"I hate shooting them in the back. I don't get to see their surprise."~ Akshan, The Rogue Sentinel
I am struggling to explain this little portion till they reach the Astral Grove.
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"Carry this with you..." An old woman in ceremonial robes stood inside the tunnel leading to the Solari temples. In her hands was a necklace with glowing stones.
Briar took it from her hands, "Thanks!"
"You have taken it without question?" The woman asked in surprise. She turned toward Gregori, "Luck is strong with this one."
Gregori nodded as she looked at Briar's happy expression.
"What is this?" Briar asked as she hung it on her neck. " It is glowing!"
"This is a gem blessed by the Protector himself." She said as she pulled out another necklace.
Alarm bells rang in his head as Gregori's eyes widened.
The Protector.
The Aspect who had Demacia under some kind of mental manipulation. His eyes fell on the glowing gems. Those needed to be removed from Briar's neck. His eyes flitted toward the old lady who looked at Briar and the necklace with reverence.
Not in front of her.
"Let us continue." He announced and began to lead the children forward.
"I wish you good luck on your travels and may you always have the protection you require." The old woman wished them as they moved.
Gregori nodded toward her.
"Thanks old lady!" Briar waved.
He glanced back a few times, disguising the movement as if checking on his kids but instead focusing on the old lady.
Her eyes were on them.
All the way till she couldn't be seen anymore.
The very next moment, Gregori turned to Briar and held his hand out, "Can you give me the necklace Briar?"
Without question, she took it off and handed it to him.
The others looked at him, curious as to why he would ask for the necklace. He had never done anything like that before.
"Is something wrong with it?" Rell asked as she stepped forward.
Gregori brought it close to his eyes and examined it closely. The glowing blue color. He pulled it away.
It seemed magical in nature.
There was something to it. Something that felt wrong with it.
He nodded to Rell with his attention still on the item, "There is something wrong with this.... I am not exactly sure what it is...." He turned his attention away from the necklace and to Briar, "I'm sorry my thorn but I will get you something else. This might be dangerous."
Briar seemed down for a moment but she nodded either way. "Okay."
"Tibbers says you shouldn't wear it." Annie's voice cut through.
All eyes turned to her.
"He knows what's wrong with it?" Willa asked surprised.
Annie nodded, "He says that it tracks you."
Gregori's hands tightened around the necklace as his face hardened. The Solari were tracking their movements.
How annoying.
But it was their area. Their rules applied.
He carried it and tied it to Oompa's harness and roughly patted the beast. "Let it hang off here then."
But deep within he knew it wasn't just a tracking item. The old woman..... she had said Protector. And that kept coming to the front of his mind, repeating over and over.
But that didn't stop the group.
A while later, they came across a wall with carved stone bowls placed all over it.
"All of you take one." He said as he took one for himself.
Faye inspected the bowl, "Are they gonna feed us?"
Gregori shook his head. "You'll see." He held the bowl in one hand as he led the group through the caves.
Soon, they came across the Solari temple as the caves opened up into the grand stone structures. Gold and metal inlaid into the walls all shaped in sun like illustrations.
"The prayer shrine is up ahead." Gregori explained. "To go south.... we need to pass through this."
"You have come here before Gregori?"" Willa asked.
Gregori shook his head, "Haven't come to this one... but they are all similar." He replied with confidence.
The entrance to the temple had two guards at the entrance, to their side was a large bucket with a ladle in it. Next to it was long strips of dried vines threaded together.
"Light your flames." One of them announced calmly.
Gregori nodded and turned to one of the burning braziers and used the ladle to pour a small amount of oil into each of the bowls. He then placed the a vine in each one and led the children to the brazier.
WHOOOSHH
The vine-like wicks lit on fire and the guards moved aside to let them pass.
The group entered the shrine and stood in front of a high golden symbol etched into the wall. There were others who were knelt in front of the wall in prayer. Not a single one of them turned to face them.
Gregori walked to the front and place the bowl in front of the wall. The children repeated his actions and lined up the bowls.
"Now we leave." Gregori said.
The group followed in silence.
"They were praying very hard." Annie pointed out.
"Belief is what keeps them together Annie." Gregori explained, "Sometimes when people do not have something to rely on.... they look toward a higher power.... even if it does not respond."
"Like you and Soraka?" Daani asked.
Gregori smiled, he had made the connection himself, "Soraka guided me at the worst point in my life. What I feel toward her is deep respect and thankfulness. But it is easier to explain it as worship since I do pray to her when I need something."
"I don't understand." Daani replied.
Gregori accepted his reaction, "You will when you are older Daani. There is no rush for you to understand it now. This is something that comes with age."
"Outsider!" A voice called to them as they left the shrine through its exit.
A Solari man walked up to them. He didn't seem confrontational despite his shout.
Gregori moved in front of his kids and addressed the man, "Is there a problem?"
"Where did you get that?" He asked as he pointed toward the necklace on Oompa.
"An old woman gave it to us." Gregori replied, "Said it was blessed by the Protector."
The man frowned and muttered, "The gift givers are coming in this far down?"
Gregori used the opportunity to ask the man about it, "What is this?"
"Hm?" The man looked at him, "Targonite. Stones that are found along the upper regions of the mountain. It gives it the blue glow in sunlight."
"So you stopped us because it is rare?" He asked.
The man shook his head, "No currently it is being sold to the Twin Cities for a lot of resources. It is worth a lot. I wanted to buy it from you." He shrugged, "But not anymore." He pointed to the necklace, "That one is from the gift givers. Those are for the people it is offered to. And it has been offered to you."
"Ah.." Gregori, "This has magic in it?"
The man nodded. "A special kind. But it is not in my place to explain it. There is much to it even I do not know."
The man bowed and turned around, "I wish you a good journey."
Gregori gave the man a small bow, "Thank you."
"So you were right?" Daisy asked.
Gregori looked at the necklace, "I think..."
He wasn't sure anymore. The Solari man wasn't sure about the old woman. Gift giver he had called her. And she wasn't someone commonly found at this height. That would mean that she wasn't Solari.
She was from an another faction.
One with a motive he didn't yet understand.
He sighed.
One of the unknown dangers of Targon had just revealed itself. One could argue that she could have been a well wisher and her faction could be potential allies but more often than not they would be enemies.
He had to carefully maneuver around this problem.
This.... Targonite was valuable and was being sold in high quantities to Piltover and Zaun. And it was just given to Briar.
Gregori went through the conversation in his mind once more trying to catch something that might have slipped through and then one particular sentence stood out.
"Luck."
She wasn't talking about luck. No she was taking about Luck.
A breath escaped him, there were those who understood the three principles Caalyx was a big proponent of.
"Daddy?" Briar looked at him expecting him to give her the necklace.
"It is still to dangerous Briar." Gregori said as he ruffled her hair. "For now.... lets keep it away."
There was nothing more he could say btu he was lucky with Briar. She listened to him without question. Harmless doubts were still there but she did not outright say no to any of his words.
She was obedient and reliable, despite her innocence.
"Now we go straight to the Astral Grove?" Sydell cut in.
"Yes." Gregori began walking again.
And as they continued, the markings on the wall began to fade as they completely exited the Solari influence on the caves.