The Temple in the Forest

After a short celebration with the defeat of that criminals, those people we saved gave us information regarding the rumored temple of the Daylight Darkness forest. They said that though it was said to be a rumor, the temple was actually real and quite easily found. They even happened to have come across it, and they pointed out its location for us... It seemed like everything was going our way, I guess be good does pay off, besides the feeling of relief afterward.

We found the temple not so long after parting ways with that people. It didn't look like a powerful, majestic, and great temple... The state of it was very precarious, with the rocks and statues decorating it deformed a little, vines hanging all over structure, and dust absolutely everywhere. At least, the trees of the forest seemed to not grow leaves or branches over the temple, making this place the possibly brightest area of the whole fortress.

"It's... Small... Compared to Air temple", Jeffrey commented as we stared at the building from outside first. It did look a bit smaller.

"I think that it must have underground levels, it's Earth who lives here after all", I said to him and started to walk towards the entrance of the temple.

The fox, for some motive, seemed way too excited about this and jumped off my shoulder, running inside the temple head of us, getting me off guard a little.

"Eh? Wait, Beech! We don't know if there are any traps around!", I shouted to the fox, but it ignored me, entering the temple alone and disappearing inside the ruins. Without much of a choice, we only ran after it, careful with possible traps.

For more strange than it seemed to be, the entrance was clear of any kinds of traps... I suppose that's because the temple itself was already a trap: The walls didn't seem sturdy, they were old and dusted, and vines grew within the spaces between each brick.

Although the vines seemed to be the main motive for the walls to be weak, if you touched them, you would realize that it was them who were actually holding this place together.

The entrance that welcomed us wasn't so long... We might have lost the fox from our sight, but soon we reached a room where the fox was, together with many other animals... Did it feel attracted to here? Did it know what this place is? If it was the latter, it would explain why it so confidently walked inside the temple as though it already knew that there were no traps at the entrance

"Ah, welcome, welcome, my dears ones...", a rough but still gentle voice suddenly said... It seemed to be coming from the underground, but that was impossible...

Or at least it seemed so, until the floor of the room, which was made of soil instead of tiles like the entrance, started to move and raise in the form of a bulge. This bulge then formed the giant humanoid figure of a man. Was that the god of Earth? It could only be that, with its rough appearance of rocks and soil mixed with low grass and a flower on its head.

"How are you all doing? Oh, Whired! Even you're here today, along with the others. It's been a long time we don't see each other", he said while extending his arms, letting the fox climb him. It seemed like the fox knew the god already... And the fox had a different name from the one Anna gave it...

I was as surprised as Jeffrey, who looked at me with his expressions asking me for an explanation of the situation. But I think he should be making that expression to the fox, I don't have any explanation for that either.

"How's your family? Is it easier to live in that other forest you moved to?", he asked the fox, but the animal just could look down at the floor and whisper something to the god.

"Hunted down? Oh... That's so sad... That's why you have come back to me, right? Come on, I will comfort you", he said and hugged the fox, tightly but adequately.

"How did you get here, anyway? It's a long hard way from that forest to here", he asked and then the fox pointed to me as an answer and whispered a little bit more. Earth looked shocked and didn't seem to be any happy to see me, his gentleness going away in a second.

"Ah, humans. They are taking care of you? Don't trust them, you can live with me now", he said and it was clear to me, this god had something against humans. I wonder why, though.

"Eh? She saved you from a hunter's trap? Well... It's not really every day that one can see a knightess. She does look like someone... Different. But that doesn't change what I think about humans. You shouldn't change your mind about them either", the god said, thoughtfully, while the fox whispered some more... It was a little bit unsettling to have two people talking about you... In front of you.

"What? She's after the four elements? And you can't stay because you're helping her?", he asked surprised, and then looked at me angrily.

"Well, Miss... Everblade, is that right? Well, either way, your quest is over, because I won't hand my element to a human. Sorry, now goodbye!", he said and turned his back to me.

"Wait... I really do need that element. Please, I am not doing this for me but for-"

"Blah, blah, blah. I am not interested in that, you're a human, period", he said, interrupting me, childishly. I felt a little bit angry by that response and was about to answer back at him, but the fox was faster to intervene before I can do anything, for better or worse.

"Oh, you say that you won't stay with me even if her adventure has come to an end? You're friends now? Huh... You really do trust her, don't you?", he said and sighed annoyedly for a second. Then he looked at me, and then to the fox again.

"Alright, alright... I will give her just one chance of having the element... But instead of testing her to see if she's worth of my element, I will test you Whired", he said and the fox nodded in agreement, although it whispered something first.

"Oh, it's Beech now? I suppose they would give you a new name as well, huh. Well, whatever, if you like the name, I have no problem with that. Let the tests begin!", he said and then moved his hands to the ceiling of the temple, where a hole allowed the sunlight to enter...

Whatever was going to happen, we were relying on Beech to get this element now.