Episode 9: The Spirit of Adventure (Part 5 of 8)

The two dash across the bridge and stop when they see a large wooden platform on which a familiar looking Halfling man speaks. They recognize this man from the night before – the old magician that had led the magical ceremony at the end of the night. Approaching the platform, Locke and Lil look up as they're surrounded by a crowd of people before the Magician continues speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Most of you should know me by now, but for you travelers who have come for the festival, I am Marven, and I am the Mayor of Reedshire! I am in dire need for any brave adventurers who wish to take on a challenge—"

"Right here!" Locke cries out, thrusting his hand into the air. "I, Locke Kallidin, take that challenge!"

As Locke shouts, Lil hides face in her new hood and lowers her head to mask her embarrassment; the Halfling, Marven, then laughs and cries, "Good! It's good to see such enthusiasm! Now, let me explain. . . Each year, we in Reedshire end the festival with a pilgrimage to the Golden Ruins of Avandra, which is located directly to the east of Reedshire. These ruins are what is left of a great temple dedicated to our Goddess – which our people built in the past. Long ago, however, the temple was destroyed by a great natural disaster, when a rock fell from the sky and killed many – as it destroyed the temple and turned the land around it into a frozen wasteland. Our children, who are training to be adventurers, visit it every year to complete their pilgrimage and grant them rite of passage into adulthood. This year, however, things are quite different. Many monsters have begun to flock to our continent of Ibius and many of them have infested the ruins. It is now much too dangerous for our young and inexperienced children, so I call on any who will take my challenge and extinguish the monsters inside!"

By this time, many of the crowd, which was made primarily of foreign travelers, begin to grumble beneath their breaths – unsure of taking on such a challenge.

"These people might be scared," Locke then calls out, "but Locke Kallidin knows no fear! Sir Mayor, you're looking at your Monster Slayer!"

Marven howls with laughter as he cries, "Such a brave young adventurer! You will do fine. In any case, whoever dares to venture into the ruins and return with proof that they have slain the leader of the band of beasts inside will be greatly rewarded and celebrated!"

Lilanei looks up slightly to Locke before whispering, "Are you sure you want to do this? It sounds dangerous."

"Where's your spirit?" Locke replies. "Besides, we'll be doing this town a great favour."

"I suppose," Lil simply sighs.

By this time, having completed his speech, the Mayor steps down from his platform as much of the crowd disperses back into the town, with hushed whispers and chatter; seeing the two young adventurers who remain, Marven walks over to them with a wizened smile as he asks, "So brave ones – dare you take my challenge?"

"For sure!" Locke says, holding out his hand to Marven. "We shall destroy those who haunt your ruins."

The Halfling tightly grips Locke's hand in a manly shake as he exclaims, "Excellent! Now tell me, children. . . Do you have any sunrods?"

"Sunrods?" Locke asks, looking to Lil with a puzzled face.

Lilanei cocks her eyebrows slightly as she mumbles, "Hm. . . Sunrods. . . Oh!" Lil then reaches into her ruck sack and removes a long and slender orange object as she continues, "You mean this? I wasn't so sure what it did. . . so I just left it alone. It came with our adventuring supplies."

As Lil speaks, Marven's smile grows wide as he exclaims, "Hahaha! Brave you might be, but you still have quite a lot to learn, my children!"

"Yeah?" Locke asks. "Well, we have nothing more to learn about busting heads! So don't worry about it."

Marven waggles his index finger at Locke as he states, "Such fool hardy bravery will only get you so far, young adventurer! Now, I'll tell you. Sun rods are excellent little devices. Once they are activated, they will light even the most piercing darkness for several hours! You will need these on your journey to the temple, as I am afraid it has not seen the light of day for many a decade."

Lil looks to her sun rod and whispers, "Wow. . . If I knew we had these, we wouldn't have been stuck in the dark so many times."

"Oh well," Locke murmurs. "At least we know now, and knowing is half the battle won."

"Excellent!" Marven finally cries, before raising his hand in the air in a wave, as he continues, "I bid ye adventurers farewell for now. Good luck – I'll be looking forward to seeing you upon your return!"

"When we return, be sure to set up a party as big as the one you had last night," Locke remarks.

Lilanei snaps, "Locke! That's rude!"

Marven merely grins and says, "Ah. . . Still with that fool hardy bravado! I like it! But I must go now, children, so I bid you good day."

On that final note Marven waves and turns, crossing the bridge and disappearing into town. As he does so, Lil looks to Locke with a slight frown.

Finally, she exclaims, "Another fine mess you've gotten us into now!"

"Oh come on, Lilanei," Locke grunts. "This is what we were raised for. Why do you want to avoid it?"

Lilanei sighs as she glances away into the town, before quietly responding, "I don't know. . . I just kind of hoped that this peace could last a bit longer."

"If we stay in a peaceful setting for too long, we'll no longer be sharp," Locke replies. "We have King Bertz to visit, and what if Lucio came back? Or Orochi? Things like this will help us grow into better fighters, so we can't afford to pass up opportunities like this. Akorrin wouldn't want us to shy away from it."

"I suppose," Lil responds as she glances back over to Locke. "But we'll go in, stomp on the bad guy, and then come back – no detours! Okay?"

"Okay," Locke replies with a smile. "We'll set off in a little while."

"Okay!" Lil answers, before asking, "Is there something else you want to do, then?"

"Well, we can't do this on an empty stomach!" Locke says. "We'll look around a Reedshire a bit more, grab something to eat at lunch time, and with full tummies, we'll go and take on these beasties! Besides, we should grab some more supplies, like Journeybread and maybe some more potions before we go. . . I could do with another magazine for my crossbow, now that I think of it."

"Oh yeah!" Lil exclaims. "I noticed that. . . You'll be no use to me on this venture if you can't use your weapon."

Venturing back across the bridge, our Heroes stroll into the center of the town and into the row of shops. While in the town center, Locke and Lilanei pick up the supplies they'll be needing for their journey. They purchase some new crossbow magazines, some potions, as well as Journeybread, before Locke discovers a quaint little restaurant which he rushes to hungrily. The duo indulge in a light lunch before they are finally ready to depart on their path to the Golden Ruins of Avandra to the east. With excitement in his steps, Locke leads the way with Lilanei close behind as they journey through the vast green lands and to the temple.

The journey is quite long and they watch the sun as it moves more and more to the west side of the sky. A quarter of the day passes by before they begin to see a large structure far in the distant horizon. With a determined stride, they push forward until they find themselves about a mile before the structure. They notice the plant life now begins to look quite ill, and the sky above churns with deep gray clouds. Despite this, they continue until about half a mile in when they realize the ground is now snow covered and the wind is sharp and freezing.

"I only heard about snow," Locke says, chattering his teeth. "I now wish I purchased some warmer clothes. . . And could indulge in some of mother's warm cocoa!"

Shivering, Lilanei huddles close to Locke as she rubs her upper arms and stammers, "I wish we never came here in the first place! I didn't realize it was so going to be so. . . freezing!"

"Nor did I," Locke says in angst as he hugs Lil tightly with one arm, which is now draped around her shoulders. "If I knew this place was so cold, I wouldn't have bothered!"

"Well it's too late now," Lil sighs in frustration. "Perhaps the inside of the ruins will provide us with some much needed warmth."

"Most likely," Locke replies. "Remember the Desert of Tuli? We've gone from one extreme to the other!"

"I know! But a desert is one thing. I think I'd rather be hot and dry, than this cold! I didn't even know weather like this could exist. I thought it was only talked about in books!" Lilanei exclaims with a shiver in her voice.

Chattering due to the cold, piercing winds, our Heroes nevertheless continue forth to the eastern temple. Finally, they begin to see the large structure known now as the Golden Ruins of Avandra. The temple itself is massive and shines with a golden glow, despite the ice and snow that covers it. Although the front of the temple is mostly in tact, they notice the roof is caved in and destroyed as much debris lies scattered about the structure. As Locke and Lilanei walk forth slowly due to the biting winds, they also notice that in front of the door-less entrance floats a faint, green glowing object.

"What's that?" Locke asks, narrowing his eyes to try and make out the object better.

"I don't know," Lil whispers, fearfully. "I suppose we'll just have to get closer and find out."

Locke and Lilanei walk closer to the entrance of the temple, and ultimately, closer to the floating green object. As they approach, they hear a slight clicking of bone against bone as well as a low chuckle before the green object spins around, revealing itself as a floating, green flaming skull!

"What is that?" Locke exclaims, taking a step back as his palm is thrust out in front of him and his eyes widen with shock, while his mouth hangs open.

Lilanei's teeth chatter, not only from fear but also the cold, as she stutters. "I don't know. . . but it's in our way!"

"Oy! Bones!" Locke shouts, taunting the skull. "Friend or foe?"

The skull merely chuckles, "Kekekeke. . . "

"Common?" Locke asks, waving his hand up and down in the air.

Lilanei then snaps and cries, "Don't make it angry! It's blocking our way to the warmth!"

"I'm not!" Locke snaps back. "I'm asking if it speaks Common!"

The skull's clicking teeth once again sound through the air, before it finally speaks and cries, "Locke and Lil, what a fabulous thrill! It must be exciting to be adventurers named Locke and Lil!"

"How do you know our names?" Locke asks, intrigued.

"Knowing? Knowing, knowing, Lil's mind ever flowing, while Locke's is ever slowing!"

"Hey, watch it," Locke replies with a low growl, shaking his fist as Lil grins slightly through the cold. "Now, what are you?"

"Me, me? What are we? What are we, but hes and shes?" The skull rhymes.

"Look, Mr. Rhymes," Locke begins, now getting irritated. "We need to enter that temple, so tell us who you are, why you're here, and then we can move on."

"Enter temple? Not so simple!" The skull exclaims. "Mister Locke, with aching temples!"

"What are you talking about?" Locke growls, exasperated. "My patience won't last forever."

Still huddling near Locke, Lilanei sniffles through her cold, runny nose as she mutters, "Maybe it wants something. . ."

"Do you require payment for us to enter?" Locke asks the skull.

"Entrance fee? Amun does not see, what you mean by this entrance fee! I merely seek a chat with ye, so if you please, bare with me!" The skull called Amun quips.

"A chat?" Locke asks. "What do you want to talk about? I don't have forever."

The skull titters, "Forever ever? What's forever? We have all the time, when we're together!"

"Look, Amun," Locke grumbles. "Can we enter the temple or not?"

"I fear not, tender tot! First you must. . . exchange slots!" The skull finally answers with a sinister grin.

"Slots?" Locke cries. "Slots? What are you jabbering about?"

"Kekeke," Amun laughs mischievously as its jaws and bones click against each other.

As Locke's temper begins to grow, the green flames which engulf the floating skull suddenly begin to grow and grow wildly, before Locke and Lilanei are blinded by a bright white light. Laughs of 'kekeke' continue to fill the air before the light finally subsides and our Heroes' visions adjust. They still stand in front of the temple; however, Amun, the strange skull, has vanished.

"Hmph," Locke grumbles. "Amun, eh? More like 'amun-dane' way to waste some time.”

"Tell me about it. I—Oh, my goodness!"

Locke looks to Lilanei as she screams – and steps back in shock as he finds himself staring up at his own body.

"What sorcery is this?" Locke cries. "Lil?"

Locke watches as his own figure jumps up and down in a girlish fashion as Lilanei cries, "What is this? Get me out!"

"If you've got my body," Locke begins, "then," he then looks as his eyes widen to the softer, curvier frame which now rests under his, or rather her, body. "AH!" Locke screams loudly. "I'm you! That is, you are me! We are he and she. . . HE-SHE!"

Lilanei glares at Locke as she cries, "You're beginning to sound like that stupid floating head!"

"I'll kill Amun," Locke growls. "Well, even though he already seems dead. . ."

Looking down at her outstretched hands, or rather Locke's hands, Lil cries, "Why would he do this to us?"

"Because he seems immature," Locke spits. "Did you hear those rhymes? I remember when children at school with me would talk like that!"

"I don't know about it being a child," Lil grumbles, before continuing, "He must be a great wizard if he was able to switch our bodies like this."

"I'm still gonna kill him," Locke growls. "Although at least I can appreciate seeing your body from a different angle," Locke says as he slowly looks down at Lilanei's body, which is now his own.

Lilanei now glares at Locke as she cries, "If you touch anything on my body, I will kill you!"

"Understood," Locke sighs sadly. "Maybe if we finish what we came here to start, this curse. . . or whatever it is, will be lifted."

Lil looks to Locke with a large grimace as she says, "I hope so. . . I do not fancy being a man for the rest of my life! Ew!"

"It's not so bad," Locke replies. "At least there's no danger of you getting kidnapped and used as a slave girl, like I could be."

Lil grins as she musses the hair on the now much shorter Locke and cries, "Now that would be amusing! Let's find Orochi!"

"Huh, if he did come around, at least I'd be able to kill him," Locke retorts. "I don't remember you doing much other than flirting with him. . . not that I can actually remember that," he adds, recalling his time with amnesia.

Lilanei flicks Locke in the forehead, before saying, "Or so you think! Remember – it took me years to master my magic! I don't know if you'll fare so well, learning it in the span of a couple of hours."

"What are talking about?" Locke asks. "Just give me my stuff. I'll give you your staff and we'll carry on like normal."

Lilanei grumbles and reaches behind her for Locke's new double sword, before handing it to him; however as he takes the weapon, he finds it feels very heavy in his arms as he droops forwards under its great weight and awkwardness.

"Ngh. . . I can barely hold this!" Locke grunts.

"Exactly!" Lilanei cries before snatching the sword back from him easily and placing it on her back. "We've switched bodies, you buffoon! Didn't you realize you'd be stuck with my weaknesses as well as my strengths?"

"If that's the case," Locke announces, "then I should be as proficient as you with your magic. Perhaps we'll be okay."

"Ah!" Lilanei says with her finger pointed in the air. "But you don't know my spells. You'll have to use my spell book. . . But for goodness' sake, don't muss the pages!"

"Don't break my crossbow," Locke mutters.

"What, this?" Lil says as she removes Locke's crossbow and pretends to fumble it in her hands. "Whoops!"

"Have respect for my things!" Locke snaps. "Unless you want your items to suffer the same fate! I'm sure your mother wouldn't appreciate your spell book being torn up and used as latrine paper!"

Lil frowns before holstering the crossbow and placing her hands on her hips in a very feminine fashion as she simply says, "Okay. . . little lady."

"Shut up," Locke grunts. "Let's just get on with this. . . Damn you, Amun!" Locke cries, shaking the fist of Lilanei in the air. "Damn you all the way to the other world!"

Lil smirks slightly as she says, "I thought you'd be quite happy to be in my clothes."

"I would be, but you told me not to touch anything!" Locke snaps.

"Whatever," Lil quips amusedly. "Now let's get inside and warm those sweet little bones of yours."

"You'll regret making fun of me when we get back into our own bodies," Locke growls. "Oh, pay you will."

"What are you gonna do? Kick me, half pint?" Lil smiles as she musses his hair again. "Besides, that's if we get our bodies back."

"One way or another, we will," Locke replies with an angry glare. "When we get our bodies back, I'm going to introduce you to a room and show you who YOUR Lord is! Like it, or not."

Lilanei frowns before saying quietly, in a simple and mocking tone, "That's not very lady like."

"That night isn't going to be lady like, either," Locke says, grinding his teeth together. "If you thought Lucio or Orochi were bad, you wait until you see a very angry. . . but very amorous. . . Locke Kallidin. Now let's go!"

Lil smiles and says, "We'll see. . . Come on then. What would you say at this point? Hm. . . Let's, erm, kick those monsters' butts! Put up your dukes!" Lilanei then cries in a mockingly deep voice as she throws Locke's fists in the air.

"Yeah, yeah," Locke replies, walking towards the entrance. "Let's just get this over with."

"Okay, madame!" Lilanei titters as she smirks and follows close behind him.