[Coolshaymin]

A bright and golden temple stood out in the somewhat dense forest. It was several steps high and lead up to what appeared to be a carved open monkey mouth for an entrance. Along the temple stairs and all around the area were golden banana statues. Witch was not sure the difference was but apparently the banana she needed was edible... And these statues definitely weren't unless you were trained to eat solid good.

At the top of the stairs in the open field Witch sat next to the entrance ready to enter. She held her broom by her side along with a container of potions... Why did she want to bring potions to this place? Regardless, she looked through Grandma Wish's Potions book while sitting down. Was she mentally preparing herself, was she bored or was she looking up new schemes?... Well, any of those were possible.

[Rina]

Not all is monotonous, for there shall be a fellow comet-slinging mage coming via broom. Lemres flew down from the skies and right next to Witch, though there was not much tell on when he was showing up. He just...kinda appeared out of nowhere without warning because she wasn't paying attention. Witch is someone Lemres vaguely remembered. She, too, casts cosmic magic like the Comet Warlock. He recalled being consulted for potion advice, but...it didn't exactly go as intended. He took no offense to it though.

"So, what's the plan for your next potion?"

[Mari]

A tiny, 1'9'' deerling made her way to the front of the temple at a leisurely pace. The furr-like moss growing on her back was a shade of off-color mantis green, signifying that today was a good day. She cautiously approached the comet warlock and his familiar companion, eyeing Witch in thought. Their previous encounter at Mushroom Ruins had allowed the two to bond, making it easier for Valorie to be a bit more confident in her approach.

"Hello, Witch. I guess we both like these nature-filled areas, huh?" the deerling remarked in greeting. It was the only explanation she had for how they kept meeting up. Her body tended to react rather violently to the more polluted and therefore lifeless areas of Li, so she had been deliberately avoiding taking missions in those locations. She then silently acknowledged Lemres, for one reason or another not saying hello. It probably had something to do with the nervous way she never quite met his eyes. Hello, stranger.

[Coolshaymin]

Witch closed her book and jumped up at Lemres's rather sudden announcement. She did not go past that startled reaction as she noticed the Comet Warlock. Oh right, it was that guy that was trying to give her advice on store keeping. She let a giggle in response to Lemres's question. "Oh hohohoho~. Sorry, but it's a top secret project. I can't just tell anyone what I have in store. I assure you though it will be unlike anything you have seen~," Witch assured mysteriously with an added giggle before noticing a familiar Deerling.

They have been running into each other a lot, haven't they? It was almost like a perfect call~. "I guess we do. Places like these can be rather homely~," Witch responded before storing her Potion Book away and heading up the stairs. "Now that we are all here, let's raid this temple, shall we~?" Witch suggested before going to go into the 'mouth' of the temple.

[Rina]

Fair enough. A witch doesn't reveal all the secrets to her potions anyway. Where's the fun in that? Lemres let out a chuckle, unusually quite understanding of her response. The Comet Warlock has his share of secrets himself, actually. Such as his candy stash.

"A secret, huh? I understand~"

Lemres also took notice of the little Deerling lurking under the dress. When did she get here? Curious, Lemres crouched down to try and acquaint himself before heading inside. Establishing a trust between allies is important to succeeding. Without it, then the venture is likely to go sour.

"Well hello there little one. I take it you're coming along with us too?"

Giving a warm smile to Valorie, he turned back to Witch and answered to her question.

"Yeah, seems we're all accounted for."

[Mari]

Valorie withered slightly as Lemres approached her, eyeing him warily with a familiar sort of cowardice in her eyes. Perhaps Lemres might recognize it from someone else he'd known... Rider, perhaps? Either way, she seemed a little nervous being spoken to, but quickly seemed to warm up a little upon listening to his words. She reached out and gently nudged one of his hands with her snout. ...Was that candy she smelled coming from him? It kind of seemed like it, but her powerful sense of smell was still rather new to her and she wasn't sure what to make of all the information it gave her. "Uh-huh. Princess Peach says Witch is good, and I can't open the door to my appartment anymore... My name's Valorie." she responded, just sort of musing several half-baked thoughts aloud. Was she deliberately seeking out company? As Witch and Lemres moved to enter the temple, she bounced along behind them, following Witch in particular like a lost puppy.

[Coolshaymin]

Peach says I am good, huh? That is interesting. It would seem Valorie is coming along nicely~! Witch giggled to herself at the thought. It was good Valorie was getting so attached to her afterall. Soon she may even get to make her her desire. But first, they had a Golden Banana to obtain. It was kind of odd being considered good though... She was not used to such a positive light...

The trio entered the 'mouth' of the temple and inside was a large square room. The walls were lined with torches and simian heir0glyphics. The wall on the other side had ancient text written upon it. In the center of the room was a large pedestal. In front of this pedestal was four smaller ones, each with a fruit atop it. Left to right were the fruits: Banana, Coconut, Durian and Pineapple. Witch went up to the back wall and ignored the fake fruits for a moment. The people of this temple naturally did not place real fruit there. They would go to waste rather quickly.

"Okay, according to this book, it should read... All that wish to enter this temple must pass the test or face a most fearsome wrath. Three Sacred Fruits rest in this room, however, one does not belong. Sacrifice the spy and entrance shall be granted. Beware though, it's outer layer poses a threat to those that seek to root out the King's Mighty Flavor."

"... This ancient civilization sure has a thing for fruit... Not to mention the hint is really vague. You two have any ideas?"

[Rina]

"My name's Lemres. A pleasure to meet you."

He returned the gesture before heading inside the temple. It was a little on the dim side, though still easy to see. As expected from a temple, it's got hieroglyphs everywhere, none of which Lemres recognizes. He also took note of the four fruit figurines laid on top of the pedestals. Seems they'd be important in the future, but let's not touch it just yet. The clue Witch read aloud needs to be figured out. of course he would know a thing or two about fruit, they're used in desserts

"Fruit is the sweet bounty, provided by nature, after all."

"Though...durian might be a mixed bag due to its off-putting smell and flavor. It is referred to as the 'king of fruits' in some lands, but the sense of taste does vary wildly. Perhaps this is the 'king' they refer to?"

Lemres motioned towards the spiky fruit replica. Luckily, since the durian is a replica, this one doesn't smell at all. He took caution not to knock it over. That might be bad.

[Mari]

Valorie loled her head up at Witch in response to the rather out of place giggle, but thought little of it. ...Listening to the discussion. going on, she couldn't help but wonder how Lemres knew these things. "I've never heard of a durian fruit, ...but a pineapple has a crown! See?" the tiny deerling offered, pointing up at the pineapple with her snout. She probably couldn't reach it.

She then hesitated a moment to consider something. "Are coconuts fruit? It says 'nut' right in the name." she went on to muse aloud, gracing the party with her rather simple observations

[Coolshaymin]

"I should of expected you to be the fruity type, Lemres. Those qualities are familiar sounding now that you mention it. Not to mention, the Durian's Outer Layer is often distinguished by it's thorny nature. Though... There is something a little wrong with your train of thought."

"As you said, this is a term only some lands use. Not to mention this temple is probably ancient. No telling if they even called it that. It could be right, but a little bit of a gamble."

"Yes, Valorie, Coconuts are considered fruit. The fact they have nut in their name is a bit misleading. They have really thick shells but they not sure I'd call it dangerous. The banana peel can be dangerous, but only if it is lying around. As for the Pineapple... they can have sharp flowers to produce more fruit... And the top does resemble a crown... And it's taste may not be that controversal..." Witch pondered. "The correct fruit should probably be placed on the pedestal in the center. We should probably be sure we are right first though," Witch seemed decently knowledgeable on fruits herself. Though, given one of the things she is looking for is a Golden Banana, it might be for potion reasons.

[Rina]

"Hmm, you are right, but there's very little clues to work with aside from visual cues."

Lemres walked around the fruits, taking a more careful look at them. Bananas are dangerous if lying around... Hmm, a strange tangent to go by, but there is a random thought that came to his mind.

"While rather comedic, I've heard stories of people getting hit on the head with coconuts while trying to harvest them. Due to their incredibly thick shells, they could cause some very noticeable head injuries."

It's rather silly, but there has to be an answer somewhere...If only there were some botanists among the group!

[Mari]

Valorie considered Witch's words for a long moment. ...Could you actually slip on bananas? She'd never seen such a thing outside of those silly cartoons. Lemres' words distracted her from that thought rather quickly, though. "Oh yeah! I guess coconuts would be pretty dangerous if you were trying to get them down from a tree... ...But who would call a coconut the king of fruits..?" Valorie would respond and ask, bemused by the prospect. A banana's skin wasn't really dangerous to the person trying to eat it. Only rotten bananas were slippery... And a coconut didn't seem royal to her. ...And Witch seemed to disagree with the durian...

"I still think it's the pineapple!" Valorie offered somewhat enthusiastically

[Coolshaymin]

"Valorie is right. While painful if it falls on your head, I doubt it would be a king... These things are really not adding up..." Witch commented before something clicked as Valorie said Pineapple again. They were forgetting an important part of the puzzle! Of course, a Witch never lets some ancient civilization's puzzle make a fool out of her~.



"... PineAPPLE! We've been focusing on the danger and King but not the other part of the story! We have to sacrifice the spy! While it is true, the Coconut can be called a nut, a nut is not a fruit anyway. What if the spy was a fruit trying to steal the identity of a Sacred Fruit to fit in?"



"Ho hohohohoho~!" Witch giggled strongly as she felt she has deduced the solution thanks to Valorie. "Therefore, the spy is the one taking the Apple's identity! The PineAPPLE! If there is no need for further debate, Lemres, put the Pineapple replica on the Pedestal!"

[Rina]

"So it was just the matter of name, was it? That's more straightforward than I thought~"

Guess the group was overthinking it! An apple, while is a fruit, is not from a tropical region. That may as well be the answer to the first riddle! Following Witch's cue, he took hold of the pineapple and carefully placed it on the other pedestal. He slowly backed away making sure it won't fall off from sudden movement...or if there was some sort of rigged trap to be had if he were to twitch suddenly.

...now what though?

"Will a door open or something else happen? Perhaps there is something we have to touch to confirm our response?"

[Mari]

"I knew it~" Valorie chirped proudly, raising her head with newfound dignity. Sure she hadn't actually known for sure and was just guessing based on what she did know, but this was clearly the corect response and not at all a trick! Either way, she would have her moment of joy. "I wonder if the sacrifice is symbolic or literal..." Valorie would go on to muse aloud, though she questioned this even as she said it. Were they really the first to try this puzzle? If so, where did these fruits come from after the old ones were destroyed? ... Ah well. Let the people with hands figure that one out.