Migrating Vale

[Apollymi]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911590288_2e03eec2d3_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2j3vWU9)

The homeland of the Druids, the Migrating Vale is a place which is constantly shifting within the world. It is most closely linked to the Fairy Forest and to nature, as such it can only be reached though gates where the realm of fairies and the fabric of the world collide. Such places are considered sacred to the Druids, and include Groves in certain forests, Water Falls at certain sources and the circles of Runestones erected by the Ancients they descend from. Passing through one of these gates will place the person or persons at the enter of the lands. They are spacious with dwellings and Runestones centered around the tree planted at its core. The lights which mark the path are glowing magical stones which respond to the intentions of those who walk forward. None who intend harm can enter the Migrating Vale. Beyond this these Holy Lands contained a sealed cave which is the place where many young ones go to prove their mettle. Catacombs line the far reaches of the mountains extending underground and are untraveled by the uninitiated. The lands themselves are fertile and each side of the Vale has one of the sacred places known to the people who live there. It is a quiet realm unto itself whose only leadership comes from the Circles.

[Apollymi]

A few days after her departure from the Kingdom of Atlantis and young blonde haired woman traveled along a wooded path. She was dressed luxuriously in a floating red cloak with golden filigree, a black strapless bodice with lace and embroidery and small golden trimmed boots. She wasn't walking along though, her hood was currently down and as she moved through this area her hair seemed to shift around her back even the twin tails at the side of her head shifted gently from left to right. She moved along on the back of a giant white Direwolf who'd slowed down considerably sniffing the air. She wasn't alone though, at her side a Giant Filolial, black in color with teal accent feathers strutting along proudly. "Hoh? It's nearby!" she said excitedly, as they turned off the beaten path towards the sound of a babbling stream among the rustling of the leaves. This forest was well lit, but every step forward seemed to get a bit darker and gloomier. Still, the blonde lass didn't seem to be discouraged at all. The wolf she rode upon would take her where she needed to be, and if the spot that would lead to her homelands needed to be cleansed first, this was also fine. To lighten the mood and keep those with her from worrying she posed a question. "Are you excited?" she asked of her companion in a language that probably wouldn't be easily translated by anyone even in passing.

[Bloodedge]

Taking up the side opposite to the Filolial was none other than the 'Child' of Atlantis, Diva. The young man appeared to have become capable enough that he carried himself on his own two feet, albeit not without a bit of light panting. He still committed to walking; he needed to build his stamina whatever way he could. All he hoped, was that he wasn't being a hindrance to Miki and her journey by making this selfish decision. He could at least assume he wasn't slowing progress too much, if any at all.

As they traversed farther into these strange, mystical lands, it felt as if shadows were beginning to consume them. Diva had no real concerns; he could - and did - produce a light source around himself to aide visibility as much as he could. In response to Miki's query, he spoke in a slightly different language that had been dead for ages, but one he could speak well enough while Miki understood through the connection of their ancestry. "It is exciting. I've never been outside of Atlantis before. The world up here is... pretty."

[Apollymi]

Did Miki have any problem with the lad walking along side instead of riding one of the two mounts? Not at all. She figured someone who'd been through the things he had, might enjoy a calming walk through the forest to get used to things outside of the place he'd been in most, if not all of his life. She'd chosen a pretty easy path for them to take or rather, she'd instructed her mount to choose an easy one regardless of the danger it would pose, if only to help her companions. Apparently, this lad was excited having never left Atlantis before. "Hoh? You're in for a treat then. Actually, I've not physically been here myself before but... what I remember of it from before it's going to be pretty," she mentioned happily. The Migrating Vale was one of the few places that didn't have to worry about outsiders and attacks, as getting into the place was impossible if you had evil intentions.

Speaking of evil intentions they were also the reasons for these corrupt places. They were technically places where evil magics had been performed because of the thin boundary. People who wanted to say walk in death sacrificed a Rune Mage in a place like this, thus polluting it and causing their spirits to corrupt the area. The same could be said of people trying to communicate with demons or even trying to cross from one realm to another without pure intentions. All of these things could potentially cause a problem. Because of this the darkened way to this path even with the light provided by Diva was something which would seem to be oppressed in some way. "First thing's first though. I'm going to have to clean this place up..." she said as they reached what appeared to be a small pond which should have been fed by a stream. But it was no longer running the water. At the bottom was thick like sludge and the entirety of the place seemed to give off a very ominous feeling. It'd even begun seeping further outwards, containminating the woods that had led to this place.

Her wolf came to a stop and Miki hopped down from his back. "Eww, this place stinks!" was the only thing said by the Filolial who turned her nose up in the air. "Hai," said Miki as she walked towards the water but stopped just at the edge. "Someone performed Dark Magic here... the result made this gate close up... to protect what's inside from what's out here," she said softly. She looked deep into the stillness of the water and saw the glint of bone beneath the surface, though the water bubbled it no longer rushed and this well at the bottom of the falls was full of stagnation. She knew what such a thing meant, so she gave a warning to the rest of the group. "When I start to purify this, the bones here will turn into an undead creature and rise. This place had a strong individual sacrificed here, so I want to trap and cleanse it first. After that I can cleanse the water and fix this place up." she said letting them know her plan. Immediately after this, Miki called her pillow to herself and as it reached her hand it turned into a boar spear with a circular opening in the middle and a small charm attached to the end. She'd found it much easier to channel her abilities through it, since she'd received this gift from Hikari. And as such she began to draw a small bounded field where she thought this creature would rise to. Several runes were laid but not inscribed completely the last one was left open so she could trap the undead creature within until it could be cleansed within. The Direwolf, Youko paced along the waters edge growling intensely before laydown behind a tree with his head covered by his paws. Seeing this Miki thought of one more thing. "Oh, and Diva. You'll want to cover your ears. I can't have you being charmed by the spirit or anything."

[Bloodedge]

"Huh?" Diva wore visible confusion on his visage. Miki spoke of memories involving the Migrating Vale, while also claiming to have never physically been to it. How could such a thing be? "I don't understand how that's possible..." he said. Regardless of what he did or didn't understand, they were upon a source of water that was... clearly anything but pure. It seemed Miki had the task of purifying it of the dark magic plaguing the area to open the way to this Migrating Vale she sought entry to. It made sense; to Diva, it was quite similar to the way his abilities operated within Atlantis. He could have done without the putrid odor in this land, though.

Diva believed this alleged spirit would be incapable of charming him, considering what he knew of Sirens and the like where he hailed from... but, he wasn't going to take chances. He slipped his fingers into his ears as instructed, opting to go along with being deaf until Miki finished her purification task. He nodded just after confirming that there was no sound entering his ears.

Miki's bounded field around the location of the spirit was watched from its inception. Her plan at the ready, she would find herself closely joined by another body. As she finished her inscriptions, a hand reached out to touch her shoulder. Said hand would feel... almost nonexistent. It wasn't the hand of Diva; he hadn't moved, and didn't even see the culprit despite looking in that very direction. This hand was a similar complexion to Diva's though, and belonged to a male figure wearing white robes with long, white hair and golden eyes. The touch would feel like the Underworld itself. If viewed, this male figure would open its mouth and speak, only for no sound to escape him. Shortly after, he would fade away...

[Apollymi]

Diva was confused about what Miki had to say regarding her memories of the Migrating Vale without her ability to have been their physically. She'd forgotten for a moment, that her companion of the time period wasn't simply a player from their own world, so such things were likely to be confusing. "Oh... it's a little complicated, I'll explain when I'm done with the Undead," she mentioned trying to make a note to remember to answer that particular inquiry after dealing with the restless creature here. Still her advice about the shutting off of the lad's ears was taken, her base runes were set and all was fine. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment to try and align her magic. Large scale purging would take quite a bit of Mana but she figured with the charm attached to her weapon it would be fine.

It wasn't.

Miki had her eyes closed until she could have sworn she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes opened and she turned towards it, the coloration of it reminding her of Diva. She wondered if he'd had a more immediate concern. "Did you..." she started to speak to him but she was astounded by the person standing beside her. She jumped back from this stranger only to have him open his mouth but fade away. 'WHAT THE FUCK!' her mind screamed but as soon as she blinked, this man was gone. The blonde lass immediately spun around in a circle. "Eh? Is something wrong?" asked Fiona as she watched the lass have a minor freak out but couldn't place it. "Ah... no. Nothing's wrong. Back to work then..." she said of herself. 'What the hell was that?' she thought to herself. 'Or who? Maybe I should have rested more yesterday...' she thought to herself. Clearly this random hallucination wasn't something she was used to having. But she did know symptoms of overworking herself and maybe she'd done that again, unintentionally.

Whatever the case, she calmed her mind once more and stepped towards the bubbling pond. Doing so she sank just the tip of her blade beneath the water and began to purge the water. Immediately after this began and sickening creature began to rise. The first thing heard was a fearsome cry as its body rose from beneath the water's surface. Covered in dark goo and smelling putrid its voice while sounding like nails against a chalkboard to Miki, likely would have sounded sweet to a man. Sweet enough for him not to see this creature for what it was, and be lured to his death as this creature consumed his flesh to get stronger. As it took steps forward, Miki backed away and just as it reached out to touch her, she tapped the ground causing the bounded field to finish and trap the thing instead. Its voice, which had still been coming out in bursts, was immediately cut off. And it was restricted to moving within a very small area outside of the water where it would have been able to influence the dead wildlife. This creature was grotesque to look at, but it wasn't her fault. She'd been killed here, her spirit changing the form of her body by the act of violence that was her murder. 'That is somehow way more frightening in a body I actually inhabit. Still... given I've already fought in a small scale war, a little undead creature isn't so bad. I don't know why I freaked out so bad earlier...' she thought back to a few moments prior.

[Bloodedge]

Diva's eyes remained fixed, and his ears remained plugged. He saw a strange reaction from Miki, and could have sworn she was saying something. There was a curiosity within the lad. He wondered, could this be the start of some spiritual journey, and perhaps the reason Miki said she'd never physically been here? No, that couldn't be right. This reaction of hers was a startled one, as if she'd seen something that wasn't really there. Diva stared with widened eyes and a tilted head. Miki, at least, returned to normal in due time, going about her business to summon the... creature she intended to cleanse from this land. It was truly a repulsive thing visually, and pungent beyond belief. And yet... Diva had seen worse. He had smelled worse. He had been in physical contact with worse. Upon seeing this monstrosity, he pulled his fingers from his ears and looked upon it with an expression of pity upon his face. "Things like this. People create them here, too?"

[Apollymi]

Having captured this sad creature, Miki took a shallow breath. Purging it was necessary still she placed her hand against the barrier and began feeding it her Mana. Actively turning this barrier into a modified containment field for purging the creature within it. After it was contained and as it started to cleanse she heard the words of Diva. She imagined that given his life, such a thing was probably not as surprising to him. Still there was at least a bit of a lore reason why this was a thing even if Miki herself didn't believe in it. "Sometimes..." she admitted softly. "The desire for power gets to people," she explained. "Humans who can't form their own magic, Sorcerers who don't want to be displaced... those who don't have the moral compass to know that personal gain shouldn't come at the expense of others," she mentioned. "They sacrifice people at these places. It lets them gain extra magic, take their essence and expand themselves. Or to perform boundary crossings, but doing something like that corrupts nature and the people themselves," she said the creature within the barrier had stilled by now. The black goo falling away from its body revealed what its soul actually looked like.

A young woman with pale green eyes and pointy ears. On her forehead a Rune of Divination, seeing it Miki understood why this person in particular was sacrificed. Killing her here at the right time, likely gave someone a glimpse of the future for what it was worth. But it'd bound this Druid's soul, turning her into a faithless creature whose only desire was to feed. Now that she was free from the corruption, she slipped through the barrier around her, she reached out, and touched the mark on Miki's forehead, passing along her understanding of the Rune, Berkano... before departing. Her mouth moving and unlike the time before Miki wasn't afraid. "Still, fixing things like these is a worthwhile use of my time," she said. Having given peace to that soul she could now finish the rest of the area. She planted her spear in the ground and funneled nature magic into it. What it made contact with determined how it functioned. As it spread from where she was, it gave new life to the tress, made the grasses grow. It also called forth pure water from upstream, a source so clearly natural it definitively cleared the sludge at the bottom of the pond. And as the water began to rush the sounds of this forest returned and this waterfall strangely looked through to an archway which was both clearly there and a bit hidden. Besides that the natural light returned to this area of the forest... and it was truly stunning. Miki took a deep breath now as her magic finally stopped. She didn't have enough to continue doing this but it was enough to clear this space and get the job done.

[Bloodedge]

How concerning. To know that people of this sort existed even on the surface, was a point of discontent for one such as Diva. He'd always held fast to a glimmer of hope, that somewhere, there was purity - perhaps a Utopian society that could spread its influence to the world at large. What he found instead when venturing out into the open world, was... this. At least people such as the Adventurers who helped Atlantis existed. Here Miki was now, righting the wrong done to this seemingly innocent, fallen girl in whatever way she could. "There must be more good than this on the surface..." he said, firming his belief that there were better lands to be seen. Little did he know, he would soon be encountering such a place.

Of course, another oddity would occur first. Miki's actions paved the way to an ethereal arch, presumably one to be passed for the sake of entering the Migrating Vale. The journey could continue, but not before... a certain apparition made his appearance again. With slightly fairer skin this time, the male figure stepped out from around the arch, off to its side. His ashen hair had lost a bit of the golden hue previously found at its tips, and there was a hint of green growing out from the roots. His eyes, as well, had undergone a slight change in the form of a green glow pushing its way through those golden irises just a bit. This young and slightly androgynous man stepped to the arch, touching and caressing its outer edge. As he did so, that unearthly gaze of his found Miki once more. He'd exist in her sights for longer this time, stepping away from the arch to move toward a dense corner of the forest. Every few steps he took, he looked toward Miki again.

[Apollymi]

She'd done what she set out to do and released the individual who'd bound this gate closed. Hearing the words of Diva a small smile appeared on Miki's face. She'd done quite a bit of traveling since coming to this place and she could honestly say one thing. "There is always good to be found. Even if you have to fight through the bad to get to it," she commented. This was of course the truth as she saw it. Everywhere they'd gone that had required a fight or shown the face of corruption, had afterwards some glimmer of appreciable society to show. Given this, Miki could push past what she saw as the negatives in the hopes of seeing that positive play out.

In the time it'd taken to clear up this place, Youko had come from around the tree to stand at her side, but before she could lead her way through the arch she saw again the person who'd frightened her before she'd cleansed this place. He looked a bit different than he had before. Assuming of course it was actually a he, what did he want though? Miki blinked hard, then looked from left to right. No one else with her looked like they noticed. Was she going crazy? Was she seeing something or rather someone who honestly wasn't there? But if her mind was making this up... why did it look like he was staring directly at her. He moved away from the arch and Miki had gone quite silent watching as this young being headed towards the denser part of the forest. 'What the hell is actually going on?' she thought internally having a large problem with seeing such a being and not knowing why she was the only one who seemed to react to his presence. Was this part of being a Druid? Was this story related? She couldn't know, but her stillness and the lightest bead of sweat atop her forehead would let it become obvious she was still more than a little frightened.

[Bloodedge]

"I understand," Diva said, having found a new resolve through their brief discussion. It was after this, though, that Miki fell silent again. This was the second time she looked as if something was amiss. When scanning the surrounding area with both eyes and Mana however, Diva found nothing odd. Strange though it was, maybe there was a larger difference between his Atlantean heritage and her Druid one, resulting in her experiencing something far beyond what he could comprehend. Maybe. "Is everything alright?" he asked. "You're making a strange expression again. If the cleansing is too much for you, I could try helping somehow. I can replenish your Mana for you as well." Diva truly had no idea what perturbed the young Druid, but his assistance was offered nonetheless.

The ghastly figure never stopped moving, though his stride was slow. Barely managing to remain on this plane of existence for longer, he began phasing in and out upon stopping beside a large tree and fully facing the blonde. He would not move, but his mouth would once again open as if he were speaking. Yet again, no noise escaped him.

[Apollymi]

As she stared this moving stranger seemed to pause by a large tree. He opened his mouth once more but she heard nothing and then he vanished. As she continued to stare off into space, Diva's words reached her ears. He seemed to be worried about her well-being and the face she was making. She looked stunned for a second and then rather quickly seemed embarrassed being caught off guard in such a way. "Sorry. I make all kinds of weird faces. I didn't mean to make you worry," she said quickly averting her gaze but wondering why this vision kept appearing before her. "I was thinking... mostly. Anyways, ah..." she thought about it for a second. She felt fine even after the cleansing and she'd soon be returned that which she'd given up before leaving this place in game so, she had nothing to worry about. "Thanks but, I'll be fine. I'm about to get the rest of my Mana Pool back in a moment or two and you guys are about to see something awesome for the first time," she said of Diva and Fiona.

She started in towards the Ethereal Archway and led the way inside if followed they'd find themselves walking up a path which looked onward towards a different place. Unlike the forest at noon, the sky here was a vibrant violet color, the magic of nature vibrated across the wind. A large tree with orange leaves bent over a development which looked to be made of bright white stones. All around Rune Stones glittered with magical light. Blue fire lanterns lit the way up a path which was surrounded by lush vegetation. The water that ran beneath the opening bridge was the purest of any seen so far and beyond all of that there were mountains far and near. Miki took in this entire view for the first time in person. She was awed but also felt at peace. She turned around and gave a flourishing gesture towards this place, a genuine smile normally saved for special occasions managing to form in spite of her most recent feelings outside of this place."Welcome to the Migrating Vale. Homeland of the Druids."

[Bloodedge]

"Alright. The offer stands... if you ever need it," Diva replied. Miki certainly had a strange way of 'thinking' as she put it, but each person had their own quirks. Diva would go on assuming this was just one of hers. Taking up the rear of their group, Diva followed into the arch Miki paved the way through. Upon stepping beyond the arch's border, he felt as if he'd been transported to a new realm entirely. The vibrancy of this place was unparalleled, and it was dense enough in Mana for said Mana to be visible. There was no need for sensing here; everything could be felt without intention, even seen with the naked eye. This was about what he expected of Fairies, yet somehow beyond even those expectations. Even Atlantis in its prime may not have compared to what Diva witnessed here.

"This is... the Druid land?" he said, his words possessing an upward inflection not at all intended to offer a query. Diva stepped out ahead, slowly turning to take in as much of the surrounding area as he could. In this state of awe, he was taken aback by a sudden voice, which even he was rendered capable of hearing as it echoed into the minds of all present at the gate. "Welcome, Little Flower. I sense that you have come because... it is your time. Come. You must part ways with your travelling companions, for they cannot yet join you in reaching enlightenment."

[Apollymi]

Diva was less versed on the intensity of social awkwardness. This was indeed a saving grace for Miki as she was able to push off being too awkward in front of him. "Hai, I'll keep it in mind~" she said further trying to put him at ease, and distance herself. Of course, upon entering the Migrating Vale everyone present was able to witness the beauty and splendor of this unsullied land. "Yep, this is where the Druids are from. It's a great place..." Miki said happily. One of the reasons she'd chosen to start her life as a Druid was because she enjoyed the look of this place as a background image. A bit of a chuckle was all she could manage afterwards, a voice entered her mind and though she'd never heard it in this form, she knew who it was and what was needed of her. "Yes, I'm home. I know... I'm on my way," said Miki to the voice. "Hm, someone just spoke in my head..." said Fiona as she looked around. "Iie, he's not here, he's waiting for me. It's nothing to worry about, Youko..." she said to her companion animal who stood at attention before her. She placed a hand on his head. "Assuming my dwelling still stands, could you hang out with them and show them around while I complete my tasks?" she asked of him, the wolf simply nodded. "Yes, it still stands... I will make sure they enjoy their time here," he said Miki turned and looked at the group at large and smiled.

"Diva you should have a pretty easy time communicating here. And everyone is really nice and relaxed. I'll be back a bit later to help out though. Feel free to use anything at my place or ask Youko if you need something," she said to him. And with that she was off towards the sound of the disembodied voice. They would have to part ways for a while, but Miki figured they could still have a bit of fun together enjoying the Migrating Vale while she finished off her character. She knew Diva had his own reasons for wanting to come here and figured he might have an easy time exploring and finding his answers. Miki's dwelling was on the Eastern side of the settlement built fairly high up with several rooms and a full housing layout. It wasn't the palace in Atlantis, but she'd spent quite a bit of time making it a place worth traveling back to. Though she didn't intend to go there herself for sometime yet, moving right along she floated atop her transformed pillow towards the voice which called to her.

[Bloodedge]

"I will be waiting. The Trial of Interpretation is ahead of you," the male voice added. He wondered which path this girl would take, knowing there were multiple ends she could have when reaching the final point of the first path. She was to approach a structure known among Druids as the Sealed Cave, which could be either an arduous journey, or a very simple one. The man who communicated with Miki had the pleasure of overseeing the trials of many Druids, all of whom began here after coming of age. In a way, he found it to be his purpose in life, seeing these young Druids discover themselves along with nature through their journey in this home land.

Meanwhile, Diva nodded his acknowledgement to Miki's send-off. This place was so very inviting, he had trouble keeping his focus on a single area; he felt almost compelled to explore it all! That was not his purpose here, though. Well... it almost was. In simply being here, the lad would feel the very essence of the Druids' home, incorporating a small portion of it into himself while sharing his own aura with it. Something great would come of this exchange.

[Apollymi]

Everyone she left behind seemed to be finding their own form of amusement. She couldn't really wait to see what they gleaned from this experience. But for now she had to find her own path and this path lead to the sealed cave. Strangely, this place was where she'd started her adventure, and in coming here, she could undertake the Trial of Interpretation or she could simply deviate and interact with her Dragon Hourglass. Her first time here, she'd chosen just one of these options, but being here now she had to choose both. She approached a cave which seemed to be rather ominous appearing from the outside. Within no light shown through and it seemed to be a bit void of all the energy which funneled around the whole of the Migrating Vale. 'Hm, this place is a lit creepier than I remember...' she thought to herself. Regardless there was a certain depth she had to reach in order to find the spot which housed her Dragon Hourglass and a certain amount of movement through the cave, she needed to accomplish in order to have access to the abilities she wanted. Given this she floated forward before allowing her feet to touch the floor of the cave. As soon as this had happened with her hand firmly grasping the pillow, the whole of the cave went dark and the light behind her disappeared.

"Great, its super dark and scary now... whatever. At least I don't have to worry about that weird guy popping up in my vision if I can't see anything," she muttered as she walked forward. This cave seemed void of anything for quite some time. She had no sense of her own depth within it, but soon she felt a characteristic hum. A glowing warmth and a slightly fluttering buzzy feeling. A breeze of warmth moved by her face, trying to guide her towards something. As she turned fully to her right. She felt it. Two cave entrances within a large gap of opening. One, with a visible glowing with warmth seeming to be inviting. The other, still dark and thus unknown. From here she had a choice to make. Follow the warmth and finish here, or follow the darkness and continue searching. She turned to the opening at her left and continued hearing a voice lightly protest. "Oi, we could have been done already. I know you felt me... why do you want to stick around in this cave anyway..." she heard from the voice with the utmost impatience. "Gomen... I know its difficult, but patience is necessary. Not all things can happen instantly..." she murmured. This was fine, and that little bit of warmth let her know she was on the right path. Spirits of Fire were impatient and happily served those scared of the Dark, only if they had the power to face their fears. Though she could not see it, she could at least hear it, and that was a start. Having done this the whole of this cave seemed to have a bit of its fog lifted. It wasn't an all consuming darkness, she could make out the shape as she headed further down what appeared to be a very narrow passage way. Was the next leg of this trial just around the corner? And what of the green haired man she'd seen when trying to enter the Migrating Vale, was he part of this somehow?

[Bloodedge]

Miki's mention of the 'weird guy' she'd seen twice since arriving at the arch, as if on cue, heralded his appearance once more. He could have been visible even in this darkness, yet he wasn't at all. That is, until Miki stepped along the narrow passage toward her next milestone. He was out ahead of her, facing the direction in which she moved. In previous moments, he had turned to face Miki. This time, he did not. His appearance had adjusted once more, skin lightening again, and the green roots of his otherwise white hair spreading further. His eyes went unseen this time, but there was a bit more green in them as well. Stepping forward into a darker path, he vanished once more.

[Apollymi]

Her thoughts of the green haired man brought him back into her vision. She jumped backwards, taking note that he looked somewhat different than he had the two times previous. She couldn't see his face, but even in this narrow space she saw him. Within the Migrating Vale nothing truly malevolent could properly enter. At least that was the lore. 'Maybe, I'm still just seeing things...' Miki thought to herself. She said pausing and rubbing her eyes. She was trying not to be afraid, but it was hard to keep calm while things you didn't understand where happening around you. Once more the lad disappeared from her vision. 'Alright, get it together!' she thought to herself, slapping her cheeks soon after until she felt she'd knocked out any residual fear and she could continue forward into this darkness.

This narrow path lead twisting and turning down this corridor until it reached another open space. This one was much smaller than the previous one and was quiet. No dripping water, no shifting rocks... simply nothing. She'd almost forgotten what she was here for. The appearance of that strange person kept dragging her thoughts. 'Maybe, he'll be able to tell me what that is when I get there,' she thought of the man who oversaw these trails. In this small space she turned with her eyes closed and her calm returned. She was waiting for something, anything to hint to her the right way to go. "Tehehehe~" A small giggle could be heard. Carried, echoing down one of the pathways. But which one? 'Concentrate. Only one path will lead to the next one... how do I figure out which one it is...' she tried to think through the situation. It wasn't exactly clear, the noise had stopped completely but then from her right side, she felt it. A gentle caress of the wind. 'This way?' she questioned turning in place until she was facing the right direction, her eyes still closed to allow her other senses, including her magical ones to try and decipher the right direction to go in. But there was nothing. "Oh, I get it..." she did an about face, turning in the exact opposite direction of the one she was facing. The sound itself was traveling down wind. "Tehetehetehe~" the giggling returned hinting that the lass had taken the proper direction.

"Hai hai, here I come." and with that she traversed a path that was technically to her left when she entered this room, walking down walls which were almost slotted, with small gusts of wind coming in and out and the entirety of this path sounding like the inside of a musical instrument. But here she could feel this new breeze against her skin and understood exactly what it was she was looking for, by the time she was allowed to make another choice, it was very simply right or left. To the right, was full down wind, and take her to the place which housed all of the wind based power she'd been feeling. But to the left there was nothing once more. "Hm, I guess it's for the best," she turned left and began to walk a swift breeze chasing her down and caressing her face again. "You don't have to keep going, I can help you. Aren't we enough?" asked the spirit which danced around moving locks of the lass' hair about as she fluttered about her hair. Still Miki couldn't see this entity but she could hear it clearly. "Well, I have a lot to do. The challenges ahead are still uncertain. Bare with me..." she asked politely. The air of this place felt immediately less dense. And though everything was still somewhat numb, Miki could feel Mana again a bit more finitely than before. Wind Spirits were gentle creatures who knew goodness from evil and good intentions from negative ones. They respected those who pushed ahead, even in the face of uncertainty. How much did she wish to gain from this journey? How many times would she avoid stopping? The ground down this path was unusually soft... each granule seemed to shift even under Miki's gentle steps, such was the difficulty of the next phase she would undertake.

[Bloodedge]

Another path complete, another spirit of nature met for the young Druid undergoing her second trial of life. The overseer was quite interested by this leg of her journey. Many Druids of her age and exposure would have ended this trial with the wind spirit, if not earlier. Would she be one of few to go the distance? He wondered...

Onto the path of loamy soil. What would a new trek be without another visit from a dear friend? Yes, the lad with his shifting features became clear again as the ground around him shifted, almost as if it wished to react to his presence even though it couldn't truly do so. The figure wasn't standing during this appearance. No, instead he was crouched low as he reached out to the soft soil beneath his bare feet. His expression was forlorn, tears just about producing to the point of cascading down his face. Again, he didn't look Miki's way; he instead turned his head to look farther down the path ahead before he faded.

[Apollymi]

This softer soil was harder to move across. Miki's steps became measured and she tried to concentrate on moving her weight about and not letting herself sink too deeply nor shift too suddenly. 'Alright, I know there is no one else here, but still don't fall...' she thought to herself. After all, the Overseer of this trial was still watching, she didn't want to make a fool of herself.

And yet, she would.

As she walked along this new path, in the loamy soil the green haired man she'd been seeing was stooped over. He wasn't looking at her this time, but he was still creepy nonetheless. He seemed to be on the verge of tears, and though freaked out, Miki still didn't like seeing someone so upset. "Hey, are you..." this figure looked out into the distance and then, disappeared. 'Fuck me. Why am I trying to talk to a ghost or imaginary creature, whatever the fuck he is. It's fine. It's cool. I'm fine.' She muttered to herself. But she'd stood still too long and sank into this loose soil up to her ankles, she moved once more, pressing onward. She wondered what kind of thing she should be looking for but felt nothing. Upon entering the next opening there were literal dozens of tunnels leading out from here. How was she to decide? Some were stacked high upon others, some so low to the ground they needed to be crawled through. What was she supposed to do to know which way to go? 'I guess it can't hurt...' she murmured as she got down on on the ground. Here she sat her legs crossed and eyes closed. She placed her hands and bare skin against this constantly shifting surface. And there were a few moments still of silence. Deep unknowable silence but then she felt it. Not the breeze or warmth against her skin, but the vibrations across her person. Sitting so still her body began to hover just over the ground and turn of its own accord.

Only when it stopped did she open her eyes. Her hands pointed towards a low tunnel. One which could have been missed if you were walking. It lead not straight ahead, but down, into the depths. More loosely shifting loamy soil to be traversed. Miki had no choice. Here with no one else around, she crawled forward on her hands and knees, her bottom up in the air as she magically dragged along her spear. 'Ugh this would be really embarrassing if anyone else was along.' she thought a red tint coming to her face. Still the more she moved this way the more comfortable her movements became. The softness of the soil in her fingers reminded her of building sand castles and playing on the beach as a child. 'Actually, it's pretty fun though,' she thought as a simple slip of her hand left her to tumble down what was built almost like a slide. There was no increased friction only a giggle or two once the shock wore off. "Hahahaha!" her laughter rang out as she stumbled to a stop. More stand followed a path straight forward of where she'd come out. And she could feel it. The magnetic pull towards the end. Something she could tangibly be done with. Behind her, more darkness and unknown things. She giggled and turned standing and ridding herself of loose soil, it had been fun. "One more then, huh?" she asked aloud as she stepped towards the more adult sized opening. "Aww, we could stay and have more fun. You really don't have to be such a drag..." she heard the words of a new spirit and chuckled. "There is always fun to be had... it's even sweeter when all the work is done," she said truly meaning it. This spirit seemed to be a bit impish, but the earth spirits favored fun and toil. They liked to see the fruits of their labor and enjoy the simple things. They had no problem with anyone who did both. With that in mind Miki moved on, assuming one more challenge lay ahead of her as she headed down into a new space which seemed to drip with water.

[Bloodedge]

No apparition would reveal itself to Miki as she trekked onward to the water-related section of this trial. At least, there would be nothing of the one that had been 'haunting' her for the duration of her Migrating Vale visit thus far. She did have an attempted visitor, though. A purple-haired knight from the land in the sky, had finally arrived at the end of his trail. He landed at ground level some time ago, and had only just reached the forest outside. Alas, he could not bear witness to the arch which gave way to the Migrating Vale itself. As far as he could tell, his target had simply vanished upon reaching the forest. Where could she have gone? "Tch! Trail's dead," he mumbled. "Yare yare. Am I going to have to scan this entire forest like some sort of hunter? Should've brought Tristan..."

[Apollymi]

Miki went on, unaware of the Knight who trailed her path. At the very least, at least the forest he'd find himself in was peaceful and without blemish. Whatever the case, Miki's own path took her along, the constant drip of water being something she was now dealing with. Every step or two, a single drop would land on her; on her face, in her hair, and when she looked up once, even in her eye. 'Ugh, that's going to drive me insane...' she thought. But there were worse things she supposed. As she made her way down this dank pathway she'd eventually find herself in a strange place. There was no where for her to go. No path for her to follow only a room round and airtight aside from the way she came in. 'There was only a straight path and this was the only way to go... why?' she question. Still the dripping, but in this room it was more plentiful. It felt like a gentle rain shower below ground. How was she to sort this exactly? Where was all this water coming from? There was only one real answer, and it'd been looking in her face the entire time. Directly above her head in this room there was a large pool of water. She looked up into it, and it seemed most endless. This was apparently the only way she could go from here. Beyond the darkness she could see but a single sparkle.

"Hm... I guess this is the big plunge one. Water is a pretty frightening element. It's also in everything. It would be really easy to back down now..." she said softly. Noting that even though she'd come all this way it was still possible to go back. "It figures that people get scared a lot and don't want to drown. But I don't think they'd really give us a trial we couldn't pass," she thought through gently aloud, beginning to pace even as she began to be rained upon. "Yosh! I understand," she said. Her spear in her hand she willed it upwards along with herself. Though she didn't have to swim at normal speed, the weight of this water as it tried to flow downwards was oppressing. Still she went forward. More and more, as her face went red from the struggle to breathe. Still she had faith but what was this out of the corner of her eye.

A sparkle, she turned herself towards it to find an air pocket. A grin spread cross her face as she took a much needed breath or two and then she continued. Up further and further stopping at each of these little glints even as the water flowed ever downward. Until there were none left to find and she finally broke the crest of the water. What she found here, was strangely the part of the cave she'd first spawned in when she'd come here. A deep watery crevice which she'd been told was too swift moving to traverse. Now was all but calm given all the water which had spilled below. She pulled herself out up onto the shore and stood wringing out her hair and tilting her head from left to right as she approached a small bubbling pond. She peered into it, but still it bubbled but she could hear a rushing sound in her ears. Closer and closer she leaned until her face was almost parallel with this glowing pool and then, "Pppfft!" A splash of water right in her face as a small crystal landed beside her. "That's for you, a gift for coming so far to see me. Is it enough?" she heard the words of this timid spirit. And strangely felt better after being splashed by these waters. "Hai, water is in everything with you I am complete," there was a certain amount of hubris in this, as she pulled the crystal into her hand. It was a strange thing and seemed to be kindled with Spirit Energy, though not particularly water.

Upon taking hold of it the bubbling water, moved flowing over into what looked like a pipework meant to hold it. As water touched crystals and traveled forwards Miki was led into a forest like clearing. Once there the water surrounded the outer edges kicking up which which broke open the ceiling. Sun rained down from above in an opening just big enough to properly illuminate the area. Here she assumed she'd find two things. The first of which was the Overseer of this trial and the second was her Dragon Hourglass. Here was the only place in the Sealed Cave to receive natural light, and it'd taken quite a bit of work to make it so. Apparently, the flower in the middle of this room was in the lore as one which did not bloom very often. It always seemed to be closed up aiming to reach new heights probably waiting for more light. The first time she'd seen it, Miki had wondered if there was a hidden treasure within, and maybe she'd find out soon enough.

[Bloodedge]

At long last, Miki reached the end of her first - or technically, second - trial. At the very end, or even the beginning, the girl came across a flower that would not bloom under any normal circumstance. Rather... it would bloom for one reason alone, and Miki had produced that reason! Larger and larger that flower grew, spiraling upward until its bud unfolded. Within it was no treasure, but instead the form of a man whose shoulder-draped hair shared the same pale green as the flower's stem. He wore a red robe which, paired with his cross-legged meditative stance and elongated earlobes, made him look similar to a Buddha. His eyes were even closed, only opening ever so slightly to set their dark irises upon Miki. "You have done well, Little Flower. Soon, you will bloom into a magnificent flora the likes of which our vale has not seen in generations. You can go far, young one. Will you continue along this path of enlightenment?"

[Apollymi]

Soon enough Miki received the answer to her mental question. That flower bud grew and grew until it opened. When it did, it revealed a green haired man in red robes. He looked a bit like a skinny statue of Buddha. it made the lass wonder if that was what this man was based on. Regardless he had nothing but congratulatory statements to share with the blonde lass, who seemed a bit sheepish even to the praises offered by this strange man. "Hai. I mean... thanks. Yeah, that's the one," she stumbled through this reply but it was really nerve wracking. She really wasn't used to dealing with this sort of praise at all. Still, apparently there was much she could do with a build like the one she'd started on. It was claimed by the man she could go far indeed and he asked her if she intended to continue along the path. She smiled looking up to meet his eyes which though barely open were indeed about as comforting as she expected them to be. "This path may have chosen me, or I might have chosen it. Either way... I will continue until I see its end," she said seemingly pleased with the whole of the experience. Her eyes soon traced the room expecting to find her Dragon Hourglass. When she'd visited this place in game, it'd been right beside the flower, though it hadn't bloomed that time, she still expected it to be here. This was her starting room after all. 'Where did it go?' she wondered with confusion moving across her face, souring her expression quite a bit.

[Bloodedge]

This man had no need of thanks, nor did he acknowledge Miki's gratitude at all. He had one purpose here, and it was a sworn place among Druid kind. All he needed from Miki was an answer, and he received it in due time. The lass stated that she intended to follow through with this journey. There was one particular thing noted by her that he took interest in, though. She spoke of how the path may have chosen her, or perhaps that she had chosen it. This way of thinking was interesting. Some small semblance of a smile crept onto the older Druid's face as he took in these words, readying himself to send Miki on her way again, should she need nothing of him right away. "Then your next trial will begin. Do you seek knowledge before embarking on this journey, Young Flower? You seem troubled."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Miki's troubled expression had once again given her away. Maybe that didn't matter so much though, this time around. Instead of harping over this fact, she tried to think of a good way to phrase what she had to say. "I started my journey from this place, right in front of this very flower. My Dragon Hourglass should be there," she said pointing to an empty space to the right of where this flower had bloomed. "But I don't see it... I am just confused..." she said honestly. It was a bit problematic to not be able to find and interact with the monument considering she was currently stuck at level 30 until she found it. It would be more problematic if it had moved. Especially seeing that she couldn't share this information presently with the other person she'd taken the first leg of her journey with. She supposed while she had this man's attention she could ask him about the other beings she kept seeing. "Also, I keep seeing a vision of someone, but no one else can see them... is that normal?" she asked. Since he offered knowledge she figured he'd either know what was going on with her, or he wouldn't and that would be a bit frightening. Either way, some answer was better than walking blindly through all of this. She'd calmly await an answer while trying to fight off her own obvious confusion.

[Bloodedge]

"Your hourglass has never been here, Young Flower," he said, speaking with absolute certainty. For a moment, he wanted to question himself. For just a fragment of a second, he did believe that there was once a Dragon Hourglass within this very area, but no, such a thing never existed here. At the very least, one could have never belonged to another Druid younger than himself. "I do not believe you are mistaken; there are no lies coming from you. However, perhaps yours is not truly of this world..." His statement was left open, not intentionally, but because the man himself did not fully understand. Miki seemed something like an anomaly among Druid kind, and he couldn't quite place the reason. Her missing hourglass may have been connected to this. As for these visions she claimed to see, he was no less lost for a proper answer. "I do not understand. What you see here, should be seen by all who can reach this realm. There are no secrets among our kin."

[Apollymi]

Miki's eyes widened at this man's response. According to him, her Hourglass was never in this place. But it absolutely was, she knew this as a fact. That was beyond confounding. Where could it have gone? "Kuso! I'm going to be stuck at level 30 forever," she exclaimed pouting an exceptional amount for someone who normally took care of herself. Whatever the case, after her outburst she was quiet again. And after his pause he claimed that perhaps hers was not here because she didn't truly belong to this world. She supposed that would make sense, but that didn't solve her problem. Still it was strange that this was a problem she was encountering such a problem. If he couldn't help her with this problem perhaps he could help her with the strange being she was seeing.

No. No he couldn't.

Miki's eyes widened at the claim that this Druid about her confusion. Apparently, he didn't know what she was talking about. Maybe if she explained a bit it would clear it up. "Ah, well. I keep seeing this green haired man, not you. But he keeps disappearing before he can talk, but he keeps appearing," she said softly. "It started in the forest on the way here, but... he was in the cave a bit ago too," she said earnestly. "My friends didn't see him before but..." she paused needing actual confirmation. "You really didn't see him at all while you were observing?" she asked. This was very problematic, if the other Druids didn't know what she was talking about, she might actually be crazy.

[Bloodedge]

Sadly, Miki being incapable of advancing in level was of no consequence to the male she faced. So long as she could complete her development as a Druid, the extent of his concern could not stretch to anything else. It was concerning though, that she seemed to be suffering multiple issues all at once. There were only two problems here, but the largest of them by far was this phantom figure Miki spoke of. No one saw it but her, and in spite of observing her entire journey, he had not seen it either. It was quite disturbing that this figure even made it into the Migrating Vale. Perhaps... there was more to it than one could realize without additional knowledge of the situation. He could make a few assumptions, but nothing so solid. "You speak of an impossibility. If I cannot see it here, it should not exist. Enlighten me, Little Flower... What truths has your journey given you thus far? The things you speak of, they have no place in the Old Ways."

He had become infinitely curious. There was a potential explanation, but that which made it possible was... not something generally accepted by the Druids as a whole. Whether he accepted it as reasonable or not, was hardly a matter of importance. At this point, he simply needed to know if he was to be of any assistance to the lass.

[Apollymi]

Miki was now without the ability to level herself for the foreseeable future. 'Alright. One problem at a time...' she thought to herself. She could deal with this. Technically speaking her build was functional as it was, not at maximally efficient though. No to reach that tier she needed to be at least level 45. Or all the work she'd just done with the Spirits was completely worthless. Alas she had to put such thoughts to the side, obviously there were more problems with her right now than she knew how to deal with, strangely she was looked at by the Druid from the flower and asked about her truths. When speaking he made it sound as if he was looking for some anomaly in her build, one which would justify her seeing things he couldn't see. "I didn't really do too much out of the ordinary. I leveled regularly, took the rogue and manipulation skills," she said thinking about in order. "I learned Rune Inscription from the master in Dwargon, got the pieces for my Lance from the Sacred Tree in the Fairy Forest," she said softly. "Beat that Necromacer Shaman Lizardnewt, raised a Filolial. Went to Atlantis... Realigned the Rune Stones there and protected their Leylines, picked up a smidgen of Holy Magic... I've hardly done anything that should be a problem. Definitely nothing that should have me seeing people that aren't there," she said seeming to miss something important. She'd beaten Sharrkan, true enough but she'd also been collecting the pieces of the Lich King's Crown. She had advanced Necromancy. So advanced, in fact that she had Divine Rebirth.

[Bloodedge]

According to Miki, nothing she had done along her journey had been outlandish. The overseer heard out her case, and everything did seem relatively normal. Nothing she mentioned should result in these strange visions she reported... except one thing. One particular word stood out, among all the things Miki spoke of. Necromancer was the word, and it was among the most horrid things to speak of so casually in these lands.

"Little Flower..." he said, closing his eyes fully and opening his senses to the blonde. Now that he knew what he was looking for specifically, he could pick up traces to sate his wonder. It was feint, but there were small traces of the Underworld's influence within her. "Yes. You have been touched by the Underworld, at such a young age. I pity you. To tread such a path at that tender age is dangerous to you, and to the world at large. You must complete your journey, my child. Until you know the Truth, influence of the Underworld may lead dark entities to you. None of our kind have dabbled in those arts before knowing fully themselves, as well as nature."

[Apollymi]

In explaining her travels, Miki had given the Overseer all the information he needed. His next words to her brought her pause, as he claimed that the touch of the Underworld was the reason for her inexpiable visions. There was quite a bit of relief to be experienced knowing exactly why she was seeing things that shouldn't be there. "Hoh? Hahahaha~" she laughed for a second or two before having the grace to look a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, It's just... nice to know I am not actually going crazy. I'm finally having a decent bit of fun, it'd be a shame to lose myself here and now," she stated plainly. Of course there was the way this man had phrased his statements. He claimed she needed to finish knowing herself as well as nature to avoid the dark forces. And even claimed to feel pity for her because she was touched by the Underworld at such a young age. "Oh, right.. You guys consider me to be basically a child at this point," she said softly mostly to herself. 'Still the next part is reclamation, so I solve the Rune Puzzle, get back my lost essence and then whatever the next trial is...' she remembered this bit though she'd not bothered with it being distracted by side quests and all.

"Alright then," she said directly to the Overseer having a pretty decent idea of where he was going. "What do I need to do next?"

[Bloodedge]

Laughter? How strange. In her own words, Miki claimed she did so simply due to the relief of not going mad, or something to that extent. It was understandable. What wasn't quite so understandable, was her mention of how she was considered a child by the Druids, or rather... the fact that she spoke as if she didn't already know. The normally expressionless male showed a small amount of visible confusion, but then, it disappeared. Hearing Miki question the next path she was to take, that small semblance of a smile returned to his face. His arm outstretched, he gestured toward a path of soft sand leading behind his location. "I sense that you have more understanding than you intend to let me know, Young Flower. It is time you reclaim what is yours..."

[Apollymi]

It was stated by this man that he thought she had more understanding than she was letting on. This was the truth, Miki wasn't being outright shady, but she had a decent bit of knowledge about this line of her quest because of her previous time spent playing the game Age of Eternity. That being said, she didn't want to tell someone organic to the world that their lives were something that she'd played with for her own relaxing amusement when she'd been on her own home world. She obviously didn't want to cause anyone to have an existential crisis. "Life is pretty complicated right now. I don't want to put that on anyone else..." Miki said with all due consideration being given to the man who was her guide on this path. As someone who was from a completely different place, she didn't want to give him more to consider than he needed. "Alright, Trial of Reclamation it is..." she gave a quick bow and headed towards the pathway opened up for her, little did she know this was about to be one of the toughest trials she'd go through.

The path of soft sand led to an opening, to an alternate space. One, Miki had visited before. It was the Rune Stone Circle which the young Druids were required to visit. It was here, she was baptized the first time. And it was also here that she gave up part of her essence, as it was called. Giving a piece of yourself to explore the world with a handicap is part of the proper experience of being a Druid. Once you receive a connection to at least one Nature Spirit, you are offered the opportunity to reclaim what you gave up. It was considered to be a tough puzzle part of the game, not that Miki had much worry about the kind of puzzles that could pop up in a game. Apparently it wasn't uncommon for certain circles of Druids to not bother with trying to reclaim what they gave up, it was a speed runner tactic to simply give up something you don't need anyways, and move past this point without having to come back. But Miki, had done something different.

She'd taken a route the long way around, and what she'd given up here, was two tiers of her Mana. Yes, she'd been walking around with C-Ranked Mana and the Purge skill, instead of A-Ranked Mana without it. But she'd decided that Purge was an essential part of this character build so the lesser of the evils was giving up power at first to be able to do much more later. Or rather that was the hope. As she entered the Rune Stone Circle she walked around it, passing over several stones until she reached one which looked familiar to her. There was nothing here that she could tell, but the crack in the top of the stone, was in the same shape as the crystal she'd received from the Water Spirit. She held it up in her hand and it glowed in resonance. "Well, here goes nothing..." she said pressing the crystal into the Rock a Puzzle type was revealed. Miki's eyes widened and then a large grin spread across her face. She laughed hysterically. "It's a Sudoku Giant!" she exclaimed. "I have to tell Kou about this later..." she thought happily, wanting to share this information with her puzzle happy companion.

What was a Sudoku Giant? Well, it was a Sudoku Puzzle but instead of being 9 x 9 like a standard puzzle it was 25 x 25 in five by five blocks. Intrisically instead of numbers it contained each and every Rune currently acknowledged by the Druid Language. All 25 of them would need to be inserted, without repeating one in a 5 x 5 block in a 25 length line vertically or horizontally. This was most certainly an interesting problem to encounter, since by giving up Mana as her power, she'd made this harder. She couldn't afford a single mistake, having to un-inscribe a rune wouldn't be worth the lost energy. She had to place each one with care and it'd still take a considerable amount of time until the puzzle was solved. "YOSH! Let's get to work."

[Bloodedge]

Such an interesting child he had the privilege of watching the journey of this day. He would be sure to watch her more intently than he had been up to this point, if only to witness her development after discovering her Necromancer ability. It had been some time since he'd seen a Necromancer come from their race, and the last one he witnessed was none too friendly. This girl, though, was an interesting case indeed. How far would she go? The suspense would soon become palpable. More curious even, was the identity of whatever spirit latched onto her while managing to reach this plane...

[Apollymi]

Miki's go at her newest challenge was one which she undertook with extreme concentration. Every rune she placed she did with care, and it took several moments for her to complete a single line. Strangely, when a glowing line of 25 runes was completed, it settled into the stone. 'Sou ka, so at least it will tell me when I am right,' she thought to herself. 'Okay, I can work with that...' she mused. Her concentration would continue. Ashikaga Kimiko was no supreme puzzle solving genius. She applied logic and measured steps every time she undertook a task. She wasn't the type of person who looked at something and immediately knew the answer. No, she was the type who worked at something until she was great at it. Moments of trial and error, of logic and calculation, all of it came together to help her attain her goals.

Sweat shown her her brow in a light mist. She bit her lip in concentration. A single lock of hair twirled about her fingers each time she drew a Rune here, she felt it sapping at her limited strength. Her vision was blurring from exhaustion. There were still two whole lines left from top to bottom. It was becoming harder to keep each line straight. Harder still to make sure she didn't use the wrong runes accidentally. Mind over matter. She was pressing forward. A whole line of five blocks completed. This made the runes lining it glow the pale green color of her Mana. A deep breath, another five another glowing set of Runes. 'I can do this...' she thought as she aimed to continue, she was so close now, she could feel the end. Even as she blinked spots out of her vision, she pressed forward. Until, ultimately there were only four runes left. Four. She had to be sure of the ones she'd seen already. Two long lines in both directions. Twenty-five whole, lines written in glowing green only a few were left.

Ansuz.

She drew the rune out of breath. She'd seen this one... in the countenance of the Overseer. He came to mind when she thought about it. It suited him.

Berkano.

The rune which had been atop that woman's head in the forest, the clarity which allowed for Divination. She embodied it, the vision to see beyond.

Kenaz.

A bit like Kou, not the light of Dagaz that was too plain. Illumination... yes, somehow that seemed more fitting. And...

There was but one Rune left. One she'd known all along. She didn't have to look up to know which one it was. To know that two lines of this puzzle and it overall would be complete. Still she hadn't the strength to lift her finger again. She barely had any Mana left. The truth of her being was right there. The last Rune was the one which marked her forehead. She fell to her knees before this stone, her forehead making contact. 'I'm exhausted. It's almost done I came this far, I know what belongs I just have to...' her body was tired. Beyond tired even, she'd given everything she had to put the right ones in place. Every calculation. Every perfectly drawn Rune. If she didn't finish this now it was all for nothing. Her index finger moved again, slowly, the regeneration of her Mana caused by the earrings she wore, was just enough. It dragged along the stone, nail cracking. She winced gently, it didn't hurt. She had to finish, he'd given her what she needed to finish it, she absolutely had to do it. Her finger in the right square she began to draw. With everything she had left. A downward stroke. From the top of that one another shorter. From the bottom end of the short stroke an upward one also short, equivalent. And then, the final downward stroke. As her eyes closed, she didn't even get to see the completion, the brightness that overtook this stone as a matter of her completed puzzle. The Runes that flowed to life in their active state as she did what was necessary completing a Runestone for herself to join the many that dotted the land.

Ehwaz!

Her crystal fell out of the top as the magic of these Runes settled, their constant flowing notion no longer needing to be grounded in nature. It returned to the lass that which she'd lost as she leaned against it unconscious... two tiers of Mana from C all the way to A. And now something more...

[Bloodedge]

Much was accomplished by Miki in her newest trial. Her overseer watched as she worked her way through the puzzle ahead, nearly not managing to complete it due to exhaustion. She had certainly sacrificed a great deal of herself, to the extent of nearly removing her own ability to regain it later in life. Either way, the deed was done eventually. Miki lost consciousness, but that was fine; he'd leave her to her rest until she woke naturally.

Someone disagreed, though...

The apparition seen numerous times by Miki thus far, had once again appeared. He was in a purer state this time, pale of skin with full green hair and eyes. He appeared with a much brighter halo surrounding his body, crouching in front of Miki and reaching out to her shoulder. He... touched that shoulder again. There was a greater solidity to his contact this time around, and that cold aura of death had become less prominent. His mouth was once again opening...

"... me."

[Apollymi]

Miki got a few moments of blissful sleep. It was amazing to rest, amazing to have restored the base quality of Mana she wanted to have with her character. Amazing to have finished such a crazily designed puzzle, though she'd almost messed up her own ability to inscribe Runes doing so. But, luck was on her side, and all she needed to do now was rest, before trying to head on to the next phase of her challenges. The Overseer wouldn't wake her, this was a safe space, there was no reason to bother her here.

But it wouldn't be Miki who woke herself in a few hours, nor would it be the Overseer who nudged her from her place she'd collapsed against this rock. No, it was the strange apparition. The one she'd been seeing since she arrived in the forest, was now less scary, more whole. Whole enough to reach out and touch her, and enough that she heard him. Not all of what he said due to her own lack of consciousness, but just one word. 'Me?' her eyes opened at the though and she groaned uncomfortably, something cold touched her. Not the cold of death but still colder than she would have liked. Since when did she fall asleep in such conditions? Beyond that, who was this person touching her? "EEEEEPPPP!" she aimed to jump back and knocked herself into the rock. She exhaled a breath in a gasp and tried to gather her bearings. Her heartbeat immediately speeding up and adrenaline kicking in. Being woken up from her sleep in what was probably the most startling way ever.

[Bloodedge]

A successful waking of the lass occurred, much to the surprise of her overseer who expected her to sleep for quite some time. Could this have had something to do with her connection to the Underworld? Those traces of influence did seem to grow just a bit stronger the moment she restored her Mana. At the same time, her connection to the green-haired androgynous figure grew more powerful, or so it seemed. She woke, which meant she could feel his touch. He seemed worried in this moment, but soon widened his eyes and opened his mouth while reaching to her again. There was a certain amount of urgency in this moment, but as urgent as it seemed... he vanished more quickly than he had before.

[Apollymi]

Just as she was getting her bearings, the lad before her vanished. But he'd been there, she knew he'd been there. A sigh escaped her as she tried to calm herself. She'd broken out into a cold sweat. But leaning back against this stone, she felt the infinite flow of Mana and she knew that she was alright. "Whew, alright, deep breaths... just a second..." she spoke to herself as she always did, coming to rub her face soon after. She was fine, everything was real, this person she was seeing didn't reek of death in the same way anymore. Perhaps, he was trapped beyond, in the Underworld? That didn't really make sense, but maybe she could help? 'Of course, he's been scaring the shit out of me, and my first idea is to help him... ugh,' she thought. She wasn't a mean person, but her natural self definitely would have thought twice about trying to help out someone she couldn't see, who'd been making her feel crazy. This Avatar was nice beyond even her own recognition of it. She sighed though, there was no reason not to help.

She drew her fingers up into a fist, closing her hand around that same fallen crystal. It was still here, and it was still hers. She picked it up, placing it within her cloak while she aimed to take the same path back to the flower where her overseer sat. When she reached him she stood before him and smiled. "Alright, I saw him again... is there anything I can do... to help him?" she asked about the person she kept seeing. It wasn't good for her concentration to keep being randomly scared.

[Bloodedge]

Why had she awoken? She seemed rather startled in the moment of her regained consciousness, as if waking from a nightmare... yet it was far too soon for something like that in a natural sleep cycle. At least, she was on her way back to him. The overseer could assume there would be a tale told about her sudden waking, and though it was a simple utterance of 'I saw him again' escaping her lips, it was more than enough to answer any questions he had. It did... create another question, though. In the very next breath, she spoke of helping this apparition. How absurd. How... unnecessarily kind, as some would put it. "Someone comes to you from the Underworld, and it is your instinct to... help them? Little Flower..." he seemed to have become amused by the girl's antics. He knew not how she could actually help; that much was beyond him, and required knowledge of the spirit. He could perhaps, though, offer some comfort. "In that regard, I cannot guide you. However, if it is truly within your heart to aide this spirit... you may try communing with it when its connection is strong enough. Careful though, Flower. You walk a dangerous path."

[Apollymi]

By the time she'd gotten to the overseer, she'd figured he'd want more information about why she'd woken so quickly. After all, usually at least a cycle of REM sleep was required for anyone to dream and as such she'd not woken from a nightmare. Her words about the situation, while curt, seemed to amuse the man in the flower. "Yeah, I know it's a little weird, but I don't think I could sleep properly if I stopped working on something halfway through," the lass said. And this was true. Even of the girl known as Ashikaga Kimiko. She wouldn't outright leave someone be if she thought she could help them in anyway. This spirit reaching out to her was a bit strange and very scary at first. But given she came from a different world herself, she'd feel bad if someone else like her was stuck in the Underworld instead of simply shifting Avatar.

What she got was not a way to help directly, but instead something she could try. This idea though came with a warning about how dangerous such a path was, she looked at the overseer and nodded. "I get that it's dangerous, but the connection is already there. And getting stronger..." she said thinking back to the first time she'd seen this lad past the fear of it to what actually happened, a logical thought pattern. "When he first appeared to me he looked different and was really cold. He felt so much farther away, like he was barely there," she said thoughtfully. "But now he woke me up. I could have sworn I felt his hand on my shoulder a second ago, I almost caught what he said," she mentioned frowning. "I am not going to say I'm not a little scared but I feel like it might be worse for him. And if I am the only person who can see him... it'd be wrong to abandon him," she finished. "So, then what's next?" she asked actually a bit in the dark about what should come next as she'd gotten distracted by side quests before finishing this part of her journey.

[Bloodedge]

"You would lose sleep over failing to help a lost soul?" he questioned. This child was becoming more and more intriguing with each passing moment. He found himself briefly entranced by her aura, her pure intentions even for one who called themselves a Druid. Even with the human aspect tainting an otherwise unbridled connection to nature, she showed elements of one more accepting of the natural balance than any of their kin he'd seen thus far. It was... marvelous. As a proper smile finally reached this man's face, a tear descended from his left eye, cascading down his face quickly until it fell onto the flower below. In that very moment, additional, smaller flowers began to sprout nearby from a sudden influx of natural energy to the land. "Little Flower, you move me. You are a blessing to the natural order," he said. It had been ages since one with this girl's ability could be counted among their kind, and longer yet - perhaps an eternity - since one also had such a heart. "Go; you must continue achieving enlightenment. What awaits you in the catacombs is the passage of life, and the Underworld's influence. Remain steadfast, my child, and you will discover more of your Truth."

[Apollymi]

His question to Miki made the girl look a bit sheepish, still she was honest and as such answered. "Basically... yeah." she said and it was true. She would indeed lose sleep if she didn't help this lost soul. More so than that, her own work ethic would have her coming back repeatedly to try and right the problem if she let it stand. No, best get it out of the way while there is an easy opportunity to handle it. In response to what she'd said, a smile spread across the Elder Druid's face. This was good, she'd never actually seen him smile before, but beyond this a tear fell from his eye. 'Wait? Why is he crying?' she didn't really have time to consider it. A burst of natural energy caused the spawning of several flowers in the area. The sight of it was rather breathtaking. "Sugoi!" she exclaimed taking in the sights. According to this man she'd moved him, such that he thought her a blessing to the natural order. Miki's face went an intense shade of red, and she immediately turned her head. "You can't just spring stuff like that on a girl... I haven't even done anything yet," she said showing that strange inability to take a direct compliment. Whatever the case, it seemed she was to undertake the next leg of her journey via the Catacombs. Such a place had an intense connection with the dead and she wondered if she might encounter that man there. "Alright, to the Catacombs, I'll be back!~" she claimed making a move down one darkened area and towards the far mountains which housed the bodies of the dead.

Her journey to this place took a bit longer. Still the aura of it was a bit creepy. it was a dark cavernous place built into the mountains, with dozens of burial chambers lining the walkway. Some were just holes built into stone to house bones, others had more care taken with them but all did the same thing. 'If I was any easier to creep out, I'd regret my choice to be a Necromancer...' the girl thought. She didn't know what exactly she was expected to do within this place but she seemed drawn towards a certain depth. As she moved about the area around her gained an unnatural darkness and the cold chill of death moved across her skin. "Oh? Someone died recently then..." she murmured to herself. Eventually finding her way into a new chamber with a relatively fresh body. It seemed to have a dark aura surrounding it but otherwise it just seemed normal. And standing over this body, was its spitting image a young Druid with blazing red eyes and pointy ears. "You have to help me get back in my body. I want to go back... I wasn't done yet!" He exclaimed, but something didn't feel quite right about that.

[Bloodedge]

"You have done more than you may understand," he said, shunning Miki's notions of self-doubt. To him, it was not a matter of one's physical actions that determined what had been 'done' by them, but instead decisions that were made with the intention of taking action. These were the things which created greatness. Said greatness could only come with time, though. That time... Miki would have to spend it waiting for the natural order of things to take place, rather than giving in and accepting the temptation of spirits.

Speaking of spirits, Miki would indeed be joined by one... and then another. Only the second spirit making its appearance here would be recognizable as the green-haired male of previous encounters. This appearance came next to the corpse Miki approached, and watched with eyes of longing as it decayed. He seemed disheartened in this observation, though there was a certain warmth radiating from him when his gaze found Miki instead. In fact, he even hazarded a gentle smile.

[Apollymi]

The overseer of her trials claimed she'd done more than she knew. Perhaps at some point, Miki would understand this for herself. But for now, she was confronted by the spirit of the boy who'd died within the Catacombs and the spirit which had been appearing to her since she made her way back to the Migrating Vale. The young boy claimed to want to go back to his body and this made Miki sigh. Even as she watched the green haired lad who seemed to exude warmth and something else maybe? "Iie, I can't do that... you must take steps forward in life... you can't go back to be as you were," the lass said. Immediately after this the lad's face changed becoming demonic and he let out a scream and disappeared into a nearby wall. "Sou ka, it's like that huh? I suppose it wants me to break some taboo and die here too..." she said softly seeming to gain a pretty decent understanding of her purpose here. "So, no rushing death along, that'd be bad. No communing with demons or ritual sacrifice of other Druids, and I guess just waiting for this to finish should tell me all I need to know..." she murmured. She watched this corpse a bit more and noted that it seemed to be decomposing at its own rate. Having speed up a bit after her denial. "Time based I guess, or reaction based. Slower if I make a bad choice, faster if I make a right one..." she mused. Given what had happened she could expect a few more interactions with the little demon boy before her time in the catacombs were done.

Eventually, her eyes would be brought back to the green haired man. "You can't be part of this though, huh? I've been seeing you too much for that to be the case... you seem friendly enough for someone who has been scaring the living hell out of me," she said crossly, making the assumption that he'd either disappear once more or that he couldn't hear her properly. She'd had a tough time interacting with him, and assumed it went both ways. Regardless of the fact that she had every intention of helping him, she still needed to complete this trial to figure out potentially what to do about him. And she'd been doing this under the pretense that he didn't know exactly how she could help him either, and they hadn't been able to speak up to this point so what did it matter? Well, she supposed she'd figure that out while within the catacombs.

[Bloodedge]

The departed had faded away, and the green-haired man seemed to become slightly more tangible as this happened. He had a greater deal of longevity here in this cave, and as Miki spoke, he seemed to be listening. There was little problem hearing her from his plane of reality, even though that clearly was not the case the other way around. Oh well; he still seemed content. Even though their interaction was limited by their existence across separate realms, he was visibly fine simply sitting near the blonde. Her speaking to him warranted no verbal response; there was no point if he wouldn't be heard. He did, however, react to her. Her mention of him scaring her clearly spared remorse in his visage, and in response to this, he lifted his right hand and offered it to her, palm upward.

[Apollymi]

Miki noted that with the other spirit gone, the one who walked with her seemed to be a bit more solid. That was good, maybe it would be helpful in getting him out of the place he was stuck in. Even so, he seemed content to sit with her through this aspect of her journey and if she was being honest, she didn't mind the company. Still, it was a bit of a drag to not be able to properly communicate with him. He seemed at least to understand what she'd been saying and strangely showed remorse at having scared her. "Ah, well, I mean... don't worry about it. I was bound to freak out a bit knowing I could see you when everyone else couldn't..." she mused softly, apologizing for her own rudeness and seeming to forgive any misunderstanding between them. She reached for his extended hand and aimed to touch it, finding it to be there enough to make contact. "I'm Miki, by the way," she offered in passing, not knowing if she'd even be able to hear this lad's name but knowing that offering her own was about all she could do. Her face seemed a bit lighter than it had been, and she offered the lad a smile. Though not the kind of brilliant one she offered Kou, it was still something.

Soon after this, a certain little boy appeared once again. This time, he seemed to be crying. More than that he was upset. Miki prepared herself to deal with whatever thing he tried to have her do, and in between his tears he seemed to want her help. "Please, don't let me lie there like that then. At least, if you aren't going to help me go back, do something about me rotting away there... I don't wanna watch myself waste away," said the lad. Perhaps this was painful for him, watching the outcome of whatever situation had lead to him being dead here. "One cannot rush the advancement of time. Some things have to happen in due course... I cannot do as you ask," she offered the lad. Strangely a smile came to her face. "If you wanted, instead you could... face me. Then you wouldn't have to look," she offered in counter. This was the business person in this lass she wouldn't give in to his temptation, she'd still give him peace if she could. The more evil spirit in question wasn't sure how to react and simply disappeared. Once again his corpse would rot more leaving the girl to simply wait his next arrival.

[Bloodedge]

The male shook his head with a smile and closed eyes, thinking nothing of Miki's rebuttal. His approach was frightening; he could see that now that it was brought up. Alas, he was quite rushed at the time. Her introduction came as she took his offered hand, and though he could not audibly return the favor... he could do something. He hesitated to offer his identity, but... perhaps it was fine for this one to know that dangerous name. She was, after all, somehow connected to him across the dimensional gap. With this in mind, and with much consideration given, his lips parted. Exaggerated movements of the mouth ensued, syllables separated enough to leave ample room for reading his lips.

En-

Ki-

The final syllable could not be offered, as there was a return from the darker spirit in this cave. The green-haired one phased out, but he knew this was coming. The final syllable wasn't mouthed at all, until the other spirit disappeared so he could return to visibility. At that point, he offered the last part of his name.

... du.

[Apollymi]

It seemed they were on fair terms now. Moving on, after offering her name, she started to receive one from this spirit. Strangely, he seemed a bit apprehensive about giving up that information intially. It made Miki wonder if it was for some specific reason. Still, he seemed to come to terms with it, mouthing his own name though there was a brief interruption while she chased off the spirit of the fallen from this place. 'En-ki-du. Enkidu?' she thought. There wasn't anything familiar about it. But... what if it was important in a way she didn't realize? "Sou ka, nice to meet you. It's really strange that we can't really talk, but maybe, it will get better after I clear this place..." she mentioned with a smile. "I want to help you... if I can. It has to suck being all alone and not really being able to reach out," she offered, knowing well herself the complications that came with loneliness. She didn't repeat his name aloud, taking it as one of those confidential pieces of information. She didn't want to potentially endanger him, she also didn't know what kind of enemies he faced nor why he was attached to her particularly.

It was time again, the cool of death approached once more and she saw the young boy druid standing before her once again. He was doing as she suggested and facing her, such seemed to be cementing his place in the Underworld but apparently he wasn't quite settled yet. "I mean... I could tell you my name, Tir'gon. You could call it outside and help me rise again. I mean, you'd have to sacrifice a single other person, but would that really be so bad?" the boy questioned. Which made Miki's left brow raise a bit. "I mean I know what I want to do, what's one listless life compared to mine?" he asked wanting to now earnestly. "That isn't a decision for me to make. I'll perform the proper rights when your body is ready. I'll leave you an offering but I will not... exchange your life for one unknown. That is against the natural order..." she told the lad, tears streamed down his face and he disappeared again. When this happened Miki sighed. "I wonder how often they expect me to tell a little kid I won't help him. It feels unnecessarily cruel..." All the same the lad's body was almost just bone and just below the surface of his flesh there was a jewel glowing a strange green. One which corresponded to the color her Mana appeared to be.

[Bloodedge]

There was no reason to believe this girl would do wrong with his name. At the rate she was going, she'd soon enough discover it anyway. Hearing that she was so willing to help him be free of the Underworld he was so clearly bound to, he seemed shocked. Had she actually heard him earlier? Perhaps she had, or perhaps... it was simply her way. The latter held at least some amount of truth; he could feel it as he looked at her. A smile found its way onto his face, and then, he began to fade again. It was the other spirit's turn once more. When the spirit which desired a return to this world vanished this time, he could return, albeit less clearly than he had the previous times. He even seemed to inspect his own hands, noticing that his time was beginning to dwindle again.

[Apollymi]

Miki seemed to be in wait. Her most recent run in with the lost boy's spirit was saddening. But there was a simple light in this, and it was Enkidu. Apparently, this lad found it in himself to smile, when she mentioned her willingness to help him. She really hoped that she could, given what he had to be going through. Speaking of, he seemed to be fading once more, not wholly but still he was less solid... less real than he had been before. "Are you really far away? You fade in and out a lot, but I figured you'd be a bit more solid here..." she said looking at him. It would be really bad if he faded completely before they got the chance to properly talk. But knowing his name, and feeling deep within the fiber of her being that there was nothing amiss with him and knowing that he was more alive than dead, she'd definitely want to help him out of the Underworld at her earliest convenience.

And then just as suddenly as he'd disappeared the Druid Child appeared before her again. This time, crying once more, inconsolable. Grieving? "Why me? Why do I have go? It's so scary I shouldn't have to go, I just don't want to face something like that alone..." he exclaimed. Miki looked at this child and had nothing but compassion in her heart. She hadn't the slightest clue what the proper way to address this situation was, but he'd get a fair bit of honesty. "Listen, sometimes, there are things we must face alone. There are paths that only you can take... and you grow from those journeys, just as you grow from the ones you take surrounded by friends. If you tarry any longer... you might never find out what awaits you. Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do... is take that first step, " she said softly, speaking from a host of personal experiences. Her hand met the top of this little boy spirits head when she was done speaking and strangely the dark cloud that surrounded both him and his body dispersed with the contact. He looked up at her with water glistening in his eyes. He nodded his head twice and began walking away this time knees high as if he had purpose. "Alright, I'll be brave and face this next path." And with that he disappeared from her sight from the last time. She knew the lad was properly at rest, when all that remained of his body was bones and that glowing green gem she'd seen before. The gem itself would soon be within her hand, seemingly drawn to her magic. His bones on the other hand were a different story.

She treated this child to a special burial, prepared him a funerary mound within the walls and poured a small amount of the Atlantean Sea Spirit as a Libation for the lad. "There, I did promise to see you off properly. Maybe I shouldn't have given a kid his first drink in the afterlife, but... it's part of the journey," she said offering a smile. It'd only taken a moment, with her skill to accomplish this but she'd felt compelled to keep her promise to the lad she'd helped through his death and somehow she felt lighter for it.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, he should have been a bit more solid than he was. He wondered if the other spirits in this area were reaching out to Miki, and thus had an impact on his own connection to her. He did suffer a weakened link when the previous spirit appeared, but that didn't explain other times. Overall, the bond had been growing stronger up to this point, but there were more recent fluctuations here and there. Odd as it was already, there was an additional oddity in the form of... nothing changing at all during the Druid spirit's final appearance. The one called Enkidu didn't fade, nor did he solidify during this appearance. It truly was something worth questioning, but there was little time now. Miki had completed another trial, and her overseer wasted no time before opening a path to the next. She could exit the Catacombs through a simple tunnel, leading out to the absolute depths of the Migrating Vale's forests. Enkidu gazed along this path before shifting his gaze in Miki's direction again. As far as he knew, he could simply follow her... for the moment.

[Apollymi]

At the end of her cleansing of the small druid boy, it seemed that there was only one path left for her to take. A sigh escaped the lass, as she saw it. "Alright, here goes nothing..." she mused to herself aloud as she always seemed to do in the strangest of movements. As she walked down this new path she noted that Enkidu was still with her, that was a bit strange, but she supposed he'd been popping up several times before now, so him showing up here was not really that surprising. "Yeah, just gonna march down to the creepiest forest I've ever seen," she murmured quietly to herself. "It's all good though, I have a nice friendly ghost on my side~" she mused happily. Still this forest was something worth being more than a bit afraid of, though she tried to be optimistic.

As the path continued, the unearthly cold of this area seemed to settle in, and she heard a strange noise. A clicking sound. Or rather more like a chipping. What she heard was someone or rather something using a pickaxe to hammer away at something stone. Upon reaching the area she came to a stop and bore witness to something which was a horrible sight for any who called the Migrating Vale their home. A hooded being used the pick axe to chip away at a large rune stone. Each time he hit the Runestone, an echo was heard and the fabric of reality seemed to shift. Miki saw it then a doorway to the Underworld being carved from a once active Runestone, in the middle of a desecrated Runestone Circle. "This... is... wrong." that was all Miki could say.

The creature beneath the hood didn't seem to notice her at all. No, it kept working, kept moving, unable to see life until it was right upon him, but unable to properly enter death. It'd been enticing random passerby Druids closer, feigning injury to sacrifice them on the stones and break them. Seven stones were broken with the blood of dead Druids only to have the last one being used to carve a portal. Strangely, it would be here, that something strange would happen and she'd be the most capable of talking to Enkidu. And this would become ultimately obvious as the last chip was made and the doorway created by the rock fell open, a downward curving path into the deep dark Underworld. A cheer from this undead being as his head tilted back and its hood fell away, revealing a skeletal visage, sunken red eyes and almost no skin. This being was barely humanoid, a strange evolution called a Shade. A person who had bound their essence to a singular point keeping it away from their body but using it to animate their corpse was performing the manual labor necessary to dig a path to the Underworld. Shades were intelligent creatures, who didn't keep their Soul Stones on themselves, they hid them away so that even if their bodies were destroyed they could simply call them back together.

[Bloodedge]

One had begun the journey, but two would be taking it in unison. Enkidu traveled alongside Miki, taking interest in the amount of elation she seemed to have due simply to having a companion... even a silent one. In this very basic way, they were very much kindred spirits. He recalled a time in which he, too, was happy just to have someone alongside him during trying times, or even a journey without risk for either person on an individual scale. It wasn't for the exact same reason, but the results had not changed. At the end of the day, they were both people who showed a very different mood when alone, versus in the company of others during the process of accomplishing a task.

Speaking of tasks, Miki was upon yet another. The final leg of her journey in the Migrating Vale, saw to it that she faced a Shade. Enkidu remained at range during this encounter. He wasn't far from a Shade himself, though one created by circumstance of the world, rather than at the hands of another directly. How would Miki handle this situation, he wondered. He knew her path would determine his own, but this seemed to be his first chance to witness part of her journey from beginning to end.

[Apollymi]

Miki did enjoy having someone else along with her, for various reasons. Not the least of which was that in her normal life, her old one, she was often left completely alone. Most people wouldn't approach her because she was an idol and famous and the ones who did weren't usually the types she wanted to deal with. The only people she had regular contact with worked for her, now she was managing to make friends ones who weren't on the payroll and ones who she could have equivalent exchanges with, and there was something about this she found utterly satisfying. Too bad she didn't have a lot of time to think about the happiness of this situation. Right at the moment there was a Shade and making sure it didn't do, whatever it was planning was quite important.

"Right, Shade in the forest, breaking down the barrier to the Underworld. Definitely going to need to fix this, on all fronts..." she said aloud but in a quick whisper to mostly herself though she fully acknowledged having someone else along. Attaining the Soul Stone of this Shade was the most important thing she could do. Getting it would stop it from being able to use it, and it was rumored that holding the Soul Stone of a Shade made it yours. She didn't have any intention of using such a creature, but potentially it would give her the ability to cleanse it quickly and deal with the dimensional gap to the Underworld. "Alright, I'll just Snatch his Soul Stone. Still, if I do it without knowing about where it is, he'll feel the brush of my magic and I'll lose the element of surprise," she murmured. "I'll need to draw some attention get him to move like he's protecting it, then I can take it directly," she concluded with a plan of attack which left her slamming one fist into her open palm. "Yosh! Show time."

A sharp whistle escaped the girl's lips, thrown slightly off of where she was. Immediately after, her spear weapon began to fly through the air, as if she was pinpointing something to the left of the creature. It looked up from its celebration and moved off to the back of the Circle of desecrated Runestones. As he moved around he seemed to be aiming to protect a specific body. An Miki watched from behind a tree with narrow eyes. "Sou ka, that makes sense, he hid it on one of the bodies. No one is going figure a Shade would hide his soul stone on a corpse..." she mumbled slapping her forehead with her open palm. Still there was more to be done. She moved her spear around, having it whiz through the air as the Shade got distracted trying to defend itself with a magical barrier Miki smirked lightly. "Fox Assault..." she used the attack which was more supplementary than an actual attack and felt the magical pull of something rather intense. Within a second a glowing red stone was in contact with her hand and the shade simply stopped moving completely. Her own calming nature stopping it from fretting as her spear returned to pillow form. "Technical CC is a pretty big fucking weakness if you can get it off him. It's like Pick-pocketing a Briarheart in Skyrim," she said the tension in her shoulders relaxing. 'I'm really lucky that worked... if it hadn't it would have known exactly where I was. Maybe I should have added Presence Concealment to this build...' she thought absently as she approached the creature.

It was still now. Its whole body apparently stuck because of what Miki had done taking hold of its Stone. The one which corresponded to it, was still hanging around its neck and glowing a violent magic. "Hush now, we are almost done here..." she mused. Miki reached up and placed her hand over the creatures heart, pulsing her Mana directly into it, and also into the stone in her other hand. Doing both of these things simultaneously began the process of cleansing this creature. But given the restored and new affixes to her Mana, her Purging of this creature would occur at a much faster rate. An almost instanteous pulse caused its body to glow white and then turn to dust as its Soul gathered within the stone and its body was released from its half-life state. His body aimed to collapse but Miki arranged it in funerary form. She'd be doing with with every body present, but there were other problems like the still open portal to the Underworld. "I wonder... can you talk to me now? I mean I should probably figure out what I need to do for you, before this portal is closed..." she asked of Enkidu. She'd work while they conversed but she did need to figure out how to help him, likely before she closed this portal, if she could close it.

[Bloodedge]

Enkidu was in for quite a show, it seemed. To be more specific, he was able to see the reason there was a connection between Miki and himself, beyond her identity as a Necromancer. After taking the time to discover where the object she sought was hidden among potential targets, Miki showcased the ability to grab the object she desired at range, and bring it to herself. Enkidu's eyes widened. He had an... understanding of this technique. Though unlike his own, he likened it to a trap of sorts which produced a cage.

... A cage.

Yes, it all made sense! There was a link between them, and that link went well beyond the norm! There was no way Miki would understand it just yet, but he did; he knew where this bond would lead. First though, came the matter of Miki being at the precipice of the Underworld itself, where his true form lay. A soul was beyond this realm, but its placement was in fact, beside Miki. Two planes of existence, overlapping one another, left them standing side-by-side, looking in the same direction, capable of seeing one another, yet very far apart. Enkidu raised his right hand, pointing it at the gate. Through said gate, one would soon be able to see a series of chains moving from the Underworld's version of Miki and Enkidu's location, forward. They could not, however, turn around and pass through the gate itself, as Enkidu found himself bound to Miki's location.

[Apollymi]

Miki looked upon the precipice of the Underworld and saw... chains? That was a bit strange, but having done all the things she needed to do except for the re-establishment of the stones, it seemed like to help her new friend she had to go in. "Oh? I have to just take a casual stroll in the Underworld, huh?" she questioned aloud. "Alright, let's do this..." she said taking each step forward with glorious purpose. Was she scared? Yes, absolutely. Each soft push of her feet as she approached the opening seemed a bit shaky at first. But...

She'd continue to press forward.

Miki was a thorough believer in taking ones own advice. In acting yourself the way you'd want from others. Her leadership style reflected this, but this character she'd made did the same thing. She wouldn't allow a person to suffer knowing they were alive, if a moment of her own discomfort or fear would save them. What was the value of another persons life worth to Miki? Quite a lot it would seem as she crossed the border into the cold dark that was death and started her descent down the path of the Underworld. Guided by chains she headed towards what she assumed was the body of Enkidu. Her first few steps in the Underworld were marked by an understanding of how different his place was to the one outside. "This place is kind of boring... and empty," she said as she stepped through. Small blue lights seemed to show the way, but the more she moved the more she realized that these were simply how the souls of the dead manifested here. They were bound in place lining the walkways, but she couldn't quite see how. But slowly but surely her understanding of this place would become clearer as they went along. Eventually she came to a large gate which was closed and blocked her path. What did this gate need? "Eh? How do I move forward?" she asked aloud, this was the path she walked, she might as well see it all the way through.

[Bloodedge]

Oh, how quickly she decided to delve directly into the Underworld. Enkidu seemed to take a particular interest in her resolve to go forth without hesitation, but instead of mulling over it, he stepped forward as well. The chains seen through the space between realms retracted. As Miki entered the portal, he remained alongside her. Mere moments passed before both of them stood side-by-side in the Underworld, a place seemingly unfamiliar to Miki, yet very, very familiar to Enkidu. She was right; the Underworld was an empty, boring husk of a realm. He'd been here longer than he could remember, and he wanted little more than to be free of it... for reasons which changed on occasion.

Either way, Miki overcame her observations of the realm with an inquiry involving her progression through this place. Enkidu was clearly confused, wondering if there was something else keeping her here, beyond her desire to assist him. With a tilt of his head, he spoke his first audible clause since even touching the Overworld. "Do you want to move forward?"

[Apollymi]

Stopped at the first gate, Miki heard for the first time the voice of Enkidu. Her eyes widened with surprise and she managed not to jump. "Alright, definitely can hear you now. That's a relief, though still a little surprising..." she said turning back and looking at him taking her eyes away from the gate to stare at what was obviously a confused man. He asked if she wished to move forward though and that was something worth pondering for quite a bit.

"Well, I did originally step over with the intention of helping you. Now, I can hear you though so... whatever connects us is probably complete enough for you to be able to leave," she said thinking about it from a game play perspective instead of just a world experience. "I could leave now, I guess but I get the nagging feeling I should go forward. I don't think I can truly finish this path without seeing what is at the end," she said with a slight upward inflection. "I didn't go through this part in the game but gamer brain says following all lore as best as possible will help me overall. And Gatekeepers are pretty clear about seeing situations all the way through and getting abject clarity on things," she mentioned of the current sect of Druids she was aiming to become an adult in. Still she turned around as if she was ready to head back out.

"I don't know how closely we're related in this though. I won't drag you along on what could be a wild goose chase or a potential death trap, you've been down here long enough. I doubt the portal will close properly without interference from below somewhere, so... I'll walk you out first then I'll come back and figure out the gates," she said having this plan of action as one that would be least traumatizing to the man whom she'd come to help. "Besides you probably have a lot of other things you'd rather do, than explore a place you've been trapped in already. Friends and stuff to look for..." she said giving all due consideration to this man. She couldn't hold him up on his own potential journey just to find out truths of this world for herself. No, it was better if she released him to the best of her ability then she'd finish her work here.

[Bloodedge]

In spite of what Miki had done for this man already, she continued giving him consideration even when choosing to take her own path through the Underworld. He knew how easily he could simply move on from here, how quick it would be to take his leave of her and go back to whatever place he belonged... And yet, he also knew there was more at work regarding the bond between them. No, he could accomplish something if he remained at her side for a bit longer. In fact, he had a desire to do just that. "Iie," he said with closed eyes, and a gentle smile. It warmed whatever semblance of a heart he had to have such an offer sent his way, and only fueled his resolve to join the proverbial ride. "If you'll have me, I'll go with you. Besides, it may keep you from referencing the game so openly if you have someone to speak privately with."

A simple jest. Beyond these matters, he was offered the chance of departure alongside a mention that he could locate any friends he had. He didn't have any to find. Well... there was one; there had always been the one. Shaking his head, he shunned the notion of looking for that one person. "My friend is fine. I don't know how long it's been, but I know... nothing has happened to him. Let's go," he said, joining her along her chosen path.

[Apollymi]

Miki gave all due consideration to this man, and he made a decision which she didn't outright expect. Her eyes widened when he claimed he wanted to join her. He even went on to make a joke about having someone else along help her keep from referencing the game too much. "Hoh? Hahahaha!~" she laughed aloud and shook her head. "Fine, do what you want," she said rather magnanimously. She would have him along, in truth she'd absolutely enjoy the company but she wouldn't want to drag someone along who'd rather do something else. After his joke, he even claimed that his friend or whoever he could have looked for was fine. He stated this with certainty and it made her smile. "Hai, it's nice to have someone to believe in," she said softly, she was starting to believe in people herself, though likely not in the same way.

Having turned back towards the Gate she was left to study it. Upon placing her hand upon it again, eerie blue fires appeared blazing an inscription upon the fore of the stone. Said inscription let her know what needed to be done to walk this path and it was none too easy. 'To walk the path of Death, you must leave behind what binds you to the world above. Abandon at this Gate, a prize you earned.' What a strange thing to see, written here. She supposed that to travel death required a certain amount of detachment, she was a logical girl so she could also see this as a reason. "Ah, it's a sacrifice puzzle. I can go further but I have to leave behind something important each time, which has to fit the criteria that it asks for. Alright... " she said. Strangely, Miki held attachment to very few things to start with, to give something she earned was simple enough, the Soul Stone she'd taken from Shade outside was a thing she'd earned and not even had the chance to use yet. She sat it atop the podium outside of the gate. The bowl atop it sank under the weight, as if it gained some knowledge of it by placing it there. The gate would glow and then slowly shift open. "Whew, that's a relief. Promise me though, if this gate starts asking for clothes, you won't tell anyone you've seen me naked. I have a guy I like and I don't want him getting the wrong idea about me..." she said in a manner that was mostly jest but still, stepping forward with purpose towards the next gate.

[Bloodedge]

Belief. Yes, it was so simple... perhaps. In all honesty, Enkidu wasn't sure if he believed in his alleged friend, or if he simply had no faith in the abilities of others. It was a fine, blurred line within his subconscious - one he didn't care much to teeter one way or the other. Moving on, he'd been here for quite some time, and knew of the Seven Gates of the Underworld. Keeping close to the blonde lass, he even offered some guidance regarding them. "You've got the lucky one. The last person I saw come through here had a questionnaire," he claimed. Obviously, it was no mere 'yes or no' questionnaire he spoke of; it was something horrendously brutal that time around. Either way, Miki managed to offer the first gate something worthwhile enough to allow passage. Enkidu moved forward as well, interestingly having to give... nothing at all. The gates would allow him passage for some strange reason, but it seemed Miki would have to forge her own path yet again. Surprisingly, Miki's next clause offered directly to Enkidu was one which begged for his silence in the event of a gate requiring her nudity. It was a humorous notion, and caused Enkidu to laugh audibly. "I won't tell a soul, I promise."

[Apollymi]

According to Enkidu, this place had a person pass through who had a much more strenuous puzzle than the one required of Miki. "Sou ka, so it changes based on the people. That's interesting, like those random, if/then scenarios. It makes sense if it's asking me for stuff..." she said aloud. At the outset, Miki probably looked like this world's equivalent of a covetous person. She had a large amount of physical objects on her at all times, both for magical and monetary reasons. If one just looked at her from a data perspective, she would likely appear to be a pack-rat. As such a sacrifice puzzle was good test of merit for potential prizes. She was content to chat with Enkidu a bit until reaching the next gate, noticing that he'd not needed to give anything to cross through the gates. "Oh? No toll for you... I suppose that is understandable depending," she mused.

When she reached the next gate she placed her hand upon it as well. It also produced a podium with a bowl in it and gave her another inscription. This one like the first asked her to leave behind something of value. 'Leave behind something pure.' this one asked. What would she leave in response to this? Mermaid Tears... collected from a crybaby friend of hers, incidentally while they were in Atlantis. Her path would continue in this way with Enkidu along side. The 3rd Gate asked her to leave behind something stolen. She left the shards from the Egg of Eternity she'd taken from Princess Madoka. The 4th Gate, demanded an item from the beginning of her journey. She left behind the Bones of Rathma. The 5th Gate asked for an item which gave her purpose. She left behind her Merchant Stake, which defined her monetary well-being. The Sixth was trickier asking for something which gave her comfort, she left her weapon in its pillow form. Each of these stops had her abandon something which she had in her possession but each item began to be more and more important to her as she descended. At the Seventh Gate she stood before a podium which asked for something strange. 'Leave here, what you value above other things,' Miki began to twirl a single lock of hair around the index finger of her left hand.

There were a few things which came to mind for her, for things didn't really matter too much. Most things could be replaced and things that couldn't be replaced would be useless to anyone else. To leave behind something she personally valued would mean she'd have to leave behind something that had been given to her freely. The first gift she'd received of that sort, or nothing else would work. She knew this at her core, "Alright fine. But I honestly want these back..." she said aloud to the universe at large. The girl then went on to remove her earrings? These were a piece of equipment. The enchantment on them was good but not great, they were made of gold but not a lot of it. They didn't have any godly qualities, they weren't expensive nor anything anyone else would covet. Would the gate accept them? It would, it lowered in slow pace as the girl stood before the gate huffy. "I guess I am supposed to be happy I'm not naked..." she pouted obviously as she waited.

[Bloodedge]

"I'm not like you," Enkidu said, knowing his statement was open to potential misinterpretation. As they made their way to the second gate, he elaborated a bit. "The Underworld can't take anything of mine. I am me, and that's all I can ever be. I don't have possessions, or... anything, really," he concluded.

Onward through one gate, followed by another, and so on. It wasn't until the seventh of these that Miki showed signs of disinterest in giving her offering. It was only natural; no one would willingly offer their most treasured possession if they knew not what they were earning in return. Enkidu had it on good faith though, that she would be able to reclaim said possession, for whatever it meant to the lass. "I'm sure you'll get everything back, even if it's on the way out. And yes... you're not naked," he offered. He still wondered what this girl sought in the Underworld, but he supposed he was along for the journey. He'd find out soon enough.

[Apollymi]

The inner most part of the Underworld was opening before Miki's eyes. And still she was having a conversation with the man Enkidu. She found out from him, that he had nothing of value, no possessions so it couldn't ask him for things. "I'm not sure if that's sad or not..." Miki said only to clarify. "But I mean, possessions aren't everything. I possess a lot of things, and still don't have what I want," she stated. Material possessions weren't everything, and often times, they were part of a greater problem, specifically when coveted. She liked having things, she wouldn't lie about this, but material things weren't what she truly valued. According to Enkidu beyond this point, he was apparently certain that she'd get back what she'd given even if she had to pick them up on the way out. "Hai, that's good. I'd hate to have to reforge my weapon but those earrings, I couldn't replace," she said softly. There was something about a gift, a truly well intended gift. One freely given from the heart with no prior notice in mind, that made the girl truly happy inside. It was one of the things that cemented within her heart how much she enjoyed her partner's company. Her heart ached a bit thinking about it.

"Welp, might as well get down to business..." she said stepping forward, working through her strange feelings. Within this grand center of the Underworld there was a hearth. One which was meant to contain the blazing fires of the Underworld which fueled it, and kept it distinct from the Overworld. But here, the fire itself seemed a bit smothered and beyond that the hearth it sat upon seemed unattended and broken. The runes of it, unclear, obviously from the tampering above. "That's... not right," she said softly. Souls wandered around huddling closer. The Underworld was vast emptiness sure, but what of the fires which warmed the world from within and brought wrath from below? Where was the God of the Underworld? What had been intended? If she had to guess it had been the plan to flood the area with zombies and spirits. To let the Underworld leak into the Overworld and let the spirits of the Dead overtake the living. "Sou ka, that's why it was so easy to get here. And probably why I could see you from so far off... well, aside from any connection between us..." she said softly. There were different runes which needed to be inscribed so she went to work fixing the hearth of the Underworld, because righting the wrongs of the world was her job, even when that path led to darkness.

[Bloodedge]

"I can't either." This was all Enkidu had to say, as far as whether his truth was sad or not. Clearly, Miki had desires which went beyond her material possessions. This little factoid was interesting, and quite obvious since the moment she hesitated to offer her earrings to the seventh gate. Even as one who had no such thing, he still had that human quality which made it clear to him that the earrings were not mere purchases or acquisitions. A few moments of thought, and he decided to speak about this. "I'm guessing it's the same boy," he said in an utmost casual manner. There was nothing else of importance here in the Underworld for him, even though he constantly felt the pull of its influence. He knew what the cause of this was, but at present, it wasn't of any importance. These Runes Miki discovered were familiar to him, but what she spoke of, was quite unclear. "You know about the connection? And what do you mean, that's why?"

[Apollymi]

"Hoh?" Miki managed. She didn't expect anyone to know exactly what motivated them. As such she wasn't really surprised that this man didn't know how he felt about his lack of possessions. Whatever the lad didn't know about himself, he seemed to be pretty decently capable of reading Miki. Her eyes would immediately widen and her face turned an intense shade of red. "I am going to need to be told it isn't that obvious... I'm developing a complex," she said staring at the ground. She couldn't help it, it was very much a problem she didn't understand at all. Of course, she knew of her attachment to the other lad, and as such wouldn't try to deny it, instead she was willing to deflect and hope she wasn't truly as obvious as it seemed.

Moving on and with a heavily tinted face, the hearth of the Underworld. "I know we are connected. I am not entirely sure why, though..." she said with her brow raised, she tried to recall a reason this might be a thing. "I thought it might make itself obvious unless you know..." she mentioned to the green haired lad. Moving right along, she pointed to the hearth. "I am acutely aware of the lack of balance in the world. Which is a very strange thing considering. I was drawn to walk here because there was something down here tipping the balance towards an unnatural event," she said softly. "The flames are being smothered and influenced by dark magic. Death is natural, the rest of this is wrong, but I'll fix it. Then we can leave..." she mused. Writing several runes as she spoke. Each seemed to restore some aspect of this monument though they didn't directly increase the flames they made the artifact itself more stable. "That should do it!" she said standing up, but the flames were still muted. "Hm, what's wrong?" she questioned aloud.

[Bloodedge]

Enkidu hazarded a chuckle upon seeing and hearing Miki's reaction. He wondered if she truly thought it wasn't obvious to anyone else, or that she'd managed to keep her feelings even remotely secret. From what Enkidu could tell thus far, without knowing this person of interest, she was failing to hide anything. "Ahah-... Sorry, but it's far more obvious than you think," he said, cutting short his laughter and holding a loose fist over his upturned lips. "That's not all bad though, is it? It seems like... certainty."

Indeed, to know one's own desire so deeply without even having conscious awareness... was something Enkidu could hardly understand, but could admire in others. What humanity he had was the fault of his aforementioned 'friend' for instilling it in him. To see others who harbored resolve of this caliber was, somewhat, refreshing. What's more, the girl was here in the Underworld and seemingly working toward restoring its balance - a thing not done by anyone during his time spent here. Odd, though, was the fact that she seemed to be missing something when her inscriptions were made. "What? Do you think it should have done something before you were finished?"

[Apollymi]

The redness in Miki's face didn't seem to be going anywhere, especially with Enkidu laughing at the idea that she wasn't obvious. "I had hoped..." she said almost managing to sound defeated. She didn't really care if she was or wasn't hiding her interest. But she'd hoped that she had been doing an adequate job of it, considering how long it had taken and how much directness was required for the other person in question to get it. He seemed not to, so she figured it was simply hidden. "Certainty doesn't sound bad though... well not in this case. As long as it's not absolute... not like I'm a Sith Lord or anything," she said, once again making a strange reference. It seemed this girl was quite into her nerd culture, though rarely having a chance to be this much of it, ever.

The Rune inscription was finished and she'd expected the fires of the Underworld to return to their glory, but they hadn't. They seemed almost stuck at the smallest possible level they could muster. "Restoring the inscriptions should have returned the fires... there has to be something else..." she mentioned before holding her hand over the flame. Doing so she seemed to pull at it, but the flame itself didn't move. But there was clearly something there. "Hoh? What's that..." she questioned as she used her Snatch Ability to pull at something shoved within the fire. Pulling at it as such gave this magic form. Because she'd used this ability before and it'd been likened to a 'cage' it created one, or rather pulled one from the flames. One which held them back until it was taken up by the lass, an Artifact, crafted by her Magic within the fires of the Underworld, resting in the lass' hand before the fires roared to life again. "That's weird... I guess it's for me," she said time around the flame seemed to start up again and the wandering souls began to disperse, moving about the Underworld, unburdened by its imbalance. "Okay, my work here is done... Shall we?" she said casually turning around to walk away. Knowing that this end was returned to normal it would be mere child's play to return the Rune Stone circle above. And she'd make sure to pick up each and every item she'd left behind. Not the first of which was the earrings she returned as soon as she passed the seventh gate on her ascension.

[Bloodedge]

"Sorry to disappoint," he quipped, still seeming decently amused by the situation as a whole. Moving on to her 'Sith Lord' reference, he found his laughter renewed, though gently enough that he could comfortably remove his hand from his mouth. "I'd sooner say a Jedi, considering," he said in reference to the very same media Miki spoke of. "To say 'only a Sith deals in absolutes' is sort of... well... ignorant, isn't it?"

Soon enough, Miki managed to preserve the balance in the Underworld by taking something from it. No, that wasn't quite right; she created something by interfacing with the Underworld itself. Of course, that very thing wound up being a cage. As if Enkidu needed more proof of the bond they would one day create, which had already been initiated; this item was the solidifying factor in its own right. "Sou... ka. Yes, it's certainly for you. Suba..." He said nothing more, choosing to follow suit on Miki's route to the exit. He'd spent more than enough time here, and though he wasn't worried about the friend he mentioned, he was still keen to reunite.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Enkidu was at least amused by this whole situation, and though Miki would have wanted to be mad, she couldn't be. He was willing to talk nerd stuff with her and that was amusing. She even held an opinion similar to the one he seemed to have. "Ah, well yeah. Jedi have their own problems, bureaucracy being what it is. They could have let that boy have his title, with the self-fulfilling prophecy problem. It would have saved thousands, but no," she sighed reigning in her rant. "That is what happens when people hold onto ideas too long, they get all stuffy and stupid," she said having a very strange opinion about the whole thing. Showing more neutrality in her nature than even she realized. Soon after, she attained a new object, a golden cage she was left to stare at for quite some time after getting it. With no way to currently attach it to her person, she held it in hand while her pillow floated behind her and then she took her first steps out of the Underworld. "Whew, that's a relief." she said turning to Enkidu. Though she'd planned to fix up everything present in this circle, fixing the bottom and fixed the Runestone circle at the top. Beyond this there was just the grass, the sky and the peace of nature. And once they were both across the portal to the Underworld would disappear as if it'd never been there.

"Ah, I think I might have done enough adventuring for one day... if this is where we part, do you need anything to help you along?" she asked of the man with her. She'd enjoyed his company but didn't want to keep him from anything else. She also didn't want to send him out into the world without things he might need to make his journey more comfortable. After all, she'd held him up in the Underworld, the least she could do, is make sure he had what he needed upon reaching the topside again.

[Bloodedge]

"It worked out fine in the end, at least. Sort of," he said, recalling a few technical positives to take from the overall situation. The imaginary world they spoke of never had a consistent period of pleasant times, though... but he'd seen far worse. Oh well; it was time to move on. Moving forward was exactly what they'd do, returning through the very gates they had so recently passed to reach the Underworld's center. Soon enough, they reached their starting point, and Enkidu breathed the air of the Overworld for the first time since... Actually, now that he thought about it, he didn't realize how long it had been. He should really get back, but first came Miki offering something he might make use of on his own journey. He could have laughed once again, but he didn't. Instead, he merely shook his head before turning away. "Iie. These hands can't hold anything. We'll meet again, Miki."

No further words needed sharing. Without another moment wasted, Enkidu took his leave of Miki, oddly enough by taking flight. Did he sprout wings? No. He did, however, seem to possess some form of levitation and high-speed movement to escape the Migrating Vale within moments.

[Apollymi]

"Well, sort of is all anyone can ever hope for in those situations..." Miki concluded. It was fun chatting with this lad. And beyond that she'd enjoyed their minor adventure together, even if it had started out as a frightening ordeal. Soon enough though the lad was keen to take off, as she figured he would be. At her offer to supply him with anything he might need he said a strange sentence which caught the attention of the lass. "You can't hold anything..." there was a strange amount of confusion in her face, mostly because she heard that sentence before. Regardless he was off and she didn't want to tarry too long herself. "Ja ne, Enkidu." She managed her last speech before watching the boy take off by some weird method of flight. Still, it was amazing to see, she did hope to run into him again. He was good company.

"I guess it is time for me to get back as well..." she mused. "I'm on my way back..." she said aloud to the overseer who she had faith without question would be waiting for her. Her weapon now beneath her she leaned over it, floating through the forest path she'd taken to arrive. She took in the sights of the forest returned, no longer darkened by evil magics instead the kind of peaceful she enjoyed. And she rested easy as balance returned to the world. She would soon enough arrive in front of the flower once more, that Cage she'd gotten from the Underworld sitting beside her on her pillow as she lowered herself to the ground. She looked towards the flower in the room and announced her arrival. "I'm back!"

[Bloodedge]

The overseer had been waiting. He'd lost track of Miki since her time in the Catacombs, until she emerged from the Underworld with an unknown... creature in tow. Whatever that individual was, it did not belong among the living... yet not among the dead, either. Alas, with Miki soon upon him, he would be able to address the mysterious identity. "How quickly you have grown into your petals, Flower. It warms my heart to welcome your return as one I can call kin. You, my sister who treads the line between life and death, have achieved enlightenment. I wish to know your Truth, and..." He paused, recalling the brief glimpse of a face he had of Miki's temporary companion. "I have a curiosity. If you would indulge me, that creature who accompanied you out of the Underworld; was it the phantom you spoke of?"

[Apollymi]

Back before the Overseer, Miki stood with a relaxed posture. His greeting was about what she expected and she couldn't help but smile with a blush coming to her face. "Hm, thank you. I feel like that was pretty fast, but I also had a decent idea of what I needed to do. It's nice to face you properly... I'm Miki." she said with a small incline of her head given. This man was likely older than she could imagine and being honored as a sibling of the Druids was a strangely satisfying accomplishment to Miki. He asked to know her truths and had a personal curiosity about the man she'd been with during her travels. He called him a creature, and that was strange to the lass. Maybe she realized he was likely not the same kind of organic being she was, but he was at least familiar with her own world. By that logic, he didn't seem so foreign to her, "My truths are pretty simple. I helped calm that spirit within the Catacombs and watched the cycle of nature come full circle. Gave burial rites to the young Druid who died, and encouraged him to go about his way. While in the Catacombs I felt a bit closer to the phantom and he seemed a bit more solid so we got to know each other. He seemed pretty sorry about scaring me so I let that part go..." she said softly. "After that the last path opened to that forest with the circle within it. There was Dark Magic being performed there, so many sacrifices by a Shade no less..." she said. The thought of a head to head fight with such a creature was rather ominous but she'd not had to do anything of the sort.

"I managed to contain his movements pretty easily using my innate skills, but he'd already opened and contaminated that portal to the Underworld. I stepped inside the portal because I felt like it would help the guy I was with. But once I was inside, I was compelled to go deeper. I offered to take the other guy back, but he agreed to see the rest of my journey with me. I passed all Seven Gates in the Underworld, by giving up things which connected me to the World. And when I was down there I found that the fires of the Underworld were being constrained and that the souls below were being stifled a bit. So I fixed the Underworld fires. Doing that gave me this Cage..." she said motioning to the Artifact at her side. "Then I came back up. The world is full of mysterious things. But... fixing things that are wrong and enjoying good company are important too..." she summarized her adventure, specifically the parts that might have been less obvious. Then she remembered he'd asked about the man she'd been with. "Oh and that guy, his name is Enkidu. He was pretty nice... he left me to find his friend, but I'm pretty sure we'll run into each other again."

[Bloodedge]

Before beginning her tale, Miki greeted the man in a strange manner. He did not understand her inclined head, but he greeted her on equal terms nonetheless. "And I, am Virqen. Here." With her story beginning, Virqen produced two large leaves, each acting as cups filled with a very thin sap meant for drinking. One of these leaves was carried by vine to Miki, while Virqen himself drank from the other. In consuming this liquid, Miki would find herself experiencing a tale told to her very soul. In essence, it was the very existence of Virqen, or at least that which made him all that he was. "An excellent path lies behind you. I look forward to seeing that which is ahead, as well. Drink. Partake of my essence, and you will gain further enlightenment: my Truth."

Indeed, Miki would find her abilities affected by this sap as well. Her connection with nature would become akin to Virqen's own, and it would be no temporary effect. Expecting her to partake of the liquid, he voiced his understanding of the one called Enkidu. "Enkidu... Then your path is more interesting than even I anticipated. You've even forged some form of bond with a weapon of the gods..."

[Apollymi]

Miki noticed that the man looked upon her strangely. Thus she began to ponder if she introduced herself to others in a strange way. She didn't have that much experience doing such a thing, and doing it in a new world was a bit more taxing than she would like. Even so, he was content to return her favor and tell her his name, which was a bit of information she'd been lacking, both in her play-through and since coming here. She smiled then, it was indeed something she'd commit to memory, in case she ever managed to make it back to this place. Moving right along she conveyed the entirety of her story soon sitting atop her pillow with a vine carrying a leaf headed towards her. Knowing this place was safe she had only curiosity about it. She found it to be filled with strange sap and after commenting upon her adventures he offered her a share of his truth by virtue of this sap which contained his essence. "Really? It seems like a lot to offer of yourself..." Miki looked stunned, the offer of further enlightenment and the essence of the man before her was a bit strange. She truly felt it was something she didn't necessarily do anything to earn. All she'd done so far, was try and better herself.

Even so, she wasn't rude enough to turn it down, "Thank you..." she said moving on to partake of this. The liquid was about as sweet as she would have expected sap to be. Beyond its taste though there was something more. It was like being told the life's tale and journey of an entirely different being. She understood in the moment much more about nature than she'd ever known before and felt the formation of a new kind of bond between them. "Wow... you've traveled a very different path from my own, but it's been so full..." she said softly. It was a very strange sensation but something about it was a different level of satisfying. She felt empowered by her most recent knowledge. As if things couldn't get more surprising this day there was the matter of Enkidu who was the weapon of the gods according to this man. "Hoh? That's lore friendly?" she said strangely. It seemed a bit odd to her that something from pop culture made such an impact on the world itself. She'd simply been toying with the idea that the man was friends with the World Champion Player and designed his character accordingly. Soon after she spoke she rubbed her head. "Sorry, that probably didn't make sense... I didn't expect to run into anyone like that. I don't really know what's ahead. Well aside from the plans of my group in general, but I feel like it will be interesting." She concluded. Having finished her leaf of sap she sat atop this pillow willing to enjoy this man's company for a few moments longer, to be fair though she'd only laid eyes on him a couple of times, she had gained a strange attachment to him as a guiding force to her on her journey.

Continue the Adventure Here (http://www.roleplayuniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?853-The-Kingdom-of-Eonis&p=12908&viewfull=1#post12908).