Gears and Tiers

"Everyone okay!?"

"Define 'okay'. Fucking hell...."

Mei has no idea which was worse; the arduous fall from the top of the cliff that was waaaay higher than it looked, or nearly drowning in a dirty and freezing river that could have been filled with piranha or crocodiles for all they know. Wheezing for breath she drags herself farther up the bank, soaked to the bone, and plops haphazardly on a rock to catch her wind. Finder, equally as ragged and wet, follows her example.

"That was quite the jump wasn't it?" they remark lightly through huffs, gazing up toward the top of the cliff they just came from. It's pretty far in the distance now, the water carried them quite a bit down stream, and Mei can barely make out tiny specks moving around the peak. "At least it looks like we got away from them."

"For now." Mei narrows her eyes at the distant raiders before taking to wringing out the water from her uniform. "They might be stupid but they're persistent, wont be long before they'll start heading toward the temple now that they know we're after it too."

Finder hums faintly, seemingly exhausted by the idea. "Yeah you're right. Guess that means we got to keep moving too."

"What gave you that idea." Squeezing as much moisture from her clothes as she can Mei stands and wayward hair out of her face. "So where now. I can't make heads or tails from this damn place."

"Right. Um...." Standing as well Finder rummages through their satchel before pulling out a compass. "We need to keep going slightly North-East so... that way." they motion with their hand toward a seemingly random direction, well, at least to his companion.

"Then lets get a move on before they catch up."

Without waiting Mei trudges off in a determined, perhaps irritation fueled pace leaving Finder scrambling to catch up. "W-wait for me!"

If it's one thing she has learned from this journey so far is that she absolutely despises jungles. It isn't long before her cool water logged clothes turn into musty sweat rags, and if one more bug flies in her face she's going to scream. Thankfully her companion is wise in choosing to keep silent during their trek, the mellow bean more than a bit intimidated despite Mei being almost three times his age. The two steadily make headway through sticky fronds and enough nests of gnats to feed a small army of frogs. A time or two Finder tries to suggest they take a break when they spy Mei's breath becoming a bit raspy, but the old bean rebukes them and pushes on. It's near impossible to see the sky through the thick canopy of interwoven branches and vines but it's obvious they've been hiking for a few hours by the softening beams of sunlight that break through. Ducking under a large cluster of dangling moss Mei lets out a huff.

"You sure we're heading in the right way?" she demands, glaring forward as if trying to see through the brush.

Glancing down at their compass Finder nods. "Yeah we are." they affirm, though their voice is laced with slight worry. "I'm surprised we haven't reached it yet. From my calculations we should be really cl-"

SMACK

"OW!"

Mei halts and looks back over her shoulder to Finder aggressively massaging their foot. "What the hell did you do."

"I don't know!" the tan bean mutters on the bring of tears. "I was just walking through this clump of ferns and kicked something."

Struggling to roll her eyes Mei marches back to her companion, scanning the ground at their feet. Nothing but earth, roots, and-. Wait. Something strange catches her eye in a clump of weird looking plants. Stooping down she brushes the fronds away, but instead of a rock she finds....

"Is that.... a pagoda?"

Finder halts in their fretting to gaze down, letting out a gasp. "A marker!"

"A what now?" Mei quirks a brow as they suddenly drop down, gazing at the strange stone structure in awe. It bears a striking resemblance to a house or lantern with little 'windows' on each of it's four sides. On top sits a kind of roof or lid with strange looking designs unlike any language Mei has ever seen carved into the surface.

"It's a marker!" Finder excitedly repeats. "My grandfather's reports mentioned structures like this, they were built by the ancient civilization to help mark places of significance or pathways. If one is here that must mean we're getting close! Crap what was the word again?? Duc Exa-... Exer-...citum? Exercitum?"

Finder and Mei both jump as the seemingly useless stone statue blazes to life with a soft blue light. The characters on it's top glow in the same haunting blue, pulsating in a faint rhythm. A few feet away, covered in years of dead leaves, another comes to life, then another, and another. The beans watch in amazement as one after another alight carving a path through the ever darkening jungle.

A grin of pure, unadulterated excitement graces Finder's face. "This is it! This has to be it! Come on!!" "W-wait let me stand!!" Mei can barely catch her balance before Finder drags her off, crashing through the forest in almost a run as they follow the mysterious glowing trail, anticipation growing with each hurried step until they suddenly break through the tree line.

"This... is...."

"It is...."

Finder and Mei stand, huffing for breath. Before them lies a massive stone structure, it's brick walls laden with centuries worth of invading vines and rain trails, so much so that it almost appears to be a part of the very jungle itself. Tentatively Finder steps forward, eyes agape in awe. "We... we found it."

Mei can't believe her eyes. For the longest time despite the explorers insistence and substantial 'evidence' the grizzled woman found it hard to believe such a place could exist. A magic temple? Pfft, as if. But here she is, standing breathless in front of a monolith as old as time itself after following a trail of seemingly magical lanterns, and for once she's struck completely speechless.

Recovering from their wonder Finder makes their way to the temple, taking in the dilapidated stone columns and broken steps surrounding it's perimeter. Brushing their hands against the dusty edifice Finder moves aside a clump of dense vines, letting out another excited gasp. "Hey Mei! I found the door!"

The sound of stone scraping draws Mei's attention as Finder pushes against the door, struggling under it's massive weight until she rushes to join him. Together they heave, and with great difficulty, pry the entryway open just enough to let them squeeze through. Stepping back Finder surveys the opening for a moment before casting Mei a glance. "You first?"

Mei shakes her head. "You're the one with the light, I'll follow you."

Finder nods, drawing out a flashlight from their bag. Turning it on the beam is swallowed up by the darkness inside, and despite their eagerness the threat of the unknown births a small bead of fear.

"Getting cold feet? I thought you were an explorer." Mei chastises lightly but places a reassuring hand on their shoulder. "Come on, put your grown up pants on. No discoveries can be made without a little risk, right?"

Finder nods, gulping. "Right." Mustering up their courage they lead the way into the blackness.