Monthly Quests 2020

Rabbit and Raziel were able to follow the band of Ares Hunters all the way to their destination under the careful and scrutinizing eye of  Eisheth.  They had crossed an almost desert-like environment just to get to this place that could have been a paradise had it not been for the large statues that pulsed with red crystals in time with the star. Almost... as if it were a heartbeat. "I don't like this, I want to go home," Rabbit whispered, her voice trembling as she was all but glued to Raziel's side. The forest stallion grunted as he bumped the small steppe away from him a bit. "settle down, it's fine. we made it here now let's see if we can figure out what's going on without alerting them," he said making a motion towards the Hunters who were standing in front of a large descending stairway that went down into the darkness of the earth between a set of statues. Raziel could swear the ballators of the depicted statues looked familiar... but he just couldn't think. Were they just prized hunters... or gods from a long-forgotten past? Raziel was wandering around, studying everything as he was trying to figure out if the star was being summoned by something here since this is where it seemed to enjoy looming. Rabbit had peeled herself from his side to stare at her reflection in the perfectly clear waters of the pool. He wasn't sure just what she was looking at. He looked away, he was watching Eisheth as she milled about the disheartened and dead-looking Hunters before going over to the pool where Rabbit was. Raziel was staring at a particular statue when he heard a shout, but he couldn't hear what was being said as his attention was pulled as if he was being guided to a statue. He walked closer to it, its eyes glowing eerily red like the star as red crystals grew from the horns of the statue. Raziel squinted as he looked closer at the statue, noticing that it looked like something should go in those slots. 

Eisheth had come up behind him and leaned in past him, which startled him but she simply smiled as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "It seems like maybe some of these stones fit here," Raziel nodded slowly as he eyed the steppe mare "Yes, it seems so, but is it a good idea to put them back," Eisheth simply shrugged her shoulders and stared at Raziel with those pale peach eyes that seemed to bore through him. "You are not a patron of Ares, why are you here," Raziel let out a sigh "I'm following that thing," he said motioning up at the sky "Aether is my patron, I do apologize for the fib but we were afraid you would turn us away,"  Eisheth chuckled and made turned around, her attention pulled somewhere else or on someone else. "I'll let you off this once outsider, next time I may not be as nice about it," Raziel watched as Eisheth walked away from him. His eyes moved over to Rabbit who was now going from Hunter to Hunter and bringing them bits of food from wherever she could find. Some pushed her away and others welcomed her help gratefully. Eisheth had stopped and was speaking with her now, probably telling Rabbit she knew as he watched Rabbit's ears fold back as she looked up at the other mare. Knowing that they were fine, Raziel tore his eyes from Rabbit and Eisheth and looked back at the statue and then to the stones on the ground. He picked up one or two and carefully slid them into the slots. They fit perfectly and Raziel thought he heard a click that vibrated through his body. The statue's eyes pulsed to life with the same glow and rhythm as the star. The stallion scowled, what had he just brought to life...