Maybe this is better....

[Illiara]

Zen stared into the cave that he was about to enter. It was terrifying similar to the simulator that he had gone through years earlier. He walked inside, and immediately sidestepped a trap in the floor. He slunk across the wall, being cautious, as the cave could have anything on the walls. He stopped, then moved forward really quickly. He then grabbed a box on the pedestal in the center of this room, then stared in horror as a huge Earth Spirit, Deriment, came up out of the floor. Deriment laughed, then unleashed his powerful Earth Ripple ability, and created a mud demon to finish his work. The demon blasted him with coatings of mud, then was shot down from where it stood by Gwyneth, an Aqua Spirit. She sent the Torrent of Geonthane toward Deriment, which caused him to disappear. Gwyneth then grabbed him and took him out of the caves.

 

Zen opened his eyes and stepped out of the portal. The box he had grabbed from the cave sat on the table, dying to be opened. Before he could get there, Kirol, his rival, walked in and said, "(laughing) I can't believe you just came out of the portal! Where did you go? Fairyworld?"

 

"Just be quiet. I brought back this box from the Lerate Caves, if you must know."

 

"The legendary treasure of the Lerate Caves? You liar!"

 

Kirol walked out, muttering to himself, and went out to the courtyard. Zen, on the other hand, went upstairs to see Headmaster Tirade.

 

Tirade motioned for Zen to come into his office. He pulled up a chair, then set down the scroll that he was reading.

 

"The Histories of Earth Spirit and Sorcery? Headmaster, why are you reading that?"

 

Tirade chuckled. "Well, this tells of every single sorceror, the Earth Spirit he or she can summon, and lists all spells known to man that follow the Earth Spirit discipline. You'd be surprised to see what you could learn from the Histories. Now, the box. If what's in it is what I think it is, you will be famous."

 

Tirade opened the box that Zen had brought back from the Lerate Caves, and gasped; inside was a pendant. It had enchanted powers that augmented yours if you followed the same Elemental discipline.

 

"So, the Pendant of Rock is ours. Good job. I want you to read this scroll, titled "The Novice Aqua's Repetoire of Spells" It should contain some summoning spells and some other spells for you to use. Now, leave, I have much to do."

 

Zen walked out of the Headmaster's office and went downstairs. He smiled at Neravae, one of the few women who studied the magic arts, sat in a chair, with several scrolls from the Library stacked next to her.

 

"Hi, Zen." Neravae said, "Do you want to help me summon a Fire Spirit? We can use the Summoning Chamber; Mistress Lenarei will let students of her House use the Chamber anytime they want."

 

"Not right this minute." Zen replied. He just realized that Lenarei might not approve of his running a mission for House Deifner. He was a member of the House Thenarat, which approved of using the Spirits to "eliminate" the other Houses' competition. "I have to go see Mistress Lenarei right now." Why, oh why, did he let Tirade talk him into getting him the Pendant of Rock.

 

Lenarei sat up in her chair, she hated what she was hearing. She did not believe that the Pendant of Rock was in the possession of House Deifner; she needed anyone to bring House Thenarat the Pendant. If she did not possess that pendant, her entire House faced destruction.

 

"Zen! Since you gave Tirade the Pendant, you must get it back, without triggering his wards."

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