Though not possessing true dwarven blood, Brone knew well Lumikki possessed the dwarven fire within her and he witnessed it as she raged and completely froze over the doors; he smiled, pride swelling within him. But before he could say a word, the room was engulfed in darkness. Normally he is able to see through darkness, even that created by magic, but this was different for some odd reason, as if it wasn't a lack of light, but the darkness took solid form. "What is this magic-?... Lumikki!" he was confused by the magic, but even with such a powerful blind, his warrior instincts heightened his senses to the point he was able to discern everything in the room, but within a split second, his niece vanished.

Instincts took over as he drew forth spellcleaver in his other hand. Brone growled in anger when he didn't hear any response. He didn't care what Gnicholas said or how important the temple was. "Calm down, Brone-san, we need to keep a level head so we can think clearly-" the voice of Minori was soothing, doing his best to calm the dwarf, but the atmosphere of calm, or any chance of it was shattered once Ranulf's voice intruded.

[i]"To hell with that!! They kidnapped your niece!!"

Brone quickly raised both his axes into the air, his senses were gone and his rage had replaced it. He planned on cutting through the darkness with spellcleaver and cutting through the entire temple with Dhurandarin. But... before he could strike, within a split second, the darkness was gone and Lumikki slammed into him, her arms around him. Her voice had brought him back to sanity. All fell quiet and peace returned, "Ah, Snowflake" he said, his heartbeat slowing. He lowered his arms and dropped the axes so that he could return the hug.

At that moment, the right door opened up and Gnicholas along with Benimaru stepped through, "We did it" the gnome had a wide smile on his face as he raised a small golden box above his head, then he noticed Brone and Lumikki in a head and wondered if he was interrupting something.

Lumikki turned her head to greet the gnome on a job well done but quickly returned to the embrace of her uncle. He really makes her feel safe in her unsure times and the comfort of their reuniting did wonders.

“Uncle! I have so much to tell ya on the way back home; but I think on this adventure something great happened.” She fidgeted as she gave more thought on all that happened and looked back at Brone somberly. “I also noticed just how childish I am. I want to be so much more Uncle. I refused to stay so naive any longer.”

Once she had her fill of his hug she eased off and approached the gnome, small box in hand, as he gladly continued to look over his conquest. She was very curious as to what it could contain, after all it warranted this whole quest in the first place.

“ Gnicholas, I’m sure ya read so many magnificent things in countless books. I’m willing to learn too, can you teach me?” She turned around to face Brone once more. “And you Uncle.” A look of resolve hard on her face.

Brone was confused by what Lumikki had said. He wasn't aware she had experienced something life changing; to him, she had vanished for less than a minute. Whether it was a minute or an hour, he was glad to have her back, "Aye, lass, can't wait to hear it all". Something must have happened, for she was ready to toss to the side her 'childish' part of herself. Shrugging off the confusion, he was glad she was determined to grow.

"Well sure, Ms. Lumikki, I don't mind teaching you, I never had a student who was so willing to learn" The gnome tried to hide his blush behind a stern demeanor.

"My, my, what an energetic young lady" Benimaru floated about the room. Indeed, Brone and Gnicholas noted Lumikki's sudden burst of energy. They were all in a happy mood, especially with the gnome confirming the quest was over. He opened the box and revealed a clear crystal.

"A rock?" Benimaru had no enthusiasm.

"Not all rocks are the same" Brone gave the gnome the benefit of the doubt, though seeing a crystal was bit lack-luster.

"It is special crystal that have wonderous properties; I intend on fashioning a device that will assist my eyes in their reading capabilities" the gnome said as he pocketed his new crystal.

"Sounds like glasses to me" Benimaru chuckled to which Brone followed with a laugh. They made their way back towards the temple entrance.

The gnome's compliance pleased Lumikki greatly. The thought of the work before her brought much excitement. She was never one to slack off, quite content to do the work that needed to be done. It was how her father taught her and it had always done her good.

Lumikki looked hard at the crystal fascinated. Then she remembered she held one of her own. She grabbed her uncle's hand and placed it gently in his palm. The rainbow colors still remained even when the glow had gone. It made her giddy to also show off her little conquest. To hold something real so that she would never think her meeting was just a dream; something strung together in her panic within the thick darkness.

"I received a crystal myself," she said satisfied. "Unlce, could ya craft this into something I could wear. It's my reminder to be so much more." She closed his fingers so that he held it secure.

Brone looked upon the crystal in his hand and was awed, "So precious, this temple indeed does have some amazing stones" he said as he examined the mineral, "Aye, lass, I'll make ye something as precious as ye" he said as he pinched Lumikki's cheek playfully.

Suddenly, the hallway was filled with a deep darkness that even snuffed out Benimaru's flame, "What happened? Is this another spell of yours, Lumikki?" Gnicholas asked. Brone didn't think it was from his niece this time, but of the temple; he closed his eyes to focus his senses and was surprised to find out that they were no longer in the same hallway they were before.

"Whatever this darkness is, I'm not able to see through it" The dwarf said as he drew Spellcleaver into his hand, "I'll cut through this magic, don't ye worry" He then swung the axe in the air and the darkness vanished, revealing the new hallway, but almost instantly, the darkness came back.

"The spell must have been casted once again" Benimaru said as he floated over to Brone and felt his way back onto the dwarf's back so he wouldn't end up getting lost.

Brone cut through the darkness again and once again the darkness returned, "This is indeed troubling, how often can you keep this up, Brone?"

"May another few swings" Brone grunted as he began to breath heavily, his magical energy was draining with each use of Spellcleaver's ability. Gnicholas crawled up the dwarf's white cloak and pocketed himself into the cowl with the same intention as Benimaru so he wouldn't get lost.

Lumikki was puzzled at the panic of her companions. She wasn’t sure why they mentioned a darkness. That was until she had blinked and before she knew it, they were somewhere new. She understood then that something was wrong, but yet she could still see clearly.

The realization then hit her, so fresh did it happen it didn’t occur to her that she can “see”.  This darkness was never meant to affect her, but perhaps it was meant to test her. An introduction to using her newly gifted sight; she took a deep breath and looked around.

The hallway they stood had four paths, a crossroad of sorts. Hardly a difference to make note of, surly in the darkness it would only be that much harder to choose the way. Yet there it was. As she looked up she could see a faint orange glow trailing along the ceiling of one of the paths. She quickly grabbed her uncles hand, best to lead him carefully than expecting him to follow her voice.

“All will be fine,” Lumikki assured, “I can see the path as clear as day. I’ll explain more clearly when we dig into a real meal, till then just follow me.”

Following the glow Lumikki took her uncle down the path to the left. The further she went the brighter the glow became as if to assure she was just where she needed to be. Trusting her eyes she kept going further, carefully leading her uncle down the winding paths. Minding her footing so as not to up root her companions.

The road so far felt as though it kept taking her lower, this both puzzled and worried her. They wanted out of course, not be deeper within the cave. But in time the slope began to incline and the glow up above became more and more dazzling.

A first it was like watching the stars at night but in time images were becoming clear in the glow. Depictions of eyes but also dancing flames. Eventually there was more than just an orange glow as an assortment of colors would dance up above. It was reminiscent of the Aurora before appearing as a colorful dragon flying in the sky.

Eventually they had entered a large room. On the walls was a mural, better than all she’s seen so far. It was of Théama. Her radiance shown in the deepest of colors and most beautiful of shades. Lumikki stopped to marvel, assuring the party all was fine and that they would move again soon. She place her hand on the wall and thanked the great one once more.

Soon after leaving the room, the hallway took them to yet another room. This one with a light all could see. An orange light shining from the center. She let her companions get adjusted, but when she looked back she realized the way from which they had came was gone. All that was left was the way forward.

Brone was getting frustrated. He could cleave through the darkness, but it'll just come right back, like cutting through water. Before he could even try to think of another plan, Lumikki grabbed his hand and led him down the path. He was surprised to hear she was able to see through this kind of darkness. Even dwarven eyes, being able to see through normal magical darkness, couldn't pierce through this veil.

Sure enough, they were making progress. They reached an incline which gave comfort to the boys, sighs of relief would fill the silent hall. Eventually they would reach a check point where Lumikki stopped for some reason; Brone assumed she was trying to figure out which direction to go next, "Lass, how are you able to see through this veil that is as thick as stone?" he asked before they were taken to the next hallway.

When they reached the next room, light suddenly burst into their sight. Brone nearly stumbled from this sudden surprise. He looked back to witness the hallway, but it was gone, "Here-and-there magic?" He wondered. Then he looked to the center of the room where an orange glow was. Brone gripped Spellcleaver tightly, wondering what possible dangers lay before them.

"Gnicholas had mentioned the temple was for the power of greater sight. Well I met her," Lumikki finally answered."She must of led me to her space cause before I knew it there I was, and man was it so beautiful Uncle. Speaking of, she doesn't very much care for the name greater sight. No her name is Théama. I'll tell ya more about her when we get home Gnicholas. I'm sure ya curious to hear."

Lumikki grinned wide as she mentioned more of her adventure. Humbled by telling a veteran adventurer her little tale. She would hope she can tell him many more as time passes on. "The crystal I gave you also came from her Uncle. Some how touching it let me receive her gift." She looked toward the little gnome,"You are free to inspect it was well Gnicholas, it could be handy in your studies aye."

The happiness Lumikki felt was bursting out of her, putting her in a loving and giving mood. Who could say what she would find in the future, but with a start this strong she could only imagine the most marvelous of things.

The party pressed on, eager to have their meal and rest. They walked down the hallway and into a massive cavern. It seemed endless in the darkness, only a single narrow path existed. Falling down here would be like falling into the abyss itself. Lumikki wasn't too worried since she had wings of her own but that would take all the fun out of the adventure. So she was mindful with every step she took. Playing with the placements of her feet as she danced along the narrow road and the made it to the other side. Passing through a massive stone arch along the way before they touched more broad land once more. Lumikki marveling all the details in the frame as she passed by.

When they finally could step freely once more, three entries greeted them. Lumikki paused and turned to the gnome so that he would once more lead the way.

"Théama?" Gnicholas poked his head from the cowl and leaned on Brone shoulder, intrigued by this sudden discovery, [color=gray]"Yes please, we'll have a sit down and discuss all that you have experienced while here" He then sat upon the dwarf's shoulder while marking something down into his notepad.

Brone pulled out the crystal from his pocket and marveled at it's beauty once more, then nodded, now even more determined to forge something great that would be worthy of goddess. He then pocketed it again before they moved onward into the next corridor. Now that the blinding darkness was gone, only natural darkness remain. Benimaru, acknowledging it was safe for him to help guide the blind, floated from beneath the dwarf's cloak and lit his blue flame so Gnicholas could see.

It was stone path stretching across a large pit that had only but darkness below. Brone crouched as his fear crawled up his spine like a cold chill. He stretched his senses outward so he could feel the area with his intuition, but the pit stretched further than thirty meters... a long drop. Lumikki still moved further and Brone didn't want to be left behind so he tried his best to fast walk to catch up to his niece.

Focusing so much on trying to stay in the exact center of the narrow path caused him to lose balance; he began to tip, but the white cloak moved on it's own and pulled him back onto his balance. The dwarf reached out and grabbed Lumikki's hand for support, if she looked back, he would try his best to hide his fear behind a stern face "Just want to make sure you're not scared" he lied. Gnicholas and Beni laughed.

They reached an intersection and seeing Lumikki give way to the gnome, Gnicholas pulled out his map and took a moment to find there location, luckily for the gnome, he was a good cartographer, so he pointed to the left path and Brone moved off the narrow path and back into the corridor with great relief.

Down the left path they went. It winded up around and and like a spiral. Eyes etched on the walls in various styles. Lumikki would poke at them as she walked by, nibbling on the darkness to refresh her strength. They walked up what felt like forever.

When they finally entered a new room, Lumikki opted to rest for a bit. She sat down beside a wall and took her fan out to cool herself. Frosting her sitting place to add to her comfort and cool off faster. When she was comfortable enough again to interact with the world around her, she finally took a good look of the room they were in.

This one was filled with many statues, of various sizes and appearances. They hardly looked anything alike for they encompassed numerous creatures and people. Some had massive wings, some claws, some even had testicles wrapping around their environment. The only thing that tied them together was the emphasis of eyes. Lumikki fixated on a statue of a enormous eye with countless wings and rings. Several eyes protruding from ever facet of its being. She found it both fascinating and highly disturbing. Almost even annoyed just by looking at it though she had no idea why.

Brone mentally prayed to the Stone that he wouldn't have to walk over another gap such as the encounter they just dealt with. As they ascended in a spiral motion, the dwarf felt comfort, sure that their travel would be upon solid stone within the safety of the tunnels from here on.

They then reached another room and Gnicholas agreed with Lumikki to take a moment to rest; this also gave him the chance to review the map to make sure the route they were taking was the shortest and safest. Benimaru, not having a choice, had to remain by the gnome in order to provide him light. As for Brone, he moved about the area, observing the statues. He admired the artwork, though the depictions of eyes were disturbing, more so than when they had initially entered.

"Seems as if they're lookin' at me" Brone muttered under his breath, wondering how long before the group would continue their trek and be far from this strange room.

“Maybe they are looking Uncle” Lumikki giggled. She admitted they were kind of disturbing indeed. Some were lovely as though portraying goddess in lore, others grotesque like beasts from the abyss. Though the ugliness didn’t bother her. Not one creature made her falter; if anything it only made her hungry. So she consumed more of the darkness to fill the void within herself.

Finally cool and rested Lumikki rose, walking closer to the statues to inspect them closely. Feeling the textures of the stone and the depths of the carvings. She wondered if perhaps they were left as offerings. ” Gnicholas do ya suppose these were gifts left to lady Théama? There’s just so many of em.” Lumikki gave it some thought and decided she wanted to give it a go. It’s been years since she’s sculpted with ice but she used to do it all the time as a little girl with Nan.

It took her a while to figure out what the statue would be of but she decided it would be of the lady herself. Cracking her knuckles and getting to work she released her lavender aura. Building a base at first and then filling in aspects. When she was satisfied with the proportions, she worked on the little details. Her lips, her bangles, her laurels. When she was satisfied with her work in frost she began to pluck the darkness from the air. She created a veil for the lady and added a dragon wrapping around the figure. A shame she couldn’t make the dragon nearly as colorful but this would have to do.

Once she was done she noticed Benimaru hovering quite close to the gnome. Makes sense she thought, he still can’t see.”You are an interesting one Benimaru, in a city of Dwarves all my life but I never seen anything like you. Fun personality too ta not be bothered by my Uncle. Are there more of ya ilk out there? Could I find a nice wand to keep close?

"Oy, lass, don't start trying to creep me out" Brone chuckled, but as he looked back at the statues, the eyes did indeed look as if they were staring right at him, and as he walked about, the eyes looked as if they were following him.

"It's a possibility" Gnicholas said as he looked up from the map to view the sculptures, "There are different depictions of various creatures, though I'm going to have to look further into this when we return home" He pulled his attention away from the intriguing sight back onto the map, trying to focus on the important task at hand.

When Lumikki finished her sculpture, the boys marveled at the creation. Brone patted his niece on the shoulder, "Ye just bested the rest of these statues" he said with a smile. He then turned to pick the gnome up onto his feet.

"Time te go" Brone said as he nudged his niece towards the direction Gnicholas was headed. The group then made their way to the next corridor.

"I have dealt with more obnoxious warriors than your uncle, little tempest witch" Benimaru laughed as he floated by Lumikki, forcing the gnome to keep by him so he could continue reading the map, "I'm not sure if there are more of me out there, for I wasn't always a blade and shield, but an actual living oni that terrorized the land of Joya" the flame above his head flickered between purple and blue as his voice deepened for dramatic effect; Brone grunted as a warning not to terrify his niece, "That is until the Starlight clan had captured me and sealed me within the blade and shield you see before you.".

The tale passed the time as they ascended further.

Lumikki never heard of this land Joya, she was very curious. She never heard of oni either and was curious of that race. “I don’t know this Starlight clan but I will never forgive them! Uncle Brone we gotta free him,’” Lumikki turned to her uncle and pouted greatly. She really took a liking to his company in the little time she spent with him.

”Tell me more about the land of Joya! What did you look like when you were a person?! What are some stories from ya homeland? In Lumikki’s hyper stupor she danced as she walked, following the way pointed by the gnome.

As they pressed further hints of flora sprouted on the ground. Denoting the exit shouldn’t be that much farther. Though Lumikki enjoyed the peacefulness the dark gives her, she was very exited to return to the outside world. She wanted to glance at the sky once more.

Sure enough in a little more time the plants became thicker and more pronounced, and the tunnel was reaching its end. The light of the moon peaking in. Lumikki began skipping the rest of the way eager to feel the wind on her skin once more.

~*exit*~

"Lass, Benimaru was causing destruction and the people who sealed him away are long gone" Brone tried to calm his niece; he was surprised to see her get so worked up from the oni spirit who she had just recently met.

"Well the guild master is a Starlight" Benimaru chimed in, intentionally trying to stir the pot of the situation.

"Don't start" Brone shot the shield a stern look before turning back to his niece, "If there's a way to free him, then we'll look into it" He said this in order to calm Lumikki, but this caught Benimaru's attention, who fell silent. He knew why he said it, but a part of him wondered if the dwarf would be able to free him from his prison.

The group finally made it to the surface. They looked to the moon with bright smiles, finally free from the temple and able to head home where they would share a meal together.

[Exit]