Kirin is so taken by the orb he doesn't sense the movement. He picks up the orb. It feels warm to the touch, but not in an unpleasant way. He wonders if this orb could help him break the two spells that were on Larissa. He turns and heads back to her.

Larissa glances at Kirin as he picks up the orb. She looks back at the darkness and makes out something, for a brief moment. Turning she looks at Kirin with a slightly panicky face, "Kirin!" Something heavy lands behind her on the walkway. She whirls around and stares up at an immensely large, brown, winged creature standing on two legs. It snarls at her. She screams at Kirin with her eyes glued on the beast, "KIRIN!"

Kirin sees the danger and making sure the orb is safe. He sends at blast of lighting at the creature. He then rushes to her side the orb under one arm. He gets to Larissa and moves her so she's behind him.

She stares at the creature as the lightening hits it. The lightening lights up it's features and creates eerie shadows at it crackles on the creature. Gasping in shock, she takes a step back. Kirin rushes up beside her and steps in front of her. She felt marginally better except that it was human versus unknown creature. As a gryphon, experience placed the winning bets on the creature. It glared down at them, hissed as it widened it's wings on either side of them, and then jumped into the air. With it's clawed feet now free, it tried to scratch at Kirin while simultaneously letting out a jarring scream that filled their ears and re-echoed in their heads. Larissa cringed and bent over, covering her ears tightly with her hands.

Kirin gasps as the creature spreads it's wings. He just barely gets a shield up. He falls to his knees as the creature screamed out. A part of him wishes that he hadn't approached the globe. He moves towards Larissa and puts his arm around her while keeping the shield up.

She gladly turns her face into his chest as his arms wrap around him. As the scream fades, she glances halfway up fearfully. "I think that it is a guardian. There are probably more down here for to protect other secrets," she whispers.

"Let's get out of here." He stands helping her up. Keeping the shield up he heads up the path. He keeps his eye on the guardian. He hopes they can make it.

The guardian leaps up and blocks the walkway back. She looks at it before looking to either side of the walkway. There was no end to how far down into the darkness it went. She hesitated, "Um, I think we are trapped..."

"Please let us pass." He says doing his best to keep his voice calm.

The creature cocked his head. Settling firmly down on the walkway, it asked in a booming voice, "Why do you want to pass?"

"We would like to return to our glade." Kirin says. He stands up straighter. He can feel Larissa shaking a bit. He takes her hand and gives it a squeeze.

She gladly squeezes his hand back. The creature suggests, "Your glade. The glade belongs to the ancients. As does the power you have disturbed and now hide in your jacket."

"I meant no harm. I was only hoping to use to find away to remove the spells that have been put on my companion." He is silent for a moment. "I don't know how much good it will do, but I will return it to it's rightful place." He lets go of Larissa's hand, and leaving the shield around her he heads back towards the altar.

He leaped into the air and crash down in front of Kirin, blocking his path. "You took it. Now you must suffer the consequences for that. Someone must cease to exist. You took that power to help your companion. You took it, so you have a choice. Who ceases to exist? Simple question that is. You have many options. Would you have the troublesome that is powerless and useless die? Or perhaps... you would offer yourself?" It's black eyes bore into him, daring him to even try to lie. Only the truth would suffice.

"I would rather die than have her die." he says without hesitation. This is the truth. He would rather die then have harm come to Larissa.

As the words left Kirin's mouth, the creature started to glow and fade in front of him. He was a beast of selflessness. The test for being worthy to have the artifact passed. He no longer was needed and faded. In essence, he ceased to exist. Larissa stood there and blinked, then looked at Kirin and asked, "Are you...?"

Kirin gasps as the creature fades. "What happened?" he's very confused. He goes over to Larissa. He hugs her close.

Larissa felt Kirin pull her into his arms. The shock and horror of what could have been as well as the trust in knowing better how much Kirin cared for her sent tremors flowing through her. She curled up against his chest and buried her face into his shirt, letting the few tears of fear flow. They were only a few and already she could feel her mind clearing. Her body calming down under the physical protection and love that Kirin showed her.

"Are you alright?" He asks stepping back a bit to look at her. He is still holding the orb. He looks her all over.

Shakily she answered, "Yeah... just shaken. What now?" She looked up into his concerned eyes full of trust. Trust. Something she had never given another except Gryphons. At least, until the horror of her imprisonment and transformation. Then she had left all behind. Now here she was, trusting a human.

"I say we head back to the glade." He puts his free arm around her waist heading back the way they had come. He kisses her cheek as they walk. He's very glad to be alive.

Larissa shyly walks beside him. The trip back easier now that they had an idea of what existed down here and she wasn't making it alone. Leaving the dripping sounds and long walkway behind, they were once again in the chambers and corridors of stone.

"I wonder what happens now." He comments as they walk. It's amazing how much the two of them had been through since they had first met in the forest. He still hopes to find away to change Larissa back and to break his father's spell. That, at this moment, is his goal. He just prays he can do it without making things worse for her.

"I guess you experiment with that. Hope you have a good imagination. I haven't the slightest clue how you will go about it. I can't help with my magic taken from me." She frowned at that. Her magic was gone because she was no longer gryphon. It just plain sucked. What was she supposed to do? Steal other's magic? Nope, that was too close to blood magic. She wouldn't stoop so low.

"I could give you some of mine if you wish." He said. He would willingly give it to her. That is how much he cared. Soon they are out in the open again. He is beyond relieved.