OoC: Mwahahaha!! I'm on top of things this round.
Good luck to my opponents. May the best person win.
Thanks go to Wielder and "Addressing Stars" from the Baten Kaitos soundtrack for helping the CJ flow necessary for this post.
IC:
Stars glimmered faintly overhead, dotting the ebony night sky like diamonds set within folds of black velvet. The pearlescent moon, a rotund gleam of soft, pure light, was almost halfway to its zenith. Dancing in gentle swirls, the fresh night breezes played through the thick foliage of an ancient forest. The trees were wondrously huge, standing firm as the guardians of the earth for centuries untold. Life was abundant there, but for now, in the embrace of twilight, the vast majority of that life was in the throes of the dream world. Few of the forest’s myriad inhabitants noticed or cared about the lone Elven summoner slipping stealthily through the trees.
You are close now, Small One. We can all sense it. The pulse of heavily concentrated power…
Never once ceasing in her forward direction, Sileya opened her conscious a little further to the presences of the Ancient Dragons. Lithiuan, the Dragon of Light, had been the one to speak.
And you’re certain I’m still heading in the right direction?
There was hardly a pause.
Most certain. You should reach the nexus of power any moment now. What form or shape it will take, however, we do not know.
The warrior-summoner nodded to herself as she maintained her steady stride.
I’ll keep that in mind, then.
Soon after this brief exchange had finished, the terrain began to noticeably slope upward at about a forty-five degree angle. The forest itself also started to thin considerably, allowing Sileya to dart much faster up the incline. She could feel it herself, now. There was definitely something of incredible magical strength at the summit. Breaking into a full-out run, the Elf covered the last several yards to the top in a matter of mere moments. The sight that met her eyes upon reaching her destination nearly took her breath away.
Sprawled out across the hilltop was a temple, pristine and perfectly white in the pale glow of the moon. It looked as if it had just been built yesterday. Not a stone was out of place, not a scratch visible upon the granite and marble surfaces. Giant, Corinthian-style columns lined the entire front of the main temple building, which vaguely resembled something out of ancient Greek or Roman culture, though Sileya wouldn’t have been able to identify it as such. But the most prominent aspect of this hidden temple was the dragon theme that ran rampant over it. Statues of dragons in all sizes, forms, and colors dotted the hilltop, silent guardians of their sacred home. The outside walls of the clustered buildings depicted more dragons in brilliant frescos, their powerful, sinuous forms almost seeming to fly or leap off the stones. The entire scene was one of awe-inspiring beauty, especially to the Favored of the Ancient Dragons.
“It’s…breath-taking…” Sileya whispered.
Yes, indeed. The energy is concentrated here. Inside the main temple, more specifically. We still can’t determine just what it is, though.
“Mm…I understand. I suppose I’ll just have to go inside and see for myself, eh?”
Trailing a hand behind her to the hilt of Drageziel, Sileya eased the magnificent broadsword gently in its sheath. There was no telling what sorts of things she could encounter inside that ancient structure. No sooner had she taken three steps toward the dragon statue-guarded entrance than the sound of a twig snapping underfoot came from behind her. In one smooth motion, the Elven warrior-summoner bared Drageziel’s gleaming blade and whirled around to search her surroundings for signs of what had caused the noise. She sighed inwardly.
I just wanted to take a look inside a temple. Is it too much to ask to be able to do that without some sort of interruption?