Elemental Academy

Mystery town

The tram-like carriage drove up Main Road - comprised of bricks - from the school's side, going south towards the heart of Ferndale. The five young people are singing. All along the streets, little groups of people walking, talking, or just standing, perhaps waiting - for someone - or for a carriage. The pedestrian traffic is thick and heavy, workers are coming back from work, women at home scurrying from the shops to get back and start that evening meal.

Over there, near the requirements store, there is almost a congestion, the crowd is thickest here. There's a carriage stop. Also, mail carts to and from around the Cosmic stop here. So do some employers, fetching or bringing back laborers. There are several restaurants located in this area, as are a number of street vendors.

There is nothing setting the carriage apart. Nothing proclaiming it as special, peculiar, or marked. It is just one carriage among several driving up or down this particular stretch of Main Road, at this time, on this day. Past the small to medium sized businesses on 1st and Main. To the left over the other side of 2nd Avenue and well away from the main road, beyond a lush green area, was the square, encircled by Greek temple-like buildings.

Aria's singing was the first to stop as she saw the three story marble fountain, of course she'd seen marble fountains before but none of that magnitude. Raquel's singing was the most noticed and it stopped shortly after Aria's, noticing the topper at the very top of the fountain. "There it is," she pointed out, "the six piece, eighteen spiraled triskelions."

The four-wheel, tram-like carriage clucked to a stop near on of the Greek temple-like marble buildings. The four roommates exited the carriage as well as the junior girl that was with them. The junior wondered off towards one of the street vendors selling edible crystals while the roommates turned to the enormous fountain.

Quinn blew stray strands out of her face with a heavy huff. "Problem," she exhaled as she pointed to the very top - where the triskelion was. "What now," she asked, failing at hiding how humored she was.

Phoenix shrugged. "You're the water elemental."

"This's Raquel's doing," Aria voiced, turning to the earth user. "Marble is mined from the earth." Raquel gave her a sour look before Aria smiled. "I'm kidding. I got it." Before she could do anything she turned back to Raquel. "What exactly am I looking for?"

"Preferably something that doesn't look like it belongs on a marble fountain; in a square; where evildoers would see it," Phoenix stated like it was something so amazingly obvious.

Aria studied the height of the fountain before stepping onto its lowest basin and skyrocketing to the top. A small but violent twister kept her at the head of the fountain as she pensively studied the eighteen spiraled, six piece triskelions for any sign of peculiarity. One particular triskelion, unlike the others, clearly wasn't rusted metal; a coating of an artificial rust was coated over it but underneath, it shone with splatters of red; garnets.

"Aria," Raquel called hurriedly and pointed towards the end of the square where a group of men in gray robes patrolled nearby vendors and stores. Drakes. A police-like force that's much more brutal and maintains the law the way the see fit.

A chill of fear crept up Aria's spine as she reached for the gold piece and tugged on it. It didn't give in very easily and she noticed that the triskelion was silver (either silver, white gold or polished quicksilver). The triskelion began to buckle before a rock crashed into it with a loud twink. The triskelion gave in and Aria agilely fell to the ground.

The drakes were scattered around the square while the roommates made a break for the market place before anyone saw the artifact in Aria's hands. "How come nobody's after us," she asked when they didn't bother running.