Tressa didn't know what was going on with Therion, but she decided that she didn't like it.
It bothered just how quickly he was able to change when he was pushed the wrong way. Worse, she didn't even know what was going on to make him act strangely after being so nice before that point. Therion had seemed almost proud of her when she was able to give him the last push needed to break into Orlick's mansion to steal the dragonstone. She could sense the gratitude in his eyes even if he never spoke a word of it. He was happy to be around the rest of the group even though he didn't want to admit it. When Therion spent time with them, he seemed to lose much of the tension in his shoulders, allowing himself to smile behind his scarf and hope the others didn't notice. It was so strange how someone that Tressa had expected to despise was actually turning out to be incredibly sweet, not that he wanted to say such a thing. She doubted he even liked her thinking it, and yet, there she was.
Hearing him say that he was better off alone so suddenly after all of that was like a punch to the stomach for Tressa. She hadn't even realized she was at risk of being stabbed in the back that way until it happened. It wasn't as if Tressa thought that Therion was perfectly in sync with everyone else yet. She knew better than to believe something like that given the fact that hesitation still seemed to rule quite a few of his actions, but that didn't mean she saw it coming when he suddenly shifted his demeanor and acted as if the others were wasting their time by being around him.
Tressa had spoken with Ophilia about it briefly while they were packing their things to head for Goldshore, and Ophilia seemed to think that it was a matter of self-sabotage rather than anything else. Therion was afraid of reaching out and was throwing up walls haphazardly because he feared getting hurt. Ophilia seemed to know the feeling all too well, leaving Tressa with more questions than answers. She asked how she could help Therion, something she never thought she would do, but Ophilia simply smiled sadly and shook her head.
"He has to decide he wants help on his own. We can't push him into anything yet."
That hurt almost as much as what Therion had said, truth be told, though Tressa didn't want to say such a thing out loud. It felt ridiculous that she was letting her feelings get hurt by something like this, and yet, there she was, feeling as if her stomach had been hollowed out by words that Therion hadn't even wanted to speak in the first place. If he didn't want to be mean, then why did he say those awful things to begin with? Even if it was him hating himself rather than being upset with the others, it still hurt Tressa a lot more than she wanted to admit, and she wanted to curl in on herself and wait until the pain went away, though she could already tell it wasn't going to be that easy.
Therion was one problem that Tressa didn't know how to solve, and she didn't think there was a solution that wouldn't end with Therion snapping at her and possibly making the situation worse. Under most circumstances, Tressa would just deal with her fear of causing everything to explode and storm right into his heart and force him into honesty, but the last thing she wanted to do was poke someone as volatile as Therion in the wrong place. It was a terrible situation, but she knew that keeping her distance was probably her best move. After all, Tressa didn't know much when it came to how Therion worked deep down, but she could tell that this was something that she had no knowledge of and would probably only get worse if she got too close. It stung, but she knew that Ophilia had a point even if she hated to admit it more than anything else.
Even if Tressa couldn't solve the Therion problem though, there was something she could do about Ophilia. The cleric was better than she had been back in Bolderfall, yes, but Tressa could tell that there was still something on her mind. If Tressa had to guess, it was a mix between wondering just what had caused Ophilia to feel so sick out of the blue like that and wondering what to do about Therion. Her mind had been going back and forth for the last two hours since they left Noblecourt, and even as they fought off the monsters of the coast, Tressa found herself trying to find a solution to everything that had proven to be so problematic that morning.
For the time being, Tressa was choosing to stick as close to Ophilia as possible. That way, she would be able to catch Ophilia if she wound up feeling sick to her stomach again. Ophilia was larger than Tressa was in terms of height, but Tressa liked to think that she had the strength needed to keep Ophilia from completely crumbling if need be. After all, Ophilia was rather frail, perhaps only matched by Cyrus in that department. Surely Tressa would be able to do at least something to help the situation if she had to, right? If she couldn't do anything about what was bothering Therion, the least she could do was try to pitch in and help Ophilia. It was the one thing that was keeping her from losing her mind under the weight of all that was happening, and she wasn't going to be letting go of it quite so easily.
Cyrus was still humming and looking down at the map when Primrose suddenly snarled, sinking into a defensive posture. She had been somewhat on edge for the last few hours, better than she had been when they were in Noblecourt but still anxious. Tressa could only imagine that it was a deep instinct of protectiveness that was brought on by the sudden shift in Therion's behavior and Ophilia's bout of vertigo. She felt much the same way, but she liked to think that she was nowhere near as violent about it.
Primrose, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to sink her dagger into a monster that had come a bit too close. She lashed out with such overwhelming force that it didn't even seem real to Tressa. Just as soon as the creature had appeared, it was sent retreating by the strike from Primrose. The dancer yanked her knife free of the monster, and Tressa couldn't even get a glance at the beast before it was gone from view. Primrose looked down at the blood on her blade before reaching for the cloth she had been using to clean the weapon after combat. She wiped the dagger free of red liquid before falling silent again.
The other members of the group watched her carefully, and Tressa wondered if anyone was going to say anything. When none of them did, she decided that she had to do something. Hägen and Linde wound up taking her place at Ophilia's sides, and Tressa dashed off to Primrose's side, speaking quietly to make sure that the other members of the group weren't able to hear. "Hey, Primrose," Tressa smiled gently, hoping that she wasn't pushing any buttons by approaching her.
Primrose perked up when she noticed that Tressa was there, and a small smile appeared on her face. "How are you doing?" she asked casually. She sheathed her dagger and tucked the cloth out of view, and Tressa resisted the urge to frown. One thing that she had learned about Primrose since they met was that she was a woman of duality. Primrose was kind and gentle outside of combat, doing what she could to look after others with her natural maternal aura, but when she was in combat, she was vicious, fighting like it was all she knew how to do. She struck at monsters like she thought they were going to take away everything that she had loved, though after the outburst Therion had displayed that morning, Tressa was left to wonder if Primrose knew at all what she was trying to defend from the beasts that wanted nothing to do with her.
It took Tressa a moment to get a grip on herself after noticing the sudden swing of Primrose's personality, and she blinked twice before managing to come back to awareness. "Oh, um... I'm good," she said with a small smile even though she knew that she was being far from convincing. Unlike Primrose, acting did not come easily to Tressa, and it only took a moment of the dancer watching her for Tressa to let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know what to do about Therion. I want to help him, but I don't know where to start."
Something in Primrose's gaze went dark for a flicker of a moment, and the dark-haired woman looked out at the horizon ahead. "There are some people who struggle to connect with others for some reason or another," she murmured. "Once your trust has been broken, it's difficult to mend once again. Getting back to the way you were before... It's a long, arduous process."
"It sounds like you have experience with that," Tressa whispered even though she wasn't at all sure if this was the right direction to be taking the conversation. Her anxiety was already starting to spike even though she knew Primrose wasn't going to judge her for anything they said to one another.
For a long moment, Primrose stared at Tressa before she shrugged and looked back at their path once more. "I guess you could say that," she admitted. "After my father died, I was left to face the world on my own. The betrayal of having his death... It hit me hard. It took me a long time to start trusting people again after that."
"Not until Yusufa," Tressa finished for her, and Primrose nodded sadly. Before Tressa could stop herself, she kept talking, only realizing what she had said when it was too late. "You're still working on it. You still don't trust people."
As soon as Tressa registered what she had said, her eyes went wide as she winced and prepared to clamp her hands over her mouth. She was afraid of what she was going to be met with when she looked up to Primrose once again, and the white-hot anxiety continued to linger in her mind as she forcefully pushed her gaze in the dancer's direction. She could already tell that she had made a mistake, and she could only hope it didn't come back to bite her too much.
Primrose was watching Tressa with shock before she let out a sober yet bittersweet laugh. "I suppose so," she admitted. She looked down at the ground below, striking a small rock with her sandal. "It's a work in progress. I'm trying to get better, and I know that Therion is too. It might take a bit of time for him to come around, but everything worthwhile takes time. We just need to give him the support and space he needs for now. He'll realize what we mean to him soon enough. I'm sure of it."
"Do... Do you think Therion is going to leave?" Tressa asked uncertainly. Even though she knew that it was probably ridiculous, she found herself silently afraid of the possibility of Therion departing from their party because of what he had said that morning. Tressa had never expected to like being around him so much, but if Therion was gone... Their group would just feel incomplete. The eight of them had already been through a lot, and Tressa didn't want to be without any of them if it was at all possible.
Primrose looked over to Therion, and Tressa followed her gaze. Therion was staring down at the ground, watching as he put one foot in front of the other in a cautious yet melodic cycle. Primrose looked over to Tressa once again with a small smile on her face, though Tressa could still sense the tragedy behind her grin. "Not at all," Primrose replied. "He needs a bit of time to understand all of this... And he'll come to his own conclusions in time. It's all going to be fine. As long as we're willing to be there for him-which we are-then it's going to be fine. You have nothing to worry about."
Tressa nodded at that with a small smile. she still didn't feel great about the situation between Therion's stoicism and the fact that Primrose didn't even seem to trust the group in full, but at least it was something. Primrose was going to be staying with them, and if she thought that Therion would be sticking around too, then Tressa believed her. After all, part of friendship meant having faith in the other people, and as hard as it was, the best thing Tressa could do was place her confidence in Therion.
Before Tressa or Primrose could say anything else to continue the conversation, Cyrus let out a gasp. That was enough to pull everyone's attention in his direction, and Tressa followed his gaze to the Ember. It was gleaming proudly within the Lanthorn, and Tressa found herself smiling as the salty seaside air blew through the area.
"It seems the map led us to another shrine just as we were hoping it would," Ophilia smiled as she pulled the Lanthorn up to eye level. She hooked it back on her belt again a moment later, and Cyrus looked down to the map before starting to line the remaining steps that would take them to the upcoming shrine.
Tressa couldn't help but smile at the sight. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and allowed herself to just enjoy the atmosphere. Even if it seemed like there was a lot she didn't understand, she was able to be at peace for a few fleeting moments. She and the others were going to find another shrine, and after that, they would make for Goldshore and hopefully have a bit of fun there before going to Stonegard. Of course, there were no guarantees that would be the case, but Tressa was hoping with everything she had. After all, they had been through more than enough between Stillsnow and Noblecourt, and that wasn't even taking everything before that into account. They deserved a bit of a break.
The weather was so perfect that Tressa could hardly believe it, truth be told. It reminded her a lot of Rippletide, though the salty air of the sea was so much grander here. Tressa could practically smell adventure coming her way, and even without the shrine, Tressa felt as if she was going to find a perfect treasure soon enough. She had bought a few things in the past at the other towns they entered, but nothing quite felt right to her yet. There had to be something out there that would satisfy her curiosity. For all she knew, Goldshore would be the place for her to find everything that she had ever dreamed of finding as a merchant. She was already hoping it would help her avenues of friendship, so what would a little extra hope hurt? It would harm absolutely nothing as far as Tressa was concerned, so she was going to keep her spirits high and pray for the best.
It didn't take long for this amazing moment to give way to something even more incredible. A space had been carved from the sands not far from the water, and a few plants sprouted from the top of the hillside that Tressa already knew so well. The shrine was structured the same way as the past ones had been, and the sands seemed to part perfectly so that the entrance was visible. Ophilia held up the Lanthorn as the earth shifted, and that was all it took for the rock to slide apart like a pair of doors. This shrine was much easier to spot than the others had been, though Tressa supposed that could be explained by the fact that she knew what to look for this time. All of them had gotten used to looking for shrines by this point, at last to some degree, so it was only natural that they would find it with the help of the Ember and the map Barham had passed along.
Ophilia was the first one to walk into the shrine with Tressa and Primrose hot on her heels. Even if Ophilia hadn't shown any signs of being sick since they left Bolderfall behind, Tressa was still worried, and she could tell that Primrose was too. They stayed close to Ophilia as the others filed in behind them. The rocks at the entrance to the shrine slid shut, and from there, the inside of the space came to life.
Tressa was already reaching for her spear as the torches lining the inside of the shrine sparked to life. This time, the flames were a gentle pink color, and that immediately set it apart from the past shrines in Tressa's mind. She wasn't sure which of the gods was going to be waiting for them at the end of this path, but she could already tell that this was a fight she wasn't going to get.
Tressa was more than happy to let herself get distracted by the rest of the shrine, truth be told. She still felt oddly helpless in the face of Therion's issues, and even though everyone else was probably right in saying that they just needed to give him some space, that didn't change the fact that she wanted to do something a bit more active. The shrine would most certainly offer her the distraction she needed, and on top of that, it would check something else off their list of things to do. Maybe they would even be able to get their hands on more information as to the strange destiny that Aelfric and Alephan had alluded to in the past. That was an even more appealing thought than the distraction itself, and Tressa hadn't even thought that possible.
She was so eager to be able to do something that put her mind to uses aside from worrying that Tressa found herself at the front of the group thanks to her excitement. Ophilia was more than happy to let her pass by as they walked through the familiar path that led to the pedestal at the end. Tressa stood in front of the podium as the others filed in behind her, and something in her chest immediately began to leap.
The symbol that was carved into the stone this time around resembled a leaf. Legend had it that the currency of Orsterra had origins that went all the way back to the time of the gods, and Tressa could only assume that was the truth after catching a glimpse of the carving. Bifelgan was the god most commonly associated with fortune, and Tressa could only assume that they would be meeting with the goddess of the winds in the encounter to come.
Tressa reached out and touched at the carving a moment later, and soon afterwards, she was struck with the sudden sensation of light and being removed from her body that she had been met with in the previous two shrines. Tressa's vision was temporarily stolen from her, and when it returned, she was left in the plane of the gods caught somewhere between her mind and reality. Tressa glanced around for any signs of the one who had summoned them, and eventually, her gaze caught the outline of a woman standing not far from the group.
Her hair was a light brown color and fell across her back in gentle curls like the waves of the Coastlands. A shell clip kept her tresses out of her face, though a mask made of leaves and branches still covered her face regardless. She wore a green shirt that faded out to white at the edges, matching it with a pair of black trousers and lace-up boots. She was holding a spear of impressive steel with a coil of pink the same color as the flames lighting the area wrapped around the hilt. The edge of the spear was a stark green color to match the leaves that covered her face. The woman's skin was fair, and her smile only seemed to accentuate the splattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
"Bifelgan..." Tressa murmured, knowing who this was without any need for elaboration. She was left awestruck for a long moment, unable to snap herself out of her trance no matter how hard she tried. Then again, Tressa supposed that she wasn't putting that much effort into it. A mere month and a half ago, Tressa would have never imagined that she would be met with the goddess Bifelgan, instead assuming that her prayers for fortune would spiral up to the heavens where the goddess was waiting. So much had changed since then though, and she couldn't help staring as she waited for something more to happen.
Bifelgan tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, and Tressa could sense the playfulness behind her growing grin. "Thou hast come a long way," Bifelgan began, taking a step closer to the travelers.
"You already know what we've been doing before this point, right?" Ophilia asked, clipping the Lanthorn around her belt once again. She already knew the answer, but she still posed the question, seeming to sense that it was the best way to start off their conversation.
Bifelgan nodded as her grip on her spear grew a bit tighter. "Thou defeated Aelfric and Alephan before reaching me," she replied simply. "I believe that means thou knoweth what must come next."
Tressa nodded, finally pulling herself away from her trance. She was still somewhat nervous, truth be told, though she supposed anybody would be concerned about the idea of fighting a god. Even if they had already managed to win these battles twice, Tressa found her heart pounding in her chest. The gods that they had fought up to that point were important to Orsterra's history, yes, but Bifelgan was the one that all merchants prayed to when they hoped for the winds of fortune and change to blow in their favor. After all, Bifelgan's powers of fortune and the blessings found therein were known across all of Orsterra, and Tressa knew no merchant worth their salt would ever dare to forget it.
The other members of the group were quick to follow Tressa's example in preparing for the battle at hand. They all reached for their weapons, ready to lash out the second they were given reason to do so. Ophilia and Cyrus were clutching tightly to the weapons that they had been given by Aelfric and Alephan, and Tressa could tell that Bifelgan was watching them in particular to see what they would do with the divine weapons. After a few seconds of watching Ophilia and Cyrus, Bifelgan's gaze fell to Tressa, who was standing at the front of the party. Tressa couldn't see Bifelgan's eyes because of the mask the goddess was wearing, but she could still feel the critical nature of Bifelgan's gaze. She could tell that the goddess was watching her in particular, and Tressa could only hope it was for a good reason rather than a bad one.
She never had the chance to guess on the matter though, as Bifelgan came running toward her as soon as the other members of the party were ready for the battle at hand. Bifelgan slashed her spear through the air in a grand arc that Tressa almost wasn't able to counter, though she was able to throw up her own lance at the last possible second to keep Bifelgan from hitting her in the shoulder. The goddess pushed against Tressa's own spear with everything she had, seemingly desperate to push Tressa to the ground with her overwhelming force. Tressa gritted her teeth as she did her best to stay upright, knowing that if she allowed herself to give in, it would end poorly for all of them.
It was by some stroke of a miracle that Tressa was able to fend off Bifelgan, though she knew that it wasn't even entirely thanks to her. Instead, it was because Bifelgan had to jump out of the way to avoid twin dagger slashes from Primrose and Therion. Unfortunately, when she jumped backwards, she wound up right in the line of fire of one of H'aanit's arrows. Bifelgan was barely able to move out of the way, though her steps were uncertain and seemingly unstable. She hadn't expected the group to work together so perfectly, and she was already paying the price for it.
Bifelgan was only able to keep her composure for a short while before Olberic came charging into view, his sword gleaming in the pink light of the area. He slashed at her with all the force he could muster, and while Bifelgan was able to block his first attack, she wasn't ready for him to strike at her stomach with his foot. She stumbled away from him, throwing up one hand as her fingers began to glow with the promise of magic. Green wind slashed at Olberic's body freely from there, lashing out with everything Bifelgan had.
Olberic wasn't able to brave the tempest, forced backwards just long enough for Bifelgan to get a grip on herself once again. She pulled her energy together before lashing out with yet another strike, and this time, the wind aimed itself at everyone in the area. Tressa threw up her arms to try and defend herself, and Alfyn did much the same from close to her. Unfortunately for him though, that left Alfyn with a weak spot along the side of his torso, and Bifelgan was more than happy to take advantage of it by rushing forward and striking at him with her spear. Rather than hitting him with the tip of it though, she used the side of the weapon's hilt like a bat, slamming into Alfyn's side and sending him sprawling until his momentum finally gave out and he was left still on the ground.
"Good to know that fighting gods never gets any easier," Therion muttered under his breath. That was the first time Tressa had heard him talk since they left Noblecourt, though she could barely bring herself to be relieved given the circumstances. Instead, she pulled back toward Therion, preparing to strike with every ounce of magic she had. Bifelgan had the advantage of speed on her side, and as far as Tressa could tell, the goddess was fairly well-rounded when it came to her combat skills. Alephan and Aelfric had leaned towards magic in combat, but Bifelgan could do anything she pleased as long as she was able to use her speed along the way. She was avoidant too, and Tressa could already tell that was going to be a problem if they weren't careful.
Tressa watched as Bifelgan once again retreated and prepared to use her spear to strike at Ophilia. Olberic was there in the blink of an eye with his sword primed for a counterattack, though Tressa could tell that he was at a disadvantage thanks to the sheer reach of the massive spear. Bifelgan wasn't the tallest individual around, but the range of her lance more than made up for her lack of verticality, giving her more range with her physical attacks than Alephan or Aelfric could have ever dreamed of. Sure enough, it didn't take her long to push Olberic away, and both him and Ophilia were forced to retreat to make sure they weren't hit with a haphazard attack that would have no doubt sent them sprawling the same way Alfyn had flown through the area a few moments prior.
Cyrus was quick to follow up on the moment where Bifelgan wasn't completely rooted to the ground when she jumped away from Olberic or Ophilia. Bifelgan may have used her range as one of her core advantages, but Cyrus was more than capable of doing the same, and he used the Tome of Tundras to create a streak of ice magic across the ground that formed icicles through the arena. The ice wound up clinging to Bifelgan's feet just before she could hit the ground, leaving her in a precarious position where she had no way of finding her balance. Bifelgan was left scrambling to try and keep herself somewhat upright with her feet just barely off the ground, and she wound up turning her spear around and rooting it into the ground to make sure she didn't fall over.
Tressa was moving before she could even put a finger on what she was trying to do, shoving one arm through the air. Electricity crackled across the edges of her body before a blast of lightning flew towards Bifelgan. She was hit square in the chest, shattering the ice as she was pulled away from her unstable perch on Cyrus' icicles. She created a small amount of wind magic as she tumbled through the air, somehow managing to land on her feet, though she was lacking in balance and seemingly on the verge of tipping over precariously once again. She turned her spear around as she got a grip on herself once again, no longer needing the tip of the weapon to keep her from completely collapsing.
Tressa smiled to herself at the sight of Bifelgan's clumsy recovery. It was a small victory, but she was willing to take it. After all, this was just the beginning, and she wasn't going to yield now or ever no matter what her goddess did next.
What better way was there to describe the spirit of a merchant?
Fight scene! Yes!
Bifelgan is already shaping up to be a fun character to write in combat. One thing I really like doing with my fight sequences is giving characters specific advantages and incorporating that hardcore into their fighting styles. Alephan and Aelfric had advantages of magic that made them weak at close range, forcing them to fight from afar under most circumstances. Bifelgan, on the other hand, is a jack of all trades much like Tressa and uses her speed and avoidance to keep distance between herself and her foes thanks to her impressive range. I love writing things like this, and Bifelgan really is a blessing and a half with her unique fighting style. The fight sequences is only about halfway over and will carry over into the next chapter, and I'm looking forward to it.
On a less violent note, I love being able to throw in little character moments too. Tressa and Therion are starting to settle their differences despite them being staunchly opposed to one another initially from a moral standpoint, and I think it's a great note of character growth for them both. Primrose and Tressa's scene was tons of fun to write too since it really does accentuate just how hard it is for Primrose to trust people even if she's warming up to it faster than Therion. She still has a long way to go even if she's making progress, and we can't forget that even if we're out of her chapter two now.
Next time, we're going to pick up with the latter half of the Bifelgan battle and then get closer to the third chapter three of the story! Until then, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital