Author's Note: Here's another chapter! I've got a story pitch to throw at you all at the bottom of this one, so make sure to read my note at the bottom, and respond. As always, enjoy.
Song: Stand My Ground by Within Temptation. This could be the soundtrack for all of Act 2, but I feel like this chapter is the one that will fit it the best.
I drifted to sleep peacefully, loving the feel of Phina's body so close to mine, as if it was meant to be. However, this close feeling with someone was still fairly foreign to me, especially as of recently.
As I slowly returned to consciousness after a wonderful night's sleep, despite the small and dingy bed that the two of us had shared, I could faintly sense that someone was caressing my bosom. In my half-asleep condition, I immediately panicked, not realizing that it was my beloved priestess that was tenderly holding me. All of a sudden, all of my fears from the alleyway flooded back to me as my fight-or-flight reaction kicked it into overdrive, and I threw myself out of the bed, curling up on the floor and panting heavily.
I lie there in fetal position on the ground for several minutes, struggling to catch my breath, as my mind was still delirious with fear, trying to regain my composure from the shocking incident. From behind me, I heard the sounds of someone getting off the rickety bed, footsteps growing louder as Phina crouched down beside me. I buried my face into my knees, not wanting to see the unlabeled assailant, until I heard her soothing voice.
"Sona...it's me, Phina. Are you alright...what happened?" I opened my eyes and turned to see the priestess, a look of concern across her face, as I sat there trembling on the floor.
It took me a few moments to regain enough of my composure to speak, doing so just barely. "I...I thought you were...them." She nodded, understanding my pain, making sure to not touch my quivering form in any way.
"I'm sorry Sona...I didn't realize. You're safe with me though...I won't let anyone hurt you like that again." Even just the mention of the topic injected more adrenaline into my system, as I curled up even tighter at the thought of their lecherous hands assaulting my body. Several minutes passed in complete silence, until I finally was able to control myself again.
"T...thank you, Phina. I believe you." I unfolded myself and crouched on the floor, eye-level with the priestess before me. I gingerly held onto her hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze, before standing back up. I dusted myself off, getting the remains of the grungy floor off of me, and went to sit back down on the bed. I patted the spot beside me, signalling for Phina to join me. As she sat down, I wrapped my arms around one of hers, resting my head on her shoulder, nuzzling her gently. I knew that Phina would protect me, but even she wasn't powerful enough to cleanse the memories of what had already transpired. That was a fight that only I could engage.
The priestess stroked my hair gently, running her delicate fingers through my flowing blue hair. I let out a soft purr into her mind, encouraging the pleasant action, as I snuggled closer towards Phina. "I'll figure this out, I promise. I can't let them haunt me forever."
The priestess patted me on the head, approving of my thoughts. "I'm glad you're determined, Sona, but you don't have to do this alone. I'll always be willing to listen if you need to talk."
"It's just...after last night, I thought I'd finally put it behind me. But then I woke up, and I didn't realize it was you, and…" Phina put her finger to my lips, trying to shush me before I went too far. I gave a silent chuckle at the instinctive reaction. "You do realize that doesn't do anything, right? My lips weren't going to be moving much anyways."
She released herself from my embrace, eyeing me playfully. "Hey, just because you've transcended verbal communication doesn't mean you get to be sassy about it. Unlike you, that - " I put my hand to her lips, smiling playfully. She gave me a glare, moving my appendage out of the way. "As I was saying, unlike you, that gesture works on the rest of us." I giggled, nodding my agreement. I was glad that I had someone here like Phina that could cheer me up in a heartbeat.
"Let's pack up and go get Leona, so we can get an early start today. Speaking of which, what time is it?"
"Well, upon taking a close look at the ceiling, I'll tell you once we get outside. I don't think we're going to interrupt her beauty sleep if that's what you're worried about. Ashe on the other hand, I don't know about." I laughed at the comment, and began packing my things. Luckily, all that remained to be stored was my clothing which had been rather hastily discarded last night. I put a majority of the garbs back on, knowing that today would likely be colder as we headed further north, but decided to keep my gloves permanently packed. After everyone had used some of their magic yesterday, keeping my hands free for my etwahl seemed like a necessity at this point.
Phina bundled up as well, bracing herself for the Freljordian winter, and we unlocked our door to wake Leona. I gave a soft knock on the door, but heard no reply or rustling of sheets. I knocked harder, but again there was nothing. I thought back to yesterday morning. I was pretty sure Leona had been woken up by my telepathy, my voice penetrating her mind even though she was asleep. I tried to communicate somewhat loudly, in one final attempt to wake up the warrior. "Leona, if you can hear me, it's time to wake up!"
Phina held her hands to her ears instinctively, my telepathy being much louder than expected. I rolled my eyes at her. "You know that's not going to change anything either. It's coming from in here." I pointed to her forehead to enunciate my point, the priestess letting out a soft sigh.
"Well, next time I decide to yell at the top of my lungs, I'll see what your gut reaction is." I apologized to her, not realizing that it had been that loud.
A minute or two later, the door to Leona's room, a very grumpy warrior glaring at me from the opposite side of the entrance. "Is there something I can help you with, or did you feel like waking the dead just for fun?"
"I didn't mean for it to be that loud, I promise. Besides, we need to get Ashe so we can keep going."
Leona groaned, but nodded and closed the door. A few minutes later, she reemerged from her room, clad in her armored snow garb. It seemed as if she had tweaked it a little bit overnight, removing padding from the areas that the armor would cover, allowing for the armor to sit much more comfortably on all of the excessive fabric. She nodded, and we were off.
As we walked downstairs, the place was practically empty, save for the innkeeper. The man approached us, the same deranged glaze over his eyes that he held last night. "Well lasses, 'ow was it? Ya sleep gud?" We all nodded, grateful for his hospitality.
"Do you think we could get some food before we leave? I don't want to have to eat trail food if we don't have to." It was a little selfish, but the dinner yesterday evening barely qualified as food in my opinion, and I was willing to delay our departure a little bit if it meant eating a good meal.
Leona nodded, and asked the barkeeper about it. "If you don't mind me asking, how much would it be for us to get breakfast for three right now?"
The innkeeper leaned back on a counter, doing the math in his head. "Well, I'd no'm'lly charge ya ten a'piece, but rumor 'as it that yer trav'lin with Queen Ashe today. If that's the case, food's on the 'ouse."
Phina returned with a response. "Well, we intend to meet her as soon as we are done eating, so yes, the rumors are true. However, we've got fifteen gold that we can spare to make it worth your while." She pulled out her coin purse, emptying its contents, handing a majority of it to the innkeeper, who waved it away.
"I 'preciate yer generosity, but save yer money. I'm sure you'll 'ave better use for it elsewhere." Phina gratefully put the coins back in her purse, tucking it away. "Sit tight lasses, foo'll be out shortly." We took a seat at a table while he prepared us a meal. It smelled absolutely wonderful, whatever it was, especially in comparison to the dry food we'd eaten yesterday.
Leona returned us back to the focus of the day. "So, we need to get Ashe. I assume she'll know a better way to Anivia than we do, and I'm willing to follow it. I assume you all are as well?" We each nodded, again grateful for the expertise the queen would provide us on our journey.
"I'm sure she'll take us through more of her camps, since we will have her with us. That difference alone might save us a day or two."
We continued discussing details of the travel for a few more minutes, until the innkeeper arrived with our food. "'Ere ya are lasses. I 'ope ya enjoy!" He handed us each a plate piled high with various meats and vegetables and we dug in, the hot food being welcome, knowing that the frigid air was only a doorway away. Amidst a choir of moans from the two Solari, we shoveled the meal into our hungry maws, ignoring the concept of manners for the time being. The food was gone almost as soon as it had arrived, our hunger being greater than we realized.
The innkeeper came back to check on us a few minute later, shocked that we had already consumed the heaping plates. "'Ell, I'd ask if ya liked it, but i 'on't think I need ta!"
"It was very good, and we thank you for your kindness." The man smiled, and took our plates from us. We stood up and walked out the door, on our way to wake the queen.
As soon as we walked outside, I noticed the formations of dark clouds overhead, clearly not a good sign of what was to come. Yesterday had been a rather clear day, and yet snow still fell consistently throughout the day. I didn't want to find out what a snowstorm looked like in the Freljord, but I had a feeling we would find out.
For how early it was in the morning, there was quite a number of people out in Rakelstake's plaza, each going about their daily activities. They have no idea that the world could end in a few weeks. To them, the sunspot was just a freak occurrence. However, I corrected thoughts. The world isn't ending for them...just the Solari. I reminded myself of the scope of the situation, not that either outcome was acceptable.
We approached the giant castle doors, the two guards posted outside did not open the door for us this time. "What business do you have with the Queen at this hour?"
Leona responded. "We're here to travel with her. She said that all we had to do was ask a guard, and you would go fetch her." The guards looked at each other, and nodded.
"Very well. You may come inside, but don't leave beyond the foyer. We will bring her to you, as requested." The guards opened the doors for us, one of us escorting us inside. We took a seat near the entrance as the guard continued on towards the back of the grand hall, opening a door towards Ashe's chambers.
I looked around at the room once again, still amazed by the detail of the building. All across the walls and ceiling, thin strands of ice weaved in and out of the stonework, the contrast of its brightness with the dullness of the walls quite attractive. Overhead, chandeliers comprised almost entirely of ice hung from the ceiling, a brilliant flame encased within the middle of each one. The architecture was truly a thing of beauty. At the far end of the hall, Ashe's throne predominantly consisted of pine wood, heavily polished to the point that it matched the reflectance of the icework that extended above the headrest.
A few minutes later, the guard returned from the door, Ashe following in his wake. She was still dressed in her typical black and gold hood, which was very little clothing considering the sub-freezing temperatures outside, however, I wasn't about to question a native as to what was smart to where in the Freljord. Ashe dismissed the guard as the pair approached us, and he opened the doors to the outside, returning to his post. "Greetings, fellow champions. Shall we get started?"
The three of us rose, putting our packs on and nodding to the archer. Leona spoke up. "If you don't need anything else, then yes, we are ready to go when you are. Lead the way, Ashe."
Ashe nodded. "We will depart for Anivia then. We should make it past the Avarosan boundary in two days' time."
Phina gave the queen a questioning look. "What's past the boundaries?"
"The land of the Ice Witch. We have been on good terms since I became Queen, and she will grant us safe passage through her territories. Anivia's nest is just on the other side of her capital."
We all were a little dumbstruck by the remark. Nasus hadn't informed us of any territories the Ice Witch controlled, but I remembered seeing her in a few matches from time to time, normally against Sejuani's people. She wore a strange, elongated headdress, giving her a very alien look, and her skin was as blue as my hair. She was certainly an odd person, but I was willing to trust Ashe's judgement.
"We will be able to make it to one of my camps by nightfall if we hurry. Do you have shelter, or do you intend to make your own?" We pointed to our tents, and Ashe nodded. "Very well then, let us leave." With that, the queen opened the doors to the outside, and we began our adventure. I was still extremely surprised that the only thing that Ashe had brought with her was a quiver and her bows, but I assumed she would be fine.
As we departed Rakelstake, all the townspeople waved to their Queen as she guided us towards the city gates. Everyone wished the four of us a safe return, and we opened the gates, venturing back into the Freljordian wilderness. As soon as we were outside, Ashe turned around, already halting our trek. "Before we begin, Phina, may I see your spells? I would like to know what we have available to work with if danger arises."
Phina nodded, and withdrew her staff. She summoned one of her trademark orbs a good distance out; far enough to be safe, but close enough that you could feel the tug. Then, she moved it around a bit, jets of solar fire erupting from the back of the mysterious orb, letting it dissipate. "I can also explode them, if necessary. I don't want to do that here, as it is quite loud."
Ashe showed the faintest hint of being impressed, clearly not a reaction that she was used to displaying. "Very good. However, that is only three spells. I assume you have a fourth, far superior one?"
"I do, however, that's what caused the sunspots, to be honest. I don't think you want to see me use that unless we are in serious danger."
Ashe gave a slight gasp at her remark. "Impressive, then you must be a very powerful mage to have such sway over the elements. I am honored to journey alongside you."
Phina smiled at the remark, before speaking up. "May I see yours, as well? I'm unfamiliar with your abilities."
Ashe nodded. "Very well then. You'll find that they are rather mundane compared to yours, however." She pulled out her bow, and aimed at a tree in the distance. She shot a few arrows at it, building up her momentum, until eventually it looked as if the bow became alive, firing off shot after shot far faster than any mortal could possibly load the weapon. As she slowed down, the barrage of ice stopped, and she pointed her bow towards a cluster of trees fairly close by. She pulled a single arrow from her quiver, however, when she fired it, it split into nine equally sized bullets, piercing each tree. Phina let out a gasp at the spectacle, impressed by Ashe's power with her bow.
"Finally, this allows me to see farther than any eyes would allow." She clutched a hand to her bow, and pulled away, drawing out from the bow a small, icy bird. She tossed the hawk into the air, and it began flitting about, travelling all the way to the mountain that we had climbed on our way in here. "For example, I can tell you that you used on of those spheres getting in here yesterday, because a lot of rocks fell off of that mountain due to the pull." Phina nodded her surprised agreement.
"And what about your fourth spell?"
The archer smirked. "Just like you, I think you'd rather not see it if you don't have to. I think you'll find my normal arrows quite powerful, let alone one the size of a pine tree." Phina nodded, unshaken by Ashe's bravado. "Now that that's settled, let's begin. We're going to traverse the other side of that mountain." I let out a silent groan, my arms still aching from climbing in yesterday. I was hoping that we wouldn't have to use the ice picks today, but it wasn't looking good.
As we traversed the forested area that led to the looming mountain that was steadily growing closer, Ashe interrogated us about the sunspots. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before she wanted to know, Phina engaged her in the banter, informing her all about the plot that happened long ago with Anivia, and the looming threat that hung over our heads the entire journey. Ashe didn't react strongly to the story, not that she did to anything at all, simply nodding her head as the tale unfolded. I was a little turned off by her apathy towards the story, surprised that she continued to hide herself behind her emotionless face. Maybe that's who she is, Sona, and there's nothing wrong with that.
The mountain grew ever closer as we walked, until eventually we stood at its base, looking up at the towering landmass. We started climbing the structure, flashbacks of yesterday's experience still fresh in my mind. You've got to power through this, otherwise you're just going to slow them down.
Only a few steps down the trail, and the path ahead was already too slanted to be traversable by foot alone. Ashe held out her hand, motioning for us to stop. Gracefully, she slid down the mountain a few paces, before turning back towards where we stopped. She notched an arrow onto her bow, and let it fly towards the mountain with incredible force. As soon as it left the bowstring, however, it eight duplicates formed, each one thoroughly lodging itself into the cliffside. With just one spell, she'd created a very dangerous set of monkey bars, which would make the traversal much easier than if we'd had to use our picks again.
Ashe darted back up the mountain with effortless grace, showing just how skilled she was at exploring the Freljord. Just as she went for the first arrow, Phina called out "Let me help!"
Ashe turned around, shaking her head at the priestess. "I appreciate your consideration mage, however, I'd rather we don't blemish the mountainside any more than I already have today." Phina stowed away her staff, and let the queen resume as she was doing. In a matter of seconds, Ashe flung herself across the arrows, leaping from each one to the next in a very fluid manner, before landing on the other side of the gap, giving a slight pose as she got up.
"She sure is enjoying getting to show us up." Behind me, I heard Phina chuckle at my remark.
Next up was Leona. The warrior grabbed onto the first arrow, finding the support that it provided was still strong. Carefully, she swung from one arrow to the next, giving each one a test of its strength before releasing her grasp on the previous one. Before long, she too landed on the other side, waving for me to follow her.
I approached the gap, looking at the nine arrows that stood between me and flat ground again. It's now or never. It's time for you to face your fears, Sona. I wrapped my hand around the first arrow, finding it cool to the touch, chilling my hand even through the garment that had been provided to me. Out of instinct, I let go, not wanting to endure the sensation any longer than I had to.
"Sona, you'll have to cross quickly if you want to make it across safely. Wait for too long and your hand will get numb." I nodded, and plucked a note from my etwahl. I felt every cell in my body speed up, the heightened speed going to ensure that I would make it across. I latched firmly onto the first arrow, and swung myself to the next one, giving it a slight test to make sure that it would still support my weight. Two...Three...Four...Five...Six. I counted each one off, until I reached for the seventh one, which fell out of the mountain as soon as my hand grasped it. My arm flailed about wildly until I eventually latched onto the arrow I was clinging to. Leona looked at me in horror, unsure of what to do.
"Sona, you'll have to use a pick. Here, take mine." She reached into her pack and pulled out the tool, traversing the final two arrows and handed the tool off to me. I reached out for it, barely taking hold of it, and she returned to the far side of the gap. I threw my arm at the mountainside as hard as I could, lodging the tip of the pick securely into the rock face. My entire body filled with panic as I slowly started losing the feeling of my right hand, which still clung steadfast to the arrow above me. Three...Two...One… I let go of the arrow, trusting in the pick to keep me from falling down the mountainside, as my body swung to the eighth arrow. I latched hold of it, clinging on for dear life, giving myself a moment to regain my composure. As my breath returned to its normal rate, I reached for the ninth and final arrow, landing on flat ground. I collapsed, dropping my arms as I took a deep breath.
Finally, it was Phina's turn to cross. She handled the first six arrows skillfully, and I was surprised by her dexterity. However, as she made it to the ice pick still lodged in the wall, she hesitated, unsure how to approach the situation. She reached out to the tool, grabbing hold of it, but finding that it quickly dislodged itself from the mountainside. I could see her grip on the arrow above her loosening, and I knew she only had a few seconds to react until she would fall. "You've got to do it now Phina!" She looked up, seeing her grip failing, and swung herself forward. Just as she lodged the pick sturdily into the mountainside, her grip faltered, and she let go of the arrow.
I watched in horror as her body started falling, letting out a sigh of relief as she clung steadfast to the slick handle of the tool. She started swinging her legs back and forth, trying to build up enough momentum to make it to the eighth arrow. Deftly, she reached for it, firmly wrapping her hand around it. She removed the ice pick from the rocks, tossing it onto the ground by Leona's feet. From there, she reached for the final arrow, and landed herself next to us.
Ashe looked at us, nodding her head gently. "I hope that was not too difficult. I can promise you we will have far more trials on our way there." I gulped, not liking the sound of that one bit.
We hiked on, pressing further into the harsh lands of the Freljord. Not far in the distance, I saw another mountain, disappointed when I watched as Ashe started taking us in that direction. "My camp is on the other side of this mountain. We can camp there for the night." The message lifted my spirits a little, as we pressed on.
Thankfully, the second mountain was far less treacherous than the first, and we didn't even have to do any shifty maneuvering. As we rounded the mountain, the camp barely started coming into view. It was nothing more than a few tents hastily put up in a tight valley down below. As soon as my eyes saw the camp, my spirits rose, knowing that it would only be a few more hours until we finally settled in for the night.
The descent down from the mountain was extremely perilous, loose rocks covering the far side of it, causing me to slip and fall. As I continued sliding down the slope, I reached out to Leona and Phina, but they were unable to react fast enough. Luckily, Ashe swooped out of nowhere and helped me up, keeping me from getting scraped up too bad. I gave her a grateful look, and we continued down the slope, and I was careful to watch my step.
Finally, we arrived at the camp after a rather uneventful hike for the rest of the day. We sat down, exhausted. There were only a few troops in the camp, each one apparently getting a tent to themselves. Phina and I took ours over to a corner of the campground, pitching it with relative ease. The tent was not nearly as thick as the one we had previously owned, but it still looked like it would be suitable for keeping out the cold. We walked over to the campfire, a few stray twigs barely managing to stay lit amidst the frigid temperatures. The troops had already taken the prime real estate, their hands almost touching the embers in a desperate attempt to stay warm.
We ate some of the trail food that we had packed, the soldiers already having consumed all of the available supplies that they had. Ashe had wandered off into the woods, looking for a few berries that might be enough. She returned a short while later, transporting with her a handful of berries, and began devouring them viciously, foregoing any attempts at being a proper, queenly person. The sight was truly different than anything else I'd seen her do, as she was usually so composed that it was hard for her to show even a hint of emotion.
As soon as she finished eating, she turned to us, wiping away some stray berry juice on her chin. "I will await for you in the morning. I need to begin constructing my abode for the night." I looked at her in confusion as she went over to a mound of snow, beginning to make the shape of an igloo.
"Leona, you're not going to let her get away with that, are you?"
The warrior thought to herself, before shaking her head. She walked over to Ashe, speaking softly as she got close. "Ashe, I've got room in my tent. Please, stay out of the cold, I insist."
The soldiers looked at her in a look of amazement, as if it was unheard of for someone to question their Queen. However, to everyone's surprise, the archer agreed. "Very well then. I shall take up residence with you for the night, Leona."
The two pairs split off to our tents for the night, Phina and I climbing into ours as we began to undress for bed. I crawled into my sleeping bag, resting my head on my arms as I tried to fall asleep, but it was just too cold outside. "Phina...can we share a sleeping bag? I'm freezing."
The priestess eagerly responded. "Climb right in. I was waiting for you to ask, because it's way too cold to sleep alone." I smiled, and crawled into the now-tight bedroll, the two of us barely fitting inside it. Every inch of our bodies pressed against each other, and I struggled to fight away the terrible sensations that I was feeling from the contact. I still hadn't fully recovered from this morning. You've got to deal with this right now, or you're not going to sleep all night.
I found Phina's hand, and led it to my body, guiding it up and down my waist. I quickly acclimated to the feel, but as I brought her hand upward, I could feel her resistance. "Sona", she whispered, "are you sure? I don't want to scare you again."
I nodded to her reassuringly. "I need to learn to fight these emotions. What better way than some hands-on experience?" I winked at the sad attempt at a pun, and Phina chuckled.
"Well alright, if you have to twist my arm…" She rolled her eyes, but I did give her arm a slight twist, just for fun, before guiding it up to her prize. I could get use to a nightly massage session like this, I thought. Even though I struggled at first to find enjoyment from her fondling, I quickly pushed back my apprehension, trying to focus solely on the enjoyment of it. I soon did find it, and latched onto the feeling, as Phina reverently continued to enjoy my bosom. The sensation became extremely pleasant, as she didn't quite have enough room to be too rough on me like she had last night, and I quickly found myself falling asleep under her tender care.
I was awoken by the sound of someone tapping on the outside of our tent. "Sona, let's get a move on." I could tell that the voice was Leona's, and I began getting ready. I hastily shook Phina awake, the bleary eyes of the Priestess gazing at me distantly.
"Already? But I was still sleeping."
"I was too, but grumpy Leona says it's time to go."
From outside the tent, Leona rapped on it again. "Sona, I'm still right here." I giggled, knowing full well that the warrior would hear my comment. I bundled up, unzipping the entrance and bracing myself for the cold.
Sometime during last night the skies had let loose their pent-up snow, laying down several feet of it all across the Freljord. I had to dig myself out of the tent, scooping handfuls of it away as it filled the premises, but eventually gave up. Phina emerged a few moments later, glancing around at the winter wonderland around us. "Well damn, how are we going to hike in this? I can barely move my legs!"
Ashe emerged from the woods, having gathered another handful of food for her breakfast. "We will travel slowly today, but we must press on. We will still make it to the Avarosan boundaries by mid-afternoon if we leave now."
Phina and I nodded, quickly wrapping up the tent and strapping it to her back. We began trudging onward, the three of us following Ashe in a straight line, leaving behind us a wide swathe of cleared snow from where we had been. We pressed on through the valley, soon approaching a wide open field, with not a tree in sight. All around us, various mountains rose up, making me feel like we were trapped in some kind of snowy arena.
"We should make it to the other side of this in about an hour. After that, we have a mountain to scale, and we'll be in Frostguard territories." She continued to press on, but Leona stopped in front of me, halting my progress.
"Ashe, how on earth are you not frozen yet? I'm in three layers and I'm shivering, and yet you're in a skirt and you're doing fine."
The archer turned around, returning the Solari's question. "Because my bow is made of True Ice, I've been able to adapt to the harsh climates this land offers. My castle in Rakelstake is also partially constructed from it, as you may have noticed. The material is bitterly cold, and yet does not transfer that to the holder. It is very difficult to explain without exposure to the substance." She held out her bow towards us. "Feel free to touch it, if you'd like. I promise that you will feel no harm."
One by one, the three of us stepped up, and placed our hands on the bow. As I went to grasp it, I could feel cold radiating outwards from it, like you might feel if you opened the door to a refrigerator. However, as soon as I clasped the bow, the palm of my hand was overcome with a lukewarm sensation, even though my wrist could still feel the chill emanating from the bow. It was a very odd experience indeed.
We pressed on, trudging through the vast snowy plains, as my legs continued to struggle providing me their strength. I could see the mountains on the far side growing steadily nearer, until Ashe held out her hand and motioned for us to stop.
"I believe I saw a few Frostguard in the mountains. I've never seen them this far out before, so I'm going to insure that we are not disrupting anything." She reached into her bow, pulling out another icy hawk, and launched it into the air. We sat around for a few minutes, waiting as Ashe gathered her intel, before she finally spoke up. "It appears that they were just exploring. We are free to continue."
Steadily, we advanced forward to the edge of the plain, arriving again at the base of a mountain. "I'm getting really sick of all this climbing." Phina patted me on the shoulder, whispering her agreement into my ear. We began making our way up the mountain, until we soon found ourselves stuck at the base of a three story cliff. The wall was extremely slick, as if someone had polished it, and there was no way that I was going to make it up there without some form of assistance.
Ashe pulled out her bow, and motioned to me. "Sona, you're going to go up first. I will make sure that you are safe, but you must trust me. You will want your picks." I pulled the tools out of my pack, and approached the wall, unsure as to how to start. From behind me, I heard the snap of her bowstring, and a moment later an arrow was situated right next to my left leg, buried deep within the rock. I see where this is going. I placed my foot on the arrow, finding that it supported me perfectly. A few moments later, another arrow, this time on my right and slightly higher up, dug into the rocks, and I placed my other foot on it, securing myself with the ice picks.
Slowly but surely I made my way up the makeshift elevator, a twin series of arrows trailing behind me as I scaled the cliff. Soon, I found myself at the top. Next up, Phina took the track upwards as well, using the arrows for handholds as well as footstools, and she soon sat down next to me.
Leona, however, struggled. She was significantly shorter than Phina, given the time, and couldn't reach the arrows that Phina could for her hands, and found the next ones down to be extremely awkward. Like me, she had to pull out her picks, carefully keeping her arms within the dual tracks of arrows as she ascended, until safely pulling herself up to the top.
Finally, it was Ashe's turn. She too suffered the same issue that Leona had, but didn't have any other tools to make her way up. Again, she pulled out her bow, and began firing off a few arrows into the distance, building up her momentum. Then, just as she had demonstrated to us yesterday, a flurry of shots erupted from her bow, and she angled her bow upwards after each shot, driving each one into the rock face, creating a makeshift ladder. Skillfully, she ascended the arrows in record time, twirling upwards after the last one, and gracefully found herself atop the cliff.
"We are not too far now, only another half hour, and it's easy footing. We should not struggle."
"Ashe, I have to ask, how exactly do you do all this traveling stuff when you're alone? I assume putting fifty arrows into a rock wall isn't your normal means of transportation."
The archer smiled, and pointed to the mountain that is adjacent to us. "There is footing over there that I am able to scale unassisted. However, you all would have struggled with it, so I decided that we would do this. Besides…" She twirled her bow in front of us effortlessly, before placing it on her back. "It's satisfying to show off every once and awhile. Let us make haste." Leona groaned, not wanting to continue travelling, but soon we all began our ascent up the mountain once more. As Ashe had said, it was a steady incline the entire duration, until eventually we found ourselves going downhill, towards the boundaries. Far off in the distance I could see a giant ravine with a single bridge spanning it at the narrowest point. I knew that on our original plans, we had intended to go around the gorge, even though it was an additional day's worth of travel, but with Ashe in our group, I was sure that we'd get safe passage.
As we finally reached the far side of the mountain, we marched on for only a little bit longer, before Ashe turned to us.
"Welcome to the Frostguard."
Author's Note: Alright, and there it is! I have to say, the most fun I had with this chapter was imagining how Ashe's spells could be used. I'd like to think that all the situations made sense, but who knows.
Now here's my fanfic pitch, please PM me if you're interested, so that I can feel like I have an excuse to start working on it. If nobody bites, I'll continue working on this until it is done, and then move to it, as per how I intend to do things.
So I'm looking at a Transformers / League Crossover, because I absolutely love Transformers, but haven't come up with a decent plot with only them. Basic idea is that I'll be following the Creator Viktor plotline and all the Battlecast guys, from the viewpoint of Jayce. He realizes that there's pretty much no way that humanity is going to repel the Battlecast, and instead of the Resistance, he makes a few Autobots to fight the war alongside him. He has a transforming hammer after all, so I'm sure it makes sense. I'd be using the personalities from G1, but obviously Bay style visuals, as that's what the darn things would actually look like. Currently looking at throwing in Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Wheeljack, maybe a few others as the story progresses. No Dinobots though, unfortunately. There's no Dinosaurs to base them from in Runeterra.
Anyways, please tell me what you think about it. I'll be writing it anyways, but if I get a lot of interest I'll start doing a chapter of this and a chapter of that (Tentatively called 'The Glorious Transformation') in rotation.