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Open The Good, The Evil, and The Greedy

Ming's ear twitched. She stares at the lizard, trying to find a flaw in that statement. Her eyes then narrow, wary of the reptile.

"Upon your Honor. You swear you will return the box to me....?"

She leans forward on the branch, her fang bared.

"If you are lying to me, you will pay with your life. You will wish you never landed here and raided my people's sacred relics"
 
Fwak peeked out from behind the ship, eavesdropping on the conversation. The cat-person seemed very desperate to get the box back… The box must be very important. And the temple might contain some treasures as well. Now, if they can go there and check it out, maybe they can find the secret of the Phoenix…

Suddenly, the vines around him started to move. A long green tendril shot out of the ground and wrapped itself around his foot, then tried to drag him down. Fwak cursed and, with a swish of a knife, cut the vine cleanly in half and leapt into the air. What is with these stupid plants anyway? Spreading out the long, red feathers on his arms, Fwak flapped his wing-hands and landed safely on a tree, away from the vines. He looked at the green undergrowth below wearily, knife still in hand. The vine that had tried to drag him down grew back and ceased to move.

Fwak gave a little sigh as adrenaline slowly faded from his body. Really, he’s not that fond of this planet. Too much greens and not enough treasure, although the temple does seem like a good place to look for some. And that golden box…

He decided to stay on the tree now; he didn’t want to risk getting strangled by the vines. “You guys, watch out for the vines. They just tried to kill me.”
 
Ming glances at the one that flew into the trees, mildly annoyed that there were so many outsiders on her planet.

"The plants grab onto poeple, keep tem from moving, then enter though your mouth and into your body to absorb the water and nutreints. They will kill you if you don't know how to deal with them. A friendly warning...."

Ming then returns her stare at the lizard female. After a moment of silence, she moves up the treea nd starts to hop from branch to branch, leaving them all behind.

"The temple is this way...if you wish to not become plant food, you'll follow me"
 
Enivari informed Lefarui that it was glad Lefarui hadn't been on the same branch, and Lefarui returned the thought, accompanied by the observation that the vine-plant went against most of their knowledge of plants and evolution and thus had to be examined very thoroughly. Enivari agreed, and they both decided that Lefarui would stay behind to examine the plant and try to free the spaceship, along with the humans.

We didn't agree to return the box, Lefarui said, so we're not obligated to. Also, cut there and there, and get away from the vines.

Enivari slashed exactly where Lefarui said to without thinking, and leapt away, turning to find that its sickles had cut through vines. Lefarui sent the image of the vines reaching for Enivari, and Enivari sent the emotion the humans called gratitude.

Lefarui leapt back down to the ground, pointing after the catperson. I don't know that you'll remain within range, so ensure you don't die before we can get the information back from you. And if you're too badly injured upon your return, we can't guarantee its accuracy. Avoid that, too.

Enivari bowed its head, smiling. Likewise.

Enivari then turned and chased after the catperson, running on the ground, being unable to climb or tree-hop the way Lefarui might. It found it a little difficult to keep its eyes on the catperson and on the area in front of it at the same time, so it was mostly using touch to avoid obstacles. It of course glanced at its path occasionally, just to keep track, but it was mainly trusting its other senses to warn it of obstacles.

Smell and hearing were slightly less useful when it didn't know what to sniff or listen for, though.

This was why Gzaliels liked to travel in at least pairs; they could take in and share information from two sources. If Lefarui came with it, one could keep track of obstacles while the other watched the catperson. But in this case, the vine-plant was interesting enough to need studying, as much as the catperson was.

It was just that it was always comforting for another Gzaliel to be around, so they could talk with each other... without another Gzaliels to bounce its thoughts off of, Enivari was much less confident about what to do.
 
Tanith climbed through the trees after the feline, utilizing her long strong body to maneuver between trees as fast as she could. Ground movement would have been faster, but then the vines could have hurt her, and she couldn't afford to be hurt, not now.

"What is your temple like, feline?" She ventured, leaping onto a thick branch. It seemed that the feline had believed her when she said that they would return the box. Gullible mammal.
 
So the plants do kill… Fwak thought as he leapt through the canopy from treetop to treetop, following Tanith and the cat-person. Getting his guts sucked out by plants didn’t seem like something fun, so Fwak stayed as far away from the vines as he could. Falling wasn’t an option for him; Fawk spread the feathers on his arm and glided when the next tree was too far to land on with just a leap.

Fwak found himself wondering about the temple. What kind of treasure would it contain? And the cat-person seemed to believe that they, the pirates, would return the golden box to her. Ha. As if.

Or maybe the temple is a trap. The feline definitely knew more about this planet than they did; otherwise, she would have been killed by the vines already. She might have set a trap in the temple, and, the moment they land their feet in to that place, the trap would spring and they would be dead. That would explain why the cat-person agreed to take them to the temple so easily.

Fwak shrugged to himself. If it is a trap, then so what? It’s not like they would be able to get their ship out of the vines soon, and there’s nothing else to do besides checking out the temple. It might, after all, hold the secrets of Phoenix.
 
Le'beam was glad Fkaw was safe, it meant that he had a better chance of avoiding boredom when they left this planet. He grasped a limb of the tree and climbed his way up to the area more dense with branches, a slight self-gratifying smile coming to his face as he spoke into the shoulder mounted microphone of his exploration suit. Unlike most, he took pride from the fact he was able to actually pronounce the alien's full name.

"... For an alien, she certainly seems human doesn't she Fkawqoiau'dvan? Using threats and guile to get what she wants."

The voice was caustic and bitter, perhaps slightly stained by the same sweat had accumulated on Le'beams shirt from the vine hacking earlier. The right tip of his lip pulled back in a smirk that let show the his back molars.

"- And knowing humans, she'll killed us once she has our only bargaining chip." Le'beam paused as he passed across a narrow branch, concentrating on his balance until he had returned to thicker and more easily traversed branches.

"After all, just look around you. This place has been free of civilization for far longer than I could fathom, and most radars couldn't even pick this planet up. But I am sure she knows that word of mouth could bring more scavengers and treasure seekers than an abandoned merchant ship. Letting us go would just be risking someone else taking her precious treasure."

Le'beam took a moment to dismiss the sweat from him brow and take a breath. He certainly could see why she might not want anyone finding her here. Other than the fact that the plant life was most definitely feral, it was a beautiful world. To bad he couldn't truely enjoy it though with the throb of what he reasoned was imminent death pounding in the base of his neck. The best he could do was simply try to stifle it with dark humor.

"So... Ten credits says that Enivari is going to get turned to plant food first..."
 
Fwak smiled to himself as he leapt from one tree to the next. He was, although he would never admit it, actually quite glad that at least one person in the entire universe knew how to pronounce his name. He stopped for a second, holding on to a tree branch with his right hand and adjusted his shoulder-mic with his left. Feathers are good for keeping oneself warm, but they’re an absolute pain in the butt when it comes to keeping equipment still.

“Completely agree with you there, Jack. Although Enivari looks like a plant itself, so maybe the vines will think that it’s one of them,” Fwak joked back.

Fwak was almost tempted to call Jack by his full name, Moonbeam Le’shine, but knew that the human will probably beat him up after they got to a safer place. But Jack was right; that cat-person didn’t seem like she’s the kind who will let them leave this planet alive.

“Although I’m quite curious about the temple. I mean, the cat-person seemed like she would do anything to get her precious box back, and she agreed to take us to the temple she was trying so hard to guard. I think it might be a trap.”

The bird-like alien aimed carefully and leapt off of a large tree. His powerful legs sent him flying through the air for quite a distance, before Fwak had to open his arm-wings and glide before he got too close to the vines. There were still quite of that lethal plant stuff on the ground, and some were moving quite threateningly. Fwak landed on top of the next tree and kept on going.

“But then of course, traps mean treasure. If the temple really is a trap, then the gold box is probably worth more than what we thought it did. “
 
Ming glance over her should in mid flight, then looks back at the direction she was heading in.

"It's a temple that my people used to pray to our god. It is sacred to me and my people...a holy place where the Phoenix rested and spoke to us."

She continues to ump amoung the branchs, narrowly missing the few broken and rotten branchs of the trees. She then finally leaps out of a tree and land on firm ground littered with rocks. She waits for the others to arrive.

"These are the remain of my village...the Temple is over on that hill to the north"

She points to a great temple, covered in normal vines and built simliar to the temples made by the Aztecs. The temple looks old and worn, looking like a shell of what was once a glorious place where the Phoenix dwelled. There is a entrance big enough for them to enter up a flight of stone stairs.
 
Tanith grinned widely, shoving herself forward with all the power her four hind legs could give her. Soon enough she had reached the hill, and was carefully examining her surroundings. It seemed safe enough.

"Let's head up to the temple, I want to take a look." She said, pointing at the set of stairs.
 
The vines continued their assault on the snared vessel, lashing at the various crewmen on the deck and brushing along the porthole-lined sides for something to latch on to. As this probing went on, the ropey vegetation would periodically stray to one window in particular, where the reinforced glass was fogged up from the inside, the resulting heat sufficient enough to draw in the plants like flies to a carcass. Although, perhaps "flytrap" would be a better simile, for the opening flew open suddenly, releasing the cloud of steam within, and a blur of red reached out and snatched one of the inquisitive tendrils.

Rilloc pulled the wriggling plant into the dark, smoky, stiflingly hot atmosphere of his quarters, where tables upon tables loaded to the brim with vials of bubbling chemicals and machinery spluttering out sparks occupied every inch of space. Excited chitters spout from his mouth automatically as he observes the local flora twist and writhe violently in an attempt to escape. Not even the plants want to be experimented on. We can't have that. While his hands silenced the resistance with another sharp tug, the lower pair of arms unfolded from their place against his chest, revealing the smudged Xirrin symbols, and severed the vine with one clean swipe of his blades. Rilloc clicked at the segment lying limp in his grip, and then the computer embedded in his skull whirred to life and "spoke" in a monotonous yet menacing tone, "Not so tough now, are you?"

He turned away, letting the remaining length of vine slip back to the safety outside and closing the window again. His body lurched forward mechanically, effortlessly weaving through the network of tables as his mind reverted to the desire of new discovery, too blinded by the mental rush to care for the way he was whipping his prize around and knocking over all of his previous experiments; those didn't matter, they were old news, the scraps of yesterday that had been torn to unrecognizable bits by the time he was done with them. By the time he came to his destination, a space of counter relatively free of mess sans an oversized microscope-like device with blinking lights covering the black metal, he had peeled off a thin chunk of the vine's skin and jammed into a slide on the microscope's platform while his other hand pulled a cable from the machine and quickly attached it to his computer. The first thing a Xirrin larva must learn in the Hive is how to multitask effectively.

A jubilant trill escaped Rilloc's mandibles as the images began to upload directly to his brain - the computer was too preoccupied with this task to translate, however - showing the individual cells of the vine in all of their blurry green glory. The cellular wall is porous; there are gaps to allow air-bound particles into the structure itself, most likely its main source of food. Moreover, there is an abnormally large number of chloroplasts; this leads to suggest that the plant needs tremendous quantities of energy for some as-of-yet unknown purpose. Prodding the soft skin yielded no reaction, nor did chopping it up further after his patience had worn thin; it felt far too much like the flesh of humans for his comfort. Reproduction, perhaps? But, unlike the "Abyssal Tentacles" specimen observed on Sule 5, this species cannot continue to live after being separated from the origin. Further data is necessary for the desired conclusion.


Not even a minute later saw the dark metal tube of a gun's barrel peaking out of a crack in the door to Rilloc's laboratory; the battle still raged on, without much progress being made in the crew's efforts to free their vessel or with the vines' desire to feed. The gateway swung open the rest of the way, revealing Rilloc with one of his prized plasma rifles held at the ready and the tools for his expedition jangling together softly in a pack slung over his shoulder. He could try to help his fellow comrades, but far more important matters took priority, exploration right up there at the top of the list along with survival - Xirrin life was short enough without getting into potentially fatal situations, after all. Closing and locking the door behind him, he carefully sneaked away to the edge where ship and jungle blended together; hopefully everyone would be too busy with their own predicaments to notice him, let alone ask for assistance.


((Maybe I'll be able to post more frequently now that I've got the character down...))
 
((Bump from Cancun, also, Chichen Itza was built by the Mayan I think, if that is the temple you are referencing... >.> I learned it while I was down here.))

"More li-"

Le'beam's pressumably dry humor found itself silenced by the majest of the building, his abrasive half formed words falling out of his mouth and disapearing into a gape of awe. A temple rose from the forest, brownish red stone standing over the green folliage. He had seen far higher buildings before, but something about its design made it seem ageless. The stone, the intricate designs, even the smell made his steps uneasy, as though he was walking upon a place that was truely forgotten and rediscovered.

"..." Was all that the others heard on his radio, a sudden but held out exhale of wonder.
 
Ming leans against the wall of one of the ruins, watching the outsiders study the holy Temple of the Phoenix. He lowers her head, placing a hand over her heart.

I'm sorry Phoenix for leading these outsiders to your holy temple...but I must. I had to, so I could reclaim the Bell Box....

She watches the Lizard climb the stairs to the door.

Hopefully...they won't harm this sacred place...

- - - - - - - -

Within the Temple, you can see dust and ashes from the entrance. There are few vines inside the great temple that look non-lethal. A few object give off a dull glow in the small light that gets into the temple.

Near the back of the room, you can see a pillar of light with a object in the center. You can't see what the object is from the entrance.
 
Tanith poked her head into the temple, slipping in a moment after. She sniffed at the floor, then the vines, and finally the walls. She squinted at the glowing objects.

"What are these...?" She mumbled, reaching out a hand to touch one.
 
What laid on the floor are dull golden wrist cuffs, engraved with a forgotten language and groves where jewel may have once been. Others objects where necklaces, spear heads, and broken gold tablets with faded engravings of the same forgotten language.

On the wall are faded pictures that seem to tell a story. If looked at closer, one may try to figure out what the story is that is depicted on the ancient walls.

Now further into the Temple, the object in the pillar of light gives off a faint orange and red glow, but still can't be defined as anything yet.
 
"What the **** are you doing?!!! Get your hands away from that." Le'beam screamed, running forwards to swat the large reptillian creature's hand from the orb.

"You can't just walk into ruins and start touching things." His cheeks pulled backwards and his eyes dipped into an expression of disbelief at the 'vulgar' display of 'destructive' behavior. A single bead of sweat trickled down his face, as he let deep breathes return his calm. Finally he place his hand out infront of him as he rephrased his feelings.

"We, as in all of us vistors, are standing in what could be an amazing opportunity-" He paused a second with a sharp inhale. "- to not only leave alive, but possibly gleam long forgotten knowledge... So why in the universe, would you be rude to the person that could have us killed, as well as potentially destroy a peice of history, with a single broad stroke of your hands."

By now, both of Le'beams hands were infront of him, as if begging for some sort of explaination or reason.
 
In a single reflexive motion, Tanith snapped her foot-long jaws open and hissed at Le'beam, baring all three rows of razor teeth. A moment after, she shut them again, looking more sheepish.

"I am sorry. That was a reflex... But. I was curious as to what these objects do. How do you know if we do not try?"

After speaking, she moved away, her eyes now locked on the fiery light near the temple back.

"What is that, do you think? Should we investigate?" She asked, moving towards it without waiting for an answer.
 
Bearing fangs, a very common behavior in ScreeWee, often used to show agitation or anger. The expression is ~

Feeling the heat of the reptilian's breath against his face made him shrivel inside. Not out of fear, but shame. It was like a knive that he curled into, his face averting itself to his feet, unable to bear the sight of Tanith's sheepish and rebuked self.

... I... I can't believe I spoke to Tanith like that.

Le'beam let himself fall behind the rest of the group letting his hand support his forehead.

The way I treated her was like... Like a lesser...

The sentiment continued in his head as an endless loop of shame, to which he could only view with open eyes. He had treated her like a human would treat a 'lesser' being. It angered him, it made him feel shame, it saddened him, but most of all it made him anxious and worried because it reminded him that he was still after all human, no matter how much he tried to think he was not.

OOC: ((We should wait for Linoone to post... We don't want him to get left behind.))
 
((Sorry about the inactiveness. I'll try to post more now.))

Fwak fluttered to the ground in front of the temple, carefully keeping his eyes averted from the sacred buildings. He knew about what sacred sites might do to you; he had seen a whole crew of humans turned to stone by just staring at a sacred rock. However, Le'Beam and Tanith didn't seem to be turning into rocks yet, so Fwak carefully took a peek...

And found himself awestruck. The temple, though old and worn, seem to still have the same glory and beauty as a long time ago. The simple, yet complex designs running down the walls and the pillars gave the temple an ancient look. What seemed to be letters of an ancient language, too, ran down the walls. The temple seem to be telling a tale, the tale of the life of the universe itself...

Fwak snapped out of his daze and followed his mates inside. The temple was dusty, Moonbeam and Tanith seemed to be fighting, but Fwak ignored them. Something else had caught his eye: the glowing beam of light in the far back of the temple. And there’s something floating in it.

“Let’s go check it out," Fwak suggested, even though something in the back of his mind was strongly disagreeing with him.
 
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