Closed.

Dhea shook her head, ignoring the twinge that she got at his words. She did not deny what he said was true, but it still stung.
However, they didn’t stop her from running a thumb across Rhain’s cheekbone and smiling sadly up at him.
“Stay.”

And she rose to stand on her tiptoes, lips pressing against his. She stood there, her hands cupping his face. She hoped that what she was doing would not ruin what they had.
 
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Rhain did not move when she kisses him. He stood unmoving for a second, not comprehending what was happening. His lips were cold, as was his whole skin. He did not respond to Dhea's kiss, but when she moved away he placed a hand on her cheek, gently stroking it.

"You will be the death of me." He whispered, voice rasping.

There was a faint smile on his face when he leaned toward her and kissed her, deeplt, passionately, his hands grabbing her waist and bringing her closer, his kisses leaving her breathless. It was as if he had suppressed those emotions for far too long, only to let them loose now.

- Continue kissing him.
- Tug at his clothes.
- Stop.
 
Dhea enjoyed these kisses that stole the breath from her lungs, the sense from her mind. She returned them, matched them blow for blow. Her fingers slid underneath his hood, cupping the back of his head. The other hand tried to find purchase on his armour, before weakly tugging at his clothes.

She pulled away, her forehead resting on his. Her lips were swollen and red, but she still smiled that evil smirk and whispered to him.
“Say my name.”
Her fingers were still working and tugging at his clothes.
 
Rhain's breath was heavy when she moved away. Want was written in his red eyes, plain as day. As Dhea's hand went afrer his leather armour, he helped her fumbling fingers, undoing the straps over the chest, throwing the cloak down. For the first time she saw him without the hood. His hair was short and dark and skin pale.

As the sun set on the horizon, he pulled her close again, a hand on her cheek, the other on her hip.

"Dhea." He whispered softly, before cutting off her breath with another kiss.

It was obvious that he had lost all restraint now, quickly removing Dhea's backpack and cloak, then throwing his own daggers aside. His hand moved to unclasp her armour even as hers went fumbled with his own clothes.

- Continue.
- Stop.
 
Dhea did not wat to stop. She could feel this passion burning through her lungs and veins. She started fumbling with her own armour, which hit the ground with a soft thud. She loosened her hair, the blonde strands curling around her shoulders, her jaw.

She stole away his breath with her own kisses, sometimes breaking away to nip and suckle at his jaw and throat.
 
Neither of them had much rest that night. They forgot to light the fire, but they kept each other warm, tangled between the bushes growing out of the stone bridge. Nothing disturbed them and they felt safe that night, even if other nights were bound to be much more dangerous for either of them.

But, they would not walk the same path through the Baklands. When sun rose, Dhea was alone. There was no sign of Rhain and she did not hear him slip away. It was something he did it often, leaving her in uncertainty. But they always found each other at some point.

Dhea was feeling hungry and a bit sore, but otherwise physically well. She had to climb up or down the bridge in order to proceed.

- Climb up.
- Climb down.
- Optional: Eat.
 
She ate one of her provisions, feeling better because of it. Then she swung over the bridge and down the stairs etched into the pillar. Her hands started burning with the effort of climbing.

After finally climbing down into the cool air of the Forest of Snatta, she had to decide on a path she wanted to follow. If nothing, she now knew the location of the Moon Serpent, though she would need to learn its weakness in order to defeat it. The path split into three, to west, to south and under the bridge and to the north.

- Go west.
- Go south.
- Go north.
 
Dhea brushed herself off and adjusted her hair. She shrugged her shoulders, making sure her pack was on correctly, before heading north. She had remembered which direction the elves’ camp had been, and she didn’t feel like messing with them after what happened.
 
She passed under a great ruined arch and into the trees. The path wound tortuously through the forest. The air moved a little, much colder than in the plains. The smell of rotting leaves filled Dhea's nostrils. She caught a glimpse of a bright red snake through the trees. It looked like it was watching her.

- Approach the snake.
- Ignore it.
 
Dhea knelt down, making it look as if she had dropped something and was trying to find it. She didn’t trust this red snake, but she wanted to make sure it wasn’t actively dangerous to her. She cast a spell to sense danger.
 
As she cast the spell, the snake slipped between the trees, disappearing. The spell vaguely told her that the whole forest was dangerous. She could not see the snake any longer.

The trees around her were alive with movement as she followed the road ahead. She traced a path that might have been an old dried out river bed at some point, but served well enough for her not to wander aimlessly through the thick forest. As the morning moved on, wind begun rising. The path curved, close to the stony rise of the northern mountains. The Lake Ilklala laid on the other side, impossibly far. For a long time Analand had hoped those peaks would protect them from the Archmage. No one knew his Birdmen could fly so high, or so far.

A pile of boulders on the side of the road was topped with thick yellow moss. It smelled pungent and it was watery. It would provide sustenance, if Dhea did not mind the earthy taste.

- Gather the moss.
- Continue forward.
- Turn back.
 
Dhea made a face, but she could see its necessity in a land such as this. She ignored the smell and the way it would likely cling to her, before starting to collect the moss. It never hurt to have more resources. Especially not when she had little to no gold and the only place for trade wanted her head on a platter for that blasted Serpent.
 
The moss had to be eaten immediately, however. What little she had placed in her pack dissolved instantly. The remaining crumbs of the moss she ate, despite everything. It was not that bad and it provided some sort of a mockery of brunch.

The path continued through the forest, winding this way and that. The sun had reached its highest point, but Dhea was shaded from the rays by the tall trees.

Finally, after a couple of hours of walking constantly, she emerged onto a clearing by a low hill. The place was exposed and she would be an easy target for anything lurking between the trees. There was something quite artificial about the shape of the hillock, however, its side were almost perfectly smooth.

- Climb the hill.
- Look around the hill.
- Move on.
 
The odd thing about the hill was that it had doors on one side. Once she skirted around it she could see small wooden doors, built into the side of the hill and position slightly downwards, like a hatch. She did not hear any noise from inside the "hill", however, it seemed like it was actually someone's home.

- Knock on the doors.
- Open the doors.
- Leave the "hill".
 
Dhea looked at the door, lips parting and closing again. She was rather intrigued by the not-hill. With a small noise of confusion, she raised her hand and gently knocked on the doors. Who knew what she’d find inside?
 
"Yes?" A voice called out from inside the hill house and the doors swung open, revealing a dark hallway inside. The hallways descended a couple of steps, but Dhea could see a light glowing ahead, not that far off. There was also a female voice, muttering low, angry curses, as if mad at something.

Down the steps she entered a room with a low ceiling, well lit by candles. Seated at the table was a woman, her hair long and white, covering her face as she leaned over something on the table in the center of the room.

"Oh." She turned toward Dhea when she heard her steps. She was perhaps in her forties, by the look of her face, a couple of fine lines around her mouth and crows feet to the sides of her eyes, but despite her completely white hair, she did not have a face of an old lady. Her face was strangely familiar. It reminded Dhea of the girl under the tree she met on her first day in the Baklands.

- Greet her.
- Attack her.
- Cast a spell.
- Leave.
 
“Oh. Hello.”
Dhea looked at the older woman, her face a slight pink. She tugged at a few loose strands of hair, the pink depending. She felt like she knew this woman, but she was not entirely sure.
“Ethera?”
The name was a question.
 
"How do you know my name?" The woman started at her for a moment. Then recognition filled her eyes. "Oh." She placed a hand over her mouth. "No, it can't be. You are... the traveller I met as a young girl." She stepped up to Dhea, reaching out to brush the sleeve of her robes, as if making sure she was real. "You stole my first kiss, you rascal." She playfully hit her shoulder, but then laughed. "You haven't aged a day. I mean, I know I am holding up well for someone a couple of centuries old, but you... What sort of sorcery have you been practising?" She smiled, and at that moment it was obvious that the woman was the same blonde girl that Dhea had met before. A sorceress, though now much more experienced than when they first met.

- Ask about her sorcery.
- Ask about the Serpents.
- Ask about the Baklands.
 
Dhea let out a rather bright laugh, her hand going to the back of her neck. She remembered that rather well and again, she blushed.
“If I had known it was your first, I would’ve made it a little less....awkward.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip, before shaking her head.

“I have to ask about your sorcery. You look amazing for someone who is centuries old.”
 
"Thank you." Elthera smiled. "I have to tell you, I don't remember which one of them worked. I have tried so many things." She chuckled, shrugging. "But, look, come here." She pulled at Dhea's sleeve, dragging her to the round table at the centre of the room. "This is my current predicament." She pointed at the crystal orb. It was the orb usually used for divination, but something was different about this one. On closer inspection Dhea saw that there was something inside of it. A small white snake.

- Ask about the Orb.
- Ask how can you help.
- Take the Orb.
 
“How can I help?”
Dhea looked it over with a rather curious and open expression. She was intrigued by this thing, by the little snake inside. She wanted to pick it up and examine it, but she felt it would be rude.
 
"This is the Sun Serpent." Elthera explained, quite shockingly. He said it in such a calm manner, like it was just an orb with some fake snow in it. "I've trapped it a day ago. It came snooping around my hut and I don't appreciate it." Her nose wrinkled most charmingly. "But, I cannot kill it. I'm not strong enough to face Archmage's servants, this is the best I could do." She glanced at Dhea. "You are obviously a sorcerer. Do you have any idea how to deal with this?"

- Say the Serpents are after you.
- Say you can kill it.
- Say you can throw it somewhere.
- Ask about other Serpents.
 
“Well.....there might be a reason for that....”
Dhea scratched the back of her neck again, shaking her head. She trusted Ethera. The sorceress had trapped a Serpent, which was more than Dhea had done.
“I’m not entirely sure how to kill it, but...I’m sure I can figure something out.”
 
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