The group walked all the way back to Avindor's Wake. They entered the front gate of the castle town. The sun was rising, and the town's citizens were returning home. Rei looked towards the evening sky. "It's getting dark… we should rest, we have a lot of work to do…" He said. "Yes, we do… in fact, it may be more work than anyone else has done…" Avi responded. "I will begin researching our next destination. I already have a lead on where we will probably need to go." Keo said. "Ok, great," Rei responded. The sun continued to shine as the three walked home through the town.
Rei looked up at the sky once again. "Hey, is it just me… or do you feel something shaking?" He said. Beneath him, on the ground, a small quake had shaken the entire area. "Look at that…" The hole in the sky was also shaking. Its area began expanding. Shortly after, it stopped growing. Some clouds formed around it, with small flashes of lightning appearing inside the clouds. A quiet rumble of thunder could be heard. "We also don't have all the time in the world, let's get moving… the Storm has gotten larger…" Avi said.
The three entered their home as the sun went down. "I'm going to start studying for the location of the next artifact immediately. I already have some leads," Keo stated, locking the door to his room. "Don't be up all night, silly!" Avi yelled to Keo. No response. Rei started walking over to Avi's room. "Going to bed already?" She said. "Yeah, I'm yawn pretty tired after all that fighting. Let's get some rest, I feel we'll be back on our feet tomorrow." Rei went into Avi's room, with Avi following behind him.
Rei immediately got into bed. "No sink, can't wash my hands, guess I'll just go to bed…" "Night, Rei! I'll wake you up nice and early tomorrow, ok?" Avi stood in her bathroom, changing her clothes behind a closed door. "Ugh, whatever you have planned, just let me sleep for some time. I can't fight when I'm tired."
Rei quickly fell asleep, and Avi came to bed soon after. She also fell asleep pretty quickly. "Wake up! Ugh… wake up! Oh, there we go… You were sleeping like a rock… Keo has picked out our next destination. We should be leaving soon. Let's grab something to eat, pack some supplies, and get going." Avi bossed Rei out of bed. Rei walked over to the bathroom on the creaking floorboards. He went into the bathroom and shut the door.
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"Is it just me, or is Rei taking FOREVER in there?" Avi questioned. Avi knocked on the bathroom door about an hour later. No response. She knocked again. No response. "Ugh, I'm going to open this door now…" Avi opened the bathroom door to find Rei sleeping on the floor. "WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!" Avi yelled. Rei didn't wake up. She kicked Rei and kept yelling. "Wha… huh… oh, hi Avi, yeah, I know, let's get going, blah blah blah…" Rei responded, crawling out of the bathroom.
"Oh, by the way, Keo has the artifact in his room in a safe place. Once we find a better location, we will relocate it." Said Avi. "You sure no one will steal it?" Asked Rei. "I hope not," Avi replied. Rei continued crawling and eventually stood up. "Good, I guess I don't have to drag you," Avi said.
The two met Keo in the main room. "The next location we are going to explore is the Cortex Marshes. There are no known settlements there, but many diverse flora and fauna species. A few things piqued my interest about this place, though… One, this area HAS been explored by my father's knights, and they all returned safely. Strangely, a majority of them came back with some minor headaches, as well as an increased rate of talking. That brings me to number two: In the name "Cortex Marshes", this place is unique in how its environment and wildlife sustain themselves. The entire ecology of the area is similar to human brain function. I don't feel like this will impede us in any way, as the things I read didn't relate this to the artifact in any way, it's still something to be aware of. One more thing; there IS an artifact here, so Ardonous' henchmen might be lurking."
Keo looked at Avi to make sure she was listening. "Why me? Shouldn't you be looking at Rei?" She said. Rei gave a thumbs up and said, "Let's get going. Oh, and I hope my brain still functions properly after this. I value my memory." Rei walked out the front door and left it open behind him. "W-wait up!" Avi swiftly followed Rei, with Keo grabbing his pouch and following behind. The three walked towards the exit of Avindors' Wake. "So, how do we get to this place anyway?" Rei asked. "Well, the gilded groves were directly northwest of town. If we stop about halfway in the same direction, and go east, we should find the Cortex Marshes.” As they exited the town, Keo gave Rei and Avi directions to their next location.
It was still morning, and the sun was rising high in the sky. Birds were chirping, and unfamiliar creatures were roaming the fields. Rei, Keo, and Avi looked at their surroundings as they cleared the fields. The three didn't say much to each other as they walked. Rei had a frustrating look on his face. "Sleepy?" Avi said to him. No response. Avi put a dull look on her face. Keo looked ahead; "Here we are, the Cortex Marshes. Let's go."
