A single bare foot, filthy from the cobblestone and wrapped in a torn, ragged cloth, passed the threshold of the temple to step on the wooden panels. The grain was smooth against her skin, old and worn. Another step in. As flippant and irreverent as Artemis was, she'd always been able to recognize when something was beyond her. Standing here, in this little temple, at the feet of something divine, Artemis felt small. She [i]was[/i] small. She felt pulled in a gravity she couldn't fight. Screams and gunshots reverberated through the city behind her, crashes of lightning ripping apart the air. And here she stood, almost afraid to breathe lest she dishonor some holy being. In some distant, closed off portion of her mind came the dawning realization that Artemis was in far over her head. The scrabbling on the rooftop snapped her back to attention, her heart skipping to her throat. Artemis brought a hand to her chest at hearing Nura's chirps and closed her eyes. Damn bird had almost given her a heart attack. How'd she even get here? Hadn't Artemis left Nura in an orchard? Well, she knew that Nura wasn't exactly the most obedient creature – what with how easily Artemis had stolen her. She supposed she should just be thankful that now she didn't have to go any farther to reach Nura. Because no matter what the kid said, Artemis was getting [i]out[/i] of here. But first… Artemis walked towards the Lady of Light, looking down to see the three elemental platforms. The skin of her left palm tingled the closer she came. It wasn't difficult to guess what Oseely's rune was reacting to – the way the green platform pulsed, bright and alive, while the other two lay dormant was enough of a clue. The handprints only served to drive it home. But the question was... what would happen when all three platforms were alight? Bright blue eyes flicked back up to look at the Lady of Light – at least, that was who Artemis assumed this was. But who else could she be, with the way the sun seemed to shine in her smile. Actually, she reminded Artemis of her mother; all patience and warmth, but a tired sort of sadness that spoke of old scars and poor decisions. Maybe the likeness to her mother was why Artemis already felt like a disappointment, she thought sardonically. She gave a small shake of the head and pushed forward again, slow steps to the foot of the Lady. Her hand itched and stung with each step, the fire dancing above the pedestal. Artemis wondered what would happen if she answered the fire's call and placed her hand down on the pedestal. Likely nothing. Maybe something. Her eyes flicked back up to the Lady – the [i]statue[/i]. Well, there was one way to find out. Artemis stretched out her hand to touch her palm to the stone. It wasn't a perfect match – the print embedded in the pedestal was comically large and intended for a right hand, and Oseely's rune was on her left. But the stone reacted all the same, emitting a warm, pulsing light. Artemis pulled her hand away and stepped back, holding her breath. Nothing. She looked back up at the statue once more. [color=darkturquoise]"Sorry,"[/color] she whispered with a halfhearted shrug. Her voice, though soft, seemed to cut through the tranquility of the temple, like she was breaking some reverent spell. [color=darkturquoise]"I tried."[/color] It was then that a ticking from the back of the temple caught her attention. [color=darkturquoise]"Why is it always ticking,"[/color] Artemis muttered to herself, immediately tense. The last time she'd heard that sound, she'd woken up in a demonic night forest and had been dropped into a river in front of a giant wolf. Artemis stood frozen as she listened to the sharp metallic, clicks count the temple's time. The sounds of battle were steadily growing louder outside as the fighting crawled further into the town. She took a moment to steel herself before creeping around the statue, her footfalls the only quiet thing in the town, it seemed. When it got too dark to see without the light of the moon, Artemis raised her left hand to glare at Oseely's rune. [i][color=darkturquoise]Fire.[/color][/i] A tiny ember sparked into existence. [color=darkturquoise]"Ha!"[/color] Artemis' delight was cut short when the flame flickered out again. The next half a minute was dedicated to creating a small flame above her palm and [i]not[/i] have it immediately die. When she was finally successful, Artemis continued on into the back of the temple, still on guard, but now the tiniest bit smug at her candlelight. She found herself in a ticking room, filled with still metal and cogs. The machinery seemed to tangle inside itself, twisting and bending into hulking shapes. It was a clutter of devices Artemis couldn't imagine the uses for. The ticking was coming from a bronze clock, the only thing still alive in here, it seemed. But it wasn't like any clock Artemis had ever seen. Its many hands were engraved with elemental symbols and an array of plants and animals were drawn about the face. Artemis raised her little light closer to it, tilting her head. Pulling back, she looked down to see a glass cylinder with an open door. A dark, dull stone rested there, reminding Artemis of the glowing one she stole. She reached forward to grab it and looked at it in her palm. An explosion cracked through the air, shaking the ground. Artemis jumped, her fire extinguishing. After a few frantic moments of cursing, her light was back. The fighting was definitely getting closer. Artemis dropped the stone in her pocket without a second thought and took a step backwards only for her heel to hit something cold and hard on the ground. She jumped again (but was satisfied when her fire only flickered instead of going out this time) and spun around to see… nothing. At least, nothing [i]living[/i]. Artemis sighed, her heart still hammering in her chest. She looked down to see something glinting in the firelight on the ground. Artemis carefully put the front of her foot over it and curled her toes around something cold and metal. Grabbing the round lump, she raised her knee and turned her leg so she could transfer her grip on the object from her toes to her fingers. Artemis lowered her foot again as she looked at the… pocket watch? Locket? It was fairly plain save for the scratches and dirt, and smaller than her palm with a long chain attached to the top. She pressed the top button, expecting the cover to open up, only to find it was jammed down and unmoving. Artemis' eyebrows pulled together slightly. There was another explosion, not as close as the last one, but still loud enough for Artemis to feel the reverberations in her feet. It was time to go. Hurrying back towards the entrance, Artemis dropped her fire when it was light enough to see again. She gave the Lady of Light one last look before exiting the temple, the two glowing platforms behind her. Nura squawked as soon as she saw someone exit the temple and jumped down to land heavily on the ground before Artemis. She dropped the Witch's staff at Artemis' feet and shoved her beak in Artemis' face, snuffling and sniffling. [color=darkturquoise]"Yeah, yeah, hey it's me,"[/color] she said, trying to shove Nura's face away. When Nura finally pulled back, Artemis gave her a quick rub above the beak. [color=darkturquoise]"Let's get out of here."[/color] She kneeled down and untied the rabbit mask from where she'd secured it around the gryphon's leg. She lipped it over her face, feeling the familiar energy zip through her, and grabbed the staff before straightening up. Nura was already squatting down, fidgeting, eager to escape the battleground. Climbing on her back was unspeakably easier now that Artemis wasn't dealing with her skirts anymore. [color=darkturquoise]"Save a house for me, yeah?"[/color] Artemis said to the Kith girl as she settled on top of Nura. The little girl had turned around to look at Artemis, her eyes growing comically wide at seeing the rabbit mask. Her mouth opened to say something, a hand raising to point at it – But then Nura took off, and Artemis was in the sky.