His original thoughts on the matter, regarding how quickly he could finish the job, were quickly wiped clear. As he walked to retrieve the cart he began to wonder why the church hadn't had the children and staff move the smaller pieces. If anything it would have allowed them to offer even less money given that the job would have been smaller. A little bit later, after having returned with the cart and set it up where he and the head cleric had first stood, he would come to understand the situation in full. He casually reached down to pick up the first of several small pieces of debris wrapping his fingers around its shape and went to lift.

"Ugh!"

While he was able to lift the small piece of wood with small bits of plaster here and there it was much heavier than he anticipated. So heavy in fact that he almost hurt himself by not having his muscles set correctly when he went to lift it. Looking down at the wood in confusion he moved to place it carefully into the cart. He originally had simply planned to lightly toss them in but now feeling the weight he knew that would, without a doubt, easily crush the cart, which obviously wouldn't be a good thing. Looking back at the larger pieces closer to the wall he considered just how heavy they would be. He definitely wouldn't finish this in one day and exhausted a deep sigh upon accepting the sad reality.

Before he continued he took a few moments to stretch out his arms, legs, and back. In addition he hopped up and down in place a little bit to get his muscles warmed up and his blood flowing. Finally he was truly ready and moved to begin moving the smaller pieces into the cart, carefully placing them within to keep the weight distributed. He was about to lift it by its handle to take the first load outside but paused to consider the contents and his options. He wasn't sure how long the cart would be able to handle such weight and thus he carefully began to allow his Nel' Ina to flow through his hands and onto the cart's handle. While the cart didn't have any channels for his power to flow through the shape allowed for a flow of least resistance to occur. Soon the bottom of the cart, beneath the debris, along its joints, and the wheels were glowing a light blue as he reinforced the various areas.

After he deemed it sturdy enough he lifted the edge and began pushing it down the hallway. Given it was a cart, designed to move heavy things with minimal effort, he didn't have much trouble moving it along the flat surface inside the sanctum. Once he reached outside though it was a bit more touch and go as, despite the ground being relatively even, there were still dips and rocks here and there. Finally he managed to find a path pretty much clear of any obstacles and unloaded the contents of the cart into the empty fountain as instructed.

Over the next several hours he fell into a rhythm and steadily cleaned up the hallway making it about a third of the way down its length before the head cleric and Katarina appeared from around the corner. Katarina was carrying a small wooden serving tray with a wooden pitcher and matching cup. He assumed the pitcher contained water and smiled as he clapped his hands together to try and get rid of some of the dust stuck to his skin. As they walked toward him the head cleric offered a nod and smile of approval at the work done so far.

"Very impressive Mr. Kipley. Especially for one your age. We brought some water to hopefully refresh you some."

"Thank you very much."

He had taken a few sips from the well outside but had been so focused the last two hours that he had forgotten to remain hydrated. Katarina moved past him and placed the tray on the edge of the cart so that she could pour him a cup. Holding it out to him he took it carefully before downing the contents in several gulps.

"Don't worry, it isn't poison."

Katarina's words were barely audible, just loud enough for him to hear her over his swallows, though now he was coughing as he covered his mouth. His eyes began to water while he sucked in deep breaths and tried to stop coughing. The head cleric, who was oblivious to the situation, turned around with a concerned look.

"Mr. Kipley, you must take your time! There is plenty of water if you need it."

After a moment he held up a hand and nodded with an apologetic smile and was able to manage some words.

"Yes, my apologies mam. It just went down the wrong hole. I'm ok now."

As soon as he stated he was ok he heard it, a barely audible sound of annoyance, both for the maker of the noise and Ethan, as its receiver.

"Tch!"

Despite the sudden rush of heat into his cheeks at her apparent dislike of him being ok he slowly turned to face her. With a thin lip smile plastered on his face he held out the cup for a refill.

"If you could, please."

When she took it from him he turned back to the head cleric to ask a question that had been on his mind since he first started on the job.

"Excuse me mam, but if I may ask, why is this debris so heavy? It seems unnatural as the wood and plaster don't seem to be made from any special materials."

"Ah yes, I'm terribly sorry. You wouldn't really know the details unless you were more involved with sanctums."

She paused and then looked around her with a loving expression, before reaching out to gesture at the sanctum itself.

"Would you believe this sanctum is over three thousands years old and has only just recently fell into disrepair? Up until 50 years ago it never needed a single repair. Do you know why?"

Ethan was so shocked by her words that it took Katarina tapping him on the shoulder with his refilled cup before he noticed it. Absently he reached up over his shoulder and took it into his opposite hand. Finally Ethan shook his head no in silent, still shocked, reply to the head cleric.

"Well then, let me explain," she said with a happy expression.