PATH OF ASCENSION
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 13
Seconds later, it seemed, light faded back into Jaina's vision. Blurred shapes moved around her and muffled sounds rattled her ears, but she chose to just lay there and conserve her energy. Only dimly did she remember what just happened: her fierce clash with Alexander, the brilliant favor of Heliod against the dark favor of Erebos.
Alexander!
"Where is he?" Jaina bolted upright and grimaced. Her burn wounds were gone, but Alexander's final attack had cut into her belly. Luckily, though, someone had wrapped her in torn strips of a shirt to stop the bleeding.
By now, Heliod's favor had dimmed to faint plates of ethereal armor, but it seemed stable. Good.
"Take it easy, Jaina," Sophia said gently. She knelt by her friend. "Alexander is gone. So is Madam Apolla."
"Wh... what?" Jaina felt suddenly cold inside, and not just from blood loss. She stared around at the torch-lit room, but only her friends were there. She'd have liked to see Alexander's and Madam Apolla's corpses... but no such luck.
Cadoc knelt by Jaina's other side. "With Alexander's power drained, we shattered Madam Apolla's barrier and she aborted the ritual spell. But we didn't have the strength to stop her or Alexander. They fled upstairs, and I'll bet that they've left the island by now. They've got no reason to linger."
"No..." Jaina barely whispered the word. Then, her voice rose to a shout, startling her friends. "No! They can't be gone... they..." She broke off, her throat tight. "D-did Petros make it? Where is he?"
"I'm sorry, Jaina, but he didn't survive the battle," Katrina said heavily. She pointed at Petros' limp form, which lay nearby. It seemed that someone had dragged him there and tidied him up a bit. "Daxis is dead, too. He bled out when Alexander controlled him."
For a second, Jaina simply stared at Petros' body. Then she felt another wave of anger flare up. "I could have saved them! I had Heliod's favor! It was my job to keep them safe, and I failed!"
"You were out for several minutes," Cadoc told Jaina firmly. "We did all we could to prevent the ritual, but we had to let Alexander and Madam Apolla go. You did great work by draining Alexander's power, Jaina. You did enough."
"No, I didn't!" Jaina pounded the stone floor with her fist. Tears leaked from her eyes. "Petros and Daxis were counting on me. I was their leader! And now look! They're dead!"
"They knew the risks," Sophia said urgently. She clasped Jaina's shoulder and squeezed. "There's nothing you could have -"
"Heliod failed me!" Jaina howled. "He couldn't save them, either!" She leaned her head back to curse the heavens. "Why couldn't you help me, Heliod? I trusted you! I worked so hard for your favor and this is what happens?"
Sophia and Cadoc forced Jaina to lay down, and for a second Jaina considered fighting back. Then, she felt all the fight leaking from her mind. She clapped her hands over her face and wept freely. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I d-don't know what to do."
Jaina felt Sophia place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she felt something else too. She suddenly felt heavier, as though she would sink into the stone floor. Then she realized that Heliod's favor was leaving her body, one plate at a time. Alarmed, Jaina uncovered her face and sat back up, but it was too late. Heliod's favor was gone, and Jaina distinctly felt a sense of disappointment that wasn't her own. Was Heliod sending her a message?
Either way, Jaina didn't care. She had proven herself weak and stupid, and Heliod had abandoned her. Yes, Madam Apolla's scheme had been thwarted, but at what cost? Petros and Daxis lay dead, and both Alexander and Madam Apolla had escaped.
Jaina allowed herself a few more moments to cry before Cadoc helped her to her feet and escorted her back upstairs.
*o*o*o*o*
Madam Apolla's mansion was far from quiet. Over a hundred guests babbled and mingled as an alarmed crowd, and it took a flare of Cadoc's mana to get their attention.
"What happened?" demanded one elderly man in a dark blue outfit. His gray eyes shone with mingled terror, shock and indignation.
"We felt something in our heads!" a woman cried, seizing her head for emphasis. "A voice... and this terrible chill..."
"Was it Madam Apolla's voice?" Cadoc asked warily.
"It was hers!" the old man said loudly, and everyone murmured their assent. "What did she do? I've never felt anything like it!"
Sophia stepped forward. "It was a ritual spell designed to control you. Madam Apolla is allied with the Shadow League. She wanted to control all your minds and force you to spread the League's power and influence with your wealth and connections. That's why she threw this charity ball."
More alarmed babble filled the room and Jaina felt a sense of satisfaction. At last, these wealthy people understood the danger that threatened humanity. Maybe they'd even help support anti-League causes now, and use their wealth to bolster town guards and militias.
"Well, I've had enough!" the old man said, stomping his foot. "I'm taking the Dawnsail back to Coatia first thing in the morning!"
"So am I!" the woman declared.
"And me!" another woman added.
"As for you lot," the man said, pointing at Jaina's party. "Did you all play a hand in this?"
"We saved you," Cadoc said stiffly. "Down in the basement, we drove off Madam Apolla and her Shadow League associate before the ritual spell was completed. We paid for our victory with two lives. Be grateful."
The old man harrumphed. "That I am, son. Good to know someone will stand up for what's right. I trust that you'll join us on the Dawnsail tomorrow?"
"That's right," Cadoc nodded. "We've had enough of this place."
The ball attendees were then escorted back to their rooms by Madam Apolla's guards, all of whom looked shaken but grateful. "I suppose I was wrong about you guys," said the short-haired captain to Jaina's party. She looked sheepish. "I tried to attack you earlier, but it turns out you saved us all from the Shadow League. I owe you."
"Don't worry about it," Cadoc said with a dismissive wave. "What's done is done."
Jaina's party was soon left alone on the ground floor, but before anyone could say a word, Cadoc conjured his red-white mana and smashed his fist into the wall. Charred chunks of wood flew everywhere.
"Cadoc! What are you...?" Katrina sputtered.
"They won't make fools of us again!" Cadoc raged. His face looked positively demonic. "That Alexander... I'll kill him! I'll find him, and I'll send him back to his master for good!" He punched the wall again, filling the air with smoke.
"Stop it!" Sophia seized Cadoc's arm to prevent another wall-shattering punch. "You said it yourself: it's over. Let's just go back to the mainland and recuperate, and then we'll give Daxis and Petros a proper burial at Coatia."
Cadoc relaxed his arm, but his expression didn't change. "Next time will be different," he huffed, eyes flaming. "I'll get stronger. I'll form an anti-League army if I have to, but some way or another, I'll see the League destroyed!"
"Okay, but let's worry about that later," Sophia consoled him. "We've earned some rest. Just relax."
Cadoc exhaled shakily. "Fine. But I won't forget what happened tonight. Not ever. Now let's go get some rest."
*o*o*o*o*
A small, enchanted sailboat finally docked at a misty, rocky shore far from Nanni Island. A full day had passed and once again it was evening. Two people disembarked from the boat and strode onto the shore. One was a tall, red-haired man with a gold cloak. The other was a gray-haired woman in red formal attire.
"Don't worry, they'll accept you," Alexander assured Madam Apolla as they approached a cave's yawning mouth. "I've told the other three trusted ones all about you. Our anti-intruder enchantments should recognize you."
"Good." Madam Apolla drew her robes about her; they didn't do much to protect her old bones from the beach's evening chill. "Lead the way."
The air in the cave was not only still, but unnaturally heavy. Powerful spells, handed down from Erebos himself, ensured that the cave was the most secure location in all of Theros for the four trusted ones to convene. To Alexander's relief, Madam Apolla ran into no trouble as the two of them ventured deeper inside. There was no lighting in the cave's natural corridors, but the enchantments led the way better than any torch could.
"So, this is Madam Apolla?" asked one of the three trusted ones seated at a round table. Alexander and Madam Apolla had just arrived in the cave's deepest room, where the floor was pleasantly flat and a globe of bright white mana shone on the ceiling. A few items sat on a shelf, including a simple wooden chest with a gold lock.
"I am," Madam Apolla said defensively. "Alexander and I bring unfortunate news. The ritual spell failed. A party of warriors interfered."
The three trusted ones muttered angrily as Alexander took his seat. "How did this happen?" demanded another trusted one, a deep-voiced man. He was easily the tallest and broadest of the four.
"It was one of my pack masters, Jero, who caused this," Alexander said bitterly. He alone showed his face; the other tree trusted ones wore their masks. "He was captured by the adventurers and willingly led them to the ritual. He planned to allow me to kill them all, and I did take two of their lives. But one of them, a Meletis girl by the looks of her, was granted Heliod's favor. Neither Jero nor I counted on that."
"Not even you could beat her?" asked the fourth trusted one. He spoke with a smooth, tenor voice. He gestured with a gloved hand. "Your skills and cunning are legendary among the League's ranks, Alexander!"
"I know," Alexander glowered. The four trusted ones were exactly equal in strength, by Erebos' design, but Alexander couldn't help but feel weak right now. "However, it was seven on one. Those kids had some real fight in them."
The woman sighed from behind her mask. "So, our plan failed. You failed, Alexander, because Jero was an idiot and you underestimated those adventurers. This can mean only one thing."
"No." Alexander felt his throat tighten. "I can fix this. I -"
"Too late," the biggest man cut in. "You and Madam Apolla both must pay. Nothing personal, Alexander, but this is too big. We'll find a pack master who's ready and willing to take your spot. Maybe someone less cocky."
Both Alexander and Madam Apolla shrank back, but it was no good. A shimmering barrier of blue mana sealed off the room and the three masked trusted ones got to their feet.
As one, the trusted ones raised their hands toward the ceiling and conjured a web of viscous blue and black mana. For a few seconds, the web lingered in the air like a cloud. Then it split into two streams, and both streams flowed into the minds of Alexander and Madam Apolla.
Alexander was paralyzed as he felt the blue-black memory spell ravage his brain. One by one, he felt his memories fade and he dimly wondered what the adventurers would make of this. They had failed to kill him, but this was the next-best thing: Alexander would become an ordinary man, stripped of his League-related memories and his favor alike. Maybe he'd be a merchant. Or a sailor, or a cooper. Maybe a blacksmith, even.
As Alexander's memories flowed from his mind, he also felt Erebos' favor fading away. His multicolor mana whips were forcibly summoned, then yanked free of his hands. Both whips were coiled up and placed in the chest with a gold lock, which had opened itself to receive Alexander's favor. It was no ordinary treasure chest; it could contain all kinds of magical items and spells, and once a pack master proves himself worthy, he or she will inherit Alexander's favor.
What, what was this place? Alexander suddenly felt lost. Three strangers in gold robes and skull-like masks were finishing some sort of spell, and now they were escorting him and a rich-looking old woman through a cave's dark tunnels. The people tore off Alexander's gold robe, leaving only his formal attire. What an odd color for a set of robes, anyway.
As soon as Alexander and the woman were shoved out of the cave's mouth, Alexander turned and cried, "Who are you people? What are you doing to me?"
"Good-bye," one of them said. With a snap of blue mana, Alexander was forced to turn around, and he suddenly couldn't remember what just happened. Was there someone else here? But when he looked around, he only saw the old woman and the empty mouth of a dark cave. Weird.
"I'm Madam Apolla," the old woman introduced herself. She offered a hand and Alexander shook it.
"I'm Alexander. So, what do you do?"
"Oh, dither about in my mansion," said Madam Apolla. "I really ought to go back home soon. This place is dreadful." She smiled. "So what do you do?"
Alexander shrugged. "I'm between jobs right now. I guess I might go to Therass or Coatia and pick up a trade. Might get into blacksmithing." He suddenly realized how long it's been since he saw his family. His little sister would definitely miss him, as would his elderly parents.
"That's wonderful, dear." Madam Apolla ignored the enchanted boat and walked across the beach, heading to the nearest road. "Now, let's get out of here."
Alexander broke into a stride. "Right behind you."
*o*o*o*o*
Back in the cave, the three trusted ones had settled their affair with Alexander and Madam Apolla, but something else troubled them.
"I almost regret doing that to Alexander," admitted the smooth-voiced man. "We need all the strength we can get right now. You've all heard the reports, right?"
The biggest man folded his arms. "I have. Something's out there, killing our grays and kidnapping the pack masters. Only leaves their clothes."
"I'd chalk it up to adventurers like the ones Alexander fought, but this seems wrong," the woman said, clenching her fists. "My pack masters report sensing faint traces of black and blue mana at the scenes of these attacks. Mana unlike anything they've ever sensed."
"Another cult?" the tenor man suggested. "Erebos has other followers besides us."
The woman shook her head and relaxed her hands. "No, something else entirely. All my pack masters are shaken by what they've sensed and they're alarmed by the mystery. Honestly, so am I. I've visited the most recent attack scene, and I didn't like it at all."
The biggest man leaned over the table, enraptured by the woman's words. "What can you say for certain?"
"I can't say it for certain, but it's a strong possibility," the woman said slowly.
"Well, what is it?" asked the tenor man impatiently.
"We'd better replace Alexander as soon as possible and increase our security measures," the woman said emphatically, "because I think we're being attacked by an entity that comes from beyond Theros itself."
*o*o*o*o*
END OF PART I
A/N: There's a few cards in the Theros set whose illustrations roughly match some of the characters. Here they are:
Jaina: Setessan Battle Priest
Sophia: Dissolve (except hair color)
Petros: Reverent Hunter
Jero: Lash of the Whip
Chari: Omenspeaker
The kraken: Shipbreaker Kraken