I7DT: A quarry

[Sean Hall]

The undying, ever hungry hunters in the dark. Those who howl under the blood filled moon. Those who steal children from their beds.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Those who speak in riddles?"

[Sean Hall]

They have been known to do that as well.

Humor from a some kind of magical seal? Now we have seen everything.

We are merely shades, Altamira. Created to safeguard this truth. There is a limit to the aid we can offer no matter how much we desire otherwise.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"And you will not let him defend himself."

[Sean Hall]

The best defense is to keep him from becoming involved until he is capable of defending himself, and is capable of accepting this information.

The figures began joining back together fusing into one female figure.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"How can he be capable if he doesn't know what he's facing?"

[Sean Hall]

Time. Training. These things will make him capable.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"How will he know what to train for?"

[Sean Hall]

Better he doesn't limit himself to training to fight them alone as they do not fight alone.

[Altamira Vazquez]

Altamira rolled her eyes. "So you don't trust him. Fine. I'll just have to protect him myself."

[Sean Hall]

It is not a matter of trust in him, but in the strength of his abilities, Phoenix.

The figure paused for a moment.

I'm sorry you do not understand.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"I do not."

[Sean Hall]

And it is not required

The figure crossed its arms.

You will find the answer to your question back the way you came. Follow the right hand path.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"This WAS the right-hand path." Mira said, but turned around.

[Sean Hall]

All is never as it seems. I wish we could have met under better circumstances than this, but please take care of Sean.

The communication carried a great deal of emotion. Shade or not they carried a great deal of the original with them.

The exiting was not particularly difficult and Altamira could feel the construct behind her performing a vanishing act of sorts. As she passed the fence she could see what essentially looked like elementals putting out the fires, and redoing the path. They ignored her.

As Altamira approached the crossroads it had changed. The path back to where she'd entered this area was no longer there instead the path to the right went uphill, that to the left went into what appeared to be a wide open clearing, and the one straight ahead still went no place of particular interest.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"...tricksy," she said, going up the right.

[Sean Hall]

As she reached to top of the hill she caught a spectacular vista. The city's only identifier was a flag with a Phoenix upon it. Though the city looked like it had been rather quickly thrust into the natural scenery, the city and the world were it seemed quickly becoming one with one another.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Oh my..." Altamira said, approaching the gates...

[Sean Hall]

The gates were pushed open ahead of her. The people who opened it were a combination of people wearing masks and humanoid elementals made of stone. Within Altamira could see elementals of various sorts moving within the community. The people wore masks, but they all had the same eyes as Altamira. The people in general paid Altamira little to no mind. Once the gate was closed behind her the elementals returned to the earth, and the people who'd assisted them went on their way.

Altamira was left in what seemed to be a bustling yet otherwise normal city. The main road it seemed would lead her up towards the larges buildings in the city where the source of smoke seemed most prominent.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Well, that's where we go, then..." she said, keeping her eyes peeled as she walked to see anything interesting.

[Sean Hall]

Everywhere she looked people were working iron into shape. She could see them making weapons, runes, tools, fences, most anything really. In this process she could see fire elementals, and water elementals assisting the 'people' involved. The cooperation was fairly outstanding really.

That was when she met a copy of herself waiting for her along with a copy of Sean.

"We knew you would be here eventually,"the copy said looking at Altamira.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Did you?" she said, a little startled to meet her"self" here.

[Sean Hall]

Sean's copy was silent but smiled at Altamira the blue tattoos prominent and a reminder of a memory she'd seen.

"Yourself as Sean sees you," her copy said seeing her shock, "We knew he'd eventually feel he needed to prove..."

Altamira's copy began walking her white clothes shimmering and gestured for the real Altamira to follow her as they talked. The copy of Sean followed alongside them.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Who's 'we', in this case?"

[Sean Hall]

"We," the copy said pointing at Sean, "Facets of a mind, though he is more of a caretaker or guardian."

[Will Stanton]

"Yes, I've met some before."

[Sean Hall]

"So you've come to have something proven to you," Altamira's copy said, "Which is it trust, fear, love?"

They continued to ascend towards the top building now passing the foundries where the iron ore was being melted down.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Trust, I suppose..."

[Sean Hall]

"Trust, I suppose..."

"We aren't going to limit you to one thing," her copy smiled. "He allowed you into his mind. Into his heart which is a difficult thing for anyone to do.

This city is part of this now when at first they were separate. The iron that is pulled from the mountain, the food that is pulled from the earth, all done cooperatively."

They walked into a hall the walls covered with pictures, which played back memories from various stages of Sean's life though those of his early childhood were absent.

"Even this place is open to you."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Why are some missing?"

[Sean Hall]

"None of them are missing," the copy of Sean spoke at last, "If anything was missing or had changed I would know."

"It is his only job after all, the maintenance of this place," Mira's copy said.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"I see," Mira said, filing that under 'useful information'. "So! If you know everything around here, what's particularly interesting?"

[Sean Hall]

"It's all interesting," Sean's copy said gruffly.

That was when Altamira's copy stepped in.

"Currently you are in the hall of memory, further in you can see armory, beyond that you will find the library. If you are not content with those things there is also the heart of the fortress."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"He's kind of touchy, isn't he?" Mira whispered.

[Sean Hall]

"He takes his job very seriously, he nearly had an aneurysm when we first met," the other Mira smiled.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"...How would that even work?"

[Sean Hall]

"It wouldn't, but if it were possible he would," Mira's copy said.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"I see..."

With that, Mira headed towards one of the paintings, nearly at random...

[Sean Hall]

The painting seemed to pull at Mira drawing her perception into it, and then the memory began to take place around her. She was with a younger Sean in a sparse looking forest, he was possibly 5 or 6 years old it was hard to tell. He appeared to be alone and was drawing a symbol on a tree, a symbol that hurt the eyes.

Mutie. Mutie. Mutie. Mutie

She could hear children chanting. It was the younger Sean's thoughts as he drew yet more eye watering symbols on more trees.

[Altamira Vazquez]

Mira frowned, and kept browsing.