G𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗 I𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚝

3: The Temple of Falcon

It took quite a while until Aether finally reached Amber. He did crossed paths with several hilichurls on the way after all.

Amber waved at him, arrow ready on her back. "This is it. One of the deserted temples of the Four Winds. These temples have been left to waste for years now. The people of Monstadt almost never come here."
"There's a chance there's a monster nest or a hilichurl camp inside so be prepared." She warned the Traveler. "Even Stormterror has given up on his own temple..."

Now this was new to Aether's ears. "Wait...did you just said 'its own temple...'?"
"...Yes," she answered with a slightly sad smile. "I also find it hard to accept, but... Stormterror was once one of the Four Winds."
"Ehhhh!?!" Paimon gasped.

Suddenly, the change of air from the temple alarmed Amber. "Wait...did you just feel that? The wind here...there's something off..." she wondered, pacing around in circles, stopping momentarily and looking up the sky. "Let's go in and take a look Aether. Be careful, the dragon's power is disturbing this area."

Aether quickly ran up to the temple, trying to activate it by touching its door. Once color red has now turned into blue, unlocking its seal.
Amber looked at him with surprise. No normal beings can ever unlock such a seal. There's really more about him than meets the eye, she thought, staring at Aether with awe.
"Let's go into the temple!!!!" Paimon exclaimed, flying inside.

Inside the temple lies a machine and another door. It was quite dark with only torches lighting up the place. The walls were all gray and there were some cobwebs and broken silk lying around.

Aether observed the machine, trying to figure out how to operate it. Amber giggled, "you could turn that dark circle-like thingy on the center of the machine to open the door." She explained.
Aether blushed a bit due to embarassment and followed what Amber had said.
Soon enough, the second door opened, revealing passage ways blocked by huge thorns surrounded by dendro element.

"Wow! I can see so far into the temple!" Amber gasped, looking up to the grayish-red "sky". Paimon looked up with awe. "This place really is huge." She said, flying close to Aether.

The Traveler tried to use his Anemo powers to break the thorns but failed to do so. He tried his sword but it really took a lot of time to break it and they were in a hurry. Aether looked down hopeless.
"Don't worry Traveler, my Pyro abilities can break down those thorns easily. Just stand back a little." Amber explained, her arrow filled with her Pyro element now pointed towards the thorns.
One shot and it burned it all down, clearing the way.

"Look! A chest!" Paimon hurriedly fluttered towards it, trying to open it with her tiny hands. Aether unhesitatedly opened it himself, revealing artifacts and some mora. "Alright, let's go."

When they turned towards the path, even more thorns were there. Amber fired her arrow and Aether then help spreading it by swirling it with his Anemo powers. Down below was a hilichurl guarding the way.
"I knew it. There are hilichurls inside here." Amber said, clicking her tongue. She carefully pulled her arrow once again and shot the hilichurl on its head.

Aether then fly down and quickly plunged using his sword, adding more damage to the hilichurl. A few slashes here and there, the hilichurl soon died.
Before giving a sigh of relief, even more hilichurls came into the scene.
"Oh no, a horn!"
"The fighting must have gotten them riled up." Aether remarked, preparing his sword.
"Well good thing I prepared my secret weapon: Explosive Puppet Baron Bunny!" Amber smirked.

She quickly led the hilichurls towards the barrel with an explosive pyro slime in it. She then summoned her cute yet dangerous puppet and quickly fled away. She shooted her puppet and it suddenly exploded, leaving the hilichurls lying on the ground.
Amber's vision glowed and she quickly prepared her burst; suddenly, dozens of arrows filled with pyro elements shooted down to the sky and onto the hilichurls.
"We better hurry, let's go towards the next one. I'm sure there are more hilichurl camps around so be prepared." Amber warned, quickly running towards the next path.
Aether and Paimon quickly gathered the artifacts and mora they got from the second common chest and finally joined Amber.