Beauty & The Beast

[Carthrat]

When N'Dovu heads back out into the main chamber, he notices one thing straight off- the door he originally came into the room has closed itself, and is now a sealed stone wall.

When he reaches the room with the raised staircase, he can see that there has been an opening created at the roof, allowing passage up to some unseen location. However, he can hear the surprised voices of diggers- Caihuilla diggers- talking, asking each other if someone did something, why did this open, etc.

[Brian]

N'dovu thinks about this for a moment.

Then he thinks about it a second longer, because that's all the time he has.

"So," he mutters to himself, turning towards the entrance to the temple's depths.  "If the floor-stones have moved...."  Quickly he jogs across the room and peers into the final room.

[Carthrat]

As expected, the stone in this room has moved to create a stairwell into the further depths of the building.

It's also getting noticably warmer; N'Dovu is beginning to perspire a little.

[Brian]

Taking a deep breath, N'dovu concentrates on the idea of a fire's spirit.  Maybe that'll help, after all.

N'dovu puts a hand over the noticably warmer air rising from the stairwell.

And ... maybe he should have stayed in bed.  Oh well.

Not giving himself any more time to regret it, he jogs down the stairs.

[Carthrat]

The corridor N'Dovu finds himself in is unlit, excepting the staff he carries. It's humid and hot; unpleasant to walk through, and not even very tall, forcing him to hunch over a little.

Shortly, he reaches the end, and it widens out a little, though it's still just as hot as before. Before his eyes is a strange scene.

Immediately he notices the inert body of a woman, dressed in what appears to be the dresses in the style of the ancient Greeks; made of fine silk and thread. Her brown hair is a tangled mess; she has some visible bruises. A small pool of blood has formed; she's seriously hurt, probably cut where N'Dovu can't see. She's certainly alive; soft breathing makes certain of that.

There is an altar of some kind with a raised dish; it's empty. To one side, there is a statue of something akin to a Spartan soldier; with armour, helmet, spear and shield decked out in almost lifelike finery.

[Brian]

N'dovu frowns, and kneels next to the woman.  He'd never studied first-aid closely, but the basic methodology of dealing with wounds was an important skill for anyone who intended to fight.  He quickly looks to see if he can identify the source of the bleeding and bandage the wounds, at least until he can get her to a safer location.

[Carthrat]

The bleeding can be slowed somewhat, but the magnitude of the injury is pretty intense. How she got it is a complete mystery (maybe she gutted herself?), but once thing is certain- she really needs a doctor.

[Brian]

N'dovu grits his teeth.  He can't leave without the spirit, and he can't abandon the woman to die.  Unless....

The altar is empty.  Perhaps the statue is the guardian and the woman took something she should not have?

After binding her wounds to the best of his ability (a temporary measure, at best), he checks to see if she's holding or has taken anything.  If he can't find anything, he quickly apologizes to the statue (and altar, and room at large) for the intrusion, and asks, "O fire, I have arived; but where are you?"

[Carthrat]

There is no response forthcoming to N'Dovu's plea. Despite this, he still feels as if his spirit-sense is working, even without medicine or drugs.

Nonetheless, the world beyond is empty.

[Brian]

"Then I must take what is of value in this place, and leave before I get caught," N'dovu reasons to himself.  Cracking his neck, he tears his shirt into strips (this is going to make life difficult), and uses them to help bolster the existing bandages on the woman's wounds with the extra padding, and does what he was told a warrior should not to do an injured person: move them.

Taking as much care as he can, he lifts the woman up.  If there is something on her, then just as well to take it from this place, and deny any thieves.  "I depart, O fire, claiming that the things of greatest value are those bridges between the world of the living, and the world of the spirits.  For without those, we have nothing."  And this woman is surely on one of those bridges right now, no matter how much she may like it.  Turning about, N'dovu returns to the main room, checking the wall which once had an entrance to see if it can be reopened.  If not, a fight with the woman in one arm will be quite difficult, and most likely ... very messy.

[Carthrat]

The door, as such, doesn't seem to be easily budgable- unless N'Dovu can develop the strength of the Titans, or possibly Hercules. It's hard to even tell exactly where the door should open.

[Brian]

Grimacing, N'dovu looks towards what he guesses to be the only exit.  That being the source of noise.

Taking a deep breath, he heads for the opening that he expects to meet people coming down from shortly.  And if they get in his way, we'll have to fight.

Such joy, he thinks in annoyance.  And I still haven't seen King Shaka.

[Carthrat]

As N'Dovu heads towards the the exit, he practically walks over a young Cahuilla male, who was just peering around the ruins excitedly. He backs off a step, and after gaping for a second, croaks out, "N'Dovu? What're *you* doing here?"

N'Dovu vaugely recognizes him, but can't put a name to the face. Nonetheless, he certainly recognizes N'Dovu.

[Brian]

"A day's work," N'dovu says with a half-shrug, mindful of the woman, and hoping he wouldn't have to fight his friends' children.  "She was injured while the digging was going on above," he adds, not directly blaming the digging for her injury, but implying it heavily.  "I need to take her to a doctor, and quickly."

[Carthrat]

"You, uh, work here?" blinks the Caihuilla, scratching his head. "Well, uh, ok. I thought we were the first ones down here, though."