Bifelgan had barely managed to get a grip on her sense of balance by the time that Alfyn charged in her direction. She was still somewhat disoriented by the team attack Cyrus and Tressa had carried out, and that left her rooted to the spot for long enough for Alfyn to slam straight into her. He didn't have as large of a frame as Olberic or H'aanit, but it was more than enough to knock Bifelgan off balance. She slid backwards, digging the bottom of her spear into the ground to try and keep herself upright. It halfway worked, and she was able to stay on her feet even though she seemed so clearly tempted to completely crumble. Still, she was rather shaken up, and the best she could do when Alfyn struck at her with his axe a moment later was raise her spear to block the strike. Alfyn's weapon bounced off the shaft of the lance, and he took a few steps backwards with a frown.
Luckily for Alfyn, the assault on Bifelgan didn't end there. Therion and Primrose had coordinated a team attack of their own, sneaking up behind the goddess and striking at her with their daggers. Because she was so caught off guard, Bifelgan could do nothing but let her eyes go wide as she was forced backwards through the air. She flailed wildly for a moment before getting a grip on herself midair, manipulating the wind around her to cushion her fall. She rolled and landed in a crouched position with her spear pressed flat against the ground in front of her. Bifelgan's hair had been left to fly freely around her, unhindered by her sudden motions of abrupt uncertainty. She breathed heavily, but she wasn't given much of a chance to rest.
Therion pointed his dagger in Bifelgan's direction, and fire started up from the ground around her. Bifelgan rolled out of the way to the best of her ability, but she still wasn't fast enough to get away from the blast before it aimed itself straight at her chest and sent her sprawling. Primrose was quick to balance her out with an attack of dark magic that appeared behind Bifelgan. Before the merchant goddess was able to recover her sense of balance as she had proven herself more than capable of doing, her attempts were disrupted by the simultaneous attacks from two directions, pushing Bifelgan against the ground. She had been holding her spear tightly to make sure it didn't somehow escape her, but she was unable to keep a tight enough grasp of it when she hit the ground.
The lance slid forward across the rock below, and Tressa was more than happy to pick it up. She examined the weapon carefully, immediately feeling a surge of power rush through her body. She was simply assuming that it held extra strength, but Tressa firmly believed that it was the next of the godly weapons the group was set to collect. Something about the lance felt otherworldly and powerful, and she could already tell that this was a moment she wasn't going to forget any time soon.
Bifelgan hadn't given up quite yet, and she pushed herself off the ground with her wind magic, landing on her feet a moment later. She raised her fists in preparation to fight up close if she had to. Olberic went rushing at her, his sword primed for a strike. Bifelgan ducked low before she could get hit, but Olberic was quick to follow up on that. He allowed the momentum from his swing to carry him into a kick that took Bifelgan's legs out from beneath her. She let out a yelp of surprise as she was pushed to the ground once again. Olberic pointed his sword at her throat, but he wasn't kept there for long.
Even though her back was pressed against the stones, Bifelgan wasn't giving up. She sent out a quick blast of wind magic that pushed Olberic away from her. He raised his sword to block the strike, and while he was able to remain on his feet, he was far enough away from Bifelgan that she was able to roll to her feet and recover in full preparation for the next attack that came her direction. She was speedy and slippery, and she was making it more than clear to the group that she was going to be able to find herself out of any situation they put her in.
Tressa looked down at the spear that she had managed to claim from Bifelgan. They had to find a way to pin her down and put her in a position that would leave her unable to keep fighting. Granted, Tressa had no idea how she was supposed to accomplish this, and she frowned as her mind started to spin with ideas. Bifelgan was fast and knew how to take advantage of her momentum and wind magic. Even without her weapon, she was easily able to take to combat. How were they supposed to push back against that?
They would simply have to take away her ability to cast magic.
Tressa turned over her shoulder to where Ophilia and Cyrus were standing together. "Ophilia, hit her!" she cried out, not knowing where she was going with this. She knew that they had to find a way to get Bifelgan off balance if they were going to keep her from casting spells, and the best way to do that was to hit her with something that she wasn't going to be able to avoid. Ophilia's casting was pinpoint accurate, and Tressa knew that was something she was always going to be able to count on.
Because of how far away she was from Bifelgan, Ophilia was easily able to pick up on the fact that Tressa wanted her to use her magic to pin Bifelgan down. She raised the Illumination Staff, and light immediately sparked to life around her before slamming into the ground just in front of Bifelgan. Even if she wasn't directly hit, that was more than enough to send Bifelgan backwards, catching her in an awkward position that she wasn't able to worm her way out of.
Tressa slammed one foot against the ground as she pulled one arm up above her head while holding tightly to the spear with the other hand. Ice immediately began to grow up from the ground near Bifelgan's feet, grabbing at her wrists as she flailed for purchase against the sudden shift of her momentum and positioning. Bifelgan let out a strangled cry of surprise as her wrist was caught by Tressa's spell.
Cyrus realized what Tressa was trying to do and cast a spell of his own, infusing it with extra power from the Tome of Tundras to make sure that Bifelgan wouldn't be able to escape. He managed to get her other arm before pinning her ankles to the ground. It was an awkward position to be in, and no matter how much Bifelgan fought back against her confines, she couldn't seem to make an escape, instead being left pinned in place by the ice that Tressa and Cyrus had summoned.
Tressa felt like she had just found a million leaves on the ground and grinned as she pointed the spear at Bifelgan's throat. The merchant stopped struggling, and Tressa could feel the goddess' gaze on her despite the mask that obscured her eyes from view. "Checkmate," Tressa grinned.
Bifelgan looked up at her for a long moment before letting out a small laugh as Tressa pulled away. "Thou hast more power than I anticipated," she said simply, her good-natured demeanor returning immediately. Even when she was pinned down, she seemed to have full control of the situation and could do nothing but grin at the travelers that had managed to defeat her.
Bifelgan used her wind magic to cut at the ice keeping her in place, and she landed on her feet after a bit more adjusting. She smiled as she looked out at the travelers before her before her gaze fell on Tressa. "Thou hast done more than enough to earnen my power," she announced. Her attention shifted to the spear Tressa was holding. "The lance in your fingers is known as the Tempest Spear. I haven no doubt that thou will use its strength well."
"Thank you, Bifelgan," Tressa smiled as she glanced down at the weapon, still feeling power rush through her body. She hadn't ever expected to find herself with something as strong as this, and she could already tell that it was going to be helpful.
While Tressa was lost in thought because of the spear though, Cyrus stepped forward, a small frown on his face. "If it's alright, I have a question to ask you," he began. Bifelgan tilted her head to the side, a clear cue for him to continue. He did so a moment later. "We have heard from Aelfric and Alephan that something dark is on the horizon for all of Orsterra. We seem to be meant to do something to stop this evil force, but I'm afraid we don't know much about what is happening."
Bifelgan was quiet for a long moment before sighing. "The truths that are most important can be the most difficult to face," she told him simply. "Proceed with caution. I knowen little about what is taking place elsewhere on Orsterra, but... You must be careful."
Cyrus and Ophilia shared a glance before the latter nodded. "Alright," she murmured, though it was clear that there was still more that she wanted to ask Bifelgan. All of them had more they were desperate to know, but they remained silent for the time being regardless.
"Thou hast accomplished what was intended though," Bifelgan went on. "Our meeting here must draw to a close soon... I thanke thee for the rush of exhilaration that came with combat. Much time has passed since I was given that chance last... Until we meet once more."
Light exploded through the area once again, and Tressa was left with the jarring sensation of her body shifting location even though the Warp Staff was not being used. When she opened her eyes once again (though she wasn't entirely sure when she had closed them in the first place), Tressa found that she was back in the shrine once again, her hand braced against the carving of the leaf that sprouted from the stone pedestal. She let out a small sigh before turning to face the rest of the group.
On the way though, Tressa almost hit herself in the face with the lengthy shaft of the Tempest Spear. She let out a yelp and managed to pull her head back just in time to make sure she didn't accidentally bruise her cheek. Tressa sighed in relief, her posture slumping along the way. "I guess I should be a bit more careful of that from now on, huh?" she murmured with a shake of her head. She looked down and realized that her old lance was sitting on the ground at her feet, having been swapped out with the Tempest Spear likely when Bifelgan surrendered it to the travelers. Tressa crouched over and picked it up before tossing it in Olberic's direction. "You can keep this one for now. I doubt I'm going to need it for quite a while."
Olberic caught the spear and nodded before tucking it away with the rest of his supplies. Tressa, meanwhile, smiled to the other members of the group. "That went pretty well for us, wouldn't you say?" she questioned.
"Bifelgan didn't tell us what gift she was offering to us with the blessing of her power," Ophilia frowned. "I suppose everyone got a bit distracted by the battle... I feel stronger now, but I don't know how to describe it." She held up one hand, and wind magic immediately sparked to life between her fingers. Ophilia's eyes went wide, and she dropped her hand back to her side. "Well... I guess that explains part of it."
"Bifelgan is a goddess who looks over fortune," Tressa began. "All merchants pray to her when they want to be blessed with something positive during their sales periods. I think it's safe to say that whatever gift she offered us has something to do with that. You know, on top of helping all of us to get better with her element."
Olberic followed Ophilia's lead and tried to summon a small spell of wind. When it worked, he nodded. "Bifelgan has power over the element of wind," he concluded firmly. "The rest of us should be able to use that power from here on out without much issue."
"I think we should try and take advantage of the power Aelfric and Alephan have given us too," Alfyn suggested. "The powers of second chance, unparalleled focus, and good fortune... I don't know what any of that is supposed to mean, but I guess we're not going to find any answers unless we actually try to do a bit of research on our own, huh?"
"I'm hoping we won't need to use any of those skills while we're in Goldshore, but I suppose it's good to have at least something like that at our disposal," Primrose commented with a small shrug. "For now, we should get out of here. The sooner we can get to Goldshore, the better off we're going to be. That way, we'll be able to recover all of our energy and hopefully set off for Stonegard in the morning."
H'aanit nodded her agreement as she addressed Linde and Hägen where they were standing on either side of her. "I agree," she murmured. "Hägen's anxieties continue to runnen high." Hägen leaned against her body just as proof of what she was saying, and H'aanit let one hand come down to scratch at the back of his ears with a small smile as his tail flicked back and forth a few times.
"Let's go and see what we can do in Goldshore then!" Tressa exclaimed, punching her free arm into the air. "I've heard that this is a great city when it comes to sales and trade too. It's got a great marketplace, and that would be a lovely place for us to stock up on supplies."
"The weapons of the gods have certainly offered a power boost to Ophilia, Cyrus, and Tressa, but I believe the rest of us are more than overdue for weapon upgrades," Olberic frowned as he examined the weapons in his bag of supplies. "The farther we get from the center of the continent, the stronger our enemies get. We never know when a random encounter from one of our foes could wind up causing significant damage to us. It would be best if we decided to upgrade our equipment as long as we're somewhere that has good wares."
"We could have done that back in Noblecourt if we had been thinking ahead," Alfyn frowned. "I guess we all got a bit distracted by everything else that was happening at the time though, huh?"
Tressa shook her head. "Noblecourt didn't have much in the way of weapons for sale... I would have expected there to be a couple more good weapons, but I didn't see anything that struck me as being particularly strong while we were there," she frowned. "It doesn't matter now though. I agree that we should try to gather more supplies while we're in Goldshore. I wonder what sort of weapons we're going to find when we get there... Though I guess nothing is going to impress me as much as the Tempest Spear here."
"We'll figure it out," Therion said simply, turning on his heel to walk out of the shrine. He seemed a bit less tense than he had been when they were in Noblecourt and Bolderfall that morning, though Tressa supposed it was probably because of the battle. Being able to slink around in the shadows gave Therion the perfect chance to return to his element, and that was all he needed to start coming back around. It wasn't going to be that easy for him to start admitting what was going on inside his head to the rest of the group, but at least it was a step in the right direction, and Tressa was more than willing to accept it.
Tressa sighed to herself as she turned around as well, walking away from the shrine and back to the entrance of the shrine. She waited for the doors to slide open before she stepped outside, holding up one hand on pure instinct to block her face from a small pocket of sand that had been picked up on the breeze and was trying to launch itself at her face. Tressa looked out of the way just in time to make sure she didn't get hit, and she let out a small sigh of relief. She didn't think she was grateful enough for the fact that Rippletide's winds never got this strong so she wasn't smacked in the face with sand on the regular.
Cyrus, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered by the sand, and when Tressa looked over at him, she realized that it was because he was manipulating the wind with one hand. It was a subtle gesture, but it was more than enough to catch her attention, and she dashed to his side with a grin on her face. "Teach me how to do that," she instructed, unable to hold back her excitement. She was bound to get a strong grasp of it soon enough thanks to the boost of skill in wind magic that Bifelgan had offered them, and she was looking forward to it. That would probably prove helpful when they had to start traveling through the Sunlands again in the near future too. After all, Therion had to go to Wellspring, and that meant the rest of them were going to be dragged along for the ride too. She might as well develop her skills before it got too serious.
Cyrus nodded with a small chuckle and a smile of his own. It didn't take long for him to teach Tressa how to manipulate the wind around her subtly, doing just enough to make a barrier where she was untouched by the element. It was impressive how quickly Cyrus had been able to figure that out given that he hadn't known any wind magic before meeting Tressa and studying the way she carried herself in battle. Still, Tressa wasn't complaining; it meant she wasn't at risk of getting hit with sand, and she was more than happy to take advantage of that.
The group continued their travels to Goldshore from then, and luckily, it didn't take long before the outline of the city appeared on the horizon. Tressa watched as the town got close, and she could see the large buildings from the richer quarter of town that lined the sky around the cathedral where the third leg of the Kindling was set to be held. She grinned once the entrance had come into view, and she walked through the boundaries of the town, letting her manipulation of the elements fall away.
Goldshore was, all things considered, rather impressive. Tressa hadn't ever been to cities larger than Rippletide before leaving home with the other members of the group, and Goldshore was certainly one city she was never going to forget between its size and its splendor. Unlike Noblecourt, which was very overt about the fact that it was impressive in ways most people would never be able to comprehend in full, Goldshore's elegance was simple and casual, sliding into conversations without even meaning to seem grand. A small beach could be seen off to the side of the town's entrance, and the buildings that lined the front of the city were all homey and cozy in a way that made Tressa sure they were going to have a good time here. Plus, Primrose and Therion had no reason to be stressed, so they were already at an advantage compared to how things had been before.
Tressa took in a deep breath of the salty yet cool air rushing in from the nearby beach, and she let out a heavy sigh as she grinned brightly to the rest of the group. "I guess it's time for us to start looking around to see what we can find around here, huh?" she asked.
Olberic nodded. "It would be best if we split up to explore and see what we're able to find," he suggested. "We should start off by inquiring about lodgings for the night so that we can have a place to set all of our things. Carrying them around would hardly be resting the way we should be tonight."
"I'll do what I can to ask and see if there would be a way to reduce the price of the inn rooms," Cyrus told him. "I would like to do a bit more studying regarding the map as well as long as we're taking a break from our travels. I have no doubt it will help us as we move towards Stonegard within the next few days."
"Maybe we could split up in pairs," Tressa suggested to the group. "That way, we'd all be able to see if we can find something. Plus, we wouldn't have to wander around town alone."
"That's not going to work," Primrose sighed with a shake of her head. "It seems Therion's already gotten a bit excited about being in a city again. He's probably off trying to see what he can snag off people who aren't paying enough attention."
Tressa frowned and glanced around the area before realizing that Primrose was right; Therion was nowhere to be seen. She let out a hefty sigh and shook her head. "Never mind then," she murmured. She silently begged the universe to give her a chance to try and reach out to Therion, but she knew it probably wasn't going to be that easy. Therion was a difficult person to speak to under the best of circumstances, and it wasn't as if she was in the best position to press him as things currently stood. It was frustrating, but it wasn't all that surprising given just how closed off he had been when they first met.
"Then let's just look around and see what we can find for now," Alfyn said simply, recovering without missing a beat. "I'm sure there's tons of fun stuff that we can do while we're here. We might as well try to enjoy our time here before we have to leave for Stonegard tomorrow morning, right? Let's do what we can to make the most of it. I think we've earned that after all the action of the last few weeks."
"You've got a deal," Tressa nodded as she turned to look at the rest of the group. "Let's see what we can find around here. We might as well enjoy this place as long as we're here."
Nods of agreement rose up from the group, and Tressa took this as her chance to dash off and try to barter for a couple better weapons for the other members of the group. She knew that having a few spare weapons wouldn't hurt even for her, Cyrus, and Ophilia. They may have had the weapons of the gods on their sides, but Tressa liked to use more than a simple lance in combat, and her old bow was starting to show signs of excessive use. As long as she was there, she might as well try to make the most of it.
The other members of the group were quick to disperse from there, and Tressa found herself alone with Ophilia as she marched firmly to the back half of town. Ophilia's hand was firmly braced against the outside of the Lanthorn, and as far as Tressa could tell, Ophilia was curious about something at the back of the town. Chances were that Ophilia was trying to see what she could find out about the church of Goldshore since they were going to be heading there after she finished the first part of the Kindling in Saintsbridge. It wouldn't hurt to get a lay of the land as long as the group was going to be coming back eventually, right?
Tressa looked up to Ophilia with a small smile on her face and concern in her eyes. "Are you feeling better?" she asked. "You haven't seemed sick since we left Bolderfall, but it would be bad if you keeled over out of the blue again."
Ophilia nodded. "I'm feeling much better," she replied. "I don't know why, but it seemed like my bout of sickness was limited just to Bolderfall... I don't understand what could have happened. The woman we saw just... I don't know... It was like every part of my body was repulsed by her."
"I don't know why that could be, but I can say that something about her seemed off to me too," Tressa agreed. "Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but the way she was looking at Bolderfall... It was kind of creepy. I get the feeling that she was trying to find something, but it's not like we have a way of knowing what exactly she was looking for."
"Olberic was certainly quick to step in when he noticed something was wrong though," Ophilia commented. "I don't think I've seen him that fired up before or since then... Granted, it's only been a few hours, so I doubt something like that would repeat again in such a short period of time."
Tressa nodded. "You're probably right, but it's nice to know that he's looking out for all of us," she said. "In a way, the eight of us kind of act like a family. I mean, you kind of have to squint to see it, but... The way Olberic jumped in to defend you kind of reminds me of the way my dad is with me and my mom. He would do anything to make sure that we're alright, and I don't think I could ever thank him enough for it. He's a great guy."
"Olberic isn't exactly old enough to be anybody's father here," Ophilia pointed out with a small laugh. "But I do know what you're talking about. Primrose's concern for us is somewhat maternal as well... I know it's a strange thing to think about, but I can see it."
"Maybe that's what we are now," Tressa commented as she put her hands on her hips. "For all we know, wandering around the continent together has given us the perfect chance to think of one another as family. You might as well try to get to know people if you're supposed to be saving the world with them, after all."
Ophilia hummed at that, and Tressa could tell there was something else on her mind. Tressa's smile slipped away by a fraction. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Ophilia shook her head. "Nothing is wrong. I guess I'm just... I've been thinking a lot about what the gods we've run into have implied," she responded simply. "I never thought I would be involved with something that could potentially involve saving the world, but I feel like we still don't understand what's going on here. Aelfric said that something was wrong and that we were going to need each other if we wanted to come out on top. That's why we wound up going to Bolderfall and S'warkii instead of Saintsbridge; she needed all of us to be together."
"Alephan and Bifelgan didn't have much else to say about it though," Tressa remarked. "I mean, it would have been pretty helpful if they could share at least something with us, but they didn't have anything to tell us about it... How are we supposed to help people if we don't even know what we're supposed to be protecting them from in the first place? It doesn't make any sense."
"That's what I'm thinking," Ophilia sighed. "There has to be something out there that could tell us what's going on, but... We don't have any ideas about what it could possibly be."
"Unless it's that weird woman from Bolderfall," Tressa snorted. "I mean, she's the closest thing we've seen to suspicious. She certainly made you react negatively, and you've got the closest connection to the gods out of all of us because you're the Flamebearer. I feel like that's kind of a given."
Ophilia shook her head once again. "I don't think it's right to jump to conclusions like that... For now, we should just keep it in mind as a potential outcome for all of this. For all we know, we might never see that woman again. She certainly didn't seem like the type to stay in one place for any longer than she has to. After all, she left Bolderfall as soon as Olberic was done talking to her."
Tressa shrugged. "I guess we'll never know... Or at least we won't know for a while," she murmured. She wanted to believe that the woman was responsible even if it was only so she would have someone to point a finger at when it came to Ophilia's bout of sickness from the morning. The lack of explanations behind everything they had seen lately was starting to drive her up a wall.
But for the time being, the best thing she could do was focus on buying weapons for the rest of the group. She and Ophilia had arrived at the merchant district of Goldshore, and that meant it was time for them to start buying weapons. Tressa could already tell that she was going to enjoy this even if everything else was complicated and impossible to understand.
"Well," Tressa started as she cracked her knuckles and stretched her arms out in front of her, "let's get started."
Time to start the first chunk in Goldshore!
This is the last chapter before we start working on Alfyn's second chapter. It's going to kick off nice and strong next time with the beginning of the chapter. I was going to put it at the end of this chapter, but there wasn't enough time for it to actually sit comfortably, so I threw in that little scene with Tressa and Ophilia instead. Don't worry, Alfyn; you'll get your time in the spotlight soon enough.
As for the rest of the chapter, I still love writing Bifelgan in and out of combat. She's a bit more playful than the other gods. I'm trying to give the gods personality in this instead of just having them share the same dialogue across all shrines. Aelfric is most duty-bound of the three we've seen so far while Alephan is... Well, a lot like Cyrus. Bifelgan is something of a trickster and is on the younger side out of the bunch. She's fun, to say the least, and I enjoy working with her.
There's not all that much else to say about this chapter since it's mostly a transition point between the different locations. Next time around, we're going to kick things off in full swing with Goldshore by initiating Alfyn's chapter two. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital