Ku Ten'hekan, the Desert Ruin

[Lykan]

Ku Ten'hekan was once a grand city, a series of towers visible everywhere in the desert. Now, it is nothing but a series of crumbled and incredibly weathered buildings, home to bandits, giant vermin, and monster alike.

It's a big, open air dungeon. Have fun.

[AmberVael]

A portal opens, and Hiko and Aesa step through.
Aesa concentrates and tries to sense the spear part.

[Lykan]

The spear part seems to be around a good 100 ft. under the ground of a shrine to the north.

Hiko draws his swords, looking around

Which building is it in?

[AmberVael]

Its in a shrine, over there.
Aesa points it out and starts heading towards it.
Her rod appears in her hand.

[Lykan]

Hiko follows

A bulbous looking spike comes out of nowhere and strikes where Hiko was a moment before

And the fun begins.

[AmberVael]

Aesa hops into the air and looks around as she continues flying.

[Lykan]

A giant scorpions is perched on the rubble of another building, striking down at Hiko

Ooooh... Big bad buggy!

he lauches an orb of fire at it's tail when it strikes down again, making it screech.

[AmberVael]

Aesa flings an Orb of Force at it, trying to smack it in the eyes.

[Lykan]

The scorpion screeches and leaps up towards Aesa, snapping its pincers and trying to grab her. Hiko throws his sword into its underbelly.

[AmberVael]

It snaps Aesa's wing just for an instant, and throws off her rythym and pace. She falls to the ground and lands badly on her arm, but is able to point her hand back at it and shoot a bolt of lightning.

[Lykan]

The beast screeches as its carapace pops and hisses under the intense heat, and it backs away. Hiko drops a fireball on it before running over to Aesa

Are you okay!?

[AmberVael]

Yeah, I'm good. Damn.
Aesa stands and brushes herself off. The arm that she landed on, by all rights, should be broken.
It isn't though. It just has scrapes and bruises.

[Lykan]

He hugs her as the scorpion circles around them again

I'm glad you're alright...

[AmberVael]

Aesa smiles and creates a sword of force to fend off the scorpion.

[Lykan]

Hiko grins, turning aruond, and he sighs as the scorpion charges again

You want this, or should I do it?

[AmberVael]

Go for it, Hiko.
She winks.
I'll be watching.

[Lykan]

He grins, kissing Aesa again

Be right back...

The scorpion begins its charge again, screeching loudly. Hiko grins, taking out the blackstone katana, and turning it into a longspear. He then teleports to the other side of a battlefeild, standing in front of a pratially crumbles wall, and tosses a lightning bolt at the scorpion to get its attention.

COME AND GET ME, YOU PEICE OF CRAP!

The scorpion, confused, makes its way off toward Hiko again, screeching. When the thing is 15 ft. away he braces it against the corner of the wall, and skewers it on its own weight...

[AmberVael]

Aesa smiles as she watches him, then teleports back over to his side.
Now, lets keep going.
She takes his arm and procedes to make her way to the shrine.

[Lykan]

Hiko smiles, drawing his blade back out again and follows her. The shrine is still standing somewhat, a dome of stone with bits of the roof missing, allowing the desert sun to shine inside. No creatures appear to be on the first floor of the esablishment, though there's definetly some sort of nest there...

[AmberVael]

Aesa holds up her other hand and lets fire gutter in it. She peers around curiously as she keeps going.

[Lykan]

Hiko bites his lip as several high pitched screeches emit from the nest, and a gutteral roar emits from outside the building

Next floor, dear?

He looks through the impromtu skylights of the building, half expecting whatever roared to crash through the ceiling

[AmberVael]

Aesa smiles at him.
Of course. Lead the way.

[Lykan]

Hiko looks saround for something akin to a staircase, but only finds a hole. He sighs

I'm glad you gave wings... I can't cast feather fall.

He leaps down in the hole

GERANIMOOooooo!

*thunk*

[AmberVael]

Aesa falls down after him and uses her wings to slow her fall.

[Lykan]

Hiko obviously did not land on his feet, seeing as how he was no just begining to stand as Aesa landed. Ahead of them is a corridor turning left, and right.

[AmberVael]

Aesa uses her Seid to determine which way would be the best to go.

[Lykan]

The left path is inadvisable, considering that it is just a series of traps an monsters which leads to a dead end without the peice.

[AmberVael]

Aesa leads Hiko towards the right.

[Lykan]

the room opens to a wide open room, with rows of seats in front of a bloodstained alter, and a knife through the heart of a skelaton

[AmberVael]

Oh fun.
Aesa release Hiko's arm and walks over to the skeleton, then picks up the knife if she can.

[Lykan]

A deluge of necroic energy pours up through the blade as Aesa tries to pluck it from the skelatons chest. Hiko looks around the room

... Woah... This archetechture is amazing...

[AmberVael]

Yowch!
Aesa snatches her hand back and concentrates on draining Seid to rid herself of the energy.
She looks a bit tired now.

[Lykan]

The energy is rid of her fairly easily

Hiko dashes over to her

Are you okay?

[AmberVael]

Damn dagger has some kind of necromantic energy flowing through it.
Aesa tries to use a mage hand to budge the dagger.

[Lykan]

The dagger comes free farely easily, but necrotic energy begins to pour from the spot where it was taken out.

... That's not too good.

He summons a wall of stone around the alter in an attempt to seal the flow. He seems successful

[AmberVael]

Now thats curious.
Aesa uses Greater Arcane Sight to try and figure out how it worked and what exactly it did.

[Lykan]

The flow appears to be a permenent small gate to the Negative Energy Plane.

The dagger, on the other hand, is on the opposite axis, a holy relic of sorts.

Hiko touches the stone and shivers

Gods... What the hell is this?

[AmberVael]

There is a gate to the negative energy plane. Not very pleasant.
Aesa attempts to create a small teleportation to warp the dagger to her hand.

[Lykan]

She is successful

Hiko begins sketching the room, his demeanor changing back to awe when he finds that Aesa is okay.

[AmberVael]

Aesa closes her eyes and uses a disjunction to try and close the gate.

[Lykan]

Her spell is not successful. The gate is not so much a spell. Rather, it's a tear in the plane leading to the plane of negative energy. In other words, such a spell is unlikely to work.

[AmberVael]

Aesa sighs, then begins channeling energies to simply reweave the tear between the planes to close it.
She can feel her work draining her.

[Lykan]

Hiko makes his way over to Aesa and hugs her, partially out of love, partially to keep her steady.

The tear is closed.

[AmberVael]

Aesa leans back and relaxes against him.
Mmmm... I'm going to need to rest after this.

[Lykan]

Hiko smiles

Well... We'll be done soon, 'kay?

[AmberVael]

Aesa nods and shifts back to standing on her own, then reaches out to try and sense the direction of the fragment.

[Lykan]

The last peice seems to be directy below them, a few floors down. Hiko kisses her

If you want, I can get the last peice, and you can go back to the Spire and rest...

[AmberVael]

No no, I'll be fine. Lets keep going.
Aesa smiles at him and looks for a way down, tucking the dagger in her belt.

[Lykan]

Hiko nods

Where's the thing?

[AmberVael]

Right below us, a few floors down.
I could try and do a small portal jump down there...

[Lykan]

He shrugs, a ball of pulsing energy appearing in his hand

That, or we can just blow a hole in the ground.

[AmberVael]

Aesa grins.
I like the way you think.
She puts her arms around him and waits.

[Lykan]

He gathers a bit more energy before dropping the sonic orb onto the foor and letting it explode, creating a crator in the floor. He grumbles, and drops anoter one, creating a 5 ft. wide hole in the floor. He bows, gesturing to the hole

Ladies first.

[AmberVael]

Aesa smiles and drops down, tucking her wings close to her body to fit through.

[Lykan]

Hiko follows

The room below is a bottomless looking pit, with cliffs jutting out at various points, and a door leading to them. Hiko's wings catch air again about sixty feet downwards, and he circles the room

Which way?

[AmberVael]

Aesa concentrates on finding it again.

[Lykan]

Aesa's vision shows that the path leading to the peice is on a door around fourty feet down from the ceiling, with a door adorned with green marble and silver.

[AmberVael]

Its up a little. Right over...
Aesa flies up and looks for it.

[Lykan]

Hiko nods and lands on the cliff next to the door, and without thoughts for traps and such, kicks the door in. The room within is small, with a single skelaton sitting on a throne at the other side of the room

[AmberVael]

Aesa flies over and lands, leaning on the doorframe.

[Lykan]

Hiko enters, cautiously, and then a voice rings out frm the skelaton

Those who seek thee treasure of the past must prove their worth in knowledge to attain it! Will you take my challenge!?

Hiko looks back to Aesa, raising an eyebrow

[AmberVael]

You're on, bones. See if you can do jack against us.
Aesa goes inside.

[Lykan]

Hiko grins, crossing his arms, the skelaton springs to life, sitting up in the chair and leaning in toward the pair

Very well... Answer me these questions three:

First: I am ever consuming, but to drink from where life springs brings me death. What am I?

[AmberVael]

Fire.
Aesa idly spins her rod.

[Lykan]

The skelaton hisses, and Hiko smiles

Yes, yes... Fire, the ever consuming energy, and enemy of water, which most life needs...

Second riddle: When is it unlucky to come across a white cat?

[AmberVael]

There is no such thing as luck, you moronic skeleton. Only fate. You want to argue with that, and I'll make you not exist.

[Lykan]

The skelaton hisses

WRONG! LEAVE THIS PLACE!

Suddenly, a Teleportation Circle appears on the floor, and the pair appear in the middle of the desert. Hiko chuckles

Well... Looks like that's not the answer.

[AmberVael]

Aesa growls and teleports them back to the same place and to the side of the teleport circle.

[Lykan]

Hiko leans against the wall. The skelaton speak again

Those who seek the treasure of the past must prove their worth in knowledge to attain it! Will you take my challenge!?

[AmberVael]

Aesa ignores the skeleton and tries to find the location of the spear piece.

[Lykan]

The location of the spear is either being masked, or it is not where it is supposed to be.

Hiko bites his lip

Umm... Sure. Go ahead.

When is it unlucky to come across a white cat?

When you're a mouse.

Correct. What is so delicate, that saying its name will break it?

[AmberVael]

Aesa grins.
Silence.

[Lykan]

The skelaton hisses, but nothing happens

What has a mouth, but never eats?

[AmberVael]

A river. asjdlaksjd

[McBish]

((And a bed but never sleeps.))

[Lykan]

The skelaton hisses

Correct... One final riddle:

This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down.

((couldn't resist. ^_^))

[AmberVael]

You said three questions, you lying stack of bone. Time.

[Lykan]

The skelaton hisses

Yeees... It is time. Let the doors be open, for the riches of Ku Ten'hekan be yours!

The entire room seems ripped away, as though sucked into a black hole, and reveals a vast room filled with mounds of gold and gems, weapons and armor, and a green rod, enshrined in the middle of it all...

Hiko stares on in wonder

Woah...

[AmberVael]

Aesa sways a little, then lays a hand on the wall. She triggers her ring and teleports in a couple of portable holes. She opens them and uses a spell to create a mass of unseen servants to begin scooping up the treasure and putting it into the holes.

[Lykan]

Hiko hugs her tight

Ready to go home, then?

[AmberVael]

Aesa nods and leans against him, clearly tired.

[Lykan]

Hiko smiles, and teleports them and the treasure back to Mist Spire.