Brian Pratt - Warrior priest of Dmon-Li

They move back a ways from the pyramid, finding a spot where they can sit and wait for Jiron’s return. A half hour later, they hear him approaching from the other direction. As he nears the pyramid of skulls, he begins looking around. When he sees them there waiting for him, he leaves the barrier and makes his way over to them.

“Well?” James asks.

Shaking his head, he says, “It’s solid all the way around. There were two spots I had to leave to avoid entering the water, but other than that, it’s solid.”

“Now what?” asks Miko looking as if he’s about ready to panic.

“We go back to the clearing and the large pyramid there,” he tells them, glancing from one to the other. “That’s where the pulse originated from, so it stands to reason that is where we could possibly remove the barrier.”

“How?” asks Jiron.

Getting up, James says, “I haven’t the faintest idea. But there’s only one place where I might be able to figure it out.”

“Back at the clearing?” Miko asks voice quavering.

James nods his head as he says, “Back at the clearing. Maybe getting a closer look at that pyramid will give me some idea on how to bring it down. Or perhaps there may be something in one of the buildings that will do it. Won’t know for sure until we look.”

“Let’s get going then,” Jiron says. “We’ve only got a couple hours left until dark.”

As they walk back, James asks, “How many pyramids were there along the barrier?”

“Five all together,” he replies. “Why?”

“Just curious,” he explains. “I doubt if that would have any bearing on anything though.”

Upon reaching the clearing, James grabs Jiron’s arm before he leaves the trees and indicates that he should be the first to enter. More than happy to comply, Jiron steps back as he allows James to precede them.

Stepping slowly into the clearing, he braces himself for another energy pulse from the large pyramid. He’s quite relieved when another pulse fails to materialize. With Miko and Jiron right behind, he makes his way over to the large pyramid. It’s similar to the other one at the barrier, a tiered pyramid of human skulls. He closely examines it, but doesn’t see anything that might help in bringing down the barrier. The thought occurred to him to smash the pyramid, but was afraid of the repercussions that might ensue.

He glances over to the other two and shakes his head, “Better try the ruins.” Turning his attention to the collapsed structures for a moment, he starts walking over to the one on the far right.

“Something there?” asks Miko hopefully when he sees their destination.

James glances back at him and replies, “No, just being systematical is all. It’s as good a place to start as any.”

This building had been a single story structure at one time. The roof had fallen in so long ago that small trees have begun to grow among the rubble. He walks through an opening in what’s left of the wall and looks around.

He gives the interior a quick once over as he moves around within the building. Poking through the rubble, he finds nothing but stone and a wooden crossbeam, which looks to have once been used to support the ceiling.

Glancing at the other two, he shakes his head then leaves the building. He then makes his way the short distance over to the next one. It’s a two story building, half of it having collapsed, leaving a section still standing. He goes up to the opening where a door once stood, though is now long gone, and looks inside.

The floor is choked with rubble, but off to one side, he sees the remnant of the stairway leading up to the second floor. It’s not in the best of condition, but he figures it’ll hold his weight. Making his way through the room over to stairs, he begins climbing to the second floor. Two small sections of the stairs are missing and he has to stretch across them in order to continue.

When he finally reaches the top of the stairs, he comes to a hallway. The entire right side has fallen away leaving only a foot and a half span still attached to the left wall. A room lies further down, and the only way to get there is by walking upon the broken section of the hallway.

He looks down to see Jiron and Miko there looking up at him. “Be careful!” Miko hollers.

Waving back in response, he steps out gingerly upon the narrow section of hallway still usable. Cautiously setting his weight upon it, the board creaks but he finds that it will hold up under his weight. One step at a time, he slowly makes his way across.

He begins to think that maybe he shouldn’t be doing this, what with his leg in the shape it’s in and all. But he’s only a dozen feet away from where the collapsed section ends and the hallway once more is whole.

Taking it slowly, he makes it to the other side. Pausing a moment as he glances briefly down to the others waiting below, Miko gives them a smile and a thumbs up. Turning his attention back to the hallway, he quickly moves down to the only room left intact on the second floor.

He comes to the doorway and enters the room. Over upon one wall is a large bronze plaque. Crossing the room to where it hangs on the wall, he realizes that it’s engraved with a picture of the five small pyramids along the outer perimeter and the larger one with the buildings next to it.

There are lines coming from the smaller ones leading directly to the larger one in the courtyard outside. Must be showing a power grid or some such, he reasons.

He looks around further, but doesn’t find anything else of interest. Casting another glance at the bronze plaque, he leaves the room and comes back to the broken section of hallway. This time he steps out upon the broken section with more confidence.

When he’s almost across, a section of the floor cracks and falls away beneath him. Crying out as he falls, he reaches out and manages to catch hold of a section of the broken floor. Hanging there, he tries to keep his hands from slipping and dropping him down to the floor below.

“Hang on!” he hears Jiron yell as he bolts up the stairs, easily jumping the missing sections as he comes to his aid. Coming to where he’s hanging precariously, Jiron kneels down and holds out his hand. “Take it!” he says as he stretches his hand further toward him.

Afraid to lose his grip with the other hand, James shakes his head and says, “I can’t!”

“Yes you can,” Jiron assures him as he tries to stretch his hand even further toward him.

James tries letting go and grab Jiron’s hand but in so doing, causes his other hand to slip. With a cry, he plummets ten feet down to the rubble below. Landing awkwardly on the broken stone, his side is punctured by a sharp rock and severely cuts open his side. Crying out with pain, he grabs the wound as he tries to stop the blood from flowing.

Jiron gets up and rushes down the stairs to his side, but Miko is the first to reach him. “James!” he exclaims when he sees the blood oozing from under the hand he has clinched to his side. Not knowing what to do, Miko stands there in indecision.

He lies there, holding his side as best he can until Jiron approaches. Looking to him he says, “I knew I couldn’t hold on with one hand.”

“Sorry,” Jiron says as he kneels next to him. “Let me look at it.” Lifting his shirt, he sees scrapes going from just under his armpit to his waist. One cut looks deeper than the rest and is oozing blood, but it is already beginning to stop.

Putting the shirt back down, he says, “I don’t thing you’re going to bleed to death, but it’s going to hurt for a while.”

“Feels that way,” James says as he puts his hand back on the wound, continuing to apply pressure.

“Did you find anything?” asks Miko.