Edward approaches the so called cave, it was source of which the signal came from.
He took a peek inside only to find it covered in miasmic darkness.
Not only the darkness but the uneasy feeling that someone was spying on you and the cold air that seemed to spawn through the under ground entrance. Edward sighed, he realized that he had to go trough that place one again.
He barely survived the last time because of the injuries he had sustained from the battle before.

He stepped back for a moment looking to the party.
"Are you ready?..."he asked with little hesitation.

Sakiko peered in the dark cavern's mouth, and shivered. A chilly finger ran down her back as the cold breath of the entrance reached her face. The mage said dryly,

"Yes. I'm ready."

Zapheta, clung to Sakiko, her green eyes wide in fear. She enjoyed bright, happy things, and it was of no surprise that was feeling immense terror. The bard added with a trembling voice,

"I'm not."

Sakiko turned her eyes to the clinging bard, and said,

"You don't need to go if you don't want to, Zapheta. You know I can take care of myself."

Zeze shook her head, and said defiantely,

"No, no way! I said I'll go, didn't I?"

She smiled slightly and cried,

"Onward, gentlemen! Onward!"

The highlands were one of the nicer places, in Kasei's opinion. They were a great spot for a hike. As he trudged up the path that led to Ruto town, the rebel flame gazed down at the forest below. Then he stopped, facing a cave, and Edward. "Looks like it could be dangerous." The shiekahn warrior spoke up, igniting his hand with fire. He pointed, and let a jet of flame fire into the cave, in case there was something just inside waiting for them. "I have.....an uneasy feeling."

Sakiko stepped back, and muttered to Kasei approvingly,

"Smart."

She pulled Zapheta back with her, as the bard was blindly marching into the cave. She had been livened up by her own pep talk, and was feeling ready for anything. The mage commented with a slight question embedded into it,

"Edward, you seem like you know this place."

"ah...yes I do although it's been a while to say the least....and my memory is a bit disturbed." He answered to Sakiko.

Edward took out his staff, a small fire instantly appeared on top of the rod.
A thing Azador always used to do.
"Let's see what the darkness brings..."
He stepped forward in the shade of the entrance it was now lid showing the brown and rough wall. He stepped forward once more, but a sudden jolt of pain cut through Edwards mind once again.
well...well...you have come indeed, I did not expect any less...if you want to find Azador just come inside.... Said the familiar voice that he had heard at courtyard but it seemed far stronger then in the castle town.

"erghhh... he...invites us in..." Edward muttered, loud enough for the party to hear.

"...eeehhhh???!!!!"

Zeze's eyes widened at Edward's last comment. She cried rapidly,

"HE?? Who the hell is he?! You mean there's something alive in there or WHAT?! A monster that can't speak or think is fine wid me, but a person is another story, y'know? Hey, Sakiko, how about we ditch this thing-"

Sakiko gave Zeze a silencing, cold glare.

"One more word like that out of you, bard, and I'll make you shut up."

Zapheta shivered, and saluted.

"Yessir!"

The mage gripped her staff, and breathed heavily. She said hesitently,

"Let's...go...then. I suppose he's unaffected by Kasei's fire."

"That was a very cruel thing to say about me. Fire is something all things are scared of, and it is even more terrifying if the flames are being wielded by a man who has the knowledge to wield it as well as a sword, such as myself. In fact, if I really wanted to, Sakiko, I could very well put a spell on you that would burn you forever, and you would not die." Kasei said obstinantly, taking a few steps into the cave as he spoke again. "Then again, fire can also be used for good. It can give you light in the darkest of places, it is warm and comforting. In it's own way, fire is a living being. It breathes, it grows......it devours. Fire is a force to be wary of, and so too should the one wielding it."

He went on, holding a flame above his head for light. "Even more so, if they have no control. If you creat a rock, and then do nothing with it, will it move? Will it attack and devour anything that can be used to sustain it? No. Fire will do just that. Should someone summon fire, and not be able to control it, then they would be devoured. They would become a victim of the very attack they intended for their opponent. Of course, there is, like I said, users like me, who have complete mastery of the element. We, too, should be feared, because if we so choose, then we can make fire do any number of flames. Remember that, Sakiko, remember that I am to be feared." The rebel flame finally finished, turning around. "Shall I tell you a story?" He asked, but didn't wait for an answer, and began a tale concerning a battle between a fire spirit and Kasei......

"Wow..Kasei I did not know you had so much experience fighting such strong monsters"
He replied to Kasei's story.
The party had been traveling in the same direction for awhile, the air seemed to get more colder the farther they went. A sudden breeze blew out Edward's candle a few times just like the cave did not want them inside.
"hmmm...I forgot something very important" The mage said the second he saw the path split into the left and the right.
He took out a small piece of paper and a pen out of his pocket.
"A map would be welcome in places like these "With a quick draw he finished the path they already been trough.


Map:
http://members.lycos.nl/reft/questmap.bmp

OOC: I will randomly update the map in new posts.

IC: "hmmm...I can't remember exactly which way I went....
So I think we have to guess which path to take..."
Said Edward with a sign of worry on his face.

Sakiko decided not to say anything of the matter, as she saw that Kasei was ruffled in his pride. She put a hand on her mouth, trying not to laugh, as she had not intended her comment in how Kasei had translated it. Straightening her face, the mage nodded solemnly,

"Of course, Kasei, it is a universally well known fact, I am sure, that you are much more powerful than most of us. But I can't fear you, I don't know why."

She smiled slightly at him, and walked on, with Zeze still clinging to her arms. The mage scolded,

"Do not cling unto me. If a monster was to come out right now, I wouldn't protect you. I'd use you as a shield."

Zeze's green eyes widened in fear at such a thought, and immediately dropped her hands from Sakiko's arm. Pouting, she slinked into the shadows of Kasei, and muttered,

"Kasei is much stronger than you, and he's willing to protect me. So ha, Sakiko."

"...I...think it's to the left..."The mage muttered after short moment of silence.
He took a few steps to the direction. The path became surrounded by light around Edward because of the flame dancing on the wooden stake. The path seemed normal although the floor seemed much more rough as stones and pebbles were scattered all around the place, unlike the flat path they had been following for now.
Although the road didn't seem as friendly...the whole aura was different.
Then he released that the air was getting much warmer even after a few steps away from the group.
"very curious....The temperature seems to rise on this direction, but I can't tell if that's a good thing or not."

The mage closed his eyes and chanted some words most people couldn’t understand.
He spread his other hand forward as a small flaming missile rushed to the darkness farther away. Eventually the light disappeared meaning it had hit the wall.

"hmmm.. No monsters...and the path isn't long...very curious....Should we have look?"
Edward said turning to the group.

OOC: Sorry it took this long to repley I was ill for some time, so let us please continue this little event, shan't we?

Zeze cleared her throat, the sound of it bouncing off the walls. The bard trembled,

"I dunno...I figure a monster's gonna be there, righto? What if it's like an invisible monster?"

The mage raised her head and sighed,

"We wouldn't know that, now would we, until we actually go and investigate!"

Her tone becoming more serious, Sakiko nodded her head at Edward.

"Let's go."