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[center][sub]Time: 3:06 am - The Forest[/sub][/center]

[hider=Lilie/Ben]

The path unobstructed was easy to follow, the closest thing to a real path all night. Stone walls lined it, vines artfully growing through little gaps to cover most of it. Lightning bugs flickered overhead as they walked and a soft chiming echoed through the woods. The temperature rose slightly as they continued and the dirt path turned into cobblestone. A faint mist obscured the treeline as the vines bloomed into vibrant as the pair approached the edge.

Passing through the mist changed the area entirely and restored Ben’s sight. The forest floor turned into smooth stone that stretched to the edge of a pool of steaming water. Above it in terraces, two other pools emptied into the next silently. Despite the running water, the surface of each pool was perfectly still and clear, nothing but glittering stones at the bottom. In the middle of the top tier was a small podium with a carved koi fish, no larger than Lilie’s palm, shimmering in the moonlight. Lightning bugs danced on the rising steam and wind chimes hung on trees that lined the pools. 

In front of the first pool was a small plaque with a sleeping cat drawn in gold that read beneath it: 

[color=deepskyblue]“Rest ye weary bones a while and ward away the chill, for only with a clean, clear mind shall you manage to prevail. With power greater than your own, climb the summit to your prize foretold but keep in mind one single thing: water has memory. All that glitters is not gold but hides that which you wish to hold.”[/color]
[/hider] 

[hider=Salem/Victor]

The light radiating from the flower grew brighter and brighter and brighter until it was blinding, overwhelming the cottage, the mage’s corpse, and everything else until the pair were standing only in light. The sword vanished and the flower lifted into the air and spun lazily around the pair. In its wake shadow followed until it settled neaty where the lantern once sat and the exam forest returned to sight again. The flower stopped glowing, now just an intricate ruby figure, and Victor’s sight vanished once more.  Beneath the riddle was a new inscription.

[color=deepskyblue]“Behind you now are paths laid bare where nothing but life once stood. Take your left and find your home without a backwards glance. Keep your eyes ahead now lest wandering thoughts drag you down.”[/color][/hider]

[hider=Maddie/Amaris] 

Maddie placed the chips, one on Ryner and one on Ralmevik. It did seem cruel to put someone’s dead father in a game but what better way to bond than bare your grief for your partner to see. At least, that’s what Maddie thought the lesson was here but she kept her silence and only nodded when the dealer sent them an inquiring glance, confirming these were the final bets of the round. 

With glee, he drew the kill card: Count Benjamin Eve. [color=deepskyblue]“Another round and another pass on the kill. You’re tough gals, ain’tcha?”[/color] He cackled as he drew the next. Ryner’s face popped up and he clapped excitedly. [color=deepskyblue] “With how good two are, I’m surprised you aren’t betting some more on every face! Now let’s get the winners their chips and we’ll be on our way!”[/color] He laughed, adding another chip on Ryner’s face and pussing all three back their way before launching into the next clue.

[color=deepskyblue] “Listen here and listen close, for this here clue may not quite toast. In nights long past when secrets reigned and blood was spilled over plains, one voice did rise above the rest and hover in moonlight blessed. Long laid to sleep for treason thrice, it’s sister now continues the fight. Out of sight for centuries but a lineage of healing she still keeps. This face does hold a history against that which their master knows.”[/color] 
[/hider]