Merrin noticed his touch and thought it perceptive of him to notice her trepidation, despite her aversion to having anyone know she was afraid. Swallowing, she reached out tentatively to brush the green-tinted lid with her fingertips, not noticing the spider.

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Kendath's gaze shifted from the chest to the green spider. He thought the move coincidental at first, but when he looked again he was forced to wonder... because before his very eyes the spider seemed to be growing larger...

[*builds igloo to wait for Anduril*]

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"We have arrived," Xandir spoke in an almost undiscernable hiss. For Evlyn's benefit, he pointed a finger across the courtyard, to the temple.

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Garthag was already ahead of them and unvisible to the bare eye as he rushed trough the courtyard to the temple, he quietly entered and spotted the renegades by the chest. It was essential that they would not at any point be able to get the crystal in their hands as there was no telling, if the gods planned to use the crystal trough them. Garthag determinately headed for the pedastal with his eyes narrowed, he was getting nearer towards the very thing that could fullfill his... their dreams.

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Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

(i'm so sorry, my computer crashed, then i got it back, then i had no internet, then i had no favorites, basically i'v not been here for a week...and i'm sooooooo sorry.)
(errrrr yeah, Semri says thanks for antidote blabla....Semri Evlyn bit coming up.)

Evlyn nodded. She could of asked him who he was, she could of asked him why on earth he was helping her, a Meiltha...but she didn't really want to know. Instead she set off behind Garthag into the temple, ignoring the old ruins about her with disintrest.

Semri heard a sound behind her, a something seemed to be calling her. Suddenly she saw movemnt and dashed back towards the entrace, just as Evlyn stepped out, momentarily blinded by the light.
Semri held her dirk to Evlyn's trought, in the same movment Evlyn's was at her's. "I think i'v found the Gaurdien Merrin" Hissed Semri looking with distrust, and something else at Evlyn.
"Oh look, the Renagades and traitor have been have thought up a new con...mimicary." Replied Evlyn with and identical expression and voice.

They both poised like a shadow and women waiting for a movement, but which was the shadow it was hard to tell.

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Made by Lembas

"Look who's here," Kendath muttered, moving to the side to get a better vantage point of whatever the hell Semri was doing. His eyes narrowed at the sight. She could possibly distract Evlyn long enough for he and Merrin to open the chest.

His hopes were dashed a moment later when he heard an inhuman shrieking behind him, followed by a hit in the back that sent him sprawling. He regained his feet, falchion in hand, to face -

The single largest arachnid he'd seen in his life.

A full twenty feet tall, it reared on its back four legs, mandibles snapping, its few hundred crimson eyes glittering. Even as he watched, it lunged straight for Merrin.

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Merrin, likewise sprawled on the ground, rolled over and out of the way milliseconds before a poisonous barb jabbed at the air she'd occupied. Rapier drawn, she sprang to her feet and gave a cry of horror as she took in the huge monster. "We've found the Guardian!" she shrieked as it lunged, her rapier a blur in the air. "Kendath - Semri - get out of here, go!"

I can't do it... she thought dimly, eyes drawn inexorably to the advancing spider. But by all the gods, I'm going to try!

((W00t, Anduril's back!))

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"I don't think that is an option," hissed Xandir in an oddly triumphant voice that resonated across the courtyard. He tucked his thumbs in and curled his remaining eight fingers before him. His arms melted into his sides as his body began bulging, his fingers lengthening and sharpening to a spider's eight jointed legs.

And suddenly there were two enormous arachnids in the temple courtyard.

Kendath whipped out his falchion and launched himself into a roll, coming up inside the first rearing spider's forelegs to stand beside Merrin. He worked his falchion left and right, slapping aside jabbing appendages.

Meanwhile, the second spider that had once upon a time been Xandir turned on Semri and Evlyn with ravenous abandon.

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Merrin slashed upward, breathless, as the clicking mandibles descended, and a gash rendered a line of glittering crimson eyes useless. "What happened to 'pure of heart'?" she gasped, retreating as the monstrous creature did, gathering its many legs under it to spring. "What a joke -" and she broke off as it lunged with terrifying speed to lash out at them.

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Kendath's shrug was cut short as he ducked a millisecond before the spider lunged, its formidable pincers snapping empty air above him. He dove under the opening, stabbing up at its belly. The great arachnid recoiled with a pained chittering.

Two seconds later it was back in the game with another lunge that sent Kendath sprawling.

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Merrin ducked underneath the monster and jabbed upwards, giving Kendath time to get to his feet, but in a second it had raised itself above the reach of her sword and turned to bear down, front legs slashing. She cried out briefly as one of its barbed appendages ripped across her shoulder and arm, opening a gash that turned her sleeve red.

There was a bone-chilling screech and a sudden stench and the spider reared back, one of its front legs significantly shorter as Merrin retaliated. The arachnid chattered menacingly and advanced nonetheless, driving her back against the wall.

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Semri hesistated obliviouse to her friends distress. "If you're not the Gaurdien....what are you."
"Evlyn of the Meiltha" She replied not takeing her eyes off her.
"Semri of the Renagades, daughter of Agetlim"
Evlyn froze, "Argetlim?? I am the daughter of a man called Cano" It was Semri's turn to look horror struck. "But then..." She lowered her dirk and looked at Evlyn properly. "You're my sister...arn't you."
Evlyn regarded her, "Maybe even a twin" A spider rolled past them and both women lunged in the same action, cutting off a leg each.

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Made by Lembas

Meanwhile, with a large smirk upon his face, Garthag layed his hand upon the chest that stood on the pedastal and ran his fingers on the lock as, if trying to determine could he break it open with his magic. The guardian at least gave him all the time he needed thus he would not be interrupted for a while unless the guardian would realise that someone was at the chest.

Poor renegades and meiltha tried to survive in the feet of the guardian as Garthag might just be able to sneak away with the prize.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

With a grunt Kendath leaped back to his feet and instantly doubled over. His chest stabbed, courtesy of what looked to be a few bruised ribs. Gritting his teeth, he circled behind the spider that cornered Merrin. Its rear end was constantly bobbing up and down as it worked its front pincers.

Calculating swiftly, he dove under just as the arachnid bobbed up again. Off went two back legs, and in went his falchion into the spider's abdomen. The monster shuddered and recoiled back from Merrin. Kendath recovered from his strike in perfect time to see it rounding on him.

Fortunately for his life, the spider didn't go through with the attack.

For at that instant, lightning branched from the skies like tendrils of white flame. They enveloped Merrin, lifted her up, crackled around her slender frame.

The gods had spoken.

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Merrin, suddenly bathed in ethereal white light, looked almost unearthly. She appeared barely conscious, but as the flickering strands of light intensified, the deep gash she'd sustained knit itself as though it had never been.

The already dazzling light grew in radiance until it became blinding, lifting Merrin higher - her every fingertip illuminated, she looked suddenly fragile yet simultaneously almost god-like. The spider, ear-splitting shrieks of pain emanating from it due to the immense strain on its myriad eyes, keeled over and lay still.

And very abruptly it was over, and the dazed girl lay still on the stones a moment before her eyes flickered open and she looked first at the spider where it lay, then at Kendath, an expression of mingled fear and awe on her face.

But before Merrin could ask what had happened her gaze fell on Garthag, his hand resting on the lid of the chest, and she staggered unsteadily to her feet, half-supporting herself against the wall behind her. "Leave - leave that alone!" she gasped, eyes searching the ground for her fallen rapier.

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Evlyn and Semri looked in wonder at Merrin. "So that is what its like to be Renagade huh..." whispered Evlyn. "No" replied Semri with an ugly look on her face. "That is what its like to be Merrin...that is what i will help you destroy...sister." Evlyn turned to her in wonder "You would turn you're back on you're lifes work for power?"
"Yes, i feel the connection we have, i know that we are truly twins, and i know that the Gods care nothing for us mere mortals, i only joined the renagades so i could fight." Evlyn grasped her arm firmly and nodded.

"Leave - leave that alone!" gasped Merrin unsteadily pointing at Garthag. They both rushed foreward and held thier dirk to his neck, twin eyes hard and cold. "Step away from thier Garthag..." hissed Evlyn.
"Or by all the Dragons we will kill you" snarled Semri.

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Made by Lembas