The Lands of Ralosia & Ranuulo (Books 1-3)

Desert Chapter 3- The Link Temple

~Chapter 3- The Link Temple~

     Corri and the others continued slowly around the temple. Kelvin sniffed the ground as they went. Upon closer inspection, it looked as if the stone walls of the temple were coated in gold. If they weren't in such dire straits, Temp would certainly try to profit off it.

     They turned a corner and found colored but worn stone etchings on the wall. There was much repeated iconography. As they went along, they saw symbols representing an Owl, a Ram, a Tortoise, and a beautiful woman with flaming red hair. These images were repeated several times around the temple.

     The woman was no doubt meant to be a representation of the Goddess Ralosia. Corri had seen many statues of her in the Sky Lands. She ran her hand across the stone etchings of an Owl and couldn't help but think of the sky deity Ool she met up there.

              The group came upon a large-scale mural on the wall portraying a great battle. On the far left stood a representation of the Goddess surrounded by the same Owl, Ram, and Turtle. Ralosia wore golden gauntlets and pointed a thin finger to the right. As Corri walked along the stone etchings, there was a large army that appeared to be commanded by the Goddess, composed of Ralosians, Densius, Phantine, and Mecarne warriors.

              Corri continued along the image until it revealed another army filled with beings foreign to Corri. Reptilian-humanoid creatures wielding frightening-looking weapons and disproportionate limbs. Arachnid-like people with varying numbers of arms and legs. There were beings that appeared to be like the Densius, but they were disfigured. Most Densius she knew emulated a humanoid form, but these took on the forms of beasts, some on all fours with rows of sharpened rocks serving as teeth, others appearing serpent-like, all of them terrifying.

              Among these foreign beings was a group of people with ebon black arms and legs, spotted bodies, and luminescent eyes. They looked like the one she saw in the Sky Lands, the one called Lunahreim.

     Far to the left was a muscular being with pitch-black arms and legs, a white tinted body, fiery-red eyes, and long red hair that could be mistaken for flames. The being gripped a jaggedgreat sword in one hand and pointed left with the other, directing those that appeared to be its army. It was surrounded by a large raccoon, penguin, and moth.

     Opposite them was another intricate stone etching. There was a large circle with a line cut through it horizontally. In the top hemisphere of the circle was another image representing the Goddess, wielding her golden gauntlets. At the bottom hemisphere was the same muscular being from the other portrait, wielding the jagged great sword.

              Aero had been staring at Ralosia at the far right of the mural.

              "What is it, Aero? Think the Goddess is cute or something?" Corri teased.

     Aero continued to stare, "That's not it... She kinda looks like you Corri."

              Corri's eyes lit up and she rushed to her brother's side to look at the etching of Ralosia. She rolled her eyes, "We look nothing alike. It's just the red hair."

              Jirro circled behind the two and looked at the image of Ralosia, "I don't know. I could see you looking like that when you're older."

              Temp folded his arms and asked, "Corri, what exactly did you hear when that made you want to go south?"

              "I'm not sure... It felt like I was being called."

              Temp leaned against the wall, "You felt like you were being called, or you heard someone calling you?"

              Corri didn't like where his train of thought was going, "What're you getting at?"