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Fantasy Sorcery!!! (Completed)

>> Shout to him <<
Aquila stiffened under the affectionate gesture, momentarily surprised by his gratitude. Before she could awkwardly pat him on the back, however, the priest was dashing up the stairs and into the sunlight. Blue eyes followed him as she stood up and then widened at the sight of his hand on the door.

"Wait, Shalla!" Aquila called, a genuine note of panic in her voice as she darted for the stairs. "Don't close the door!"
 
"What? No, I'm holding it open. Come on!" The priest said with a grin. Perhaps it was just her imagination.

Aquila was able to climb up without any issues and Shalla's bearded face greeted her at the exit. He was looking up the sky with a grin, breathing in the fresh air again after who knew how long. After a moment he nodded as if he decided on something.

"Well, I'm going to go now. The Temple is ruined and I'm no longer interested in being a priest. If you have an interest in Throff, all you need is to get inside and call her name three times. No more, no less." He shrugged. "But, Gods are not interested in the affairs of mortals. I'm going to spend the rest of my life drinking wine and throwing dice." And he turned on his heels, trekking of somewhere across the plains.

- Go inside the temple.
- Leave the temple.
 
>> Go inside the temple <<
Her relief was palpable as Aquila stepped out into the familiar courtyard and she offered up an apologetic smile to Shalla. A blush settled itself across her cheekbones, embarrassed that she'd mistaken his good intentions for cruelty. His words on the Gods held an air of bitterness that was probably well-earned after being trapped for so long. As he turned to leave she waved goodbye and called after him, "Goodbye Shalla! And good fortune!"

Then, with everything said and done, Aquila crossed over into the temple.
 
The floorspace of the temple was empty, but the walls were covered in long lines of intricate hieroglyphs that reminded a little of the symbols in the Temple of her Guardian, Lord Courga.

She could not read them, but she heard what the priest had told her.

There was a deep rumbling below her feet and the temple shook around her.

- Call for Throff.
- Cast a spell.
- Leave the temple.
 
>> Call for Throff <<
Slowly Aquila's gaze trailed over the foreign markings on the walls unable to make sense of them. The rumbling from beneath the temple was concerning and she took a few hesitant steps backward. She didn't want to disrupt the crumbling structure and bury herself beneath stone after all. Shalla had said to call Throff's name three times if she had an interest in her. It was less of an interest, however, and more that Aquila had some questions that needed answers.

"Hello?" Aquila said, a little anxious in raising her voice. "I would like to speak to the Goddess, please." And then, careful to speak her name only three times as she'd been instructed, Aquila called out across the temple: "Throff, Throff, Throff!"
 
At the third use of Goddess's name, something happened. The rumbling subsided and a woman in elaborate armour stepped out of a carving on the wall.

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"Mortal." She said. "You speak my name thrice in the temple. Do you wish to follow me?"

This would mean giving up Panther as her Guardian spirit and taking on Throff. She would still need Throff to know how to deal with the Earth Serpent however, but Gods never spoke to those not of their following.

- Yes.
- No.
 
>> No <<
Aquila faltered at the question and stumbled over her own thoughts. She hadn't expected the Goddess to be so forthright in her greeting and to immediately open with her loyalties. It made sense though, Throff could not be held at fault for that. But did Aquila want to give up Panther for an opportunity to learn the Earth Serpent's weakness?

"No," The word slipped from her lips before she could halt it. "I merely wanted to learn the Earth Serpent's weakness," Aquila admitted and bowed her head in respect to the Goddess as she took another step backward. "However, my faith lies elsewhere and I apologise for the intrusion."
 
"I understand and I wish you luck. The Earth Serpent is a dreadful creature. You can't let it touch the ground. Go in peace, stranger." Throff said, reaching up hold the crumbling roof of the temple in place, allowing her to go outside.

As soon as her feet left the temple, it collapsed to the ground, making a terrible sound.

- Go to the east toward the clearing.
- Go up to the east over the Mountains.
 
>> Go to the east toward the clearing <<
The sheer noise of the temple collapsing was terrible and Aquila clapped her hands over her ears, eyes tightly closed to ward off the dust. After a long moment she opened them and glanced over the ruined remains, a deep surge of empathy for the Goddess Throff clenched her heart. Surely there would be other temples that she would be worshipped in?

Swallowing the fear that she'd made the wrong choice -- Aquila knew where her loyalties lay -- the red-head turned east and set out across the plains. The clearing would make a pleasant spot to rest and possibly check that compass again. Still, she'd have to be on her guard.
 
The sun fell down slowly as she trekked across it and toward the grass clearing. She was very close to the grass patch when a sound of singing reached her.

Looking around she saw a hooded figures sitting on the ground in a circle, chanting. It seemed to grow darker all of a sudden, the night coming far too quickly. There was strong magic in the air.

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"Aquila." One of the figures suddenly called her by her name. "We have awaited you. You have made good time to us. We are the Seven Spirits. Come, join us."

- Approach them.
- Hurry away.
- Cast a spell.
 
>> Cast a spell <<
Foreign magic tickled the edges of Aquila's senses and she resisted the urge to shiver beneath it. The shadowed figures words caused her to take an instinctive step backward. Seven Spirits? She wondered distantly whether this meant three of the seven she'd killed were still there. Either way there was no time to waste and Aquila murmured the spell of protection, cloaking herself in it. Whatever they were trying to do to her they wouldn't succeed.
 
The cultists disappeared as soon as the spell set in. Mocking laughter filled her ears.

Suddenly she started noticing other strange happenings. All around her insects were frozen in mid-flight at one moment and at the other they would spin insanely fast through the air. Overhead there were no stars. She could see clouds speed over the sky, then stop abruptly, then speed up again. It was like a broken clockwork.

Then, out of the darkness, a creature materialised in front of her.

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"The jaws of Time are unescapeable!" The Serpent called, swirling around her. But, Aquila wore the protective spell, the creature's magic would not touch her now. She only had to cut it down.

- Attack with the sword (Roll die, Difficulty 10, Bonus 3).
- Attack with the knife (Roll die, Difficulty 11, Bonus 3).
- Attack with the bow (Roll die, Difficulty 10, Bonus 4).
 
>> Attack with the bow <<
Pale, scarred hands were clasped over her ears as laughter permeated through the sudden silence. Around her the world appeared to shift, the timeline pushed into chaos as the Serpent of Time rose up from the darkness. The cultists had disappeared and distantly she wondered whether they'd been a part of the Serpent's trap all along. Its poisonous hiss made her cringe; perhaps the jaws of time were inescapable but Aquila wasn't going to die today.

Hands swiftly dropped from her ears and instead clasped around the wooden bow strapped to her back. Archery was her preferred method of fighting and there was no way she would risk closing the distance between herself and the Serpent. So she hitched an arrow and drew the weapon out in front of her in a single, fluid motion. With one eye closed to better her aim Aquila ignored the fear pounding in her ears, aimed for the creature's heart, and let her arrow fly.
 
The Serpent might not have had its magic any longer, but it was still faster than Aquila. The arrow only grazed its skin and then fell to the grass harmlessly. The Serpent wiggled through the crass and coiled its huge body around Aquila, rendering her unable to move as it squeezed with such a force that she felt like she was crushed by a boulder.

She was running out of breath and soon would not have the strength to move. But she could also feel that her right hand was somewhat free. She could still manoeuvre it and with some precision strike the creature's head to get out of its deadly embrace.

- Attack with Rain's knife (Roll die, Difficulty 10, Bonus 3).
- Attack with your knife (Roll die, Difficulty 11, Bonus 3).
 
>> Attack with Rhain's knife <<
Horror filled wide, sapphire eyes as the arrow merely skimmed the Serpent's coiled form and embedded itself in the grass beyond. Aquila had missed and the Serpent was upon her in seconds. Death's embrace was suffocating, her bones groaned at the pressure as her breath was forced from her lungs. There was no calculation in her next movements, only desperation as she fumbled for Rhain's long knife and brought it down against the Serpent with what little remaining strength she had.
 
The Time Serpent was just a snake without its magic. As the knife struck, it let out a snarl that turned into a bloody gurgle.

Blood spilled down its neck as its huge head fell down at Aquila's feet. It choked once, before the light in its eyes extinguished.

The first change Aquila noticed were the clouds, as they started moving at a regular pace across the sky. And then the twinkle of stars returning to fill the darkness above. The grass begun to shift and she felt wind again and the insects flew out of her way.

The fourth Serpent was dead and perhaps the strongest one out of the Seven.

- Rest there for the night.
- Cross the mountains to the east.
- Go back through the Snatta Forest.
 
>> Rest there for the night <<
Aquila scrambled away from the decapitated corpse of the Time Serpent, her body trembling from the adrenaline and residuals of fear. Exhaustion followed sharply after -- the cost of such a powerful and potent spell -- and she struggled against the heaviness in her limbs. Logically she knew that it would be dangerous to remain so close to the Serpent's fallen body but she was too tired to find shelter elsewhere; the mountains and forest seemed so far away now.

Putting a little distance between herself and the corpse Aquila settled down for the night on the soft grasses. It seemed so lonely and harrowing, these lands as endless as the dangers that crept within them. Aquila distantly recalled that she wasn't completely alone, however, and silently she prayed to Panther; apologising for her silence over the last few days and then asking to be watched over while she rested.
 
Panther responded with a soft purr in her ear and a presence that surrounded her with its warmth. Her night was restful, even though she was in the middle of dangerous territory. No one approached her and she was not disturbed by nightmares.

When morning came, the clearing became too warm for comfort and it was high time for her to move. She had two more Serpents to slay, not counting the trapped Sun Serpent. Water Serpent had to be near a body of water and the largest one was Lake Ilklala, which should be her next destination. She had no clues on how to deal with it yet. Earth Serpent she knew the weakness of, but did not know where to find it.

- Go back through Snatta Forest and over the bridge to the Lake.
- Go over the Horns of Ilklala to the Lake.
- Consult the compass.
 
>> Consult the compass <<
Morning came too soon and with it came the heat of the desert. Aquila rose swiftly, unwilling to linger in such a place, as she quietly thanked Panther for her protection during the night. She doubted it was her own good luck that had kept her safe. Around her the desert appeared to stretch on endlessly, the forest a distant smudge of green and the mountains an imposing earthern spine.

With four Serpents defeated and one captured Aquila would need to move on from this place. But which direction and route should she take? Aquila retrieved the compass from her pack, flipping it open with dexterous fingers as she peered inside. Hopefully this would answer her questions.
 
The compass reacted to something, the needle moved with purpose to northeast. It pointed toward an area of land on the other side of the huge broken bridge that spanned between two mountain ridges above the Snatta Forest. Travelling that way would require Aquila to use her Beacon to travel back in time of Ishtara so she can cross over the bridge to the other side. Alternatively she could simply go over the Horns of Ilklala, though that way would be more strenuous.

- Go back through Snatta Forest and over the bridge to the Lake.
- Go over the Horns of Ilklala to the Lake.
 
>> Go over the Horns of Ilklala to the Lake <<
The lid of the compass slipped shut with an audible click as the owner's lips twitched downward in a frown. Aquila had been warned against using too much magic in these lands, and the Birdmen already seemed to know she was here. Using the Beacon to cross the bridge would be a gamble. It would be harder to conquer the Horns of Ilklala but perhaps it would be safer?

With that decided Aquila steeled her resolve and placed the compass away again. Hopefully she could reach the same destination that it had suggested, just more cautiously. The Sun Serpent was still trapped in the orb and Elthera's suggestion to throw it away, into a deep lake or to bury it below the earth, was still weighing on her mind. Aquila would have to keep an eye out.
 
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She begun making her way up the mountainside as the hot sun was beating down on her. The slope was steep, yet there was a path of some sort that wound its way up the mountain, though it was long abandoned.

A few small stones and pebbled skittered downward beside her. The flurry of stones cascaded around her boots, making her ascent even more difficult as with every step she risked sliding down on the gravel.

She passed by a small stone fissure that might provide shelter in case the rockfall got any worse. And it was getting worse. Stones the size of Bomba fruit begun rushing crazily down the slope and more were following them now, getting larger by the moment.

- Shelter in the fissure.
- Go back.
- Cast a spell.
 
>> Shelter in the fissure <<
Apprehension began to grow alongside the size of the stones as they descended down the steep slopes. Aquila grimaced as she attempted to push forward up the track only to find that the avalanche was getting worse by the second. She needed to take shelter. Distantly she recalled the fissure in the rock, a small place that she could take shelter in. On slightly shaky feet Aquila retraced her steps and slipped into the fissure of safety, hoping to wait it out for now.
 
She squeezed into the fissure as the avalanche gathered force. Boulders stampeded like buffalo down the slope. Suddenly the walls of the fissure itself were starting to move. It was squeezing in on itself!

The shrinking fissure forced Aquila out of it, lest she risked being crushed inside. She could barely fit through the opening now and once she pulled herself free she was into the avalanche again. Knocked down as the whole earth turned sideways. She rolled almost vertically down the slope in a torrent of rocks and boulders.

A moment later she hit solid ground somewhere a fourth of the way up the mountain. The rumbling of the rocks was only getting louder and as she looked up, she saw something she had never seen before.

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A colossal Rock Demon! She had been walking across its sleeping back, but now it was awake! And it seemed the fissure she took shelter in was the crook of its elbow. The Giant stomped its foot, only narrowly missing her.

- Draw your weapon.
- Run for it.
- Cast a spell.
 
>> Cast a spell <<

Cerulean eyes widened impossibly as Aquila stared up at the stone giant above her in genuine horror. There was nothing she could do, no weapons she owned that could possibly harm such a creature. As the foot of the giant narrowly missed her Aquila did the only thing she could think of and conjured a physical shield around herself then ran for it.
 

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