The inside of this shrine looked, for the most part, identical to the one that had housed the spirit of Aelfric. The primary difference that Cyrus noticed as they began their investigation was the fact that the flames dancing along the wall were not the same white color they had been in Aelfric's shrine. Instead, they were a blue color, standing out stark and bright against the shaded backdrop of the shrine. The flames cast everything in a gentle sapphire glow, and Cyrus found himself examining the rest of his team with curiosity in his eyes at the sight of all of them bathed in blue.
Cyrus had come to study the gods quite a bit as part of his research into magic. Because of his profession, the subject of the arcane come up at every turn, and the gods were heavily linked with such concepts. The gods were associated with many different things in their own right, and Aelfric was notably said to have ties with the color white. That certainly explained the shade of the flames that had lit the walls in her shrine. Blue was another color linked to a different god, and if Cyrus' theories were correct, he already knew which one they were going to be meeting with.
The end of the path brought the group to yet another podium sitting on a balcony over an endless void. The same railings as the previous shrine lined the area to make sure nobody tipped over into the darkness below. A small amount of natural sunshine gleamed upon the podium, yet another similarity between the two shrines. As far as Cyrus could tell, the shrines had largely the same physical appearances with a few differences, the flame color being the most notable of those he had already come to list. Another difference was location, though he supposed that made sense. Gathering the power of twelve immensely powerful beings in one place was bound to cause issues if the wrong person got their hands on such strength.
The final difference that Cyrus could see though was the figure on the top of the podium. In Aelfric's shrine, there had been a set of crystals carved together and assembled with stone. In this situation, there was a rock carving of a book that sat open and simple on the pedestal. Cyrus nodded to himself at the sight; his initial assumptions as to which god this shrine belonged to had been correct.
Cyrus glanced over to the Ember and saw that it was continuing to flicker brightly with the promise of something new. It was duller than it had been the last time though, likely because the Ember was most closely connected with Aelfric. This shrine appeared to be partnered with Alephan, the scholar god known for his mastery of the magical elements. He was strong with every power of the arcane, a terror on the battlefield with unparalleled magical prowess. Cyrus didn't pray to the gods of Orsterra often, but Alephan had come to be known as the benefactor god of Atlasdam. If he was going to ask for anything of the gods, he always chose to make Alephan the target of his discussions.
"Well... We all know what happens next, right?" Alfyn questioned as he glanced to the rest of the group. He was reaching for his axe even though he knew that the battle that was bound to follow was only going to be taking place inside their minds. There was no need for physical weapons under such circumstances, but he was prepared as could be despite this.
Cyrus nodded his agreement with Alfyn's inquiry, and he made sure that the others were as prepared as possible. He wondered distantly what power Alephan was going to be able to offer them, and with that, he found himself reaching out for the pedestal. His fingers graced the stone a moment later, and he was caught by surprise at just how gentle and perfect the rock felt. In fact, it didn't even feel real to Cyrus at a first touch. Then again, if any creature was going to be able to summon such power to deceive those who lived in reality, it was bound to be a god.
Light flooded the area, and Cyrus' eyes shut against his will. When he next seemed to come to his senses, he knew he was in the same mental plane that Aelfric had brought them to in preparation for their previous encounter. This space looked much the same as it had when Aelfric was the opposing figure with the only notable difference being the color of the flames that lit the battlefield. The fires were sparking to life upon recognizing the oncoming promise of a challenge, ready to rage and move at the commands of their master.
Alephan came into view soon afterward, his shoes dully clicking against the ground below. His hair was a gray color and tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck, gentle curls reaching down to his elbows in wispy flyaways that found themselves in every direction imaginable. Despite the color of his hair, Alephan appeared rather youthful, perhaps at about Cyrus' age or a bit older. His smile was gentle and charming, though it wasn't quite as serene as Aelfric's perfect grin had been. A mask covered his face in colors of blue, red, yellow, and gray. He wore a simple outfit of gray lined with ornate designs of blue, red, and yellow. It seemed as if gemstones were stitched into his shirt and trousers. His boots were black and didn't seem to have even a speck of dirt on them despite all the wear they had likely seen in the past. A cape of silver hung from his shoulders, falling to rest on his back gently. It was silver and gold on the outside but black on the inside, creating the appearance of a void just as expansive and vast as what rested on the other side of the railings within the shrine.
Alephan smiled gently in the direction of the travelers, and he reached to his hip. A holster containing a tome could be found there, and he pulled the book free before flicking it open. Immediately, the air in the shrine seemed to grow tense, preparing itself to move at Alephan's every whim. A moment later, his voice began to echo throughout the area. "Thou hast done a fine job to make it this far. I am impressed with thy grit and determination."
Ophilia nodded, her grip on the handle of the Lanthorn growing tighter. Her anxiety was palpable, but after her visit with Aelfric, she was more confident than ever before behind her web of complex nerves. She reached into her bag and pulled free the Staff of Illumination before looking up to Alephan. She didn't say anything, but her message was still communicated clear as could be.
Alephan's smile only softened at the sight of Aelfric's weapon. "Thou hast defeated Aelfric already... Thou hast earned the power of a god. I suggesten that thou use it for the purposes of light and wisdom, though I suspect thou already understandeth what that refereth to," he said simply.
Ophilia nodded, and her resolve only seemed to confirm itself despite the anxiety that was continuing to mount inside of her. "Aelfric has told us that we are destined to save this land from the clutches of a dark force, and... We wish to seek your assistance in growing strong enough to rescue Orsterra," she declared. Cyrus could see the way her fingers trembled as she continued to hold tightly to the Lanthorn and the Illumination Staff, almost like Ophilia couldn't convince herself to move to put the former away in preparation for the coming encounter.
Alephan simply nodded, and from there, he sunk into a battle stance. The pages of his tome seemed to come to life, and he knew what was coming just as well as everyone else. "I see no reason for further preamble then. Letten us see what thou is capable of!"
Alephan was quick to flick one wrist forward a moment later, creating a barrage of ice that spread across the ground with jagged segments coming forth from its center. Cyrus jumped out of the way at the last moment, though he was left breathless from his rough landing. He hadn't expected Alephan to lash out so suddenly and fiercely, though this ultimately wound up being a perfect sign for Alephan to follow up on his initial attack. The sage prepared yet another attack before lashing out with a pair of fireballs that were headed straight for the dazed Cyrus.
Just before the scholar could throw up his arms to defend from the oncoming attack, a shield appeared in front of him with a gentle yet ethereal clicking sound. Cyrus looked up to see that a barrier had formed while he was distracted, and he smiled to himself at the sight. Ophilia had summoned the shield while Cyrus was distracted, and it was too late for Alephan to pull his attack back. He seemed to recognize exactly what it was, but he wasn't able to avoid the attacks that were sent flying back in his direction a moment later.
Cyrus smiled to himself. Ophilia had summoned a barrier of magic the same way they had all learned to from Aelfric, and the shield was going to deflect the attacks Alephan had sent out and send them right back at him. Sure enough, the flames hit the shield, and while the barrier was disintegrated, it flashed one last time before sending to pair of fireballs flying backward in the direction of their foe. Alephan wasn't able to get out of the way in time, hit in the side by one attack before the other orb of fire slammed into his chest.
Alephan slid backward a short distance across the ground, but he wasn't given the chance to fully get himself under composure. Olberic was the next member of their group to lash out, getting in close before he raised his sword. He struck from downward, slicing up with his blade fiercely. Alephan used his powerful tome (which Cyrus suspected was yet another weapon of the gods) to block the attack, but Olberic would not be deterred. He continued to slash at Alephan, and while the scholar was able to continue blocking, he wasn't prepared for Olberic to suddenly jump backward and duck.
H'aanit jumped into the air a moment later, an arrow nocked on her bow. She sent it spiraling through the air when the bowstring was released, and the arrow hurtled straight for Alephan's shoulder. The sage's eyes went wide, and while he did attempt to get out of the way, the arrow wound up finding a home inside his upper arm instead. Alephan stared at the injury in shock, but he didn't take any steps to remove the arrow. Instead, he simply flicked his other hand after swapping the hand that was holding onto the tome, and a pair of lightning bolts were sent flying through the air toward the party.
Cyrus ducked out of the way of the first attack, sent over in direction of Tressa and Alfyn in his desperation to get away. Olberic was the target of the second attack, and he slid backward to stay out of the way of the strike. Primrose, who stepped forward to take the position that Olberic had just been occupying, pulled her dagger free of its home before flicking her other wrist, creating a small sphere of darkness just behind Alephan.
The shadows stirred and spread outward before knocking the sage forward. Alephan stumbled, leaving him right in the line of fire for Primrose's next attack, a quick stab with her dagger. Alephan dodged the strike before shutting his tome and sending it sideways through the air as he held tightly to the spine. He slammed into Primrose's shoulder with the tome, and she was left stumbling off to the right. Alephan followed it up with a strike from below Primrose's chin, and she was forced backward a moment later, her free hand still crackling with the promise of another shadowy attack.
Alfyn and Tressa didn't even need to look at one another to know what they had to do next. They launched themselves in the direction of the sage, Tressa's spear flashing as Alfyn prepared an attack of ice magic. Tressa was able to make contact with Alephan's leg, but Alfyn's ice blast ultimately didn't do much damage. Alfyn was the next one to be knocked backward by the god, a blast of ice hitting his chest and forcing him backward across the battlefield. He was only given the chance to stop sliding around wildly when H'aanit threw an arm out to catch him, her large frame not at all bothered by the sheer force behind Alephan's previous attack. Alfyn gave her a glance of gratitude before he focused on composing himself once again for the next wave of attacks.
Tressa, on the other hand, was still near Alephan. The shadows behind the sage began to distort themselves ever so slightly, but Cyrus convinced himself it was a trick of the odd lighting of the battlefield as he watched Tressa send out an attack of wind magic before nocking an arrow on her bow. She released the strike a moment later, but Alephan was ready for it. He sent out a single blast of fire, and the flames consumed the arrow before hitting Tressa in the chest. The flames died out a moment later, but not before Tressa was sent rolling backward, head over heels before she came to a miraculous stop in a crouch on the ground, heaving with desperate breaths as she stared up at Alephan in shock and awe.
Ophilia raised the Illumination Staff, and Cyrus felt the energy in the area start to condense itself into something magnificent. The magic buzzing in the air came together to form a powerful blast of light that slammed straight into the ground just in front of Alephan. The sage threw up his tome to block the strike, but he was still sent backward by a few feet. This offered the perfect chance for H'aanit and Olberic to use their axe and spear respectively to lash out at Alephan, once again forcing the sage backward. He was losing ground quickly, and all of them could sense it.
But when H'aanit and Olberic were finally forced to retreat by Alephan preparing another attack, the onslaught was not yet over. The shadows from behind the sage finally showed their true form, and Therion appeared with his dagger primed for an attack. He struck twice at the sage's back before he disappeared back into the recesses of darkness a moment later, gone just as quickly as he had appeared. That was all it took for Alephan's expression to change though, a special brand of paranoia and fear appearing on his features. His energy appeared to be drained already, but Cyrus was unable to say for sure how Therion had been able to do such a thing with a single sneak attack.
Either way, it left Alephan's defenses more than wide open, and Primrose surged forward alongside Alfyn, both of their weapons primed at the ready. Primrose slashed with her dagger across Alephan's already injured arm while Alfyn used the hilt of his axe to sweep the sage's feet out from beneath him. Alephan was sent crashing to the ground soon afterward, everything about his body shaky and unstable as he fumbled desperately for purchase in this losing battle.
Olberic reached for his sword and rushed forward a moment later, managing to get in a quick slash before Alephan was able to lash out with a blast of icy magic. Olberic was sent flying backward, but unfortunately, Alephan was left with consequences from the action. H'aanit flicked her wrist and released a blast of lightning magic that slammed straight into Alephan's chest. While the sage was hardly the weakest when it came to taking damage from magical attacks, he was still forced backward by the blast.
Ophilia and Tressa converged on Alephan from there, Ophilia extending the Illumination Staff as Tressa held her spear out in front of her. Tressa stabbed with her spear first before Ophilia managed to get in a hit with the edge of the staff lined in gemstones meant to augment magical power. As it turned out, the jewels were more than potent when it came to dealing damage physically as well, and that was all it took for Alephan to be forced backwards into a stumble before his head slammed into the wall at the edge of the battlefield.
Cyrus took a step forward and gestured for Ophilia and Tressa to get out of the way. They were all too happy to follow his directions, and they found themselves off to the right of where Alephan was located. A moment later, Therion appeared once again, sheathing his dagger as he slunk out of the shadows like a phantom snake. Tressa jumped at the sight of him, only barely managing to restrain herself from lashing out with her spear. She was left breathing heavily from shock, but Therion didn't even acknowledge her close brush with fear, too focused on the events taking place a small distance away.
Cyrus unleashed a powerful blast of ice magic, and the attack forced Alephan into a rigid position where he was left unable to move. His tome fell from between his fingers, hitting the ground and falling shut a moment later. The magic in the air seemed to draw to a halt as the buzzing sensation gave way to nothingness, a sign that Alephan had properly surrendered. Cyrus simply offered him a light smile. "I believe that would be checkmate," the scholar told him casually.
Alephan didn't move openly at first, but it was clear that he was in agreement. He closed his eyes, and a moment later, the battlefield returned to its previous state. Alephan rose to his full height as soon as the ice was gone, and he crouched down before picking up his tome. He approached the travelers as they dropped their weapons, each of them recognizing that Alephan wasn't going to be attacking them once again. The god was going to honor his word, and that meant that they had won their second battle against the forces of the heavens.
"Thou possesseth much power," Alephan began simply, his voice echoing throughout the cave in a way that made Cyrus feel as if his chest and heart were vibrating. "Before thou continueth on the journey, I have a gift for thou."
Alephan approached Cyrus, his tome grasped firmly between his fingers. He pressed the book into Cyrus' grasp, and the scholar accepted it with wide eyes. Immediately, Cyrus felt the power of the volume flood through his body, every nerve standing to attention at the realization that Alephan intended for this to be a gift akin to what Aelfric had provided to Ophilia.
It took Cyrus a long moment to shake himself out of his own shock, and he glanced up to Alephan with dim worry reflected in his eyes. "Are you sure you wish to give this to me?" he questioned even though he knew the answer just as well as everyone else. Alephan was a smart man, and he had already calculated exactly what he desired long before this battle began. As soon as the door to the shrine opened, Alephan had crafted his plan. This was simply him putting it into motion.
Alephan nodded. "But that is not the only gifte I wish to providen thou with." He snapped his fingers, and the air around his hand began to buzz and vibrate with unseen power. The magic in the space began to manifest once more, and soon afterward, it consolidated itself next to Alephan's hand. He grasped at the item that was forming before him, and Cyrus stared at the object with wide eyes.
It was a staff similar to the one Ophilia had received from Aelfric, but it was a deep obsidian color with a pair of twisting decorations weaving around both the handle and the gemstones at the top. The staff didn't seem to possess the same raw magic that Cyrus had sensed from Aelfric's weapon, but it still held some degree of strength that the scholar could sense despite the distance between himself and Alephan.
Alephan handed it to Cyrus a moment later, and the scholar pushed his other staff into his bag as he accepted the gift. "This is the Warp Staff. It possesseth the power to transport thou to any location across Orsterra so long as thou hath visited it previously. Thou will finden its strength sufficient to cross the continent in a matter of hours."
Cyrus could do nothing but stare at the staff in shock for a long time, not sure about what he was meant to say on the matter. How could he ever even dream of thanking Alephan for such a generous present? He shifted his attention over to the tome in his hand a moment later, seeing that it was a light blue color much like the flames that lined the shrine. It had decorations of dark blue on it, the colors blending together to create something perfectly precious that Cyrus didn't think he would ever be able to describe. The outside edge of the cover was a deep black hue much like the obsidian metal that composed the Warp Staff.
"I have full faithe that thou will utilize the Warp Staff and Tome of Tundras to their full potential," Alephan continued into the silence. "I presenten thee with the gift of focus... The powere to concentrate all energy onto a single target. Thou full mighte is stronger than thou realizeth."
Cyrus looked up to Alephan as the god spoke, and he nodded gently even though he was still at a loss for words. He assumed that by the time he and the others departed from the realm existing in their minds, they would be more than capable of using the power that Alephan had shown himself capable of during the battle. On top of that, they would be able to use this strength of focus that he spoke of, something Cyrus assumed was similar to the power of the second chance that Aelfric had mentioned while they were visiting her shrine. Cyrus didn't have the slightest idea as to what either one of the gifts were meant to mean, but he had a feeling they were going to be presented with the truth of their definitions soon enough.
The world began to grow hazy from there, and Cyrus pressed his eyes closed as a final statement from Alephan echoed in the air. "Until we meete again." Light spread throughout the space, and everything seemed to shift as reality adjusted to fit the new changes of the area.
When the light subsided, Cyrus found that his hand was still pressed against the stone carving of the tome. He pulled his hand back slowly, measuring every action as carefully as possible as he tried to ground himself in reality once again. He swallowed dryly and looked around at the other members of the group only to realize that they were looking at Cyrus' bag instead.
Cyrus glanced over to his satchel and realized that a pair of items was now sticking out of the largest compartment. He pulled the Tome of Tundras and Warp Staff free, and as soon as he touched them both, he felt their power flood through his body once again. The Tome of Tundras specifically held so much raw power in terms of ice magic that it made him gasp in surprise. It was quite a bit like the Illumination Staff, but this time around, it felt like it was truly made for him in a way he struggled to describe. The staff Aelfric gave Ophilia was powerful, yes, but the Tome of Tundras felt so right in Cyrus' hands that he was left awestruck at the mere sight of it. He hadn't ever heard of a tome being used in combat before since staves were the primary weapon used to augment magical skill, but he knew he was going to figure it out soon enough. He was already excited at the idea of determining how he was going to use it in combat, truth be told.
"I suppose we've managed to get our next blessing from the gods," Primrose commented, breaking through the silence as she raised one hand. Ice began to consolidate in the space above her palm, and a single icicle spun for a moment before she dissipated the spell. Her hand fell back down to her side soon afterward.
"I think this is going to make our next attack that much easier," Alfyn agreed with a grin spreading across his features. "I'm looking forward to seeing what we can find in Noblecourt now even if it's just for the sake of trying all this out. I've used ice magic before, but... It feels so much stronger now."
"Over the time I have been researching magic, I have come to suspect the gods are linked with specific elements," Cyrus announced. "I believe that each of the gods possesses a power linked with one element specifically. However, if this is true, it means that there are other types of magic yet lurking that we have not yet found mastery over. I believe we are bound to cross paths with such a truth the deeper we go into our shared journey though."
"We can figure out more as we go to the other shrines, but for now, I know I'm all hyped up and ready to try this out!" Tressa exclaimed, her hands clapping together in her moment of pure excitement. "I don't think I've been this ready to get into a battle... Well... Ever!"
"We're going to have to get to Noblecourt before we start thinking of doing anything like that," Therion reminded her. "Speaking of Noblecourt, we should get going there. I think we're going to be able to get there within the hour, and after that, we have a lot of research to do."
Cyrus nodded as he put the Warp Staff away. "I'm inclined to agree," he confirmed. He glanced down at the tome in his hands before sliding it into his bag as well. "If Noblecourt truly does have information for us, we will no doubt have to search for it. The powers of the gods will be crucial to us completing our journey and carrying out the mission Aelfric informed Ophilia about, and we must acquire as much of that strength as possible for the sake of bringing such a task to a conclusion."
"And that's on top of stealing an artifact from ancient times with boundless magical power," Primrose finished with a shake of her head. Her eyes grew shaded at the idea of going to Noblecourt, but she corrected her expression a moment later. "Either way, we should get going. Noblecourt can't be far, and we're going to want to get settled in as soon as possible so that we can start our research."
"I want some time to explore town before we crash for the night too," Alfyn announced. "I've heard that if you know where to look, you might be able to find a way to get discounts at stores and the inn. That's bound to be helpful if Noblecourt is really as expensive as you're all making it sound."
"Trust me, it is," Therion assured him with a heavy sigh. "Let's get to it then." He turned on his heel, his body still somewhat tense as he made for the entrance. His hands were shoved into his pockets, his fool's bangle kept just out of view to make sure it didn't jingle noisily and interrupt the silence of the shrine. The other members of the group watched him go for a moment before sharing a look and tracing his path to the entrance of the shrine.
Cyrus looked down to the two items he had just acquired, and he found himself smiling. He was going to have to test out the Warp Staff soon to see if it truly did work as well as he was hoping. Alephan's description made it sound truly incredible, and Cyrus wasn't going to waste such potential by allowing it to sit around idly and gather dust. Their travels were already seeming as if they were going to take the group all across the continent, so it was bound to come in handy sooner or later.
The group stepped out into the sunshine once again soon afterward, the door to the shrine opening and closing for them without a beat of hesitation. The entrance hid itself in the hillside again soon afterward, and with that, Tressa reached into her bag to pull out their map before unfurling it and starting them off on the next leg of their journey. Alfyn stood over her shoulder and examined the map as well, no doubt trying to get a hold of the lay of the land before they arrived in Noblecourt.
Cyrus smiled to himself as he watched the other members of the party from afar. He didn't know exactly what they were going to be finding when they arrived in Noblecourt, but he was more confident than ever that they would be able to handle it. The Warp Staff and Tome of Tundras would only simplify their journey further, and hopefully, that would offer them a bit of the extra help they needed to carry out their mission.
The pieces were starting to fall into place once again, and Cyrus had to admit that he was more than happy with the picture that was beginning to form before him.
This update sure is coming out early, huh?
I wound up typing this in between two classes since one of them ended early, so... Here we are! It's time for another god fight! Alephan's was a lot of fun to work with, and I liked how the solution to defeating him wound up being an attack from Therion. I'm going to mention it later in this segment while the party is in Noblecourt, but he used SP Thief to weaken Alephan enough for the group to get the victory while Alephan's magical power was depleted. Fun times!
As for the Warp Staff, as you can see, we've got our solution to fast travel! I think I've mentioned in the comments a few times that I'm going to be handling this in a special way, and here it is! Primrose's chapter three isn't going to be happening while the group is in Noblecourt this time, but they'll be able to return there later on thanks to the Warp Staff. Essentially, they're able to visit any town Cyrus has been to, which would be every city so far aside from Flamesgrace. Useful, huh?
I don't have much else to say on this chapter truth be told, so I'm going to leave you here and probably go off to my next class now. Whoops. Next time, we'll finally arrive in Noblecourt properly! Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital