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nI know that you don't want to push her, but maybe it is something that was done to her, and she is scared to talk about it.

n'I don't really think that this is the case here. I think I might have been something along the lines of someone important to Beeno disapproved, and she crushed it down. It happens all the time with kids and young adults.'

nPeople at young ages were always more impressionable. The disapproval of someone they looked up to could easily cause them to stop doing something they loved.

nSometimes it was attraction, the need for friendship, attention, or getting to a place you wanted to be. Some would do anything in order to impress others, and with gangs and other groups that would be sometimes pushed to the limits.

nI let go of Beeno's hand and turned from her, and started to talk casually,

"I feel like these passions people have could be the things that help if that is what was taught from a young age. Passions are important, and if people are allowed to express them, they are usually a lot happier.

"

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"Do you think that it is going to help anything if I can only draw a picture? I can't create anything I draw, so what is the point of doing it?

" Beeno asked from behind me.

nI turned around with a smile and said,

"When you draw a picture, you are creating that image in their minds. You allow other people to experience things that they might have never seen and may never get the chance to. There are many different ways that I can think of that your skill could be helpful!

"

nBeeno looked surprised, but a shy smile started to creep onto her face.

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"Do you really believe that?

" Beeno asked, and I smiled down at her but then scooped her up.

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"Of course I do! Let's go get this over with, and then we can go have some fun if you want. I have been interested in continuing where we left off last time,

" I said as I started to jog down the tunnel.

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"Y-You want to d-do that?

" Beeno stammered and then buried her face into my chest, so I decided to try teasing her a bit.

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"Mmhmm, yes. After you told me how you were going to snap it off, I have been inquisitive about getting to see what that might be like,

" I said, lowering my voice to an almost growl.

nThe one jade gem eye was exposed as Beeno on eyelids peeled back. That made me chuckle, but then I groaned and almost tripped as she bit down on one of my abs.

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"Hey! I wasn't kidding! Be careful; I don't want you to make me start bleeding! Wait until you are in my system so that you can try to abuse me all you want!

" I growled, and Beeno let go of me but left red teeth marks.

nI knew that she wasn't trying to bite me to hurt me, but I was still surprised by the amount of force that she was able to exert. Might want to get this one into the group sooner than I had planned if she planned to continue playing rough.

nIt only took us about a minute to get down to a massive cave where I could see the flickering light of Fireden. I jogged over to them, trying to look around.

nThere wasn't anything but packed dirt with scratches carved into it, but it was hard as a rock. I guess that this was just a gathering area, or they took everything with them.

n

"Thought that you might have got lost. You know, considering all the places that you couldn't turn!

" Windorf griped, but I ignored him.

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"So, this is one of the Summon Gems that you said it would be?

" I asked Fireden as I walked up beside my burning friend.

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"Yep, but I don't know what kind it is; you are going to have to figure that out. It wouldn't react to any of our touches, so I must be locked on to you,

" Fireden explained.

nThen he and the rest of the Elementals started to back up from the softly glowing blue gem. This one looked more like a diamond meant to be set into a ring, but it was the size of my fist.

nI set Beeno down and then asked her to go stand with the others. She seemed to understand something was going to happen and knew that she wanted no part of it, leaving me with no fuss.

nI looked past her at the others, and I was curious why they were all moving back. I turned back to the blue crystal and walked forward; I was about ten feet from it.

nDon't touch it until they have left the room, or you will suck them in with you. If that happens, you will be giving the dimensional rift in the Summon Gem more power.

nI slowed down when I got within arms reach and looked down at the gem, but it was glowing brighter now. The diamond was reacting to my presence, so I turned around to wait for the other five to get out of the massive cave.

n*Fireden: Alright, this should be far enough now. You can attempt to activate the Summon Gem. When this happens, you will get sucked into the gem to meet, in this case, Gnoll King, but you might be offered something enjoyable.*

n'What do you mean by something interesting?'

n*Grogvel: There are special buffs for the gems, and you can get buffs for the Gnolls.*

nI was just going to have to check the place or thin out myself, and there was no point mulling over it. I turned back to the gem and reached forward, letting my hand press down on the cool surface.

nInstantly, my world burst with lights and colors, and I started to feel like I was falling into a rainbow.

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