Eight Intertwined

74 - Sealticge

It didn't take anywhere near as long as Primrose would have expected for the group to make it through the desert sands in the direction of the potential shrine location. Well, potential was a poor word to describe the situation. After all, the Ember was glowing brighter than ever at the center of the sandstorm, and Primrose could see a notable dune rise above the rest in a pattern that matched the past shrines all too well. In other words, they had found something, and they wouldn't be leaving the Sunlands until after they had received the power of yet another god. 

Cyrus approached the sand dune carefully. He had been using wind magic to guide the sand around the group so they wouldn't be pelted so extensively, and it was certainly coming in handy. Ophilia followed his lead with the Ember still raised, and the doors to the shrine immediately began to slide apart. Primrose hadn't even realized they were there because of the thick layer of sand that had fallen over the entrance to the shrine, and she took a small step back so her shoes weren't left filled with the tiny dust. The others followed suit, and they all watched as the shrine slowly but surely revealed itself to them. 

Cyrus allowed his casting to wind down as he stepped into the cave, the others hot on his heels. Primrose's shoes were filled with sand regardless of her attempts to make sure that didn't happen, and she sighed after they were inside the shrine once more. She was quick to pull off her shoes to pour out the lingering pieces of sand, shaking her head along the way. "I should have known that we wouldn't be getting out of the Sunlands without a few problems," she muttered. "Though I suppose there's nothing we can do about it now."

"We've got another god to fight, so it's probably for the best if we make sure that we don't have any sand in our shoes. I don't know how sand is going to translate into the battlefield for the upcoming fight, but I don't want to take any chances," Tressa said as she did much the same thing as Primrose. Tressa winced as she dusted off the bottom of her shoes with one hand. "I'm used to sand from back home, but this is just ridiculous. I don't know how anybody can live in a place like this. At least Sunshade was able to survive with relatively few sandstorms."

"You're not looking forward to coming back to Wellspring then, I take it?" Therion asked with a loose snort. Primrose could tell that he was responding that way because he wasn't excited about it either. If the weather was going to fight them so furiously, then uncovering the black market auction was going to be even harder than it had any right to be, and Primrose doubted it would be a walk in the park to begin with. 

"Not at all," Tressa confirmed with a heavy sigh as she slid her shoes back on. She paused to look around the shrine a moment later, trying to find out what other details she should be keeping in mind. She frowned before sighing, her eyes falling to the black flames that danced dangerously in the torches on the wall. "I don't think we're going to be able to see all that well here."

Primrose nodded her agreement as she turned her attention to the path ahead. The black fire was illuminating the area, albeit only barely, and that was certainly going to make this fight much harder. She thought about it briefly and realized that it had to be some kind of dark magic. The gods could manipulate the elements as they so pleased, but something about this felt different, almost familiar to her. Whoever was waiting at the end of this path knew what they were doing when it came to the power of shadows. 

At least Primrose would have one thing in common with whoever they fought against next. 

The path ahead was much the same as it had been with the previous shrines. As soon as the doors slid shut, Primrose started walking forward, surprised at just how easy it was for her to press onwards despite the minimal lighting. Then again, she supposed that was just par for the course. This was going to be their fifth time fighting against a god, and she could only hope that she knew what she was doing by this point. If not, then she worried for what the group would be getting up to next.