Saga of the Seven Rings - Opening Post - ''Discovery''

It had been some time since his arrival in this dimension. This world's Emblem had been cast into a dimension-breaching portal alongside the Krious Alistair of this world. They were left to survive in a dimension that was ravaged by the current corrupted mastermind and the hellbound battlemage. They had taken all the pleasure out of that world and ravaged it with their ideals of fun and advancement. This world was merely the next test subject.

However, it had been time for Emblem to do what he would have done were he not inhabited by a very aggressive fighting-hungry demon. Proper research. As dimensions often had this, there were links, lines, associations, and several other things unexplained by normal science. There were properties that transcended dimensions.

It would not be very difficult to compare the Emblem of old and the Emblem of new. Really, the biggest difference was their affiliation. Whereas this dimension's Emblem was a leaning-to-good protector of Jump City, the other one was as evil as he let himself be, purely for fun.

More subtle nuances however presented itself in the arcane knowledge both shared. Both had studied and learned much from history and metahistory, as well as learned of old myths, legends, scrolls and lore. Emblem cursed himself when he found out this dimension's Emblem tomes were supposedly lost. He knew better, even in death would he not part from his wealth of information in a plethora of scrolls, tomes and dusty spellbooks.

After days and days of searching and gathering information, Emblem found out of his counterpart's actions. He had been converted to the darker sides once...by being corrupted due to Hellion. It was pure irony that this Emblem controlled Hellion due to having imbued liquid from the Chalice of Harmony before possessing the demon, instead of the other way around. Now he controlled the evil, and was aided with it's powers...but he himself had also chosen the part that fitted him best.

By carefully retracing old steps, Emblem had found the ruins that were once his counterpart's hideout. A roomy apartment with a clear view on the Titan's Tower and some blocks of the City. The closer he came, the more he was sure of his. Knowledge was present. Having to break down a wide array of magical mind-bending magical protections, Emblem stepped forward in between the rubble that was once a house. It was well protected for what it seemed to hold at first glance. Barriers that would hardly be broken down except by those who were destined to. One who'd wield extreme mental resiliency, one who was blessed with the Chalice...or a master magician. Sadly, the evil Emblem seemed to be able to attain those honors.

As he looked around and listened, all was truly silent. The eerie silence was soothing to the pyromaniac. He started kicking away some rubble in search of books. All was burned, but there had to be something. After some time, a sharp grin formed on Emblem's face as he grabbed one particular book amidst all the rubble. Not quite like the Reaper's Tome of Life...but it would do.

Krious had noticed a small but very defining change in Emblem for the last couple of days after he found his treasure. For these days, he had looked and acted more human then normally. Emblem had been researching data and rescaling old tomes, as well as scouring the Undernet. He had not made one kill in a week! And all because of one book.. Krious kind of appreciated that his partner's more humane side was topside for some time, and he knew that when fighting would break out, he'd still be of use. After a week of tomes and incantations, Emblem presented his work to Krious.

''Krious, you need to hear what I have to say.''

After the apparent ''can't it wait?''-look and a low grunt Krious had a look at what Emblem had achieved. The mastermind had almost forgot how Emblem could be very precise in his calculations and very promising in his research. It was a knack that he had not seen for some time. Logically, seeing as the world could not handle with their experiments.

''The Emblem of this dimension is much like me in some way. You know how dimensions prefer parallels in some way shape or form. I found one collection he could not yet destroy.''

With a grin, Emblem presented Krious one big and sturdy book, covered in darkish brown leather. It had a menacing aura, were one to see it, and it's pages had only barely withstood the test of time.

''This Emblem preferred versatility above power and was able to cast spells of every element. He archived all his knowledge in categories. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind etc etc. This one is Demonic. Now it wouldn't be a surprise if that Emblem knew all of his spells, but if he was to destroy his own tomes...let's say demonic spells and tomes as well as scrolls tend to take care of themselves. He shielded it away but to no avail.''

Emblem could see Krious look all bored. This was precious time Emblem seemed to waste. Emblem huffed as he decided to get to the point. His tone got a lot softer as he looked at his silent comrade.

''...Would you be interested in hearing there's a way to make wishes come true? Immortality, World domination, everything.''

Emblem didn't try to see if Krious would be interested; He knew he was. Besides, one's emotions tended to be somewhat watered down when body parts were replaced with mechanical ones and powered by a corrupting force.

''Seven objects. Small ones. They empower you little by little. Collect them all and a wish is granted. My research shows more, including possible dangers but I most say it's something that is bound to be good fun.''

Krious had looked into Emblem's research noted and started reading for himself. Emblem decided to let him. As Krious Alistair's cybernetic eyes zoomed over the paper, his expression hardly changed but his breathing did slightly. Only once did he look up inbetween. His question was met easily.

''Yes. As with the Chalice, this too required something. Those objects attract the empowered ones so to say. Furthermore, this whole 7 objects thing was a sadistic joke made by entities that cannot be named by the human tongue. The best thing to call them would be Chaos Lords. It'd be no surprise, or so Hellion tells me, that after the wish, there's a heavy price to pay. However, not by the one who made the wish directly. Twisted sense of humor I guess, but they're probably using the culminated power to grant a wish and launch some nasty demons on this earth. Not quite sure on it, but the scrolls show some signs...''

Emblem could have seen Krious' comment about a nasty demon already being here coming. Hellion was one of the worst really. Emblem proceeded to explain. Krious' last question might have been the most important. Emblem's grin had stretched as far as human proportions allowed it.

''This dimension's Emblem seemed drawn towards the Jump City Central Park. He's met people there, he jammed with this dimension's Bob, and when he turned evil, he torched the whole place. First thing he did. Drawing parallels I believe that's the place to go. I'm excited for some archeological work..''

And so it began. At first, Krious was hesitant, but old Jump City maps drawn from the Undernet does show there were some irregularities in that are. Either from several reconstructions, or there truly was something there. Emblem's hunch was too strong to resist. The promise of power was always a tempting thing.

The first course of action was laid out easily, standing far above the Park on the edge of a large building. Some firm that must have reasoned their building would represent their status. All it did was present quite a view. Emblem pointed where he'd start digging, and told Krious how things would commence. He had several scrolls with him, but nothing to see down there. Krious could see in the dark and Emblem was a living candle really.

With one quick motion, Krious grabbed Emblem's shoulder and they teleported down towards the Park. Not one for subtleties, Emblem requested a teleport in the middle of the Park. For a moment, all turned silent...Krious Alistair and Emblem Trailblazer have appeared...and they were very different from the old days. Their reputation had preceded them, and quickly, people started to run in terror. Trying to get away from an almost certain death. Emblem did, surprisingly, not smile at all.

Black fires ignited close by the two iconic supervillains. Small blobs of pure darkness, forming, twisting, morphing, until they ended up as his trusty minions. They formed a circle outward, and were sure to scare those away that were stunned with fear. Their saliva burned leaves and grass as it dripped onto once lush grassy plains. Within a minute, the Park was deserted.

Emblem moved to his designated starting point and knelt down. New black blobs formed and other demonic hellhounds appeared, these ones slightly different from his regular variety. Without a word, they started to rake the ground and dig with their sharp exteriors. Slowly but steadily, a large hole was formed.

''Too bad it's this slow, but we cannot risk to harm what lies underneath.''

Both sat down on conveniently left chairs and let Emblem's demonic hellhounds do their job. No mortal dared to interfere, but Emblem wished the dogs could speed up. It would not be long before they would get unwanted visitors.

''I don't care for risks. You informed me at the homebase. What do you know of the benefits?''

Emblem grinned. Of course. Were there any dangers, he was in the line of fire, Krious was not. A teleporters was always so versatile, and not to forget evasive. Emblem made a scroll appear on his hands. Blazing embers swept up from his palm and formed and warped until a very old papyrus appeared. Emblem zoomed over it again quickly to make sure he had not forgotten any detail. As expected, he did not.

''Seven objects. History does not state their appearance, but I am quite sure that they are very apparent when you see them. Those with metahuman powers are drawn towards these rings, however in varying degree. Each object enhances the one who wields it in one way or the other. As far as I could gather, they enhance Strength, present you with heigthened Endurance, or allows you to emplore magical energy blasts. Another objects allows you to heal your injuries or heal them much faster, the fifth enhances your overall speed and the sixth grants you telepathy. The last one allows you to have a minor version of teleportation. Call it an emergency escape route. It teleports you away, but there's no real indication where you are going or how far you go. Useful when you're about to get hit though. Shall I spare you the historical information?''

Whether or not Krious would approve or decline, Emblem's attention was averted towards the digging site. One of the dogs seemed to have found something. Emblem walked over to the hellish canine and pushed it aside to inspect it's findings. It was an ancient hatch of some sort.

''Krious, get over here.''

Accompanied by a mist of black smoke, his comrade stood next to him. Emblem huffed at the obvious display of laziness. They were not too far away from the hole to walk this distance! Emblem turned his attention back to the hatch and clawed at it, trying to find some opening. As he moved the earth away with his fingers, he found it. With a low growl, he tensed his muscles and slowly but steadily pushed open the hatch. What they found however, did not tell them much. It was pure darkness what the saw.

Emblem looked up and around, time was running out, this had taken too long. Titans and other threats could very well be here before long. Emblem did not like being disturbed while digging for treasure. With a quick movement, his hellish minions formed a circle of defense to stall any who tried to get near, and make sure they did not get to the hatch.

Emblem looked at his partner, and decided to go first. He slid himself into the hole, and found himself tumbling down several feet before actually noticing a curve and sliding down some ancient hallway. After the acceleration of speed had gotten somewhat fearsome, Emblem was spit out into an open yet fully dark area. He fell to the floor face first, and growled in agony. It always hurts when you don't see it coming! Emblem's grumbling noises filled the darkness, echoing against the walls and stone ceiling. Water drips were heard in the distance, but it was time to shed some light on this situation.

And so Emblem did. He stood up, and created a ball of pure flame in his right and left hands. The light spread quickly, illuminating his path. With a small push, the ball started to hover a few feet above Emblem, allowing him to see in the distance. His jaw almost dropped clean off in amazement. All around him were ancient statues of a civilization long thought lost, drifted off in the flow of time and forgotten in the culmination of years.

''...Take that Indiane Jones.! Krious, it's safe.''

Emblem had savored the moment, and it was a pity he could not stay here for a week or so, but it was time to move. He was sure his companion had heard him through their shared communication device. Emblem could not wait though. He left another smaller orb of flame hovering near the exit of the pipe, believing it would help Krious were he to drop out of that rather bumpy rollercoaster ride. A small price to pay for power, really. Emblem had found himself something to do, and was rather happy to get to it.

Large statues, old defenders of what lies on, stood valiantly and solemnly scattered throughout the open space. They held a sword with a crystal on top. Light had long faded from their eyes and their crystals, leaving only a faint shimmer from Emblem's conjurations. He observed the statues and saw most of them were carved very carefully and had a battlegear he had seen somewhere before, but he could not recall. Was it a premonition? There was no way he had been in contact with this civilization before...or was there? He shook of the feeling of a deja vu as he walked on.

The demonic magician's solemn footsteps echoed slowly and reverberated against the cold stone walls. Scattered throughout the area were runic tablets, and Emblem tried to decipher them if only basically. A few things were quite obvious...This was big, and many had tried to defend it. Many more tried to take the artifacts of power, but had not reached their goal. Again, crystals seemed to be mentioned a lot...

Krious still had questions left unanswered, doubts lingering in his mind but regardless of all the risk involved he had blatantly agreed to find these 7 object. Why? Simple, Immortality. The one thing he still craved for, the one thing that would shape his vision for the world into an entirely different thing. He screwed up on his dimension, leaving ruin wherever they went and not sparking the reaction he needed from it's inhabitants. With immortality that would merely become a matter of time and possessing an eternal existance surely gave you a lot of time. The power the objects possessed were merely extra's next to the bigger picture.

And so they arrived in the center of Jump City park, at Emblem's request. Records showed this park was recently rebuilt, thanks to the Emblem of this dimension. Fitting it would be him to deform it once again. A spectacle of demonic flames erupted besides them, clearing the park of any being other then them. Familliar hellhounds popped out of the flames and formed a circle around them, the workforce had arrived. They didn't want to damage what lay below them so using any kind of force was out of the question. The hellhounds on the other hand, were pretty good at digging and sniffing out irregularities. It took a while for them to find something as there was a limit to how many Emblem could summon at a time. Krious checked all his equipment in the meantime, failure was not an option. Maps from decades ago, probably very innaccurate but at least slighly helpful. Descriptions about what they would find down there and information about the objects, he didn't find much of both. Lastly the gadgets he had taken to hold the upperhand. A sonic pulse generator, motion sensors and some small explosives to deal with obstructions if there were any. Emblem explained a bit more while he worked and while the risks were obvious he didn't really care this time around and made sure to let Emblem know just that.

''Krious, get over here.''

The dogs had found something. Krious didn't waste any more time and teleported right next to the location. Emblem opened the hatch and went inside first. Krious took another look around. The dogs would stay up here, an annoyance for those that followed. He could hearn the groans down below, the ride wasn't very comfortable. Luckily Emblem was the one who went in first. Krious grabbed the hatch, jumped in and closed it behind him. He continued to slide along the path, using his hands and arms to keep him levelled, until he reached the end. The shaft ended up in a hallway, dropping him out a few feet above the floor. His friend had left an orb of fire so everything was nicely illuminated. He landed on his two feet, bending his knees slightly on impact. The fire wasn't enough to light up the entire room and while it was nice to have on the drop in it now interferred with his night vision. Besides, he wouldn't leave something behind to serve those that came after. He reached out to the fire and crushed it by making a fist around it. It took a second or two to adjust but he could look as far as the eye could see soon after. Emblem had already moved on, he knew what he was looking for and had confirmed this was the location. Krious on the other hand wanted to know what he was dealing with.

He moved over to the wall, planting a very small object on the it. A motion sensor that would send a ping if anything moved while they weren't near. Next he picked up the pulse generator from his pocket and moved towards the center of the room. He held the device up in the air and pressed a button. Extremely high pitched sounds started emminating from the device, mapping the room and beyond like a sonar. They didn't hear a thing but those with sensitive hearing, like for instance bats would surely notice. Lastly he held up his other hand, palm up, and from a small circle embedded in the center a small hologram was projected. It showed the room he was in, the device gradually mapping more and more of it. Even Emblem's position was hightlighted thanks to the tracker in the com units. The mapping stopped where the sound died out but if needed he could use it again from another position.

Now he finally had a moment to look around while following his friend's signal. Statues, crystal, feint glowing lights, the whole room had an eery feeling. Not bad, just deserted, not of this world. As he moved on he couldn't help but spot some curious details, inscriptions and patterns he didn't recognize. They might have to come back here once to document whatever secrets this chamber held. Having done what he could and after taken a good look around the chamber he upped his pace, closing distance on his ally.

"Preparations are complete, I'm on my way. Found anything yet?"

(Oh dear, one should not count on replies when starting a massive storyline. Fair enough, then those rings are now closer in our grasp..)

"Preparations are complete, I'm on my way. Found anything yet?"

''Oh yes..''

Emblem had assumed his partner would set up a perimeter of his own. Emblem still had the gloweing orbs with his, as they slowly circled around his body, illuminating the close proximity. For a moment, Emblem had halted at two massive sets of ancient stairs, who went up to a temple of sorts. Before he would climb them, he had found a large script at the foot of the stairway. It seemed to be some sort of...warning. When Krious closed in with softly echoing footsteps, Emblem was busy deciphering this scroll. The more he saw them, the more they started to make sense. As his darkforce partner closed in, Emblem let both orbs fuse to one, and held it in his hand. By shielding it, it's light was only reflected by the large scripted stone tablet. This way, his partner would not be hindered by seeing in the dark. As Emblem's breath was one of the only sounds slowly fillig the nearby space, he talked.

''I've found out little, but vital. Most of our information is true. Seven objects, small power each, large power together with the wish thing. Heavy consequences with the wish. The objects however, seem guarded. If we use too much light in this place, the crystals will absorb them and those statues will come after us. Not a problem in theory, but I'm quite sure this old cave isn't going to hold a whole lot of tremors and rumblings and the like. However, there is another thing. There is a guarding mechanism here somewhere. Triggering it will send the seven objects throughout the City, propelling it far away from here. Logically, this tablet tells us nothing of how and where or how we trigger it, but there has to be some clue..''

Emblem stood up and held the small flame in the palm of his hands, still shielding it with his fingers.

''Shall we move up or do you have some additional scans to do? I'm almost blind without my light, I believe you can effectively learn more about the area. Anything to note as we move up?''

Emblem's right foot took the first step up the masive stone stairs, as he tried to spot any crystal that could look like it could power this defensive ejection of the objects..

OT: I will shoot down something a bit on the lazy side imo just to get some Titan influence in here, but honestly, I really didn't think Ben should've shown up first. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers I guess. This is open to everyone correct, because if so maybe I can get some of the NH's to join it since the Titans seem busy?

The hum of a machine could be heard in the distance as one of the Teen Titans approached Central Park. They received the alert a bit later than usual because the Titans East do train outside sometimes and it was assumed the trouble might've been a disagreement between Toji and Superboy maybe. If only they ahd been that lucky, but, as it turned out the inverse versions of Emblem and Krious had returned. After the last encounter with them JaK had logged as much information he could into the Titans database about what they could do. More on Emblem than Krious, but still, Ben didn't even really need it. As he steadily approached via Hoverboard that he had made for himself using his most brainy alien just to get around in human form, he thought of the past.

Spoiler:

The last time he had to do battle against Emblem it had been a combined effort and it was on the same level of difficulty as him Vs Vilgax, Hollowman, and any other mega villain they had faced in the past. Honestly, Emblem's guards had been trouble to take down, he couldn't imagine what the difficulty would be in dealing with this one and an evil Krious as well, but Ben had to try anyway.

"Ben 10 approaching position and if anyone is out there...I could use a bit of back-up on this one."

Ben didn't like to admit he needed help, but the last time he tried to solo a hard battle he wound up dead or someone else did...Never again would he let his pride overtake caution. This time as he approached the hole he collapsed his hover board into a capsule like item and placed it on his belt around the back, covered by his jacket. Then looked at the massive crater that laid before him with dead bodies littered around it. It definitely led somewhere and into something, but the question was should he wait for back-up to arrive or go in alone. Well judging by the absolute slaughter that had happened outside the answer would be to wait, but of course Ben was Ben and that just wasn't his style. He had already been responsible after all and called for help. Although, he did wonder what had killed all these hellish looking dogs? He knew Emblem could summon them thanks to JaK's report, but the fashion they had been slain in definitely wasn't very heroic.

"Guess there's really only one way to find out."

It was a daring decision by Ben to leap into the pit headstrong like this, but this was the life he lived, craved, and had chosen for himself. Whatever Emblem & Krious were up to it definitely wasn't good because usually bad guys tend not to hide their plots unless it's really a big deal to them. That meant Ben needed to find them fast before they were able to implement it and hold them until help arrived! As he free fell into the darkness with his green jacket flailing in the wind shafting up behind him, he rotated the dial on the omnitrix and changed forms, as so he could get the scent of the ones he was pursuing.

The transformation was signaled by a bright flash of green and then as the hero landed upon the flooring below he was no longer Ben Tennyson, but his alien canine form; Wildmutt! Wildmutt had no vocal chords other than regular grunts and moans, but he was gifted with keen senses and a radar that mimicked dolphins and bats that could track sounds, heat, and not to mention a keen sense of smell. He would definitely locate Emblem and Krious soon enough, but there seemed to be another scent down here as well. The mut could tell while sniffing around, it tasted and smelled like something otherworldly, but familiar to him. Either way, that wasn't what Ben was here for. He followed the one that had the similar ember smoke smell as the canines above and was closely meshed with the other scent he was picking up, meaning they were traveling together. These ones would lead him to Emblem and Krious and just his luck, the other scent wasn't far off to.

OOC: Sorry for the slow response. Homework's been taking up all my time lately.

BIC:
Necati.

Grace had been taking a nap in her room of the Titans East Tower when she felt the overwhelming aura of the Grim Reaper. What did he want? Was it the real Necati or was it Will? Grace looked out the window to see a the cloaked Reaper destroy Emblem's Hell Hounds. There was also a giant hole in the park.

What on earth was going on? Was Hell having a civil war?

Without waiting for backup, Grace ran to the nearest open window and flew over to the giant hole. She had seen Necati and Ben 10 both jump down there. She didn't know what was going on, but Grace intended to find out.

She flew into the giant cavern, far beneath the earth's surface. She couldn't see a thing. Great. She tried flying around slowly, and ended up running into a wall face-first. Okay then...

Grace formed a dozen long ice hairs and spread them out in all directions. Now, if she was approaching a wall, she would be able to sense it through the ice before hand.

Necati was straight ahead. Grace flew forward until she sensed a powerful presence right in front of her. It was Emblem (who was facing the other way looking for a crystal), but she had never met the man before. She was not in a good mood right now, so she greeted Emblem in a less than friendly way.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

Everything was falling into place. The objects were here, only minutes away from their grasp and although he knew it wouldn’t last much longer they still were left undisturbed. Emblem’s explanation was clear and as he ventured towards the top of the stair Krious began to search for this mechanism he spoke of. The holographic view materialized above his left hand palm once again, now in a different set of colors. Each color signified a fluctuation of energy calculated with the data gathered earlier. Most of these were natural and thus insignificant, but there were four in particular that piqued his interest. The sensor showed an unnatural source of energy flowing in a set of four pillars. Krious investigated his surroundings and managed to spot three of the pillars towering towards the ceiling. The other was somewhere further behind. Were the energy came from was a mystery but it was obvious it powered something through these pillars. It might prove useful to investigate these large structures, or search for a place of power somewhere between them. As he followed his companion up the stairs he shared his findings.

“There is an unnatural energy moving around, specifically in a set of four pillars that tower above everything else. I can see three of them from here and judging from their position they are setup in a perfect square. It’s the only thing I can find in the vicinity that is out of place. Think we should check out these pillars or the area in between? Something in there might trigger what that energy is powering.”

As they neared the top of the stairs it became clear how big the chamber actually was, the holographic map didn’t do it any justice. Right now they were almost near the center, entering the area between the pillars, which hopefully held their objective. Just then a voice, in what seemed like a whisper, reached their ears.

“Did you hear tha-?”

A sharp beep coming from his arm cut him off mid-sentence. The motion sensor had gone off indicating someone else had entered the underground complex. Judging by the eerie voice he heard just now it wasn’t a Titan or the like either.

“I don’t know who’s after us but I think we better get a move on. I’ll check out the pillars and keep an eye out for trouble, you search for any sign of this mechanism between these four positions.”

He outlined the instructions on the holographic view, a couple of red lines indicating the pillars and the square they formed on the partially transparent cyan representation of the chamber. His instincts warned him about the other entity following their footsteps. Not that they had a choice, they had to face it eventually. The more he could prolong that inevitable confrontation the better. He closed the display, turned the motion sensor alarm to silent and nodded at his companion when he agreed to his plan. A trail of dark energy was all that was left a few seconds later as he went for higher ground.

The pillars went from ground to ceiling, leaving no place to stand on. There were several other structures near them that provided a field of view across the entire cavern, one of them in particular besides the pillar he had chosen to investigate. From here he could investigate the strange energy and keep an eye on enemy movements. Unlike Emblem’s position, which was calculated through a tracking device, he couldn’t keep track of everyone in the complex. The only thing he could rely on was knowing how many had gone inside. Shrouded in darkforce energy to make himself even more undetectable he knelt down and scanned the pillar in more detail. As the result appeared on screen his motion sensor went off a second and soon after a third time.

“The energy is concentrating in the center of the search area, looks like a building of some sorts. I’ve got multiple signals incoming, they’ve definitely taken an interest. Maybe we should use those guardians to our advantage if things come to that.”

He spoke through the communicator. Just to be sure he kept the line open, to hear every word that was spoken. If Emblem would get into any trouble he would be able to react and vice versa. For now he peered into the darkness, hoping to spot anyone before they could make a move. A difficult thing to do in such a vast chamber.

A lot had happened in a short time. Instantly, most of his minions were dead. People started pouring down. Krious had collected useful information and concocted a interesting course of action. As the Reaper's voice reverberated against the inner walls of his mind, Emblem replied.

''Affirmative. We do need to move fast. I'll see what I can do..For it seems we face a dreadful foe Krious. That guy that turned into a Reaper? Meet his big daddy. If we take him on I will need full force, and that would not only jeopardize the objective, but freedom as well. He has back-up, allied or not..I'm not sure how strong the Dealer of Death is in this world. Not yet. Let's go..''

As Krious disappeared and both metahumans went on post haste to find what they were looking for, Emblem cursed deep down inside. Why did the Titans had to interfere now, when he was out searching for some archeological treasure? His time with these tomes was severely limited due to several enemies making their way up and seeing one of them was as old as time itself, Emblem had no time to linger. He had much rather not found this treasure here and lock himself up with these tomes, they were a nice addition to his collection.

As he went to find this mechanism, he was soon confronted with the first opponent of the day.

''Who are you? Why are you here?"

Emblem heard this was not the dealer of death. He turned around slowly, his hands raised into the air as if he was surrendering. As he faced his opponent, small orbs of flame sprouted from Emblem to brighten the close proximity. It wasn't the reaper, definitely not. It was a flying female....how had she reached him so fast? Did she magically not appear on Krious' radar? Emblem was not going to go for this in the very least.

''My name and my reasons for being here are none of your concern mortal...However...''

The small orbs shot towards Emblem's palm and grew to about 50 times their original size. Now large fireballs, more of the cavern was illuminated. The ground started shaking as the light spread to nearby blue crystals.

Guardians of Stone, the first line of the Temple's defense, came to life and faced the light. As Emblem hurled the fireballs towards Grace Koori, he ducked out of sight. Instead of having them burn her, the orbs seemed to be in orbit around her. It was a hot experience, but it had another benefit: Two guardians were coming for her, hellbent on destroying the light.

''Be concerned about your own life...fir it is about to end...a Reaper has already shown up..''

As Emblem looked at his opponent, trapped in the peculiar situation she was in, he checked his surroundings.

''Krious. There's no visible mechanism. I think those towers load up like these stone guardians do..and when they're all charged, they propel the artifacts to apparent safety. They have to be on display or hidden away in a location this civilization deemed safe..''

Emblem tried to look around, but with Grace being the only point of light so far, that wasn't much of a success.

''New plan. You search, I hold all of these up. I will need to be at a 100% to match the reaper and keep him up. I can't see in the dark in any sense without awakening more stone guardians or activating the 4-pillar thing. You're got the advantage of movement and darkness here, I say use it, and I will use my powers to keep them at bay...Ill show them hell's fury..''

With that, Emblem awaited orders from his comrade. His sights extremely focused on Grace, who was assaulted by the two Stone Guardians, rampantly swinging their huge weaponry at her.

This was not good. This man was a fire mage, and a strong one at that. Grace tried to fly away from his fireballs, but they caught up to her and started encircling her. The ice that made up her armor melted fast, and Grace landed on the hard ground.

The fire wasn't her only problem. Two giant stone guardians were walking towards her. Without her powers, Grace really had no combat abilities. Grace tried running away, but the guardians were much faster than she was.

The giant orbs of fire seemed to be circling her at a steady speed. They also seemed to stay the same distance from Grace no matter where she went. Her escape seemed impossible, unless she used this fire to her advantage.

Timing it out, Grace ran towards the closest Guardian. One of the fireballs slammed into the giant, covering it in flames. That fireball was gone. Grace allowed herself a brief moment of joy before the Guardian's spear stabbed the ground just to her left. As it walked out of the flames, it was clear that the fire hadn't affected the Guardian. The flames dissipated into nothing, and Grace ran through the Guardian's legs. Her second fireball hit the Guardian as it turned it's huge body around, covering it in flames once more. At least the fireball seemed to slow it down.

The other Guardian was catching up to her now. Thankfully, with those fireballs gone, Grace could use her ice again. Total darkness covered the cavern. The Guardians were now unable to see, but Grace could still feel. She deployed her long ice hairs to detect physical obstacles, but she was surprised that she could sense the magic that gave the Guardians life. Grace expanded her spiritual awareness and realized that the stranger from before was now standing close to Necati.

Good. Maybe the two of them will kill each other.

Blind, the Guardians continued searching for Grace. Forming a giant ice hammer, Grace hit one of the guardians on the side of the head. It barely injured the stone Guardian, but it served as a decoy. Feeling the attack from the side, the Guardian turned and stabbed its huge spear...right through the torso of the other Guardian. One stone giant fell as the other realized its mistake, if it could think at all.

Grace covered the ground surrounding the Guardian with sheer ice. As it tried to walk, the Guardian would slip and fall. Before it hit, Grace knelt down and touched the ground, pulling out any heat from it and freezing the stone. She created a huge hole in the stone beneath the Guardian. The Guardian would fall into the pit, and would immediately be covered up by frozen stone. Grace capped the Guardian's grave, and then collapsed in exhaustion. That had taken a lot out of her.

Something warm and moist touched Grace's face. She moaned. What was it now? She didn't have any more strength to fight, at least not until she cooled down. That fire hadn't even touched her, but it had toasted her. Why did she have to be so bad at venting? If this thing was going to eat her, she hoped that it would do it quick.

"Well that definitely tasted like D.Freeze I think, but I wanted to be sure."

Grace sighed in relief. It wasn't a monster, it was the little kid from the other Titan team. What was his name again? Ben? Why was he licking her? What a weird kid.

Ben and Scope tried to help Grace up. Grace weakly tried to push them away, all to no avail. "No," she said quietly. "Too hot. I need cold." Ben could turn into monsters. If he could turn into an ice monster, then he could essentially recharge Grace to full power. "Ice. Lots of ice."

So their only option was for Emblem to play the bait again. Krious didn’t agree, this tactic of theirs was getting repetitive, and he could better use his advantage against his enemy. With Emblem on the brink of battle there wasn’t really a chance to object, so for now he complied. Unfortunately he had no idea what to look for. These objects weren't exactly large and this cavern was. Without something to go on he would be as blind as the rest of them down here. The area where the energy concentrated might have some answers and he couldn't really think of anything else. As a teleporter his travel time was significantly reduced anyway.

“On my way already.”

A couple of teleports later he stood before the structure where the energy gathered beneath. It resembled a temple, an old one yet modern looking with all the glowing crystals and strange markings. He noticed the sounds of fighting on the other side of the comlink and Emblem's blazing wrath showed its flashes on the other side of the cavern. Judging from the female voice he picked up earlier the Titans had arrived and to make matter even worse it turned out the Reaper was here again. This time he didn't stay quiet either as soon after the sounds of battle lessened and Krious had entered the temple he could clearly make out Death's voice addressing his ally. For now he focused on inspecting the insides of the building. No lights whatsoever, no rooms, no furniture of any kind, just one large empty room. What caught his eye were the walls however, riddled with scribbles and drawings. Each one illustrated an event, a prophecy maybe. He couldn’t decipher three of the four, but one contained something resembling an underground complex with a temple in the center. That had to show how to release the items into the world. He wasn’t after that, but something on the wall made him think these things were hidden away under the earth and away from prying eyes. He brought his arm up again, tapped the holographic display on and started a scan on the gathered data. With the input from the wall he might get lucky, if it contained the correct location data at all. The scan scoured through the irregularities in the area around him, marking every match on the map. Most spots were fakes, caused by geometric displacement or simple design faults, but one nearby looked like a match.

“I’ve got one.” He was sure of it. “There’s only one problem, it’s close to you and the Reaper.”

What contained the item and how to open it were both still mysteries. Krious didn’t like this blind search one bit, why couldn’t these things just be simple.