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Lise     It's in the early afternoon that Lise, the displaced amazon princess from her world, stands in front of one of the warpgates. She waits here, patiently, as she mentions over the radio that the way may be dangerous and to prepare for anything that may come their way. As such, there's a small bag at Lise's side and the hilt of her spear embedded into the ground. "I hope this meeting goes well. I'm sure the Holy Priest will help me... I hope he doesn't mind me bringing strangers."

    Fairy soon materializes and shakes her head, "It's okay, Lise. They seem to have a good head on their shoulders, let them walk with you and I'm sure things will go well!"
Fiora Laurent     Fiora had mentioned rather early on, wanting to assist Lise, however she possibly could. Her story is certainly one that, while she couldn't exactly sympathize with directly, is one that still spoke to her sense of honor. So, she arrives as well, dressed in her usual fighting best. She's ready to travel on the road, and for combat, if need be.

Lise did mention the route might have some perils, despite everything.
Staren     Staren makes an effort, for once, not to be 'obvious power armor guy in fantasy world'. So, instead, he's dressed as a space cowboy.

    The armor is mostly leathery-looking material, with harder plates on the upper legs and knees, and a metal breastplate painted red. Some kind of leathery-looking overcoat and yes, a hat complete the look. He's still wearing his usual bandana and has his usual messenger bag at his side. His laser pistol and beam saber weapons are on his belt, hidden under the coat, and some kind of high-tech sniper-rifle looking thing is slung over his back.

    He approaches the warpgate with a wave and a smile. "Lise! I'm so glad you finally found your home! I look forward to seeing it."
Princess Luna      When Lise had asked Princess Luna to accompany her on some sort of quest of discovery, Luna had happily accepted. The princess of the night was not used to others asking for her help, and as such she wanted to make a good impression on any others that might be joining them. She steps through the warp gate and smiles happily upon seeing Lise and Fairy, and raises a hand to wave to them. "Greetings, all! It is good to see thee again, Lise. And thee, Fairy." She then turns to Staren and Fiora and bows her head lightly. "And it is good to meet both of thee as well. I have brought additional provisions, in case we needed them." she says, then unslings a backpack and smiles. "Several trail-worty snacks have been prepared. I believe they are called 'trail mix'. Varying mixtures of dried fruits and nuts with different seasonings."

     The princess herself is dress for utility rather than grace today. This is a hike, after all. She is wearing cargo capri pants, midnight blue in color, as well as a vest of the same color sporting many pockets. Her shirt is bright pink, both visible and better for repelling sunlight to keep her cool.
Lise     As the three companions she asked for help arrive, she gives a smile towards them all, "It's great to have you three here. Now I don't have to fear what will come ahead." a beat "Both monster and man." she briefly shakes her head and turns towards the warpgate, "Everyone is prepared it looks like." the green-dressed amazon turns behind her, looking towards them once more, "Shall we make our way to Wendel now? I took a brief entry into the portal, and it shall deposit us on the road in front of the waterfall."

    Fairy chimes in as she floats around Lise's head, "Hello, Princess Luna, Staren and Fiora." she bows in mid air, "I'm Fairy. I'm here to help Lise as well as the Mana Holyland. Just be mindful of the rabites and needlebirds that wander the roads. Oh..." a finger goes up to lips... "And zombies."

    As soon as Fairy was finished, she leads the group into the gate, depositing the four and a half into the new world, stepping on stone pavement with fresh air and the sound of water crashing down below. There is a hint of magic in the air, the whole barrier that was in place was deactivated. The ominous entrance to the cave is there that leads to the other side and the full way to Wendel. "We must make quickly for the town."
Fiora Laurent Fiora is not familiar with needlebirds or rabites, but.. zombies? She can deal with the undead. "Lead on, then." It would seem making their way through this cave would definitely result in a fight. Thus, she steels her senses, and is more than prepared to continue onward. A chill runs down her spine, as she senses that magic, which seems to be settled around the entrance to the cave itself.

Their surroundings are ones that she's somewhat familiar with, in terms of how they 'feel'. A forest, river, and waterfall. The natural sort of environment, along with the worn stones of the path beneath their feet. Not too unlike where she's from, despite the fact she's more of a city dwellar, for the most part. Much of the combat she sees is out on the battlefields of the Multiverse, and in her homeland, on places like Summoner's Rift.
Staren     Staren gives Luna a curious look, then approaches her, extending a hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Princess Luna! I'm Staren." After shaking hands, he turns to the warpgate and walks through.

    Staren nods. "I'm fairly certain we can handle the danger. Not sure what a rabite or needlebird is, but I've fought zombies before, at least."
Princess Luna      Luna raises an eyebrow at the list of creatures they may encounter. "I see. Well, do not worry, Lise. We shall ensure you reach your destination safely." she says before they step through the gate. Luna's ears perk as they appear on stone-paved road. Luna smiles lightly as she looks around, then looks toward the indicated cave. "Oh my. We must go through a cave? In my experience, caves such as this often contain dangerous creatures." Luna holds up a hand, and there is a flash of blue-white before she is holding an extravagant scythe. It looks very sharp, and gives of a slight magical feeling. "Let us proceed, then. We shall vanquish whatever foul creatures wish to stop us." she says as she slings her backpack into place once again, then follows after Lise toward the cave.
Lise     Honestly, this area is quite beautiful of a place and one could sit here from Wisp's Rise to Shade's Fall and have a good, restful time. At least, if it wasn't for a few things like the aformentioned beings, hunger and sleep. "The cave shouldn't be bad." she mentions a bit cheerfully as she leads the way as requested, "I don't feel like we will have too much of a problem going through." though when they pipe up they don't know what a rabite or a needlebird is, she turns around for a moment, "I'll show you them when we run into them."

    Fairy briefly nods before floating around Lise's head and dissapearing. "Fairy's resting for a bit." she nods, leading the group through room after room of uneventful things. The echoing sound of water, the grey stone of an oddly lit up cave, despite the fact there's no torches around. Though, into the next room there's a golden statue of a woman with a pair of large wings in a standing praying pose.

    "Before we continue through, do come and pray to the Mana Goddess. You will feel refreshed as well after it." peeking out of a corner though, looks to be a small fuzzy armored thing with an axe, chittering to a couple more standing there... with one sleeping.
Staren     Staren pulls a submachine gun from his bag as they enter the cave, but... so far, it doesn't seem to be needed? He looks around, taking in the cave. "Where's that light coming from?" He looks for the source, and there's a statue. He looks at it, but doesn't pray. "Sorry. I can't, in good conscience, pray to a deity I know nothing about. It would be dishonest. What's that?" He levels his firearm at the animals, but doesn't fire. "Is it going to attack us, or is it more likely to leave us alone?"
Fiora Laurent     Fiora, likewise, knows nothing of the religion and declines. "Hm. Strange, that this cave seems to be lit. I don't see where light could enter, unless there are gaps above us." She continues on, astride Lise, but pauses as the kobolds come into view. "I don't see any way around. Unless we can slip by unnoticed. I don't think that's entirely likely."

She draws her sword, either way.
Princess Luna      Luna, though prepared for battle, finds herself enjoying the scenery as they move through the cave. "How is this cave lit?" she asks when they encounter that odd light. "Mana Goddess?" she asks as she approaches the statue. The alicorn closes her eyes and starts to speak softly before she blinks and looks over at the chittering. "...are those rats wearing armor?" she asks, then smiles gently and approaches them. From a safe distance away, she crouches down to seem less intimidating. "Hello there." she says kindly, then reaches into her bag and pulls out some of the trail mix. "Art thou hungry?" she asks the creatures, holding out a selection of fruits and nuts and chocolate chips. Seems she does not expect things to be hostile simply because they are armed and armored.
Lise     Fairy reappears at the question, giving a light shrug, "I'm unsure, perhaps Wisp is doing this." she comments, "The spirit of light. But it's a blessing that we're able to move unencumbered by the dark now, is it?" while at the statue, a wash of radiant energy envelops Luna and Lise, harmless and invisible, the stress and weariness from the day is completely eliminated and any small wounds would be healed.

    Back to the Kobolds, Lise turns to take a look, quickly brandishing her spear. But when Luna heads towards them, they look between each other, smack the sleeping one awake... and run. Four strange beings all wielding weapons of various style, they might be stupid but they know not to pick a fight with something /that/ dangerous. For now at least.

    "Hmm, guess they thought better." Fairy soon pipes up once more, turning to Luna, "The Mana Goddess is the one who created this world, so everyone at least prays to her if nothing more than to thank her for the world we live."

    The rest of the trip does seem uneventful, your standard bats that look larger than someone's head fly around and strange mushroom like creatures with pink 'caps' bounce around, keeping wary of the party at hand, and out the cave system to where the Holy City of Wendel is not but a thousand or so yards away.
Staren     Staren shrugs. The Mana Goddess didn't create /his/ world.

    The creatures run away. Other cave creatures stay away too. The cave trip is uneventful! Staren flicks the safety back on and puts the weapon back in his bag as they leave the cave. "That was uneventful, but it's for the best. Better to be prepared and have nothing happen, than the other way around..." He looks at the distant city. "Is that it? Is that Wendel?"
Fiora Laurent     Uneventful, indeed. So much so, that Fiora eventually sheathes her sword, and walks along at Lise's side. She observes the several other kinds of creatures, that seem mostly to be keeping their wary distance, populating the cave. It doesn't seem that anything here wants to pick much of a fight. Still, Staren's words hold true.
Princess Luna      Luna's ears splay as the little creatures run off. "It seems so." she says to Lise, then stands again. "There are many theories about how my world was created. So far, we have been unable to settle on a single origin. How is it thee and thy people know thy world's origins so certainly?" she says as they continue. Staren's comment draws a nod of agreement. Being too prepared is usually better than being not prepared enough. Luna looks over at Fiora after that. "Art thou alright? Thou hast been rather quiet during our trip so far."
Lise     "Through stories and the like." Lise replies towards Luna as the waft of fresh air blows along the plains. "And yes, that is Wendel, I believe..." to the side of the cave is a little yellow button-like stand.. to which Lise moves to stand on and is soon LAUNCHED into the air, tumbling around and around... She's up there for a good three seconds before falling down and crashing, and bouncing, on the ground, looking no worse for wear. "Yes, that's Wendel. The castle there is where the Holy Priest is."

    There /is/ a forest along the path but the way through that's uneventful, at least until there's a bouncing yellow ball-like thing with a bunny tail and ears... "Ah, that's a Rabite. Generally harmless." a pause "generally..." she shakes her head some as she leads the party through the forest and the bustling town. There's an inn, weapons shop, items and the like. "Ah, one moment.." Lise ducks into the item shop... then comes soon back out holding a few candies. "Round Drops, essential for adventuring around here."

    There's some chatter amongst the locals, some about the party at hand, some about "Carlie is gone..." this sets Lise's mood down slightly, "I wonder..." she mutters before heading towards the Castle Walls themselves and... walking right through with everyone, up to and even in the room with the Priest of Light...
Staren     Staren sees Lise JUMP into the air like a dragoon, stares, and too late tries to catch her... but she's unharmed. "What the heck was that?!" Staren asks.

    Uneventful forest travel! A rabite is encountered. "Wow. That looks /adorable/."

    "We just walk right in, huh?" Staren asks, as they just walk right in.
Fiora Laurent     Fiora turns to Luna briefly, after watching Lise spring upwards, and then follows suit. It seems to be the way out. "I have nothing to say, simply." She remarks, before she's launched up and out of the cave. She rolls as she hits the ground, and stands upright again, brushing herself off, as she follows Lise into the city itself.

"Hm. Rather quaint." She remarks, waiting as Lise ducks into a shop. She follows along in stride, as Lise leads them into the castle walls proper, to meet the priest.
Princess Luna      Luna watches in facination as Lise is launched into the air, but like Staren she is concerned when Lise starts back down. "Oh no!" She spreads her wings and takes to the air, but not quickly enough to catch Lise. Then, Lise lands unharmed, leaving the now flying princess baffled. She lands again and follows after Lise once more. The strange bouncing bunny ball causes her to giggle a bit. "I take it those creatures are more dangerous than they appear?" she says. It is called a Rabite, after all. The trip into the candy store is surprising, and Luna finds herself wondering how candy can help them on a journey.

     But, the walk through the castle with no apparent guards or anyone asking them anything surprises her more. Even in Equestria, citizens cannot simply walk into the castle without at least being asked what their business is. Still, this is not her world, so Luna just continues after Lise, dismissing her scythe before entering. "Who is Carlie?" she wonders as they continue.
Lise     "From what I've heard it's more dangerous than it looks, yes." she nods towards Luna, watching that scythe dissapear into thin air, her own is placed upon her back... and she gives a look towards Staren and Fiora, making sure theirs are put away before she approaches the Priest of Light. The room has a silver version of that same Mana Goddess statue behind a fancy chair and table. A white cloth lays over said table with a pair of triple-head candle sticks upon it, lit and other holy finery upon it. The room, despite how large it is, is scarce of any other furniture.

    The Priest gives a brief smile and bows his head to those who entered, "May the Goddess of Mana protect you all... What brings you to see me today?"
Staren     Staren bows his head in reciprocal greeting. He put his weapon away back in the cave. There's still the obvious laser rifle slung across his back, but would anyone here even know what that is, anyway? At the priest's question, he mutters 'concerns about your security precautions...' then louder, says "We are just guardians for her today, I believe she should tell you..." He steps back so that he is further from the priest than Lise.
Princess Luna      Luna also bows respectfully, her wings unfurling for a moment as she does. "I am not entirely certain, but my friend asked for my help, and thus I have come before thee in the company of the kind-hearted Lise, in order to further her journey and help keep her safe along the way."
Fiora Laurent     Fiora just follows along side, and other than bowing her head in polite greeting, speaks nothing. She allows Lise to speak for the gathered group, for now. Her sword, from before, has remained sheathed since they had left the cave.
Lise     "I heard that, Staren." Lise mutters, before moving closer to the priest. "Your Excellency... I am Lise, princess of the Wind Kingdom, Laurent. We were attacked by raiders from Navarre... King Joster was killed, and my brother abducted. I failed to save the kingdom and Father, but I must save Elliot even at the cost of my own life!" Lise's voice breaks slightly... "Please... I need your guidance!"

    The Priest of light looks along the assembled group... eyes looking down on Fiora, Staren and Luna... then to Lise. His eyes close and his voice goes into a whisper "Laurent has fallen...?" he shakes his head, "I don't believe it! This is terrible! I fear only the Goddess of Mana herself could reverse such a tragic development..."

    It's only here that the Fairy flies out of Lise once more, "Wait! Let me speak!" she comes out full bore already... "My Priest, I have travelled here from the Mana Holyland... The Mana Tree is starting to wither, and Mana is dissapearing from this land..." The resulting shock of seeing a Fairy is noticed upon the Priest's face, "A fairy has arrived from the Mana Holyland? This is a terrible portent!"
Princess Luna      'Well, this is going smoothly...' Luna thinks to herself as the priest reacts in dismay at both Lise's report and Fairy's mere presense. But, she stays quiet. One thing she has learned since returning from the moon is that a selective filter on one's mouth is a good thing. As the priest seems to grow more frantic and Lise more upset, Luna speaks up. "Sir, I am certain that with our assistance and Lise's determination, we can save both the fallen kingdom and the lost prince. As for the Mana Tree...such magical trees often have a way to be rejuvinated, or perhaps replaced with another of the same tree. I am certain there is no cause for alarm. Remaining calm is usually quite helpful, especially in a dark situation."
Staren     Staren watches dispassionately as Lise explains the situation. He frowns when the priest's response is... Denial? "Believe it!" He steps forward. "It /has/ happened! And princess Lise has travelled all this way to hear your /counsel/, not your denial!" Also, seems the priest isn't happy to see Fairy, either. "Is all you /do/ complain?! Hmph. I doubt any god or goddess would 'reverse' such a thing anyway. I've never heard of one willing, or perhaps even able, to just /undo/ such a great tragedy and restore so many lives."

    He looks to Lise. "I'm sorry, Lise. We'll figure out /something/ to do. Now that we've found your world... there is so much more we can do than before."
Fiora Laurent     Fiora tenses, at Staren's words. "He is expressing desbelief, at the tragic events being recounted, you fool boy." She mutters under her breath, but through her teeth, and showing some rather high restraint, at that. "Be silent, let those words sink in, and perhaps he will be able to give Lise the advice she seeks." She sighs. "You do not know the workings of this world. So don't jump to conclusions. We will, no doubt, discuss this further, and at a later time. Because your behavior? Unacceptable."

With that, she goes back to being silent.
Lise     Luna speaks up and the Priest gives a slight nod, "It is good she has people to rely on to help." though with Staren's sudden outburst, it causes both Lise, Fairy AND the Priest to stare at him with shock... Lise opens her mouth to say something, but with Fiora getting into it first, she'll let the noblewoman deal with Staren later, with Lise giving a sigh, "Your Excellency, I apologize at his outburst. When... when you mean terrible portent, what do you mean exactly?"

    The Priest nods again, coughing to get everyone's attention... "While it might be possible, Miss.." a look to Luna before back to Lise, "If the Mana Tree dies, the eight god-beasts will awaken to reclaim this world." Lise blinks, brushing her hair just slightly in confusion, "I beg your pardon?"

    The priest nods, "The fairy chose you... that means you must go to the Mana Holyland. You are the only one who can draw the Sword of Mana!" Lise blinks, then stares at Fairy. "Fairy, what's going on? You never said anything about this before..."

    Fairy droops a bit, "I'm sorry... but the declining power of Mana makes it difficult for me. I have to be inside someone, in order to survive on this side." Lise shakes her head, "But... I have to keep searching for Elliot. Can you please find someone else?"

    "It's not that simple, I'm afraid. Once the fairy chooses a host, it can't leave until the host dies..." Lise sighs, looking down. "But, I... Please, I don't have time..."
Staren     Staren folds his arms and rolls his eyes as he's 'apologized' for. He listens to the exchange, tail lashing behind him. Once the situation is explained... "We'll just have to do both. It's not like we can investigate /only/ the mana holy land or /only/ your missing brother. We'll look for both, go after whichever is practical first, while continuing to look for the other one."
Fiora Laurent     Fiora does show some concern. "God-Beasts.. That does sounds quite forboding." She rubs at her chin, "Then, the key to all of this is.. the sword you spoke of? And I take it this Holy land is somewhere that is not easily reached." She continues to stroke at her chin. "True. Your brother's well-being and safe return is important. But, so is this. And, well.. as Staren has suggested. A search for one may yield clues to the other."
Princess Luna      "Princess." Luna corrects gently when the priest addresses her. "Princess Luna of Equestria." She listens again after that, though she does spare a 'watch your mouth!' expression for Staren. She doesn't get all that upset with him. She used to be hot-headed like that, after all. "And, I take it these god-beasts will not be gentle about their reclamation." she says, giving her mane a brush to get a stray whisp out of her face. "If there is no way to rejuvenate or replace the tree, then we must get that sword and prepare for the coming of the god-beasts. Finding Elliot will mean little if those creatures destroy the world soon after. But, we will not give up on him, either."
Lise     The Priest gives a bit of a nod to Staren, "It may be possible, yes." he states, as fairy pipes up. "The Sword of Mana will give you the power to make your wishes come true... Rescue Elliot and bring peace to Laurent... That's what you want, isn't it?"

    Lise listens to everyone's words, nodding at the mention of those God-Beasts... "You three are right.." she mutters, "Your Excellency, please tell me and my friends more about this Sword of Mana." there's a hint of desperation in her voice, the fact that Elliot still weighs heavily upon her mind is obvious...

    When requested, the Priest moves to stand from his chair and behind it, facing the Mana Goddess statue behind him. "The Sword of Mana is the center of power for all the Mana Spirits. It is the implement to which the Goddess used to create the world. He who holds the Sword of Mana has the power to reshape the world, create and destroy life... It sleeps at the base of the Mana tree, under constant watch and guard by the faeries." the priest turns around and regards the party, "If the Sword is drawn before the Mana tree dies, there may yet be hope. The Goddess will awaken and save the world. Your wishes may be granted as well."

    Lise looks in thought at this, "If all of this is true... then I have no choice but to go along. Now... how do we gain entrance into the Holyland?" Fairy sighs again, "I'd open the Gate to the Holyland myself, but I don't have the strength left to do it."

    "You need to release the energy of the eight Mana Stones... The Goddess closed the Gate to the Holyland long ago, and sealed energy inside the Stones." comes the priest, to which Lise pipes up, "Is there any way we can release that energy?" The priest shakes his head, "There was once an ancient spell which could control the Stones' energy... War erupted for control of this spell, and the world was torn apart. The bloodshed ended after a curse was put on the spell... making it take the caster's life. The spell was lost soon after that. Nobody knows the spell anymore."

    "Then there is no way, is there?" comes Lise's question once more... with Fairy to reply, "The eight Spirits who guard the Mana Stones... they could probably help us. With their combined energy, we may even be able to open the gate." The priest finalizes this, "That may work... Wisp, the Spirit of Light, resides not far from here. Some people have even sighted him near the giant waterfall, in the Cave of Waterfalls."
Staren     Staren listens. "I have to wonder, if Fairy could use other magical power sources. Just something to consider as an option."

    Then he looks rather shocked. "Wait, /Wisp/, as in, /the sun/, /lives/ close to here?!" He scratches his head. "Okay, I've heard weird but that's up there. So, we go see Wisp, I guess... Do you have any idea where the other spirits might be, too?"
Fiora Laurent     "Wisp, as in, the Spirit of Light. One of the eight, if it holds there is a Spirit for each Stone." Fiora remarks, after Staren. "To have spirits with dominion over elemental forces, or aspects.. how is that 'weird'?" But, if one of them is nearby, and indeed.. if one is where they had just been, it would definitely be worth it to return, retrace their steps, and see if they can actually find them.

"Hm. Or, perhaps. Where the other stones might be located."
Princess Luna      Luna just kind of stares at Staren as he seems to freak out that the sun, or at least one who controls light, lives near here. Does he not know who she is, or who her sister is? Perhaps not. But, she is fairly certain that he spoke up on the radio as one who had met the royal sisters in another world. She just giggles a bit after that. "Let us go and visit this Wisp. Hopefully he is as other creatures of light, kind and generous and helpful."
Lise     "I mentioned the eight Elemental spirits to you before. Luna for Moon, Salamander for Fire, Undine for Water, Dryad for Wood, Jinn for Wind, Gnome for Earth, Wisp for Light and Shade for Dark." she turns towards the Priest of Light as Fairy heads back into Lise's head. "I thank you for all of your assistance, Your Excellency. We shall be off to find Wisp." with a nod from the Priest, "May the Goddess watch over you."

    Lise all but runs out of the room, hopefully with everyone else in tow to the edge of town, "Thank you three for assisting me in this, I don't think I could have done any of this on my own so far. Now what comes, is to find Wisp. He said it was in the Cave of Waterfalls... so..." with a twirl of her spear, she points to the cave, "Shall we head out or do you three need rest or gear or even some Round Drops of your own?"
Staren     Staren eventually catches the stare, and slumps. "Right. Look, situations like you and your sister are /really rare/ in the Multiverse, even if there are, like, seven Equestrias..."

    He nods to the priest before leaving, and outside town he shakes his head, "I am unharmed and not tired. I'm ready to go."
Princess Luna      Luna giggles again as Staren slumps and pats his shoulder gently. Then, Lise takes off at a run! Luna follows after, her hooves clacking against the floor as she goes and her cloud-like mane and tail flowing out behind her. When they reach the outside again, Luna smiles. "I believe we can continue. Thus far, we have encountered no danger. Though, I am curious about these Round Drops that you keep mentioning. What makes them so special?"
Fiora Laurent     "Ready." Fiora remarks, placing a hand on the pommel of her sword.

No doubt she is. She seems quite ready to move on, and to assist in finding said Spirit of light, as soon as possible.
Lise     "Round drops are restoratives here. They look like candy from other worlds from what I've been told." she pulls one out and shows it off.. "Here, you can have this one, Princess." tossing one up towards her. But seeing as everyone is raring to go... it's off the path once more towards the cave entrance... and oddly... they take a different route, this time over a bridge to which Fairy immediately pops out and stops the group...

    "What... what's the matter Fairy?" comes Lise's worried voice as Fairy starts flying down... then up... searching parts of the cavern they're in. It's when she hovers over a couple holes in the walls, seperated by a gap... "There's a strange energy coming from the waterfall... maybe it's Wisp! There's an opening up there too, maybe he's inside!"
Staren     "Hmmm..." Staren looks up at the distant hole. "Well, half of us can fly, and I've got some rope, so..." One way or another they can just get up there.
Princess Luna      Luna's ears perk as she hears that they are healing candies. "Oh! I see!" she says, then slips the candy into one of her vest pockets. Over the bridge and through the cave to Wisp's house they go. Luna looks upward as the cave is pointed out, then she looks to the others. "I could carry one whoever cannot fly." she says, spreading her wings wide and letting her horn glow to show her magical potential.
Fiora Laurent     Fiora glances up, "I certainly cannot climb up unaided. But, yes. If you have rope? That would suffice." She can't fly, and has no means to fly, either. She'll have to rely on the others, for the rest.
Lise     "That would save energy but would inconvience t..." though when Luna speaks up, Lise moves right towards her, "If it's okay." Fairy goes right back into Lise again and with any confirmation that it's okay the squad will end up moving to that ledge. "This would have been a time saver to build houses and such, being able to fly like that." she mutters, but as soon as everyone's on that ledge, Fairy pops out to lead the way, going on either instinct or magical knowledge or something.

    Upon running across a single cavern entrance near the top, Fairy stops... "Something doesn't feel right in there. It feels like Wisp is there but..." "Fairy, get to saftey then, we'll take care of it." and without hesitation, the spear's drawn and she runs right into the entrance. Assuming everyone follows, the entry hole ends up sealed... and a Giant Enemy Crab falls into view. Letting out a loud roar for everyone to experience, it starts shuffling around and throwing poison spit at people! And when it's not doing that, it starts targeting Staren with its eyes, shooting out a pair of lasers from it.
Fiora Laurent     Fiora draws her sword, once the fairy highlights that something isn't right. She's not about to doubt instinct, if the fae is able to sense the Spirit is nearby. If something is amiss, it wouldn't do to not be prepared. So, when that gigantic creature comes crashing down, as they all enter the cave, she's able to roll out of the way. Likewise, when it starts hurling that poisonous spittle at them. Sword drawn, she goes for what seems most vulnerable. As armored as the creature appears, nothing but those eyes seem like likely targets.

So when she lunges, that's what she aims for.
Princess Luna      Luna's horn glows a lovely midnight blue, and a bubble forms around Lise. And Fiora if she has no other way up. Then, Luna flies them both up to the high cave. The bubbles pop once they are on the ground again. Just in time for that entryway to seal up suddenly! Princess Luna yelps in surprise and turns to the former entry, then is startled again as a Giant Poison Laser Crab falls into view! She quickly pushes Lise to the side to avoid a poison shot, which leaves her to take the full brunt of it. She lets out a little shriek as the poison burns away at her, then dives behind a boulder herself so she has time to summon her scythe.

     Despite summoning the scythe in a flash of blue-white, Luna instead peeks around the boulder and fires a beam of pure pastel blue energy at the crab creature. Somewhere between a potent laser beam and a forceful ki blast, she hopes her magic power is enough to dent the creature's thick shell!
Staren     "If you want timesavers for building houses, this is just the start..." Staren comments.

    "But what?" Staren asks, but even without a reply, it's not like he's not going to investigate!

    There's a giant crab.

    It roars.

    Are crabs supposed to roar, Staren wonders? He doesn't think they can normally vocalize at all... "Uhh... Do you think maybe it's more scared of us than we are of it?" No, no, it's attacking! Staren dodges spit and returns fire with the beam cannons immediately!

    Or he would if he had them equipped at the moment. He ends up just holding his arm out like a dork. "Tch..."

    Once spit hits him and he realizes it's just poison, he stops worrying about it, although he still dodges it reflexively most of the time. Lasers... lasers are a different issue. His hat and clothes seem somewhat resistant, but definite scorch marks and burns are left by the lasers, and repeated attacks with it might add up! "WHY DOES THIS CRAB HAVE EYE LASERS, THIS IS A FANTASY WORLD! I swear, are we going to find out that it's a robot and this world actually had highly advanced technology in the distant past? It's a little overdone!"

    Staren unslings the laser rifle from his back and returns fire on the crab. It's a damn powerful laser rifle, too, firing 3-pulse bursts of immense amounts of energy to try and superheat and explode tiny pieces of crab shell!
Lise     Of course those eyes are a nice target. Soft, squishy, unarmored targets that fire another set of lasers, this time bound towards Fiora herself! Meanwhile, Lise is rolling from being pushed aside from that spit attack, while that beam of Luna's own crashes right into the shell, making a small dent in it and another painful roar. Despite that twin attack from Fiora and Luna, it still seems to be going! And with Staren's laser rifle, those three pulse bursts of energy crash right into the crab and it does chip off some shell, but damage is damage, and it's not dead yet!

    Though, speaking of fantasy, this is where things get strange. After that initial round of attacks, the eyes close into that armored shell, just as Lise runs up, twirling her spear to try and jam it into an eye, the spear ricocheing off.. And as soon as those eyes open, streams of damaging water bubbles flood the area, almost like superheated water. It's painful to get hit by, if one gets hit.

    There's a twinge of magic in the air as well, and eight white balls suddenly encircle and twirl around Luna, only to collapse together and erupt in a beam of light! "Nnngh, keep attacking, it should go down... just try to... hit the eyes!"
Fiora Laurent     Fiora is just barely able to angle her blade in time, so that she's not struck dead on by those beams. They bounce off her sword, or.. at least one of them does. The other singes at her side, burning away at the leather she's wearing, and exposing the skin beneath. "Nngh! Damned beast." She kicks off the creature's shell, just in time for those bubbles to start flooding the whole cave. She uses her sword to great effect here, slicing and stabbing at each one, before they can touch her.

"Yes, that was my thought as well. Strike together. It likely won't be able to defend if we attack them as one."
Staren     The eyes. Of course. Everyone knows that when confronted by a giant enemy crab, you attack the weak point for massive damage! Fortunately, it has pretty ginormous eyes...

    Boiling hot water... pain... Fortunately, Staren's actually in his robot body today, having elected to remain in it for a short time after the fight against Anne Blakely's creation. Even without the extra heavy armor he usually wears as a robot, he's still a powerful superhuman today, instead of his usual squishy self. The water pushes him back, and the heat might burn his synthetic flesh through his armor, but aside from the lasers, nothing this crab is doing seems to really be... harmful? To a robot, so this is a lucky coincidence!

    Staren is not familiar enough with the magic of this world to recognize a Holy/Light elemental spell and consider switching weapons. He just focuses on firing his laser rifle at the eyes repeatedly. If he can just do enough damage before it uses enough magic attacks to take him down...!
Princess Luna      Luna mmphs as her beam just makes a dent. Then...she's surrounded! Her eyes widen at the swirling ring of magic orbs, and she quickly throws out both hands. A shield of blue energy forms around her suddenly, and that ball of light that engulfs her is greatly weakened by her shield. She emerges singed and her clothing a bit tattered, but not seriously harmed. "Light magic..." she says, then she smirks.

     Perhaps with a bid of dark magic (well, night magic) she can discombobulate this crab! Luna's horn glows brightly, then the brightness quickly turns to what is best described as non-light. Like her horn is somehow glowing with blackness. Another beam, but this one doesn't harm the crab. Instead, Luna is trying to afflict the monster with several things. Blindness, confusion, drowziness, and even some illusions that might distract him from attacking the others. Specifically, a gigantic crocodile! Crocs are known for eating crabs, you see, and somehow even if he is blinded the crab can see his gigantic predator!
Lise     Those bubbles wash over Lise and she backs up, trying to block what she can with her spear, with a lot getting through and sending her to her knees. "NNgh damnit, why is this thing so strong?!" she shouts, looking over towards Luna and FIora. Fiora gets extra looks as she pops those bubbles before they even touch her. "Expert skill..." she whispers, shaking her head before downing one of those Round Drops to get herself back up. Though with the combined effort of Staren's lasers, Luna's Magic, Fiora's bladework and Lise's spear work, one of those eyes have been eliminated, leaving a gaping black hole of emptiness there. The eyes close once again once that magic takes hold of the Full Metal Hugger... and something doesn't feel right.

    Once those eyes open, it LEAPS up into the air and literally AIMS for Staren as it falls down, trying to crush him, creating a shockwave of pure magic to damage everyone and send them flying away! It roars once again as Lise's sent barreling towards Fiora from the shockwave, digging her spear into the ground to stop her from ramming her ally. "Fiora... Luna... Staren. As soon as it gets ready to make another attempt at that laser, let's hit that last eye!"
Fiora Laurent     Fiora takes cover behind a rock, as the creature comes back down, and tries to crush him. She's not entirely quick enough, as it certainly does manage to toss her backwards. She tumbles, but is able to get to her feet. "Very well. I'm prepared." She replies, ready to move once that remaining eye has opened up. At the very least, they've got the creature on the ropes.
Staren     They got one eye! Staren wonders, though, if a giant /blind/ crab will really be that much easier to fight...

    And then...

    IT JUMPS.

    "What the heck, crabs don't JUMP!" Staren shouts, and then tries to get out of its way... but it chases him down, and lands upon him with a loud, somewhat sickening CRACK.

    The plated parts of his armor crack and crush, the softer parts hold up better. Underneath, synthskin is crushed to a bloody mess, and the armor underneath that is cracking, Staren's entire chassis buckling under the weight. It is strong, /damn/ strong, but it's hard up to stand up to a giant metal(?) crab.

    "GET IT OFF ME!" Staren shouts. Thankfully, speakers don't require him to be able to breathe, because he can't with the crab atop him. He scrambles to try and move. But lifting the crab might have taken more than everything he had, un-damaged... He may have to hope it will move...
Princess Luna      Luna nods at Lise's plan, then crouches down in a ready stance. As soon as that eye opens, she charges! Her scythe is raised behind her as she dashes in. "Hold on, Sir Staren! We shall vanquish this creature and free you from its enormous bulk!" she exclaims valiantly as she leaps up into the air, then dives to avoid hitting any of her comrades. That scythe comes in, aimed right at that eye. And it is a very sharp scytle. "Forgive me, creature! But, you have left us little choice!" she says as she attempts to plunge that scythe blade into the crab's eye, and presumably the brain behind it.
Lise     Lise winces as Staren's landed on by the GEC... shaking her head, she readies herself a round drop just incase Staren needs it, but for now, there's a crab that needs to die. And like quickly too. Luna's already in the air with the scythe and Lise's running up towards it, spear twirling in hand "Foul creature, get off our ally!" she shouts, moving to shove the spear tip from the Whirlwind Spear right into that creature's eye, and with Fiora's blade as well, there's an ominous rumbling.

    And cracking.

    And light pouring out of those cracks... before it explodes. The explosion isn't damaging nor does it seem to affect any of the heroes but the entire cavern is lit incredibly bright! Thinking of no respite from that crab, Lise preps herself for the incoming thing... only ... to see a wisp. A literal wisp of white flame with a yellow face and red eyes... a feminine voice "It's me! I'm it, the one you're looking for, I was trapped in that thing's body!" it cheerfully states, floating in mid air in front of the four heroes who saved it. "I'm finally free! The fairy told me all about you folks. You've got a lot of work ahead of you. But I'm like the fairy, I can't live without Mana... so I'll go along and help save the Mana!"

    Fairy reappears and smiles, "Can you tell us where the Mana Stone of Light is, Wisp?" "Sure, it's right above us! But we can't get to it from here. Don't worry, it's safe for now, at least while the Mana power holds out. Let's go find my buddies, and then we'll head over to the Holyland, eh?"
Fiora Laurent     Fiora shields her eyes from that light, but once her eyes adjust again, she's surprised to see the spirit in that creature's place. ".. Were you cursed? Who would trap you within that beast?" She asks, curious as to how the spirit had ended up that way, in the first place.
Staren     OMINOUS RUMBLING IS OMINOUS

    It's not a /harmful/ explosion, fortunately. Staren slowly stands up with stuttering movement, some of his joints having difficulty from crush damage. Deciding they don't need to see a bloody, smashed face, he dismisses the disguise, leaving instead the red-and-teal-painted metal, and a head with eyes that look more like headlights or something. Visible cracks and fractures in his exposed 'skin', and some warping and denting.

    Wisp was trapped inside. "Ah... That explains the light spells..." he realizes, in retrospect. "Why... how did one of the great spirits of the world get trapped in something like that...?"

    He raises a hand to scratch his head under his crushed hat. "Just like that? I'm glad you're willing to work with us... will the other great spirits be as accomadating? Do you know where they are?"
Princess Luna      Luna brings an arm up to shield her face as the crab explodes. She wasn't expecting that! Which, she realizes, she should have. Many evil creatures explode upon being vanquished. Even she, once upon a time, exploded to some degree.

     When Wisp is revealed to have been inside the body of that somehow evil creature of light, Luna floats back down to the ground. She smiles lightly as Fairy and Wisp have a quick conversation, and it seems they will soon be off to find another of the elemental spirits. "I would imagine with the mana reserves depleted, the mana spirits are also weakened. Perhaps Wisp did not have the strength to combat the creature, or perhaps it devoured Wisp in desperation for a source of energy." she theorizes after Staren and Fiora ask their questions.

     Luna holds her scythe up, and in a flash it disappears again. "It is good to see that you are safe, Wisp. We would be happy to accompany you to find the other spirits."
Staren     "Was it even a creature, in the conventional sense? Most animals don't explode, do they?" Staren asks. Then realizes they very well might. "...Do they, on this world?"