The interior of the structure was much more well-kept than the outside. Where moss and ivy skirted great cracks in the walls outside, inside was as smooth as polished marble. The outside gave the impression of a worn-down, crumbling structure, long forgotten and denied; inside showed a monument, a mausoleum meant for kings.

And based on the displays present, that is what Karl imagined. Great kings or queens had passed on, and these were their artifacts.

Scattered about were smaller altars, displays of various weaponry or nearly every age Karl could imagine; battle axes, swords, bows and arrows, knives and daggers, spears; anything Karl could imagine was in this room. Amongst the stores of deadly objects were armor, displayed in a fashion as if their wearers wore them still, merely vanished from sight.

Dishes of many styles, and pottery, too, strewn across the walls on shelves and chests and holes in the wall. As decrepit as the outside seemed, this place was obviously important to someone. There was not a hint of dust about, no cobwebs; nothing was out of place.

In the center of the far wall was an opening into another room. One by one, the travelers made their way around this room and into the next. What they saw there was even more astounding.

If the previous room had been reserved for kings, this room was for Gods, or someone very highly revered. Whomever could be more revered than a king.

The last room had been polished to shining, but this room gave its own illumination. The armour here was not only displayed, but was fitted upon statues, each with a weapon before it.

There were six, Karl noted, three men and three women. They were no larger than Karl assumed they might have been in person. Unless they were dwarves, Karl thought, with really big armor. He chuckled softly. Surrounding the circle of statues were a series of symbols, almost like the pictographs of Chinese or early Egyptian. Unless they were merely tribal- or Celtic-style designs, Karl guessed they were a language of the land. With so many species and peoples, who could tell how many there might actually be.

Each statue depicted a different weapon. Two swords, two bows, an axe and a spear. Karl made his way around the circle of statues, looking at each one, trying to discern anything about them. None had wings or horns or pointed ears, so Karl assumed all were human, though from Earth or Corsavvott he could not tell. Unless it said something in the surrounding symbols, when they had lived was also impossible to guess. Each of the statues was carved in clothing vastly different than that of the others. Karl slowly made his way around the room, taking in all the details from each figure.

The first figure was the tallest of the group. Under the armor, the statue wore clothes that looked somewhat familiar to Karl. The pants were large, similar to bell-bottoms. They were carved to look like a thick cloth, resembling hemp or thick cotton. Holding up the pants, he wore a thick, leather belt, a rather large knife tucked into the side. His shirt looked like it might have been flannel, complete with buttons up to the neck. He wore a thick coat that might have been made of wool, had it not been carved of stone. On the statue's head was a hat, eerily similar to those of Western America in the days of the cowboys. On the altar before him sat a short bow; above the grip was a blue stone. The quiver and arrows sat on the floor behind the altar, before the statue.

The next statue was a girl, carved wearing a dress. Karl took a long look, for though all dresses had the same function, they could tell a lot about a culture. The base of the dress was carved as if it were lace-- or something similar. From there it was flat and featureless up to the waist, which Karl noted was extremely tiny. The near perfect form from the waist to the bust led Karl to assume she wore a corset. At her waist was a small belt, much thinner than the large one of the previous statue. The coat of this girl had wide lapels, hiding much of the form of her bust. The sleeves of the dress were form-fitting, ending in long trains at the wrists. This statue also wore a hat, complete with a feather on top and something that may have been ribbon or flowers all around. On the altar before this statue was an axe set on the handle of a spear. It must have been a battle axe for swinging and blocking, not throwing, Karl thought. At the end of the pole arm, opposite the axe-head, was a yellow stone. Though he was not familiar with all gemstones, topaz came to mind.

The third statue was another guy. His dress looked more familiar to Karl than the last two, but only because he resembled an old colonial, dressed in a working-class suit. The pants and jacket looked to be wool, hemp or at the very least a thick cotton. He wore boots made of leather, but they were working boots, not those of cowboys. The shirt was carved to look as if it were hemp. He wore a hat that was rounded on the top, and looked like it had a strap around the base where it met the brim. The brim itself was a medium size, not as large as those of the western riders and cowboys. A metal spear rested on the altar before this statue; opposite the spear-head was a purple gem that looked like crystal. Amythyst? Karl wondered.

The next statue wore a dress as well. Though a simple design, this dress had many more ruffles carved into it. The bottom of the dress looked to be two different layers where the under garment was layer after layer of ruffles and the top garment was smooth. She wore no belt above her jacket, but by the shape of her waist, Karl guessed she, too, wore a corset underneath. The jacket was closed with simple, round buttons, the top few which were covered by a piece of cloth sewn in ruffles up to the collar. The sleeves were small, but not skin-tight, ending in lace that partially covered the figure's hands. This statue was the first Karl had seen that did not wear a hat; instead hair piled down over her shoulders. It was curly with a little frizz. Karl looked deep into the face of the statue, amazed at the detail carved there. Freckles on the face of the stone figure, it was as if a young girl had been frozen in marble for all time. Freckles, curly hair? Karl thought. His eyes drifted to Julie, whose own red hair bounced on its wave. Nah, Karl looked back to the figure. In front of her was a longbow, a green gemstone set into the frame just above the grip. Behind the altar lay the quiver with arrows.

The next statue was another guy, the shortest of the bunch. His clothes were the simplest of the bunch. His shoes resembled slippers, only a bit more functional. The pants were plain and flowing. Karl could see them up to the statue's knees, where a tunic began. It was simple and plain; even the buttons were round and ordinary. He wore no hat upon his head either, but the carved hair was straight, pulled back into a small bun. Karl stared into the face of this man. The detail was incredible; on the chin of this man was a tiny patch of hair that could only barely be considered facial hair. The eyes of this one were slightly more pointed than those of the other statues so far, leading Karl to think he might have been Asian, had he been from Earth. A long sword sat before the statue on the altar, a red gem set in the pommel.

The final statue was another girl. From what he could see of the others before her, this statue was the only one carved barefoot. Her dress was simple, though not plain. She wore a piece of cloth that wrapped around her waist and flowed near the ground. It circled her body, covering her chest as well, before being tied behind her neck. She wore a long beaded necklace, and had bands wrapping around her biceps. On her head was a cap that might have been woven, had it been real. In front of her, lying on the altar lay a long sword. In the pommel was a jewel that Karl knew to be a garnet.

As he stared, something came over him; he reached out to touch the blade. As he made contact, his arm felt a momentary sense of tingling, the same feeling he had felt thrice before, each time he Hopped to this planet. At the same instant, though only for the blink of an eye, Karl could have sworn the jewel lit up, like a lightning bolt shining through fog. He resisted the urge to pull back his hand, instead he reached toward the hilt.

His fingers wrapped around the cool leather. Karl tightened his grip and lifted the blade from the altar. For as long as it was, it felt fairly light. He made a slow arc with it to his side. The balance was perfect. He had to be imagining it, but Karl felt as if this blade had been forged to be his.

"Well look at you," Bob said. "I'd say that looks almost perfect in your hand."

Perfect, Karl repeated in his mind. It felt perfect. He smiled, "Yeah."

Bob picked up the other sword. "What about this?" he said, brandishing the blade in front of him.

Karl choked back a laugh. Sam stepped up. "Sorry man, but as skinny as you are, there's no way."

"Uh, huh," Bob replied. "I think I'm more of an axe kinda guy anyway." He handed the sword to Sam, whose eyes squinted in familiar surprise. Karl caught a glimpse of the jewel at the tip. It was red, likely a spinel or ruby. It glowed for the tiniest moment.

Bob touched the axe, and pulled his hand back rather quickly. "Ouch," he said. "Ages of static." But Karl was not convinced.

He turned to the girls as they each brought about a bow, Julie's the longer of the two by far. Although the gems in each bow was as unchanged as before, Karl knew deep down that they had lighted as each girl picked her respective bow. Unsure why, Karl knew that these weapons belonged to them.

Emily looked around at her friends. "Aren't we just the showy bunch."

"I don't know about you guys," said Bob, "but I am definitely keeping this."

"Do you think we should?" asked Julie. "I mean, they do belong to someone."

"Did," said Sam. "I'd say these guys have been dead for a while."

"Well yes," Julie responded, "but I don't mean just that. Look around. This place is spotless, no dirt, no dust. Someone must be taking care of it. Someone is going to miss these."

"Perhaps," said Bob. "But if they were so important, the caretakers would either lock the door, stay here, or keep the weapons with them."

"There is no door," Emily said.

"Exactly," Bob grinned. "I vote we keep 'em."

"Same here," Emily echoed.

"Only if you do," Julie said, looking at Sam.

Sam looked to Karl. "Do you want to be Devil's Advocate on this one?"

Karl shrugged. "I wouldn't mind keeping them, but it's up to you."

Sam looked back around the faces of his friends. "Since when am I the leader?" he asked.

"You just..." Emily started.

"Are," finished Bob.

Sam sighed. He turned toward the altar where Bob had originally grabbed the broadsword, and he picked up the sheath. He considered for a second before saying to the statue, "Well, whoever you might be, thanks for your weapons. I'd say we'll try to keep them safe and return them, but..." He trailed off.

Bob leaned over toward Julie and whispered audibly, "Guess you get to keep the bow after all." She smiled, but punched him in the shoulder anyway.

"So what now?" asked Karl.

"Unless you're thinking of making off with some clay dishes, I'd say we ought to get going soon."

"Bob," said Emily, "that just might be the smartest thing you have said this whole vacation." He pursed his lips in a pout, but she batted her eyes and smiled innocently.

Before they could continue their banter, Sam interrupted. "He is right. We should find somewhere to settle in for the night. We'll stay close enough to return if there is any danger or a storm, but far enough no one will spot us who may be coming back."

Bob added, "And let's hope they decide not to miss five weapons."

"It was your idea," Karl smiled. "If anyone comes looking, I'm gonna push you to them and run the other way."

Bob grinned. "I didn't know you were evil, buddy!" he laughed at his own joke.

"Not evil," Karl smiled. "It's self-preservation, the most basic and most animal of instincts."

"Nope," Bob replied. "Definitely evil."

Sam shook his head but grinned. He liked how well Karl was fitting in with the group, like he had known them all his life, not just the last few months.

Sam lead the group back to the main room where they gathered their packs, the stared down the short hallway to the stairs. Instead of making his way up the stairs, however, he stopped.

"What's up?" asked Julie.

"Do you hear that?" Sam asked.

Everyone got silent, trying to hear what Sam did. It was quiet, muffled by the earth walls and floor, but there were definitely voices drifting down from the doorway outside.

"The caretakers must be here sooner than we'd hoped," Emily said.

"What do we do?" asked Karl.

"What can we do?" Sam asked rhetorically.

As if to answer, a voice shouted down: "Come on up. There's only one way in or out, and we've got it covered."

Sam peered back at his friends, and not knowing what else to do, he shrugged.

The voice called again: "Weapons down, hands where I can see them or you won't make it three steps from the doorway."

Uneasily, Sam lead the way to the top. Before departing the darkness of the doorway, he paused and peered out. Only five people, barely older than themselves, stood in the clearing. Bob leaned forward and whispered, "We can try to take them." But Sam shook his head, gesturing to the trees surrounding. Hidden in the shadows were another dozen, and Karl guessed there were more hidden better than that.

Sam stood in the shadows, considering his options. He was afraid of stepping out and being ambushed, so he did nothing. Karl called out, "Who are you?"

"Ah," said the tallest male, "they speak!" His friends laughed. "You're the ones trespassing, who are you? Step out and show yourselves!"

Karl looked at Sam, then stepped into the light.

His eyes took a moment to readjust to the afternoon sun, but Karl never once took his gaze off the tall figure that had spoken. He was tall with short, brown hair. His nose had a small raise in the bridge, probably from being broken multiple times.

A scar peeked out from the guy's shirt across the lowest part of his neck down toward his middle chest. From the look of it, Karl thought the scar to be years old.

Without removing his eyes from the guy in the middle, Karl tried to size up the others there, too.

To the tall male's right, Karl's left, stood a male with dark skin who stood a full head below the leader. His arms were crossed, but Karl noticed one hand cradling the hilt of a sword hanging at his side.

On the opposite side, Karl's right and to the left of the tall one, stood a girl with light brown skin. Her hands rested on her hips, a dagger gripped in each fist. She was shorter than the tall one by far, but still taller than the other.

Next to her stood an elf, evident by his blue skin and crown of horns. He stood only inches taller than the girl, and twirled a small blade between his fingers.

On the far side, next to the shortest guy, was another girl, whose jet-black hair blew gently in the wind. One hand rested at her side, the other held a bow, arrow knocked but not taut.

Karl knew by their poise that this group was well practiced with their weapons.

Without turning from them, Karl felt his friends depart the darkness of the doorway and stand beside him.

The tall one stared at each member of the company of five. His eyes stopped on Julie, staring at her face for some moments before finally addressing them.

"You are certainly not what I expected," said the tall fellow.

"We're not quite what anyone expects," replied Sam. "We're just us."

"Who else would you be?" asked the boy. Without waiting for a response, he added, "The real question is who exactly are you, and why are you in the temple?"

"You're not getting our names, if that's what you're after," said Sam. "Not unless I decide you're a friend."

"I am friendly to lots," said the boy. "Should I be friendly to you?"

"You have the weapons," replied Sam. "Your call."

"Who sent you?"

"An elf from a council."

"Could you be any less specific?"

"Perhaps."

"And perhaps I ought to kill you now?"

"Victoria, of the Kermitha Council. She said to head this way and wait for help."

The boy said nothing, pondering the words Sam spoke. Finally, "Good. I didn't want to kill you. The good news is we're on the same side."

"And the bad?"

"Your friends are unlikely to show anytime soon."