Rune turns out to be good at looking through the keys; the six in the shrine proper do indeed overlap into a specific pattern, and while there's a lot of keys in the key-room only one has that entire pattern and nothing else.

Ooh, that's convenient. Always good to have a subject matter expert on hand. 

Nothing explodes nor attacks them when they retrieve the stone.

"Let's get moving," she says. "Probably towards the main entrance to Omu. More people're likely to be there, and we can work our way back to the Palace from there."

"Sounds good to me. I'd like to get out of here quick smart."

"Same formation as last time?"

"It wasn't perfect last time, but nothing is." She shrugs. "Seems reasonable to me."

"We'll just have to keep a better eye out for snipers."

And off?

Off they go!

While trying not to be shot. Trying not to be shot is important.

Very.

Luckily, they don't get shot!

...Carillia does hear the sounds of a lot of people fighting in the distance, though.

"Do we want to interfere? We might be able to pick up a few more cubes that way."

"I'd like to," Liliane says, and while there's some split in the group's opinions the consensus seems to lean towards 'yes.'

Well, interfering seems like a reasonable enough plan. They need to get more puzzle cubes anyway, and if most of them are in the hands of other people--

Exactly.

They proceed, and the sounds of battle grow louder - and as they crest a hill it becomes obvious that it's one laughing woman, possibly an elf, against a swarm of plant-like creatures.

Are they one of the other puzzle cube having people?

Seems to be the woman identified as Decima.

She takes down another two plant-people.

Okay, so attacking her could be... helpful. Mean, but helpful.

"Do we wanna go help the plants?"

"Those guys aren't really friendly, don't know that we won't then have two sets of enemies..."

"I'd lean trying to recruit her, myself... More allies helps."

"She looks fun to fight, though."

"She'll know it's in her best interest to help, though, and we shouldn't pick unneeded fights."

"She's winning," Shalsuve points out, "By a lot, and she's only taking so long because she's playing." A pause, and: "Also she's Summer Elladrin. A teleporter."

"We could take her, almost certainly without any fatalities; we're a big enough group and have multiple healers. But - do you guys feel that? Pretty damn sure she's got the same divine spark mom does."

"...Right. Yeah. Of course. Guess it depends on whether she's up for stopping Lichy McLichface? Like, if that's her goal, it'd make sense to help her out. If it's something else-- Though it probably makes sense to ask her that when she's not busy fighting plants."

"It'll help us establish ourselves as potentially friendly if we help her fight - even if she doesn't need it."

"Yeah, it probably makes sense to help out with Operation: Let's Make There Not Be Plants. Shall we?"