Heroic Impulse {IC|Semi-Open}

[Lessoni]

Jackie Dredson

Jackie felt a wry smile stretch across his face as he saw his bullets graze. She seemed to be gettin' tired, that was for sure. And they had numbers on their side, always a huge advantage in any attack. And the little goblin was dead, and the key on the ground. Someone needed to get that... ah, screw it, someone else could get it

He reloaded, 24 bullets left in his pouch. He was gonna need to refill back on the ship, that was for sure. He aimed, emptying his lungs, and fired 12 times, putting a few seconds in between each six bullets to try and keep her from blowing them all away. Might not work, but couldn't hurt to try. With that done, he surveyed the battlefield for wounds. Luckily, everyone seemed in working order at the moment. Count your blessings, alright.

[Endem]

Eler Yke

Hawk and Snake combo in the face

His arrows hit, he was behind Au's back some distance away, a perfect opportunity. He activated his magic ability and this time he was able to find two beings that he took control of, a Hawk and a Snake ( venomous one ). He made the hawk pick up a snake and to go up in the air, the snake did not resist as both of them were now not enemies but allies. He then directed his hand towards Au and at the same time, the hawk has started to descend. It flew over Au's head dropping the snake on it before attacking itself.

Eler then started to walk towards the key, while Au would be distracted he wanted to pick the key up from the goblin he and another man killed. If he was able to pick up the key, he knew he will get it to someone else hands and go to fight Au. Of course, he still had his sword in his second hand

[Castle Crashers]

Battle with Au
The Swiftpeak Citadel’s Island
Approaching the rear entrance of the Citadel

---

It was starting to appear as if Au bit off more than she could handle as her opponents engaged with her. While some tried to engage her front on, others were attempting to get around her. This was to be expected, as they wanted the key, and by eliminating Graas the goblin they could obtain it. There was a more tactical advantage to getting around her as well, that being she would be forced to fight while surrounded. For most lone Oni warriors this would have been a hopeless situation, but Au was not a lone Oni warrior.

First she had to survive the gunslinger lining her up. As Jackie pulled the trigger of his guns, Au swung her club. Once again, the bullets where blown off course, but this time not nearly as much. As such, none of the bullets hit her anywhere vital and most just grazed her. The arrows fired by Eler however did hit her, but she didn't notice them. The blast of air was not nearly strong enough this time to create a stagger. But unlike before, Au never got a chance to surge forward, as the lightning called down by Salem struck its target. Au fell to a knee and started to breath more ragged. The lightning seemed to have great effect, however, Graas still held on and as Irie approached the breathing turned to a chuckle. Just as Irie was about to strike, Au swung her club upwards as she got up. The club made contact with the priestess and sending the poor priestess skyward.

"That was a litte shocking." Au said as she chuckled. The chuckles stopped as the sound of something hitting the ground came from behind her. Jorgen's bullets and Eler's arrows hit their mark, and Graas fell to the ground, releasing the Key from his cold dead hands. Au turned to look at the dead goblin for a moment, but then she crouched down, and whispered, "Rest in peace Graas, you will not have died for nothing."

The next moment, Au surged forward, and swung her club at Jorgen. Au moved faster than they had seen before, and gave Jorgen no opportunity to react as the club made contact with his side. The force and angle sent Jorgen airborne, and on a collision course with the airborne Irie. She didn't dwell on watching Jorgen go airborne as she turned towards Salem.

"You're next." Au said and charged.

As this was going on, the dryad twins were successful in catching Fi.

"Damn." Fi said to herself as she took a step forward, and looked to the dryad twins, "Thanks for the catch. Might want to catch the others... Where is Silas?"

To say Lucina was shocked was far from the truth. Yes, she knew the expedition would be dangerous, that there would be risks...but not this. Her father never told her it would be like this. How could she have known it would end up this way? So, perhaps in the end, it made sense why she was so terrified, so stricken with fear in that moment...that she couldn't do anything. She wouldn't do anything. She had never liked fighting, had never even liked arguing. But as she stood there, fear-stricken, watching her teammates get bashed and thrown around, getting...hurt, she felt herself snap from her trance. Now was no time to stand around and cower, was it..? No...her teammates needed her! She needed to help with whatever she could...but what..?

As Lucina watched Au fling Irie skyward, the demihuman finally decided to join the fight. "Hold on!" She yelled, running forward, throwing her hand up to the priestess as a layer of ice surrounded Irie, thick enough that if no one caught her, she'd keep from getting serious injury when hitting the ground. This of course left Lucina with no kind of armored protection for herself, but she often cared little for that. Helping others had always been her priority. Once more analyzing her situation as her ears straightened as she thought, processed her area, she noticed the goblin fall dead to the ground, dropping the Key with it. Everyone was too busy fighting Au...maybe, just maybe, she could help..! Yes, an opportunity to truly utilize her skills, to show her team what she could do!

Her brow furrowed as she grew determined, ducked down, and broke into a mad sprint, agilely dodging between the people surrounding Au, doing her best to stay out of range of the club. Once behind Au, her blue eyes locked onto the goblin. It was dangerous, risky, but maybe, just maybe, she was fast enough to pull it off...

Her tail dodging behind her, she dashed for the Key, assuredly keeping away from staying in a straight line as she made her way, zoned into the dead hands of the goblin, maybe, just maybe, being too careless of what Au was doing. Eler was approaching as well, but she was far more quick and more graceful in her approach. Without even the slightest hesitation, she scooped the sword up into her hands, not stopping for a moment before she continued to run, now aiming to get as far from Au as possible. She was sweating, her heart raced, and she was terrified out of her wits. But if they didn't get that Key, if they didn't stop Au from getting it...who knew what would happen? Why even give a chance of letting the bad guys win? She could only hope that somehow, she could pull this off...

[Charlia]

Battle with Au
The Swiftpeak Citadel’s Island
Approaching the rear entrance of the Citadel

---

It was starting to appear as if Au bit off more than she could handle as her opponents engaged with her. While some tried to engage her front on, others were attempting to get around her. This was to be expected, as they wanted the key, and by eliminating Graas the goblin they could obtain it. There was a more tactical advantage to getting around her as well, that being she would be forced to fight while surrounded. For most lone Oni warriors this would have been a hopeless situation, but Au was not a lone Oni warrior.

First she had to survive the gunslinger lining her up. As Jackie pulled the trigger of his guns, Au swung her club. Once again, the bullets where blown off course, but this time not nearly as much. As such, none of the bullets hit her anywhere vital and most just grazed her. The arrows fired by Eler however did hit her, but she didn't notice them. The blast of air was not nearly strong enough this time to create a stagger. But unlike before, Au never got a chance to surge forward, as the lightning called down by Salem struck its target. Au fell to a knee and started to breath more ragged. The lightning seemed to have great effect, however, Graas still held on and as Irie approached the breathing turned to a chuckle. Just as Irie was about to strike, Au swung her club upwards as she got up. The club made contact with the priestess and sending the poor priestess skyward.

"That was a litte shocking." Au said as she chuckled. The chuckles stopped as the sound of something hitting the ground came from behind her. Jorgen's bullets and Eler's arrows hit their mark, and Graas fell to the ground, releasing the Key from his cold dead hands. Au turned to look at the dead goblin for a moment, but then she crouched down, and whispered, "Rest in peace Graas, you will not have died for nothing."

The next moment, Au surged forward, and swung her club at Jorgen. Au moved faster than they had seen before, and gave Jorgen no opportunity to react as the club made contact with his side. The force and angle sent Jorgen airborne, and on a collision course with the airborne Irie. She didn't dwell on watching Jorgen go airborne as she turned towards Salem.

"You're next." Au said and charged.

As this was going on, the dryad twins were successful in catching Fi.

"Damn." Fi said to herself as she took a step forward, and looked to the dryad twins, "Thanks for the catch. Might want to catch the others... Where is Silas?"

As soon as he saw the club hitting the young priestess, August froze in place. I have to catch her. If someone doesn't, she could be seriously hurt--she could even die--but I can't--

He couldn't remove his cloak, couldn't reveal his secret, not after what had happened the last time people had found out what he was. But he also couldn't just stand by and watch this happen--

Much to his relief, someone else intervened, helping to protect the girl from injury. "Thank the gods," he whispered.

---

Irie didn't have much time to register what was about to happen before the club struck her, and everything fell out of her mind, replaced only by pain. Her chest practically screamed in agony, and had she been capable of it she would have realized that she'd probably had several ribs cracked, if not worse. But then she was freefalling, and terrified, crying out in fear. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to--

Yet in moments, a cold shell surrounded her, and when she hit the ground she found herself mostly uninjured, save the pain in her chest and a soreness that meant she'd likely be heavily bruised later. Still, when she tried to move, the pain hit her again, and she set about simply healing her own wounds rather than attempt to rejoin the fray.

---

Au seemed to be heavily distracted, which meant that Karlin had a shot at her--the oni was moving quickly, but as a Ranger, it wouldn't do for Karlin to be unable to hit a moving target, and she fired multiple shots once again, trusting in her impeccable aim.

---

Salem didn't have a lot of time to react before Au reached her, but in the end, she simply crouched down and placed a hand on the ground in front of her, before lifting it quickly and erecting a barrier of sorts between them--an electrical field, bolts of lightning crashing down over and over again. Go ahead, keep running. I dare you.

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Battle with Au
The Swiftpeak Citadel’s Island
Near the rear entrance of the Citadel

---

Maybe charging straight forward was not the best idea. But it was the only idea that Au had in her head at the time. She knew that there was a chance that Doi, Nura, Waka and Graas would die, but still, it upset her. And this lead her to acting recklessly, and seeming abandoning any plan that she had for kill everyone and then take the Key. But her enemies would not sit around and let her have her way.

The gunshots from Jackie’s pistol rang out, as he fired all his remaining rounds towards the charging Oni. Despite the fact that his aim was perfect, Au’s charge was not interrupted. Why was it not interrupted? Well, that was because despite perfect aim, only a few bullets hit Au, and the ones that hit either hit non-vital areas or just grazed her. It was as if she was being protected in her charge by an unseen power.

This was not the only strange thing to happen around the charging Au, as seen with what happened to the snake controlled by Eler. As the snake was dropped, it would not find itself landing on Au. Instead, as it left the talons of the hawk, the space below it started to ripple, and the snake disappeared, only to appear a moment later falling onto Eler’s shoulders.

Much like the bullets fired by Jackie, Karlin’s rounds would have done something. But as the bullets neared their target, they froze in the air, allowing Au to push past them. Only once Au was past them did the bullets unfreeze and find themselves making contact with the ground. Again, some unknown force protected her.

“Shit…” Fi mumbled before the dryad twins could respond to her. Without saying anything more, she rushed forwards, charging the charging Oni. As Fi charged, Alicia and Min-Ki fired, only to witness the same thing that happened to Karlin’s bullets happen to theirs. Holding her spear in her hand, she lunged forward at Au just as Salem’s electrifying wall was erected. Just as it looked like Fi’s spear would penetrate the flesh of the charging Oni, something strange happened again. Fi simply disappeared.

The next moment saw Au nearly collide with the barrier created by Salem. Except she didn’t. Instead the space just in front of Au rippled and she stepped into it, only to disappear completely. Moments after, and she did not reappear. Au just simply vanished to the ground expeditionary team. But like the snake that was under the control of Eler, she didn’t just disappear, but appeared somewhere else. Back on the bridge of the Blood Ark.

Someone did reappear a minute or so after the disappearance of Au, and that someone was Fi. She appeared and fell face first into the dirt. A second later she rose to her feet, with a look of panic on her face. The panic quickly disappeared as she looked at the rest of the group.
“What are you looking at?” Fi said, “We got the key. We need to get out of here.”

With that she started back towards the Aetherwing, only stopping to help Silas up as he started to regain consciousness. As they all started back to the ship, if they were to look to the sky, they would see the Blood Ark and the ships that came with it sailing into the clouds to disappear from sight. Lucine would also experience something strange.

”Ah… little Lucine Verrninas…” a strange, feminine voice whispered in Lucine’s mind, ”So, the Key of Order falls into the hands of the blind… Or are you using them as a means to the end? No matter… You seek the Keys and that’s all that matters sweet child… After countless millennia, the Keys are being gathered… Let me aid you child, so that you can find them sooner, and achieve what you desire. Three places, three Keys…. Where the Sun embraces Aeria. Where the Moon kisses Aeria. And where life springs forth under the eyes of Zakenta. I wish you luck sweet child... ”

---

Au Howaitosan
On the Blood Ark’s Bridge
Leaving Sight of Swiftpeak Citadel

---

“Wha-” Au said as she looked around. She was just about to collide with a wall of lightning, but now, she was back on the Blood Ark. “I was just… Wait…”

With that she saw the back of what looked like a human, standing and looking out at the Swiftpeak Citadel. Au did not need to see his face, nor hear his voice to recognize the man, for she figured out what happened and knew that it was the result of this individual’s magic. A magic that shouldn’t be possible, from a man who shouldn’t be. It also helped that the clothing of the individual in front of her was quite unique.

“Lemures.” Au said and took a knee, “They killed them. Doi. Nura. Waka. Graas… I promised to protect them...”

“That explains why you charged.” Lemures spoke and signaled for Au to stand without looking back at her. “It was reckless, but expected. It is a shame that they had to die, but there death will not be in vain… after all, we never planned to take the Key of Order now did we?”

“No…” Au said, “But still, it doesn’t feel right…”

“Trust the plan. We all have our own part to play.” Lemures spoke as the space in front of him opened up, revealing what looked to be the bridge of a different ship. “The Restoration will succeed. The world shall be changed as the true heir to Zenith will return and we shall have what we desire most...”
“Understood.” Au said as Lemures stepped through the hole in space, and watched as the hole closed up behind him. She then sighed and whispered to herself, “I will place my trust in you, not the plan…”

---

TIMESKIP - The Next Morning

---

A Meeting of the Ground Expeditionary Team
The Mess Hall, The Aetherwing
Airspace Between Nations

---

It was announced suddenly, but no earlier than any other announcement. The crew was already expected to be up by time the announcement for the Ground Expeditionary Team to gather in the Mess Hall for a meeting. Within the next few minutes, the team had all gathered at the Mess hall. Waiting for them at a table was Sir Silas, Min-Ki with all his books, Fi and Alicia.

“Everyone take a seat.” Silas spoke and gestured to the seats around the table. “I have called this meeting for a few reasons. First, you all should know about who it was we fought yesterday at Swiftpeak. Au Howaitosan. The Drunken Hammer of the Howaitosan Clan. She is perhaps the most dangerous Oni the Epostolis knows of. That said, the Epostolis only knows she is incredible strong and fights for the Howaitosan Clan. But from what we saw yesterday, I can say that something strange is happening. She no longer seems to be fighting for the Howaitosan Clan, and is in command of a ship that should not exist anymore. Not only that, but her forces are far better equipped than any Horde recorded… Which brings me to the second reason for this meeting, Fi if you would.”

“Yep. The second reason is who we think Au was working for.” Fi said, “It is possible that she is working for a group that has been calling themselves the Restoration. I have had a run in or two with beings working for them. Well, saying that she is working for them could be wrong… Not much is known about the Restoration, but we do know that it is under the leadership of six incredibly powerful beings. There is reason to believe that Au is one of the leaders of the Restoration. She fits the rumored description of the Head General of the Restoration; a drunken female Oni warrior with skin as red as blood and hair as white as snow. If this is true, then we can expect that the Restoration is also looking for the Keys, so we need to not only take greater care in our mission but also find these Keys fast.”

“Which then brings us to the final point of this meeting.” Silas spoke, “Min-Ki?”

“Oh? Yes.” Min-Ki said, looking up from a book, “We need to find the rest of the Keys, and assuming that they are like the Swiftpeak Blade, as in they are relics of legends, then we might be able to find them by hitting the books. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of legends and possible Keys. However, after studying the Swiftpeak Blade, I may have identified a list of possible relics that are Keys.”

With that Min-Ki pulled out a piece of rolled up parchment and started unrolling it. Once it was unrolled it became clear that there were lots of possibilities.

“As you can see, I need to narrow down the list.” Min-Ki said and shrugged, “At least to another four possibilities, as I have identified two more relics that could be Keys. Unfortunately, if the relics that I have identified exist, then they are in the Dark Realm. So, before we search for those, perhaps it is better to see if any can be found in our mortal realm…”

“So, if anyone has any ideas of where a Key could be, please talk with Min-Ki.” Silas said, “And that is the last point of the meeting… so any questions? If you don’t have any questions, you may be dismissed.”

[Endem]

Eler Yke

Something snake like landed on his shoulder, he then looked at whatever it was, and to his surprise, it was the snake that he took control off. He lifted him off his shoulder and placed on the ground, making it slither away and releasing it, the same has gone for the hawk. He then watched as Au disappeared into some kind of ripple in space.

As Eler listened to what Min-Ki and as he listened he only got more frustrated, for him it basically boiled down to, we don't know where the keys are so let's make random assumptions not based on anything. With nothing worth the time for him, he simply left the mess hall as soon as the meeting was over and went to the main deck, to look at the vast skies of Aeria, to be closer to the sun, and to be closer to nature. He enjoyed such things, it was one of the things that kept him sane in the forest...

[Vulnier]

Jorgen Otoro

Jorgen was sitting down, deep in thought as the meeting was reaching it's conclusion. The demihuman tried to lean forward from where he sat, a small grunt being heard as the place he had been hit by Au flaring up with soreness and pain. Just looking at the piece of parchment , Jorgen couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed, so many legends, and so many locations tied with them. And not enough time.

Looking toward Min-Ki, Jorgen spoke up. "Are there any locations or legends in Epostolis we could look through?" Jorgen readjusted himself, trying to sit himself up a bit straighter, "I mean, we already had the Swiftpeak Blade in our possession, so there is bound to be another key somewhere in Epostolis territory, no?"

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Jorgen Otoro

Jorgen was sitting down, deep in thought as the meeting was reaching it's conclusion. The demihuman tried to lean forward from where he sat, a small grunt being heard as the place he had been hit by Au flaring up with soreness and pain. Just looking at the piece of parchment , Jorgen couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed, so many legends, and so many locations tied with them. And not enough time.

Looking toward Min-Ki, Jorgen spoke up. "Are there any locations or legends in Epostolis we could look through?" Jorgen readjusted himself, trying to sit himself up a bit straighter, "I mean, we already had the Swiftpeak Blade in our possession, so there is bound to be another key somewhere in Epostolis territory, no?"

Valerian

"Technically possible yes, I would even say probable." I start, trying to think of how to word it but just decide to go ahead with bluntness. "But the Epostolis is one of the largest nations in the world and, given its age, there are many, many, legends and myths floating around it. Likely the most obvious ones would have been investigated by this point so we would have a lot of ground to cover to pursue the less obvious ones, potentially that could take us years. It might be best if we consider looking outside Epostolis. If we focus on narrow but likely areas we can at least eliminate them quickly and spread out from there. Or alternatively we cover areas where there is a lot of myths and legends and try to find a common thread... actually that might work, if we check for areas where there are quite a few myths but each one has its own... spin so to speak we might be able to narrow it down quickly to its root and see if there is anything there."

[Lessoni]

“So, if anyone has any ideas of where a Key could be, please talk with Min-Ki.” Silas said, “And that is the last point of the meeting… so any questions? If you don’t have any questions, you may be dismissed.”

Jackie racked his brains for any ideas. Surely some outlaw he'd run with at any point in his years gunslinging had mentioned some artifact that might match a description like this...

"Hey, Min-Ki. Back when I was operating on the frontiers, I heard tell of an artifact that might be just what we're lookin' for. It was a sword, "pparently could cut steel without much effort. Was supposedly older than time itself. Locked away somewhere out there, in the outlands. Sure I could find someone who can give us a little more detail. I know plenty a old timers out there."

He cast his mind back, back to his lawless days. He thought of anyone who might be able to help... yes, there was the old Coot if he was still around. And probably more, if he wasn't.

[Castle Crashers]

Battle with Au
The Swiftpeak Citadel’s Island
Near the rear entrance of the Citadel

---

With that she started back towards the Aetherwing, only stopping to help Silas up as he started to regain consciousness. As they all started back to the ship, if they were to look to the sky, they would see the Blood Ark and the ships that came with it sailing into the clouds to disappear from sight. Lucine would also experience something strange.

”Ah… little Lucine Verrninas…” a strange, feminine voice whispered in Lucine’s mind, ”So, the Key of Order falls into the hands of the blind… Or are you using them as a means to the end? No matter… You seek the Keys and that’s all that matters sweet child… After countless millennia, the Keys are being gathered… Let me aid you child, so that you can find them sooner, and achieve what you desire. Three places, three Keys…. Where the Sun embraces Aeria. Where the Moon kisses Aeria. And where life springs forth under the eyes of Zakenta. I wish you luck sweet child... ”

---

A Meeting of the Ground Expeditionary Team
The Mess Hall, The Aetherwing
Airspace Between Nations

---

It was announced suddenly, but no earlier than any other announcement. The crew was already expected to be up by time the announcement for the Ground Expeditionary Team to gather in the Mess Hall for a meeting. Within the next few minutes, the team had all gathered at the Mess hall. Waiting for them at a table was Sir Silas, Min-Ki with all his books, Fi and Alicia.

“Everyone take a seat.” Silas spoke and gestured to the seats around the table. “I have called this meeting for a few reasons. First, you all should know about who it was we fought yesterday at Swiftpeak. Au Howaitosan. The Drunken Hammer of the Howaitosan Clan. She is perhaps the most dangerous Oni the Epostolis knows of. That said, the Epostolis only knows she is incredible strong and fights for the Howaitosan Clan. But from what we saw yesterday, I can say that something strange is happening. She no longer seems to be fighting for the Howaitosan Clan, and is in command of a ship that should not exist anymore. Not only that, but her forces are far better equipped than any Horde recorded… Which brings me to the second reason for this meeting, Fi if you would.”

“Yep. The second reason is who we think Au was working for.” Fi said, “It is possible that she is working for a group that has been calling themselves the Restoration. I have had a run in or two with beings working for them. Well, saying that she is working for them could be wrong… Not much is known about the Restoration, but we do know that it is under the leadership of six incredibly powerful beings. There is reason to believe that Au is one of the leaders of the Restoration. She fits the rumored description of the Head General of the Restoration; a drunken female Oni warrior with skin as red as blood and hair as white as snow. If this is true, then we can expect that the Restoration is also looking for the Keys, so we need to not only take greater care in our mission but also find these Keys fast.”

“Which then brings us to the final point of this meeting.” Silas spoke, “Min-Ki?”

“Oh? Yes.” Min-Ki said, looking up from a book, “We need to find the rest of the Keys, and assuming that they are like the Swiftpeak Blade, as in they are relics of legends, then we might be able to find them by hitting the books. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of legends and possible Keys. However, after studying the Swiftpeak Blade, I may have identified a list of possible relics that are Keys.”

With that Min-Ki pulled out a piece of rolled up parchment and started unrolling it. Once it was unrolled it became clear that there were lots of possibilities.

“As you can see, I need to narrow down the list.” Min-Ki said and shrugged, “At least to another four possibilities, as I have identified two more relics that could be Keys. Unfortunately, if the relics that I have identified exist, then they are in the Dark Realm. So, before we search for those, perhaps it is better to see if any can be found in our mortal realm…”

“So, if anyone has any ideas of where a Key could be, please talk with Min-Ki.” Silas said, “And that is the last point of the meeting… so any questions? If you don’t have any questions, you may be dismissed.”

The moment the voice touched her ears, the demihuman stopped, shook cold by the sudden, clear tone in the midst of battle, nearly letting the Key fall from her hands as she stood. Her breath hitched, hearing her name fall from the woman's mouth...who--who could've been close enough to speak so clearly, so suddenly..? Her wide blue eyes searched about frantically as the woman spoke, seeming loud and stark in her head as her breath became light and quick. "W-who is that..!?" She yelled, though she almost failed to hear even her own voice, so caught up in this panic and adrenaline rush, she failed to notice Au and her goon's retreat. "W-who--" But her words failed to receive an answer, continuing to search for a source as the woman spoke of the Key, the fact that she was seeking them, that after so long, they were being gathered.

"W-who's saying that!? Where are you!?" She cried, the voice still cutting through her thoughts, her panic, and sending chills down her spine with every word. Her hands trembled as she held the Key in her hands, ears lowered as she searched, confused. After all, what good explanation could she have..? No one was close enough to be talking to her; no one was even looking at her. It was...terrifying. It was as if it were her own thoughts...could it..?

The thought alone was enough to terrify her. "N-no...g-get out of my head..!" She cried, her breath hitching again as she heard the voice echoing in her brain, falling to her knees as she pressed her head against them, her voice raising in an attempt to hear it louder than the voice...it didn't do much. The woman in her head informed her of the keys, about the Sun and the Moon and Aeria, about life and the eyes of Zakenta...and a wish of luck. But she was still screaming, scared, worried the voice may never leave her head. What could she do then..? How had it gotten there in the first place..?

As the voice faded, Lucine reopened her eyes, breathing heavily, lifting her head unsurely as she looked once more for a source of such a clear, strange voice. She found nothing, and was only reminded of the Key lying in her hands as her shoulders sank, heart pounding with adrenaline. Her mouth was dry...and, disturbed of the fact someone had intruded her mind, she thought nothing of what she had said.

---

She didn't sleep much that night. Still shaken about her cranial invasion, the curiosity of who could've spoken to her like that, and the general unsettled feeling after such a battle made it hard for her to rest easy so soon. When she closed her eyes, she heard that woman, those phrases; what could any of it mean..? What if she was lying, working with Au and the others, manipulating her to give her team false information? She wanted to help so badly, she was afraid of what would happen if she was mislead...anxious, even. What would she do if she mislead them so starkly..?

By the time the meeting was called, Lucine had been awake for hours, sitting on the edge of her bed, hands folded against her mouth as her tired eyes searched blankly for answers, wondering what course she should take. Her tail only twitched slightly against her bed, seeming to display her choice paralysis. She waited a moment after the call was given, glancing up, her heartbeat quickening as she realized it was time for a decision. She stood with a sigh, hair still scruffy from an unsettled night as she headed out and to the meeting, dark circles clearly rung underneath her blue eyes.

Throughout the meeting, Lucine was silent, her options still poking around her head, worried she would make the wrong choice. What was she to do..? Her anxiety controlled her as she kept her eyes down, shoulders sagged, afraid to draw attention; something that was so starkly different from her usual persona, anyone could tell. Her tail flicked nervously behind her. Finally, they mentioned Key choices, and if anyone had an idea, to talk with Min-Ki. She kept her eyes glued on the table, fidgeting with her hands, heart beating heavily as she realized it was decision time. She waited moments after the question was asked, as others left and some spoke up, and finally, she let it go. She squeezed her eyes shut and stood, gripping her fists against the table as she blurted, "I know something!"

Her voice cut through the room, and as she realized it, she opened her eyes, and her lack of confidence re-declared itself in her posture. Her eyes grew wide again, emphasizing her lack of sleep. "I-I mean...I-I don't--I don't k-know if it's...anything solid, but when I grabbed the sword--the Key--I--" She paused, tail flicking wildly as she had another moment of hesitance. She was far too deep in now. "I-I don't know--when I grabbed it I--I heard a voice!!" She admitted, seeming relieved and more nervous about the statement. "I don't know who it was...I-I don't know why, but she--she told me about three other keys..! They...she said...that there were three places--where...where the Sun embraces A-aeria...where the moon...kisses Aeria...and...and--" She paused, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to remember the third. "where life...s-springs forth...under the eyes of....of..." She paused again, the lack of sleep clearly jamming her thought process. That is, atleast, until her face lit up again. "Zakentia! Zakentia, that's what it was!! Where life springs forth under the eyes of Zakentia!"

She paused, looking between Silas and Min-Ki for a moment. "I-I don't know if it was a lie...something to mislead us...but it has to help some, right..?" Her ears drooped slightly again as more hesitation overtook her. "I...I'm not sure what any of it means though...I'm sorry I can't help with that..."

[Faal Lot Himdah]

A Meeting of the Ground Expeditionary Team
The Mess Hall, The Aetherwing
Airspace Between Nations

---

"Unfortunately the search for Keys within the Epostolis' territory has already been exhausted." Silas said, "Of all the legendary objects from Epostolis territory, only the Swiftpeak Blade is a Key. All the rest have either been confirmed to have been destroyed, lost via being dropped into the Dark Realm, lost via the actions of other nations, lost via the wills of the gods or have already been examined by the Epostolis as Valerian suggested."

"Besides, the Keys are likely to have been placed." Min-Ki spoke, "And the best way to reduce the chance of someone collecting all of them is to spread them out. Seeing as it was likely Tivnia that placed them, along with other gods, it is possible that they knew what places to put them in order to increase the difficulty of obtain them all through out time. As for that sword you speak of Jack... There are plenty of local myths throughout the world about such weapons. It is one of the most commonly reoccurring legends. The Keys are supposedly unique, so we can likely cross that weapon out of the running."

It was then that Lucine spoke, and the attention of Silas, Min-Ki, Alicia and Fi turned solely on her, as did their gazes.

"Well that's something..." Fi said with a chuckle.

"A voice spoke to you... when you touched the Key..." Silas spoke, "And female at that. A divine message likely. Some goddess gave you this information... Lucine. What you heard and have told us here is very much helpful."

"Sounds cryptic. Just like the gods to make messages cryptic." Min-Ki smiled, "But it isn't to cryptic... Let's see, where the Sun embraces Aeria. Could mean somewhere extremely hot, like a desert or badlands... Now, where is it..."

It was then that Min-Ki picked up a rolled up piece of paper from a bag under the table and unrolled it, revealing writing in a strange script, "Here it is. If we look to the inhabitants of said regions, the She Snijan. They do have a legend that speaks of a cultural hero of theirs seeking out a feather of a White Phoenix. A holy creature belonging to Ozthar, that can only be found at the Mount of the Sun. If the voice is to believed, then perhaps a Key can be found at this Mount of the Sun. Fortunately for us, the Mount of the Sun is a holy place for the She Snijan, and they have been known to undergo pilgrimages to said mountain. As such, we can find it with DAMS with relative ease."

With that he then reached back into the bag, and then pulled out a book in Elvish. "As for where the Moon kisses Aeria, well, that is a more difficult puzzle to solve. That is if someone didn't do their research. Where the Moon kisses Aeria could refer to many different places, but I believe it specifically refers to the Mount of the Moon..."

"Which overlooks the city of Nytf Asari." Fi spoke, "Of course a Key would be there..."

"Well, there is a chance I could be wrong, but it is the most likely possibility." Min-Ki said and pulled out yet another book, "Anyways, now the final puzzle the voice decided to give you Lucine. That is fairly easy to figure out for a book worm who has dedicated to much time to analyzing legends and folklore such as myself. Where life springs forth under the eyes of Zakentia can only refer to one place. The Spring of Life. The place where all life is said to have originated, nurtured by the goddess of life herself, Zakentia. Unfortunately, the location of the Spring is unknown... At least it was until I found an interesting passage in this book. This book explains the lost history of the Dwarven city of Vorgran, supposedly. If its to be believed, the city was founded where it was due to the locations suspicious lack of life, but as they dug, they uncovered a cave, filled to the brim with strange life. A cave that they claim to be the Spring of Life. They sealed the entrance they created as Zakentia demanded it and that is why they concluded it was the Spring of Life."

"Min-Ki, how sure are you of those three possible locations?" Silas spoke now.

"Pretty damn certain." Min-Ki said, "I'd be willing to risk my personal collection on these three spots."

"Very well then... we need to move fast." Silas said as he stood up, "I need to make some arrangements, all of you are free to go for now."