Complete Private Western Brisshal Thunderer

[Ash Vargold]

The storm raged on above, and the caravan continued below.

Rain drummed a steady staccato across the wooden roof of the carriages, accompanied by the rattle of wheels and the grunts of oxen. Both were occasionally drowned out by the flash and roar of thunder. In better circumstances the caravan would have taken refuge to wait out the storm, but these were wild lands. No Lions trod these paths. No knights would come to their rescue if they faltered.

This was Arcia at its cruelest, and the storm was eager to take its toll.

The road was churned to mud beneath hooves and wheels. The carriages stopped and started, the oxen lowing their displeasure as they were spurred on by frantic drivers. Just a little more and they’d reach more solid ground. A little longer and they would find themselves in safer territory.

A moment of tension, hair rising, the air tingling with electricity-

BOOM

Lighting struck, filling the air with splintering wood. The oxen rioted in fear, fighting their reins, footing becoming unsteady on the melting path-

-which finally gave way, sending a carriage tumbling into the valley below.

Western Brisshal - ???

Ash woke up with a head full of fog and a mouth full of mud.

The rain had eased, but it had yet to let up. He sat up, spitting what he could out of his mouth as he tried to sort his addled thoughts. Where was he? How long had he been out?

Was there anyone else?

He stood up and immediately staggered under the weight of vertigo. He reached out to balance himself on the first thing in reach. That thing happened to be the caravan, half-ruined and on its side. To one side lay a hill too steep and slick to climb. To the other side sprawled the unforgiving forest. And stuck between them was a totaled cart and a handful of what were either unconscious survivors or corpses.

"Ugh... this isn't good."

"Hey! Anyone awake?"

@Amy

 

[Amy]

Amy did not like the carriages of Finweald at all.

They felt off. The people inside them. The way some of them talked. The way she suddenly couldn't feel their presence anymore after a while felt particularly weird... Starcalled going back home, she assumed. No people she wanted to have anything to do with.

So, she stayed the whole trip silent.

However, there was someone that called her attention on the trip... Someone that seemed to always be faintly emanating some magic... It felt off. It wasn't strange to see someone using magic here and there, but... This person, a man judging by the voice she heard a handful of times during the trip, had some magic up all the time.

It was just... Strange. Amy did not know what to take of it... But she also didn't care enough to ask anything. She did not care to ask about the details of what went on with Starcalled.

Things changed with the storm though. It was raging on quite strongly, and Amy was getting worried that they seemed to be accelerating instead of slowing down.

"Shouldn't we stop somewhere and wait for the rain to stop?" Amy asked the drivers... She did not have the chance to know if they even heard her though, because the sound of thunder assaulted her ears, and the carriage was now shaking way more than before.

The only thing she could do, was to tightly hold on to the gifts she was planning on giving to the children, and hope for the best... Alas, the best did not come. Gravity suddenly seemed to shift. She felt pain. She heard loud noises, as if something crashed.

... The carriage must have crashed. Amy was not feeling the shaking anymore, and she was suddenly being hit by the cold winds and rain drops... And it hurts. It hurts everywhere...

The first thing Amy did though, was check the gifts she had tightly embraced... She touched them all over while they were still carefully secured in her bag... They seem safe. Amy heaved a sigh of relief.

Next, she tried touching her eye sockets. Only to find that her glass eyes were still safely in place... Another relief. Amy had no idea how long it would take for her to be able to afford new ones if those were lost.

So now... Amy tried crawling... It hurt. Moving hurt a lot.

Did she break something? Was she bleeding? It was hard to know with the rain, but she was probably not in a good condition... Evoking here would not be wise. I don't know where we are, and I don't think my body will handle it... But I also can't stay here.

Amy was at a loss. What was she even supposed to do...? Was she going to die here? On an unknown ditch? After a fruitless trip to Astorea, where the only good things she took out of it were meeting Magnolia and getting some gifts for the children? Gifts she wasn't even going to be able to deliver...?

... I don't want to die.

Amy considered her options... Evoking was very dangerous. It always hurt her to enter evoked form, and she would have no idea of where to fly to when she didn't know where she was... But it was better than doing nothing.

Amy got ready to act. Ready to summon her wings, when-

"Hey! Anyone awake?"

Amy heard a voice... She was not alone.

She turned her head in the voice's general direction and... Magic? That faint magic she saw while this starcalled man was in Arcia... Well, at least they can do their divine duty now. It is not what I wanted, but I suppose fate works in strange ways.

Amy made a silent prayer in thanks to lady Rhiannon before she raised her voice, "Over here!" She started coughing. Raising her voice hurt more than she imagined.

This was not the time to stop though, Amy did not know if the man heard her amidst the storm, so she made sure to talk again, regardless of the pain, "May I request help in finding my walking cane!?" More coughing... Amy wondered if blood was coming out of those, "I'm afraid I can't find my way without it!"

Why did it have to hurt so much...? Amy just wanted to fall asleep right now... But she forced herself awake. She just had to stay awake.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

There was a long moment after he called when Ash was afraid that no one would answer. That he was alone at the foot of this slope, at the mercy of his "condition", and while he could log out he would eventually have to face it...

"Over here!"

Oh thank god. Ash's attention snapped towards the source of the voice. It was unfamiliar, but he'd spent more time offline than online for most of the caravan. He shook himself, found his balance somewhere amidst the pain and ringing, and turned towards the voice. "Hold on, let me get you out of there!"

Ash didn't have much EN, and there wasn't much in the way of fresh death here - probably a good thing, but inconvenient. He resorted to pulling the remains of the carriage out of the way, gloves catching on the splintered wood until he could find the one survivor within it. A quick glance proved that she was injured, but not so badly that moving her would make things worse. He pulled her free from the wreck and propped her against a more stable chunk before taking stock of her condition.

The faerin was almost entirely unfamiliar, but he recognized the unnatural gleam of her artificial eyes. She was one of the few Landers that had joined the mostly player caravan and had been thoroughly unhappy the whole time. Not an ideal traveling companion, but beggars couldn't be choosers. He pulled a potion from his inventory and pressed it into her hands. "Drink that, it'll help. What does your cane look like?"

@Amy

 

[Amy]

Amy felt relieved at hearing the man's voice. It meant she didn't need to raise her own voice again.

Being pulled felt worse than talking though... Amy endured it, however. She did need help, and lady Rhiannon provided a Starcalled to aid her. She was not going to complain... In fact, she stayed quiet while her savior moved her.

Then, once Amy was placed down, she felt something land on one of her hands that was still tightly holding onto the bag filled with gifts. Amy wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps glass?

"Drink?" Amy muttered with a pained breath... This must be a potion.

... I'll need both hands for this.

Carefully making sure that the gift bag would not slip from her lap, Amy moved her now free hand around the supposed-potion-bottle, until she found its lid. Amy slowly removed it, then carefully moved the bottle to her mouth with both hands and gulped its contents down. Not stopping until she stopped feeling the liquid entering her body.

As soon as she was done, Amy carefully put the bottle to the side, on something that felt like solid ground, held her gift bag again with both hands, and took a deep breath. She was certainly feeling the pain fade... The amount of magic that was in this potion must not have been small.

"Thank you, Starcalled savior. Your help is much appreciated." And it was because his help was appreciated, that Amy did not say the next words with any snark on it, and instead just stated them as a matter of fact, "I am afraid I cannot give you many details. It is long enough to help me know where I am going, and I was told my walking cane was white. I do not know anything else of it."

It was annoying to have to actually explain that though. How was she even supposed to know what her walking cane looked like? Did he think she was crippled and that the cane was because she struggled with walking normally? Its real purpose should have become obvious at some point during the trip that led them here... Wherever here might be.

... Amy held back a sigh. She figured it was a bit too much to expect a Starcalled to pay any attention to the people in his surroundings... It was no matter.

In any case, since the pain had mostly faded, Amy decided to try getting up. Making use of whatever it was that she had been propped against... It still hurt a bit to move, but getting up was definitely possible... And so she did.

"We probably shouldn't stay here for long... Last thing we need is to get a cold under this rain." Not like Amy would leave without her cane though. But she figured she'd mention that at least, "Unless you wish to search for other survivors? I will not be against a selfless request from my savior."

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash blinked, then slapped his face. "Right. Blind. Duh." He regretted the slap immediately, because it just meant he had more mud on his face to wipe off. With a growl he took the gloves off and shoved them into a pocket. "White cane, got it. Okay, lets see..."

It was probably somewhere in the rubble. Once he knew what to look for, it was easy enough to spot, and seemed unbroken. He fished it out and once again placed it in the lander's hands, then stood back and took a moment to examine the area. He didn't sense any fresh ghosts or see any corpses... well, there was the ox, but that wasn't a person.

"I think it's just us. I don't see the driver, and no bodies either. Either they left already or logged out to wait for the storm to pass."

He sighed. This was going to be rough.

"...call me Ash. None of this 'savior' stuff."

"Finding cover sounds good. Can you manage rough ground on your own, or do you need help?"

@Amy

 

[Amy]

The sudden loud sound surprised Amy. It was as if something had collided near them, followed by the Starcalled man's words who had finally realized Amy's condition, "Has something happened?" She appreciated that he understood it, but the sound still worried her... Had a part of the carriage broken perhaps? That would be ideal, as it would mean no danger was approaching them.

Either way, it didn't take long for her to feel the cane landing on her hands... It was certainly a strange experience though. To have a good notion of where someone was. Amy just had to follow the man's magic to know that he was nearby as he searched.

Amy was really curious about his condition, but this was not the moment to ask, "Thank you." With the cane in one hand, she hanged the gift bag on her other arm to make it easier to move around.

Then, the Starcalled man explained that they were probably alone due to the other Starcalled probably returning to Earth. Following that, he introduced himself, "Sir Ash, I see. I am Amy." She gave him a small curtsy.

"Your kind always intrigues me though." Usually in a bad way, but today not so much, "You answer lady Rhiannon's call to actually come to my aid in my time of need, when going back to your home world to wait the storm out like the others did would have been much easier, yet you refuse to have your own deeds acknowledged.

"I have to say I absolutely don't get how the mind of the Starcalled works... Still, I am thankful for your help."

Then, Amy offered him her hand that wasn't holding the cane, "I can roughly get by on my own, but it is easier with help. If you are willing to." Amy wondered if she'd be able to actually hold his hand on her own if she tried... It's not like the magic gave his body a clear outline, but knowing the rough position was certainly enough to let her try.

She was truly curious if she'd be able to manage it, but she refrained from doing so. It would be rude to hold his hand, or touch other parts of his body in the process of finding his hand, without permission.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

"..you don't have to call me sir, you know."

Ash already knew he was in a losing battle against Lander manners, but he had to try. He did one last scan of the area, then checked to make sure he had everything on him. His lantern rattled softly as he took it off his belt, metal and glass knocking against itself as he raised it in one hand and lit the flame.

The lantern flame was something Amy would be able to see - a dancing light of magic and soul with the same quality that Ash himself seemed to leak. He winced slightly at the increased drain - he really was low on EN, if it was already sipping at his vitality.

He had a feeling that was the only reason he was still in good shape, though. He glanced at Amy's offered hand and hesitated. It wasn't as if there was anything weird about it, but he'd never been a fan of making contact with others...

"I wouldn't say any gods were involved. I'm just not a fan of looking the other way because it's convenient."

Ash exhaled through his nose, wiped his hand off on his jacket, and grasped Amy's hand carefully. He raised the lantern, looked up the hill, and picked a direction that took them parallel to it. Somewhere out there there had to be something - a hut, a cave, even just a particularly large tree that could fend off the rain.

Right?

@Amy

 

[Amy]

His reaction was very predictable, to say the least. And it annoyed Amy as she could already imagine what was going on in his head. He was thinking that having a title added to a name that 'wasn't his', to the 'nickname' he chose on a whim, just felt too awkward... This kind of behavior really annoyed her, "Very well, Ash, then." Amy did not insist though, even if her annoyance was easy to tell from her voice.

It didn't help that he ignored her earlier question regarding the noise. It just made her mood worse.

And then... More magic came out of him. This one was probably on purpose? It wouldn't make sense to have the magic output suddenly increase out of nowhere, would it?

Then perhaps... Now could be a good time to breach the topic she was curious about? "Are you sure you are okay with using more magic in your condition, Ash? You have been using it for a while now." Since he first entered the carriage, to be specific.

... It really was uncomfortable to call him 'Ash'. Referring to someone she just met by the name alone... It just didn't feel right.

Either way, with her hand held, and with them starting to walk, Amy used her cane to tap in front of her to make sure she wasn't bumping on anything. She didn't expect any issues to arise with someone guiding her, but she preferred to do her part. Especially while they were in the middle of a storm that made the ground slippery.

"You say the gods weren't involved, but you're here now, aren't you? What could have possibly brought you to Arcia if not the divine will?" A VR Adapter, of course. But Amy didn't believe for a second that Arcia was a program. The VR Adapter was just used as a medium to bring people's souls here, "The gods give you the chance to make a difference in Arcia. They give you semi-immortality and the power to act and save the lives of those who live here.

"Yet most Starcalled waste their blessings while they are here." 'Playing' without a care for what else they could be doing, "Which is not what you have done... You acted. You helped. You prioritized others over yourself. How is this not following the divine guidance?"

Amy did not really expect her words to be taken seriously, but that did not stop her from saying them. People will often choose to ignore the truth no matter how obvious it may be... She can only hope her words will, sometimes, reach the ears of those who are actually willing to listen.

Then, Amy suddenly halted her steps, "A bit ahead, and then to the right... There is a source of magic over there." Amy used her cane to point in the rough direction, "Perhaps it can help you recover what you have spent? Though I do not know if it's dangerous or not."

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Amy didn't sound happy about his request, but... well, it had been a request, not a command... bah. It wasn't his problem, in the end.

"My... condition?" Sure, he was having to drain vitality to keep the lamp going, but it was barely enough to be dangerous. He frowned, trying to think of what she was sensing. It wasn't that, was it? No, he had that under control right now (mostly). Maybe she was seeing his hitchhikers? "I haven't been using any spells, but I do... attract spirits, occasionally. Maybe that's what you saw- er, sensed."

There were no spirits now, though. Which was a little odd, if he thought about it. Usually he'd have attracted a little attention by now.

He fell silent shortly after, focused more on navigating terrain that was hard enough to navigate with sight. It was in that silence that Amy began to speak of gods. This is why I don't like talking to these kinds of Landers, he thought, glad that she couldn't see the sour look on his face. There was no way to explain the nature of Terrasphere to them, not without the context that players and even the UI-locked had.

"...I don't think I'd be able to explain it in a way you'd understand. Just that there's no 'divine guidance' I'm following. I don't need gods to tell me to be nice."

"...and if there was, you'd probably have players taking it as a challenge."

He stumbled a bit as Amy stopped and pointed, and squinted the best he could through the darkness. Now that she had pointed it out, Ash could see a distinctly artificial silhouette standing out against the treeline. A building, he realized - old, clearly abandoned, but it was potential shelter.

But... a source of magic? It made Ash nervous. "It looks like a building, but... if there's magic, I'm not sure I trust it-"

BOOM.

Lighting tore across the sky, and as if on cue the rain intensified, droplets fast and heavy enough to hurt.

"-buuuut beggars can't be choosers so let's go."

Ash was perhaps a little rough as he tugged Amy towards the church, down a path of slick cobbles and tangled overgrowth. He shoved the door open, ears folding back as it screeched open, and led Amy inside before closing it behind them.

Western Brisshal - Abandoned Church

Rain pounded against the roof and against the cracked glass windows. The air smelled strongly of rotting wood and mildew. The stones were cracked and uneven beneath their feet.

But it was dry, and that was worth something.

Ash released his grip on Amy's hand and stepped away so he could shake the water out of his hair without splashing her. "It... looks like an old church. Lot of rotten pews, some kind of altar at the far end."

It was the altar that emanated the magic that Amy had sensed - magic that Ash missed entirely. He raised the lantern, letting the arcane light dance across the walls, and raised his voice. "Hello? Anyone here?"

There was no answer, at least none he heard.

@Amy

 

[Amy]

"Seeing is fine in this case. Even if my eyes have been gone for many years now, these glass-filled sockets can still see magic, if nothing else." Amy explained, "And I have seen your magic since the moment you boarded the carriage, which is why I am worried." And while Amy was no expert in ghosts, she understood enough to know that if what she saw came from them, then there would have been bigger fluctuations on his magic than what she saw, "I will not pry on why you say you have used no magic all this time if you do not wish to answer though.

"Attracting ghosts is certainly unusual though. I hope you have not brought in their wrath." It would be very easy to assume Ash, like most other Starcalled, just messed up somewhere. In this case, something so severe that made lord Urukhan himself despise him, but... Considering Ash's tone when bringing up the ghosts, it did not seem like they haunted him, but more like accompanied him, so Amy felt like the cause for this was different.

Which is why Amy decided to leave this matter at that and focus on the next topic instead... And hearing Ash's reply to her words about divine guidance did make Amy quite annoyed... "Something I wouldn't understand..." Amy sighed, "Let me guess, you believe that you and your so-called players, like you just mentioned, are not real outside of your world. That you are just playing around in a fake reality made for your own entertainment. That there are no gods here guiding you, because neither me, nor this storm, nor the ghosts surrounding you are real in any way?" Amy put a bit more strength into holding Ash's hand... With how tiny her hand was when compared to his, the impact was surely small, but it should be enough for him to feel it at least, "That this sensation in your hand is also false, that the magic coming out of your body is false, and that the people you Starcalled refer to as 'UI-Locked' are also false, because they stop existing once they stop existing in your home world.

"Is that what you believe? Is this why you think I won't be able to understand your thoughts? Because I'm just a figment of this game's creators imagination and am therefore incapable of comprehending the implications of you referring to yourself as a player?" The more Amy talked, the more annoyed she got... This kind of thing was exactly why she hated Starcalled, "And you truly believe, from the bottom of your heart, that this is more likely than the Starcalled being guided here by the gods to aid us?"

If there was one thing Amy didn't understand, was why the gods chose the selfish people from Earth to be their chosen warriors. Wasn't there any better world to choose from? A place filled with people that actually cared instead of people who lived their lives in denial and that did not care for anybody who lived outside of Earth...? Amy truly did not understand the gods in those occasions. She really wished lady Rhiannon could directly answer her prayers to explain those things in times like those.

And despite all that, Amy did not let go of Ash's hand. She honestly wanted to. To get away from this disgusting Starcalled and just walk the trip back to Zalra by herself... However, she understood her own limits, and she understood that she did not even know where she was... Amy needed Ash's help. Just like how her family needs the help of the Starcalled in Finweald, which was why she went there in the first place, even if that ended up being a fruitless attempt.

So, she also followed him to the building. She struggled with keeping up with his pace, but she managed to not fall on the ground on the way.

Amy sighed to herself... She couldn't believe that someone that was obviously taller than her, based on the direction his voice was coming from, wasn't capable of realizing that a blind Faerin would struggle with keeping up with the pace of an adult that is neither blind nor is a Faerin.

There was no point in complaining to someone who won't listen though, so the only thing she said on this matter once they entered the building was, "I'm just glad my bag didn't fall on the ground on the way here..." The children's toys were sturdy, but it's not like they couldn't break... She didn't know what she'd do if one of the toys broke before she could even deliver them to the children.

Still... Amy was glad that they were out of the storm alright. That rain really was doing her no good.

So, after hearing his explanation of where they currently were, Amy first pointed her cane forward, "There. The magic comes from there." And then she sneezed.

"... Is there any place that seems suitable for making a fire here? We could try using those rotten pews. It would help us dry up." Amy would never desecrate a holy altar, but that doesn't mean they can't make use of the other things inside the church, "Lady Rhiannon must have guided us here to this unused church, to let us use its remains to survive, like she once fed her children with her own flesh."

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash bit his tongue.

He didn't know what player had decided to give this Lander the spiel. It just seemed cruel, really - NPCs or not, they reacted and they remembered. Actions had consequences. There was no reason to force them to filter the burden of truth through their own limited context. That was the sort of thing that created...

...well. People like Amy, he supposed.

"Yes. I do believe that." He sounded a little bitter. There was that part of him that wanted to explain, to justify, but it wasn't worth the energy. It would just worsen the stuttering in his chest, reminding him that this alliance was one of convenience and not comradery. "But I can't explain it for the same reason you wouldn't be able to explain how it feels to sense magic."

Stories were one thing, but context was another thing entirely.

"Hopefully it's not too wet. I've got a fire-starter, but it can't work miracles." He eyed the altar nervously as he approached the pews, and laid hands on the one closest to the door (and furthest from the altar). It seemed mostly dry, so it was worth a shot.

"I don't know what to say on the magic," he said, pausing as he tried to drag the pew. It moved a few short inches, but the rotted wood was still heavy as fuck. "As for the ghosts, I don't know why they like me-" He grunted as he pulled again, making only a little more progress, "But it's been like that since the beginning- oh fuck this, spirits, heed me!"

The magic surrounding Ash diminished suddenly, seemingly consumed by the single spectral claw that emerged from beneath his mantle. The claw snapped towards the pew and grabbed it, and with a loud crack crushed part of it into a mass of splinters.

Ash waved slightly, but recovered quickly as the claw deposited its handful of wood near Amy. Then it slipped away, leaving Ash to wander back at a notably slowly speed. "That should be enough. Alright, where's the firestarter..."

He crouched down next to the pile, sifting through his cluttered inventory as if what he'd done was nothing special. "I really need to clean this out...

@Amy

 

[Amy]

Amy clicked her tongue at Ash's reply, "Disgusting..." She muttered more to herself than to him. Though she didn't care if he heard it or not at this point. Her opinion on him should be pretty obvious by now anyways, what harm was there in voicing it?

"I can explain how it feels to sense magic with my empty eye-sockets. It's the same as seeing with actual eyes. But I only see magic and nothing else. Perhaps I would struggle to explain it to someone who never experienced sight, but that certainly wouldn't stop me from trying." Amy added.

Then, Amy just stayed still as Ash worked. Listening to him explain his connection to the ghosts, "Well, I suppose even ghosts can have bad taste." She heaved a sigh, especially as she saw more magic come out of him, "Have you forgotten that while death is certainly not final for your kind, it's still not something you can avoid forever? Your divine blessings can't keep you from lord Urukhan forever."

So, Amy walked, slowly, in Ash's direction. Using her walking cane to feel her path, until she found the place that made different noises than the ground.

Then, she slowly walked around it to get a proper feeling of the perimeter of the rotten wood pile... Once she had a good notion of it, Amy focused.

The ground surrounding the wooden pile started moving. raising, creating a somewhat tall circular soil barrier around the wooden pile, "This should stop the flames from spreading to the rest of the church." Amy stated plainly, "Next time you need to do something your body cannot handle, ask. Don't go making your own condition worse. I can't realistically get back to Zalra without you taking me out of here first."

Amy sighed once again, then turned around in the altar's direction... It really felt strange to be able to turn around so easily. She often had to be very careful with her movement to make sure she only turned the amount she wanted, but with the altar's magic as a guidance, the path she needed to go was clear.

So, she walked towards it, until she got close enough and kneeled in front of it, "I thank you for the safe shelter you have brought us in those times of need. May whichever god that presides over these lands know that their sacred ground is respected by those who were blessed by you when we needed it the most. I pray that you may allow us to continue seeking shelter here until we can safely leave."

Whether it was in response to Amy's prayer or her presence, Amy didn't know, but... The magic in the altar started stirring.

Amy smiled at that, "Seems like the gods are happy to help us." She told Ash... But she honestly didn't know if this magic was friendly or hostile. She just had faith that lady Rhiannon was watching over her, and that she was not guided to a dangerous place.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash certainly heard that last muttered word - she probably wasn't aware that his hearing was better than more. He didn't press it, instead mulling over the rest of her words. "You can say it's like seeing, sure, but I still wouldn't know what it looks like. Not for you." If a Lander could be said to truly "see" anything at all, that was.

The comment about ghosts having bad taste, though... that got a chuckled out of him. "I'm fine, honestly. I've been through far worse than a fall. Whatever it is you're 'seeing' is probably normal for me." Ash turned his attention towards the mound of wood, thinking of how to best arrange it... but Amy had already begun to pace around it. Ash watched as she manipulated the earth into a makeshift fire pit.

"Huh. Convenient. Though maybe I should be telling you to take it easy. You took way more damage than I did." He pulled the magitech fire-starter from his inventory and set it in the middle, then fed it the spark of energy it needed to start. The wood pile began to smoulder, filling the air with the smell of damp smoke.

Ash stepped back from it. "There we go. That should warm things up a little." He hovered near, not quite ready to sit down. There was still something about that altar that unnerved him, no matter what Amy thought about her gods.

@Amy

 

[Amy]

70 / 100

-20 from carriage fall
-10 from grab

Amy clicked her tongue, but did not reply to his comment. How much more obvious would she need to make it? And even if she did, why did it even matter? She could explain what she saw if she wanted to. He could explain what he thought if he wanted to. The fact of the matter was that he didn't want to do it. Because he didn't think of herself as a person just because she lived in Arcia... He and his kind really disgusted her.

And yet, she still needed not only him, but the rest of his kind too. Amy and her family would never be safe otherwise... It really was way too frustrating.

Especially when dealing with someone who obviously had 0 sense of self-preservation. Amy couldn't do anything but sigh at his chuckle and reply, "Just be sure to not faint or die before you take us out of here."

Though his next statement just made Amy raise an eyebrow, "Do you not know the basics of magic? Injuries to the body do not stop the flow of magic within oneself. While your body may naturally sink into its magic reserves to try stopping the blood flow of an injury, The two forces are not directly correlated.

"You should be much more worried about someone that cannot stop using magic than about someone who was injured and recovered." Amy couldn't believe that this was the companion she was stuck with... Why couldn't it be someone like sir Hanno instead? Someone who actually understood that Arcia was not a game, and who actually put some effort into understanding it and how the powers within here worked.

Amy could only sigh again as she continued praying at the altar. Trying to take the thoughts of her unluckiness and annoyance away from her head, and instead focus on the good things... Like she being alive, and with someone to guide her out of here, and that they were actually able to lit up a fire.

Yes, it was better to focus on... Huh?

The flow of magic in the Altar got stronger. Amy felt herself be embraced by it, "Your lordship...?" She did not know what to take of it, but... It did not look like a blessing.

Especially when she was lifted off the ground by a concentrated-enough flow of magic that it actually got corporeal, "I-I apologize your lordship! I did not know you would take offense to having a fire made in your own domain!" Amy exclaimed before groaning in pain. She felt herself being squeezed by it... Why? Why were the gods angry? Was it because she came here with a Starcalled? Should she have come alone? It made no sense. The Starcalled were the chosen of the gods, so why...?

It hurt...

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

175 / 210

-50 HP from Redo
-15 MAX HP from Exceed

"Don't worry. I'm pretty hard to kill. Learned after the first time."

He held his hands over the growing fire, tail wagging slowly as the warmth sunk in. It would be a good time to dry his clothes off too, maybe even clean them up a little if he collected some water from outside. It might even make Amy less grumpy to not be covered in mud and god knew what else.

"I wouldn't say I'm 'using' magic, anyway. Most of what I do is requests-"

"Amy?"

Instinct took over. Ash drew his sword and dashed forward, his concern about the shrine forgotten. There was no sight or smell, and nothing he could aim for in particular, but it was better to be armed than unarmed right now.

"I knew that shrine was bad business!" Ash reached for Amy with his free hand, only to recoil as something invisible lashed out, leaving the ghost of burning fingers wrapped around his wrist. He ripped away, but the invisible grasp remained along with the familiar feeling of something sipping at his life force. "This... isn't a ghost. What the fuck...?"

"YOU... PRAY? WORSHIP...PER?"

The voice echoed throughout the church, dusty and hollow. Through Amy's senses the magic coalesced into the suggestion of limbs and a hollow-eyed face, leaning far too close to Amy's own.

"YOU... WANT... BLESSINGS?"

"TOO LONG... EMPTY...

PRAY... FOR... ME..."

@Amy

 

[Amy]

40 / 85

-10 HP from grab
-20 HP from collision
-15 max HP from exceed

"Nobody is hard to kill." Amy simply answered. She had already lost enough to know that. Thinking otherwise was just hubris. Something very common to the Starcalled.

Amy then got angry when hearing Ash call the shrine 'bad business', but she was struggling to maintain her breath, so she didn't have enough strength to reply.

But when hearing it wasn't a ghost, Amy had to force out a reply, "Obviously...!" As if a ghost could rest in a holy shrine!

Although, what happened next was truly outside of Amy's expectations... Even more than the magical grab.

The magic took a strange form... Strange words started being said... This wanted worship? This wanted Amy to pray for it?

Now Amy got seriously angry... Far angrier than what Ash could make her become. It was one thing to have a foolish Starcalled keep on spouting nonsense to her.

Another was to see something dare pretend it was a god.

Amy drew into her life force. Ignoring the pain even if her glass-filled eyes started letting tears flow out of it.

Her wings came out, forcefully making the thing let go of her, and allowing her to fly away at full speed... Until her back hit one of the church's walls that is.

Amy screamed in pain for a second, before switching from her evoked wings to the Mana Mantle wings to stop draining her life force, and then she slowly started gliding down back to the ground.

"Y-you're no god! Gods don't need to ask people to worship them!" In rare cases they may force people to worship them, like Zalrea did, but even those were rare, "You're just a monster. Daring to create a shrine for yourself! Tricking the faithful like that... Pretending like that... Unforgivable!" Amy would never forgive it. She understood it now. Lady Rhiannon brought them here to take care of this disgusting pretender. So that nobody would be fooled by it again.

So, Amy channeled her mana. She was truly thankful that Ash had this strangeness about him that always emanated mana, as it made it much easier for her to target his location.

A wall of rubble raised from the soil right in front of Ash, protecting him from the monster, and also piercing the magical frame of the thing. She didn't know how impactful that would be, but she was certainly not going to stop herself from trying.

Rolls

Protecting Ash

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

141 / 210

-34 HP from False Idol

The grasp loosened as Amy released her wings as if it had been burned. The growing tangle of arms pulled in on itself, pulsing with stolen life force, then spread out from the shrine like the branches of a tree. Each held the shadow of an ornate dagger made not for war but for sacrifice.

LOVE ME... LOATHE ME... BOTH WILL DO...

< PARASITE GOD >
FALSE IDOL​

And yet, Ash still couldn't see it - even as it thrust one towards his heart. It was only Amy's earthen shield that stopped it, leaving a deep gouge where it struck. The one that had already caught Ash was sheared away, the stump fading into nothing as the creature shrieked.

"Amy! Are you okay?"

Ash retreated, instinctively putting himself between her and the shrine. The heat of the fire licked at his back as he slipped into a defensive stance, eyes darting for any kind of target. "Damn it, I can't fight something I can't see!

Invisible hands began to tear at the wall - though the creature was unseen, it still had a physical presence - one that could be damaged by physical things.

I CAN BE YOUR ANGEL... YOUR DEVIL...

I WILL GIVE YOU... WHAT YOUR SILENT GODS... WILL NOT...

The voice grew more steady, strengthened by the presence of fresh magic. The mask it held was turned unerringly towards Amy - the strongest source of belief in the church.

FILL ME WITH PRAYERS... DROWN ME IN CURSES... FILL MY EMPTINESS...

@Amy

 

[Amy]

40 / 40

Vulnerable
-45 max HP from Triple Exceed

"It's happy with being loathed...? What is this thing? An emotion sink?" Amy said with pained breaths. That was troublesome. Amy could not simply stop herself from hating one who dared pretend to be divine. That's not how this kind of thing worked.

"Do I look okay?" Amy replied to Ash, not hiding her annoyance... Though right now she was much more annoyed at the being than at Ash, "Never mind, you can't see it even when its magic is getting this thick...?" Amy grumbled as the thing approached.

This was bad... She definitely couldn't exorcise this creature without Ash's help, but he seems helpless without his sight.

It can't be helped... "I'll show you where it is." Amy summoned her evoked wings again. Drawing as much life force from herself as she could, before channeling it all into her hands, "Please protect me lady Rhiannon..." Amy muttered, before raising her tone, "Disappear, you fake god! May lord Urukhan never let go of your soul!"

Then, she released it all with a huge Astramancy beam. Aimed straight at the place that had the biggest magical concentration, "Go hit it there! Before I run out of life force!" Amy exclaimed as she maintained her beam against the creature.

Rolls

Special Burst Attack
14d20 (10 + 13 + 3 + 9 + 10 + 17 + 11 + 16 + 6 + 18 + 4 + 16 + 20 + 15 + 10 + 10 + 4) + 10 + 45 = 247 (3 Explosions)
Astramancy | Amy | Thunderer

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

45 / 195

-15 MAX HP from Exceed
-50 HP from Redo
-46 HP from Unseen Knives

"Right, sorry for worrying." Ash strained his senses - maybe he could imagine a shape if he squinted, but that was more likely hallucination than helpful. "And I can't see magic! I'm a fighter, not a mage-"

He heard rather than saw the sword scraping across the ground, leaving a rough gouge in the floor. Ash raised his sword moments before something struck, aiming for the weak point a more visible fighter would have aimed for. He twisted his sword and felt it cut through something that wasn't quite flesh. It was clearly physical, so why couldn't he see it?

But Amy could.

He had to close his eyes against the brightness of the beam, and he was still blinking away spots as he charged towards the targeted location. The altar itself became his target, and he lunged towards it with all his strength. The wood splintered as metal scraped against it, but the blade was caught by a dozen invisible hands before it could go further.

YOUR LIFE... YOUR DEATH... I WILL MAKE THEM MY SCRIPTURE...

The False Idol raised its knives, circling Ash like a twisted halo, ready to strike. Ash struggled to pull away, sensing the danger, but every way was blocked.

"...spirits, take what you need."

The pain that ripped through him was spiritual rather than physical as half-formed voices flooded his thoughts. The hands of the dead ripped forward, tearing at the altar, tearing into the altar, revealing what seemed to be a small box... or a too-small coffin, one that burned with magic.

NO.... I WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE THEM...!

The False Idol withdrew, curling itself protectively around the box, but it couldn't endure Amy's assault forever. Limb by limb it burned away, creating an opening, one that Ash couldn't quite see-

oursalvationourdestructionourthebox! breaktheboxchildourrelease

-but the dead could. They led and he followed, and the sword found its mark, piercing through the coffin's lid.

YOU... FORSAKE ME... UNBELIEVER... I CURSE... YOU...

The False Idol shrank away like snail into its shell. Ash panted heavily, still holding onto the hilt of the sword as the dead chattered on in his head. "Amy," he said, voice oddly resonant as he struggled to keep his thoughts above the churn. "We need to burn this. Or it'll come back."

Rolls

Reflex Save vs Unseen Knife: 108 (Pass, half damage)

Special Critical Attack (Redo)
2d200 (94 + 39) 55 *1.8 = 339 (Crit!)
Precision Techniques | Ash Vargold | Thunderer

@Amy

 

[Amy]

Amy did not reply for the time being. She was in too much pain. And focusing too much to keep this beam up. It was just not worth the strength to comment on Ash's reply... At least not for now.

Still, Amy saw the magic moving towards Ash's direction, so she forced herself to say something, "On your left!" But her voice seemed to have been drowned out by her own beam. She could only click her tongue at that.

Still, even after she heard the noise of something clashing, Ash's magic seemed to still be there, so he seemed to be safe, which made Amy sigh in relief.

It was up to him now. All that she could do was to keep her spell up for as long as she could, to endure this pain for as long as possible... Which luckily enough, wasn't for long.

Ash got past the defenses of the monster. And Amy was able to see a larger surge of magic come from him... Were those the spirits he said that always haunted him? They did seem to be willing to help.

And before long, the monster seemed to have started fading, so Amy instantly let go of her beam, falling down on all fours and she instantly started giving out very pained coughs... Ugh, I really overdid it this time... Fighting really was not Amy's thing.

Also, she tasted iron in her mouth... Had she just coughed blood?

Still, there was no time to rest just yet, as Ash's words reached her ears... Amy forced herself to sit. She hugged her bag filled with the most precious gifts and buried her face on it... It really was no time to rest. Amy really needed to keep going.

Tears flew freely from her glass-filled eye sockets... "We have a pyre right here... Do you need more wood or something?" Her voice was obviously shaken, "What kind of warrior leaks out magic non-stop? You should learn how to sense magic. Maybe you'd able to actually control this if you learned the basics. What's wrong with you Starcalled that you can't think about the obvious!?" Amy started sobbing.

"... Thank you." She muttered in a very low tone, "I'm sure lady Rhiannon is happy with your services. For getting rid of this disgusting heathen pretender..."

... Amy really didn't want to get up, "Do you need help burning it?" Please say no. All that she wanted was to stay there, holding on tightly to the precious gifts that she couldn't let go of, "... Can you guide me to the pyre once you're done? It's cold..." Amy had long lost track of where it was made... She was tired. She really needed to rest.

@Ash Vargold