Burglary? The Runaway Priestess!

            There is a town called Hajime, which lies thirty miles south of Seyruun’s capital (which is also named Seyruun because of very inventive people). It’s the average size of a medieval city, and due to its unfortunate location in Seyruun, it’s obnoxiously decorated by a large protective seal in the center of the town. Equally obnoxious is the mansion of the town’s lord, Elogwyn, who may very well be related to Prince Phil, the ruler of Seyruun, because he shares the same decorating tastes. But moving on with the story…

            Hajime is really nothing more than a waypoint for travelers on their way to more important places. Businessmen looking to make a profit have flocked to Hajime and built all kinds of inns, taverns, and restaurants hoping to cash in on travelers’ money pouches. One such establishment was the Peddler’s Luck, a tavern just a few hundred feet from Hajime’s gates. The Peddler’s Luck, like most taverns, had a dark and gloomy atmosphere, but the darkness could very well be blamed on the fact that the sun was just rising.

            Behind the tavern’s bar was an old man; he just served a handsome younger man, who was probably in his twenties. The young man was Rofellos, an air shaman with a sharp blade. He wore a brown hunters’ cloak over a green tunic, brown pants, and polished leather armor. His dark brown hair, cut just below his ears, did not hide his strange eyes: one blue and one green.

            In the darkest corner, another young man sat; his name was Ueiko Crovaar. The shadows hid his crimson eyes and hair, which was tied back into a ponytail, and his black cloak veiled the rest of his large body.

Hidden in another dark corner, a third man, Leigh Fyresprey, was being waited on by the young barmaid (who was busty, as per anime/fantasy law). He is older than the other two boys, and his experience was evident on his lined but handsome face. He had sea foam green hair, which hung down to his knees, and two stripes of white coming from his temples. He wore a blue tunic decorated with golden Chinese dragons and a pair of flowing, off-white pants. A strange claymore, decorated with runes down the blade, was strapped across his back, but his most startling feature was his eyes: one ice blue and one molten lava red.

While it was a slow morning, as evidenced by the nearly empty tavern, the poor barmaid was nervous, as it was her first day; she tripped, sending a mug of beer all over Leigh.

“Dammit! Watch where you’re going!” he shouted as he jumped up.

“I’m sorry, sir!” the barmaid cried in reply.

“It’s alright,” he replied as he wiped off his tunic.

“Let me go get another mug for you,” she said and rushed off. Leigh sat down again. He pulled out a pipe and started to smoke it.

Suddenly, a beautiful young woman burst into the bar. She wore a dark red Chinese Qi Pao dress that was slit up one side to reveal her thigh. Her waist-length blue was in a pony tail held in place by braids. She wore bronze sandals that laced up her calves and a pouch attached to her waist. She carried a staff as tall as she (5’9”) that was inset with a fist-sized, diamond-like gem with a strange rune on it. Her vivid green eyes were filled with fear as she scanned the dark tavern.

Leigh raised an eyebrow as he smoked his pipe and regarded the newcomer. “I am one with the darkness; none can see me,” Ueiko whispered as her eyes passed over him and then returned and locked on him. She ran toward him but collapsed before she reached him.

“Help me,” the woman pleaded to Ueiko. He left his dark corner to see if she was okay.

“What’s with people and dark corners?” Rofellos muttered to himself.

Leigh rose and went to the woman also. “What do you need?” he asked.

The woman sat up and locked eyes with Ueiko, who discovered that her fierce gaze was hypnotizing and intoxicating, but he suddenly found that he had an uneasy feeling about her. “My name is Ara,” she said.

“I am Ueiko,” he introduced himself.

“I need help,” she explained. “These guys-”

Suddenly, three men burst into the tavern. “Interesting timing,” Ueiko commented sardonically. He stealthily drew his sword.

Leigh placed the pointer and middle fingers of his right hand on his lips, with the rest of his wrist curled, and closed his eyes. At the same time, Rofellos instinctively put his hand on his sword hilt as he scanned the men. They wore white robes; each man had a different color for trim. They were surprised to see the others with Ara, who looked at the newcomers with fright.

The young man in the front, who appeared to be the leader, said, “Ara, come with us.”

“What is the problem?” Ueiko asked.

“Nothing that concerns you. Please, go back to your business,” the leader replied curtly. Rofellos turned around in his seat to face the men in case there was trouble.

“It will concern you when you are two quivering pieces,” Ueiko growled in reply.

“Has she done something wrong?” Rofellos shouted from across the tavern. The leader ignored him and walked toward Ara. As he walked, the fabric of his robes shifted to reveal the emblem of a sun in a circle; it’s a medallion.

“Well?” Ueiko demanded.

“This is temple business. Leave us,” he ordered in reply.

“In what way?” As a reply, Ara’s other two pursuers prepared a spell.

“I repeat: has she done something wrong?” Rofellos said. Sensing a fight, the few other patrons of the tavern quickly moved to the other side.

The leader truly didn’t want to get into a fight, but he warningly replied, “I said it was temple business. Please leave.” His subordinates looked more menacing as they wonder if they should attack.

Then everything happened at once. Rofellos jumped out of his chair, Ueiko’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, and Leigh opened his eyes and drew his sword; when his sword was freed from its scabbard, it began to draw in light like crazy.

Suddenly, a dark shape appeared from nowhere and flew in angry circles around the sword. It’s Ueiko’s imp, and Ueiko feels even angrier in response, but he doesn’t show it. He looked over at his imp and grinned.

In the distraction, the leader grabbed Ara’s wrists and tried to drag her away with him; she resisted as best she could. Rofellos noticed first; he drew his sword and shouted, “Put her down now!” This alerted the others; Ueiko sent his imp away as he charged the leader. The leader let go of Ara in surprise, but it was too late; his severed arm fell to the floor a moment later. Now free, Ara grabbed her staff and scrambled to hide behind Ueiko and Leigh.

At the same time of Ueiko’s attack, Leigh finished his spell. “Dolph Strash!” he shouted as a spear-like shockwave appeared and zoomed toward one of the men. The powerful spell struck him, and it destroyed the man.

“Now it gets interesting,” Ueiko commented and grinned widely.

“Mono Volt!” Rofellos shouted. Sparks of electricity flew from his fingertips and enveloped the injured man; the leader succumbed to the pain and fell to the floor, paralyzed.

The remaining man cast Dimilar Wind at the party and then beat a hasty retreat. A strong wind picked up and knocked everyone from their feet. Ara and Rofellos, being the lightest, were flung into the wall at the opposite end of the tavern while Leigh was thrown into a table and Ueiko fell on top of him.

“Ouch,” Ara said as she rubbed her sore back.

“Ow,” Rofellos agreed as he got up. He helped Ara to her feet, and she grabbed her staff as she stood.

Ueiko shrugged and stopped grinning. He sheathed his sword as he got off of Leigh. Leigh rolled over to his side and sheathed his claymore as Ueiko asked Ara, “Who were they?”

Meanwhile, Rofellos had walked over to the man he paralyzed; Ara followed. “At least we have one survivor.” He placed his foot threateningly on the wounded man’s chest, but he was too injured to do anything but breathe.

“That is until he bleeds to death,” Ueiko stated as he and Leigh joined the others. “Can someone heal him or do I have to cauterize it?”

“I can,” Ara replied and pulled out some herbs from her pouch. “If you don’t kill him first,” she growled at Rofellos.

“Get your foot off the dying guy!” Ueiko shouted. Rofellos sighed, but stepped away so Ara could work. Somewhat irately, she knelt beside the wounded man and started. “Less fun, but it works,” Ueiko commented.

“Korin, you suck,” she said to the man and she made sure he grimaced when she applied some herbs to his wounds. “And before you ask, yes, I know him.” Rofellos sheathed his long sword and Ueiko raised an eyebrow as she explained. “I serve- served as a priestess at the Temple of Nightmares with him.”

“I supposed as much,” Leigh replied.

“Clarify that,” Ueiko stated.

“Interesting,” Rofellos commented.

“As I said before, I'm Ara, priestess of the Temple of Nightmares. This is Korin, an apprentice,” she replied.

“I am Ueiko,” he introduced himself; he aimed his voice somewhat over his shoulder so the other two men could hear him, but his attention remained on Korin. “Why was he after you?”

“I can’t believe I trusted you,” she hissed at Korin.

“And that helps me understand the situation how?” Ueiko demanded. Instead of answering, Ara looked away and finished Korin’s dressings.

Somewhat belatedly Leigh bowed and introduced himself. “I am Leigh Fyresprey. I’m a merc for hire, and I work to support my family back home.”

“I’m Rofellos, a hunter,” he said in reply.

Meanwhile, Ara was thinking what she should say when Korin answered for her. “She stole a sacred relic from the temple.”

“I didn’t!” Ara denied vehemently.

“What relic?” Ueiko asked but his question was answered by silence; Korin turned his head away.

Leigh shook his head in disgust. “So?”

“I see,” Rofellos said. “All this for a relic…”

Ueiko said to Korin, “If that is your answer, then your life will be a short one.” As a sort of reply, Ara stood and left Korin’s side. “Well, anything fresh to say?” he demanded.

Korin still refused to answer. Instead, he mumbled something and suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.

“Damn!” Rofellos shouted in disappointment.

“He dies when I see him next,” Ueiko threatened.

“Coward,” Leigh said.

“Pathetic,” Ueiko agreed.

Ara smiled. “At least they won’t be coming back.”

Ueiko turned to face the others. “You sure about that?”

Ara shrugged. “We’ll find out, won’t we?” Her smile widened.

“Of course we will,” Ueiko replied guardedly.

“I don’t have what they’re looking for, so they have no reason to come for me,” Ara said as her new allies started to disperse.

“I guess we’ll find out eventually,” Rofellos agreed as he returned to the bar and ordered some wine.

“Would you like a seat?” Ueiko asked Ara and offered her his booth.

“Thank you,” she replied and seated herself. The men all joined them at Ueiko’s booth and seated themselves. “You guys are pretty powerful, aren’t you?” Ara asked. She smiled charismatically and her teeth sparkled, complete with the anime ting effect. Ueiko raised his eyebrows again in interest.

Suddenly, the dark corner brightened, as if there had been a shadow before and the shadow had now moved. “Interesting,” Rofellos commented.

As the light returned to the corner, Ueiko took the time to examine Ara again. Frustratingly, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but he still felt that there some something off about her.

“Thank you for rescuing me,” Ara said gratefully, and the men assured her that it was no trouble. “I mean,” she continued, “you came and rescued me when you had no idea what the story was. For all you know, I could have stolen whatever they said.”

“Three against one seems kind of unfair to me,” Leigh replied.

“You could not get away anyway and you were obviously the one being pursued,” Ueiko agreed.

“Yea, I couldn't have. There aren’t many places to go where he couldn't find me.”

“‘He’?” Ueiko asked with interest. “Marital problems?”

“I think Korin will think twice before chasing you again,” Leigh assured her.

“At least twice,” Rofellos agreed.

Ara blushed. “No, not Korin. He has no idea what’s really going on. It’s Zoragath, the High Priest. He sent those men after me.” She looked down and said sadly, “They used to be my friends…”

“All I can say is that they weren’t very good fighters,” Rofellos remarked disdainfully.

Ara shrugged and replied, “They weren't supposed to be; they're only priests, after all.”

“That was very sad for a retrieval squad,” Ueiko spat.

“Zoragath?” Leigh asked a few moments later.

“Zoragath, the High Priest at my former temple,” Ara replied. Then she shrugged and smiled. She leaned in closer to her new friends and said conspiratorially, “I need your help for something else…”

“And what would that be?” Leigh replied.

“Hmm, we may be willing to help you,” Rofellos replied, “if the price is right.”

“The reason Zoragath sent those men after me is because I found out his secret.”

“He dresses as a woman at night?” Ueiko replied sarcastically.

Ara gave him a look before answering. “No, he's probably the last remaining minion of Gaav, who’s running a temple dedicated to the Lord of Nightmares. He’s a Mazoku.”

“‘Probably’?” Rofellos asked as Ueiko raised his eyebrow again. “Interesting…”

“Really now?” Leigh said.

“There could be other minions of the demon dragon king running around,” she explained. “Or did you know he was dead?”

Leigh nodded. “I knew.”

Suddenly, Ueiko said, “So he does dress as a woman!” In response, Ara face-faulted, and the other two men laughed.

“He’s a Mazoku running a holy temple! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” Ara suddenly shouted; her head grew to a monstrous size as she chastised him.

“Quiet down, woman,” Rofellos shouted back.

“Well, it is a temple to the mother of the Mazoku,” Leigh said as a way of explanation. “Why not have a Mazoku running it?” Ueiko grinned in agreement.

“The Lord of Nightmares is the mother of all things, including the dragons!”

“That is true,” Rofellos agreed.

“She created the world we live on.”

Ueiko gasped in mock surprise. “Not that!”

“It could be a Mazoku turned good,” Rofellos suggested, causing Ara to laugh heartily.

“It could never happen,” Leigh replied derisively.

“Maybe you aren't as intelligent as I thought,” she told Rofellos but meaning the whole group. Rofellos sighed in reply.

“Or a Mazoku without a master and thus no reason to destroy the world,” Ueiko suggested.

“True also,” Rofellos agreed.

“All Mazoku wish to destroy the world,” Ara stated matter-of-factly.

“But he no longer has the means to do it,” Ueiko refuted.

“Why would one run a temple in Seyruun? The Temple may be the means,” she suggested.

“To try to access the magical power located in Seyruun,” Leigh said, and they all considered the possibility.

“But he is unable to access holy magic anyway,” Ueiko refuted. “So where is the problem?

“But he could draw from that power,” Rofellos said, meaning the power of Seyruun.

“Why do you think the capital has that giant magical seal? Why do all big cities in Seyruun have a protective seal?” Ara asked.

“Because it is fashionable?” Ueiko suggested.

Ara ignored him. “Did you ever think that the seal was not for protection but to seal something away?”

“I doubt that they would create a seal that big, unless they were sealing away Shabby or something,” Leigh suggested.

“It could be Ruby-Eye or worse,” Ara agreed as she nodded.

“Why seal it away and let a Mazoku run a temple that really shouldn’t be devoted to the preservation of anything anyway?” Ueiko asked.

“Because they don’t know he is a Mazoku,” Rofellos replied before Ara could.

“Right,” she said. “No one knows Zoragath is a Mazoku except me and now you guys.”

“So where is he and when do I get to kill him?” Ueiko asked a little too enthusiastically.

Still on the tangent of Seyruun’s seal, Leigh commented, “It could only be a part of Shabranigdo, and besides, there can’t be anything worse than him. Not on this plane, anyway.”

“True,” Rofellos agreed.

“As a whole, yes. Now shut up,” Ueiko hissed rudely, hoping to get back to the assassination of the High Priest.

Instead, Ara replied, “The demon Zanaffar in Sairaag was rumored to be just as powerful as Ruby-Eye.”

“See what I mean?” Ueiko said. “Now, where-”

“Rumored to be, not necessarily,” Leigh refuted.

“One Mazoku cannot free whatever is down there anyway,” Rofellos replied without worry.

“Why can’t one Mazoku free whatever’s down there?” Ara asked curiously.

“Not enough power to break the seal,” Ueiko replied curtly. “Particularly when his lord is dead.”

“He's been posing as a priest of the Lord of Nightmares for I don’t know how long now. Who knows what he's learned in that time?” Ara refuted; she was a little worried.

“Don't underestimate the power of a Mazoku,” Leigh warned.

“Fine,” Ueiko said impatiently. “Now where is Zoragath?”

“In the temple,” she replied. “But we’ll have to wait until nightfall to kill him.”

“Why?” they all asked in unison; consequently, they all became a little irate at the unplanned stereo questioning.

“And after what happened today, I expect they would up security around the temple. At night it will be lax,” she replied.

“Yes, because the night makes everything perfect,” Ueiko said sarcastically.

“Yes, it will be. The lord of this town doesn’t really like our temple since it is Seyruun, and we worship the ‘mother of all darkness’, and they're all justice freaks,” she explained, irately emphasizing anything to do with the Seyruun's people.

“Oh yay, Prince Phil! Fruitcake…” Leigh muttered.

“That man gives me a headache,” Ara agreed.

“Why would they have the key to a seal in a temple devoted to darkness?” Ueiko demanded skeptically.

Ara sighed in irritation. “My temple is not devoted to darkness! The Lord of Nightmares is completely neutral. Why don't people understand that?”

“So you’re saying it’s still your temple?” Rofellos asked.

She sweatdropped. “It’s habit.”

“I am going level that part of the city if you don't help me out here,” Ueiko warned; her tangents were getting on his nerves.

“What do you want, Ueiko?” she replied with equal irritation. Meanwhile, Leigh rubbed his face in disgust and pulled out his pipe again; he sat back as he smoked it and watched the others.

“I don’t care if she is evil or not. The fact is that Seyruun thinks she is evil,” Ueiko replied.

“Do you want me to make it simple for you?” Ara demanded.

“You want us to destroy Zoragath,” Leigh supplied.

“Yes.”

“How’s that for simple?” he asked. “How much?”

“Where is he?” Ueiko hissed in annoyance.

“The Temple of Nightmares,” she replied, and he sighs in greater annoyance. “It’s in town,” she explained. “How much should I expect you to want?” she asked Leigh.

“It’s the biggest building in town,” Leigh said sarcastically to Ueiko. “You know, looks like a temple?” He rolled his eyes.

“For now maybe…” Ueiko got up. “See you later.”

“No, the biggest building in town is to Ceiphied,” Ara corrected. Then she caught what Ueiko had said. “What?”

He turned to Leigh. “And shut the hell up, smart ass.” Then he processed Ara’s comments and looked at her in confusion.

“So it’s the other one on the other end of town?” Leigh asked.

Ara sighed and said, “Follow me.” She stood up and exited the building on to the main street; Rofellos follows her.

Then Leigh, as full of testosterone as Ueiko, warned the taller man, “I’d watch your mouth before you get a fireball in it.”

When she realized the other two men didn’t follow, she re-entered the tavern, grabbed Ueiko’s arm, and yanked it with her toward the street. “Shut up, both of you,” she hissed warningly.

“Hey, that is personal, thank you!” Ueiko protested as the three of them exited. Ara quietly ranted to herself about how she got into this mess. Hearing her, Ueiko replied, “At least she knows,” and ducked out of the doorway.

The streets were already busy for this time of the morning. Several carts jammed the streets, making for very interesting traffic jams. Ara paused, waiting for a break in traffic, and examined Ueiko. He had a powerful build, but he wasn't overly intimidating for his size. She could see now that Ueiko favored black and red, as they were the colors of his clothing; black dominated his attire since the only red was his short-sleeved shirt and the interior of his hooded black cape. His red shirt was even covered by a black vest. Black bracers, which had strange dark red symbols on them, almost completely covered his forearms. His intricately carved claymore was even black, as was its blade; the detail was so great that the figure making up the sword almost looked alive. The figure was a Chinese dragon whose upper half made up the hilt; its two arms, holding a crystal in each hand, made up the hand guards. The dragon's eyes look like rubies and another crystal was in its half-open mouth. The scabbard was the other half of the dragon; the other legs were tucked against the side. The whole sword looked like it was made out of black ivory, but Ara doubted it.

As she paused, Leigh caught another glimpse of Ara’s staff. The strange rune on the diamond caught his eye, and though he swore he had seen it before, he could not remember where.

Then the traffic was clear, and Ara carefully crossed the busy street to a large building, which was labeled brightly and proudly in annoying colors “Town Hall”. When the men joined her, they felt an enormous drop in their magic but a boost in white magic. “Hajime’s seal,” she explained. “It’s just for as long as we’re in the seal. It makes white magic stronger and weakens all the others.”

“Interesting,” Rofellos commented. “Very interesting.”

“So not good for a Mazoku then?” Ueiko asked.

“Not really,” Ara replied as she walked around the circular town hall and behind another large building with the others following her. They entered a large courtyard where men in armor were training; they were on the guard’s property.

“Hail!” Rofellos shouted in greeting. Some of the men looked up and waved; others wondered what the party was doing on their training ground. Then they all saw Ara and nervously looked away.

“Interesting reaction,” Ueiko commented as Ara mumbled something about “stupid Seyruun”. Hearing her, he smiled a little.

Suddenly, a keg of powder exploded on the far side of the courtyard, and the men rushed to put it out in a panic. Ara grinned and quickly left the courtyard in the commotion.

Rofellos turned to look at the disturbance as Ueiko said, “That was different.” Then they noticed Ara had gone and quickly caught up to her. As Leigh left, he went over what he knew about fire spells wondering if Ara had done it.

To their relief, the men felt their magic return to them as they entered a schoolyard, or at least most of them did; one of them still had the feeling that he was in the seal. Children played happily behind their school house. “So are we taking a guided tour?” Rofellos asked impatiently.

Suddenly, one of the children’s kick balls crashed into the side of Rofellos’ head. Ueiko cautiously looked both ways as Ara grinned and joined Rofellos in laughter. “No,” she replied. “It's just shorter than taking the main street.”

“I see,” Leigh commented as Rofellos kicked the ball back to the kids and smiled pleasantly at them. They joined Ara at an intersection behind a large, stone building that resembled the Pantheon.

“Are we there yet?” Ueiko complained.

“Yes, that's the back of the temple,” Ara replied and pointed at the building.

“Good,” Leigh said.

“Not for long it isn’t.” Ueiko smiled evilly.

“Please don’t blow up the temple.”

“Fine.” He paused. “Just a small hole in the side?”

“Now you’re asking me for permission to blow up my building?” she replied incredulously.

“I could use Blast Wave,” Leigh offered. “Make a door.” Ara glared at him.

“Me, too,” Ueiko agreed.

“Don’t you think you would make a little noise?”

“My thought exactly,” Ueiko said and Leigh laughed.

Ara shook her head. “I said there are guards now. I doubt they’ll be here after dark.” She paused and remembered who she was with. “Listen, I just want Zoragath dead. The other temple members shouldn't be killed; they don’t know he’s a Mazoku.”

“Then let’s tell the authorities,” Rofellos suggested.

Ueiko looked at Ara in exasperation and asked, “Can I smack him?”

She smiled in return and said, “Go ahead.” Rofellos’ skull made a loud thwack as Ueiko slapped the back of his head. Continuing with her thought, Ara said, “They already hate the temple. If they knew a Mazoku has been in charge of it for so long, they'll...riot.”

Rofellos, fully recovered as per anime law, incredulously exclaimed, “The police will riot?!!”

“Don’t make me hit you again,” Ueiko warned the shorter man as he raised his hand again.

“No, the people will!” she corrected. “I just couldn’t think of a better verb.”

“You should clarify things better,” Rofellos commented crossly as he rubbed the back of his head.

“I could clarify all day and you still wouldn't get me.”

“Now that isn’t nice…”

“You’re not very intelligent.”

“Only for a few things,” he replied and smiled secretively.

She raised her eyebrow in reply and then turned to the others. “So what are you going to do about Zoragath besides charging me for his death and blowing up Mother's temple?”

“Must be interesting around Christmas with your family,” Ueiko quipped, causing Rofellos to laugh.

“Hm?” Ara blinked in temporary confusion. “No, the Lord of Nightmares.”

“Yes, she is your mother,” Ueiko replied.

“She’s also your mother,” she replied, addressing the whole group but making use of her piercing gaze on Ueiko.

Unaffected, he replied, “No, see, more of a father to me…”

Rofellos laughed before asking, “So are we going in or what?”

On a different tangent, Leigh asked, “Who said anything about blaming you?”

Ueiko turned to Leigh in surprised confusion. “Where was the blaming again?”

“Charging,” Ara explained to Ueiko. “As in money,” she explained to Leigh; he nodded in understanding. Then she impatiently demanded, “Look, what are you going to do about him?”

“Kill him,” Ueiko replied simply.

“About me?!!” Rofellos asked in panic a second later.

Ara sighed and started to rub her temples. She mumbled, “I’m beginning to think I should have gone and found that Dragon Spooker for this…”

***

Somewhere in the countryside, Lina Inverse looked up from the meal she had been sharing with Gourry, sneezed, and then wondered why she had the feeling she was being talked about before viciously attacking her food again.

***

“Dragon Smoker?” Ueiko asked; the others ignore him.

“I say two of us go in and one stays out here to guard you,” Leigh suggested to Ara. He explained to the others, “He would try to kill us all if we walked in with Ara.”

“True,” Rofellos agreed.

“The entrance is around that way,” she directed and pointed to the front of the building. Rofellos wasted no time on the others and quickly went to the entrance.

“I can make another one,” Ueiko offered mischievously.

“No. Do that to Ceiphied’s temple or something.”

“Fine,” he replied unhappily. “Do you value the guards?”

“Not really. Like I said, the town hates us.”

“That makes this easier,” he said and joined Rofellos at the front of the temple. An emblem of a sun was carved in the stone over the large double doors; the doors were made of black marble, but they were outlined in gold. Off to the left was a mural depicting the Lord of Nightmares as she might have been in her Sea of Chaos; on the right was another mural with strange symbols and lines.

“Shall we go in?” Rofellos asked his companion. Without waiting for an answer, he opened the doors to reveal a large and beautiful marble foyer, which also has the Lord of Nightmares’ symbol, and a grand staircase that spiraled upwards; a darker set to the left led down. There were several priests standing in the foyer; they all looked up in confusion at their new visitors since they didn’t get visitors often. “Hail, temple,” Rofellos mumbled as he admired the room.

“Up then?” Ueiko asked his companion.

A man, set apart by his elaborate grey robes instead of drab white, asked, “Can I help you?”

“Not really,” Ueiko replied and took a step towards the stairs.

“Me and my friend here are just looking. Visiting,” Rofellos told the man.

“Which is it?” Ueiko asked him as a blank look appeared across the grey-robed priest’s face.

“Visiting,” Rofellos decided. “May I ask your name?” he said to the priest.

“My name is Horus,” the man replied. “Who are you visiting?”

“We just wanted to look around here a bit, if that is all right,” Rofellos answered tactfully.

Ueiko, on the other hand, got straight to the point. “Where is the head priest? We have business.”

“Yes,” Rofellos agreed. “I am afraid we do have business with the High Priest. Might I inquire where I could find him?”

Poor Horus still looked confused, but he answered the two. “Well, we had a bit of a commotion last night down in our cellar. Some burglar stole a relic of ours. I'm sorry, but we're closed today. Please come back soon.”

“Well, thank you,” Rofellos replied. He left and grand temple and shut the doors behind him. “They had some trouble,” he said to himself.

“Well that was rude,” Ueiko commented to the doors that had just been shut on his face. He opened the doors again and left as well.

“Sorry,” his companion apologized sheepishly; he had thought Ueiko was right behind him.