Closed.

She found a handful of fine sand in the firepit. Like pebbles, sand will be useful for spell-casting. It may be used in order to cast the spell to create living sand and trap the opponent for a moment.

In the thin sunlight falling into the cave Dhea could make out just parts of the carvings.

Stranger... I... waiting... have summoned you... long time... call... name to the skies... will come... - adra - ....

All around dusty plain stretched to north and west. There was no clue as to who might have written that message.

- Try calling a name.
- Cast a spell.
- Move on.
 
Dhea lifted her hand, numbing a spell of light under her breath. She was unsure if it was the lack of sunlight that didn’t allow her to see the full carving, but it was always better to try.
 
The spell did nothing to help her out. The lines were simply too faded for her to be able to read them fully.

- Try calling a name.
- Move on.
 
She cried the name across the plains and it seemed like the echo of it set off a distant avalanche. The ground begun shaking and rumbling, sending her down to her knees. The very earth moved as though it was splitting - or merging back together. As Dhea reached down to steady herself, she felt grass underneath her fingers.

Finally the shaking stopped. Dhea felt nauseous as she was finally able to get up. Everything around her was the same, yet everything was different. The rock looked bigger, with two spires instead of one and the cave inside it was smaller and darker. The fire was burning in the firepit. The gentle sound of singing came from deeper inside.

The singer was a male with a voice like gravel moving over ice. He sung in a language she did not understand.

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​
Suddenly as he heard the shuffling of Dhea's feet, his singing stopped mid tune and he looked up from behind the fire, before standing up and approaching her in a quick motion.

"It's you!" His eyes were wide with surprise. "You made it! Welcome back!"

- "What was that magic?"
- "You know me?"
- "Welcome back?"
 
Dhea looked over the old man, her lips parted and brows raised in confusion. He was acting as if he knew her, but she’d never seen him before. It was obvious that he was Shadrack, but...
“You know me?”
Her tone was cautious and curious.

And it was obvious that what had happened was magic. She’d be very concerned if it wasn’t.
 
"Just so." The man nodded. "You have come a long, long way, my Analander friend." He beckoned her to sit by the fire. "I know your mission, of course. I know all about you. And you know about me, I hope. My name is Shadrack." Then he paused, giving her a small sad smile. "Well, I know where you come from and I know where you are going and that's all one can know about anyone, isn't that right? I must warn you that no one from Analand has ever crossed the Baklands and survived."

- Ask about the danges.
- Ask about the Serpents.
- Ask about the fate of Baklands.
 
Dhea sat cross-legged by the fire, her eyes and face attentive. She smiled to herself for a moment, fingers tracing absentmindedly beside her. She focused on the fire, before she spoke.
“I need to know about the Serpents.”
Dhea looked from the dancing flames to Shadrack, eyes dark. Yet, there was a soft smile in the corner of mouth. A sad smile.
“Please.”
 
"Ah, the Serpents are most terrible. I have seen them often." Shadrack shook his head. "They are not mere snakes. It is said that thousands of years from now - a few years ago for you, perhaps - the Archmage of Mampang fought and slew the mighty Hydra that dwelt in the caves of High Xamen. So formidable was this creature that the Archmage took its seven heads back to Mampang, where he used his dark arts to resurrect them as seven winged beasts. They became his personal messengers, his assassins, his force in dark places."

- "How do I kill them?"
- "Thousands of years from now?"
 
“....thousands of years from now?”
Dhea’s eyes widened. It seemed her suspicions had been correct. Powerful magic was at play here. She eyed the old man carefully, but shook her head.
“No. Don’t focus on that.”
She chuckled at herself, before sighing.

“How do I kill them?”
 
The old man nodded. "A good question. Each Serpent has a Spirit that sustains them. It grants a terrible power, but also a powerful weakness. Discover these weaknesses and you may be able to defeat the Serpents." For a moment his face soured, and his eyes seemed sunken, like he was not feeling well. Then the moment passed and he continued. "I do not know their weaknesses. Remember, to me, all this is yet to transpire. But, I have seen you defeat the Air Serpent and I can tell you how you did it." He cleared his throat. "The Air Serpent, huge and terrible, was transforming its being into a puff of gas that could suffocate and choke its foes. But in this form its empty body was weak, and when that husk was destroyed, the Serpent was destroyed too."

Shadrack started shivering slightly then, his face pale underneath his white beard.

- Ask about his health.
- Ask about other Spirits.
- Ask if he has any supplies.
- Leave.
 
Dhea’s face softened in concern for the old man, her lips parted as she went to ask after his health. She was worried, because he seemed like he was weakening.
But something dark and cold inside her brain stopped her. She could ask after. The Serpents were important.
More important than her softness and empathy.
“The other Spirits. What are they?”
 
"Four are possessed by base Spirits. Earth, Fire, Water and Air." Shadrack explained. "But the other three are mysteries." He shivered again, going through a fit of coughing. "Friend, I wish I didn't have to go, but I must. I have to close the circle, otherwise the world will go to hell." He leaned onto his stick, taking a step toward the mouth of the cave.

His form shifted, blurring at the edges, slowly dissipating. At the mere edge of vision, he spoke again.

"I have one more thing left for you in there. Travel safe. You are now in Ishtara, safe from the Serpents, but you have to return to your own time to defeat them." He raised his staff, pointing north. "Look for the beacon, by the river. Could be that it had survived into your own time."

With that Shadrack disappeared, leaving Dhea with more questions than answers, alone in the cave, once again. Suddenly as she turned toward the carvings on the cave, she saw an object that was not there before. A horn, made out of a shell, ornately carved. She knew what it was, a Galehorn, one of very few in the existence. It will help her create a spell of wind.

As Dhea exited the cave she saw that the surroundings had changed. The plains were not dust and rocks any more, they were covered in grass and right in front of the cave was a huge tree that was not there before. To the north, where Shadrack indicated, stood a tall tower, made out of gleaming white stone with a gilded dome glittering in the sun.

- Go north.
- Go toward the tree.
- Go south.
 
Dhea marvelled at the change, her lips in a smile again. Then there was a sadness in her eyes. If this had been what the Baklands was, the Archmage had another thing to pay for. The destruction of such a beautiful place...all because of his fear.

Bile burned at the back of her throat, likely helped by her anger. Dhea looked towards the tower, but she was intrigued by the tree. It could also have fruit on it. Which she would need eventually.
 
Heat beat down on Dhea as she stepped across the grassy field and toward the tree. It was a big, strong tree, its branches spread wide and providing a very nice shade underneath. It seemed that someone was already taking advantage of that shade.

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The woman had her eyes closed and was breathing in and out slowly and murmuring something under her breath. She had a necklace around her neck with a strange pendant, some kind of a tooth.

- Greet her.
- Leave her.
 
Dhea looked at the young woman in awe. She was...stunning. She looked over her features in a near-reverent manner. When she realised she was staring, Athdhea turned a faint red and cleared her throat.
“Hello?”
 
The woman opened one eye, then shook her head sadly.

"You are meant to be over there." She raised a hand to point at a patch of grass a couple of steps to the left of Dhea. Then she sighed, shrugging her shoulders resignedly. "No matter. They told me that divination gets better with practice."

She offered her hand to Dhea.

- Shake her hand.
- Ask her name.
- Ask about divination.
- Leave.
 
Dhea didn’t question it.
She had no reason to. It wasn’t as if it was harming her. At all.
She smiled at the woman, before shaking her hand.
“I hope it isn’t too rude to ask your name. Mine is Athdhea, if you didn’t know.”
Her tone was a little charming, but not falsely so.
 
The woman looked at her hand for a moment, after Dhea shook it. "How very proper." She said, as if surprised with the gesture. "Well met. My name is Elthera. Welcome to Ishtara, the land of peace and plenty." She scanned over Dhea's appearance with a slight frown. "I see from your bearing that you are quite a stranger to these parts. Ishtara is the Ancient World, from the Zanzunu Peaks to the South Sea. Where do you come from?"

- "Analand."
- "I'm not a stranger."
- "I'm just a traveller."
 
“I’m just a traveller.”
Dhea’s response was automatic. She didn’t need anyone to know about Analand, simply because it was easier and she wasn’t sure about where she was. Not exactly.
 
The woman nodded politely. "Of course. I understand." Then she smiled. "Will you sit with me for a while? I am trying to practice my divination, but I need someone to practice it with."

- Sit with her.
- Ask her for help with your quest.
- Leave.
 
Dhea had no qualms with this and sat, her legs out in front of her. She leans back onto her hands and watches Ethera carefully. She wonders how she looks to the mysterious woman.
 
"I need to practice my third eye." She said, tapping her forehead. "Give me your hands." She continued, reaching out to take both of Dhea's hands in hers with a small smile. "Divination focused on future. I am going to tell you something that will happen to you in the recent future and then, when that actually happens, you promise to come back and tell me."

She closed her eyes then, a small crease appearing between her brows as she focused.

- Let her focus.
- Kiss her.
- Don't let her use divination.
 
Dhea watched the young woman, just studying her features. She smiled at the small crease and she didn’t fully understand what was happening, until she pressed the softest of kisses to the corner of Ethera’s lips.

She turned a bright red and dropped her face, hoping the shadows of her fringe would hide it.
But she didn’t remove her hands.
 
Elthera's eyes snapped open as she felt Dhea's lips on hers. Her face reddened completely and she quickly pulled her hands back.

"Divination does not work that way!" She exclaimed, shuffling to get up, slightly tripping. She was flustered and angry, but it looked rather adorable. "I can see you are going to get into a lot of trouble!" She said, scrambling to leave. In a moment she turned away and ran off into the direction of the road, disappearing from view.

- Go north.
- Rest.
 
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