[IC] Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

[Hero]

"All the known maps of the Feywood all end in an area that is called the Resolent Glade." Nadeline told the group, raising her voice slightly louder than usual, just so she could be heard over the winds. Gods it was cold. At least she wasn't wearing her usual outfit, but still. Her sweater provided some much needed warmth, though she slightly regretted her skirt. She wrapped her cloak around her. She wasn't quite used to these temperatures and was glad for the hood. "It's just ahead, meaning from here on out we're treading uncharted territory. Needless to say, stick close and be on the lookout. Be wary of your magicks as well." It was obvious, but she felt the need to say it.

Emiri squinted lightly ahead of her. Between the thick Mist and the winter breeze, their vision was somewhat limited. She grasped her dagger under her cloak; no way she would be able to use her bow accurately in this weather. Unlike the rest of the group, Emiri chose to keep her hood down, her ponytail easily thrown around by the wind. The cold bit at her cheeks, though she felt fine for the most part. Her tights helped, her shirt covering all of her upper body also kept her warm. She was used to the more extreme weathers, having hunted around the Paramina Rift. She let out a small breath of air, watching as it materialized into fog and then getting easily swept away. The Mist was suffocating to her. Luckily no one else seemed to feel it as bad as she did. It was like this in the Barheim Passage as well. Taking in a deep breath, she decided to take the front on this one.

As the group made their march onwards, Grant made sure to trail behind ever so slightly. The last thing he wanted was for a monster to sneak up on them, and so took it upon himself to make sure that did not happen. He had tied his hair into a low ponytail, and he, too, was glad for the hood of his cloak. He had no idea how Emiri could go on without her own hood, but he chalked it up to her experience as a hunter. She probably thought it obscured her vision or her senses, probably something along those lines. The Mist danced around them, showing them their reflections before dissipating. The feel of the Feywood was rather mystical, and he admitted he could see why people got lost. He kept his focus on everyone's cloaks, as his reflection often confused him.

Something dark in the distance caught Emiri's attention. She raised an arm to the others, signaling a halt. She listened intently, and she could hear very faint, low stomps. One, two...around four pairs of stomps. Some were lighter than the others, however. One pair was much heavier than the rest, and she had a feeling it was something to be wary of. "Four enemies...one very large, two large, one small...though I can't say there aren't more nearby." She told them, her cloak billowing around her as she opened it behind her shoulders. The cold was something fierce, but she had a feeling the big one was something to worry about.

As if on cue, what could be described as a Mist-created tyrannosaurus rex came into view in the distance. She let out a small gasp, though something else caught her attention. She brandished her dagger as a Tartarus leapt onto her, knocking her to the ground. Bringing her legs to her chest, she kicked it off, dashing forward and delivering a clean cut across its throat. It fell instantly, though its death cry seemed to alert the other monsters around. Several other Tartaruses approached the party, and two Behemoths could be seen, though they had yet to reach the party.

[AlteredTundra]

As the group made their way through Antiquities End and entered through the area that Nadeline had stated was Resolent Glade, they went through it and as Nadeline had also stated, it was definitely full of mist. Jaakuna looked around and all he could see was two feet in front of him and his half-reflection from the mist. It was no wonder people got lost here. One misstep and people traversing through The Feywood will either die from exhaustion or from the fiends most likely lurking around.

Truly, when they came into the area, the first thing that any of them would see were just themselves and the snowy breeze of snow. Though, they would be alarmed as Emiri would raise her arm to them and she pointed to the direction just west to them. As they all would look in that specific direction, they would come to notice that there were some enemies nearby. It was no surprise. With mist being as thick as it was here, Jaakuna nor Wesley nor Savayna nor anyone else should be surprised that there would be monsters nearby.

When she alerted them, a giant Giruvenus, which was a much more stronger variant of the Tyranno found in The Gilmore Jungle. When Emiri pointed that out, a wolf-like creature known as a Tatarus came to Emiri and with the quick usage of her dagger, she killed it in a few strikes. However, as it cried out in pain and eventually its own demise, several other Tartarus creatures soon surrounded the party. Jaakuna would look at them and out of the corner of his eye, he could see a pair of Behemoths. Though, they seemed to be a bit far off, so killing these wolves wouldn’t alert them…yet.

Turning his attention to them, Jaakuna saw there were about four or five Tartarus wolves. He wouldn’t wait for them to go after him, nor would Savayna or Wesley. As they each threw their weapons, Jaakuna would leap forward, kicking his target in the head. That caused the wolf to be sent back, but not die. Then, with a double stab of his two short swords, Jaakuna impaled the wolf in two places: the top of the head and the center. Blood oozed everywhere and the wolf would cry out in pain as it would die. Meanwhile, Wesley would quickly take his Yagyu Darkblade and when his target would come at him, he would swiftly behead the wolf, blood also oozing out, but it was more stationary than Jaakuna’s own. For Savayna, she took her Ice Queen Sword and by slicing part of the wolf’s throat off, she would spin around and cleanly slice off his upper-body, blood oozing as well. The cries of pain it let out was much more controlled than the ones of those that Jaakuna and Wesley had just killed.

[Hero]

And thus the fight began. Grant eyed the creatures in the distance as he took out his gun. No shots, they'd be much too loud and probably end up attracting every monster in the area. Nadeline ran forward as well, her attacks swift as she stabbed the Tartarus in front of her several times. She jumped back as Emiri went forward and delivered the finishing blow. Grant extended his hand towards the Tartarus that remained. "Darkga." A surge of powerful Arcane magic surrounded the monster, and it soon erupted. It pierced through the monster, and as the magic disappeared, its body dropped to the ground soundlessly. He wandered over to Emiri, lightly dusting the snow off her cloak, and the group now looked at the Giruveganus and the two Behemoths in the distance.

"Do we take them on? Or do we press forward?" Grant asked the group. "We have yet to be seen. We can still go around them."

Emiri shook her head. She had estimated them, but the weather was hindering her senses. She should have been able to anticipate the Tartarus. Going around only meant that there was a possibility of another ambush. "Yet it is best if we cut a path forward rather than risk setting off more of them." She said.

"I think we should avoid them." Nadeline cast her own vote.

[AlteredTundra]

It was done rather quickly and without any mishaps. The group had dispelled of the Tararus monster and now as they were alone and weighing their options, Grant would ask the group on whether or not they should try their luck at the three enemies they see off into the distance or they should trek around them and not press their very limited luck. The beasts off to the distance didn’t seem like they were very weak, so going after them would indeed be a very foolish thing to do. Wesley thought about it and while he saw that it would be more difficult to go through them.

Wesley would speak. “I vote to go around them as well.”

Savayna weighed out the options. She wanted to test her strength against those beasts, but perhaps against that many amount of beasts, it wouldn’t’ be smart. “Yeah, I too vote to screw those bastards.” She said shrugging.

Without even thinking about it, Jaakuna spoke. “Let’s go around them.” JAakuna said.

The vote was unanimous. Everyone voted to go around the beasts, and so they did. They would trek around the beasts by going down certain turns and already they could feel the mist getting more intense. The party would feel it and even some might be showing some signs of it affecting them, whether it meant slowing down or whatever. Though, once they came to the White Magick’s Embrace, that feeling would wear off. It was when they came to that very portion of The Feywood that the snow was very present in the ground and the mist was still as bad as ever.

When they made their way through the White Magick’s Embrace, the group would see a few altars of sorts. As they continued through it, Jaakuna felt weird. He couldn’t explain it, but something about getting closer to Giruvegan — they were close, Jaakuna knew that — made him feel weird. It was like something was calling to him.

You’re almost there! Hurry!

Suddenly, Jaakuna heard a voice. He stopped(he was at the front of the group), and that caused the group to stop as well. Furthermore, Jaakuna looked back and then to his front. He would then look to the sides as if searching for something.

Wesley looked at Jaakuna with a tilted head “What’s wrong Jaakuna?” He asked his friend.

Jaakuna didn’t know what was the matter. He heard a strange voice.“You mean you didn’t hear that?” He said.

Wesley looked as clueless as everyone else did. “I didn’t hear a thing.” He answered back. Jaakuna kept on looking around, almost as if he was going crazy.

Savayna chuckled. “I guess the mist is finally getting to you, huh Jaakie!” She snickered.

Usually, Jaakuna would respond back to that nickname that he loathed, but this really had him bothered. “How could you guys not hear that? It was loud as fuck in my head.” Jaakuna stated, raising his voice slightly.

[Hero]

A while back, Emiri remembered that for one reason or another, she was possessed by the urge to climb a mountain. Never mind the why, she just knew that as an adventurer, she needed to do it at least once in her life. And so after getting the gear and a team to go along with, she went mountain climbing. It was an experience like no other, and the end result was not only a fantastic view of the entirety of the Paramina Rift, but they had gotten a rare piece from a rare monster they slayed. Still, the one thing she would never forget even if she tried, was the fact that the higher they got, the harder it was to breathe. It was a sensation that actually somewhat scared her, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

That was exactly how she felt now.

Her breaths were long and deep, though her head felt somewhat light. The only thing that amazed her more than anything was the fact that she was literally the only one who seemed affected; the rest of the party carried on. She couldn't even feel the cold anymore, she was so damn focused on being able to breathe properly. She ended up trailing behind, though she pushed herself to keep up. Eventually, however, the group came to a stop, and she ended up walking right into Grant. The raven haired man looked back at her, quirking an eyebrow. She offered him an apologetic look, and instead listened as Jaakuna claimed to hear a voice.

"Jaakuna, dear, you just said it... 'In your head.'" Nadeline pointed out.

Grant decided while the group was distracted with Jaakuna, he would turn to Emiri. "I admit my surprise. You always were overly sensitive to Mist." He told her quietly."I think you're doing quite well. Just stay close, I know you don't want to alert anyone."

Sensitive to Mist? Is that what this was? It did make some sense. She always did react differently in these dense places, and it would explain a lot. She scratched her head lightly, looking at Jaakuna. "Alright. Thank you." She replied just as quietly, though she did step forward. "Do people usually get affected by Mist?" She asked Nadeline.

"No. Mist is, well, exactly that. It's not supposed to affect our bodies enough to make us hallucinate unless it is a very high amount--like the Dawn Shard." She replied. She then looked at Jaakuna. "May I ask what the voice said, exactly?"

[AlteredTundra]

Jaakuna was frantically looking around for where the voice came from and that’s when he heard Nadeline state that he just said it that it was in his head. Jaakuna looked back to her and he did just that. He said nothing, but just look at her. Of course it was in his head cause his ears lead to his head, but he just doesn’t understand why no one else heard it? Was he going insane due to the heavy amounts of mist or was there actually some meaning to hearing that voice? Was this person trying to call out to him somehow? Jaakuna didn’t know, but he just wanted to find out who this voice belonged to.

As he continued to think about it, he would hear Emiri ask what the voice said exactly. Jaakuna would turn to Emiri thinking that she was probably worried about him. “Umm, let me think.” He said trying to remember exactly what the voice said. ”If I remember correctly, it said — You‘re almost there! Hurry! — and then nothing after that. Jaakuna replied to Emiri and Wesley and Savayna just looked at Jaakuna wondering what it could mean.

[Hero]

"Almost there...as in, almost to Giruvegan, then." Nadeline replied rather thoughtfully, a hand to her chin. "While the voice is somewhat concerning, we have no choice but to press onward, then. At the very least, we are close."

"That much is obvious." Grant said. "The part that concerns me is 'hurry'. Who--or what--would actually want us there?"

"Perhaps the Esper in Giruvegan is calling Jaakuna?" Nadeline offered her own explanation.

"If that were the case, wouldn't it make more sense for Emiri to hear it? She's the one that unlocks them. Yet Jaakuna is the only one that heard the message." Grant pointed out.

Emiri herself shook her head. "It doesn't matter. We keep moving. If anything, it can guide us to Giruvegan...so that we don't end up like the other travelers that tried to find it." She told them all. "If it appears again, we follow it. I say if it offers us its aid, who are we to refuse it?"

[AlteredTundra]

While Nadeline expressed her concern about the voice, she would state that they have no choice but to continue on to Giruvegan, wherever that may be in this snow and mist. Grant would then add to it that he felt nervous about the hurry part of the voice. Nadeline would offer up a possible identity to the voice and that it might just be the esper, but Grant would respond and state that if that was indeed the case, then Emiri would be the one to hear the voice and not Jaakuna. Speaking of which, she seemed to want to listen to the voice should it give them any form of assistance. Jaakuna shrugged at that.

After they all bickered about it, Jaakuna would speak. “Let’s just go. Like the voice said, we’re not far off.” Jaakuna said shrugging again.

After they would move forward, it wouldn’t be long until they would make their way into the next area. Of course they would fight some monsters along the way, but that wasn’t anything that they couldn’t handle. All it would take was some team work from all of them and the monsters would soon find themselves on the way to the gods for judgment. When they came to the area, a loud noise would be heard off in the distance. Jaakuna heard it, Savayna heard, it, Wesley heard it, and no doubt the others heard it. Though it only lasted about five seconds, it would soon be silent again. Well, except for the fact that the whispers of the mist was loud and clear.

As they continued forward more, Jaakuna stopped.

Follow the shadows of the fallen! It will guide you!

Gripping his head, Jaakuna fell on one knee and let out a moderately loud groan. Wesley looked to Jaakuna. “Jaakuna, you alright?” Wesley asked looking concerned for his friend.

Taking a moment to gather himself, he stood up and shook his head a bit. “Yeah, but the voice spoke again.” [/bJaakuna said getting annoyed a bit.

Wesley looked at him curiously. [b]“What did it say?” He asked.

“It said something about following the shadows of the fallen and that it will guide us.” Jaakuna said remembering what exactly the voice said.

Wesley thought about what Jaakuna said the voice had told him and he was drawing a blank. He turned to Nadeline. “Nadeline, does your tome say anything about ‘The Shadows of the Fallen.’?” He asked her.

[Hero]

Great, Jaakuna was hearing it again. Unlike Emiri, Nadeline was not too keen on following orders from some strange voice inside his head. Frankly, she found it odd that she was not more concerned. Still, it was about as helpful as anything...provided its so called hints even made any sense. No, it did make sense. Shadows of the fallen only meant that whatever beasts they were supposed to slay for the path to be opened had already been slain. Question is, what exactly had slain them? Could it have been the voice, perhaps? Grant raised an eyebrow as Nadeline thought, though she caught the hint.

"No. The tome pertains strictly to Esper lore." She replied though she did look at Jaakuna. "Shadows of the fallen...in other words, look for the bodies of the slain."

[AlteredTundra]

When they traversed through the area, Wesley put it together as to what this area of The Feywood was called. It was the Edge of Reason. Wesley was trying to rack his brain around what exactly this area was called and when he finally realized it, he gave himself a mental high-five. When he did that, he was smiling and nodding at how smart he really was. Savayna would look over to Wesley and raise an eyebrow. He would notice her giving him weird looks and he would instantly become red. Savayna snickered at Wesley and just focused on the task at hand.

When they came to the first altar, the group would see that beasts were slain and blood all over. That must be what it meant. JAakuna had finally put it together. "So, the blood of the monsters are the shadows." Jaakuna stated. He would also nod at himself. Savayna looked at him. "You and Wesley are truly two dweebs." She stated and just followed the group as they went ahead and Jaakuna followed.

In the minutes that followed, the group would traverse through more and more of the shrines, finding more of the blood trails and the beasts slain. It would come to the point that they were at a huge gate. As they looked at it, Jaakuna didn't know how to get through it. "Do we climb?" JAakuna asked.

[Hero]

Nadeline narrowed her eyes at the fallen monsters. She didn't like this one bit, more so that there was no sign of whatever it was that conquered these monsters. Were there others seeking Giruvegan? If so, where were they? Had they already gotten in? As they approached the gate, she swore she saw the symbol on Jaakuna's hand glow. How suspicious. She would tuck her thoughts on the monsters into the back of her head for now. She approached the gate, running her hand over it. It was well designed, and absolutely massive. It was also somewhat smooth; Jaakuna's climbing suggestion was out of the picture. It didn't react to her touch, either.

"Emiri, come here." Nadeline told her. The brunette did as she was told, though nothing happened. Nadeline took her hand and placed it on the gate. Nothing still. So much for that. Though she did notice something where she had put her hand. It was somewhat hard to read, but it resembled the texts in the tome. "Gate...Gigas...?" She read slowly, and it hit her. "Gigas, as in Belias? Then..." She looked at Jaakuna. "Belias will open the way for us. Summon him." She said to him.

[AlteredTundra]

When Jaakuna had made the suggestion about climbing, it definitely was out of the question once he felt the smoothness of the gate. That's when they were at a loss until Nadeline would read some text on the gate. She would decode it and go on to say that it involved JAakuna summoning Belias. He looked at her and then motioned everyone to step back. As they did that, Jaakuna raised his right arm, and the glyph of Belias would slowly flicker. Soon, it got to the point where it would flash periodically. As it did that, it would just simply show, no flickering, no flashing. "By your title, I pronounce thee, Gigas; by your name, I summon thee, Belias!" As Jaakuna shouted out that, the glyph would shine and in front of him, a fiery shadow would soon appear and in seconds the form of the eight-foot tall Belias would appear before the group.

"You summoned me?" Belias said as his voice was deep and layered, almost echoed.

"Whoa! I could never get used to that." JAakuna laughed and stepped back. "But yes, I command you to open this gate." JAakuna ordered.

"Very well then." Belias said as he turned to gate of Giruvegan. As he commanded his own magick, Belias would unlock the holy seals that bounded Giruvegan from the outside world. "It is done." He said as Belias faded away until his next summon.

Wesley looked amazed and Savayna did too. They had no words for it. The gate had opened and looking beyond it, the group could only gaze in amazement of how bit the Ancient Capital of Giruvegan was.

[Hero]

The gates opened, and the group entered. The gate then closed behind them as they walked. It was as if they had been transported to an entirely different place: there wasn't the slightest trace of snow, and the Mist was much, much calmer. The road before them was decorated elaborately with pillars, the ground beneath them showing water running under them. To say it was amazing was just a complete understatement. Grant found himself in complete awe of the ancient capital. Still, there was just the slightest feeling of eeriness. Obviously the place was deathly quiet, and that, for some reason, was just plain unnerving.

“Ancient city said to lie deep within the Jagd Difohr. A dense mist conceals its actual location. There are some who claim that it holds the secrets of a legendary civilization that flourished before men knew the workings of the world, but none remain who know the truth. Many are the expeditions sent to find this place and record its knowledge, but most have disappeared in the Feywood, or despaired while attempting to understand what artifacts have been found. To this day, we are no closer to discovering Giruvegan, or illuminating its mysteries...until now.” Nadeline spoke as they walked.

Eventually, they had reached what looked to be a dead end--except for the Waystone before them. As Emiri approached, she noticed it had already been lit up. Perhaps when Belias opened the gate, he had also activated the Way Stone. The group gathered around it, watching its magicks within the stone. Emiri nodded to everyone, and she touched the stone, teleporting everyone within. The feeling inside wherever there were was vastly different from outside. There was a lot of Mist, sure, but it was not like the Feywood. There the Mist was heavy, thick, and wild; here it danced around them. It was such a weird feeling for her, though she wasn't sure if anyone had noticed. What she did notice, however, made her gasp out loud. What could only be described as several floating platforms and a giant crystal hovering some distance away from them. Its size was absolutely massive, to say the least.

"Be careful, everyone." Nadeline would state as they began to move forward.

[AlteredTundra]

Upon entering Giruvegan, the group would have noticed two things. The first obviously being the absence of snow. There wasn't a single flake of snow, not even dragged on in from the outside. The second thing they would instantly notice was obviously the change of how the Mist was. As compared to The Feywood, the Mist was harsh, and would make one feel uneasy at times. However, inside the gates of Giruvegan, the mist was calm — almost serene — and it had a refreshing feeling to it. The looks of the Ancient Capital of Giruvegan was so quiet. Oh the gods it was quiet. And eerie, so very much eerie. The way it looked from the skies above the ground to the architecture of the buildings and hell even to the mass of its size. Wesley looked on and he just couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about this place. With it being locked away from the public, he just felt like it was meant to be so for a very specific reason.

When Nadeline would go on to read about Giruvegan from her tome, the group would listen and as they did so, Nadeline would read on what they already gathered. The mist really did conceal its location. If it didn't they all would have seen the giant ass gate from afar just as Mount Bur-Omisace is seen from the Paramira Rift. She would continue on reading stating that Giruvegan might just house an ancient civilization that existed way before man understood the workings of Ivalice. More on that, man even tried to unveil the secrets of Giruvegan, but would get lost in either the Feywood or in Giruvegan itself. She would also read that they are no closer to discovering the secrets of Giruvegan than they are now, well that's until the six of them arrived there.

As the group came to a Waystone, Wesley found it odd that it was already activated. Or at least, the lights were activated on it. Wesley didn't understand this, but maybe they weren't alone here? That seemed like a very improbable reason, but WEsley wouldn't let it go, at least not until he was proven otherwise. Regardless, however, the group gathered around the Waystone and by a touch from Emiri they were warped inside the castle — or whatever it was. Obviously by just looking around, they would see a vastly different appearance than on the outside. Inside, there were many floating platforms and the most obvious of sights would be the giant crystal off in the distance. Sure, it was pretty far off, but considering they can see it that clearly and how big it was from where the group was, the crystal itself must be huge when they get closer. JAakuna looked at the crystal and something about it was odd. He didn't know why, but something about the crystal was calling to him. He couldn't explain it though. He just kept on looking at it, almost being left behind the group.

"Hey Jaakuna! Hurry up, or you'll be left behind!" Wesley called out. Snapping out of it, Jaakuna caught up to the group. Though, the worried look of Wesley caught on. "What's up with you?" Concerned, Wesley asked.

Jaakuna looked to Wesley. "I can't explain it, but something about that big crystal is making me feel weird." Jaakuna said as he looked really serious. "Like, every time I look at it, I get this weird feeling in my body. I really don't know what to call it." Jaakuna said.

WEsley looked worried for his friend. He had never seen Jaakuna act this way before and it was starting to scare him. "Well, whatever is making you feel like this, we'll be there right there with you to help you get through it." Wesley said patting Jaakuna's shoulder to reassure him that they'll all help him through it when the time comes. Jaakuna just smiled at Wesley and continued on with the group.

[Hero]

Now Nadeline was actually worried that Jaakuna really was losing his mind. Sure it was funny before, but now she was genuinely concerned. Still, there was little that could be done to help; the Mist that had been inside Jaakuna may have made him react differently to Mist around him. It would explain his behavior...to an extent. The voice still made her rather weary of, well, everything. And even though the Mist wasn't as wild as the Feywood, it was still plentiful. So she would chalk it up to that...for now, anyway. She made a mental note to keep an eye on both him and Emiri. Who knew what being around this place would do to either of them.

Said brunette had wandered over to what looked like a dead end. She could see the other places in the distance, but how in the world were they going to get across? Against her better judgement, she peeked over the edge. The place seemed entirely endless, like if she fell, she would probably be falling forever. She quickly got up and backed away, shuddering from the thought. However, as she backed away she bumped into Grant and staggered forward. She thought she was going to fall, but to her relief and horror she found herself stepping on air. Literally. She froze in place, afraid that any movement would make her fall. Nadeline let out a gasp at this, though it was one of intrigue than anything.

"How are you doing that?" Grant asked, completely serious.

Emiri looked like she was about to faint. She was absolutely terrified, and she unwillingly looked down. She let out a small, chocked scream of horror, though as she stepped back, a green light appeared and revealed a platform. Several platforms then appeared and linked the previous place to the new one. Nadeline let out a small breath of wonder, and she too stepped on it. Though she was much more confident than Emiri was. "Well, that's one way to get across." She replied, nodding.

Grant went over to the still frozen Emiri and shook his head. He offered his hand, and she practically jumped on him. The group would then cross.

[AlteredTundra]

Venturing deeper and deeper into Griuvegan, the group would kill some monsters that ranged from flying monkey things to eight-foot tall golems and even some behemoths. Even though the latter monsters gave them some trouble, the group, through perfect teamwork and symmetry, they were able to put to death every enemy in their way. There were even some bad turns that they made a mistake on, but they did it and once they came to a dead end, they all stopped. When they did, they saw that there was no way for them to continue on. Jaakuna would pop his head to look down and he saw nothing but darkness. Whatever was down below them, he couldn’t see it with his eyes.

As the others would look too — or at least wonder — Emiri would do the same and as she would peek over, she would back up and bump into Grant, which caused her to stagger to the bottomless pit. A feeling of horror overtook Jaakuna was he stepped forward to try to get her, but something amazing and very bizarre at the same time happened. Emiri was not falling, she was dying from any sort of fall(she wasn’t dying anyway). She just stood there in midair. It was like her body was suspended by some kind of wonder or magick. Jaakuna and everyone else looked amazed at what they saw, and as a slight shriek of horror was let out from Emiri’s mouth, she stepped back.

When Emiri had stepped back to safety to the group, they looked on as first a green glyph appeared and then, as it circled upwards, the glyphs kept on coming and coming. The look at amazement took over the group. As they would head onto the platform, Jaakuna couldn’t help but notice that Grant and Emiri seemed to get rather close to each other. He also couldn’t help but notice that he himself was getting slightly jealous of Grant. A slight fear that Emiri could be going to a place of falling for him took over Jaakuna, but he would shake it off as he realized that they were just friends. No, you’re not like him — you refuse to be! As Jaakuna made a mental note of that, he shook his head and moved on with the group. When they were about halfway moving along the pathway, something was going on with Jaakuna. He started to hear the voiagain.

Jaakuna….Jaakuna, get me out of here. I beg of you, please get me out of here. Jaakuna…Jaakuna…

The minute The Voice would finish, Jaakuna fell on one knee, again. He was gripping his head, but this time it was different. Sure, there were more words this time, but Jaakuna was feeling more and more weird as this went on. He didn’t know how to explain it, but for some reason he felt like that whoever The Voice was, he knew it. Though, by the time he fell to one knee, the group would most likely notice, Wesley being the first.

“Jaakuna, what happened?” Wesley asked.

“The Voice, it spoke again.” Jaakuna said looking confused.

Wesley looked really concerned now, even more so than what he was beforehand. “Do you remember what it said?” Wesley asked his friend.

Jaakuna tried to remember. “It started out by saying my name twice, then telling me to get it out of here, even begging with me, and pleading. Then it finished off with saying my name two times again, but it was more like it said it fading away.” Jaakuna was really bothered by this.

Wesley thought about what Jaakuna just said and that made him sure of one thing. “That settles it. Someone, in some way, is definitely trapped inside Giruvegan.” Wesley deducted. “Jaakuna, you said you felt weird about the giant Crystal, right?” Wesley asked.

Jaakuna turned to Wesley, though with Wesley saying that, it most certainly alerted the others at this point if it didn’t beforehand. “Yeah, why do you ask?” Jaakuna responded with his own question.

Wesley breathed in and out deeply, but controlled. “I can’t say for certain, but my theory is that whoever it is that is contacting you, wants you to rescue him or her. Furthermore, they must be sealed inside the crystal in some way, shape, or form. However,”
“However?”
“However, I got this feeling that this person is connected to you in some important way, Jaakuna.” Wesley continued. “I think whoever this person is, they’re from your life and for them to be able to keep on doing this, they must be someone that you have a deep connection with.” Wesley finished.

Jaakuna thought real hard about what Wesley said. Whether or not he said was true, he began to piece some of it together. It did seem likely, but who this person could be Jaakuna couldn’t place it. Though, he would put that on the backburner for right now. He would move on with the group. When the time comes, he’ll find out who this person really is.

[Hero]

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"You have my word."

On solid ground once more, Emiri finally released Grant. The man let out a sigh of relief; no doubt if she wanted to, the girl could have possibly ripped his arm off. He wasn't going to say he didn't enjoy it though, but it also made him feel somewhat...conflicted. He wasn't really sure why. Hell, he was glad enough when she said she wanted their friendship. Gods knew he didn't deserve it. Perhaps maybe there was a very small part of him that wanted to be with her. Very, very small. For the moment, however, it would have to wait. He would deal with it later, as the rest of Giruvegan awaited them.

All the twists and turns led to a more secluded, yet higher portion of the place. Oh how Nadeline wished she could stop and properly document the place! The architecture was unlike anything she had ever seen. They were making history as well, who else could say they had actually traversed though a legendary land? Alas, the opportunity to properly study simply was not now. She did, however, make sure to examine everything as much as she could between their battles. She would make sure she wrote everything down when they got back to the ship.

A door marked a path for the group. As they approached it, its doors swung open, awaiting them. In the distance, another Way Stone could be seen at the end of the path. Much like before, this path was purely magical. Emiri let out a low groan as they walked over it, and she tried not to look down as they walked. She did notice, however, that it almost looked like they were right under the giant crystal. She couldn't believe its size! As they approached the Way Stone, the sound of flapping wings distracted them. "Oh, not here..." Emiri whined as a rather large dragon landed in front of them. Nonetheless she readied her weapon, as did the rest of the party, the Tyrant letting out a rather savage roar.

Emiri shot forth an arrow, and it pierced right through one of its wings. It didn't quite appreciate that and prepared a flame attack. Nadeline stepped up this time, her white glyph appearing beneath each one of them. "Shellga!" As the dragon's flames hit them, her spell negated its attack, protecting them. "We must be cautious, lest we fall off!" She said as she dashed forward for an attack.

[AlteredTundra]

They had made it off of the green glyphs and reached solid ground, Jaakuna would take notice to how close Grant and Emiri were getting. Sure, they were just friends and Jaakuna was too busy worrying about The Voice inside of his head to respond to what he would usually respond to if he wasn’t preoccupied. However, now he’s realizing it. The pure fact that Grant was trying to work his way back to Emiri’s heart. Most of Jaakuna knew that wasn’t possible. She loved him, but as it was with him and Savayna, Jaakuna couldn’t help but wonder about the small parts of both Grant and Emiri that wanted each other. Perhaps Jaakuna was just over thinking it all.

Jaakuna would put that thought on the backburner for now as they would traverse through the area that they were in. Going from turn to turn, down stairs and up them, the group would then come to a dead end…again. Much like before, they would step in front of it and green glyphs would appear. They would move across the glyphs and soon they got to a secluded patching. In the center of it was a Way Stone. Approaching it, the group would attempt to touch it, but from above they heard roars and as they looked above them, a Tyrant was seen.

As they each looked above, Emiri shot an arrow and it pierced through one of its wings. The Tyrant did not take too kindly to that. Actually, it looked downright pissed. So, in response to getting hit, fire breath came flying down at the group from its mouth. Nadeline would cast shellga upon the party. The fire breath would hit, but because of the Shellga, the attack was pretty much negated. However, the Tyrant would fly overhead of the group. It was clear that the beast would use the area above them as its free roaming area.

Savayna looked at the beast and just thought. She would deduce that based on the Tyrant’s looks and its first choice of an attack, it must be a fire beast. Which meant that her powers would be the go-to for this. She stepped forward, not even letting anyone interfere. She raised her sword up. The beast came down. “Blizzaja!” She shouted as an icy-blue glyph appeared above the Tyrant, and it looked up. Soon, a massive windy storm of ice would fall upon the beast, freezing it midair and then a glyph appeared beneath Savayna, propelling her into the air. Her feet were followed by sparkles of sorts of windy snow and around her body an aura formed. She held her blade up and as she went through the frozen Tyrant, just like the danger that was in front of them, it too was dead. The remnants of the Tyrant would fall to the seemingly bottomless pit of Giruvegan.

When Savayna gently landed on the ground, she would do so on one foot. “And that, bastards and bitches, is how it’s done.” She said bowing.

Jaakuna sighed and rubbed his head with his hand. “Show off.” He mused aloud.

Wesley chuckled and clapped. “Well done, Savayna.” Wesley applauded Savayna’s strength.

[Hero]

"That was amazing!" Emiri found herself in complete awe at Savayna's power. She wasn't the former general for nothing, it seemed. Grant joined Wesley in applauding Savayna, clearly impressed by her display of power. Truly, she was an ice queen in every sense of the title. Nadeline grinned from ear to her, though she joined the rest of the group, letting out a shrill whistle. No doubt the woman deserved it after that spectacular show. Emiri felt herself truly grateful; fighting over the platform was just not something she was comfortable with at all. She supposed in a sense she owed her one--not that she would ever let her know.

Once all the cheering and clapping died down, the group gathered around the Waystone. Much like the one outside, Mist was already gathered and a light was lightly glowing from within. Nadeline frowned to herself. The deeper they went into Giruvegan, the more she had the feeling that they really weren't alone. But who could possibly have beaten them there? Giruvegan may not exactly be a secret, but who else would be able to solve all its puzzles ahead of them? She was troubled at this point, but without any clue as to who it could be, she couldn't quite point any fingers, could she? Once again, Emiri activated the Way Stone, and the group was whisked away.

Once the light had cleared and their surroundings revealed to them, Emiri closed her eyes. A surging headache pulsed through her skull. The Mist was so different here, and she knew why. As she opened her eyes, what could only be described as a crystal paradise surrounded them. Colors glimmered all around them, magicks could be felt without needing Viera blood. "We...we are inside the crystal...?" Emiri half wondered, half realized.

[AlteredTundra]

When Wesley had expressed that it was indeed well done, Emiri would follow suit and simply say it was amazing. Then the rest of them clapped while Nadeline whistled. They all proceeded to do this for a few moments until they were all clapped and whistled out. That would prompt them to all look at the Waystone, which had mist around it. Instantly, Wesley took notice to that and no doubt Nadeline and the rest did as well. It was very peculiar that there was mist around this Way Stone. It made Wesley think that perhaps they weren’t alone here. Wesley began to think that maybe, just maybe, that whoever was here with them, was the reason the first Way Stone was activated and that maybe it wasn’t cause of Belias. Wesley couldn’t place it, but he definitely had a really bad feeling about all of this. Wesley’s worry would be cast aside as the group would gather around the Way Stone and were teleported away.

As they came to where the Way Stone teleported them to, the group could only look at how deep and thick the mist was here. Beyond that, the colors that were present were mixed of very bold hues of green and yellow, levels upon levels both up and down. One could truly get lost traversing through The Great Crystal. If the party wasn’t too careful, they could be one of the many people who have gotten lost here. Even still, the fact that they made it this far should be a testament to how either lucky they are or how extremely skilled they are.

Looking around, Jaakuna couldn’t believe such a thing existed in Ivalice and to be undetected by anybody was quite amazing. His amazement was cut short, however. Jaakuna’s head starting to throb. “Oh no, not again.”

Good, you’re almost here, Jackson. Please hurry; there isn’t much time..

When the voice stopped, Jaakuna’s eyes widened, screeches of pain let out. He couldn’t take it anymore. The Voice was so loud. He was gripping his head with both arms, covering his ears as much as he could and this caused Jaakuna to fall to both of his knees, continuing to scream in pain. Though it did prompt the group to stop, this time, at least for Savayna and Wesley — especially Wesley — widened his eyes in worry and knelt down to Jaakuna. They tried to get him out of his..well whatever he was in right now.

“Jaakuna! Snap out of it!” Wesley pleaded. “You have to snap out of it!” He pleaded again, but no luck.

Savayna would try her luck with him. “SNAP OUT OF IT DUMBASS!!!” She yelled as she shook him violently, but that didn’t work.

While the others were trying to snap Jaakuna out whatever funk he was in, he would murmur a few sentences. “He said my name. He said my name. He said my real name.” It was as if he was in some sort of trance or disillusion of some kind.