Born to be Wild (Open/Guild)

Luna was grateful that the women were at least willing to test the group. She stayed silent as the words she spoke caught up to her, and she was glad that no one seemed to pick and choose things to react on. The Nature Fairy figured best to go with the flow and not question things if they were willing to show some tolerance. However when Jen decided to approach Luna violently, she simply stood there and listened with a merciful and forgiving gaze, not showing any offence whatsover as she calmly replied. "Watch that temper, you seem to be running a bit hot. You should know that better then anyone else here a loose temper can be a deadly thing."

However she was glad that Indra taken interest to her own problems, she figured that it wouldn't be the worst thing to air out her problems out in the open. She followed the group, making sure Indra was between here and Jen. "Long story short, the same people who blackmailed me into becoming Master of Aurora, turns out I was their scapegoat for a scheme to shut down Aurora and take money in the process to spend on their frivilous things, just, for once in my life, I can't contain myself..." As she walked, her emotions began to affect the area around her as she spoke. "They attacked me and labeled me as incompetent because of my family history, religion, and everything you can pin on someone without sexism oddly enough." The plants around seemed to grow and flourish, brimming with life, "I'm happy that weight was removed from my shoulders-" The next area's plants then seemed to wither in sorrow "-I'm in deep sorrow that they had to destroy the guild, it was like a family for those who had nowhere to go...-" She clenched her fist in rage as the plant life around started to grow and get sharper, some tries developing spikes of poison as grass grew teeth "-However I'm furious that they broke a whole guild of people struggling to get by just because they wanted to trim out their yacht to fill their indulgence!"

Luna sighed and took a deep breath as the plant life returned to normal. "Just, for once, I can't bottle my own emotions so I sought out one of the few people I can feel open with. My half sister is in jail for solicitation again, so my mother and sisters are out of the question."

Luna stopped as Indra claimed to hear something, she slowly followed and found the man who was faced with a plant. Luna figured besst to let Indra handle the man. She spoke to the trees he was leaning against. "Anything chasing him?" The tree responded in a tone that was hard to decipher. "Eh, this boi is fine and tight you know what I'm saying, he gots no posse on his tail, all he did was piss off some ol' bitchy plant but they can't get him. You know what I'm saying?"

Luna blinked twice, unsure of what she heard before she spoke to the poor man recently discovered. "Uh buddy, I wouldn't eat or touch anything around here if I were you. These trees aren't talking right, I think their might be something growing nearby." Luna was greatly confused.

Ruvel masked as moon could only roll his eyes as he heard his keeper of vice admit that he had somehow managed to mess up, it was the only way two people would have managed to have got the advantage over a highly trained guild mage. As much as he believed that Sol masked as reaper deserved to be punished, that time wasn't there and then so made a mental note to deal with it when they returned home to Tolgalen. He could only imagine how humiliated and embarrassed the other must have been to be caught in such a predicament, it would have been bad if it was a normal guild member but it was far worse that his own guild master had caught him. "Perhaps the wrong person got the job, I should look into replacing you for making such a stupid mistake Reaper..." he started his voice showing he was less than impressed by this situation that he stumbled upon "I wouldn't expect a novice of our guild to make such a mistake and here I am looking at one of my elite in such a pathetic display of competence." he continued to belittle the other before letting out a frustrated sigh "Deal with it so we can get going and don't kill them." He stated to the other once again moving from where he was to another location nearby so he could watch what happened next.

He watched as his ace made quick work of the two Amazon women who seemed to be trying to pin point his location but unable to do so. He was glad that the elder male agreed with how he thought making sure they weren't dead. He was sure that they would wake up in more than a little pain but at least they would wake up, had it been another that found them they may have not been so lucky. They were only defending their home from those they seen as invaders so it was an act of defence over an act of aggression. When the women were dealt with he jamp down from the tree landing in a crouch silently. "Agreed." he said calmly standing up masking their thinking that they needed to vanish, once he did they wouldn't be able to be seen by those that they may get close to, to get information. "I've made us completely invisible Reaper and I will get a link made between us so we can move without being heard either just mask your scent better will you." he said quietly 'Shindara, please make a link between Sol and myself.' he said allowing the link to be made 'Let's get going Sol and will you suppress your magical energy, it was likely how they got the drop on you in the first place.' he sent to the other as he began to move in the direction the others had, he knew the other would be able to see him as they were under the same ability.

Notes:

Sol under his mask could only hold in a sigh as his guildmaster questioned If perhaps he was truly suited for the job and he would not expect a novice to make a mistake like this let alone one of his elite members.”It will not happen again Moon” he said his tone  humble as he knew he had made a mistake but he could better himself from such a thing and strive to make sure it didn’t happen again. As he left the two amazons on the tree so they would be safe if only knocked out and bound he  heard Ruvel tell him that they were now invisible and agreed that they should follow the group. Sol focused for a moment and like ruvel his scent shift and blended into the environment . he also pushed and suppressed his magic so it was almost non existent and would blend in with the forest with the other minor magical traces in the air.

‘I understand Rui and I just suppressed it’ he explained thru the link as he followed the younger mage doing the same as him as well making sure he left no noise  and no trace when he touched the ground. Even not using magic Sol was rather skilled in Stealth  and while he had been caught off guard he would not let it happen again. It didn’t take long for them to catch up to the group and Sol stayed up in the trees before he suddenly caught sight of one of the mages causing the plant life to grow and become even more dangerous. It seemed they had found someone in the woods who had been nearly eaten by a plant pod and  were now questioning them.

Spoiler:

All the members of the group were now in a bit of disarray due to being sent into the jungle. One was almost plant-chow, the others were having drama issues after dealing with the amazons... and the two assassin-like fellows cloaked in black were stalking the others for their own goals.

But the real danger was now upon them. The darkness of the jungle now saw them and grinned in amusement. The women, the two males, and the little pussy cat of an Exceed was amusing to the spying 'demon'.

A fanged grin spread on his face.     "Hehe... now, this is about to get fun. Come on in, said the spider to the fly..."he said, shrouded in the canopies of the jungle. His eyes glowed as he growled, like a tiger stalking its prey.

It was then that everyone heard it. The snarl and growl of a tiger among the jungle. Sure it sounded like a simple beast in the wild. But the scary thing was it wasn't the warcry of a beast...

... the roar was a more insidious spell that seeped into everyone who would 'listen'. It moved in the form of a small-light wave like soundwaves. Subtle but carrying its insidious effect.

It was then that everyone began to see things... The forest going darker... the beasts would become fearsome, and the inner most fears of those who heard his roar would become visible in this jungle. This was the darkness that was warned for. The jungle didn't just harbor beasts but demons that prayed on those who would wander in carelessly...

One way or another, they would either face their terrors or find a way to break through it.

Note: The mysterious tiger-like demon, Rakshasa, has used a sound-based spell to try and place an illusion spell on you. You may freely design what you fear and see it as an illusion-- from a scary demon, to beasts, or something more personal. You may choose how it is done. You may use methods to try and dispell the illusion yourself via spells or something more creative-- like waking up from a nightmare. If you wish to avoid the illusion at all-- your free to consider how to 'dodge' it

Something was very wrong here. The jungle seemed to change around Jen, until it was nearly unrecognizable. On top of this, wooden bars seemed to shoot out of the ground all around her, trapping her in a cage. Every time she moved towards the walls, the cage seemed to shrink. Eventually it reached a size that she became extremely uncomfortable with. When this happened, Sarah's eyes glowed again, and she slashed fiercely at the bars, not realizing that her allies were still nearby. With each slash, the cage grew shorter, until Sarah ended up having to sit down in order to not be crushed. Then, as she gripped the bars of the cage, something didn't feel quite right. It was almost as if there was nothing there. Surely she couldn't have been imagining things, could she? This was answered as she stood up, passing right through the imaginary bars atop the cage. Infuriated by having been fooled so easily, Jen tapped into a power that she hadn't used in a long time. This time when her eyes glowed, there was a peculiar darkness behind them. A special kind of darkness that fey knew all too well, as her Aura changed to resemble that of the Lord of Darkness himself, only on a vastly smaller scale. Jen noticed that her perception of things had changed, and that she could identify the type of magic used, as well as where in the jungle it had originated from. However, she didn't sense anything in that direction. What she truly sensed, with her demonic perception, was much closer than she would have anticipated, and would likely be much deadlier than the average demon that one would meet on a job. The energy felt much more sinister, and Jen had a feeling that if it had wanted them dead, it would have dispatched them with relative ease. Still, she had to say something to save her pride.

"Tricks like this don't normally work on me. I really must commend you on a job well done. Just one piece of advice, don't think that this will work a second time."

He heard the sound of the growl-- thinking it was just a distant tiger. However, him with his sensitive hearing picked it up easily, but his back was turned, unable to see the 'wave' of magic that came off of it and was soon ensnared.

In a blink of an eye, the jungle changed-- he lost sight of everyone. Kage, Luna, Jen-- everyone around him as suddenly as if the forest had swallowed everyone. Before he could even voice it-- he felt as if he was starting to sink. He looked down to see himself sinking into the ground, cementing his feet. Quicksand! As he began to sink, he tried to get out, but his magic for some reason' wasn't working.

Whispers filled his head-- the voices of the monks he betrayed, the guild he left behind. They blew through the trees as he began to sink deeper and deeper, now up to his neck. As he tried to break free, he saw the glow of yellow eyes look up at him as his vision went black from being submerged.

His breath felt short, suffocating as he tried to get free. A murky darkness was around him as he struggled to get free. Ghoulish, hellish visions of demons seemed to crawl out for him, grabbing at his flesh. Despite his desire to fight or free, he was paralyzed by something. This couldn't have been happening to him... It was impossible...

His eyes were closed-- but then he realized it. The sensation that now wracked his body. The visions he now saw that happened like a nightmare he just walked into. His eyes were clenched... trying to fight it.

"No... No... this isn't right. Damn tricks-- you won't scare me off!!!" Indra roared-- and opened his eyes to show his dark pupils suddenly change to reveal an yellow color with a lightning-like shape in the iris of his eyes.

A jolt of electrcity shook his body, electricuting him in a low voltage through his mind. The eyes allowed him to control his own bio-electricity, which was far higher than a normal person's via being a Lightning Dragon Slayer. That in turn, he used that surge of energy to jolt his own mind-- and with that, the illusion was torn apart as well.

Indra felt the illusion get torn apart as he let out a series of gasps, his own breath having been caught from the trick. It felt real, even smelled it... Had he not had the power of the Lightning Dragon's Heaven Eyes-- he would have been trapped in there far longer.

"The hell ?! Whoever is there, come on out!!" Indra roared aloud, his voice echoing in anger.

He began to see things via his eyes-- the glow of the other's electrical auras, and his vision expanding beyond the range of the trees via X-ray vision. However, as he turned in one direction, he felt a blinding light strike him. More like shiloettes of blinding light that were above in the trees. He braced his vision with his arm, slowly recovering his senses...

... then looked back up again, his eyes returning to their normal state. Whatever he saw, had such a strong electrical storage, they were blinding to his eyes. "Whoever is hidng up there, come out now or else!" Indra growled, forming a hand sign and his hands crackling with lightning, threatening to act if they were threats.

Green, sunny, humid. Yep this was a rainforest, a jungle, a place where exotic beast and flora can be found, and that is exactly why Victor and his green scaly buddy Ghobel were there for. Exotic flora, and not just any pretty and rare flower but THE pretty and rare flower. The stuff of legends that just about every intense drug user knew about, or at least that’s what some heavily intoxicated individual told the green rebel. Of course Victor being the absolute druggy he is, wanted to find and smoke this rare and supposedly strong flower.

By some totally unforeseen occurrence the green druggy and his scaly buddy were lost in the huge jungle. The idea of getting lost never struck either of the two, they figured they only needed to walk about ten minutes and they’ll find it. How were they supposed to know that jungles were big, and everything looked the same the deeper you go. “GHOBSSS, how are we gonna get out of here! Better yet, HOW ARE WE GONNA FIND THAT DRUGGY PLANT!!!” Victor hunched a bit, as disappointment grew. Getting out was second on his list, first was finding that plant so he can take it to some alchemist and get some of that valuable substance his body was anxiously waiting for. “Come on Vic, just give it a second bozo. We only been at this for like ten, maybe twenty minutes of course we haven’t found that flower you want yet.” A big sigh followed the gremlins statement, he knew the chances for finding the flower his master wanted so bad was slim. The green druggy rose from his hunch gave the gremlin a nod and continued deeper into the forest.

“OK GHOB, ITS LEGIT BEEN AN HOUR! STUPID LIZARD!!! YOU SAID WE WOULD FIND IT BY NOW” The druggy’s voice rose louder and louder in the assumed empty jungle, he was tired and bored. He never expected the search to take so long, how was he supposed to know that his quest for a rare drug ingredient was going to take away from his boomy boom time! “AHHHHHHHHHHH” Victor couldn’t help but yell out his frustration, he had no way out, no druggy plant, and no time for mayhem to be caused! “Listen boss, maybe we shou..” The gremlin was interrupted by the roar of a man, a kinda scary roar at that. “THAT WAY GHOB!!!” A smile of sharpened teeth was formed as Victor began to run towards the distant roar, the scaly demon followed along his master knowing that the two were about to have some real fun.

Hearing the growl coming from the distance, Luna stopped paralyzed with fear as she could sense her natural predator in the woods. She wondered why she couldn't find any nymphs or fairies, a demon living in the area made sense as to why. Her vision got blurry as she felt intensely hot, and once her vision cleared her senses were in a frenzy as she noticed that she could not see anyone else in the area. She felt her throat dry quickly as everything around the fairy seemed to turn to sand, the lush jungle turning into a desert.

She fell to her knees, collapsing, she desperately tried to look around but couldn't find anything, just sand for miles. She tried to tell herself it was not real but the fear of being trapped was starting to overwhelm the already startled instincts. "Please.. not here..." However in actuality she was simply on her hands and knees on the ground. After her mind had caved into fear, a bolt of Lightning seemed to fly through the sky and crash on the ground in front of the party, before turning into a petite female blonde with purple eyes in black attire, holding a magazine of some kind. The android Amelia Thorn slowly walked up to Luna, her eyes shifted as she looked around and sensed the party was coming out of some sort of hallucination.

Amelia sped walked to Luna, and through the organic link they shared, how Luna believed she was burning hot. "Lu, what's happening..." When Luna did not answer, Amelia pointed two fingers at the ground as blue sparks gathered before a ball of blue energy formed, and then turned into a bolt of lightning that struck the ground next to Luna, freezing it as chunks of ice formed. Amelia had a devious smirk as she grabbed a chunk of ice and crushed it with one hand, before she sat Luna up, and then sent the ice chunks down Luna's Qipao.

Luna soon shivered as the sudden coldness snapped her back to reality. She looked down to notice her clothes were wet and saw Amelia at her side, she grabbed the android and hugged her close. "Amelia! Thank you thank you thank you!- Wait, is that a Playgirl Magazine?" Amelia quickly sent sparks through her fingers, causing the item in question to burn into ashes on the ground quickly. "I was bored and alone okay! Everyone has their needs!"

Luna was confused as she was trying to process the whole situation. "But you're an Android, how do you have that kind of drive when you lack-, er, you know what nevermind. I'll save that matter for later." Luna stood up, giving a nod to Amelia and telepathically informed her of all the events. "So when you decided to chase after this sexy beast, you ended up on a wild goose chase with him and these beauties for a trial that now entails a demon? Did anyone remember to bring a demon slayer?" Luna sighed, she could tell the level of sarcasm in Amelia's voice at the last remark.

She spoke to the group quickly, all the while trying to see if the demon was within range. "Short of the long story, this is Amelia Thorn, former Guild master of Thunder Arrows, Android that is bound to me now. Through Archive linking she knows each of you." She turned to Indra, who seemed to already snap out of what has transpired. "Illusion magic, clearly demons work, there isn't any Nymph or Fairy for miles. Please tell me you got any good leads. I remember sensing demons before the illusion"

"Who are you, mysterious jungle man?" Zel looked up at the figure who clinged against the tree that was not too far from him. He can clearly see what the guy looked liked as well. Maybe a few women...but couldn't tell if they were his taste. Not like he actually cared about women. What he was interested in is the temple that was located right in the middle of the forest/jungle.

It amazes him that so far everyone who was here had made it alive and didn't die. Unlike himself who's a newbie at magic and couldn't really depend on it for the time being. His crimson red eyes glared at the man. He can see himself becoming like that guy one day. In his mind he really thought that this particular man is pretty cool looking.

"I am Zel by the way. I am looking for stuff....y'know....certain items that can allow me to ascend beyond many wizards!" The boy said with a determined attitude. He then sudfenly gazed at the group.

Zel stepped back a little, afraid to be blasted with huge amounts of magal energy. He nervously chuckled whem his back leaned against the bark of a tree that's positioned behind him. He couldn't tell if this certain group was just like the last guild he joined. Who were a bunch of murderous wizards who meant business.

A rather small figure was wandering through the woods, moving with a gait which indicated that while she wasn't worried about being lost or in danger she didn't have a particular destination in mind. She strolled like a human would stroll through the streets of a familiar city, if not their place of birth. Green eyes were studying the surroundings, brow slightly furrowed to display a certain amount of confusion and worry. She inspected the trees, the mushrooms, the tiny critters that moved about through the undergrowth where they wouldn't easily be found by predators. She felt how more animals were burrowing through the ground below as well, she sensed the myriad of insects making their homes inside the big and proud trees.

All of that was normal, but there was something unusual here as well. Something which should either be left alone or gotten rid of entirely, because she doubted that persistent contact would be wise or healthy. She hadn't encountered it directly yet so she couldn't say for certain, but there was a certain feeling in the air which was unmistakable. What would be the best way to deal with this? She wasn't certain, but it felt like this wrongness had been present for a long time already, so there wasn't a hurry. She could afford to be careful.

But as she wandered she also picked up on the presence on something else which didn't usually appear inside the depths of a jungle. Civilized people. Why were they here? She was sure that most of them preferred the comfort of their stone forests with their unusual and complex creations. Sometimes they would come to cut down trees for wood but these people were far too deep for that, unless they were really stupid. More likely they had another purpose. Something worth checking out, if only because she didn't have a better idea at the moment.

Changing her direction she was just about to step forward when she could feel a wave of magic moving through the forest, accompanied by the roar of something which took on the role of a tiger even though it definitely wasn't. Before she could begin to think about what that magic was about she flinched as she suddenly felt a wave of heat wash over her. Stepping backwards her eyes went wide as she gazed at the scene before her in complete confusion. Where before there had been nothing but green and brown and whatever colours the wilds could procure there was now angry red and energetic orange, flames licking at everything in sight. Turning her head she saw that it was the same everywhere: the jungle was suddenly aflame, ash and smoke becoming the dominant scents as the small figure covered her nose.

With a flick of her hand she summoned a wave of water, and with another flick that water swirled around her to at least keep the flames at bay while she tried to figure out how to spare this ancient jungle such a sudden and violent end. However her confusion only mounted when the water wasn't turned into steam when it came into contact with the orange tongues that danced and flickered. Staring at where the flames had simply disappeared she thought deeply, then shook her head and slapped her cheeks as if to force herself to focus. Closing her eyes she clapped her hands together. At first nothing happened, but then the water she had summoned moved like an airborne serpent as it first moved upwards and then crashed down upon the wanderer.

Now with water dripping from her hair and her limbs she opened her eyes, and the flames were gone. The cold water had given her enough of a shock that the illusion, which had already been weakened, was broken. Glancing around to make sure there really were no flames left she let out a sigh of relief. However this meant that maybe she should hurry a bit, so she began to run through the jungle towards where the outsiders were dealing with similar illusions of horrible scenarios. Whatever it was that was making her uneasy, it wasn't responding kindly to there being strangers in its domain. If it was this hostile then leaving it alone was out of the question. How many creatures might already have been twisted or slain by this mysterious entity?

(Thank you everyone for your wait. With so many changes OOC and Guild wise, we are now moving on to the next part of the event. Thank you all for your patience)

Everyone in their own way, or through some other means were able to avoid or dispell the wicked illusion. A cunning and devious ploy to use sound as a means to deliver a dangerous illusion. Naturally, the sound came from a point in the woods...

... and there was where they would see it.

In the depths of the jungle, not too far from them, was a large structure built up into the rocky edges of nearby cliffs. Worn stone steps, covered in vines and shrubs grew over the structure, towering well above them. It led up to a large, palace ruin that were marked by worn down or destroyed statues. A mass of its building was covered by the trees, roots, and vines, but it was both abandoned and yet majestic how nature had blended in with it.


Upon sight of the ancient ruin, it begged many questions. What was this temple? Who used to live there? Were the amazons aware of it and could this be the darkness that dwelled there. Clearly, there was no sight of other people in this place. Abandoned, and creepy in a sense by a chill that others would feel. An ominous fear that radiated from the seemingly abandoned ruin.

(OOC: You have discovered the ancient ruin that is the source of the 'darkness' in the jungle. The sound of the illusion had led you here. You are encouraged to explore, but be aware... not all is as it seems...)

The short figure made her way to the jungle, wondering how she would approach the outsiders without provoking a hostile reaction. While she was pretty sure that she wasn't exactly a threatening figure the fact that there was a malignant entity around inflicting nightmares upon people would set everyone on edge, so even someone like herself could appear suspect and dangerous. She'd rather not have to fight them, for more than one reason. Foremost being the fact that she wasn't someone who enjoyed mindless violence, with as close second being the fact that if there was such a hostile entity on the loose it would be a horrible idea for those with the power to oppose it to fight amongst one another.

As she ran she made some offhanded efforts to wipe the water off of her body, leaving behind a trail of droplets and wet footsteps which were quickly absorbed by the busy and fertile soil of the jungle. Of course this being a jungle meant that there was a lot of humidity everywhere, which had the advantage that her trail wouldn't be easily noticed but had the disadvantage that those who weren't familiar with ancient rainforests would quickly become sticky and sweaty. This one was just feeling fortunate that she wasn't necessarily hindered by that, but she wondered how those civilized folk would deal with it.

However before she was in a position to directly observe them or even communicate with them the trees made way for something else, causing the female figure to come to a halt as she took in the sight before her with wide eyes. Here in the middle of the jungle was what she was pretty sure would be called a temple by the people from society. Or maybe it was one of those things where the important ones lived? Either way, it was definitely something made by the hands of the intelligent folk, even if by the looks of it whoever built it had abandoned it long ago and the wilds had done a good job reclaiming their territory even if they hadn't gotten around to devouring the stone. Her veridian eyes went higher and higher as she tried to estimate how tall these stone constructs were, sticking out far above the surrounding trees. She guessed that for the birds this place would stick out like a sore thumb, but oddly enough she found no trace of them nestling in this area. Or rather, she'd call it oddly if she couldn't feel the malice that permeated the air.

Given that she had found what was most likely the lair of the evil entity before she'd ran into the outsiders the figure folded her arms as she tried to think of what her next step was supposed to be. Should she try to find the others or should she immediately enter the place? At first she thought she could take her time, but whatever it was that would inflict such horrid sights on interlopers was definitely roused at this point. Taking a couple of steps forward towards the nearest stone building she placed a small hand on the worn and weathered surface as she concentrated. Through the stone and the earth below she could feel how the structure spread out, including the corridors and passages hidden behind walls. It truly was a large thing, something which you wouldn't find in the wilds. There might be giant caves and the likes but those couldn't compete with the kind of planned complexity that artificial constructions so proudly displayed.

After considering the situation a bit longer the figure finally made up her mind, nodding firmly before she carefully made her way around the unclear edge of the area which was dominated by stone rather than wood and fibre. She'd first see what the outsiders would do: if they came upon this place as well and decided to investigate she'd try to join up with them, but if they decided to head away she'd try to make sure they could at least get away safely from the hostile spirit so she could then figure out what to do next without having to worry about them.

As the short figure walked she seemed to slowly disappear: her green and brown appearance melded into the background of the jungle so seamlessly that with a blink one would find that she was nowhere to be found, leaving no scent or sound either as she passed through the overgrowth like a ghost.

(Despite changes in my character, going to keep going with Indra for the time being, and maybe introduce another character (Suijin) as time permits. For now keeping as Indra to be consistent)

It was rare for his senses to be confused-- that illusion caused one hell of a whammy on him as he shook his head.

"Raijin sensei? You okay?" Kage asked, the little exceed scampering after his master.

"I'm fine... Just..." he paused mid-growl and looked. Awe struck him as he gazed upon the large jungle palace that stood before him. It was a beautiful blend of ancient man-made stone and nature's growth that now had surrounded it. Even Kage saw this and was put into a state of silence, seeing the large jungle palace stretch out ahead of them.

He felt a chill in the air-- something out of character to the jungle. Whatever darkness the amazon's spoke of, he was willing to bet it had something to do with this place. This odd building. But at the same time, he felt an odd welcoming sensation. Something he personally could use. Refuge to rest after his long travel and his mark as an outcast and rogue.

Unable to resist, and now alone as he could sense no one else around-- he made his way towards the palace, curious as to what awaited inside.

The boy was alarmed by his particular sound which had caused him to assert all his attention to this ancient architecture beyond the darkest depths, hidden behind all the tall trees that made up the jungle themed forest. After seeing the muscular man running towards the temple Zel decided to follow along to check what's happening. The calm looking boy sprinted through the vast parts of the forest with his hands pocketed. His silver, white hair is messy and needs to be groomed into good shape again.

Leaves were stuck inside the strands of his hair after messing around with the dirt for so long. His face is drenched in small amounts of sweat, exhausted after venturing deep into the forest for hours..days...or even a MONTH. "A temple....temple means...ANCIENT MAGIC MUST BE PRESENT! SURPASSING GOD HERE I COOOME!" Zel rushed through many ecosystems filled with wildlife. He endured the damp, moist weather and sticky mud that tried to consume his entire feet.

Zel ran passed the trees, slowly becoming closer towards this mysterious temple. Not paying attention where he was going the boy tripped over a small bumpy rock, a catalyst that caused the inexperienced wizard to barrel roll amongst the muddy surface before tumbling towards the edge of the forest. Beyond that lies a pathway to the ancient temple of the forest. It was glorious. Radiating with it's old, primal, but ancient beauty that made the entire palace very distsinct compared to the others he had seen in brochures.

He stood up and glared at the temple which stood tall in all its excessive, jungle-themed glory. "WAHOO! FIRST PLACE! Time to get me SOME MAGIIIIC!" He said, expressing as much avarice as he could. Greedily rubbing his hands as he began to enter the palace on his own. Not realizing the danger that lurked ahead of him. Zel wants to take risks in order to get his hands on any treasure that awaits him. Only if there is a human shield nearby to do all the dirty work, though.

Lily had hoped to at least find the outsiders before they entered the ruins, but it looked like she was out of luck in that department. One of them ran inside screaming without an ounce of hesitation or caution, and the others went inside as well even if they weren't quite as vocal about it. This left the dryad wondering what she should be doing next: head inside after them or study the ruins from the outside a bit longer?

Looking around she noted the strange statues which depicted creatures which could overall best be described as threatening and ominous. Given that she'd travelled the wilds a fair bit she was aware of there being places where civilization had managed to stake its claim for a while before nature managed to reclaim lost territory. It looked like whoever had made a home here had either been working with some really concering powers or something had moved in after the civilized folk were already gone.

Either way, it didn't look like she had the luxury to dawdle here. The malicious entity was definitely inside the stone palace, and those outsiders could be in trouble if they walked in blind. The dryad headed for the nearest entrance into the complex, feeling for its layout through her feet as the earth and the stone responded to her footsteps. It looked like she wouldn't be able to meet up with them immediately, but it should still be faster than running all the way around the ruins towards where the outsiders had entered.

Once inside her green eyes first noticed that there were burning torches, illuminating everyhing with a flickering warm light which was at odds with the otherwise prominent ancient atmosphere. If this place really was this old, why would the torches still be burning? It was a sign that there definitely was something in here, and apparently it wanted there to be at least some form of light. After judging the intensity of the flames Lily judged herself safe enough to proceed... a decision which would soon turn out to be premature.

She'd only walked far enough for the exit to no longer be in sight when there was a loud sound of stone upon stone, followed by a groaning and rumbling while the entire hallway shook. Catching herself the leaf-dressed girl looked around towards where the sound was coming from, where she'd see an unusually round boulder smashing into the floor, after which it began to roll towards her. While she'd noticed that there was an incline in this tunnel she hadn't thought that it would be part of a trap, but now it was clear that this straight passage was meant to be a place where careless intruders got turned into paste.

Not wasting any time she began to run, speeding further and further into the ruins while behind her the rolling boulder gathered speed. While she had the advantage at first eventually the stone sphere would accelerate past the point where she could outrun it, and it didn't look like there were any convenient hiding spots in sight for her. She'd have to find a way to deal with this herself.

As she ran her footsteps began to leave behind patches of moss, which quickly spread to cover the entire hallway while invading every nook and cranny. Thanks to the headstart Lily had some time for her plan, which was good because she didn't want to try her luck bringing that kind of momentum to an abrupt halt if she could do it slowly instead.

When the boulder reached the part of the tunnel which was now covered in moss the green carpet clung to it, the rocky roller gathering more and more of the sticky mat, more than one would normally expect to stick. More and more, more and more, with Lily still running as fast as she could while spreading moss everywhere, only for it to be picked up by the now completely covered boulder...

It took a lot of moss before the dryad's plan began to bear fruit. The additional plant material which was now part of the boulder was increasing its size and radius, to the point where it began to chafe against the walls of the hallway. Walls which were also covered in more moss. The chafing turned into scraping, and it was then that the brown-skinned female started the next step of her plan. From amongst the deep mass of moss that now surrounded the spherical stone vines burst forth, growing at a rapid pace and lashing out towards their surroundings. Where the moss had found cracks and holes in the walls, floor and ceiling the vines latched onto those weaknesses, growing thicker and thicker until the final point where the deadtrap pulled them taut.

With the boulder now being too large for the hallway and the vines holding onto parts of said hallway the moss-covered rock first slowed down, then came to a complete halt. More moss formed around it to seal it in place, leaving the deadtrap quite thoroughly ruined. The only downside was that this meant Lily couldn't immediately turn back the way she came either.

After checking to make sure the boulder was solidly stuck in place Lily turned around and headed deeper into the ruins, a frown furrowing her brow as she tried to figure out which passages she'd have to take to meet up with the outsiders as soon as possible. Or should she try to take care of that hostile creature by herself?

Indra knew his own path was seperate since everyone had gone and chosen to go their own way. Still didn't mean this place wasn't dangerous and wasn't of any thing to take lightly. Indra followed his path on with Kage.

As he made it a few meters into the hallway-- he noticed something. Kage had gone. His scent and sound all together. "Kage?" he asked.

Suddenly his next step took a bad turn as the ground began to rumble. He stepped, and a part of the floor caved in. At first he arched back, but soon saw as the entire floor of the hallway was about to crumble. The only place solid was several meters at the end of the hall.

"Great..." Indra grumbled, "Of all the times Kage takes a detour."

Lightning crackled along Indra's body as he took off, just as the last brick under his foot crumbled. Using his lightning cloak,, he moved far faster than before. He lunged for the nearest wall-- and using it, he hopped from one surface to the next. A living lightning bolt that just jumped from one end to the next.

He soon stopped mid air as he reached the end and skid into a slide, as the last of the stone floor fell through. He watched as he cleared the hall, seeing the light of the other side where the entrance was.

Now he was deep in the lion's den, along with those also trapped in this place... and Kage was nowhere to see. Where did that Exceed go?

While the boulder trap had definitely been a surprise the dryad made her way out with no injury, and afterwards the rest of the path forward was pretty calm. She imagined that whoever had built this place had meant for it to be used, so most of the stone construction would be safe so whoever used it didn't accidentally get hit by one of too many traps.

She did halt when she felt a rumbling through the ground, turning her head towards the point of origin. Closing her eyes and focusing on what she could sense from the stone around her she could feel that in the distance there was a great disturbance, a large amount of stone falling down into a hole. Another trap? Most likely activated by some of those civilized people. She hoped they survived that, but since she wasn't sure how durable they were she couldn't say whether they could survive that deep of a fall, or whether they had managed to escape the trap entirely. The only thing she could do was keep moving onward, so she stepped deeper into the network of rock-walled tunnels on bare feet.

When she stepped into the throne room she once more came to a halt, but this time to gaze at what was in front of her. She wasn't a creature of society, but she could see that this was supposed to be a place of importance, given its size and the elaborate way that it was constructed. Especially with the way that throne was placed high up, like how a bird would hide its precious nest high up and away from most predators.

She wanted to smile seeing how well the plants had thrived in here, but the evil presence was stronger than ever in this place. She could feel it in the air, in the stone, a malicious intent which was silently celebrating at how it managed to lure in several victims. Droplets were hanging from Lily's fingertips as she prepared herself for the worst, wondering what the best way would be to take care of this malevolent relic of the past.

Spotting the outsiders coming in from one of the other tunnels she did actually smile and walk over to them, although her friendly expression quickly became one of worry. "Ehm, hello? This is the language you speak right? Hi! I'm Lily! I don't have much time to explain, but there's an ancient presence here and I think it might be better if you stay away from this place. I don't know if you can sense it or not, but it's dangerous and most likely has been luring you in on purpose. I mean it probably is trying to lure me in as well but I think I can deal with it and-" Suddenly she blinked and stopped, vibrant green eyes switching from the large muscular man to the humanoid cat accompanying him. Lily's ability to sense living things, including their state, was a complex thing and difficult to explain. But for now it would be sufficient to say that she could smell the malice in the air, and she could also smell that it was the most concentrated around that cat.

"Why do you smell like malice?" She stated with a softer tone of voice. More water dripped from the fingertips of one of her hands while vines crawled up the arm of her other hand, the dryad taking a step back and halfway lifting the vine-covered arm towards the exceed while the other hand was apparently busy forming a puddle of water on the old stone floor.