There are some details I can't remember. I know the main character had a male fraternal twin, for example, but I can't remember what I named him. I need names suggested, I guess. Also, read what I've got so far. Yes, there will be a tl;dr.
Quote:
Finally combing through the brambles and branches enough to see the golden warmth of the sun filling a clearing up ahead, Jenna's pace began to quicken. It felt as if she'd spent days navigating this dark, hapless forest; she prayed beneath her breath that she was in the right place. She smirked as heard her brother calling for her to slow down as he stumbled, several yards behind her, over the dead branches and gnarled vines that mischievously riddled the ground. Turning to watch him pick himself up from his most recent fall, she leaned against a sturdy oak while she let him catch up.
"You could have just stayed home, you know," she teased, taking his hand and guiding him over a fallen trunk with exaggerated care, as if he were made of glass. He scowled and shook his head, halfheartedly mumbling something about protecting his sister. She laughed. "I'll probably end up protecting you," she retorted, pointing with a novel sense of pride to the sheath she had only worn in secret before this journey. The corners of his frown dipped deeper, adding concern to his irritation.
"As if you can even use it without dropping it on your foot."
"Hey, that was one time, and I'd just gotten--"
Jenna stopped mid-sentence as the warmth hit her body.
Compared to the cool darkness of the forest maze, it felt like the first day of summer had just slapped her in the face. She looked up to greet the sun, but what seemed like a mile upward, the thick foliage of the trees still blocked out the sky, branching unnaturally toward one another as if for this express purpose. Confused, she took in her surroundings: the ground was covered with soft green moss, small wildflowers in all colors of the rainbow lining the edges of the clearing. A small pond sat beneath a giant boulder, leaning out over the water and soaking in the clearing's warm, unexplained glow. A short, thick, leafless tree stood in the center of the meadow, an arch carved out of it like a doorway. At its crown, about half as high as the leafy ceiling, shone the largest, greenest jewel Jenna had ever seen. Its surface seemed to radiate light rather than reflect it; it must have been the source of the warm, soft light that filled the clearing in the sun's absence. She turned to to share the magnificence of the view; he seemed unimpressed and wary.
The twins didn't have much time to discuss their next step; a woman clad entirely in white was making her way toward them. "State your intentions," she called as she approached, her walk neither hostile nor friendly.
"Um--" Jenna reached in her pockets for the slip of parchment Lianelle had given her. She dug it out not a moment too soon; the woman had reached them and stood, arms crossed, the look of a territorial house pet on her face. As she accepted the note, her expression intensified. The twins watched her face turn from suspicion to surprise to delight in a matter of seconds, and she spoke again, her voice much brighter and more welcoming than before.
"Hi! Nell told us everything! We've been waiting for you!" She practically shrugged Jenna and out of their travelling coats, folding them over her arm carefully before she returned her eyes to their faces, beaming. Jenna noticed that this girl was younger, even, than she was. "Right this way, please." She led them through the door in the tree and down an ornate wooden staircase; the tree seemed, in fact, just to be one large staircase, spiralling up to a small lookout below the great emerald, but also deep down into the warm grasp of the earth. Jenna subconsciously recalled an old history lesson, remembering that each of the temples of Vian housed a direct path to Perennial. The thought made her tremble slightly, wondering just how far down this staircase might go. The smell of wood and dirt grew stronger with every step they descended, following the white-veiled figure until she stopped in front of a large door with a priestess in prayer delicately carved into the wood.
Her previous jubilance faded to somber seriousness as she turned to face the twins again, weighed down by burdens no face so young should have to bear. "Our great mother Goddess, Diantha, has placed a trial beyond this door that I dare not speak of for fear you will turn tail and flee. I have been instructed to give you these items to help you prove your worth to Her." She reached into her long, white robe and pulled out a tightly-wound ball of deep green yarn, glistening and glowing as the emerald had atop the tree. She handed it to, then continued to search the layers of her robe and gown until she produced a small vial of what Jenna could only assume was blood. She accepted it from the priestess as if it were an omen, carefully tucking it away in her own pocket with a gulp.
"I won't run," she assured the priestess with a false smile.
"There is no shame in it." The girl turned away, her voice almost giving in to fearful tears. She stammered as she continued. "Sh-should you need food or rest, I shall be keeping v-vigil at this door." She took out a large ring of wooden keys, flipping through them until she found one inlaid with an emerald, then put it to the doorknob and turned it.
She took a few steps away on the landing, flashing the twins her most hopeful smile, then sat with legs crossed, back against the opposing wall. As she pushed the door open, Jenna wondered whether the girl had been instructed to wait on them or not. almost went to sit down with her too, but then reluctantly followed after an annoyed glare from his sister.
The air was cold and heavy, and the door swung shut behind them almost immediately. The roots poking out from the dirt ceiling amply suggested that this tunnel was not a part of the tree they had just been in. The path seemed to slope downward, slightly slippery with mud. With Jenna's instruction, tied one end of the yarn to the door, then threw the ball down the hill into the darkness. The faint glow illuminated the tunnel enough for the twins to make their way carefully downward, grabbing onto the roots in the walls for support as their feet slipped and slid beneath them. They didn't talk much besides cursing; wondered what could have been bad enough to make them run away about this, but Jenna reminded him they hadn't reached the end yet.
As if on cue, the floor suddenly became level and solid. retrieved the ball of yarn, still tied surprisingly neatly for having fallen nearly a mile into muddy darkness. He held it up as if he expected the glow to help him see. The faint shine wasn't enough to light up more than a few yards in front of him, but Jenna noticed the ground had been strewn with bones; it took her a few deeply shocking seconds to realize that they were human bones. She reached instinctively for her hilt, never more aware of the sword's weight at her hip. And then she heard it: a low, deep feline sound, half-growl, half-purr, like a lion preparing to pounce on its prey. must have heard it too, because he panicked and threw the ball in its direction, the glittering yarn streaming through the darkness like a ribbon of pure light.
The growl turned into an annoyed half-roar: the ball had bounced off of an eerily white nose and now rested beside an equally ivory paw, lighting the great beast in a sinister way. Frozen in fear, the twins could do nothing but take in the horrifying sight before them. It was twice the size of a horse, but with shorter, more muscular legs that implied the creature favored quick leaps and mighty swings over running after its prey. Its proud mane held as still as stone, thick and cold-looking around its regal face. From behind, a snow-white scorpion's tail arched over its great body, twitching as if it had a mind of its own. It looked like a large chunk of its body had been taken out of its left shoulder, but instead of an open wound revealing blood and bones, the remaining gap showed only stark, porous white rock.
It roared again before it pounced, and that seemed to snap Jenna back to her senses. She drew her sword and braced herself for its advance, jumping aside when it finally pounced, relieved to see had done the same with his dagger and not fallen victim to the giant creature's claws and, more terrifyingly, tail. This was going to be a grueling fight that Jenna wasn't sure if she could even win. How do you kill something that's made of stone!?
"You could have just stayed home, you know," she teased, taking his hand and guiding him over a fallen trunk with exaggerated care, as if he were made of glass. He scowled and shook his head, halfheartedly mumbling something about protecting his sister. She laughed. "I'll probably end up protecting you," she retorted, pointing with a novel sense of pride to the sheath she had only worn in secret before this journey. The corners of his frown dipped deeper, adding concern to his irritation.
"As if you can even use it without dropping it on your foot."
"Hey, that was one time, and I'd just gotten--"
Jenna stopped mid-sentence as the warmth hit her body.
Compared to the cool darkness of the forest maze, it felt like the first day of summer had just slapped her in the face. She looked up to greet the sun, but what seemed like a mile upward, the thick foliage of the trees still blocked out the sky, branching unnaturally toward one another as if for this express purpose. Confused, she took in her surroundings: the ground was covered with soft green moss, small wildflowers in all colors of the rainbow lining the edges of the clearing. A small pond sat beneath a giant boulder, leaning out over the water and soaking in the clearing's warm, unexplained glow. A short, thick, leafless tree stood in the center of the meadow, an arch carved out of it like a doorway. At its crown, about half as high as the leafy ceiling, shone the largest, greenest jewel Jenna had ever seen. Its surface seemed to radiate light rather than reflect it; it must have been the source of the warm, soft light that filled the clearing in the sun's absence. She turned to
The twins didn't have much time to discuss their next step; a woman clad entirely in white was making her way toward them. "State your intentions," she called as she approached, her walk neither hostile nor friendly.
"Um--" Jenna reached in her pockets for the slip of parchment Lianelle had given her. She dug it out not a moment too soon; the woman had reached them and stood, arms crossed, the look of a territorial house pet on her face. As she accepted the note, her expression intensified. The twins watched her face turn from suspicion to surprise to delight in a matter of seconds, and she spoke again, her voice much brighter and more welcoming than before.
"Hi! Nell told us everything! We've been waiting for you!" She practically shrugged Jenna and
Her previous jubilance faded to somber seriousness as she turned to face the twins again, weighed down by burdens no face so young should have to bear. "Our great mother Goddess, Diantha, has placed a trial beyond this door that I dare not speak of for fear you will turn tail and flee. I have been instructed to give you these items to help you prove your worth to Her." She reached into her long, white robe and pulled out a tightly-wound ball of deep green yarn, glistening and glowing as the emerald had atop the tree. She handed it to
"I won't run," she assured the priestess with a false smile.
"There is no shame in it." The girl turned away, her voice almost giving in to fearful tears. She stammered as she continued. "Sh-should you need food or rest, I shall be keeping v-vigil at this door." She took out a large ring of wooden keys, flipping through them until she found one inlaid with an emerald, then put it to the doorknob and turned it.
She took a few steps away on the landing, flashing the twins her most hopeful smile, then sat with legs crossed, back against the opposing wall. As she pushed the door open, Jenna wondered whether the girl had been instructed to wait on them or not.
The air was cold and heavy, and the door swung shut behind them almost immediately. The roots poking out from the dirt ceiling amply suggested that this tunnel was not a part of the tree they had just been in. The path seemed to slope downward, slightly slippery with mud. With Jenna's instruction,
As if on cue, the floor suddenly became level and solid.
The growl turned into an annoyed half-roar: the ball had bounced off of an eerily white nose and now rested beside an equally ivory paw, lighting the great beast in a sinister way. Frozen in fear, the twins could do nothing but take in the horrifying sight before them. It was twice the size of a horse, but with shorter, more muscular legs that implied the creature favored quick leaps and mighty swings over running after its prey. Its proud mane held as still as stone, thick and cold-looking around its regal face. From behind, a snow-white scorpion's tail arched over its great body, twitching as if it had a mind of its own. It looked like a large chunk of its body had been taken out of its left shoulder, but instead of an open wound revealing blood and bones, the remaining gap showed only stark, porous white rock.
It roared again before it pounced, and that seemed to snap Jenna back to her senses. She drew her sword and braced herself for its advance, jumping aside when it finally pounced, relieved to see
TL;DR: Giant stone manticore. 2kids1sword. Final Destination underground. How do they win?
Of course I have ideas; I'm putting them in the poll. Victory is mandatory and both characters have to survive, it's only the beginning after all. They are, however, in the close vicinity of priestesses, so they don't have to escape unharmed. Any opinions?