Saga: The Ancient Secrets

[Garoten Reklor]

((Continued from The Meeting))

Upon landing, the White Knight's armor faded away, in actuality disassembled on the molecular level and stored within the pendant on his neck, and the unassuming smile of Kyle Edwards greeted all who had accompanied him. He took a moment to survey the group and figure who he had in the way of allies. Considering Tidus and the android seemed committed already to Dramanius and his friend, the odds were already stacked in evil's favor. He hoped more than these would eventually show up. With a nod to the old man, Kyle spoke to the group:

"My name is Kyle Edwards. I've recently arrived here by accident from earth, but I have learned enough to know that the man who met us there - "

He waved in the direction of the meeting place, where the occasional flash indicated a battle still in progress. He yearned to go back and help Ryan, but this one old man seemed to be the key to everything - the greater good had to be served.

"Dramanius, is infamous for having nearly destroyed this entire planet not so long ago. That's enough to tell me he must be stopped. This man claims to have information that can help accomplish that end, but before he can share it, I have to know - who's with us?"

[Archer]

Archer leaned casually against a nearby rock; watching quietly, he had taken in everything that had occured at the recent meeting, although he never got actively involved in the discussion. When the group split, he had decided to follow the pretentious looking Knight; not only because he didn't want to be caught up in a battle he knew little about, but also because he thought it might be interesting to follow someone as seemingly egocentric as himself; just in case he was correct in that assumption.

"My name is Kyle Edwards. I've recently arrived here by accident from earth," the man started, having shed his armour in a display of something that looked fairly similar to alchemy (Archer made a mental note to ask about that at a later date), "but I have learned enough to know that the man who met us there, Dramanius, is infamous for having nearly destroyed this entire planet not so long ago. That's enough to tell me he must be stopped. This man claims to have information that can help accomplish that end, but before he can share it, I have to know - who's with us?"

Upon his words, Archer's memory sparked up, recalling to his current mind information he had researched in the history books, in persuit of the background surrounding his Idol. The name 'Dramanius' struck a definitive chord, and suddenly all became clear. He had found what he was seeking at least; his chance to make a difference.

Stepping forwards from his perching-post, he bowed low to the Knight and the old man, before standing straight again.
"Magnus 'Archer' Archimedes, at your service." he said, swallowing his pride for but a moment, awaiting the man's response.

((Kinda crap, but I needed to post... Apologies for quality >_>))

[Ryan - Loki]

(OOC: People, this drag on the saga isn't going to help the site in any way, shape or form. So i'm not waiting for anyone anymore. If you don't post, you get left behind.)

The old man had cursed and shouted in protest to being manhandled by White Knight after Ryan’s orders to get him away from the ruins where the meeting was initially being held. Despite clearly being extremely old, even for a Dragonian, he was most certainly a handful, as Kyle Edwards found out while carrying him kicking and screaming from the area.
At any rate Kyle and the elderly man soon arrived at their new destination, which was a few miles southwest of the old ruins, where sparks and light still resonated every-so-often from the heated battle that still continued on between both Ryan and Dramanius.

After arriving the old man fell silent and found a soft, comfortable section of dried and dead ground to sit upon as he looked at those around him who had decided to follow the man in the suit of armour, Kyle Edwards. He listened as Kyle explained the situation, to the best of his knowledge, and then asked for others to aid him in his quest to defeat evil; honourable and most noble deed. It caused the old man to smile as another, Magnus 'Archer' Archimedes, as he announced himself, joined under Kyles banner. Clapping echoed out through the air, the old mans hands slapping together.

‘Well said young man, well said.’ his words sounded somewhat less common than they had been back at the meeting, though his tone sounded exactly the same. ‘You clearly have the gift of gab.’ the old man was smiling, clearly pleasantly surprised with his new companions. His expression then changed, the lines across his face deepening, the smallest hint of pain resonating across his face. He leaned forward and looked down at his stomach and slowly lifted the poncho that covered his body, instantly showing a liquid crimson stain upon his top.

‘I’ve been injured.’ he muttered quietly. Having needed to strain to keep his body lent forward the old man allowed himself to fall back against a large rock that he was sitting in front of, a sizeable breath exhaled as he did from holding his breath while straining himself. His eyes remained closed for a long while, as he slowly breathed in and out, clearly saving every last ounce of energy.

‘You can’t let them get their hands on that armour.’ he stated all of a sudden, opening his eyes. His eyes were stern, cold even. It was clear that he was not joking. Slowly his gaze travelled over everyone around him, his eyes penetrating each and every one of theirs; the subtle confusion in their eyes cause a daunting truth to arise within him. ‘You aint got a clue what I’m talking about, do you?’ He then realised that there hadn’t been a mention of a suit of armour from anyone other than himself; he would have to explain much more then he had originally intended too.

‘Time is short-’ he let out a small, whispered grunt of pain. He knew he was dying, he had lived too long and was now too old and there was too little energy within his body now to fight it. ‘-So listen carefully, for there is much for me to explain to your uneducated minds.’ there was a hint of annoyance in his tone. ‘There are many ancient artefacts in our world, many that are simple remnants of a time long ago, but there are a few…just a few, that are more than remnants, that are objects of lost magic and power. Objects that can do great things, or terrible things…

‘A long time ago there were six great friends, so close in friendship that they could have been brothers. Each and every last one of them competed for superiority amongst the group, though this was nothing more than usual competitiveness between friends; harmless. That was until one of them, a man only known as Ankator, accidentally stumbled upon ancient powers, lost in time and forbidden in nature.’ the old man paused, if only to rest his eyes, and shook his head as he took another deep breath to speak. ‘The details of the knowledge he had discovered is hazy, nothing is certain, but what is certain is that it caused him to turn to evil – greed and power consuming him completely.

‘For a long time afterwards Ankator consumed the planet in fear and destruction, none able to stop him and none willing to try – except the five, his old friends. They had remained truthful, incorruptible…but he had grown far stronger than before, and now they were no longer equal with him in power. Several times the five fought him in battle, and each time there was no victor. He knew that eventually they too would grow in power, possibly even enough to defeat him, so he stole an enchanted suit of armour.’ The man paused again, pressing his hands against his wound with as much pressure as he could muster.

‘The armour of origins, as they were individually called, enchantment would encase his soul within it, even after his physical body died. It would leave him invincible, immortal. Hearing of this the five had similar armours made, and not a moment too soon as Ankator returned and killed everyone who know how to create, and enchant the armour. And so, all adorned in this mystical armour, went into one final battle, which resulted in all of their deaths.’ The old man finished, looking around into the eyes of all who were listening to him, though it was clear in his voice that he wasn’t finished speaking.

‘Though they had all died, they all still walked the planet - in the shapes of their armour. For hundreds of years they continued their battles, unwavering and unable to end it fully. Then one day it all ended. All six sets of armour had been found broken into their separate parts, and before they could reform a people scattered them. That day those people made an oath, and oath never again to allow the armours to be rejoined and used for evil…these people, my people, became the “Knights of Origins”, and ever since we’ve protected the pieces of the armour…or what’s left of them.

‘There is, or so rumour has it, only one full suit left now…the suit that belonged to Ankator. I heard the message, the suit is the only way they can bring back their master…but there is none of my order left, just me…and I am about to leave this world, so I entrust you few brave souls to make sure, that under no circumstances, must they recover all of the pieces of armour. If he is evil…well, I’m sure you’re all smart enough to imagine what would be brought about on our planet…you must gather the pieces of armour yourself, and destroy them before they can get their hands on them…but I only know of the means to find one of the pieces…’

The old man began coughing extremely heavily, so much so that blood spat up and out of his mouth. His injury was getting the better of his frail body, his complexion extremely faded and pale. ‘There are two things I can give you to aid you in your quest.’ he slowly pointed out one finger. ‘My name, my name is of great importance, it has been handed down from generation to generation within my people…though I can’t remember why it is so important. Anyway, my name is Eben.’ he paused, but only long enough to raise his second finger. ‘A riddle, a riddle that should lead you to the resting place of the helmet of origins…

‘“What once protected Hero's mind, Now only righteous ones shall find. In lofty towers made of stone, A land the eagle calls its home. Hidden from all mortal sight, The bearer's call the guiding light.”’ With that the man opened his mouth as if to speak again, but instead of words only a long, drawn out breath, that sounded more like a wheeze, escaped Ebens mouth; he had breathed his last breath. Silence had returned to the group.

[Garoten Reklor]

Kneeling by the old man as he spoke, Kyle took careful note of every word he said. The story was compelling - like something out of one of earth's fantasy novels. Had he not seen the impossible so many times since his arrival, Edwards would have dismissed the tale as the last ravings of a dying madman. As it was, he believed every word - including the importance of finding and destroying the armor as instructed. Finally, the old man took a long, final breath and passed from this world. Soberly, Kyle bowed his head and gave a quick, silent prayer for the man and gently closed Eben's eyes. After another moment's thought, he turned and smiled at Archer.

"We've got to get moving, but first things first. Help me bury him while we figure out what in the world he was talking about."

He tapped the pendant on his neck once, and a single gauntlet formed itself around his right hand, along with the hilt of shadowbane. In a more mundane than usual application of the technology, he used the energy shaping to form a shovel and started digging. After a couple of minutes of working in silence, he spoke again.

"Tell me, Archer, have you ever heard of this Armor of Origin? What about the riddle, and the name Eben? Any thoughts? As I said before, I've only just arrived here. If we can figure this out quickly enough, we'll have a significant head start on our enemies."

Of course, Rhia was already working on the answer, tapping any information networks within range and cross referencing every word the man had spoken with thousands of databases, but it would be good to get to know the young man who had offered his assistance. There were only two of them, and so many enemies - it was wierd to think he already had foes on this planet, but the fact was there. And something told him he'd make a few more before he ever made it home.

[Jimmy Claymore]

There are a few key words that when spoken in the open air will invariably give 'chance' and 'probability' a complete bitch-slap and lead to the arrival of someone who had, up until recently, shown no sign of even being on the same continent. One of those words is "Ancient" and another is "deaths", if these two words are used frequently in the same few sentances then some truly unlikely people can arrive. As a result, no sooner had Kyle started digging the old mans grave than a certain cantankerous Dragon strolled into view. He was grumbling extensively that he hadn't been able to find the Zolan Landers responsible for his recent assault, but was cheered by the fact he could hear a battle going on. He saw three humans off in the distance, all of them looked interesting to a degree, one reminded him of the guy in armour, but not very much. The other looked like those laughable scholars, he'd always had a LOT of fun perverting Dragonian History. He managed to catch some key words that Kyle asked Archer despite the distance

"Tell me, Archer, have you ever heard of this Armor of Origin? What about the riddle, and the name Eben?"

"There are at least five words in that sentance that are going to make my life so much harder" Rizuk sighed, he continued his gradual pace to the trio and held a hand up in greeting, that somehow managed to look patronising and condescending despite the fact it was a completely simple gesture. He looked at the third member of this group and saw that he was quite obviously dead, he looked at the hole in the ground to the body to the hole again and stared in shock at the man with the spade.

"What did you DO!!" He looked absolutely mortified at what he was witnessing "Seriously, who buries the body at this time of day in the open field? I mean at least cut it up in smaller pieces or cremate it first, rookie error!" he sighed and shook his head, as if expressing his utter hopelessness at the two of them.
"So, what's going on over there? Does it involve a smouldering hot princess who needs ravishing, an evil demonic bastard who would fit nicely into my divine epic or some food? I haven't eaten in a while." Rizuk glanced down at the old man as if considering something before concluding "Nah, too old... would probably taste of leather." Its always nice to get help, and Rizuk was one of the more powerful natives of the planet... but you'd need to be a SAINT to forgive the things he says and does. But, the lesser of two evils...

[Ryan - Loki]

Unbeknown to the small group that had begun to congregate the battle at the ruins between Ryan and Dramanius had sizzled into nothingness. For a brief while a thick fog like substance covered the area of the ruins, it having appeared not long after the echoed noises and sparks of metal clashing against metal died out, but eventually the fog cleared, leaving no evidence behind of it ever having existed. Despite the fact that the night had slipped away, making way for sunrise, it was a stretch that anyone else had even seen it, especially with so much going on around them all.

It had been almost four hours since the meeting had begun, light having begun trickling across the land, though the surrounding mountains that enveloped the land caused a large amount of the land to remain in darkness, casting deep shadows for all those beings that never wished to be seen.

Suddenly, as if a sign of startling realisation for the group that the distant sound of the fierce battle had ceased, a dragging sound broke the silence that the wind was occupying. The sound was an easily recognizable one, something being dragged through dirt, though this was somewhat different, lighter sounding. It was someone walking, dragging his or her feet through the dirt.

Ryan suddenly appeared over the nearby hill. He wasn’t dragging his feet through injury, but rather fatigue. As much as he had grown in strength and skill over the years, never allowing his mind to dull, he couldn’t erase the simple fact that he was beginning to get old – not by Dragonian standard of course, but by Human standards he was – and he was starting to feel it. In truth it had been almost eight years since he had been challenged in such a way, and although he clearly had the advantage over Dramanius and had won the battle, he had truly come to terms with how much things had truly changed over the years, especially within him.

And so slowly he trudged over to a nearby rock and sat down, the slow, yet determined walk of a man who had just been through something, and had stumbled upon a realisation, that he obviously wished he hadn’t. After a few seconds of staring off into nothingness, clearly lost in his thoughts, Ryan stirred, and looked up towards the others in the group. Steadily he looked around the small group, surveying its members.

He instantly recognised one of the group, a scholar or scientist looking fellow who had kept himself relatively to himself back at the ruins, though Ryan hadn’t caught his name. The other man, who was now digging the grave for the old man, who had apparently died over the last few hours, Ryan did not recognise from the earlier meeting. Still further he scanned the group.

Yet another newcomer had come to this dead land and joined the small group that were looking ever more like “the good guys” in this situation. Rizuk Ryujin, a distinct native of the planet, mischievous, morally ambiguous, though his heart was generally in the right place. Ryan knew him from the old days, and though he didn’t know him enough to call him “friend” he knew him enough to be able to tell he was truly on the side of good; if a bit unorthodox in his methods at times.

He went to ask everyone what he had missed, and what had happened to the old man, but some invisible force within his throat, only the hiss of a sigh escaping, caught his words. Lifting his hand up Ryan ran it through his hair, taking care not to catch his headband and accidentally loosen it or pull it off his head. He wanted to speak, but frankly, he couldn’t muster the energy.

[Jimmy Claymore]

One of the advantages of being several hundred years old was that you were very rarely surprised by things, but to his own growing shock, Rizuk was surprised by something. He vaguely recognised the person who'd staggered into their view (although, even then, he may well be remembering the guy's great great grandfather) and knew two things about him from a glance
"Wait, are you a Jiaoimasu? Your clan are actually... well, reasonable! You don't tend to exhaust yourselves very easily, no matter the age, what the hell were you even fighting?" Rizuk frowned as it suddenly dawned on him that this might actually turn into a real fight. The mist and silence had alarmed him since he'd not seen the cause, but the fact that a fairly strong warrior (he thought, all Dragonians looked fairly similar to him, but he was willing to make a bet on this one) had been tired to the brink of exhaustion from fighting, PLUS the old man's mystical revelations...
"Awww CRAP! We're going to be saving the planet again, aren't we? Man, every other freakin' week, what is WRONG with this galaxy..." Rizuk sighed and folded his arms looking more than a tad disgruntled
"At least we've had a good strong crop these last decades, I've barely had to do anything. I mean we even had 8 years of peace and... oh, THAT's going to hurt our chances of finding anyone with real strength left. I mean, who stops to help the planet thats doing fine? Man, our rotation's going to be completely screwed up, I'll bet we don't even have 8 really powerful warriors left, awww FUCK!" Rizuk cursed violently in conclusion and kicked a football sized rock off into the distance with the only sound proving it didn't go into orbit being a soft thud.
"Alright, one of you tell me what's going on. I want to know precisely how dead we all are." He looked mostly serious as he waited for them to answer his question, although he didn't know the situation, he did have a fairly good idea that things were going wrong. Although, if he'd known it was the Lords of Hell involved, he may well have just left then and there to save himself the pain and trouble. But then again, maybe not, after all, he is astoundingly arrogant.

((OOC: Wow, Rizuk's gotten cynical in his old age...))

[Garoten Reklor]

As Kyle finished his digging and prepared to roll the old man's body into his grave, two new acquaintances arrived - neither offering to help, unless he counted Rizuk's considering eating the body an offer of help - which he didn't. He smiled a little to himself with the realization that neither Rizuk nor Ryan recognized him without his armor - in the case of the former it may have prolonged his life a bit. While Ryan limped over the hill and Rizuk ranted about his arrival and saving the planet, he carefully grabbed the old man's - Eben's - body under the arms and slid him into the grave. A box or something to keep animals from getting at him would have been preferrable, but time was of the essence. He stopped to catch his breath, wiped sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his blue shirt, and looked up at Ryan, Rizuk, and Archer, hoping this was the last time he'd have to explain this for a while.

"Rizuk, Ryan, glad to see you both alive and well. Okay, long story short, the guy who's telepathically promising the moon and his cronies are looking for an ancient and powerful suit of armor that once belonged to a guy named Ankator. It's called the Armor of Origins. Evidently it's a powerful artifact that can be used for great evil if the other guys get hold of it. This man..."

He gestured at the open grave before him somberly.

"...was the last of a secret group that guarded the armor. With him gone, it's up to us to find and destroy each of the five pieces of armor scattered over the planet. The only clue we have to work with is the old man's name."

He paused, desperately hoping one of them would know what he was talking about.

"Eben. Please tell me that means something to you."

He looked at each of the group for a moment, then began to quickly put dirt back into the hole, whispering a prayer for Eben, the small group that had assembled here, and the future of his new home.

[Jimmy Claymore]

Rizuk paused after hearing Kyle's problems and his questions, he held his chin and considered all that he had heard. After a few moments had passed he turned and scowled
"I already OWN the moon! I claimed it 605 years ago! This guy's going to get such an ass-kicking" To emphasise his point Rizuk's hand ignited into a flickering ball of flame, "Alright, I'm over a thousand years old, if we're after Ancient pieces of armour, I'm probably a safe bet for ideas... I've never heard of this Ankator but I have fought people protecting something strange in ancient places. I think there was one in Bedoe, on one of the extra large mountains. But given how this planet attracts trouble it could equally be some kind of legendary sword" Rizuk grumbled, rubbing the back of his head with his flaming hand. He looked at it for a second and looked slightly disconcerted that he was holding flames a few inches away from his face. Banishing the fire, he continued rubbing, trying to make it look as if he hadn't accidentally scorched some of his hair. Good thing it was already black...

"That Eben thing's not much help to be fair, I wouldn't call it an unlikely name. If it was something like Larletaisthehidingplaceson it'd be a bit easier to work out AND a lot more unique..." he sighed and looked at the old man's body as the dirt compacted down onto it. He squatted down and scowled at the dead body, he could have tried to give an easier hint. Rizuk flicked out an index figure and found a bare patch of soil, with quick and dextrous movements he wrote down
"B E E N"
"OK, unless the clue was ACTUALLY been, which is more a descriptor of his current state, I'm going to guess it's an anagram. Reversed, its Nebe which means nothing to me... someone chip in! I'm not paid to think, I'm paid to be worshipped for my intelligence, not actually having to use it!" Rizuk propped a head up on his hand and rapped his nails on the sandy floor.

[Ryan - Loki]

(OOC: Great stuff guys! Loving the activity boost! )

Rizuk…well at least he remembers me, well, sort of at any rate. Ryan was still exhausted from the battle with Dramanius, and it seemed that now he had began to calm down, and his adrenaline had slowly started to fade away once more, he had found himself even more fatigued than previously! Closing his eyes Ryan took several deep breaths, using an ancient art of meditation to “breath through his mind outwards”. It helped.

Opening his eyes again Ryan merely listened as he looked between the members of this small group, studying them all carefully. He knew that this was a time that it would be best if he merely listened to the details that were being spoken, rather than speak out and miss a vital piece of information.

For longer than he had anticipated Ryan remained silent. The others were still conversing about everything that had happened, though secretly Ryan was thankful for the extra time to relax and regain himself. All the while though Ryan’s brain was racking through his memories, turning the name “Eben” over and over in his head, searching for a reference, or even the slightest mention. Got it!

‘Rizuk you are a genius.’ Although the exclamation was sudden, and the first thing he had said since arriving, it was clear that Ryan had come to some sort of personal epiphany. With a small grunt of effort Ryan stood up, pushing on his knee to help. Once he had stood up he looked towards the man who had dug the grave for Eban. ‘Did he say anything else? Were there any other clues to where the first piece would be hidden? Please, think carefully, this is quite clearly very important.’

Ryan was frantically excided by this point. He was sure he knew where the first piece of armour would be located. The name fit better than a glove. But he didn’t want to jump to any conclusions until he was one hundred per cent sure. There were no room for mistakes. All the while, deep within his mind, there was a small nagging thought constantly popping up. God this feels like the old days again.

[Jimmy Claymore]

"Yes, yes, I know I am. Why did you just realise?" Rizuk's strength suddenly flared, much to the alarm of various agencies monitoring the power of Dragonias various occupants. Unfortunately, Ego Boost doesn't tend to differentiate between combat situations and none combat so the effect was that Rizuk was suddenly and inexplicably now more powerful and healing any wounds he may have sustained from walking over the field.

Look, we could go on for ages about all the subtle changes in the Dragon's physiology from the basic act of someone commenting on him in a positive manner, but instead we're going to focus on the real issue at hand, which would be that Ryan has worked out the puzzle
"You know where he means? Good! Lets go and destroy the piece he's thinking of and leave the douche-bags to assemble the rest of the armour. That ought to be good for a laugh" Rizuk chuckled maliciously at the mental image before realising that this probably sounded a little evil and cleared his throat
"So, yeah, where are we going? We better travel in a group, I'd bet good money we're going to be attacked again. So long as it's not that crazy bitch from Zolan it ought to be fine" Rizuk decided, waving his hand regally to dismiss any other (perfectly valid) points.

((OOC: Sorry not had much to work with, lets get this mother rolling boys ;D))

[Ryan - Loki]

Ryan listened closely to everything that Rizuk had mentioned, but none of it was relevant information regarding what the old man, who was apparently named Eben, had said. Ryan had been hoping for slightly more information, something that he could have used to make the final, much needed, connection that would surely lead them to the first item of armour. Alas, it hadn’t come. Almost instantly Ryan’s eagerness from moments ago seemed to evaporate with the heat from the rising sun.

‘I had believed,’ Ryan begun, unsure as to how he should explain his thoughts, without raising their hopes anymore than his sudden outburst already had. ‘That perhaps the name “Eben” was not an anagram at all, but perhaps the name of a location.’ As the words slipped from between his lips he realised that he had failed; he couldn’t have said something that would raise their hopes other than that.

‘Unfortunately, I know of over a dozen location on Dragonia that have the word “Eben” in their names.’ his sentence was followed with a defeated sigh. ‘Several “St. Ebens Chapels” in the country of Metapha. The ruins of Ebens fort, west of the capital city of Western Parmecia. The Great Eben spires of Bedoe. The Ebens home for the homeless children.’ Ryan paused. ‘That is just a few from the top of my head. If I had access to the great library of the Lavertian palace, I could find many more. Of that I’m certain.’

Feeling defeated Ryan did what he always did in such dire situations, situations that appeared to have beaten him into a state of submission. He closed his eyes, began slowly pacing backwards and forwards, and opened his mind for abstract thought; nowadays this was the closest he came to the meditation he used to partake in with his clan, and during the early years of his life without them.

‘There must be something that we have over looked. Some small piece of detail that connects these pieces to a much larger puzzle.’ he thought out loud.

[Garoten Reklor]

As he thre the last bit of dirt on Eben's grave and gently patted the mound firm, Kyle couldn't resist a smile before speaking up to deliver the clue he'd left out before Rizuk started talking again. The dragon's eccentricity was almost endearing in an annoying sort of way. He stood and bruched the dirt of his khaki pants, then looked at Ryan seriously.

"There is one thing I neglected to mention. Eben gave a riddle of sorts before he died as well, and although I couldn't see any connection to his name, it will probably be obvious to citizens of this world like yourselves."

He stopped for a moment and repeated the words in his head, just to make sure he was clear on them, then took a breath and spoke slowly:

"What once protected Hero's mind, Now only righteous ones shall find. In lofty towers made of stone, A land the eagle calls its home. Hidden from all mortal sight, The bearer's call the guiding light.”

He paused for a moment and shrugged.

"That's it, that's all I've got."

In his mind, Rhia was confirming Ryan's claim that there were many places called Eben, but suddenly the whole picture came together. Giving Ryan and Rizuk only a part of the clue at first proved to be a mistake worth making. Since Ryan assumed the name was the location, and the riddle clearly described a location, it was suddenly a simple and obvious answer. Sensing his thoughts on the matter, Rhia immediately began cross referencing locations from the map she had compiled upon their arrival on Dragonia with terrain and elevation. In seconds, she planted one word in Kyle's mind, which he repeated suddenly out loud.

"Bedoe?"

[Jimmy Claymore]

"Called it" Rizuk announced at Kyle's suggestion, but unfortunately everything else he'd worked out didn't make things easier for them
"So, we're going after this guy's Helmet, in Bedoe, and its hidden from the eyes of normal people. Unless that mortal thing is horrifically literal and we actually need to find a genuine immortal on order to spot the place..." Rizuk sighed and took a few steps away from the group, he looked at the sky for a moment and considered what they could do... he finally conclude and turned to face his two friends
"Hey, is there a Cave called St Eben's cave or St Eben's asshole or something in Bedoe? If it was just on the mountains than it wouldn't be hidden from mortal sight so it's got to be a landmark of some kind. I'd guess cave since a monastery or some other building would attract attention from us 'mortals' (Rizuk made the word sound similar to cockroach in his pronounciation) and anything else would result in a lot of very cold guardians. So? Ryan?" He waved with his hand and raised an eyebrow expectantly. The only part that was bothering him was the guiding light, was there a landmark in Bedoe that could create a light to signal the area?

To his credit, Rizuk wasn't getting stressed out at the prospect of their enemies working it out first, he just wanted to solve the riddle. It was one of the things he could never stand when he was younger, Riddles always made him want to chop something into pieces just so it was simpler. Fortunately, he was alright at thinking around corners but even so he wasn't particularily good at Geography... he'd have to have a look around the actual place.

[Ryan - Loki]

Bedoe? Bedoe! It was so obvious, Ryan was almost cursing himself for not having made the connection earlier, but with the riddle now also within his grasp the answer could only be one place. Ryan’s mind quickly began running over riddle. “In lofty towers made of stone,” Bedoe was a country surrounded by mountains. “A land the eagle calls it’s home.” and the Eben spires, they were individually named after animals, one being the eagle!

Ryan was brimming with excitement by this point. Once more he had felt the rush of life or death battle, and now he was helping decipher an ancient riddle that would lead them to a mystical piece of armour, and when all the pieces of armour are brought together they could spell the end of the seven years of peace; though Ryan didn’t know what evil was after this armour.

‘The Eben Spires of Bedoe are each individually named after a particular animal that is native, or symbolic, to that country.’ Though Ryan paused he was sure that they knew where he was going with this. ‘One in particular is named “spire of the eagle”.’ he was smiling know, it slightly crooked due to a scar that ran across his cheek.

‘Though,’ the crooked smile vanished, leaving behind a thoughtful expression. ‘I do not know what the part of the riddle that circles around “the bearer’s call the guiding light” means I am afraid.’ He was a little ashamed to admit he hadn’t worked it out, but he realised he was being hard on himself, as he often did in this situations. Perhaps the others would figure such things out?