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[center][sub]Time: 12:16 - The Forest[/sub][/center]

[hider=Max/Eris]
The trip onwards was a little more overgrown that the last trek with the periodic sign marking the way. The wind picked up too and what little light had been trickling down though the canopy was disappearing for long moments as clouds rolled in. This path was far more winding and directions made use of landmarks now rather than just cardinal directions and lefts and rights. The path took the pair into an area long larger than their living room where all the vegetation had been cleared out, leaving only packed dirty. A few animal tracks had disturbed the area but otherwise, it was eerily quiet.

Two wooden poles stood at the far end of the little spot held what at first glance seemed like bird feeders. On closer inspection, these rectangular boxes were simple in construction, one yellow and one blue, but a missing spot in the front of them fit the blocks from the table perfectly. A phrase was carved into the top of each box, [color=yellow]Sratum Picon[/color] and [color=deepskyblue]Oceleusi Picon[/color] and words were written on the posts under the boxes.

The left one read: [color=yellow] “Between the posts, you’ll find a game that starts when we are whole again. Five paces back and name read loud, choose your fate or don’t be found.”[/color]

The right one read: [color=deepskyblue] “But if you chanced to fix us both, no single hand may do. Two separate entities like siblings two must choose their fates new. Speak in tandem and begin with little room for error. Step out of sight and lose the game without a sense of bearing.[/color][/hider] 

[hider=Lilie/Ben]
The wind picked up as Lilie took down her vial, a little colder than before. What little light trickled down disappeared for long seconds as clouds rolled slowly in. With each drop on the blub, the plants bloomed beautiful and full. One was a dandelion and the other a rose, both shimmering with the faint light of the potions. [/hider] 

[hider=Salem/Victor]
Waiting for a Victor post. Will give Salem the next description once you guys decide to leave this scene or the next next description if you skip the challenge.[/hider]

[hider=Aaron/Varis]
As the wind picked up and rustled the trees with a soft bite, the light faded in and out as clouds started rolling over the night sky. The walk to the next part of the challenge was a little more obscure: a few instructions were written not on posts but on trees and rocks despite their clarity. Eventually, the winding path they were instructed to take came to an end and two trees stood before them. Some manner of plant magic must have been employed because these trees, massive in comparison to those around them, also had metal doors embedded into them. Each door had a keyhole and a handle to pull it outwards. The area had several spots of disturbed earth, each just a mound no taller than a few inches but noticeable because of their lack of vegetation. A sign between the trees proudly exclaimed:

[color=deepskyblue] “Now it comes time to choose which lock responds to that you picked. If red is your belief, valiant but weak, Left is right, right is wrong, right is right, and left is left. If blue is your morale, slow but steady true, choose opposite above and make your final do. But warning if you chose the opposite of true then suffer with the consequences so be wary what you will.

But a final word of warning: That which turns cannot too touch til victor claims the spoils.[/color][/hider] 

[hider=Maddie/Amaris]

[color=FC8686] “On the bumpy side, I’m afraid.”[/color] Maddie admitted as she glanced ahead. It wouldn’t be difficult but it may slow them down more than she wanted. [color=FC8686] “Nothing drastic though. I’ll get you through it just fine. I’ll admit though, I would have appreciated a straight forward sign as our first direction rather than something on a subject I know almost nothing about.  Survival training wasn’t exactly part of a proper lady’s curriculum.”[/color] Maddie sighed as she guided ari forward with quiet instructions on the way. 

It was slow going until Maddie got more confidence in guiding the Countess, finally breaking out into a small clearing. Several lanterns flickered as they swayed gently in the wind, each partially shuttered to reduce how much illumination the provided, and chimes swayed at the bottom of each one. Maddie had to keep her spell up to notice but the little chimes were either painted or made of metals of different colors, blue and red and yellow. Colors were muted with the spell but the faint glow of the lanterns gave her just enough extra light to see the detail. 

A sign in the middle read:

[color=deepskyblue] The test that waits in the west requires many things. First, you must select the bell that sings the sweetest to you: That of trust or that of act because stillness is far too selfish but claim it if you must while woe becomes your misery. Take it now and trust your path until it reaches end for that is where lies are grown in plentiful abyss.[/color]

Maddie read the sign out loud and described the scene for Amaris. [color=FC8686] “I’m not sure I like that last part, honestly.”[/color][/hider]