Vera couldn't tell what was worse when she woke up. The back pain from sleeping outside on the ground or the dizziness from only getting a couple hours of sleep at best. She opened her eyes and studied the forest surroundings as they just began to light up from the creeping sun rising in the east.

  It was morning, finally. While Vera didn't mind outdoor camping on occasion, sleeping on the ground with nothing more than her clothes and bag was not an enjoyable experience.

  Thankfully, the long, rough night was over, and the mission to Saanvoleg Temple could continue. The first thing she felt for was her traveler's bag, which to her relief was still wrapped around her. With that in her possession, there was one other thing she needed before she could move on: Ryno.

  She had no idea where he was. Last night, everyone ran from him after he had 'accidentally' killed a patron in the tavern. Since that event though, Ryno had been nowhere to be seen. He was stupendously inebriated, and it was possible in his drunken state that he could have wandered off in any direction within a ten mile radius.

  Vera sighed. She stood up, and fixed her messy black hair the best she could. She combed it with her fingers while picking a few leaves out of it, cursing the current situation. Afterwards, she brushed her clothes off and fixed herself up the best she could.

  She had no idea how to find Ryno. She began to wonder if she even wanted to. He had shown himself to be such a dangerous and volatile person, that it was hard for her to imagine that he got anything important done on his own.

  This had been her first mission with him, and after this terrible experience, she hoped it would be the last. Regardless, her dedication for her assignment was more than her desire to never be in the vicinity of Ryno again. She had to at least attempt to find him and continue on.

  Gathering her sense of direction, she finally began to walk towards the location of where the Melon Bridge Inn was. That would be the best first place to try and find him.

  Pushing foliage out of the way as she walked, Vera eventually grew close to the inn. She heard voices before she saw the building. Slowly creeping forward in silence, she peered to see who was talking around the tavern.

  Crouching in the bushes, she moved some leaves out of the way. There was the innkeeper standing outside his establishment, talking with local law enforcement about the incident last night. There was still a gaping hole in the roof of the building, a reminder of what damage Ryno had recklessly done. A few of the guards couldn't help but stare at it.

  This was not good. She couldn't return to the inn to wait for Ryno. And surely, he couldn't return there either. He would vaporize one hundred people before he'd get arrested. On second thought, probably much more than that.

  She spied for a few moments more to see if anyone else was around. When she confirmed Ryno was definitely not there, she retreated back into hiding.

  Vera was not sure what to do. The only sensible location she could wait for him at was now compromised. After pondering a moment, she tried replaying what happened last night.

  Ryno had hobbled out into the forest after everyone when they fled. There was a decent chance he eventually passed out somewhere in the forest before he got very far. She decided to scour the local area for a bit in an attempt to find him.

  Backing away from the inn, Vera began to scout the local area, trying to see if she could find any hint that Ryno had been there. A snapped off tree, a huge crater in the ground – any kind of these sights would help give her a path towards the electric elemental.

  After quietly sneaking and scanning her surroundings for a decent hour or so, it began to look bleak. Eventually though, it was a sound that gave him away, rather than a sight.

  Vera had been searching a very undisturbed forest for some time, but suddenly she heard a jarring snore above her. At the sound, she gazed upward, and lo and behold, there was Ryno.

  He was passed out, and laying on his stomach upon a branch high up in a tree, his appendages freely hanging on either side.

  Vera couldn't believe it. She had never even thought to look up in the canopies of the trees for him. If she hadn't heard his rather noisy slumber, she would have easily missed him. She didn't want to figure out how he managed to get himself up there in the first place.

  "Ryno!" Vera yelled barely above a whisper. She didn't want to draw attention to herself, especially from the guards.

  In an almost expected fashion, Ryno remained undisturbed. He let out another loud snore, one that sounded like he was gargling on his own phlegm.

  "Rynoooo," she tried again, vocalizing herself a bit louder, but still not at any impacting volume. In no response, Ryno continued to make not a movement.

  This was getting ridiculous. The guards were just a few dozen meters away, looking for them. She had to get him moving, and soon.

  Vera rarely used her crystal element outside of the cavern, but she was more than capable, and was willing to use it when the situation called for it.

  She held open her hand, and a ruby red crystal fabricated above her palm. It grew to the size of a basketball, then with a subtle direction from her fingers, it sprung into the air, and towards Ryno's slumbering body.

  The crystal had no qualms about smacking into the old man, knocking him off the branch, and sending him free falling four stories to the ground below.

  Ryno hit the ground with a solid and deep thud, his body slamming into the earth with the same force as tungsten, rather than flesh and bone. Vera had not a worry for him, he was indestructible from any sort of regular blunt damage.

  In fact, Ryno was so tolerant to damage, the impact of the fall didn't even jar him awake, it caused him to leave his slumber in a slow and peaceful manner. Laying down face up, Ryno's eyes slowly opened. Instead of reacting out of surprise or shock, he sat up and groaned, rubbing his head.

  "Oh… Oh my head…" He spoke in a long, drawn out manner. His hangover was so severe, his brain felt like it was twisting in his skull. He could barely see straight.

  When he managed to do so, his eyes focused on a disappointed Vera in her black dress looking down at him. He was seeing more than double of her, but his eyesight finally lined up.

  "Vera… Is that you?"

  "Get up, Ryno. The guards are looking for us," she said with great concern.

  He rubbed his head more. It seemed like his silly demeanor was lacking at this time.

  "W-w-wuh-what? What's going on?" He stumbled out, still trying to gain a grip on reality.

  Vera held her hand out to help him up. When he was on his feet, he tried to remember what had happened last night. As he gathered his composure, Vera began to tell him what insane things he had done.

  "It's partially my fault. I should've never told you to get a drink," she ended with.

  "Oh yeah. I downed a few, didn't I? I think I had seven whole pints," he stated.

  "You had more than fourteen," she corrected.

  Ryno didn't remember that. He must've blacked out after so many. It didn't help that the tavern patrons were encouraging him to drink more than what he was capable of. Before he had more time to dwell on the memory though, the sounds of guards talking could be heard.

  Vera became frantic at the noise of them approaching. "Ryno! We have to leave now! They're looking for you. You killed someone last night!"

  "I did?!"

  She grabbed his arm and began pulling him away.

  They navigated the forest, putting distance between them and the tavern. After about half a mile out, they finally slowed and let their guard down. Vera was breathing heavy from the exertion, but Ryno's heart rate hadn't been raised a hair.

  "I think we're far out enough," she stated.

  Ryno stroked his short gray beard in thought. "...What are we doing again?" He asked.

  "The temple," Vera responded.

  "Ah right, Saanvoleg Temple. The flowers. I want to get this done, this job has become boring to me. Where do you think the road is?" He asked.

  Vera wasn't sure. She had been so concerned about the guards finding them, that she had ran in the direction opposite to where she had heard them. That could be quite the distance away from any cobblestone road at this point.

  "Ah, don't worry, I'll find it," Ryno stated with slight annoyance. He took three steps backwards, then leaped into the air with great force. The shock wave from his jump rippled Vera's skirt. Once she recovered herself, she gazed into the sky to see where he was.

  Ryno hovered in the air for a few seconds before he came flying back down. At the sight of his descent, Vera ran backwards to avoid another shock wave from the impact.

  Sure enough, he hit the ground harder than what was necessary. After dusting his arms off a bit, he spoke.

  "Road's this way, let's get to that temple."

  This was a more serious Ryno than what Vera was used to. She couldn't tell if it was from the wicked hangover or the fact that the mission was taking way longer than what he was used to. Having Vera join him slowed Ryno down immensely.

  After navigating the forest more, and steering clear from anyone who resembled a guard, the two were back on the path, heading south towards the Ubora Desert. Conversation between them was sparse. Ryno was not used to traveling in such an ordinary manner. He became far too distracted for such slow journeys, and that had cost them not only the cart but also their horse as well. They were forced to leave it behind at the stables beside the tavern.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  The days went by as they continued south. Ever since the Melon Bridge incident, Ryno had remained fairly mellow. They stayed at several more inns entering the desert, and Ryno behaved himself the best he could, which included refusing to drink at all.

  The forest had transformed into a dry savanna, which eventually progressed into a sandy desert. Ryno had been down in the desert many times at this point, but it was Vera's first time so far down south. She underestimated how hot it became.

  The Ubora Desert was scarcely populated. Few settlements dotted the southern landscape, with one large city near the only river that flowed through the heart of Ubora. Due to the demands of this city, supplies were routinely carted down to it, with quite a few getting snatched by cloaked raiders.

  While it was certainly a dangerous environment, both in climate and hostility, neither Vera nor Ryno would have to worry about the matter. It was only a matter of time before they would turn off the main road and make way to a location that contained the temple. Saanvoleg was not well known to many – even to those who inhabited Ubora. The ancient building itself was a topic only discussed among historians and archivists. Because of this, Vera expected the temple to be void of people.

  If for some unfortunate reason it was not, Ryno would be sure to stop any squatters from holding up their task.

  "This should be where we turn off," Vera stated, checking her map closely while studying the landscape. The sands of the desert erased vague trails so quickly, it was hard to be certain.

  Ryno pointed out an unnatural stacking of stones nearby. "That might be a signal for us to turn off. I think you're right," he stated in a helpful manner.

  Vera looked at the rough chunks of rock that were stacked in the style of a small snowman. Indeed, it was most likely a marker for only those that were looking for it. She was thankful for Ryno's observance.

  They walked the new direction, Vera trying her best to keep them on the correct path. She wiped sweat from her brow as she glanced at the map.

  "It's hotter here than I thought," Vera commented, feeling somewhat at fault for the long periods of silence between them.

  "Well, it is the desert, Vera. Deserts are known to be hot."

  Ryno's answer wasn't exactly a kind one, but she knew he struggled with small talk at times.

  "You don't seem to be sweating!" She said back.

  Ryno shrugged. "Don't sweat much these days. Don't feel hot." He didn't care to think deeper than that.

  "Well that must be nice," she responded, inching closer to the conclusion that Ryno had become a superhuman in every possible way, excluding his mental capabilities.

  "Are we getting closer?" Ryno then asked, caring not for the current conversation, and wanting to be done with the mission.

  Vera scanned the map again, and then glanced at Ryno with an idea.

  "Why don't you fly up and see if you can spot it from here?" She offered.

  Ryno chuckled, showing his misshapen yellow teeth. "Thought you'd never ask."

  In a casual leap, he soared into the air, turning into a small brown dot in an endless clear blue sky. He hovered up there for a moment, gazing at the surroundings before crashing down.

  Ryno had a look of satisfaction on his face. "I'm pretty sure I saw it over yonder," he pointed.

  Vera cross-referenced his pointed direction with the location on the map. Based on her estimation, he was probably right.

  "Okay, let's go see it!" She exclaimed.

  The rest of the walk went well, and Vera was thankful that during the entire journey through the desert, Ryno never became distracted. That was most likely due to the desert being nothing but endless sand and the occasional rocks. Not even Ryno could make a friend from a rock.

  Well, perhaps he could, if the rock was of perfect shape and smoothness. She said not a word to even give him that idea, though.

  "Oh my goodness gravy goodness!" Ryno exclaimed with his arms up. "If that is NOT the temple, I'm killing someone!"

  Ryno opened his arms wide to a structure far out in the distance that was most likely the temple. From the distance they were at, it looked nothing more than a pile of crumbling rock.

  "And since we're the only ones out here Vera, that killing would be you!"

  Before Vera even had a second to consider if Ryno was being serious or not, Ryno turned around with a look of death.

  "Kidding, Vera. I'm kidding. Don't take everything I say so seriously."

  "I… I didn't even-" Before Vera could even register what was said or make a defense for herself, Ryno became excited again.

  "I'm gonna run on ahead and scope the place out. See ya when ya get there!" Ryno bolted forward at such an incredible speed that he kicked up a large dust cloud.

  Vera coughed and covered her face, jogging to the side, away from the dusty smoke cloud. It seemed like anytime Ryno did something boisterous, she had to deal with the aftermath.

  That was definitely not the plan she had in mind when approaching the temple, but Ryno had announced his own plan so quickly and left, she didn't have a second to object. Perhaps he had done that on purpose.

  With nothing else to do, she continued to walk forward, hoping that by the time she got there, he hadn't destroyed the place or killed anyone so unlucky to be near the same location as him.

  Saanvoleg Temple was every bit as accurate as the sketches in Vera's notes. The once mystifying structure now sat in disrepair, a battle against time it was slowly losing. Several pillars had collapsed near the entrance, and what was still holding up the roof was covered in cracks up and down its entire length.

  The brown sandstone of which Saanvoleg was constructed from was showing its age. While usually a terrible material to make any building out of, the lack of humidity and moisture in the desert preserved it for longer than it ought to have existed. Seeing as that was also the only available material around, the ancients who built it didn't have much of a choice.

  While still standing, Vera did not find much confidence in the above-ground structure of the temple. It was of little concern, however. According to her notes, much of the temple's rooms and halls were underground, beneath some ten feet of loose sand. And even if the structure were to collapse above them, getting trapped beneath the rubble would be of little consequence with Ryno around.

  Vera was shocked to see Ryno standing still in front of the temple doors with not a movement to be made, besides the slight rippling in his brown leather cape. She had expected him to be involved with something rambunctious, but instead he was stationed at the entrance peacefully.

  "What's going on, Ryno?" Vera said as she finally approached him.

  "No one's here. It's just us. I think. And the door's shut. Is this the way we go in?" Ryno asked, his eyes studying the front, showing some sign of leveled thinking for the first time in a while.

  Vera studied the sealed double stone doors of the temple. Perhaps there was another way in. She pulled out her paperwork, and began reading Reech's instructions.

  Vera had told Ryno to give her a second, but the long amount of time she was taking to look over the notes in her possession was detrimental to him.

  His foot began tapping. Then he started rocking back and forth. Vera picked up on all of it.

  "Just wait a bit longer. I'm sure there's something in here I need to see," she stated.

  Ryno grunted.

  Finally enough time passed. His impatience reached a peak as he walked up to the front doors. "We go into these, don't we?"

  At the question, Vera finally gave up. She looked up, and walked towards him. "I guess so. But I wasn't told the doors would be shut. And John was very clear about-"

  Ryno knocked on the door of the temple. "Hello? Give me access," Ryno politely demanded of the door.

  The door stayed silent, not a response from it.

  "Try gently pushing it open," Vera guessed.

  Ryno didn't know what the word gentle meant.

  "I asked for access, door! Now I ask again. Give me access!" He gave it a decent push that caused dust to fall from the top of the seams of the doors.

  It didn't budge, even after Ryno's 'gentle' attempts. The seal must have been fairly strong. Vera wondered who went through all the trouble of getting the doors locked.

  She began reading her notes again. Perhaps Reech had left some information about a shut door scenario in the blueprints of the temple, and not in the general directions. She leafed through the paperwork some more, hoping to find anything to go off of.

  Ryno's face had gone red. Several veins had become prominent, trailing vertically on his wrinkled forehead. A look of wrath mixed with despair plagued his entire face. He had begun sweating.

  "I have been nothing but kind to you, door. Or whatever the hell your name truly is. I have been reasonable. I have requested a simple, menial task of you, and you've failed to deliver upon it…"

  Vera wasn't sure what Ryno was on about, but she tried to ignore it as she read.

  "...Now, you will experience the full force of my reckoning…"

  Okay, that phrase made Vera concerned. She closed her notebook shut as she looked up at him.

  "Ryno! No! You are not to destroy any of-"

  Ryno's cape rippled as he began building up a massive charge of electricity. His eyes began to glow white. The powerful aura he began to let out of him stirred the wind. Vera wisely took several steps backwards to gain a safe distance from the impending, unstoppable doom. Talking to him at this point was folly.

  "I requested twice. Now on the third, I order. Hear my words and weep, DOOR! GIVE ME ACCESS!"

  A massive bolt of hot white lightning escaped from Ryno's body, in mere milliseconds making contact with the two thick, ancient sandstone doors of the temple.

  Needless to say, the two doors blew off their hinges in a violent and hasty manner, sending the four-ton slabs barreling into the inner sanctum of the temple as if they were nothing more than styrofoam.

  They rocketed into the temple so far that when they collided with the back wall of the building, they broke through and continued onward to the outside, opposite end of the temple. They finally skipped several times in the sand as stones would skip on water, before finally resting half a kilometer out in the distance.

  Vera was mortified.

  Ryno's power began to subside after the attack. The wind died down, his glowing eyes dimmed to normal.

  The temple began shaking, trying its best to adjust to its new structural form without collapsing.

  "RYNO! You idiot! What do you think you're doing?!" Vera pleaded, grabbing her hair in some attempt to deal with her stress.

  "You wanted in, and now you're in! The doors didn't listen to me, so I had to come up with a solution!"

  "That was NOT the solution!" She cried out as the temple shook more, struggling to stay in one piece.

  "Honestly Vera, sometimes I don't think you even like me," Ryno pointed out while noticing Vera's cries of frustration.

  That was definitely true to some extent. She had mercy on him, though, seeing as a lot of his issues were something he could not control.

  "I… That's… Listen, Ryno. You can't just go around doing whatever you want! We have rules we need to follow! For a good reason! You understand that, right?" She tried reasoning with him.

  Ryno just began walking into the temple. It was a lot lighter inside with the new gaping hole in the back wall.

  "Yeah, alright. Whatever you say, Veree. Are we doing this temple thing now or what? Let's find those blossoms."