18+ Private Eastern Brisshal Music Spirits

[Crimson Ruby]

Somewhere, in an Unknown Island
Time: Early Afternoon
Weather: Partially Cloudy and Windy

It wasn't a particularly complicated space to explore. For one, it didn't even truly matched her Whistle rank at the moment, but it was still drawn to her attention the fact the ruins she was tasked to explore had, in its vague description, 'hints of Harmonic Magic and only one with their heart synced with it could get in'.

Ruby's heart skipped when reading it, with her tail swaying back and forth as she felt the nostalgia of going to ruins with pure 'fun' in mind, rather than just going through an strenuous task. Being a Purple Whistle allowed her to take a bigger variety of expeditions, it also meant they tried to push death threatening things all the time to her. And it was only natural that at some point Ruby would get a bit sick of it.

Still, going for a nice place like that alone would be a waste, and Ruby didn't waste a second to invite @Vina Skysong to it, knowing the vixen's love for music. "This is the place!" Ruby chirped, climbing up a ledge and offering a hand for her friend and lover.

As soon as the vixen would be on the level of the ruins, she would see the typical remains of ancient civilization... Something that made it look rather generic, especially with the overgrown vegetation. But keen eyes would be able to spot words carved on pillars and walls, in a sequence that it almost resembled poems, or perhaps lyrics. The language felt familiar, in a strange way as it was probably related to Common, but it was hard to make out anything out of it at first glance.

"Well, this place is supposed to be beaming with music." Ruby muttered, and when those words slipped Ruby's lips, a wind blew strongly, the vegetation rustled, and the holes on the walls whistled like flutes in rhythm with the wind. "... And I guess it really is." Her tail waved, with ears perked up.

 

[Vina Skysong]

As a member of the Lions Pride exploring ruins was rarely part of Vina's duties. However, while she was a squire she was also an adventurer, druid, and overall lover of fun, so when Ruby approached her with information about some ruins which supposedly had something to do with music the playful vixen immediately agreed to tag along.

Thanks Ruby~!

She gratefully took Ruby's hand and climbed on top of the ledge with her friend's help. The journey to the ruins had already been pretty long, and while Vina might've resorted to some wind magic to quickly scale the ruins Ruby's assistance was just as good.

Shaking her head she cast her gaze across the ruins, azure eyes flitting from moss-covered stone to the strange carvings on said stones. They were very close to understandable, but just alien enough that the druidess was still left guessing to their meaning. However, it was unmistakable that these carvings had something to do with music: there were rhythms and patterns to them.

I think so as well.

Before she could say anything else the winds began to blow, creating a melodious whistling sound as it wove its way through the old and faded architecture around them. Closing her eyes Vina smiled as she paid close attention to the music, her large vulpine ears sharp.

Hmmm... A gentle song~ They must've built this place so it would catch the wind the right way~

It wouldn't work as well if the wind came from a different direction, but this was probably the most common direction. Opening her eyes again Vina hummed softly, tapping one foot along to the soft melody of the winds.

Those carvings on the walls also look like music... do you know who this was built by?

On the surface these ruins looked very similar to any ancient ruins you might encounter as an adventurer, but the unusual focus on music caught Vina's attention. Raising a hand she wiggled her fingers, calling forth a smaller wind that swirled around her digits before weaving through the structure as well, creating a faster but short-lasting tune.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Who exactly made this place... I am not sure. The only information I have from previous reports, is that this is supposedly from a group, society or civilization that have music as the core of their... Religion and culture?" Ruby's double tails swayed back and forth as she quoted what she had read about that place earlier that week. It wasn't a lot of information, especially when what the report said was already rather obvious from first sight.

It was really a shallow description.

"Which is why I've called you here. Aside from being a wonderful company, I'm sure that a place that is overflowing with music would be the perfect spot for someone like you, Vina."

Ruby approached the structures, tracing her fingers on the carvings while @Vina Skysong called forth the wind spell. Ruby's ears twitched in reaction to the wind and the soft whistling, that grew as the wind became faster.

When the faster tune briefly appeared, the carvings seemed to glow, slowly, as if something has been injected into it. But as soon as the whistling slowed down again, the glow disappeared.

"Oh!" Ruby's ears perked up, turning to Vina. "Maybe try it again?"

 

[Vina Skysong]

That makes sense... music is an important part of any culture, really, but in this world that'd be true even more so, given that here music and dance can give birth to miracles~

Of course, in theory the same could happen on Earth, but more subtly so. Here, a good performance could cause the land itself to move and the world to lend you an ear, which was something Vina found quite enticing. The vixen nodded along with Ruby's words, chuckling as her crimson-haired friend threw in a compliment.

Well, with such high expectations I'll do my best then! I am really curious now, so hopefully we'll make some progress~

Motivated both by Ruby's expectations and her own interest Vina let her wind flow through the ruins, blinking when her lovely companion pointed out that the ruins themselves were reacting. Following the blade dancer the druidess walked up to the same structures and the symbols that were carved into them, tilting her head as she watched the last motes of light fade away.

It looks like you were right that music is really important here Ruby~ Let's see what happens if I keep it going for a little longer.

Wiggling her fingers again Vina summoned the same winds, but this time she also whistled the tune, keeping the magic going for longer as the gentle but lively breeze danced through the ruins, flowing through the holes and sliding through the cracks to create an equally lively tune. As the music kept going the runes began to glow again.

Vina nodded at Ruby as the ruins really did respond to her tune, but then blinked as something else also happened. As the symbols lit up the way the song created by the wind through the ruins changed: the rhythm was the same, but there were new notes in the song which hadn't been there before.

Oh! That did something!

Where they were standing everything seemed the same as before aside from the glowing symbols, but the change in the music definitely meant that Vina's winds were having an effect somewhere. The playful vixen listened attentively, sharp furred ears swivelling as she tried to catch every nuance of the ruins' song.

What do you think Ruby?

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby's doubletails swayed as she attentively listened and watched @Vina Skysong bring the Ruins to life with her wind and whistling. The beautiful music that accompanied it was endearing for Ruby's ears, and they twitched along until a curious sound caught her attention, just as Vina exclaimed and questioned about what she thought about it all.

"It is beautiful, that's what I think—" Ruby smiled to the lovely vixen. "But... Did you hear that? It sounded like something rocky being dragged." Her ears perked up, pointing at the direction she could've swear she had heard something.

Coincidentally, it was direction where the new notes had lingered for a couple seconds before fading out.

"I think you've found a good clue for us." She looked back at Vina, taking a few slow steps to urge her lover to follow before speeding it up. As she approached the source of the curious sound, a structure on the ground, that followed the pattern of the ruins, had a narrow opening to the underground that had a gentle sound of running water escaping from it.

Ruby's head tilted as she crouched, leaning in to look deeper. It looked like a tunnel, and with the running water, it probably was no short of a water slide.

A whistle escaped her lips, and she stood up. "Are you down for some waterpark fun?"

 

[Vina Skysong]

So it is, but you know that's not what I meant~

Vina smiled back with half-laughter, her fingers still wiggling to keep the winds flowing for now even as she broke the whistling to talk to her red-haired partner. It had indeed sounded like something heavy and made of stone had moved, even if it was mostly drowned out by the whistling of the winds as they danced throughout the carefully carved ruins. The fact that the song was still so clear despite the overgrown state of this place just proved that whoever had made it had cared greatly about the music, something which made Vina quite eager to find out more.

Hopefully~ Let's go see what it is then!

As she didn't know whether the effects would last if she stopped her air-bound performance Vina kept weaving the winds with her fingers, the vixen stepping up to follow her lovely feline partner as the dancer went in the direction of the hidden clue. Given that she was already playing with the winds it was a simple matter to let the breeze hasten her steps as well, a necessity if she wanted to keep up with Ruby once the explorer got excited.

She remained standing as Ruby investigated the tunnel that led deeper inside of the ruins, the sound of running water clear and strangely melodious. Perhaps the interior of the ruins had been carefully shaped to let the water play its own melody as well... although Vina couldn't be sure from here.

With this weather? Of course~ But first...

Motioning for Ruby to move a bit away from the opening Vina finally let the winds rest, the song fading away now that the druidess was no longer providing the flow. Waiting for several seconds there was no response from the ruins: the opening remained there as before, and the sound of running water remained constant. The vixen smiled as she crouched down next to the opening and tilted her head to listen more closely to the water.

I think it'll stay open until the right tune to close it is spoken~ So! If it's a waterslide we're better off without clothes, right?

To be an adventurer you had to learn to live with occasionally getting your clothes wet or dirty, but if they knew in advance that the next part of the adventure involved a lot of water Vina thought it better to take the alternative. Although it did depend on how Ruby felt about it...

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

An ear twitched as @Vina Skysong 'tested waters' with the contraptions of those ruins. The lack of wind caused no reactions, which was a relief. "Well, at least we won't be locked in there. Not that it would be a big problem with the right company." She chuckled, winking to Vina and turning to look at the hole once again. Hopefully it wouldn't have a trap by the end of it, but just in case, she was more than ready to go first, to make sure her friend wouldn't be hurt.

"Without clothes, huh..." Her cheeks flushed faintly. She did venture through the forest with Vina being completely bare before, but she herself wasn't the type to undress so freely. But it wasn't inthinkable.

"Let's see then..." She carefully untied her dress, letting it fall on her feet before it disappeared into her UI Inventory, leaving her mostly naked. She still decided to keep sheath and her back with her, however, as it would be much needed in case something bad occurred.

She waited Vina to be ready, and sat by the edge of the entrance while waiting for her to approach. "Ready?" She asked, a bit sheepish.

And whenever she was... Ruby would slide in...

Initially, the slide would be very fast, to a point it was concerning in terms of safety... Yet, somehow, it was almost as if the water that allowed them to slide made sure they didn't hit any walls or the ceiling of the tunnel, making the slide as swift and smooth as possible, until they finally reached the end and left the slide at a height of 4 meters—

"Phew—!" Ruby huffed when she landed, trying to keep her balance and quickly turning upwards to catch Vina if she needed. "All good?" She asked, until a sequence of 'plops' caught the attention of her ears. When she turned around to see the rest of the room, that took the form of a beautiful hall with metallic sculptures, she was impressed to see that the whole place had systems of running waters and droplets clasping against the metallic adornments and sculptures, that echoed in the large room. Some sculptures were broken, and the system had some disruptions in it.

It had an harmony and rhythm to it as well, but it felt... Wrong. Anyone, even those without music sense, would understand it was out of tune.

 

[Vina Skysong]

There was a mischievous glint in Vina's eyes as Ruby clearly hadn't expected the vixen's suggestion. To the silver-white-haired songstress it made perfect sense: it was the midst of summer, and they were about to descend into what appeared to be a water slide. Neither of them relied heavily on armour, so to remain clothed didn't really make sense.

Still, so as to not make Ruby feel too embarrassed Vina would let the feline take care of her clothes by herself while the vulpine did the same. Unlike Ruby she removed all her clothes, dumping them into her inventory without much ceremony before stretching once.

I wonder if this slide was part of the design, or if nature is just being kind to us~

She winked at Ruby, joining her friend at the edge of the entrance before nodding.

After you Ruby~

Once the bladedancer had slipped in the druidess followed after, smile wide as the day was long as the two of them took the aquatic route into the depths of these strange ruins. The lack of lighting along the path made it more thrilling, Vina yelling out in excitement when the tunnel curved and swerved. She wasn't so naive as to not pay attention to potential traps, but for the most part she was just having the time of her life.

However, the tunnel didn't last forever, and before long Vina followed Ruby into the large room, the druidess flying through the air before a quick whistle summoned an upwards gust, halting her flight and letting her land on her two feet. Letting out an almost childlike laugh Vina turned around and looked at the opening they'd just exited from, her tail wagging behind her.

That was great! Who knew that you could find water slides in ruins? (She nodded at Ruby.) I'm all right. Better than that, even~ I think I might be in love with this place.

Turning back towards the large room they were now in her azure eyes travelled across the many metallic figures that formed most of the decor, her sharp, fluffy ears twitching as the sound of water dripping onto metal surfaces formed a broken rhythm.

Huh... this place must be very old, but none of the statues are rusted.

Whatever metal they were made out of wasn't susceptible to water. Unsurprising, given how the broken rhythm was clearly meant to be fully melodic. Vina couldn't immediately tell what had damaged some of the sculptures, but they were the reason why the dripping and running of water was discordant with itself.

What do you think caused the damage Ruby?

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby laughed and wagger her tail along with @Vina Skysong. "It is fun, right? I knew you would like it." But she didn't expect these Ruins to have this much content to explore. As usual, they were probably going to get themselves on something much bigger than initially intended, just like it happened at the Island.

Her eyes followed Vina's, and inspecting the statues, Ruby's left ear dropped as she lifted her posture and crossed her arms in mild confusion. "I'm not sure, usually I would say time was the damage, but if these statues aren't rusted, I don't think this place, protected by the underground, would be harmed by time." She turned to Vina.

"So it could be three things: Some underground creature showed up and broke things, like a giant mole maybe? Some ill-intentioned or extremely clumsy explorers showed up here before and broke things. Or... These broken statues could be part of what made this society not exist anymore in first place." Ruby frowned, trying to inspect them once again. There were no claw marks, no magic marks, no nothing. So whatever was the reason for the destruction of those statues didn't seem to be precise.

However, Ruby noticed the drawings and unreadable runes surrounding the base of the statues and going from the ground all the way to what was supposedly just a wall.

Her ears twitched. "It is just like up there."

 

[Vina Skysong]

Ruby had a good point that if the statues themselves weren't weathered then it was unlikely that the missing parts were because of time. Vina walked closer to one of the statues, nodding along as her feline friend openly mused about the possibilities.

I'm not hearing any movement... (She tilted her head.) I don't think there's anything in here with us, or at least not in this room. Do you see any exits?

It was a large hall, well-decorated, but at first glance, it appeared rather sparse on exits or entryways. The playful vixen cast her gaze around the chamber, once more flickering to the disfigured statues while she subconsciously tried to figure out the correct rhythm for the aquatic melody with the swishing of her tail.

Could the damage also be intentional? If this room is like where we just came from maybe they didn't want the melody of the water to open the way further~

If these ruins were built by a civilization that used music as a code, then damaging the instruments (in this case, the statues) that helped provide the code would make sense. Although that wouldn't actually help them much...

Her thoughts were interrupted as Ruby made another observation. Turning back towards her friend Vina tilted her head.

You think so too Ruby~? I'm guessing if the statues were repaired the way forward would open. (She snapped her fingers.) I could also try to create the rhythm myself, but it might take a while to figure it out: unlike up above, the instruments are damaged~

The easier solution would, most likely, be to somehow repair the statues. Neither she nor Ruby had the skills to fix the statues quickly, but...

Maybe the parts are hidden somewhere?

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby looked around as soon as @Vina Skysong questioned about exits. It surely looked very scarce, but it wasn't entirely devoid of doors. A couple of arcs, one at each corner of the room, opened space for smaller rooms that were crowded with crates and barrels. The content of those crates and barrels were far from anything usable at the moment, but there was oil, salt, wine, cloths and leathers.

On top of that, there were parchments that easily crumbed and turned into dust upon touch.

Twitching her nose, Ruby frowned. "Well, this place doesn't really look like a kitchen, I wonder what these are doing in here anyway..." Yet, what Vina spoke about things being done intentionally tingled Ruby's curiosity, and she turned to look at her dear friend with wide open eyes. "Wait, intentionally... Hmm... Maybe something inevitable were to happen, and that was their last chance to at least save their temple?"

It could be one of the possibilities, but at the same time, it would be an immensely desperate move.

"Fixing the statues will be no easy task though... Even if we have the pieces, how we will just glue them together?"

In fact, it wasn't hard to find the pieces of the statues. They were still around, by corners and such. However, they had become a huge puzzle now, and they couldn't be sure there were missing pieces until they were done sorting things out.

 

[Vina Skysong]

Following Ruby around the large chamber it quickly became clear that there were in fact side chambers, filled with various goods which seemed well-preserved for now. Surprisingly so, given that this place was at least exposed to humidity from the waterways, which were still forming a discordant rhythm.

Looking over the stored goods Vina tried picking up one of the parchments, frowning as it crumbled to dust between her slender fingers. She would've tried again, but worried that even the slightest touch was enough to cause the scrolls to lose their form she pulled her hand away and instead turned back towards her red-haired companion.

I haven't seen any food yet... So I don't think these were reserves~ If it's a temple, maybe these were important for their services~?

She could think of at least one religion where wine played a role during rituals, so it wasn't a big leap for it to be part of other religions as well. However, that wasn't the most important question at the moment: the metallic missing pieces of the statues were more pressing.

That's what I'm thinking yes~ A final resort, for when something inevitably came to pass~

Thankfully the individual pieces weren't too heavy: even Vina could lift them up, although her rather feeble strength she could only carry one at a time.

Before we worry about that, let's first gather them all in the middle of the room~ Are you any good with puzzles Ruby?

Vina couldn't immediately think of any way to fully restore the statues: she didn't have the strength to shape metal with her hands, nor the magic or the expertise. Ignoring the barrels and crates for now she began to carry all the pieces to the middle of the grand hall, her ears twitching as she still tried to make sense of the distorted rhythm the droplets were forming as they dripped onto damaged figures.

Come to think of it, we've yet to learn of any metal magic, have we? Levi can make swords fly, but I think that's to do with the swords more than the metal. I haven't seen him handle anything which wasn't long and hard, and also sharp~

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Yeah! It all looks very valuable. But we need an especialist to handle these." She frowned, swaying her tails as she peeked at the with curiosity. "I don't think I am gentle enough to conserve these properly." Ruby admitted, following to help her beloved with the heavy work of dragging pieces around, similarly trying to go piece by piece to avoid straining herself too much.

"After going Indiana Jones a few times in the Explorer League, I had to learn a thing or two about puzzles." Ruby giggled, looking at @Vina Skysong and wondering if solving this kind of thing was fun for her friend.

"I've yet to meet a Geomancer to ask them if they can handle metal." Ruby said. For some reason Geomancers were surprisingly uncommon, but it wasn't like Ruby paid much attention to strangers spells. Maybe one of her friends could be a Geomancer and she wouldn't notice it.

With all pieces together, solving the 'puzzle' was the easy part. Ruby tried to carefully separate the pieces, casting a few glances at the remaining structures to figure out which ones belonged where.

"Hmm... Do you have any spell to glue these up somehow? I can help with some... directions, I guess? But I am not really fit for crafting."

 

[Vina Skysong]

At least this place is easy to find once you know where it is: once we've finished exploring we can bring back some experts to help us out with this stuff~

With neither of them being actual archeologists it would be unwise for them to get too casual with all the things they were finding in the side chambers: some of it was just materials, but it was clear that this place had been important, and that important objects had also been stored here. Vina imagined that it was pretty normal for Explorers to come back later with people whose job was to understand what the Explorer had found.

I think I could handle it without breaking it, but carrying it all back would be a bit much for me~

And, of course, Explorers had to be good with puzzles: not every new location was left behind by ancient civilizations, but in situations like these they needed to be able to handle some amount of thinking work. Vina laughed back at her friend, her vulpine tail wagging behind her.

That's good then! I like puzzles as well, but I can't say I'm an expert.

With all the parts gathered all they needed to do at this point was figure out which parts belonged with which statues... and how to get them back in place. Vina joined Ruby in first separating the pieces according to where they belonged, although she left most of the thinking to Ruby as she instead was still trying to figure out how the rhythm was supposed to go.

But Ruby's question distracted her, the playful vixen blinking as she considered the possibility.

A spell for sticking them together? I wouldn't immediately know... I think we'd need an alchemist for that.

She frowned, staring at the pieces as thoughts raced through her mind. Some way to get the pieces to stay in place... Ruby's suggestion made sense, but Vina wasn't a crafter either. If the statues were made of biological matter it wouldn't be an issue, but metal was another thing entirely...

I could try something... We only need the parts to stay in place, so maybe we could use bindings instead of glue?

Looking around she spotted some green inside the great hall. The place had been shut off from the outside world for who knows how long, but in the end the presence of water and light was enough that it could not be safeguarded against nature forever.

Walking to one of the outlets through which water entered the hall Vina reached up with her staff for some ivy which was adorning the opening. After some false starts, she managed to pull some of it loose and walked back to Ruby with the ivy in hand. Putting her staff away she hummed, a soft green glow enveloping the plant briefly before it began to rapidly grow until Vina could hold it up with both hands.

What do you think Ruby? Worth a try~?

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby nodded at @Vina Skysong's remark, adding— "And you don't need to do everything by yourself, so yeah!" A sneak grin then crossed her lips. "It is a shame I won't have you all to myself next time we come here though~" She teased.

As she listened to Vina's reveal that she didn't really have any gluing spell at hand, Ruby crossed her arms and started thinking on any idea she could have to help on it, which was when Vina brought an ivy and made it even longer than it already was. Ruby's ears perked up, and she beamed. "That's my Vina~" She took the ivy, nodding eagerly. "That's worth a try for sure! Make some more, anything else I will try to use some of my ropes." She glanced at the bag, that was the only thing she kept on her after undressing earlier.

Ruby then started working on tying the pieces together. Some weren't really easy, but eventually she would manage thanks to the ivy that was rather flexible. It would take a while, but as each piece was complete, the sound started making a bit more sense, and despite not being perfect, eventually something that actually resembled a music started echoing with each water drop that clashed with the metal statues.

Spoiler: Water Music

Taking a couple steps back and nearing Vina, Ruby's ear twitched, and her tails and head swayed with the harmonic percussion, and after half a minute or so with the ongoing music, a glow started following the marks on the floor, spreading across the great room and making its darkness disappear with its magical brim.

Despite empty, the room was once again lively. The music echoed, the light brought a new life to the place, and Ruby looked around eagerly, trying to see where would be their next opening... However, what truly occurred was a rumbling, followed with the two 'deposits' the duo had seen closing up with large stone 'doors', and water suddenly erupting from the marks.

"Aah!" Ruby squeaked in surprise, closing her distance to Vina while the water level rapidly rose in the room, at an overwhelming speed, and in a matter of a couple seconds, the water was already engulfing half of their bodies. "D-Damn it, was it a trap?!" She hissed, reaching for Vina's hand and trying to drag her friend away, but unfortunately— "We need to—" Ruby almost swallowed water as it finally reached her face. She tried to swim, but suddenly she felt a pull and felt like she was circling as she flailed.

At some moment, if either of them managed to get their heads out of water, they would briefly notice a whirlpool at the center of the room, pulling them in.

Upon noticing it, Ruby's hold on Vina's hand tightened, and she continued to struggle against the water pull.

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina gave Ruby a sly smile as the red-haired feline pointed out that if they came back with archeologists that'd mean they wouldn't be here alone any more.

I wouldn't worry about that Ruby~ There's always nooks and crannies to hide in, you know? (She leaned closer.) Or we just have to make the most of this first time, when there's nobody around to bother us~

While Vina certainly wouldn't mind delaying their exploration for a little bit of fun, at the same time it was fun to make progress and figure out what these ruins were all about. Not only music but water as well... what were the creators of this place thinking?

Her tail wagged cheerfully as Ruby complimented her plan, ears twitching once before the vixen nodded and used some more of her magic, the ivy growing longer and thicker until it was pooling around the druidess's feet.

It's not the strongest stuff, but most of these pieces look like they'd stay in place as long as there's at least something helping out~

With Ruby being the more dextrous of the two Vina would leave it up to her partner to tie the missing metal pieces in place, head tilted slightly as each repaired statue caused the rhythm that filled the hall to change. At first it only added more discord, but as Ruby kept working a more distinct and stable pattern began to emerge, until Vina thought that she understood the underlying song.

What a nice rhythm~

Once Ruby finished tying the last metal piece in place and stepped back towards her Vina stepped forward to meet her friend, leaning against her and curling her vulpine tail around one of Ruby's feline tails as the two of them listened to a performance of metal and water, restored after who knows how long with only the two of them to hear it.

Until the music's effects kicked in, closing the two rooms where they'd found the missing pieces and causing water to erupt from the glowing marks at such frightening speed that before Vina had fully registered what was happening it was already rising past her thighs.

Hold on!

She grabbed Ruby's hand even as her friend tried to get the two of them to safety, but even with the dancer's impressive speed she couldn't escape the trap after it had already submerged their legs. Thinking quickly the only thing that came to Vina's mind was that they'd drown if they didn't do something, so rather than resisting the pull Vina opened her mouth and inhaled as much air as she could, much more than her lungs could hold as the rest formed a bubble around her head instead. Moments later the two of them were swallowed by the rising water.

Tapping Ruby on the shoulder with her free hand Vina would close the distance once her friend looked at her, placing her lips against the dancer's as the air bubble expanded to cover Ruby's head as well. When Vina pulled back from the kiss the bubble split into two, giving each of them at least some air to breathe even as they were dragged along by the water which was now forming a whirlpool.

Seeing that the water was still rising Vina looked towards the centre of the room instead, where a tunnel had opened which was responsible for sucking all the water in. The glowing marks also formed a spiralling pattern around it, which the druidess saw as proof that this setup was definitely intentional. With no other course of action available to them she pointed towards the tunnel, trying to wordlessly suggest that they see where it led rather than continue to tire themselves out.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The touch of @Vina Skysong's lips on Ruby's surprised the cat dancer for a moment, but as soon as she felt the air returning to her lungs, and the bubble forming around their heads before parting in two separated source of airs for each of them, a relieved sigh escaped from her, and even some of the panicking on trying to escape faded.

Her friend's silent suggestion was quickly understood, especially now that she was calmer and knew that at the very least they weren't going to drown to death.

A gaze shifted to direction the whirlpool was trying to drag them away, glancing back at Vina and nodding, bracing herself for what was coming next, as soon as the water finally carried them away...

...

With a calmer mind and preparation, the duo would find themselves slidding in a tunnel, going deeper down into whatever that place was. The water was a refreshing protection against the heat that was starting to form, and by the time they reached to their destination, they found themselves in a rocky place.

"Aah..." Ruby sighed, rubbing her neck and taking a look around as she got back on her feet, helping Vina if she needed. "This place is a sauna..."

The temperature of that place was much higher than the room they were above, which made their stay not so comfortable. Still, it didn't make that particular spot any less beautiful in its own way. Once again, the sculpted underground walls were covered with ancient runes, but what truly caught their attention would be seven teal crystalized obelisks, one taller and thicker than the other, forming a circular shape.

By the center, a large malachite table stood, with four long metal poles.

Ruby's ears perked up, and she approached the table, tail swaying back and forth as curiostity tingled her enough for her to ignore the uncomfortable spot they were in. "Rock, crystals... Hmm..." Ruby crossed her arms, turning to her friend. "It does feel obvious that it is supposed to be an elements thing, so this place is the 'earth' one?" She pondered, glancing at the table, then back at the obelisks.

"I wonder what we will need to deal with now."

 

[Vina Skysong]

With Ruby's agreement Vina surrendered herself to the water's flow, allowing the whirlpool to drag her towards the hole in the floor from which the deluge had originally sprung. She still held tightly onto Ruby's hand to make sure the two of them weren't separated, the two adventurers quickly pulled into the tunnel towards a new unknown location.

With the two of them having enough air that they didn't have to worry about suffocation Vina actually enjoyed the experience, sliding her way through the tunnel together with her friend. There wasn't much light in the tunnel, only the occasional illumination from a glowing run. But the increasing warmth eventually became impossible to ignore, and when they were finally ejected from the tunnel into the next chamber Vina felt the heat almost greet her like a wall. Sliding across the floor together with the water the druidess needed a moment to collect herself, thankfully accepting Ruby's help with a smile.

Thanks Ruby~ (She smiled.) Well if it's a sauna it's a good thing we're already dressed for it~

You weren't supposed to wear clothes in a sauna, after all. The water that had come with them quickly turned into steam, turning the air hazy even if it didn't obscure the very obvious obelisks with the table in the middle.

Following Ruby's lead Vina approached the slab of malachite, noting how it had been crafted just as meticulously as everything else.

They had no trouble with this either... (She swished her tail.) It could be earth, or maybe it's supposed to be fire since it's so warm? But that wouldn't explain the crystals~

Impressive as the malachite table was, it still wasn't as impressive as the crystalised obelisks, standing there almost ominously amidst the glowing ancient runes. Looking around Vina pondered out loud.

Maybe this table is an altar? I don't know what it'd have to do with music, but it could be for a sacrifice... (She shook her head.) Or these pillars can produced music as well~?

They were made of crystal after all. Stepping towards the largest obelisk Vina tapped it carefully, her ears sharp as she tried to catch any response. Unfortunately it wasn't going to be so easy: all she could hear was the sound of her finger tapping the hard surface, clear but not about to turn into a song.

Any idea about those poles Ruby~?

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby pondered about @Vina Skysong's words. A sacrifice? She looked at the slab with a shiver running across her spine. The last thing she wanted was for both of them to be in a sacrifice dilemma, so she truly hoped this wasn't the case.

Her ears twitched at the muffled sound of Vina's finger against the crystal, but it was somewhat disappointing. When you saw such a big crystal like that in a music-oriented structure, you would expect a very satisfying echoing 'pang' coming from it. Her tail waved with a hint of annoyance as she crossed her arms. "I was expecting just what you seemed to be expecting, Vina..." She pouted a little, approaching and then using the side of her blade to hit the obelisk.

But no satisfying note came from it, just the sharp sound of metal clashing against it. Her ears lowered and she sighed, glancing at the slab.

She approached it, finally daring to touch it for a moment. "I can't make a thing or two out of it— MYAAH?!" Suddenly, a sharp needle of crystal pierced through Ruby's hand as she was touching the slab. She yanked the hand away, holding onto it with a startled expression, but instead of a wound, there was a crystalized mark on her hand.

The ancient runes than brightened, and they were, somehow, readable for the two beastfolk now.

"Follow the rhythm of the Earth."
​

It was no puzzle, or at least didn't feel like one. It felt more like a command. And a few seconds after that, one pillar brightened, echoing a sharp note. It went back to normal, and after half a second, another pillar brightened, echoing a deep note. It went back to normal, and then, both the slab and the crystalized mark on Ruby's hand stayed bright. Ruby blinked, then glanced at Vina and back at the obelisks that were previously emiting sounds.