Chapter 371: The Twi-crown

Chapter 371: The Twi-crown

The eighth Moon surrounded by the rest but that wasnt the key part. Lines connected the central moon with the seven others. The width and angle of the lines created the impression that the Eighth Moon was shooting rays of light at all the rest. Or maybe it was the opposite? What if the Seven Moons were shooting at the Eighth? That definitely gave a whole new perspective on things. Unfortunately, Dallion wasnt given the chance to ponder on it.

Leaves detached from the vines chasing Dallion, flying through the air like daggers. Most were knocked out of the air by another wave of flying leavesno doubt launched by the armadil shield. However, some managed to slip by and hit their target.

Three new red rectangles emerged, each indicating a ten percent health decrease. Before more could hit, Dallion split into six instances. In each, he used his shield to block as many as possible. In one case, he managed to stop just enough to prevent another wound.

MINOR HEAL!

Your health has been increased by 5%

Good thing I have you, Lux, Dallion thought. Even a five percent increase meant he could withstand one more hit. Not that Dallion had any intention of letting any more leaves reach him. Ignoring his pulsing headache, he split again, flying straight up in order to get as far as possible from anything made of wood.

Unlike humans, dryads didnt fight with their body alone, but used any sort of plant to their advantage; and given that all structures except the temple were made of wood, not to mention the ground itself, that made for one giant danger area.

At this point, it was pretty obvious that Vihrogon was winning the fight below, which only made the other guardian dangerously desperate.

Gleam, whats going on. Dallion closed his eyes again.

Dryad chaos, the shardfly replied. Your dryad has wrapped the other in a cage of roots and vines. I guess it wont be long before the fight is over.

That was a clever moveit kept the temple guardian from pinpointing Dallions precise location, and what couldnt be seen, couldnt be targeted. Even so, it remained too close for comfort. A quarter of his health remained. One serious hit, or three leaves, and he would be expelled from the sword faster than he could blink.

Thankfully, no such thing occurred. No new projectiles were launched at Dallion in the next ten seconds. In the ten seconds that followed after that, the clusters of roots and vines that extended from the ground and walls of buildings crumbled away, turning into dust. By all indications, that was supposed to mean the end of the battle, but for some reason there still wasnt any rectangle announcing his victory.

Dallion remained in the air for another ten secondsenough for his entire health to be restoredthen combat split again. In two of the three instances, Dallion had Lux fly him back down, and very much to Dallions astonishment, nothing happened. It was as if the temple guardian had been subdued, but still alive.

Thats new, Dallion thought. Usually, a guardian fight ended with one of the sides losing, or at the very least, a draw. In this case, the fighting has just stopped.

A single echo of Vihrogon remained, standing a short distance from the dryad. Seeing Dallion approach, the echo waved.

Gleam, is that real? Dallion asked.

Its an echo of your dryad, if thats what youre asking.

Stay vigilant, Dallion whispered. Lux, bring me next to him.

The firebird did as asked, although its flaming wings remained on Dallion even after his feet touched the ground.

What happened? Dallion asked the echo.

The fight is over, the other replied. All you need to do is go and get the twi-crown.

I didnt see any rectangles.

Its a stalemate. I told you I wont win your fights for you. The guardian cant harm you in any fashion. Ill keep it that way until we get out of here.

And I suppose you know where the crown is?

No, but I know how to find out. The echo led the way into the temple.

The inside was quite similar to all the previous temples Dallion had been to in this world. One by one, each of the rooms were carefully searched, and each time the prize was not to be found. Several dryad scrolls were found in one of the chambersa historic account of some ruler that Dallion had never heard of. However, the twi-crown remained as elusive as before.

You think that theres something hidden beneath the altar?

In a way. I think that the foundation of the original building here has remained intact. The altar is just the means of getting there.

The echo looked at Dallion, then at the altar. Slowly, the wooden section began to move, like heated wax. A small opening formed, then increased in size until it was wide enough for a person to fit through.

Doesnt look particularly safe. The shardfly fluttered closer. Ill check it out and let you know what I find.

Be careful there, okay? There might be traps.

Hey, Ill be fine. Worry about yourself.

As it turned out, there were traps and many of them. The opening in the altar continued down as for several hundred feet, before ending in a passageway. From there dozens of side corridors went on, splitting and merging together as they formed the most intricate maze Dallion had seen. The confusing part was that the maze changed each time Dallion and the echo passed by. The notion of a living labyrinth came to mind. The logic by which the labyrinth shifted remained a mystery. Maps and memory were useless. Even Gleam wasnt of particular help.

Cant you do something about the constant changes? Dallion asked.

Thats beyond my abilities. This whole section was built to be a vault for the crown. If any dryad could get through it, it wouldnt be much of a hiding place.

The wandering continued. At several points, Dallion tried to leave markings on the walls or floor, indicating the direction from which theyd come from. Each time, the mark would disappear within moments, as if it had never been there.

Think, Dallion told himself. If this was built to determine a dryad leader, what would be the factor by which that was determined? It had to be based on a specific skill or abilitythose with them would easily be able to progress on, while everyone else would get hopelessly lost.

What qualities does one need to have to be considered suitable for the crown?

The echo gave Dallion a suspicious glance.

Ive no intention of claiming the title. I just want to know.

Strength and wisdom, the echo said. And the mental will to lead all the banished against the Star.

That didnt help too much. Every race valued these qualities, and somehow Dallion couldnt help but feel he was missing something. Normally, a leader was supposed to lead. This was obvious, although one had also to consider who the chosen was supposed to lead the dryads against. Fighting the Star required more than strength and skill, it required conviction, clarity of mind and

It requires a spark, Dallion whispered.

Huh? the echo asked.

Instead of an explanation, Dallion took a deep breath. He hadnt used this ability since defeating the heart of the crackling city. Honestly speaking, he wasnt even sure he fully knew how to use it. However, now was the time to learn.

Give me a spark, Dallion thought as he hit the floor with his hand.

Initially, nothing happened. Dallion remained in a silly position, his fist still in contact with the wooden surface. A few moments later, however, a faint glow emerged beneath his knuckles. Slowly, the glow built up until his entire hand looked like a white ball of lightning. When that happened, Dallion opened his hand. A spark, no larger than an inch, zapped between his fingers, before fizzling away.

A bit anticlimactic, the echo said.

Gritting his teeth, Dallion stood up. It was ludicrous for him to expect anything different would happen. Even granted an extraordinary gift, his skill was too low to adequately make use of it. A spark was all he could muster fortunately for him, that turned out to be enough. Acknowledging Dallions potential, the wood in the passageway began to shift, as if it had transformed into liquid. All entrances were sealed, becoming part of the walls. The hallway stretched, extending to the size of a large hall, then kept on growing. A perfect circle was formed, in the center of which a small tree emerged. Hanging from one of the branches was the object that Dallion had come fora delicate crown made of intricately intertwined vines of white wood. On the front, a green gem the size of an orange glistened with its brilliance.

The twi-crown, Dallion whispered.

Awestruck, he stepped forward, taking the crown from the branch. The tree didnt do anything to prevent him. Holding his breath, Dallion turned the crown around to get a look of its other side. The only thing revealed was an empty hole among the vinesthe second skill gem was missing.

It seems were not the only ones after the crown, the echo said. Someones been here before us.