Fantasy Mountain Magic Mayhem (Luc/Sazz)

[St. Clover]

Watching the honey boil and bubble, Milly waited patiently for the signal. It didn't take long to spot the telltale lock of white hair sifting around beneath the vines. "There you are!" she exclaimed, hand snapping down into the honey. She fished around in the elbow deep pool for several seconds before giving a tug. A grunt and another tug saw her pulling a gauntlet covered hand out from the pool. The hand was followed by a forearm, then a mop of white hair, and finally a person. A person who crawled out, with Milly's help, from the depths of the pool and immediately sat down beside it.

She was a giant. Almost seven feet tall, the woman was pale skinned and dressed in a long brown coat similar to Milly's. Her silvery hair matched her eyes, and flowing lines of script covered her like floral tattoos. Clutched in her hand was a greatsword who's blade was solid jade, and a bow sat slung across her shoulder. She coughed and hacked up a bit of honey, not minding the rain pelting her.

She said something in her native tongue, prompting the dragonborn to shake her head. She pointed at the others, which the woman turned her attention to as well. Her eyes glowed brightly in the dark.

 

[Anshelical]

Shine of the newcomer's brilliance called to Vine's sight. He, with the rest of the group -- except for groveling Iso who drifted off to sleep -- beheld the arrival. "Who's...?" The leader's mouth stayed open. Hesitating no further, he hurried over with Lier.

"Kin kind?" Lier said.

 

[St. Clover]

"Told you I could get her here!" Milly shouted over to the others, grinning ear fin to ear fin. She rested her hands on her hips, and puffed out a little fire... Which quickly died in the rain.

The woman watched the group silently for a time, before rising to her feet. Beneath her coat she wore a brown shirt and matching pants, knee high leather boots and a belt bearing a quiver. She rested against her greatsword, then looked down to the dragonborn. She said something, causing the smaller woman to shake her head. Her attention returned to the others. "Archon, actually." She cocked her head, examining the young men curiously. "Pleasure to meet you."

 

[Anshelical]

The three of them interpreted the presence of Archon in their distinct manner: Vine realized this could be another opportunity for proof of his credentials for high-rank traveling back home; Liernoine was elated at Milianor's hard work paying off with this exchange; Erro found the sacredness of the appearance a means of hope perhaps.

"P-Pleasure to meet you as well," Vine said, "Archon."

Lier smiled to Milly. "There's a lot where that came from."

"What?" Erro cringed. "Tck."

"So," he faced Archon fully, "I'm guessing you know what business you have here."

 

[St. Clover]

The Archon shook her head. "Only that I need to work a miracle, apparently." She pushed off her greatsword and made her way over to the group. Milly followed close by, grinning ear to ear. "Your friend here wasn't exactly the most forthcoming with details, I'm afraid. All I know is there's someone that apparently needs some help. So, who is it?" she explained.

 

[Anshelical]

Erro couldn't imagine what was ahead of them. "Help? You mean..." He frowned to Vine's smile, who apparently knew what she meant, saying, "That one over there," with a point to the tent. "You'll know it when you see it."

"Wait, an Archon," Lier corrected. Well, thought that was her name! Curiosity led him beside Milly and the Archon. "Of high rank for sure. Do you have a specific title you go by?" Revival spells working before in his city was scarce, if that was what was about to take place here. To even witness a generating of sorts a powerful figure was more than he could take in, feeding nervousness and an emerging anticipation with his fidgeting of the sheathed hilt at his waist.

 

[St. Clover]

First the Archon looked to the tent, observing it with calm, quiet eyes. Seemingly satisfied, she turned her attention to the young man who approached her. The remark of being high rank amused her, enough so that she couldn't help the smile that crept across her features. "You'd be surprised, I'm actually one of the lesser members of my Order," she explained with a small laugh, before shaking her head. "In truth, I'm not much more than a wandering soldier of the Heavens. A vagabond angel, as some would say. But yes, I do happen to have a title. Aela of the Celestial Legion. One of Lord Sudis' chosen emissaries in the material world, in fact. Was the old bastard himself who let me pick this station."

"You're soaking this up right now, aren't you?" Milly grunted from the background.

The Archon's smile widened. "Oh, most definitely."

 

[Anshelical]

"I think it's taking me a while to soak it in," Lier said. "Even if you're of a lower order, it's quite impressive you've come all this way here." He will never forget this, even if he meets a god himself. Yet, such this memorable moment had a light flaw; Iso's bowing allowed enough air for snoring in front of them. Erro wiped away a budding laugh with his hand.

Vine stood beside Diger. "Lord Sudis. Never heard of 'em. But got a piece of 'em now, haha!"

 

[St. Clover]

Both the Aela and Milly raised a brow at the snoring, the latter looking over when she realized where it came from. She couldn't help but snort. "Looks like you've put 'em to sleep, your celestial highness," she joked. The Archon made a show of rolling her eyes, attempting to appear unamused. It potentially would've worked, had she not started her own quiet giggling.

"This reminds me of the time I happened upon some druidic hikers in the woods near Emerald Hill," she explained, watching Iso with an amused look. "They'd somehow fallen asleep whilst praying to this sapling in the middle of the forest. And unfortunately for them, a bear had taken a liking to their packs, and was helping itself when I came along. Poor boys and girls were scared out of their minds, they couldn't move for fear of upsetting the bear. Heh, those were the days..."

Her attention then shifted to the others.

"So! Would you mind filling me in on what's happened here recently? I'm feeling a lot of tension in the air... Tension, and testosterone. Or that may just be your friend over here," she hiked a thumb over her shoulder. A rock flew up and hit her back, prompting her to laugh at the dragonborn's expense.

 

[Anshelical]

Fortunate that Iso wasn't sleeping in a forest full of bears, for his snoring would had been an attractant. Yet, considering what they went through, it was a reason to get tired.

"Haha," Lier laughed. "Well, lots of tension for sure. We were traveling here out of Huujar in search of some Dragon Stones. And whaddaya know, a guardian for the Aphotic Stone comes up and kills our teammate. Mmm!" He cleared his throat. "Would had killed us if we stayed there. Ended up leaving our late teammate. So we fled out in the mountains and, well, I fell off the cliff. That jokester over there saved our asses."

Erro rolled his eyes. "Asses."

"Yeah," he continued. "She got me out of there, got me back on my feet, and we went to speak to the Dragons. They weren't so welcoming, though. So... as long as we got our friend back from them we were good. But... now we're in this situation."

Vine nodded. "And now you're here."

 

[St. Clover]

Aela shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she listened to the tale. Once they were finished, she leaned against her greatsword and said, "So you went looking for treasure and met the guardian of the land, losing one of your members in the process. Then you fled, somehow ended up meeting little miss dragon here, went back to the dragons and got your friend's corpse, fled again..." She gestured to the forest around them. "Then ended up sitting around in the rain while a total stranger did a ritual to summon an Angel. And you want me to fix this because... Angel. That about right?"

She looked to Milly. "Is that right?" she asked.

"About the extent of it," Milly shrugged. "I told them you could probably do something to help. Not sure what, though. Angels and shit are outside of my expertise."

"...Right." Aela looked back to the others. "What is it you'd like me to do, exactly? I need to hear it from your lips, any of you. Part of how this whole divine intervention thing works."

 

[Anshelical]

Many decisions to make. Crackling from the wilting fire stole the silence, along with the shallow melodies of night's nature around. The stumped travelers contemplated how to convey the divine intervention they needed, passing glances of duty to each other. "Angel" meant a lot to them, after all, considering anything could happen at this point, except for Erro who was still a little skeptical of this reality. To Vine, "angel' meant a whole different life back in Huujar, but the priority was clear: save the crew, then the new. Looked like he wasted some time on the letter, for the situation could change completely.

"Well, if you possibly could," the leader noted sleeping Iso and Diger's corpse over his shoulder, "Perhaps you can perform a revival ritual for us. I know this 'stranger' told us the guarantee of this happening is slim, but at least knowing the extent of your power can really turn things around. Name's Diger, lost to some guardian dragon, yes." His eyes passed the baton to Lier.

"Whatever you can do is good for us. An angel can do a lot, or so that I believe."

 

[St. Clover]

Once more the Archon took several seconds to answer. She weighed their request against the effort that would be required to fulfill it, measuring the scales carefully. "I'll tell you right now," she began, her voice falling quiet, barely audible over the sounds of the forest. "what you ask of me is no small thing. Even in this new day and age, where magic is used more than ever before, the ability to bring back the dead is something rarely seen. Even we Angels cannot freely use our power to grant such miracles on a whim."

She looked over to the tent, expression softening. "Milly was right, sadly, the chances of me being able to revive your friend are slim at best. Despite being an Archon, my kind are more soldiers than we are soothsayers or healers. Sibyllic Guardians, we're called, powerful warriors who wield magic as easily as a blade in our eternal war against evil and disorder. I'll admit, though, I'm not quite a typical case. Lord Sudis has given me more latitude to handle issues I come across than normal."

At this the Archon turned her attention to the sky. The lines that danced across her face slowed and dulled, moving in tandem with her mood. Milly knew this look, and it pained her somewhat. "As much as I wish I could, I cannot simply revive your friend. I'm sorry."

 

[Anshelical]

Acceptance the travelers admitted, dismayed at the outcome. For sure, Diger was gone -- no way of easing their guilt. Nods of understanding passed about them, for they knew, especially the already skeptical, it would had been a great price and a practically unseen miracle for a revival to take place.

Vine didn't want slumbering Iso to think at all they had that chance, watching him closely. "Well, if you can't raise the dead, that's understandable. Sounds like you Sibyllic Guardians have a big arrangement for that to even happen anyway. But, thanks for being honest. Could you perhaps make..." His face paled with his voice. "... Could you repair his body -- just a bit. Don't want 'em to look all broken up for... you know... memorial."

"Okay," the historian said, "If you can ask for anything, how about a quick transportation back home? Sounds nice right now."

The knight said, "We got here on our own. Why not go back ourselves?" He thought it inappropriate for Erro's impatience to ruin their impression on the Archon. This would be his first time to even hear and meet one in the same moment.

"Just an idea. May not be able to do repairs either."

 

[St. Clover]

Aela blinked at the request, lowering her gaze down to the group. She hadn't quite expected such a change in demeanor. Typically when mortals found their initial request denied, most turned petty or pleading, doing anything in their power to try and get their way. These young men, however... "It's within my power, yes." She nodded. "Repairing damage done to the corporeal form is something nearly all Angels can do. Even someone like myself has the ability. But I'm curious, why did you not make me an offer for your friend's life? Surely that's something you would consider doing, right? Making a bargain with an outsider to try and secure his soul? Or have you abandoned the notion of getting him back?"

 

[Anshelical]

"Um," the leader's eyes fluttered about, "Well, we would most definitely want to restore Diger's life -- don't get me wrong. It's just we shouldn't waste your time asking for it if you can't." Securing the soul, he thought. "Unless there's really another way. Don't want to miss out on a useful opportunity."

A hard swallow rolled down the knight's throat. Even if Diger could not be saved, if he could at least be in respectable condition for a memorial, that would be fine with him. Many he had seen torn in war, unrecognizable even by their grieving families. But never had he felt so withdrawn to see Diger's deformed state in the clutches of his murderer. Perhaps it was because of the journey allowing room for small attachment.

"Whatever you can do," he said, "It does us honor that you're even considering strangers like us to do it for." Nearby this stumped humility was Erro rolling his eyes to Iso's stopped snores.

 

[St. Clover]

A wry grin crept onto the Archon's lips. "You're not used to making deals with higher beings, are you?" she asked. The lines on her face sped up as her grin grew into a confident, cheerful smile. "In that case, allow me to let you in on a little secret." She knelt down and got almost eye level with the young men. Leaning in close, she held a hand over her mouth, as if to hide what she were about to say. "I never said it couldn't be done, just that I can't do it on a whim," she explained softly. Her grin widened as she continued, "remember when I told you I had to hear it from your lips? That's how this works. You've gotta phrase it, offer up something in return. Miracles don't work without a pious soul doing its part, y'know."

 

[Anshelical]

"Oh," the leader's face widened with exchange with Lier. "Oh, I see. Well. Hmm." Gathering the right words was difficult. All those stories he was told about pure-cut literal "higher beings" seemed to be outdated. The Archon had it down, however; sacrifice was the only way.

"A life for a life?" Erro said. "It'd be self-defeating in my opinion."

"Well, she never said it was gonna be like that. It might be a sacrifice of worth, though. Since we've never encountered higher beings like you, we have no idea what to do from here."

"What exchange would you be willing to offer?" The knight asked. No honey without salt.

 

[St. Clover]

"Now that's the right question to be asking," the Archon said with a satisfied nod. She straightened up and thumbed back a lock of silver hair before addressing the question. "As I'm sure you know, probably, deities and their servants are nothing without followers. Without people believing in us, giving us prayers, we're powerless. Less than that, even, we can cease to exist entirely if no one will give us the gift of their devotion. I'm no different."

A roll of the neck produced several loud popping sounds, along with a satisfied sigh.

"So, in exchange for assisting you, I will indeed be asking for a sacrifice of worth. And, just like your friend suggest, it's a life for a life. In exchange for your friend, I ask that one or a couple of you give me a smidgen of faith. Not much, just a little prayer for everyone's favorite kickass angel. What do you say?"

 

[Anshelical]

"I'll do anything for a kickass angel," the leader chuckled. "Nope, just kidding, just kidding." He grinned to Erro, who refused to entertain his slow-burn sarcasm. With a nod to Lier, the three of them made their glances to the sleeping lad below.

"Yeah, not me," Erro said. "Got no faith."

"C'mon, you've got a little faith. Everyone's got at least a little."

"No, I don't."

"Should we wake him?" Lier said. "I think he'd be willing to help out."

"Looks like he was trying to do his part. Hey, Iso," Vine patted the young man's back. "Iso." His stress probably made him a heavy sleeper.

"Is he alright?" Not another comrade, he thought. It didn't seem reasonable that Iso would just die right there, but at this point, anything could happen. "Shake 'em again."

"Nmm...?" The awoken squeaked. "... What?" Reality struck. Wilderness surrounded them. The dragonness was near. Diger was dead. He shot up. "What? Was I asleep?" Then the new white hue caught his eye, meeting sight with the Archon. "Who's...?"

 

[St. Clover]

"Your very own guardian angel!" Aela announced with a theatrical bow, silver locks falling over her face. She lifted her head up and grinned at the newly awakened boy. "Welcome back to the world of the living, little Iso. Are you ready to get your friend back from the great beyond?" she asked.

 

[Anshelical]

"G-Guardian angel... W--?" The boy regarded each divine lock of hair, her lively, luminous presence. "Back? You mean...?"

"Yep, that's who she means," Vine said.

"D-Diger?!"

To see Iso in raised spirits warmed Lier's heart. Yet this oncoming responsibility had a sacrificial vestige. He knew Iso would do anything for Diger, to defy the odds against tradition and so-called logic. If this could happen, perhaps he would feel forgiven.

"H-H--!" The lad pulled himself up. "You're r-really an angel?!"

 

[St. Clover]

Parting her silver locks once more, Aela gave Iso a cheerful look, one which radiated warmth and security. "In the flesh and planar material!" she exclaimed as she stood upright. She shrugged and sent a shower of golden light down from her shoulders, which formed into a pair of iridescent wings. Giving the appendages a test flap, the Archon nodded, satisfied.

"I called her here," Milly announced. "needed a way to get back home, and I figured asking for a favor couldn't hurt. Never know when knowing an actual freaking angel will come in handy, huh?"

 

[Anshelical]

"A-An actual angel..." Iso couldn't believe it with Erro, whereas the former's astonishment was of faith unlike the latter's doubt. "In handy? I-In handy."

"So, what do you think about it?"

"V-Vine! Is she serious?!"

"Yes, she's serious," he smirked. "But, but, but... There's something that has to be sacrificed in return: 'a life for a life.'"

"Anything," the lad's eyes flashed among his group, to Milianor, to the Archon. "I'll do anything for him!" And when Erro asked, anything? the faithful's face lit with hope. "Anything! Just tell me what I need to do."

Young, dumb, definitely not broke, Erro thought. If the wealthy heir thought a pile of cash would be sufficient for an Archon and sate Diger's fate, he was wrong. His youthful ignorance would not be helpful, either. To say "anything" meant a myriad of consequences beyond the tangible.

 

[St. Clover]

"Eager to get your friend back, I see. Good, earnest intentions help this go by a lot smoother," Aela explained as she approached the young man. One moment she was taking a step, the next she stood before Iso in all her towering glory. Her silver eyes beamed down at him in the firelight, reflecting orange shapes across them. "The price is as your friend stated, quite to the point, actually. A miracle such as this, especially one born out of such circumstances, has a hefty toll indeed. In exchange for his life, I will require yours."

At this the Archon lifted her sword up to her shoulder, discretely flashing an open palm behind her back to the others.

"Is that a price you're willing to pay, Iso?"

Milly stiffened at the raising of the blade, but made no move to stop her. She glanced over at the others, and nodded slightly. It's okay she mouthed.