeping in a bed when necessary.

When he entered this inn, an elf rushed forward to meet him. She looked relieved, and slightly thankful. After all, he was probably her first customer in a long time. This was probably enough to overcome an elf's natural tendency to disdain foreigners, and Varen was glad for this. It would make bargaining much easier.

As she started to offer him the standard 'are you interested in eating here?', Varen cut her off, with a slight grimace. He then explained and offered a proposal back, in order to soothe her belligerence. "I hear you have a haunt here. I'm willing to fix the matter in exchange for a meal and a night. So, please. Don't waste resources or energy on me, yet."

The innkeeper looked slightly worried, and she warned him of just how powerful this haunt was. She was a kind-hearted person, it seemed. Varen was glad for that. However, he was a professional. He could deal with this. And her informed her of so. With a face that looked unconvinced, she let him into the attic.

Here, no light would shine. Darkness and gloom crowded in, and cobwebs were everywhere. Varen thanked the innkeeper, sent her off, and closed the door behind him. Now, it was time for business.

As the shadows stirred and began to move, forming a shape, Varen calmly waited until it formed. The shadow was in a silhouette of a little girl, four or five, perhaps. Faint crying noises could be heard, but Varen could hear what no one else could, "Please, can you play with me?"

Really, it made sense. It was a shade of a little girl. She wanted company, someone to keep that feeling of loneliness away. No one could see her, nor could they hear her. Varen could. He could send this girl to her much-needed rest.

And so he replied to her. First, he asked her name. Delightedly, she gave it. Irineth. This broke the very initial tension, and Varen was able to make a bargain with her. He would play with her, and then she would listen to what he would have to say. All through the night, he played games with her, such as tag and hide and seek. Finally, very early in the morning, she was happy, and so listened to Varen's proposal: a technique that allowed her to rest for eternity. It was not often he used this process, as most shades wanted to stay in the world, and live lives like normal people. She was a special case. So in a puff of mist, she dissipated to whatever awaited her in the afterlife.

Feeling exhausted, Varen reported his success to the innkeeper. She was delighted, but saw how tired he was. She promptly offered him a bed, which he took with a grateful thanks.

He overslept.

Really, it was him to blame. Thankfully, the innkeeper roused him in time, and offered him breakfast. It was delicious. However, he couldn't note that: he was late. He promised the innkeeper he would come to her inn again, and left to go to the council meeting.

Well, flashback time was over. He needed to know who his partners were. The shadows promptly told him. Corym. Corym D. Spectabilis.

What a surprise. A pleasant one, really. At least he wouldn't be paired with a stranger. Though he didn't know his abilities...

Oh, well. He could learn them, in time. Now was the time to reintroduce himself.

He scanned the crowd, looking for his partner. Finally, he found him, conversing with a noble-looking group of elves. So, he approached them. Of course, he had to be polite. He stood off at a distance, waiting for the conversation to finish. Then he would speak. Disdainful he might be of the Elves' system of government, they were still leaders. Somewhat unfortunately, but who was he to argue with fate? Well, he might complain, but...

Corym had been left in a stunned state at the council's departure. His mind mulled over the past decade of strife and resentment he had with new feelings of uncertainty and confusion. "Has my treatment and banishment up until now all been one big misunderstanding? Were my outward intentions not clear enough, leading them to doubt my allegiance to the king? If that's the case, could I have spent time pleading my case instead of suspecting the lot of them of selfish intent?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Corym spotted Varen approaching and standing in wait. He was unaware that the human had been late making their arrival. The distraction that presented was what he needed to pull himself together. "Whatever the case, misunderstanding or not, I'm here now. Things haven't changed, not yet. I'll need to see evidence with my own eyes that things will turn out for the better first."

He turned and approached his teammate. "So, it looks like everyone else has chosen their way into the maze, not that it really matters I should think. It wouldn't be very becoming if a ruler was chosen based on luck of finding 'the best spot' after all." Croym remarked, fishing into his pockets for some familiar possessions from the day before. A swig from the flask, and another one of those strange, bead like objects, and he was ready. He beckoned Varen to follow as they took their place at one of the remaining entrances.

"I hope you have some idea on how to help us navigate to the center swiftly. Being first, although ideal, might put us on the top of everyone's list to out-compete and eliminate first." He mulled over the situation. "Given the circumstances, getting lost and wasting time that way seems to be one of the biggest issue. Fortunately, this is a hedge maze, and I am a member of the Spectabilis household. You can rely on me to keep us from getting off track."

The half an hour given to locate a maze task was soon complete, and Lord Houzin's voice could be heard, reverberating seemingly through the wind around them.

Challengers, I wish you all the best of luck in this first trial. Reach the center and your teams will be flown to safety. Be wary and be well, and may the best of you succeed. The fate of Urdu is in your hands. Enter now, and may the gods be with you.

Slender hands still held a strong grip as she helped Liam crawl into the mazes decrepit entrance—he would meet her inside the interior of pure darkness. Gweyr absently wiped the perspiration from her fingers, once he joined her inside. Her ivory cloak of memory was pressed and cleaned of the Orc gruel that contaminated it last night. The scent on her skin was soft like the purest lavender oils; as if she had not aged since her earlier years in adulthood.

Lord Houzin’s harsh message finally came to them like a chilled wind. Gweyr hugged herself feeling slightly cold afterwards.

Nothing could be seen around them now but a void of emptiness and a glittering fairy that lit up the area around them. Rosalind teased Liam and stole a lickory kiss from his cheek—glitter spurting all over his skin and attire. “Be nice, Rosalind.” Gweyr said.

The fairly fluttered away from him like a teenage girl; teasingly with high pitched giggles.

“She followed me from the forest this morning.” Gweyr said. “Clever one she is. She helped us find an entrance.”

Gweyr was uncertain how safe this challenge would be. The mention of reaching the center and being flown to safety made her stomach tight. But the Ranger had done enough work getting them this far. She stood back now and let this man take lead, seeing what he was made of. If he was to be her King she needed to learn of his strengths and weaknesses. She hoped that Liam was nothing like his selfish father, who probably pushed him to do this for his own gain. Indeed she was curious and wanted to learn of this young male, to study him and see how he was different from the kings who lived and died before him.

Amara blinks and tilts her head as Lord Houzin's voice fills the very air around them with further instructions and a rather hollow gesture of well wishing. In any case, it seems that the race is on. The tall elf gestures towards their entrance with her head, silently encouraging Shyla, as she has dubbed her, to follow her into the dark recess within.

Large grey eyes tilt upwards, gauging the how much light they will have on their journey. If she can get at least some reference to the sun as the day progresses, she should at least be able to keep them moving in the right cardinal direction. Sadly, with as tall as the walls around them are, it doesn't look like there's going to be much to go on the further in they get. Given that her own abilities in this way would be limited, she turned to her companion. It's time to become a team.

"My arm ish shtrong and my shword ish keen." At the mention of her sword her fingers gripped the handle once more and she is forced to push the memory of Valens aside once again. "I can cut and bully my way through most thingsh, but wishout she shun I cannot lead the way. Do you have some magic or knowledge shat would help ush?" Her lisp is strong, but most of the other contestants hadn't had too much trouble understanding her yesterday. Hopefully Xyla will have no more trouble than they did. Hopefully.

Corym wasted no time when the announcement to proceed was made. He rolled up the sleeve on his right arm, exposing the thin, writhing vines that wound through his flesh. Reaching out to their right, he trailed his fingers along the leafy wall of the maze, focusing as he did so. The leaves paled to a greenish white, while the vines on his own body seemed quiver and darken.

"When in doubt, hang always to the right. Even as dim as it is in here, it'd be hard to miss a change of color in the leaves entirely if we reach a dead end or get turned around. That will be our frame of reference in case we come to a diverging path so we don't get lost." He said to Varen, drawing his hatchet in his off-hand. "Stay close, be swift, and keep a watch behind us if you can. Move quietly, and keep your voice low if you must talk. If an enemy or another competitor approaches, we'll deal with them accordingly." Corym uttered, ensuring to make an additional mark should a fork in the path present itself.

He was grateful that they were mostly obscured from the view of any onlookers. His means of tracking their progress was twofold. Not that the part of the hedges this low got much light anyway, so robbing them of their chlorophyll would help replenish some of his own energy.

"So, just to cover our bases, what can you do? I won't pry too much, but it would help in making sure we're prepared." He asked quietly, checking first around every corner before motioning Varen along further.

Liam dusted the glitter off of himself after Rosalind's kiss. Damned fairies, he thought to himself. He took a deep breath before looking around him. Aside from the soft blue of the sky above him, the maze was very dark and foreboding around him. He hoped it wouldn't take too long for his eyes to adjust. He reached up behind him, just to make sure that both his claymore and bow were still there; finding that they were, it made him feel a little better about the daunting task that was this first task. "I see," he said in response to the Ranger's words about Rosalind.

When he had turned to her to say that, the young nobleman saw that Gweyr had stood back, clearly wanting him to take the lead. His eyes darted between her and the path that lay before them before tentatively nodding and taking the lead as she wished him to. His footsteps were oddly muffled by the massive hedges on either side of them, as were hers. After a few additional moments of silence, Liam decided to break it by discussing something that was clearly on her mind if she knew his father as well as she said she did. "For the record, Lady Illy'vana," he began, glancing back at her over his shoulder, "I am nothing like my father. The only similarity I have with him is my appearance, and even that isn't a complete match."

While Liam did in fact look remarkably like his father, down to the shape of his nose, there was a notable difference. He had inherited the sharp, liquid, almond-brown eyes of his late mother Reymona.

Xyla seemed to have no qualms with letting Amara lead. As they entered the maze, the cloaked elf looked around at the shrouding walls of the hedge maze. It made her feel so small, almost as if reminding her just where she stood compared to the other competitors. Even if she was a fairly normal height compared to everyone else. It was a shame--or was it not?--that she hadn't dared to step foot in here before, what with the rumors. The rumors that those who weren't even worthy of the dungeons would be sent here. She didn't know how true those rumors could be, but one thing she could rely on would be that the Council would not release the crown to someone who had not proven themselves time and time again with these trials.

At the taller woman's questions, she did look, perhaps hesitating for a minute. She was aware that she would have to bring her skills to the table soon enough, but it made her just the mite uneasy that it would be so soon and right off the bat. But such were circumstances. Beneath her cloak was the shadow of a sword and sheath, while the more visible staff was still slung across her back. "I can, although I'm not sure how much it would help at all," she released a small sigh before she held up her hands before her, gently cupping them as if they contained liquid.

"Fioris arumat."

An orb of golden light suddenly flared to life in her hands, and as gently as if it were a bubble, Xyla tossed it into the sir so that it floated before them. She would not elaborate any further on what it is that she was able to do, but would only continue onward, keeping her hands loose. "We'll need to mark intersections in some way, so that we don't backtrack in loops. And we'll have to be ready for anything. They won't crown someone over who manages to get through the maze by sheer luck."

~~~

Gweyr and Liam would hear a rustling to their left at the next T intersection that they passed, a large mass rustling suddenly close before moving rather quickly along that left path, away from them. The dim light would reveal nothing, even with Rosalind's small aura lighting their way. The movement would be accented with the harsh sound of stone grinding against one another.

~~~

The other teams would hear this rumbling from their respective positions, faint in the distance.

In answer to Corym's advice, Varen had to grin, slightly. "Darkness isn't a problem for me, thankfully. That reduces the need for a torch." He began to follow Corym as he skimmed across the side of the walls, and pondered just how much he should answer Corym's question.

There were benefits to knowing each other's strengths. They could work with each other's skills, and that could prove formidable. However, that was only if they were a team. If enemies know each other's strengths... it would turn messy. There was something else to consider, though. Corym revealed something about him with those vines around his arm. Varen notices them almost immediately. How could he not, when Corym so dramatically placed his arm on the hedge?

Varen decided to give him some information. Trust was necessary in this phase. Besides, Corym knew common sense, and he seemed somewhat personable, even if he was a little glum. Just what information should he give him?

"I'm what you call.. a shadowmancer. I know magic, yes. As you could have guessed from the name, I manipulate shadows and darkness." Should he tell him more...? Yes, something relevant to this quest. "This magic also includes talking to shadows." He lowered his voice. There were no contestants near, but still, he was giving what could be a potential advantage. "I can send shadows forward to give us a path, to help us determine where the center of the maze is. It may take a little time, but it would be helpful."

Speaking of talking to shadows... he quietly asked the ones around him for the entrance to the maze. The trial had started. They needed to find the entrance of the maze quickly. And quickly he found it. It was relatively close to their own position, luckily. He motioned to Corym to follow him and jogged to the entrance.

"Now, as to whether or not we should be first... you're right. We don't need to be targets. But we also don't need to be seen as weak. So... second place seems like a good spot... especially a spot to manipulate others." At this, he had to grin a little wolfishly.

Right as the two were about to enter the maze, a faint rumbling noise reached Varen's ears. He grimaced. That confirmed many things for Varen...

"The others are already in the maze. We're behind... Still, that could be a good thing. It seems like there will be challenges ahead. We could let the others do the challenges for us..."

He had to know what the situation would be. He called for some more shadows and asked them to find the source of the noise, observe what was happening, and report back. All Corym would hear was a language that sounded somewhat flowing, and somewhat gibberish.

When will I be of use...? Elyzia grumbled. She wanted to help. Cute.

Don't get ahead of yourself.. you ARE my bodyguard, after all... Varen replied.

As I said before, you cause the troubles. I'm here to fix them. Her tone was obviously resigned, but there was a trace of humor in it. Good. She would follow him, and she wouldn't be depressed in the process.

Uncertainty was always a hindrance when it came to areas of the heart. Such things she had tried to warn Amaranthine about. Indeed, the heart was neutral and deceptive above all things, so who could truly know it. When Liam spoke to her about his path and how he was unlike his father, she listened, curiously. She was glad to be partnered with such legendary blood. There was something soft about his visage though—Liam’s eyes reminded Gweyr of his mother’s. She smiled at him, but kept her eyes and ears focused.

“Well that is good to hear. No true Elf has ever succeeded living in the shadows of their parents.” Her voice softened, albeit it was still bassy and deep. “I commend you for making your own path, Liam.”

That was when the rumbling was heard.

“Hey! Something terrible is out there. It will try to eat us.” Rosalind hid inside Gweyr’s cloak.

“Silence, child. Let me think.” She said to the fairy.

“Really? Think? Just cut it down with your big sword and let’s be done with it.” She retorted.

Gweyr at this point ignored her and listened. The stone grinding was more intense as it was near them. The tremor like aggression carried on underneath them, nearly tripping Gweyr at the feet—had she not been trained in balance she would have been on the ground. She held her self still and slid beside Liam to thouroughly investigate this intensity around them. She stepped in front of the male, touching her forehead and using a Grandmaster spell of (Clairvoyance 5).

Without physically seeing the threat, she would attempt to learn of its identity before proceeding. They just had to make it to the center of the maze. She would do her best and all that was in her to honor Elvira and make her proud in achieving that. It had destroyed Gweyr that she never got to tell Elvira that she loved her. All those years as her guardian and she held her affection in for the sake of Elvira’s crown. It was a burden for her Queen to carry the weight of this forest for so many years. Gweyr held her tears back letting her spell find its rightful focus. She did not come here to lose.

As Amara and Xyla begin to follow in the wake of the magical light that the shorter elf has manifested, her taller counterpart pulls her sword from its sheath. Valens' sword. A gift. An honor. The handle feels warm and sturdy in her hand. Her fingers wrap tightly around it with purpose. A way to mark their progress her companion had said. It's true. The last thing they need is to be wandering around in here aimlessly. She isn't wrong about trusting to luck either. The elders may not be who she would choose to rule this forest and its people, but they are no fools.

They need something that will last. Something that the other teams hopefully won't have already begun to do in their own parts of the maze. Glancing down and around as they reach their first intersection, Amara pauses to dig the tip of her sword into the earth. Dragging it back into a deep trench, she then adds two extra lines. Simple but effective. An arrow points the way. If they find the need to back track, this will tell them which way they have gone. Hopefully none of the other teams are using this same technique.

Amara takes a step past it, then pauses. No. No hoping. She cannot hope to win the crown. She must make it happen. Stepping back, she digs her sword tip in once more. She adds a quick symbol beside her initial arrow. Two crossed lines topped with a circle. A sword and an orb. Stand ins for the two masked contestants.

Just as she is about to step forward once more, there is a sound in the distance. A low, grumbling rumble causes the leaves around them to shudder softly though there is no breeze within the confines of the maze. Amara's chin raises and her ears perk. Someone has found something. Or something has found them. Either way, it isn't them. It isn't her. Yet. Without saying anything to her partner, she continues to move forward. Whoever it is, they are on their own now. The knuckles of her sword hand are white with tension nonetheless.

Nodding, Corym listened to Varen's advice. He was especially attentive to the explanation of Varen's capacity to aid in the trial, trying to glean as much as he could from the potential boons and threats such a power might present in the future.

"That's fine. As long as we're not of the last 3 to make it to the middle, Coming in second or third place to the center is preferable. Once your shadows find the center, we can gauge our pace and risks. I'll continue to track our progress in case-" He paused at the distant rumbling, raising a brow. "...In case this maze is more than a passive obstacle without means of disorienting us."

He proceeded back into the dark passageways, this time letting the human lead. He was starting to get the impression that for all his shyness, Varen knew what he was doing.

"Since you saw fit to share a little of what you can do, I'll tell you what I think that information was worth. You control shadows, while I control the life within vegetation and make it take a form that is most useful. It's not nearly as powerful as the King's blessing to grant life to plants or make new ones from thin air...." He paused, as if a bit taken aback by his own thoughts that occured to him in that moment.

"..but it does allow me to take what is available and manipulate it in a way to become something different. You might call those of my family Druidic, to an extent. We don't share an affinity to wild animals or dedicate ourselves to maintaining a balance of nature and civilization, but our affinity with flora of all kinds is not something you're likely to find outside of Urdu. It's kept me alive on my own this long, I don't think it's likely to fail me in a place like this." He said, trailing his hand along the wall to remain certain of their position should something happen with Varen's shadows. All the while, the plant growing in his body gorged itself on the stolen energy.

Liam was about to weakly return Gweyr's smile and respond to her but then heard the rumbling. He stiffened, wondering what that could have possibly been. Knowing that it was probably unwise to show something resembling nervousness in front of someone such as Gweyr Illy'vana, he physically relaxed, slowly exhaling. However, he was now very much alert, wondering if whatever had made the sound would make its presence known again, or when, for that matter. He saw the Ranger move up beside him then in front of him, touching her forehead. She was clearly casting a spell, and needed her concentration, based upon what she had just said to Rosalind.

However, as he had studied her over the last several minutes - and even the day before in the Council Chamber - he had realized that she was carrying a hefty burden. He felt that he had some idea of what it was. The young nobleman cleared his throat. Quietly so as not to be heard by anything else around them, but loudly enough to get Gweyr's attention. "Apologies for interrupting, Lady Illy'vana," he began tentatively, "but I would like to say that I am sorry for your loss, or rather, our kingdom's loss." Liam's mind worked quickly, trying to choose his words with care but with due swiftness for such a heavy matter. "I know that you and Elvira were close, and her passing weighs heavily on all of us who supported her," he said. He wasn't even sure if Gweyr was listening, but he forged ahead. "Also, it's despicable what the Council has tried to do following her death," he said. "Not to mention a shameless display of blatant, selfish pride. Trying to eradicate her from the pages of history, simply for realizing that we needed to seek help beyond our borders."

Liam had some more thoughts about why the Council might have wanted Elvira's memory eradicated, but he felt that it would not be best to voice them in current company.

Xyla paused in her step as she too heard the rumbling somewhere in the distance. it sounded fairly far away from them, but that didn't mean that whatever it could be was independent of what they were doing now. It was a deep rumbling, as if something large was moving. What could possibly make a deep sound like that? Some part of her was curious and wanted to investigate further, but who knows what it was. maybe it was something unpleasant. That thought kept her grounded. In a place like this, with all the rumors that surrounded it, whatever was out there was more likely unfriendly than not.

Which meant that they should probably stray away from it. At the next intersection, Xyla motions with the light. "let's go this way," she suggested. "I wouldn't want to run into whatever if going on over there." Further down at each intersection, the ground beneath their feet transitions from dirt into faded tiles, each path identical aside from its apparent orientation.

~~~~
The rumbling that came from closest to Liam and Gweyr continued, and even amongst the darkness and the rumbling, something sleek and fast could be faintly seen darting from one hedge to another.

A new set of rumbling began, sound overlaying over the first, and the hedge wall immediately to Liam and Gweyr's left began to shift and move, grinding away from them and allowing them more space. More grinding behind them; if they looked they would see the pathway they had come from being closed off by the hedges.

~~~~

Everyone would be able to hear this increased rumbling as well, the noise seeming to multiply of its own accord.

~~~~

Varen's shadows would alert him to an intersection ahead, the left path containing a figure with a large stature further along the twisting and winding path. The right side of the intersection diverted into a section of the maze whose floor was made of wood instead of the dirt that they currently trod upon.

The spell of clear vision had successfully exposed this dangerous creature. She thoroughly seen the horror upon them. Gweyr held her focus while Liam began to speak, thus as he spoke, his words touched her heart strongly. She exhaled, as if she ignored him, but this was not the case. Her eyes closed while she studied the gangly beast with a bullet like head that threatened itself near.

“Wall-crawler.” She whispered for Liam to hear. “Be still.” She warned him.

The Ranger opened her eyes to unsheathe her bow. The walls began to shift as if the crawler was baiting them to run so it could hear their footsteps. More space was created around them through the shifting tiles. Albeit the way they entered had closed in so there was only one direction now—towards the crawler.

Gweyr’s face relaxed when she looked back at Liam, even in the midst of death and danger. “Thank you for your kind words. Elvira I loved more than anyone will ever know. And the serpents watch us now from above. Through the years, I’ve learned to live amongst snakes. As long as you see the snake before it sees you, you can cut the head and avoid being bitten.” She spoke softly of the council. She hoped he was wise enough to understand her metaphor. If not, she watched his eyes to see if he had questions. As the crawler began to dart from the hedges, Gweyr pulled the fletching of her ice arrow, easing it on the nocking point of her bow. Her ivory fingers rested the cool smoky shaft on the arrow rest, while her other hand took hold of the bow grip—waiting for the crawler to show itself so she could freeze it in place. If it was anything else she would have tried a spell to calm creature, thus it was a wall-crawler and those ancient pest needed to be properly put down.

“Prepare to defend yourself if necessary, Liam. I do not want your death on my conscience.” She said.

“Nooo! Don’t say that meanie! Liam can’t die. He is the cute one. Not like that ugly deep elf I seen outside.” Rosalind retorted, sneaking her tiny head from out of Gweyr’s cloak.