[center][b]Treasure in the Tower, the Ruin Palae[/b][/center]

Those who tried to touch or even just accidentally came into contact with the now far more numerous, and densely populated, crystals that shimmered in green and pink, would find themselves experiencing deja vu. As brittle as ever, the small snow cone-sized crystals would shatter and dissolve like as if they were amde of sand whenever physical contact was made with them, regardless of how gently or forcefully one touched them. They could offer no support, no ground to stand on, and no grip to use as leverage... Nor could they be taken as treasure or loot. Beautiful as they were, they were only ephemeral, brittle and passing decorations it would seem.

Those who had climbed up into the tower and entered the cavity would find themselves surprised. For while the wall of the tower had been smashed open, the interior floor still remained standing, allowing one to walk about as if the tower was in fact not a ruined piece of ancient ruin at all. Although, the entire interior, ceiling, walls and floor, were absolutely covered in the small crystals - though some, as it were, were much larger in this area when compared to those outside. However, apart from the glittering crystals, there wasn't anything remotely interesting around - for as with the rest of the Forgotten Ruins, this palace had been picked clean long ago. No furniture, tapestries, carpets or anything else of that sort remained. An empty room, full of otherworldly crystalline shapes and constructs...

Well, not [i]entirely[/i] empty. For you see, over by the west-most part of the room, hard-pressed against the wall there, there was [i]something[/i]. A crystal, like the others, of considerably greater size. In fact, it was as big as two or three wheelbarrows, and unlike the other smaller cousin-crystals, this one was light blue, rather than pink and green in color. It also emitted a faint, azure glow that clashed with the even lighter glow of the many smaller crystals around it. Those who would approach this larger crystal would feel the intense magical power radiating from the thing, even if they weren't magically inclined or savvy themselves. Such was its power. Capable of sending a tingling, almost harrowing, sensation through the body of whoever approached, it was both awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.

But that was not the main draw. No, for you see, those who got even closer would be privvy to something remarkable. The closer you got, the more easily you would be able to make out a shape or form within the large, blue crystal. Getting even closer, the shape would become more and more clear and less blurry. And those brave enough to stand only a few feet away, would be able to see in throguh the blue-tinted crystal's shell, and see clearly what was trapped inside.

...

...

...

 It was! .... A girl?

To be more accurate, a young, voluptuous girl, with purple hair and a pair of horns protruding from her head. Her bangs covered one eye, and the one that could be seen was closed. Her head was slightly bent downwards, and it looked as if she was asleep - though considering there was no movement whatsoever from her, she was either not breathing and very much dead in there, or the crystal had somehow completely frozen her in place. The clothes she wore, while exposing and a bit evocative for certain, were still lavish and exquisite. She looked to be a young lady as well, no way past her mid teen years. In fact, with her slightly below average height and overall appearance, she almost looked like a doll inside that crystal prison, perfect, flawless, silent, unmoving.

But, something was strange. For she was stuck in a pose that seemed to be... Strange... She was holding both of her arms infront of her face, crossed across each other like an 'x', as if she was shielding herself from something. Or knees were also bent and touching each other, as if she was trying to trying to either make herself smaller or perhaps exert more weight in one spot, for whatever reason. All in all, it looked as if she was frozen in a pose which seemed to indicate that she was trying to defend herself from... Something or someone. Though, given her current situation, that seemed to have ultimately failed.

But what would those who dared get close do next? What were their thoughts and feelings now that they had found this fallen star? And if they intended to haul it back to Palagria for a reward... How the heck were they going to make that happen?

Meanwhile, those that had chosen to remain outside would find themselves with little to do. It did not appear that Hawklin and his group were sneakily hiding anywhere, as they made no attempt to reappear. Nor did any new groups or individuals pop up to make matters more interesting, or complicated, either... At least not for the immediate present.

[center][b]Alleyway of Dust, Ruin's Royal District[/b][/center]

While Kaze and Yinha had suffered very little in the way of falling debris, much thanks to both the lizardman's speed and the high elf's minor, but timely, protetive spell. They could rest easy with nothing more than a couple of small bruises and sores from the collapsing building. Vani, and his ward, on the other hand, had faired a bit less well.

Not only was Vani bleeding from the back of the head from the chunk of masonry that had fallen on him while trying to dig Atua out of her makeshift grave, he also suffered far more serious bruises and cuts. Thankfully, his armor had taken the worst of the damage and had protected him from the absolute worse, though that being said, he would need to get it repaired at some point. Atua, on the other hand, had suffered many more bruises and injuries. Even with Yinha's restroative magic from earlier, once she had become buried in the heap of debris, the healing spell had not been able to mitigate the accumulating damage.

The archer's body was littered with cuts, scrapes and bruises, as well as discolored blotches from internal bleeding. Her face was an absolute mess and it looked like one of her hands had been crushed, or at least dislocated somehow, since all her fingers were bent and pointing in very odd, very unnatural directions. Still, as if her condition was not enough, the four survivors did not have much time to celebrate their miraculous escape.

As the church began to fall apart, it became painfully clear that standing in a narrow alleyway, when a huge structure of stone was collapsing and falling apar, there was bound to be fallout. Clouds of dust began to fill the narrow passage they found themselves in, and more debris and chunks of stone came raining down. Once the entire building crumbled under its own weight, there was sure to be a proverbial storm of dust and detritus that would fill the entire area... And standing around for that didn't seem like the smarest of ideas. Since the alleyway was a dead-end, leading from the Royal Plaza to the back of the large church, there was only one way to run, and no detours or side-paths to take.

If the four wanted to avoid being buried in dust and rock, they'd need to hurry and get their asses out into the open plaza further ahead.