Felina's previously furious step slows somewhat as she approaches the water temple. She looks up as she passes its gate, then minds her step. Slower, yes, but still fairly quick, a loping jog. It's not random...this is as fast as she can go and still stop in a single step. Certainly something she's tested extensively, considering how important it is.

Her ears and eyes are everywhere they can be, very alert. Her hand's on Culheru's hilt.

The place is at its most beautiful right now... the artificial sunset is at its peak, casting orange and violet light over the water in a cacophony of sparkling color. Momo is nowhere in site; only a pretty mermaid and a few playing nymphs occupy the mostly-submerged temple. Between dozens of ornate glass gazebos span shining, prismatic bridges that eventually lead to a hulking building a little ways away.

Felina, as per her nature, is fairly oblivious to the beauty of the place, concentrating too completely on Momo. Not to the mermaid, because any creature poses the vague possibility of a threat, but certainly to the temple's beauty. She pauses at a crossroads...eyes grow unfocussed. Momo, where are you?

Searching is hard...she can feel the place weighing heavily on her power already. It will only be so long before it crushes it. And that's...never good for her.

"Excuse me," the mermaid chimes in her singsong voice, "are you looking for that little girl who came barreling through here a moment ago?"

"I am." Felina opens her eyes and looks over to the mermaid. "Would you be so kind as to tell me which way she went?"

"Well, she went into the temple proper. That great, ugly slab of gray over yonder." The mermaid points off in that direction, tail flapping. "You have no idea how nice it is to be asked which way to go. Normally I have to sing it, after being gawked at."

Felina flashes a brief, fang-y grin at the mermaid. "Yes, well, ears like mine leave you sympathetic to the whole 'gawking' thing. Thank you, miss!" She resumes her jog in the designated direction, just a hair faster.

Before too long, Felina is faced with the last gazebo in the row, separated from the next by a hundred yards of open water.  A dark, formless shape moves about below the surface, and inside the gazebo, a sizable heiroglyph tablet depicts a person walking above several squiggly lines.

"Hmm..." Felina glances at the tablet, then looks down to the water and dark shape. Weighs options and possible consequences for a few moments, and then steps straight off the gazebo towards the water.

Beneath her feet, the light bends so that it seems to warp the water beneath.  The cold smoothness of flawless glass supports her steps. While she's standing on it, it plainly appears as a clear bridge before her eyes.

The laughing mermaid, who is swimming as if to keep up with her, stops long enough to applaud.

Felina smiles a little at the mermaid, but that fades fast as she resumes her run, clearly not moved by any real feeling of triumph. She's got to keep her head about her, things may get awkward to dangerous at any moment.

Felina has no idea. The mermaid squeaks and abruptly dives underwater, her splashing dive the only sound to reverberate about the temple. In the silence, pounding footsteps sound from far behind Felina. The monstrous beast's eerie mouth opens and closes, as if locked in a loop of macabre yawns. The sickening flaps atop its head are wide open, heat sensors pulsing with the delight of something found.

The serinian turns her head, just briefly, and picks up the pace again. Well, shit. That thing doesn't look friendly. She tries to evaluate its mind as she runs and watches the path ahead of her, though.

The Malufel's mind is... an interesting thing. It is a muddy mixture of reds, browns, and black, swirling all around in a confused mass that focuses down to a very sharp point. There are no conscious thoughts.

The beast increases its speed as well, only walking fast now. About this time, Felina comes to another gazebo that ends, though this one has an obvious button marked 'bridge' in Common, and signed with Mi'ehna's name. A similar button can be seen on the opposite gazebo.

Well. That works. Felina pushes the button, taking this time when she's necessarily stopped anyway to glance back towards the creature.

A bridge, this one of stone and steel, simply materializes between the two gazebos as soon as the button is touched. The Malufel is getting close now... perhaps a hundred feet separate it from Felina. Its protective flaps have closed.

Her sprint across the bridge is quite full now. Not all of her speed, for the sake of having an ace to play, but the majority is fomidable.

The monster bellows, a horrifying gurgle that sends sea birds flying off in every direction, and drops into a dead run. Its immense arms shatter the struts of some of the gazebos, and it is plain now that the creature is there especially for her.

Felina's thoughts can only be described as profane, but lack words. She's impressively focussed on just getting across, only a corner of her mind on the Malufel...she can't control it. She can only control herself. She runs straight past the button in the next gazebo before some psychic sense essentially slaps her on the back of the head. Face whirls around, and a quick pivot later, the poor bridge button is slammed with the side of a thankfully tiny fist.

The Malufel, who had just started to cross the bridge, emits a piercing shriek of defiance before plunging down into the depths, sending spray and fish in all directions. All is quiet for about three seconds, before a horrendous rumbling assaults the entire temple, and the dark shape that had been there begins to move. Kraken tentacles, as big around as two of Eleris and sporting suckers the size of tower shields, flail up and out of the darkening water. Clinging to one is the determined Malufel, who is distracted from Felina at the moment.

Felina watches this a few seconds. It had been a danger. But it's a construct. She's not so sure it had bourne her real malice...just doing its job. A wordless, telepathic apology is directed its way, before she resumes her run. Momo, where are you?

The archaic building is just in front of Felina. Inside, the sharp retorts of a forty-five pistol sound out, clear and clean. A few obscenities in a girlish voice float up that way, too.

Felina's sprint picks up. "Momo?" she calls, grip on her sword tightening.

Another shot, followed by the clomp of boots on stone. "Hey! I hear you! Hurry up, this prick took my gun!"

Just around the corner, Momo sits behind a fallen pillar, grumbling to herself. She looks none the worse for her experience, thuough her shoes seem to be missing too. Across the way, a very distinct-looking nymph is firing Momo's gun in seemingly random directions.

Felina has to snicker a little. "How many shots does that thing have, Momo?"

Momo starts to answer, but, stops short. "Felina?" She blinks, and starts to say something else, but hits the deck when another shot rings out. "Gah! Fifteen. Damn me and my custom mods... she's fired... eight. I fired four, at that giant creep who followed me here."

"Okay, well...not too bad, then." Nymph...hm.... Felina takes a large flat stone and steps out into the nymph's sight with a piercing whistle. "Hello, my friend! Do you think you can hit this?" She tosses the stone high into the air.

The nymph looks at her, squeaks, and fires three clean misses towards the stone. She hops up and down in gleeful amusement.

Momo grins at Felina. "Brilliant."

Felina grins at the human. Throws another stone to check that the gun is unloaded.

There is an answering click, and then, oddly enough, the stone is knocked out of the air by a flying pistol.



Momo squeals. "My baby!" She all but leaps on to the weapon, checking the chamber before cradling it to her chest. The nymph chuckles and takes off down the hall.

Felina smiles, waving a farewell to the nymph and then looking back to Momo, more than a little happy to see the girl intact. "Well, that heat-seeking creature is behind, but only delayed, I'm afraid...forward is probably a better choice than back towards it. Shall we?" she holds out a hand to help Momo up.

Momo takes it, gazing wide-eyed at Felina. "Yeah, that way. When did you get here? Um... why are you here? Not that I'm complaining. But it doesn't make much sense."

"Not long after you did. And because you're here, of course. That's what big sisters are for, remember?" The Guardian smiles.

Momo beams at that, and takes the initiative in hopping the downed pillar. "I shouldn't be here. Some ass with shark eyes sent me here, just because I shot him a couple of times.  He was attacking a death dancer, the prick." 

Felina raises an eyebrow. "Radivishe Moorn, by chance? You shot Radivishe Moorn?" she inquires as she starts towards the door opposite where she'd come in.

Momo shrugs, as if such is not a big deal. "Yeah. In the foot and leg, a couple of times. Do you know him?" Momo peeks through the door and, seeing nothing, starts into the next room. This particular chamber is glass, and they can see all the way out into the water temple.

Felina snickers. "You might say that. He tries to kill or otherwise maim me every two to five years. I swear we're going out for any kind of food you want once we get back, just for your having shot him repeatedly." She's almost too amused to speak at the thought of the one-eyed human girl-child standing up to a nigh all-powerful sociopathic sorcerer...and having something to show for it. Delicious.

"Food! Gah... don't say food." Momo pats her stomach. "I haven't anything to eat since this morning, before I was sent here. What kind of food do--"

The entire chamber rumbles, and Momo trips over her own feet as she leaps away from a tremendous arm of the kraken smashing against the glass walls of this chamber. Believe it or not, the Malulfel can be seen in the distance wrestling with the titanic octopus.

"Well, this is lovely...let's move it, Momo, we don't want to be in a glass room when it shatters and turns into a million flying daggers. She urges the human into a run.

Momo bolts down the uncomfortably long chamber, pushing her short legs as hard as she can... nevermind Felina's warning. The impact had scared the wits out of her. The sound of grass creaking sings behind them, and just as they reach a stairwell leading back up to more gazebos, it shatters. Water and octopus fills the chamber in short order.

Shit! Felina runs largely behind Momo, adjusting for the human's speed but trying to push it...though really, the massive kraken behind them is probably doing a better job of that than she ever could. With her power sinking, she's not sure she can spare enough to carry Momo up the stairs with her faster flight or leaps. For now...she just runs up the stairs behind Momo, ears flat at the rushing water.

"Felina, lookit. There's a gate here!" An out of breath Momo huffs as she reaches the top of the stairs, where a smallish booth exits out onto the next set of bridges. A red lever is on either side of the open gate. Momo dives through, tumbling end over end until bumping into the rail of the bridge. "Hurry, Felina! Pull the outside lever!" Well... she hopes it will close the door on the water and mollusk.

The serinian reaches out and does, watching the water and occasional glimpse of tentacle. Really, she's at least acting too calm for her own good. How much of that is for Momo's sake is hard to tell.

The door slams shut, making a godawful noise when it does. It turns out to be an incredibly heavy piece of work, several inches thick and made of solid metal. A second after it closes, something slams into it from the other side, pushing its frame outward as it buckles under the stress.

Momo blinks. "I hate calimari, anyway."

Felina snickers. "Pity, I think it's great. When there's not a kraken that's trying to squish us involved, of course." Looks to Momo. "Well, we probably shouldn't slow down too much...this place is certainly enough to keep us on our toes. Shall we?" She fishes something out of one of her belt's pouches as they start walking and holds it out to Momo. "Here. No taste worth speaking of, but it will fill you up, anyway."

Momo starts to refuse, but... she is hungry. She takes the thing and tests it, finding that it tastes more or less like... air. It certainly does make her feel better, though. "Thanks! So... the next temple is just that way. The earth temple, I think. I had just started in when that fish jumped me."

"Fair enough." Felina lets out a slow breath...she's really beginning to feel the power-stunting effects of this place. Hurrying through is...pertinent at the least. "Do you have any more clips for your pistol?"

Momo chuckles, and promptly lifts her shirt. She has gun belts wrapped around her belly and just-starting-to-develop bust, each set with four magazines. "Just who do you think you're talking to?" 

Behind them, another crash sounds against the gate, causing it to bend outwards. Another blow like that will tear it from the walls.

"Fantastic. Get it loaded..." Felina's eyes travel back to the doors... "and run." She follows her own advice, starting across a seemingly natural stone bridge at a pace Momo can follow.

Momo trots along calmly, loading the gun as if she's done it hundreds of times... sort of like she has. The creak of metal grows louder about the time they reach the next, and final, gazebo, and the gate finally bursts outward to reveal a battered Malufel. The beast bellows at them, and begins to follow, dragging a massive piece of kraken tentacle along with it.

"So this is why Eleris looked at me as though I were a stupid little kid," Felina murmurs as they approach the gazebo. She's definitely ready to look around for any markings this time.

"Right down there," Momo points towards a rocky outcropping just to the right of the gazebo, where a few gulls sit, but more importantly where the rock opens up into a cavern. "That's the earth temple.  I never actually got to go inside, but it looks like the floor is cracked all over in the first room. Watch your step." She herself turns and lifts the gun to fire at Malufel, hoping to buy some more time for Felina.

"Ladies first. Hurry." Felina's hand is very much on the hilt of her sword, watching the Malufel. "And stop shooting at that thing. You have virtually no chance of injuring it and some hell of a good chance of pissing it off."

The Malufel lowers its stance and charges. Momo squeals and turns, all but running into the railing between stairs. "Less talk more run!"

Felina gets between Momo and the Malufel, keeping her back to Momo as long as she's slowed anyway. Narrows her eyes. It's too close. Grabs Momo by the waist and sprints...though the girl's gotten entirely too big for this.

"Oof!" Is Momo's only protest. The monster's heavy feet actually shatter sections of the glass floor as it charges, but its progress doesn't slow.

"Fel, listen, one of Mi'ehna's notes said that these temples were designed to let people get through without the monster catching up. There has to be a button or switch or something somewhere!" Sure enough, just inside the next building there is a row of four levers. Beneath each lever is an arrow, and sure enough, there are four doors inside the narrow hall. One at the end, one on each side, and the door from the water temple.

Felina nods, eyes run over the levers for any clues as to which does what.

One of the arrows quite plainly points towards the temple entrance. That level is up. The other three levers are down, and the doors along the hallway are all three shut tight and glowing with some sort of sorcery.

Felina slaps the upraised lever down, eyes darting to the door the Malufel's about to use. 

The monster's shadowy figure is obscured by something that looks like glass, and its charge stopped when it collides with the barrier. The entire hallway shudders with the impact, and the beast crumples to the ground. Its head-tentacles are still twitching, though.

Momo blinks. "Poor barrier..."

"Poor creature. Anyway..." Felina looks over to Momo, forces a slight smile. "So. Which door will it be, once we've caught our breath?"

"Well, put me down, and you'll breathe better." Momo grins. "Thanks. I'm too stupid to run instead of fight these days." 

Felina smirks. "Sorry." Puts her down. "Guts are great. So's discretion. But...we've had that discussion before a time or twenty, and I think it'd bore both of us to tears right now." She takes a slow breath, trying to take full control of her metabolism again.

"You look like shit," Momo reports to a Felina who probably already knows that. "We should go back, while the monster is out. Mi'ehna can help you, I'm sure she can."

Felina smirks. "Always the charmer. Well...hm. I'm not sure." She glances at the glass door. "Well, first, do we even know how to get back, seeing as that way's pretty well shot all to hell? Inquiring as to the notes you seem to have commandeered, of course, you sneak." She grins a little at Momo.

"well..." Momo reaches into her pocket and produces two piece of paper, both written in similar handwriting. "This one is a map," she hands it to Felina, "and the other says 'beware: Kraken' on it. According to the map, we can double back onto those bridges by going left here, I think."

Felina scans, and nods. "Yeah...looks about right." She looks over the rest, though...ahead, not back.

Behind them, the Malufel begins to stir.

Momo gulps. "Yeah. Um, Felina? I think he's awake."

"Nice." Felina sighs quietly, trying to clear her head. Well. "Going back is probably wisest. However, I'm not so sure that going back out onto the same bridges that thing's not far from is just as smart."

Momo looks down, as if searching for an excuse, but her eyes lock upon the ground itself. "Felina, this floor is cracked." She stomps, and the sound is sort of hollow. "I'll bet that this floor might not hold his weight. He's gotta be five hundred pounds, maybe more. What do you think?"

"Hmm...sharp thinking, Momo." Felina smiles at the human a moment. "Okay." She pulls one of the levers. Hopefully the one opposite the Malufel, but...who knows?

The door at the end of the hall, as indicated by the arrow marks beneath the levels, slides open. The chittering of rats can be heard in the semi-darkness behind it, but that sound is drowned out in short order by the pounding of Malufel's paw against the barrier.

"Lovely." Felina lopes forward a few paces to the opened door, to check it out and make sure she't not exposing Momo to something worse.

The inside of the next room is a gigantic chamber, easily the size of the entire water temple area, whose cavern floor is uneven and populated by the occasional housecat sized rat. Momo shivers at the chittering. There are little caves in the walls, but the scenario is dominated by a rushing river fed from the previous temple.

Felina smiles wryly as she looks back to Momo. "Um...have your pistol ready, kiddo."

Momo smiles, holds it up. "That's kinda like telling me to breathe, Felina. I'm ready." 

The hallway rocks again as the Malufel's fist slams into the barrier. To Momo's utter horror the barrier shatters, flinging shards of solid energy in their direction. One sticks in the wall just left of Momo's head. "Run!" And she does.

Oh, good. Note to self: 'safe points' delay not stop... Felina runs after Momo, stops, tries to throw the switch to close the door again telekinetically. Not to mention holding it there for just as long as she can as she and Momo sprint off into this new mystery of an area.

The Malufel steps in and lashes out, its massive paw all but crushing the entire panel of levels. The door has closed partway though, and just as Momo had suspected the floor caves beneath its awesome weight. The displeased Malufel vanishes into the darkness.

Momo fires her pistol in front of them, sending rats running the other way. "Nasty little jerks," she mutters. "Felina, there are two paths, look. The river and that trail over there," she points to a hill that seems to be carved into the wall, whose end fades into a greenish light. A dock sits in front of them, where several boats have been tied up.

Felina lets out a relieved sigh as the Malufel crashes through the floor, then looks to the paths. "Well, on the one hand, hte river gives us a chance to sit down. On ther other...it's a lot easier to be sure of our defenses on land. I'd vote for the trail, but what do you think?" How tired are you? is implied. Their collapsing from exhaustion won't help anything.

Momo holds up her hand, looks at it. She's actually bleeding a little bit, just a bit, from a scratch given to her by the barrier shards. "I think... I don't like rivers. Rivers means waterfalls at some point, they always do. But it might be faster, and I think we both need to get back to town." Momo looks at her, and looks down the path. "I think that... Felina," she blinks, "I think there's a rock monster coming down the trail."

Sure enough. A creature of twice the Malufel's size lumbers down the hill, looking around as if it actually had a face. 

Felina blinks. She evaluates the creature's mind and intentions even as silently nudging Momo towards the water.

The rock monster seems more or less peaceful, though a sort of hunger does pervade its thoughts. It bends by the river and begins to eat reeds, not paying any attention to them.

Momo holsters her gun, having learned from the Malufel incidents. She sets one foot on the dock, trembling, but not from fear. She looks down at her hand, to see that her bleeding wound has iced over, and that the rest of her hand is coated with a light frost. "Felina..." she whispers, holding up her hand. "Lookit."

Felina narrows her eyes. "Oh, good...and yet the river's still flowing, even at the edges?" She does take off her cloak, though, and drape it around Momo's shoulders. "Wait here just a moment." She approaches the rock monster, keeping a reasonable distance and unagressive stance. "Excuse me," she inquires softly, "but would you by any chance be able to help us choose the safer path for our kind?"

The rock creature faces her, 'head' tilted as if it hadn't expected to be addressed. It chews reeds thoughtfully for a moment before pointing up the hill. It has no idea how to indicate that the hill is a much longer route, so it simply stomps its feet.

"Mm..." Felina nods. With the help of her psionics... "I think I understand, my friend. Thank you very much for your input." She bows.

The creature lowers itself somewhat, only mimicking her action, and goes back to chewing reeds.

Back on the dock, Momo is doing her best keep her sobs quiet, but the pain in her hand is too great for her to keep a secret. Felina would probably notice a chunk of ice enveloping halfway up her forearm, anyway.

Felina stiffens, and hurries down to Momo at the sound of the girl's whimpering. "Goodness, Momo..." she winces at the sight of the ice. "Here..." places both hands on the ice and squeezes until it shatters off neatly. Felina envelops Momo in a gentle warming spell...her crystal's barely protecting her from the extreme cold, but enough so that it's not such an immediate danger. "Hey...never be afraid to tell me when you need help, okay? Nothing else is as pressing as your safety...and that of all your fingers." She guides the human towards the high path. "Come on. Hopefully this way is warmer."

And longer. The simple warming spell is also doing its part to drawin away her energy dangerously fast...she does her best not to show this. She just needs to get through the earth temple...needs to get halfway. She does have a way to hold on, had made careful preparations from just this kind of dangerous situation...but she doesn't want to do it yet. Not until they're halfway through.

"Felina," Momo whispers up to the Guardian, "there's something I forgot to tell you. I think... the cold is coming from me." She looks up, shivering. "This is the earth temple. Ice is water. I think it was the cut I got from that barrier..."

A harsh thumping sounds behind them, and the pleasant rock monster comes lumbering up the trail. Despite its size, it moves quite quickly due to its long legs. It stomps its feet at the sight of them.

Felina's eyes widen at Momo's explanation, quickly reading the girl's energy as best she can...before being distracted by a loud thumping. Brow still speaking lighly of worry, she looks up to the rock creature. "Was there something else, my friend?"

The rock monster reaches out and taps on the earthen wall, producing a hollow thump much liked the cracked floor from before. It points to Momo, and taps on the wall again. Its simplistic mind tries to figure out how to say 'there's a shortcut through the fire temple to get her warm'.

Felina blinks a few times, then understands. "I see...is there a simple way through, or just breaking straight through the wall?"

The monster walks away about two steps, kneels, and pats the wall. Just above the crest of its head, a rectangular opening in the wall issues out a light mist of steam. The monster pats the ground.

Felina smiles, bows a quick "thank you." "Come on, Momo...let's try to get you warmed up." She helps the human gently up onto the beast's back, using handholds and footholds like in any other pile of rocks. Pats its head as they approach the opening. "Thank you for all your help."

The rock monster stomps its feet again once they're up there, pleased with itself, and tramps on down the hallway to find more reeds to chew.

Momo looks up at Felina again. "It's warmer here... Felina. I think we're going the wrong way." She looks around, but even her pupils have gone a cool shade of blue, and she can't see very far. 

"We're in the fire temple. How wrong is that?"

"The way back was partway through the earth temple, Felina." Momo shakes her head. "Stupid. I had to come alone, like an idiot. I'm sorry."

Felina smiles reassuringly. She's far from relaxed. But she isn't mad at Momo, either. "Then I assume the way forward is this way. You're not alone now. Now let's work our way out of here and try to get you warmed up in the process, yes? Besides, Yue's probably soiled his petticoat worrying about you by now." She looks over the fire temple. All of the elements present hazards. But she's least comfortable with fire.

Momo simply chuckles. "He probably has," she agrees.

The first hallway is warm, but not really over-warm. There is a massive, circular door of stone and metal at the end, and behind it the flickering light of flames can be seen peeking out. There are no panels or buttons, just a knob-like crank on the front of the door.

"Well, this looks like fun. Momo, get behind that pillar...just in case." Felina sets her feet to turn the crank, which is entirely too hard to move for its own good.

Momo steps back, but stops at the sound of pounding feet outside the hall. She looks through the way they'd come, squeaks, and falls over backwards to get away. "Felina!" she hisses. "That monster is in the hall!"

Malufel growls quietly as it searches the hallway. It hates the fire temple, which naturally screws with its heat sensors.

"Be quiet," Felina cautions mentally. "I think it tracks us by heat, from the shape of those organs on its head, and with your lowered temperature, it may not see you." She tries to crank faster.

Momo shuts up in short order. The door opens on oddly silent hinges, revealing a catwalk of sorts suspended over a fleet of burning braziers down below. Impish creatures flit around down there, looking like little red goblins with smooth skin, none of which pay them any mind.

Oh, good. Hell. Felina beckons to Momo and steps through quietly herself, holding the door and waiting.

Momo creeps through, feeling much better in this too-damn-hot temple. She's actually quite comfortable now.

"This room is a honeycomb," Momo notices, point at the dozens of doorways all around. "How can we tell which is the right one?"

"The one that doesn't contain something that will kill us is always a good bet. Other than that...what's your map say?" Felina pulls the door shut.

Momo glances it. "It says... go left. There are five doors on the left, though, and it doesn't say which..."

Down below, the fire imps are going in and out of the doorways at rapid speed... save for one. There's a very obvious emenation of darkness there. Momo groans. "Fuck. I'll bet it's the one with all the black light pouring out."

"Probably. Reverse what I said before: the one that will probably kill us is usually a good bet. Shall we?" She starts off at a fairly quick step, eyes peeled for danger and psychic sense very much watching over Momo. "Also, considering the heat, let me know if you feel faint, and we'll slow down or rest."

Momo walks alongside her. "I don't feel the heat, Felina. All I feel is a chilly. But I'm okay." 

The catwalk leads in a spiralling pattern all the way down to the bottom level, where a very lethargic dragon is sleeping without any hint of waking up. The imps that are running back and forth seem to be bringing some sort of vegetables back and forth, filling a trough next to the elephant-sized beast. One thing Dothaven seems to do well is 'big'. 

The room is just across from the dragon's snout. Its snores sound rather like bass drumrolls, and the imps, for their part, are keeping fairly quiet.

Felina nods to Momo, and takes the girl's arm quietly--not a true "grab and drag," she knows Momo too well for that--to guide her around so that they're walking side-by-side, Felina towards the dragon. She seriously doubts that either of them will need to be coaxed to move quietly as they head towards the room.

Momo is practically on her tippy toes. The dragon smells like carrots, of all things, and is kind of cute, but she doesn't want to chance that it's an asshole in sheep's clothing.

The dragon snores contentedly, until they reach the entrance of the darkened room. One of the imps steps out of a honeycomb room, holding what appears to be a bell.

Momo looks at it. "You wouldn't dare," she whispers at the imp, who just smiles at them.

"Do you have good proctologists down here?" Felina questions softly as they walk, admittedly a little more quickly. "You're goign to need one to remove that bell if that dragon wakes up."

The imp chitters quietly, pointing at the full trough next to the dragon, then back to the bell. Momo blinks.

"Dinner bell," she observes, "of all the stupid ass, grr..."

The imp points to its hindquarters, chitters, and shakes its head.

"Oh, good...our timing is as good as ever." She apologizes...kind of...wordlessly to the imp, and pushes Momo along a little faster. Not to a run...if the dragon sees them running, they're done.

The imp puts away the bell, smiling a little at them. The dark room ahead is a gauntlet of arrow traps and fire pits, spiked floors, rotating blades, and it goes on as far as the eye can see. The imp stands beside it as they enter.

Chitters. Points up.

Far above, the Malufel throws back its heat-folds and bellows.

Momo squeaks as the dragon's eyes pop open.

Felina's more worried about the Malufel, fangs bared as she looks up. "Chamber of death it is." She hurries inside, still beside Momo since both forward and back are dangerous.

The imps clear out as the dragon wakes up, lifting its head to roar in answer to the Malufel. High above, the confused Malufel bellows again... all that it can sense is the tremendous heat of the dragon down below. It knows that they came this way, though, and begins to tramp its way down the catwalk.

Momo looks at the gauntlet ahead. "I don't think this is such a good idea...!"

About then a tongue of dragon flame licks the stones right behind them. "Good idea, great!"

"My thoughts exactly. Run...but watch your step!" Felina takes the advice, though not really getting fast until Momo follows.

Momo sprints, heart hammering. She ducks just in time to lose some hair to an arrow trap, hops over a spike pit, and then trips. Screams, as she rolls uncontrollably over a jet of flame from the floor.

Blinks when she comes out unscathed. The wound. She looks down at her hand. It's still frosty. How... odd.

Felina lets out her breath after a near-panic, helps Momo up. Well. That bears investigation...when we're not being chased and when it's not seeming to help keep you intact. She looks down the hall as they start moving again, one hand on the hilt of her sword.

From behind, the tongues of flame cease.  Momo looks back to see a very dazed, half-conscious dragon sitting on its rump in the larger room, looking much like someone who has just had the taste slapped out of his mouth. In front of it, and approaching them rapidly, is the Malufel.

"Erg..." Felina can't really hold onto her power much longer anyway...may as well drain it fast and make it count. She holds out a hand, narrows her eyes at the ceiling. This shouldn't be so hard...the temples do good work in suppressing her ability. A crack appears a bare moment before a quite sizeable chunk of the ceiling comes crashing down, blocking the way with a good measure of solid material. Catches her breath. "Running is good." Takes her own advice, cuts her finger as they move and writes a speed rune on the back of Momo's shirt with the blood. Admittedly a trick she'd picked up from a certain sorcerer she's had many dealings with.

Momo runs with all her little heart, wondering when it was that she'd gotten so fast, and with only a few scrapes and pretty serious gash from a protruding blade, rolls through to the end of the hall.  She lands, huffing and panting, but okay.

The fallen earth works for a little while, but before long at all a very unhappy Malufel comes charging through, sending spray and stone debris hurtling down the hall a short distance. It continues its chase, slapping blades and spikes away as if they were dead brush.

Felina clears the hazards more unscathed and brushes a hand over Momo's gash...it heals. Of course, her energy level's getting to a seriously, physically detrimental point...but adrenaline helps in that wonderful way only adrenaline can. "I wonder why I just didn't try to fight that thing while I was stronger," she ponders aloud, ruefully. Lets out her breath. "Come on, let's go." Helps Momo up and sets off running again, up still another elevated path, pleased to see that the human's speed isn't far under hers at this point. Granted, she's slowed down with fatigue, but even so....

Momo whips out the map as they run, grumbling quietly. "Felina. This passage isn't just a shortcut through the earth temple. It goes straight to the air temple... out this side." She points to the northeast, where another crank door looms. "There's no map for the air temple, though."

Behind them the Malufel continues is methodical approach, almost as if it feels the end of the race drawing near.

"Fantastic. There must be a reason that Mi'ehna didn't explore it, but...it sure beats the alternative. And through the air temple may just be the way out." She runs up to the door, breath quite ragged, mostly from her energy being suppressed by the temple, and grabs the crank, turning hard.

The crank turns a quarter of the way and breaks off in Felina's hand. 

Momo sighs. "God. It's like a cheesy fantasy story." The door, however, continues to move. On the other side stands a girl of about twenty-six apparent years, blue of hair, and... oddly sprightly. 

"Hurry," she cries, her voice as soft as a spring breeze, "inside before the devil gets here." She gestures towards what appears to be a meadow inside the air temple.

Felina glances to the girl, unsure, then back to Momo. Nods after just a moment, gestures the human inside before following, herself..

Momo goes in and promptly falls over onto the sweet smelling grass, breathing hard, and deeply. She's absolutely exhausted, and suddenly, very cold again.

However... a note of interest is that in this temple, the strange suppression of power is noticeably lighter. The blue-haired girl pushes the metal door closed and locks it, grimacing a bit at the angry bellows of the malufel on the other side. "Horrible creature, that. Are you two okay?"

"Maybe." Felina stills her breath as best she can and hurries to Momo's side, kneeling beside her and placing a hand on her forehead, mentally feeling for the cause of the problem.

Momo lays quietly there, shivering. Ice has already begun to form on the same hand as before, and is beginning to trail up her arm. 

The other woman leans on her knees, looking down at Momo. "That looks unpleasant. She'll lose that arm in a hurry, you know. Remove that off-color shard from her skin."

Felina glances at the woman, nods. It certainly confirms what Momo had said. She doesn't have to look for it. Its energy is a glaring beacon compared to what's essentially natural ice. Her hand becomes intangible a few moments as she reaches through the ice for it...grabs hold of just that bit and, testing the direction it's imbedded carefully, pulls hard.

A very interesting - and macabre - thing happens when she does that. The ice around momo's hand reddens and cracks as a stream of blood spurts out of the wound, freezing in mid-stream. Momo cries out, bites her lip. This is a whole new kind of pain.

The woman tilts her head. "Here," she removes the pretty, hand-made scarf from around her neck and hands it to Felina. "You should bind that before everything unthaws."

Felina smiles a little at the woman, nods. She doesn't know who this woman is...all told, doesn't completely trust her at this point. But the help is genuinely appreciated. She numbs Momo's pain and binds the arm tightly with the scarf before she begins to work healing magic, giving her time to do it carefully when her senses are still recovering.

"Thank for your help, Miss. May I inquire as to your name?" she asks as she works.

"Aliema," answers the woman in a kindly tone. "I am the caretaker of this temple. I trust you met the other three? And... what are your names?"

Momo just bites her lip in silence. Numbing or not... this just sucks.

"Three caretakers?" Felina blinks. "Would you mean the mermaid, the stone being, and the dragon, perchance? And...I'm Felina Deyono, this is Momo Deyono. A pleasure."

Aliema kneels, sets a hand upon Momo's forehead. "Close. The mermaid, the earth elemental, and a strange little imp with a bell. So... you are family, then?" She strokes Momo's forehead, trying to calm her. "Hyperventilating," she observes, and leans down, blowing a surprisingly warm breath of wind from between her lips and into Momo's face.

"In a sense, yes, we are." Felina drapes a calming spell around Momo, eyes sympathetic.

Aliema nods, understanding well enough. "Come. We will take her to the village, where she can rest. This is the Mad Holly Valley, Felina. The flowers here emit hallucinogenic pollen dust, so..." she points up and over a hill's crest, where there can be seen a treetop village high above. "Can you fly?"

Heh...this must be where 'heaven' stories come from. Felina nods, and gathers Momo up gently. "Yes."

"Alright then. Follow me. Don't talk to anyone just yet. They won't understand you." Aliema gathers a bit of wind beneath her body and floats upwards, heading at a casual pace for a series of bridges and roundish buildings that defy every rational model of physics in their construction. In the trees, fae, sprites, and pixies of all sorts are going about their business. Aliema leads them to a small building with a bed and amenities.

"Set her here," she points. "And put this on when you're done. It will let you understand their language." She holds out an earring of a pretty turqouoise color, looking at Felina's ample auditory appendages.

Felina nods. She sets Momo down gently, petting the girl's hair aside with a soft touch, still maintaining the pain-numbing spell. "Thank you, Miss Aliema." She takes the earring and, somehow managing to avoid flinching, sticks the sharp tip of a claw through her ear and puts the earring in.

"There you go," Aliema nods agreeably. "Momo will be fine. I will ask some of the imps to keep watch over her and keep her warm. In the meantime, why don't you and I sit down and you can explain to me just what the hell a little human girl and a Guardian are doing in my temple." Aliema smiles a sweet smiles, eyes closing and everything. She hadn't sounded anything but pleasant, either.

Felina smiles, just a little, and nods, bowing slightly. "Thank you for your hospitality...that sounds fine." All told, she's still defensive on some level...but hopefully it's just paranoia.

Aliema leads the way across a set of rope bridges, which appear to be the primary method of foot-travel in this village. She stops not far from the house where Momo is, at a large platform dotted with tables and comfy-looking chairs. She sits primly, motioning for Felina to join her. "Please. Tell me your tale?"

"Well, it's rather straightforward, and mercifully short..." Felina observes as she sits down. A bit less properly, really, as per exhaustion. "I'm essentially one of this girl's guardians, so when she was banished here, I took a few minutes to evaluate the dimension and then followed with the intent of retrieving her. I would have liked to have been more methodical, but by the time I arrived, she had already made her way fairly deep into the water temple, and I took steps as best I could to prevent her being seriously harmed by that impulsiveness."

"What a nice choice of words," Aliema observes, nodding in approval.  A troop of pixies float over to the table, setting steaming cups of something that looks quite a bit like tea in front of them. "Thank you, fellows. Felina, this is tickberry tea. It will help you relax after your ordeal. So tell me... how did you escape the devil?"

Felina smiles, bows her head. "Thank you. And...very quickly." She laughs softly, though it's really not that funny. "The guardian of the earth temple also aided in a sense by showing us a shortcut to the fire temple."

"So you had to get around the dragon, then," Aliema nods, sipping her tea and smiling sublimely at its smooth, lightly sweet flavor.

"It was asleep. By the time that was no longer the case, it was more worried about the Malufel than us." She sips the tea. Yes, it's very good.

"Mm. You are a brave woman. Possibly a bit foolish, but then, that is part of bravery." Aliema sips her tea slowly, thoughtfully. "If you want to leave the temple, you will have to best it. The Malufel, that is."

"Yes, well...I can certainly relate to Momo's impulsiveness." Felina sips the tea as well, though amused on some level by the stark contrast of this tranquil scene versus the flight for life just ten minutes ago. "Best it? How do you mean?" She really...doesn't want to kill it."

"Best it. Defeat it. However you like. There is no permanent defeat for the beast, not really, but on two occasions there have been people who have fought with it and survived. Those people were sent home by the monster itself." Aliema shrugs, as if unconcerned. "I trust you have met Mi'ehna. She refuses to come to this temple, as getting through it means facing the Malufel in the Hall of Rites. No traps, no tricks, just... the monster."

"I see...and what of Momo? Would she be sent home as well? Or, if necessary, instead?"

"I don't know that much. From what I have seen of the monster's mentality, I would assume that it would not take a substitute. It is too... hm." Aliema pauses, pondering over her words for a moment. "Stupid, when it comes to the fight. An interesting trait considering that it is intelligent when not chasing something."

"Mm.." Felina nods a bit. It makes sense, really. "I see. Do you know anythign about the manner by which it transports creatures back?"

"Nothing useful," Aliema admits. "I'm convinced that it has something to do with that light in its chest, though."

"I see." Felina nods a bit, quiet and concentrating on her tea for a few moments. "Tell me, this 'Hall of Rites'...does it have the same power-crushing effect as most of the temples employ?"

"No. Though, this means that the Malufel will be at full power as well. The chamber itself is piece of marvel art. It simulates environments through sorcery, changing them around in the same manner in which the four temples were created... I swear, sometimes I think that some perverse wizard simply sits and watches those battles for amusement."

"It sounds fascinating...I don't suppose you know who created this place, then?"

Aliema shakes her head. "No. This place is older than sin."

"I see." Felina nods again. This place feels...familiar, somehow, in its energy. But that could mean anything, even contact with some other item the creator had made. Tel-tiono had certainly amassed an interesting enough collection. "Well. I guess the coming events will be most interesting, then. Tell me, what will happen to Momo if I lose?"

"I suppose she will stay here, unless she plans to fight the Malufel herself. I am sure that someone in the village will adopt her. Though, impulsive people have a nasty habit of killing themselves here." Aliema sips again, perfectly calm, her prismatic eyes glimmering. "I suppose they can't handle the ennui of it all."

Felina smiles a little. "Okay. That sounds like a sound course of action, then. Tell me, when does this need to transpire? Do I have time to rest...pending your hospitality, of course, I don't mean to assume it."

Aliema answers her smile, reaches out, and covers one of Felina's hands with her own. Interestingly, Aliema's hand glows in the blue-green light of a cryptic rune. "You have nothing if not time in this place. This is a vortex of nonexistence, Felina. The castle itself sits inside a place that is independent of time... nothing changes, here. Tell me, Felina... I would like to help you, but do so, I need your permission." She looks the Serinian dead in the eyes. "I will give you a map to this place. But I need to inscribe this mark upon you to do it."

Felina nods after the briefest of pauses. "That is fine, thank you."

Aliema nods, smiling prettily as the rune begins to write itself on top of Felina's hand. At the same time, an intimate knowledge of Dothaven begins to flood into her memory, as if she has been to every place a dozen times. All that, and a bit of insight into the Malufel itself... though the notion of 'time god' does seem to be fairly heavy in association with it. It's really quite a mindjob.

Felina takes a slow breath at all this...closes her eyes and sips the tea. She's quiet for the better part of a minute. "Well, that's...interesting. Thank you."

"You are welcome. Now. About resting... you may share the house with Momo. It is a guest house, perennially empty. If you'd like, we can bring food and drink to you as well." Aliema chuckles softly. "After the hell of the rest of this place, we have all decided that this temple should be restful, spiritual even. So. It is safe here."

Felina smiles, and bows her head. "Thank you. Your help is truly appreciated."

"Nah. All of the caretakers are here to help you. Haven't you noticed? Um," Aliema grins sheepishly, "nevermind the imp. He tries, bless him, but he really is an idiot."

Felina grins. "Well, their help is and was appreciated, as well."

"So," Aliema stands, leaving the cup. "Will you take your rest now, or would you prefer to wait?"

"Now would be lovely. Though, all told, it's unlikely that sleep will come quickly with so much to be considered." Felina stands as well. 

Aliema, who seems to be more or less done with the matter, trots along the bridges back to the house, gesturing for Felina to enter. "I have to speak with the other caretakers. Please, ask Jorge if you need anything." A little pixie waves at Felina from nearby, a male, perfectly nude as are the others. 

Felina smiles at the pixie, nodding acknowledgement, and follows Aliema inside. "I will remember that, thank you."

Inside, Momo is sitting up with her arm carefully bound into a sling and her hand wrapped tightly. The pixies who had been working on it are just leaving, and they chitter a welcome/goodbye/howyadoin as they leave.

Momo looks like the walking dead, but there is a little smile on her face when she sees Felina. "Hi."

Felina smiles in return. "Hi there. How are you feeling?"

"Very odd," Momo answers back. "I feel dizzy. And cold. But my arm stopped gushing. And freezing."

"She lost a lot of blood. Something in that shard thing kept her blood from clotting. We patched it with resin. Drugged her first, though... so if she says anything odd, it's our fault." The pixie, Jorge, speaks mostly to Felina, as a look into Momo's dilated eyes would well indicate her current capacity for reason.

The Guardian nods. "Well, at least she'll heal. Thank you very much for your aid."

"Blood stinks." The pixie observes this quietly. "We do what we can to make it smell nice."

Momo glares at him. "If he wasn't so cute I would shoot him."

Felina smirks. "Dont' make me hide your ammo again."

"Aww... okay." Momo sniffles, jesting of course. 

The pixie blinks. "Shouldn't I have a say in this?"

"What, you preferred the 'shooting' option?" Felina smiles sleepily.

The pixie looks at Momo again. "I'm thinking."

Momo just grumbles, and lays back upon her cot. "There's a hammock there, Felina," she says, eyes closing already, "sleep."

Felina chuckles. "Yes...probably a good idea." She smiles at the pixie, yawns, and walks over to the hammock, taking a few moments to figure out where she can set her sword near the awkward contraption as she unbuckles the belt.

---

"All right, lazies, wake up," a certain pixie's voice calls to them several hours later, "we have to get you in shape for the big event."

Felina opens her eyes most sleepily, one eyebrow distinctly cocked. She hasn't gotten a wake-up call like that one in a very, very long time. "And here I thought that's what we were doing?"

"Nah. You were sleeping. Everyone is excited, and we all want to see you succeed, so we have some things to do for you." The pixie flits over to Momo, lays his hand on her head. "Poor thing. She needs her rest, but it can't be helped."

About that time, Momo's good hand shoots out and snatches the pixie. 

"Go... away," she mumbles sleepily, letting him go after realizing what she'd done.

Felina snickers quietly. Momo is so much like her as a child it's not even funny. She yawns, sits up, and binds back her hair again. "Come on, Momo...let's see what's up. We knew there wouldn't be a lot of "rest" involved coming into the temples."

Still fussing quietly, Momo slips out of bed and promptly squeals. "My hand!" she cries out, holding up the wounded hand that now sports an allover blue coloration and very little in the way of mobility. "I can't move it at all," she whines, grumbling.

Felina frowns. "Here...let me see that." She walks over to Momo and holds out her own hand.

Momo just shakes her head. "It's okay, Felina, don't worry. I was just mad because this is my better trigger hand." She gets up, holding the hand against herself. She smiles.

The pixie coughs. "When you're ready, go outside and take the lift down to the meadow."

Felina nods to Jorge. "We will, thank you." She looks back to Momo. "Well, let's see what's up with it? Maybe it's fix-able here and now." She smiles. "So give me the damned thing."

"Really, it's okay," Momo assures Felina, edging towards the door. "I don't need it fixed."

"I see. Well, your choice. Is there are particular reason?" Felina inquires as she fastens the straps on her sword belt.

"Sort of," Momo nods. "Thanks, Felina. Let's go see what's up." She heads out, the spring back in her step, and waits on the rope-drawn platform that leads down below. "Come on!"

Felina smiles, though it's a surface expression only. She's worried about Momo's hand, and why the girl might not be letting her at it. She steps onto the platform herself.

The thing is ingeniuos, really, though not entirely 'possible' in the dictionary sense. A wide wooden platform, suspended by two ropes attached to stones that float up and down on their own. Momo seems quite interested in the thing.

On the ground, Aliema is waiting along with a pair of hulking bird-men, each as big as Eleris on its own. 

"I hope you're well rested," the wind elemental greets them, "it is not going to be an easy day."

"Rested enough. So what's the method and purpose here, then...?" Felina inquires.

"If you have any hope of defeating the Malufel in the Hall of Rites, you will have to have the proper tools. There is a room hidden underneath the Mad Holly Valley, a few levels down, that is filled with so many weapons that you would scarcely believe it had left any for the rest of the universe. Weapons of every sort conceivable, even firearms like the toy that Momo carries." Aliema smiles some at Felina. "Even laser weapons. Each and every one of them is blessed in such a way that they can harm the Malufel."

"I see." Felina nods thoughtfully to this. Eyes focus again. "Splendid. When do we leave? Or I leave? Whichever."

"We will escort you as far as the temple will allow us. So long as we are with you, the traps will not function." Aliema looks down into the valley from their higher ground, thinking. "If you want Momo to escape, she will have to go as well."

Momo smirks. "Damn right I'm going! It's my fault Felina's here, so, I have to help."

Felina smiles briefly at Momo. "All right. Quite appreciated, then."

"Yes, well, let's not starting patting each other on the backs just yet. Remember to hold to your senses in the first tunnel. The pollen is heavy down there." Aliema turns to her centurions, who seem awfully bored with the proceedings. "Watch the door. Malufel has never entered this tunnel, but if it does, get everyone out of its way."

The centurions nod, but are otherwise still. Aliema smiles, and starts walking towards the meadow. "They're good lackies. Quiet and obedient, like every man should be."

Felina smirks a little, though she doesn't entirely approve of the humor. "It's good to know they do their jobs well."

Aliema leads the way to the edge of the field, to what looks suspiciously like a manhole cover. A wave of her hand laces the edges of the cover with bluish light, and it pops cleanly open. "There. Down this access ladder you go. Momo, I will carry you down if you'd like, unless your hand is better."

Momo shakes her head. "I'll do it. No problem."

Aliema goes first, floating down the ladder to come to rest in a hall that looks much like the innards of a starship than the belly of a temple. "Quickly now. I'm not sure exactly where the weapons hold is, but a Guardian should be able to feel it's location. The weapons are quite powerful."

Felina nods. "Yes, it's reasonably obvious." She's used to being a living radar, has used and been used as this for...as long as she can remember. So she heads down the proper hallways and straight to the right door. "Here we go." Glances around for the opening mechanism.

The mechanism is a simple one, nothing more than a lock and key attached to a door of an interesting composition... a metal that flows in a spiraling circle, all the way from its center to the corners. There are a few dents and scratches in the surface of it.

"Oh, good, you found it. Now listen very closely, Felina," Aliema speaks in a warning tone, keying open the door and giving it a hard shove open. "You can't take the weapons back through this door. Some sort of safeguard, I suppose, but if the weapon leaves this chamber it vanishes and goes right back. The only way to take a weapon out is to use the transporter inside, to take you directly to the Hall of Rites." She leans against the opposite wall, lip stuck out in a thoughtful sort of way. "Something about this room and the hall, I suppose, keeps the weapons from moving on their own. Now, this is not the only way into the hall, but it is the only way that may result in survival. Once you are in the hall, you won't be able to leave until the Malufel allows it."

"I see. What does that mean to Momo? Does going to this hall automatically require fighting the Malufel, for every person?"

Aliema looks at Felina, her expression one of 'no bullshit'. 

"Yes. If she goes into the hall, she fights, or it will kill her. Same for you."

Felina glances at Momo a few moments. Aside. Back to Momo. She lets out her breath, considers carefully. "Momo...it's my right to risk my own life. But I can't risk yours, not with my having so little knowledge of this opponent." Pause. "We're going to go back to the village."

Momo looks at Felina. "No. Why? We're right here. If these weapons can hurt it, we can beat it. Right?"

"Weapons aren't everything. That doesn't guarantee a victory, and certainly doesn't guarantee my being able to keep you safe. There are other ways to leave this sort of dimension than by the primary gate, the Malufel in this case. Mostly activated from the outside, but if nothing else, I can fight the Malufel later, with only myself to risk, and then pull you back--or bribe Moorn to do it--from there. If that doesn't work, and when I've already seen this creature in action once, we can come through the temples again and then fight it together. But for now, we're going back." Felina has an expression on her face right now that shows every year she's ever been hardened by...one that she should know better than to argue with.

"Damn you and your logic, Felina." Momo sighs, and just barely allows a wince to come over her. "Okay," she agrees far too quickly for Momo, "back to town it is then. Sounds good."

Felina smiles, just a little, and nods. She looks to Aliema, expression serious. "Thank for your help. You may be seeing more of me in the near future."

"Oh, by all means," Aliema nods. "It gets boring here. You are spice. You should know your way back now, right?"

"Back through the temples, if there's not a simpler way?"

"Would you be disappointed if I told you that there is a transporter station down the hall over there?" Aliema looks to her right. "It's powered down now, but that's easily remedied. You can go to any one of the temples, the village, even outside the castle. But you can't teleport back the same way."

Felina smiles a little. "Going back would be fabulous, thank you."

Aliema trots along down the hallway, swinging her hips and hopping back and forth from one foot to the next, singing softly. She is a wind elemental after all. Whimsy is part of the job description. 

"Looky, Felina," Momo whispers, "is it legal to fit that much butt into pants that tight?"

"I heard that," the curvy elemental answers, breaking out of her song only long enough to say so. Momo just snickers. "Felina, there's a lever on the far wall there. Be a dear?" The shadows of machines lay all around this room, obviously in a state of disuse.

"Certainly." The Guardian heads over in that direction and pulls it. Easy enough.

The electrical whirr of a generator firing up is the first sound after the lever drops. The lights flicker on in short order, revealing a roomful of computers and buttons and all sorts of technological things that make Momo's eyes bug. "I've never seen anything like this, never," she admits, moving to touch the machines. "Even before they started shutting down the machines in Dome. These are big business."

Aliema nods. "These tubes are the transporters," she gestures to a row of translucent tubes against one wall, each marked with what should by now be familiar elemental symbols. There is also one marked with a heiroglyp of people, one with a ship, and one with a black X. "Just stand inside and press the blue button inside whichever tube you need."

Felina nods, first to Momo. "Yeah...I grew up with pretty high technology, but even by those standards, these aren't far out of date." Of course, still too expensive for common people to afford, by far. She gestures to the "x" and ship symbols. "What are these?"

Aliema looks up at the symbols, thinking. "The ship is outside the castle. There's a shipwreck there, heaven knows why. Maybe for effect. But the ocean out there is an echo point. Sail straight west, you'll end up on the east side of the castle. As for the X, I'm not sure. Anyone who takes that transporter doesn't return, so... I assume that it leads into the Malufel's section of the castle. There is a hall leading to it next to the village, but it's marked off. Smart people stay away."

Felina nods thoughtfully. She isn't often known for being a "smart people." "Well...village it is, then. Ready to go, Momo?"

Momo looks up from a panel, nods her head. Aliema pats her hair gently.

"Don't run off again, Momo. This place is meant to house superhumans, so you are in much more danger than the others." She nods, and Momo just smiles. Sure thing, fatass.

Felina smiles at Aliema, bows. "Thank you for everything." That said, she heads over to the transporter. "Alright, kid. Let's go."

Momo trots into the transporter beside Felina, waving to Aliema, who lowers her head a bit.

Felina hits the button and the entrance to the tube is blocked by an energy field that hums to life. The pitch rises, and then...the scientific transportation is actually strikingly like magical teleportation, and the nausea and disorientation are only marginally different. They're back at the dothaven quarters almost before either can really expect it.