The door cracked open and an old face looked out stoically. "Who be you four? What do ye want with me?" She demanded in an old creaky voice that matched her house.

Nimue was startled by the old woman and shifted nervously. She looked over to Alexis, questioningly.

((n_n Don't laugh at my old lady rp though. I like making old ladies kinda hag ish XD))

Alexis stepped forward. "I'm Alexis. We're from the academy. We were told that you had a quest for us," Alexis said.

Akeru looked at the old woman and bowed her head slightly in a respectful hello.

Irin looked at each of the young ones in turn. "Alright then. You're quest is to find the Mermaid's Heart." The old woman opened the door and stepped to the side to let the children in. "Come inside and I'll tell you want need be done."

"The mermaid's heart?" Alexis wondered to herself. She had never heard of anything like that before. Nevertheless, she followed the old lady inside the house to hear more.

Dakota, who saw that girls stepping into the house, giggled a little, and sprinted towards the mill. A man stood out there, on guard. She saw a pile of leaves and thought it best to distract him. She concentrated hard on the impact and closed her eyes. She then hid behind a large plank of wood, that lay on its side. Then she left her enegry go, the leaves flew into the air, towards the man, and piled on him with a Thwump.
"WHAT THE..." He exclaimed.

Akeru stepped inside the house.

[Writers' block...]

((I don't think we can do anything until peaches posts))

Alexis looked around, feeling slightly akward as everyone looked to the elderly woman for explanation.

((sorry guys computer was being kinda weird. If you are computer smart pm me please. <3))

Irin smiled her old crooked smile. "So ye lot has never heard of the Mermaid's Heart?" She took a set at a tattered and worn old chair. "The Jewel is said to be just a mere myth, but I be knowing better then some of them." She looked over at them all. "Is this the lot of ya? Are there not more young ones?" She asked suddenly.

Nimue stood silent with the others. She was unsure of what to say to the old woman. She looked really scary, but so far did nothing to prove it.

((I'm a computer science major. What's your issue? Pm me about it))

Alexis decided to be the first to speak and said "There are more of us, but they're uh...doing something else at the moment." She quickly said, not sure if irin would approve of the others trying to save the river.

Irin glared at nothing in particular before continuing. "The Mermaid's Heart fell into the hands of an evil man a long time ago. It was said that he drove himself mad and his wife threw the jewel into the river. It turned the water into a vile thing that consumes all who enter it. Not even an animal will live there. The jewel lies at the bottom of the river. It's locked away in a chest sealed with many locks.

If ye want to open the box you'll have to find the ancestors of the crazed man and his wife. I can't tell you who they are, but the man's name was Alastor Saed. You can find his headstone in the village. That is your first clue." She yawned slightly. "Ye must go now before night fall, the cometary is a dangerous place at night. Not a body will be willing to enter there at night."

"Thank you. We'll try our best." Alexis said, motioning to the others to follow her. "Goodbye," She said, walking out the door of Irin's house.

Nimue stepped out into the cooling air. "What are we going to do? Should we tell the others?" She walked with Alexis.

Akeru followed the two girls out of the house. Her sapphire eyes were thoughtful. "I wonder how we'll get the chest out," She wondered quietly. "Maybe Spirit magic will work?"

"We should tell the others. They won't be able to save the river until we remove that chest from it." She said, thoughtful for a second. "We have to find out where in the river it is, then find a way to get it out. I don't think we'll be able to swim in the area around the chest, and i have a feeling it won't be affected by elemental magic." Alexis sighed. "Let's go find the others."