Fantasy Sorcery!!! (Completed)

[Yokai]

>> On to Mampang! <<
​

Gazing out upon the angular fortress only further cemented the reality of Aquila's quest and how far she'd come. Fear made her chest tight and her shoulders heavy beneath the burden of her goal. However, she'd watched her closest friend give up his life and she'd witnessed the suffering of many upon the Archmage's influence. That was enough; the knowledge of what would happen should she fail. Aquila continued onward to Mampang.

 

[ArcticFox]

Part IV - The Fortress of Sorcerers​

Halfway through the night Aquila was climbing a set of ancient staircase in High Xamen. The steps were barely visible in the dark and made for an unsafe path. Yet, there was no cover to make camp or any sort of flat ground, until she climbed the top of the stairs, so she will have to endure. She knew the way ahead of her. She had heard about Mampang and its surroundings so many times from her Sergeantmaster. She did not have a map of the area, but she had every bit memorised like this was not her first time here.

Once a Fortress of Sorcerers, a college of magic, Mampang now served as the Archmage's base. The doors of the Fortress were locked for all but him and the occasional Birdmen servant. It would take a lot of skill to get inside.

The steps ahead of her were etched with markings, messages, warnings and words of advice and succour to acolytes making the Pilgrimage to the Fortress. They have long since been scrubbed away by dust and the remaining letters told nothing. But, she was not alone. She sensed her Guardian Spirit pacing beside her. She could see it clearly now, the Panther's lithe body as it ascended the steps next to her, making the journey ahead just a bit easier. The Zanzunu Peaks rose on the either side of the ascent, blocking what little light there was, but the Panther led the way, carefully watching Aquila over its shoulders.

When she reached the top of the stairway she could finally see the moon again. There was flat ground here and a place a to rest. Right across from her were three cave mouths into the rock.

- Rest there and eat.
- Explore the caves.
- Continue walking.

 

[Yokai]

>> Rest there and eat <<
​

It was strange how comforting the presence of Panther was and Aquila recalled why she'd prayed to her Guardian in the first place. Protective instinct and strength; a powerful ally and a dangerous enemy. It was a gentle reminder that she was never completely alone, even in a desolate place such as this.

When the stairs plateaued out Aquila took a moment to catch her breath and review the network of caves before her. She was tired from the trek and to wander into the unknown would be reckless now. Instead, she reasoned with herself, she'd rest and recover her strength for she would need it in these lands.

 

[ArcticFox]

When she ate the last of her rations she curled to sleep on the plateau. A soft crunch of gravel underneath boots and a lean body sitting beside her did not let her fall asleep however.

"Analander." Purred Rhain in his usual husky manner.

He stretched his muscles for a moment with a groan and then turned to look at Aquila, a grim expression on his face. He was not the same man after the wastelands of Kakhabad that much was certain. Perhaps she was not the same woman as well. But, he still placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, his red eyes looking at her deeply.

"You have gone through hell, I see. And somehow, you are still alive." He smiled sadly. "I did not expect you to survive Baklands. But, I am very glad you did."

- Ask him where he is going.
- Say you are glad to see him too.
- Hug him.
- Kiss him.

 

[Yokai]

>> Kiss him <<
​

Exhaustion had begun to creep across the dark corners of Aquila's mind when she was suddenly jolted into awareness by a familiar voice. Wide eyes were turned onto Rhain and for the first time, in what felt like years, she smiled. Slowly she sat up, muscles tired from the long day as she turned to fully face the assassin.

"Then you should have more faith in me," Aquila said softly, despite having had the same doubts about Rhain. The last time she'd seen him he'd lost something about himself. Something human. "We both know I'm harder to kill than I look." She murmured with a teasing smile, even if her eyes were sad. Carefully -- so avoid startling him -- she leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips.

"I'm glad you're alive and here," Aquila admitted shyly. "Even if you still won't call me Aquila."

 

[ArcticFox]

"I'm a creature of habit." Rhain smiled as she moved away, this time with a little less sadness. His hand moved to take a hold of hers, not letting her get too far away. "I've travelled a little ahead of you. You have quite a welcoming party up ahead. It seems like you have inspired many people to raise up their weapons against the Archmage." He pulled her closer. "Have to say I understand them. You can be quite inspiring." His hands arms wrapped around her then as he leaned to kiss her with newfound passion. His skin was as cold as ever, but his breath was warm when he moved away.

"Do you think we have a chance, Analander? Are we going to survive this?" He looked at her intensely. "I think you know by now that I'm going in the same direction as you. The Archmage is my target too. But, I have to reach him first. Otherwise my goddess would never forgive me. And if my attempt fails... well, you will get your chance then."

- Answer.

 

[Yokai]

>> Answer <<
​

A welcoming party? Blue eyes blinked at Rhain owlishly as she struggled to recall those who would follow her into such a treacherous place. Maybe Aquila wasn't so alone as she'd initially suspected. The idea made her smile again, lips curved upward even against the passion of Rhain's kiss. When they separated she gazed up at him in quiet wonder; she had to be honest now, she couldn't hide anything from those eyes.

"Yes," Aquila breathed, voice low and careful in the moonlight. Behind her eyes flickered the memories of everything she'd been through and everything she was willing to see through. "I believe we have the chance to finally see the Archmage fall. And we're both going to survive it even if I have to drag you back from death itself."

His admission of his quest didn't come as too much of a surprise, it'd been difficult to imagine what else Rhain could be pursuing in Mampang. Still, it was comforting to hear him admit it out loud and the implied trust that came with that. "Then you better hurry and not fail, Rhain." Aquila warned him seriously, reaching up to cup his face with warm hands and intense eyes. "Because if you die, it'll be my forgiveness you'll be needing."

 

[ArcticFox]

Rhain put his hands over Aquila's. "I better not die then." He said with a gentle look in his eyes. But, there was a trace of something else there. Fear.

"Sleep now, Analander." He said, moving her hands off and stroking her hair precariously. "I think this will be your last chance to get some rest. And I will make sure nothing disturbs you." He kissed her on the forehead, before laying down on the ground next to her. Somehow Aquila knew that he would be gone in the morning.

- Sleep.

 

[Yokai]

>> Sleep <<
​

"Goodnight, Rhain." Aquila mumbled around a yawn which she covered with her hand. Deciding to take advantage of the assassin's presence and warmth she curled up against his side as her eyes slipped closed. If this was her last night of decent sleep before the end then she'd have to take advantage of it. Rhain would protect her, as would Panther. For now she was safe.

 

[ArcticFox]

Rhain's arms wrapped around her again as he held her close while they slept. Still she could feel his muscles tense at even the faintest sound and she knew he was alert. That night Aquila slept without any nightmares.

--

In the morning she was alone on the plateau across from the three caves. The middle cave had the smallest entrance at it only opened into a small niche, not much deeper. The nearest cave was large enough for her to crawl in, but it seemed to be going pretty deep. A series of hoofprints led to the entrance of the furthest cave. They were deep enough to suggest a largish creature, but they were no longer fresh. No prints were coming out of the cave.

- Explore the small cave.
- Explore the large cave.
- Explore the hoofprint cave.
- Move down the road.

 

[Yokai]

>> Explore the hoofprint cave <<​

Morning arrived on slow wings and for the first time in weeks Aquila felt refreshed. Or at least well-rested. After she'd reorganized herself and her pack for the day ahead, Aquila allowed a moment to glance over the three caves. The smallest cave was shallow and she couldn't see much from an external point of view. The larger cave suggested a realm of possibilities but it was the strange hoof prints that caught her interest. Curiously Aquila ventured toward the cave on hesitant feet and forcing herself into alertness.

 

[ArcticFox]

Stepping toward the cave she discovered more hoofprints nearer to the mouth. The cave appeared to be deep but quite empty. Whatever creature made the hoofprints it either left another way or was hiding in the furthest shadows.

- Enter the cave.
- Leave.

 

[Yokai]

>> Enter the cave <<
​

Squinting into the darkness of the shadows Aquila inched further into the cave. From what she could tell, it seemed abandoned. Curiosity pushed her deeper into the cave as her gaze trailed slowly over her surroundings.

 

[ArcticFox]

The moment she stepped inside and her eyes adjusted she could see a figure lying on the ground. Not quite a human, but humanoid enough. It was about Aquila's height, with long dark hair and a pair of small horns on its head. It's lower body was covered in thick fur and its legs were that of a goat. A Satyr perhaps. Its, her, face was young and very humanoid however, yet also very dead.

- Examine the Satyr.
- Leave the cave.
- Cast a spell.

 

[Yokai]

>> Examine the Satyr <<
​

Aquila heart lurched at the sight of the deceased Satyr and she instantly felt regret at having found the corpse of another being. It felt like she was intruding on sacred land and she paused for a moment. Still, she inched closer to get a better look at the creature -- perhaps she could find the reason it had died?

 

[ArcticFox]

The Satyr's body did not bear any signs of a violent death. There were no visible injuries. Her skin was quite cold, clearly she had been dead for some time.

There was nothing else visible in the cave and the Satyr did not have any belongings with her.

- Bury the body.
- Leave the body.

 

[Yokai]

>> Leave the body <<
​

Unfortunately Aquila lacked the tools to bury the Satyr's body and instead she quietly let the corpse be. It felt wrong just being in the cave with the poor creature, let alone touching and defiling it. With that decided Aquila quietly slipped out of the cave.

 

[ArcticFox]

The air stirred a little on the mountain ridge. It was starting to get cold, but at least the air was fresh, unlike the steppes and deserts of Kakhabad. There were still two caves to explore, if she wanted to. Otherwise, the path continued past the caves and over the edge of the cliff. There was something like a small settlement in the distance, down the path.

- Explore the caves.
- Go down the path.

 

[Yokai]

>> Explore the caves <<
​

Aquila still wanted to explore the other two caves before she began her descent down to the small settlement in the distance. Out of the two she began with looking into the smallest cave that she couldn't fit into. The other one, that she'd later be able to crawl into, would have to come last as it was risky and more than a little intimidating.

 

[ArcticFox]

She approached the mouth of the smallest cave and had to kneel down to peer inside. She might be able to crawl inside, but it would be a tight squeeze.

Nothing stirred on the inside, no sounds came out of the cave. She could see that the cave opened up slightly after the entrance.

- Enter the cave.
- Move on.

 

[Yokai]

>> Enter the cave <<
​

The entrance to the smallest cave appeared to be just big enough for Aquila to wiggle inside. When she squinted into the cave she couldn't see much beyond the darkness. Curiosity made her want to explore within, however it was such a narrow opening and there was the fear of getting stuck or trapped. Still, Aquila decided against her better judgement and began to wriggle her way inside.

 

[ArcticFox]

It was fairly dark inside the cave and as soon as she squeezed in she noticed that it was deeper than it looked like. A strange screeching noise reached her from inside and then something like someone digging or clawing against the stone.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." The screeching turned into a voice. A voice she recognised.

Yan?

- Call out.
- Look for the source of the sound.
- Cast a spell.

 

[Yokai]

>> Cast a spell <<
​

Through the darkness Aquila could make out a familiar sounding voice and she stopped to focus her mind. Where had she heard that before? It sounded like an adorable companion she'd left behind in Khare -- but that couldn't be right. Frowning against the dark Aquila cast a spell of light within the cave before she raised her voice to call out, "Hello? Is somebody in here?"

 

[ArcticFox]

The spell revealed the inside of the cave. Aquila was half standing half squatting inside a stony chamber, in which far side she could now see a rockfall. Under the rubble, trying to free his leg from underneath a rock, was Yan.

"What?" His head whipped around as the spell lit the cave. His eyes widened as he put up both of his tiny hands over his mouth. "You! See, I told them! I knew you were alive! I got them all, friend! Well, it was not me only, but it was mostly me. We got them all together!" He started rambling, then tugged at his trapped leg again. "Well, make yourself useful, get me out!"

The rock that had Yan trapped was about the size of Aquila's fist.

- Ask him something.
- Move the rock and get out of the cave first.

 

[Yokai]

>> Move the rock and get out of the cave first <<
​

"I missed you too, Yan." Aquila murmured softly, already leaning over to free him from the rock his was pinned beneath. "Thank you for having faith in me." She said quietly, gently cupping the Minimite in her hands as she retreated out of the cave. It wasn't until they were safely outside that she peered down at him again with an undeniably fond expression. Of course he'd gotten himself into trouble. "What were you even doing in there, Yan?"