The Final Hour Looms Near

[Jent]

"... If there is something more to the souls leaving their bodies in this shape... Best to find out before the trail gets cold..."

Determined to see through what might lay in wait ahead, the Jentil strained himself to summon a grey cane to help support his weight. "Can't... Dilly-dally," he said weakly, trying to walk towards the direction Mina indicated.

[Swix]

Watching in concern, the Dragon Knight strolled along with the Jentil, making sure to keep an eye out for him if he should happen to fall while following the trail left behind by the souls to wherever it was they were headed towards.

[Jent]

Traveling together through the woods, the pair carefully followed the spiritual trail path out by the suspiciously departed souls of the bandits. A faint scent of running river would greet them first as they eventually arrived at where the trail ended. Slumbering, the familiar behemoth Mina witnessed attacking her own tower rested in front of the ruins of an eerie temple site.

"... Tartarus," the Jentil whispered to the Dragon Knight. He referred to the ruins that sat behind the sleeping cyclops, indicating with a hand weakly. "Appears the underground Temple has something blocking our way."

[Swix]

"Yes" Mina acknowledged, her vision somewhat fixated on the cyclops "This behemoth attacked my Tower and caused us to lose a young Dragoness we were trying to help that had been taken advantage of by some ruthless person before she came into her care. If we need to pass by him, I would not be averse to taking him on myself this time... As durable as you are, I do not think an altercation would be best for your health" She said, at first surprisingly eagerly, then apologetically. "Though perhaps we could sneak around to get to Tartarus"

[Jent]

"... I am sorry that this beast caused so much trouble for you, Miss," Drausus slowly answered, coughing some from internal disturbance in his chest. As much the Jentil wished to enact his own justice to Tartalo, he reluctantly agreed with added mention. "This 'Temple' is believed to only open for a short while during dawn and dusk... Might be difficult to wait it out if this cyclops could wake up at anytime... Unless you have another idea?"

[Swix]

Mina thought for a few seconds, then shook her head "None that come to mind that could get our physical bodies in there without waiting-and it seems this Temple also exists in the astral plane. Waiting until dawn would seem our only option"

[Jent]

Drausus quietly sighed, hoping there be another option. "... We might want to get some distance between us and 'him,' to be prepared for a possible fight." The Jentil steadied himself on his weight on the cane, waiting for Mina's thoughts of hiding.

[Swix]

"Good idea" Mina affirmed, before going to look for and wait in a hiding spot with the Jentil for dawn.

[Jent]

Hours faded by as the break of dawn slowly drifted up to greet the world of Ana. The two sat patiently as they kept themselves awake, hearing the stone slab that had sealed the Temple sluggishly moving aside to reveal the entrance. Unfortunately as they expected, the sound caused Tartalo to stir from his slumber.

[Mage of Mist]

An apparently normal white bird, small and not of much interest, had been following them through the trees, listening to them and then resting on a branch throughout the night... However when morning arrived, the bird awoken to the sound and saw 'Tarty' start to awaken. It gave a glance to Drausus and Mina...

<big><big>~Do not harm the temple walls, or the deity inside shall be angered...~</big></big>
Her voice, rather ominous in tone, would be heard in Drausus' and Mina's minds, before the bird then fluttered off and shifted into a much larger bird, similar to a Phoenix in appearance, as her cloaks faded to show that she infact was the goddess Shiranui. Said goddess... Then proceeded to land on Tarty's head, pecking at his nose, intending to get the sleepy giant to chase after her.

[Swix]

~Okay?~ Mina responded after being brought out of her meditative state somewhat confused but grateful for the help to Drausus. Spiritual cloaks had been used as well as physical to hide someone as powerful as that from the Dragon Knight.

"Drausus. Come on, we can go but we're gonna have to move fast" she said to her companion.

[Jent]

Drausus in astonishment of the celestial voice nearly buckled beside the Dragon Knight. Apparently, while staying quiet much of the time, the Gods still watched behind what he could grasp in perception. The Jentil broke away his direct attention in regards of Tartalo emerging from slumber, though catching the act of the 'Phoenix' taunting their bothersome brute.

<big>"RAAWWWR&#33;"</big>

"Of course," he breathed out to Mina. Exerting the reserves gained since the wait for dawn, Drausus would follow along with her to the depths of Tartarus. Quiet words of appreciation drifted through his mind for Shiranui's assistance. The constant pecking and flapping of plumage consumed all focus of the cyclops, determined to squash the annoying pest as he charged after it.

[Swix]

The Dragon Knight rushed past the cyclops with Drausus to the inner corridors of Tartarus, following the souls trails to wherever it would lead them.

[Jent]

Tartarus... Spoken of being the forsaken dungeon of immortals imprisoned by their own kind for dire transgressions. The two flesh-bound beings descend through the eerie temple, air thick in sensation of danger. By all around them, etchings of writing both familiar and uncanny to their own understanding of the world and those beyond Pax's existence faintly glowed with each hurried step. Only the steady glimmer of a lost soul guided Mina and Drausus towards the source to its entrapment.

"... Certainly lives up to the name," he murmured against the Dragon Knight, wary of speaking that word openly in either voice or air on the chance it awoken an unnatural force from its slumber.

[Swix]

"... If you say so..." Mina answered back, though the name and it's meaning was entirely unfamiliar to one from such an immediately different world than his. Still, this place almost oozed a ssnse of similar presence to ancient Towers that held forsaken knowledge and beings in her own world. Wariness seemed to be the best idea. "They're still going.."