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"Be careful, brethren. They say that Hozuka is filled with magical traps." Tuzeen warned his three followers. The light brown rat was, at times, mistaken for Isaad due to his fur coloring, but his build did not match that of the warrior. He was also much more slender in form, and usually carried a smile everywhere he went. He actually felt a little at home back in Yura-Dan, where he had done most of his combat training in earlier years.

He, like Isaad, was on a mission of his own. Leading a group of three other Inquisitors, the High Inquisitor Tuzeen was looking to use the power of what was said to be left buried here in Hozuka in order to set many things straight. His group consisted of Julio, Lana, and Rachel.

Julio was a magic user who was on a different scale of power when compared to Whispee. He excelled in big spells, but ran out of power much quicker. Julio walked behind the group and sniffed quietly. "It's so sandy and dusty in here that I can't really smell much of anything." He ended up sneezing after a few more whiffs.

Lana looked at him quickly after he sneezed. "Donji! I know what you mean, but don't sniff too hard. You'll rattle your poor little head." Lana was the youngest inquisitor allowed to go out questing, and was far less disciplined than the others. However, her skills with a bow, and faultless loyalty to her Enclave were what earned her the right to go out.

Julio growled in mock anger. "What was that?"

Lana began to giggle, and Tuzeen shook his head with a light chuckle of his own. He spoke as they neared the end of the passageway they were in. "Looks like we're coming towards a room."

The walls were a sandstone tan, and the floors were a grey marble, with sand scattered over it. The walls and the floors didn't match well, giving a small sense of chaos, but it was only a taste of the coming. As the inquisitors neared the doorway, Tuzeen peered into the darkness. He stared for a while before saying; "It's so dark, even my eyes cannot see in." As soon as he had he finished speaking, the walls lit up with strange colors. What looked like a glass tube appeared along the center height of the walls, and had streaming colors running through it. The same energy that filled the glass also gave off bright illumination, but had periodically changing colors in random sections of the wall. Tuzeen covered his eyes for a moment as the sudden light hit his rattus eyes. "Kyah! Just when I was adjusted!"

The other inquisitors covered their eyes as well, but once they adjusted to it a bit better, they slowly lowered their arms. The room was massive and round. There was a large statue in the center; it was a strange monster with the body and legs of a horse, but the top half was of something more primal and vicious, like a gorilla with four arms. Aside from the passage they came in from, there were four exits, two on the right, and two on the left.

Julio pointed at the large statue and inquired. "Anyone else got a bad feeling about that?"

Lana snickered. "Yeah, whoever made it needs to take sculpting lessons."

"No," Julio said, "I mean it's like the thing is here to guard the room from intruders."

Tuzeen looked back at both of them. "Well, there's only one way to find out." He drew his straight sword, his weapon of choice. It was made of fine and highly tempered steel, but had distinct ancient runes carved into the blade from the cross-guard and half-way up its length. The cross-guard was nothing too special, but the pommel held a small purple orb, which glowed gently with magical energies that were trapped within.

Rachel spoke warning as Tuzeen walked in. "Careful, High Inquisitor. You're the last one we'd want to lose." She hefted her large two-handed sword from her back and brought it before her, as she advanced just behind him. Rachel was the most seasoned, and the oldest of the group. She was used to traveling with Isaad, but she was recently taken out of his group when the roster was changed to accommodate Ruufus' neice.

The moment he stepped into the room, a droning sound surrounded the monstrosity. The statue suddenly began to move, and roared loudly, as all four of its fists beat at its chest. Tuzeen went into a defensive stance. "This'll be fun... Lana, I suggest blast arrows. Julio, give us some words of protection. Rachel," he looked back to the one beside him with a smile, "let's get it."

The statue took some steps forward, and a strange pointed helm formed around its head. The helm's form followed down the entire body, as the statue went from the sleek carving into a fairly blocky form. It swept one of its arms outward, and a large, thick sword blade formed around it. As Julio finished his incant, the inquisitors all glowed with a silver color beneath their fur. Just as the incant finished, the huge blade came sweeping around for Tuzeen and Rachel.

Tuzeen quickly made a high acrobatic leap and twist over the movement of the blade, as Rachel brought her own sword down to meet the force of the attack. Stone on metal screeched as she slid back along the ground, holding herself standing against the force. With the stop of the swing came the end of her movement, and the stone statue bashed her in the back with one of its stone fists.

Rachel cried out in pain and gritted her teeth against the feeling. Even with the spell of iron skin cast upon her, the impact was devastating to her spine. A whistling sound reached her ears then, as an arrow impacted the large stone blade, and a burst of red energy exploded in a sphere of power. Stone shattered and scattered around from the blast, and the statue withdrew the broken arm, shifting it back into a hand. The arm right below it took a longer form, turning into a long, conical lance.

"I hate fighting constructs." Tuzeen commented as he leapt at the new lance. It brought the length back and prepared to thrust it into Rachel when Tuzeen's blade glowed with a bright purple color, and he swept it across the base of the lance. The cut made by the blade shone brightly for an instand before causing a shattering explosion, and destroyed the entire length of the lance.

The statue thrust with the arm anyway, then twisted around and brought a new surprise down at Tuzeen, as its alternate arm had turned into a huge hammer. He deftly rolled out of the way, as it came crashing into the floor. The marble floor cracked and fragments leapt from it with the impact.

Another arrow came whistling in and impacted the statue where its horse half connected to the top half. The explosion rocked the stone, and small pebbles showered the floor. A thunderous crash followed afterwards as the torso hit the ground.

As it didn't move for a bit, Tuzeen went to Rachel and put his arms around her shoulders delicately, as she was bent forward and leaning on her blade. "Are you alright?"

She winced, and shook her head. "I'll live."

The ground beneath them shook and all eyes were on the statue then as it became rocks scattered around the floor. The rocks stacked themselves on top of one another, becoming two separate monstrosities. Stone golems, both eight feet tall, and with bodies made of boulders. Tuzeen sneered and looked back at the others. "Julio! Call in a bit of help, maybe?"

Julio nodded and swirled his hands. An incant came from his mouth as orange energy followed his fingertips. The golems ahead began to move, their large fists rose from the ground, and their stone bodies moved towards the two in the room. Suddenly, their attention averted, as a circular rift of orange energy appeared in the air. Through the portal came a clawed hand, which latched onto the edge like it was the corner of a doorframe. Gripping it, it pulled, and then a black and dark green beast came forth. Its humanoid body was very athletic, with large leathery wings spanning behind it. A few holes were in its wings, and its body carried with it the scent of death and decay. White eyes gleamed brightly from behind its dangerous pointed face, and dark green fur was upon the black body in very important locations. It clenched its fists together as the portal sealed up behind it, and its head turned as it looked directly at Julio, who immediately pointed towards the golems.

With a growl, the beast lunged at the first golem, which brought up its fists to meet it. They locked into a strength battle, pressing against each other.

The inquisitors took this opportunity to assault the other golem. An arrow was fired against it, and the explosion rocked it as Tuzeen and Rachel both charged into it. Just as the red burst dissipated, Rachel's heavy blade came slamming into its chest, and Tuzeen leapt onto part of the golem and twisted mid-air, pulling himself to face it from behind as he pulled his blade down its body from behind. The bright purple energy trailed the movement of his blade as the golem was shattered from the center outwards.

Meanwhile, the dark beast pulled the golem aside and slammed it down. Then the creature dug its claws into the marble beneath it and lifted out a huge chunk of the ground itself. Holding it up above its form, it slammed the larger rock into the golem. Although the golem survived it, there was substantial damage to it, and the beast grabbed what remained. Taking it by the torso it flung the golem full speed into the wall. The sound of shattering glass was heard, as one of the light lines along the wall broke open. The golem was then enveloped by the energy pouring from the wall, and netted in a multi-color cage that shrunk around it, tearing it into smaller chunks of rock and rubble.

The beast growled and narrowed its eyes, looking back to Julio for a moment. Without receiving another command, the creature crossed its arms, and orange energy surrounded it, then collapsed inwards, taking it back home.

Tuzeen patted his hands. "Alright, takes care of that." Then Rachel huffed and suddenly fell forward. He caught her and held her up a bit. "That hit really took it out of you." He looked up. "Julio, medical attention, now!"

"Champion! Champion!" A messenger came running into the holy temple of Uzzadujoza, stopping before Champion Ozzan'duajja, also known as Blackwarp. The messenger breathed deeply a few times before standing up and looking at the Champion smartly. "I bring the emergency report on the whereabouts of all the current high-ranking members of the order!" He presented a rolled up parchment.

The black furred rodent with the one white arm took the parchment. He un-rolled it and examined it a moment before speaking in a very clear voice which pronounced each word of common as if it were his primary language. "Very good. You may rest for the week."

The messenger bowed low. "Thank you Champion!" Then he quickly turned and left in haste.

Blackwarp looked over the parchment and started to speak out-loud to him-self. "High Inquisitor Isaad is our most experienced leader still alive. High Inquisitor Ruufus is our most magically capable, but still young, perhaps I should request he change to a High Priest to keep the image of the Inquisitors how we need it to be. High Inquisitor Tuzeen is the most appreciated by the people. Three High Inquisitors, hmm?" He rolled the parchment up and thought. "I remember there used to be more... at least, before the failed shipment. Who knew that politics would change our ways so much?" He looked up at a painting of a strange dark-brown rattus with a huge curved horn coming from his head. In the painting, he is holding a bloodied halberd, and is standing over the corpse of a dead king from a feline species. "We must regain our control, or we shall be split from state. We must get a new Grand Inquisitor before a civil war breaks out. Great Horned Rat, give me your guidance. Who shall it be?"

After Julio mustered enough magical power to restore Rachel fully, the group was back on their way. "We can't split up, so we're going to have to trust the precognition Ruufus gave us," Tuzeen said. He waved his hand towards one of the tunnels. "He said to go left. Let's move." Then he led the group down the tunnel. They were lit with all the colors of the rainbow, making the shade of the area change constantly. The mysterious colors slowly illuminated their path as they walked the tunnel, the floor a white marble, and walls matching the floor, which only allowed the colors to dance in a strange, illuminative manner.

"Why does all this color freak me out?" Lana was the one to ask the question, still clutching her bow, and one of her arrows, the head of which was a red glowing crystal.

Tuzeen looked back at her a moment. "Watch how you hold that thing, I don't wanna feel the prick of an aspect stone, here. How many of those do you have left, anyway?"

Her ears flicked, and she looked back at her quiver. "Not sure, the walls are messing with my fletching colors. Pretty sure I have 6 more though."

"Well, don't go wasting them," Julio said with a bit of a smirk, "wouldn't want to run out just 'cause you're the one holding onto them."

She growls and looks over towards Julio. "Watch your mouth, or become my next target!"

Rachel butted in with; "Hey now! Let's keep it down. Never know what might be coming up."

The inquisitors continued down the hallway as it began to decline and curve to the left. Tuzeen's ears twitched irritably as the lights slowly became dimmer. Then he suddenly stopped as the lights went out completely. "Okay... Somethin's wrong here." White light slowly lit up on either side of the group, but just enough to illuminate them, and some of the floor. It was as if the walls had disappeared, and the darkness swallowed the tunnel beyond. He waved a paw. "Let's keep moving."

Ruufus awoke from his clairvoyance searching, and returned to his own body with a start. "Something's blocking my power. Such a long distance, disturbance is possible." He said, in the rattus language, to Thornfang's aide, who was beside him.

The aide was sitting and reading when Ruufus came to. Turning his head he looked to the high inquisitor, and responded in their language. "Something stronger than High Inquisitor Ruufus? Tell me what you did see, so I may report it to the Grand General."

Ruufus nodded and began to relay. "There is Outsider activity near Mount Izziduka, and I believe they are a part of the Kin. They have a forge there, and are producing weapons like what I was attacked with before."

The aide grunted, and stood up slowly. "Urgent. I will leave to report this immediately. You are to report to Aide Judan'duajja tomorrow." Then the aide nodded, and left the tent, making for the fastest way back to Deathcap Outpost.