It didn't take anywhere near as long as Primrose would have expected for the group to make it through the desert sands in the direction of the potential shrine location. Well, potential was a poor word to describe the situation. After all, the Ember was glowing brighter than ever at the center of the sandstorm, and Primrose could see a notable dune rise above the rest in a pattern that matched the past shrines all too well. In other words, they had found something, and they wouldn't be leaving the Sunlands until after they had received the power of yet another god.
Cyrus approached the sand dune carefully. He had been using wind magic to guide the sand around the group so they wouldn't be pelted so extensively, and it was certainly coming in handy. Ophilia followed his lead with the Ember still raised, and the doors to the shrine immediately began to slide apart. Primrose hadn't even realized they were there because of the thick layer of sand that had fallen over the entrance to the shrine, and she took a small step back so her shoes weren't left filled with the tiny dust. The others followed suit, and they all watched as the shrine slowly but surely revealed itself to them.
Cyrus allowed his casting to wind down as he stepped into the cave, the others hot on his heels. Primrose's shoes were filled with sand regardless of her attempts to make sure that didn't happen, and she sighed after they were inside the shrine once more. She was quick to pull off her shoes to pour out the lingering pieces of sand, shaking her head along the way. "I should have known that we wouldn't be getting out of the Sunlands without a few problems," she muttered. "Though I suppose there's nothing we can do about it now."
"We've got another god to fight, so it's probably for the best if we make sure that we don't have any sand in our shoes. I don't know how sand is going to translate into the battlefield for the upcoming fight, but I don't want to take any chances," Tressa said as she did much the same thing as Primrose. Tressa winced as she dusted off the bottom of her shoes with one hand. "I'm used to sand from back home, but this is just ridiculous. I don't know how anybody can live in a place like this. At least Sunshade was able to survive with relatively few sandstorms."
"You're not looking forward to coming back to Wellspring then, I take it?" Therion asked with a loose snort. Primrose could tell that he was responding that way because he wasn't excited about it either. If the weather was going to fight them so furiously, then uncovering the black market auction was going to be even harder than it had any right to be, and Primrose doubted it would be a walk in the park to begin with.
"Not at all," Tressa confirmed with a heavy sigh as she slid her shoes back on. She paused to look around the shrine a moment later, trying to find out what other details she should be keeping in mind. She frowned before sighing, her eyes falling to the black flames that danced dangerously in the torches on the wall. "I don't think we're going to be able to see all that well here."
Primrose nodded her agreement as she turned her attention to the path ahead. The black fire was illuminating the area, albeit only barely, and that was certainly going to make this fight much harder. She thought about it briefly and realized that it had to be some kind of dark magic. The gods could manipulate the elements as they so pleased, but something about this felt different, almost familiar to her. Whoever was waiting at the end of this path knew what they were doing when it came to the power of shadows.
At least Primrose would have one thing in common with whoever they fought against next.
The path ahead was much the same as it had been with the previous shrines. As soon as the doors slid shut, Primrose started walking forward, surprised at just how easy it was for her to press onwards despite the minimal lighting. Then again, she supposed that was just par for the course. This was going to be their fifth time fighting against a god, and she could only hope that she knew what she was doing by this point. If not, then she worried for what the group would be getting up to next.
When the group arrived at the end of the pathway, a few streams of light could be seen shining through the ceiling. The places where the light hit the ground spawned small piles of sand, and Primrose could only guess that it was some kind of magic keeping the area lit from above while also keeping out much of the sand that obscured the shrine from prying eyes. She shook it off though, instead choosing to concentrate her attention on the carving that rested on the altar before her.
The stone created a fan pattern, and Primrose found herself touching it carefully. She once again processed that something about the magic bubbling beneath the surface feeling familiar before light started to rush into her vision. Primrose clamped her eyes shut, knowing what was coming as the world shifted from beneath her feet. She knew that when she next focused on the world around her, the shrine would be gone, replaced instead with the battlefield created by the god of the hour.
Sure enough, that was the case when Primrose opened her eyes once more. She glanced around with a small frown, curiosity quickly getting the better of her. She had been expecting to see her foe for the time being soon after the fact, but instead, she was met with nothing, familiar or otherwise. Ophilia's Ember seemed to glow even brighter than ever before, ready to respond the instant the truth revealed itself.
Primrose saw the shadows stirring at the far edge of the cave soon afterwards, and she realized that the god was using the darkness to mask themselves. Primrose took a small step forward, but she was cut off when the god finally made themselves known by stepping free of the twisting blackness that lined the battlefield.
The goddess' hair was brown and fell down to her hips in gentle curls like the rise and fall of desert sand dunes. Her eyes were hidden by an ornate mask of purple, red, and gold, effortlessly keeping her secrets locked away from the rest of the world. Her top was made of short velvet red fabric and was lined with gentle golden swirls. Her skirt had a slit running down either side, and it connected at her hips with a pattern of golden decorations. Primrose could see shorts beneath her skirt, though they were black and difficult to see given the circumstances. Her skirt was red near her hips and faded out to purple near her feet.
Golden anklets lined her legs, and bracelets did much the same for her arms. A golden strip of transparent fabric connected her two wrists in a grand display of elegance. Various gemstones seemed to be braided into the fabric, and upon closer inspection, Primrose realized that the same applied to the woman's hair. The woman's skin was tanned to match the complexion of most people who lived in the desert. Everything about her was so overwhelmingly perfect that she didn't even seem real, almost as if she had stepped forth from a painting with all the grace in the world to make her home within the shrine that thrived in the shadows of the desert.
"Welcome, travelers," the goddess proclaimed. When she moved, the jewelry across her body gave light jingling sounds that sounded like the whisper of Orsterra's smallest bells. She was the perfect picture of elegance, and she knew it better than anyone. "I am Sealticge... Thou must be the children who seeketh mine strength."
"That would be correct," Ophilia confirmed with a small nod. She tucked the Ember away before reaching for the Illumination Staff where it rested with her other supplies. "I believe we all know what we have to do next... You want to test our skills in battle, yes?"
Sealticge smiled before nodding. "Thou art perceptive fighters... I am glad to see it. Now... If thou art ready..." She reached to her hip, and when her hand pulled away, she was holding a small fan. Primrose hadn't even realized it was there because of the ornate decorations that kept the weapon so well hidden. "The time has come for us to begin."
Sealticge waited for everyone to raise their weapons, and as soon as they were ready, she rushed forward, charging her fan with dark magic. The shadows throughout the shrine shifted at her whims, and she quickly smacked Cyrus in the side with the fan. Her magic had charged up the attack and given it much more strength than it would have had otherwise, and that was more than enough to make Cyrus yelp in shock and stumble backwards. He summoned a quick column of ice to fall back on so that he could steady himself, but the ice did not remain intact for long. Sealticge danced around him a beat later before smacking the ice with her fan, and the small shards of jagged sharpness flew outwards in all direction, forcing Cyrus to throw up the Tome of Tundras to block his face.
Sealticge was more than able to kick his legs out from beneath him a moment later, sending Cyrus sprawling to the ground. From there, all it took was a single blast of dark magic for Cyrus to slide backwards before coming to a stop near the edge of the cave, a groan on his lips and dizziness written plain as could be across his features. He raised one hand to rub at his head, and Primrose could already tell that he wouldn't be able to enter the fray once more until after he had been healed.
Alfyn began dashing towards Cyrus at that, but Sealticge wasn't going to let him arrive at his destination without a fight. She sent out another blast of dark magic to hit him in the side, and Alfyn slid through the cave before throwing a few ingredients together into a small concoction. He threw the finished product directly at Sealticge, and while the resulting blasts of magic were hardly powerful, it was still more than enough to distract her for long enough for Alfyn to reach Cyrus' side. Immedaitely afterwards, Alfyn propped the scholar up and began to patch up his head wound, trusting the others to handle the next stage of the battle.
Sealticge had taken this opportunity to spin in a circle, magic starting to spread across her body. At first, Primrose wasn't sure what she was doing, but it became clear soon afterwards. The black flames scattered throughout the arena began to roar with intensity, and that told Primrose all she needed to know. Sealticge had used her powers to boost her magical strength for a short while. She wasn't the strongest physically, instead primarily relying on her speed to get the job done, but her magical prowess was certainly something to be feared. The stronger her magic was, the more difficult it would be to defeat her.
Olberic dashed behind Sealticge, the Sword of Stone at the read. He lashed out in a wide arc to try and catch her off guard, but Sealticge was too fast for that, ducking around the blade in any way she could. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't enough to completely escape Olberic's wrath. He stomped one foot against the ground, and she was struck in the ankle by a quick column of earth that sprouted up from nowhere. The display wasn't much given how inexperienced they all still were when it came to fighting with earth magic, but it was enough to make Sealticge stumble out of the way.
Therion followed up on the weakness this opportunity had presented, stabbing at her with his dagger shining brightly. Sealticge was barely able to get out of the way in time, though that didn't last for long. Tressa sent a quick shot of air magic in her direction, and Sealticge was forced into Therion's direction by the strike. The thief was waiting for her, and he stabbed in her arm's direction with his knife. The resulting injury was hardly a large one, but it was still enough to show that the goddess was certainly rattled.
Sealticge flashed her fan before smacking it against Therion's wrist. He wasn't expecting the strike, so he instinctively let go of his knife. The dagger fell to Sealticge's feet, and she kicked it away with as much force as she could muster. Therion snarled in her direction, able to tell easily that she was going to follow up on the attack with everything she had as soon as the opportunity arose. Sure enough, she hit him in the side with her fan before charging up yet another dark magic attack and sending it flying.
Therion attempted to jump out of the way, but there was only so much he could do on that front. He threw up one hand, creating a small orb of fiery magic along the way. The flames ate away at the darkness, and the two elements exploded against one another with much more force than Primrose would have ever expected. Therion was knocked off his feet from the blast, and he rolled across the ground before coming to a stop not far from his knife. He reached for the dagger with a groan, rubbing at his temple with his free hand.
Sealticge, on the other hand, had managed to stay on her feet, but she was even more disoriented than Therion. She tripped over herself briefly before somehow managing to reclaim her balance. She let out a heavy breath before letting out yet another quick spin. This time, when she got ready to charge off to battle once again, she was faster than ever before, and Primrose could only assume that her magic and speed had both received upgrades because of her magic.
Olberic was quick to jump in the way to make sure Sealticge didn't deal any further damage to Therion. Sealticge's fan clashed fiercely against the Sword of Stone, though Olberic clearly had the upper hand in terms of strength. Sealticge was only managing to hang on for so long because she was trying to find a way to outwit Olberic in terms of balance and grace. Her superior speed was going to work to her advantage if she used it properly; she just had to find an opening.
During this brief lull in the battle, Ophilia released a gentle mist of healing magic that fell on all the travelers from above. That was seemingly the last little bit of energy Cyrus and Therion needed, as the two were back on their feet soon afterwards. Alfyn reached for his axe as soon as he was sure that Cyrus was alright, ready to strike the instant Sealticge showed any signs of weakness once more. Of course, that would probably take another few moments given how closely tied up she was with Olberic. Neither one of them had yielded yet in their confrontation, and Primrose couldn't say for sure which of them was going to come out victorious.
Time continued to stretch by agonizingly, and neither Olberic nor Sealticge was able to make any progress to take the upper hand over the other. It was incredible just how even the fight was, and Primrose had to admit that she was impressed. Sealticge's weapon was much smaller and appeared much less sturdy than Olberic's sword, and yet, she had no problems with pushing back against him. If anything, it just seemed to be yet another day for her, and she could barely bring herself to care less. Primrose wished that there was something she could do, but it would be hard to strike at Sealticge without doing something that could potentially put Olberic at a disadvantage where she would be able to lash out at him.
Nearby, Ophilia watched the fight as well, and she seemed to suddenly be taken by an idea. Her eyes went wide before she pressed her hands together in front of her chest. A moment later, light burst from the ceiling, striking the ground not far from Sealticge. She let out a cry of shock before staggering away, holding one hand up to her face to try and block out the light. Even if she was wearing a mask, the illumination seemed to pain her, and the goddess was left breathing heavily as a result of her shock.
Primrose gasped as soon as she realized just what Ophilia had done. Before, Sealticge had been distracted when an explosion rocked the area, no doubt a result of the light that came with Therion's fiery magic clashing with her darkness. Sealticge's element appeared to be darkness, so it was no wonder that she was struggling when it came to being forced to face the light. She thrived in the shadows, and being pulled away from that was going to put her at a disadvantage.
As soon as this realization dawned on everyone, their tactics began to change. Olberic followed up on Sealticge's moment of weakness and primed his blade in her direction before dashing past her, opening a slice on her arm along the way. Sealticge cried out in pain before letting one hand rise up to nurse her injury. When she pulled her fingers back, there was crimson staining her skin, and she let out a careful breath before looking back to him once more. Olberic was raring up for another attack, but Sealticge jumped out of the way and to safety.
At least, she assumed that it was safety, but all it really did was bring her perfectly into Tressa's range. The merchant raised her spear, and wind began to slash at Sealticge from all directions. She cried out in pain before Cyrus released another blast of light magic, and the darkness of the shrine seemed to subside for a few precious moments. Sealticge raised her fan to block out the light, but it was clear that she had already lost her previous sense of balance.
Still, she more than possessed her speed even after all of that, so she was more than able to jump out of the way when she realized Alfyn was approaching her from behind with his axe at the ready. Unfortunately for Sealticge, H'aanit had been waiting for that, and the huntress let a single arrow fly through the shrine to strike the goddess in the shoulder. The arrow had been laced with thunder magic, and that left another burst of light to echo throughout the area. The arrow made a clap like thunder the second it hit Sealticge, and the goddess slowed down for a moment to measure her breathing, unsure of what she was meant to do next.
Sealticge blinked a few times from behind her mask. Primrose couldn't see it, but she was sure that was what Sealticge was doing to try and reorient herself. Sealticge remained still for a moment before twirling on the spot for a third time. Primrose could tell that this charm was different from what had been done previously, and she recognized the reason a moment later. Sealticge rushed towards Therion before the thief could take her by surprise, and all it took was a single hit from Sealticge's fan for Therion to be sent sliding backwards across the shrine's floor. He managed to keep his footing this time, but it was clear that the attack had still rattled him to the core.
Sealticge had increased her physical strength. She knew that her weaknesses had been found, so she was trying something outside the box to make sure that the group wouldn't be able to catch her by surprise again.
As soon as Therion was out of the picture, Sealticge rushed towards Primrose to try and take the dancer out of the fight. Primrose ducked beneath the fan smack that came at her, rolling out of the way before arriving on her feet again a few moments later. Sealticge turned to face Primrose, her speed still just as dangerous as ever, before preparing a blast of dark magic. Primrose concentrated her energy to the best of her ability and summoned fire magic before flicking her wrist. The flames darted towards the darkness, and once again, an explosion rocked the shrine. If the battlefield existed anywhere other than the mind, Primrose was sure that the shrine would have threatened to cave in because of the recent damage it had sustained.
Unfortunately for Primrose, Sealticge was ready for the attack this time, and she was sure to look away to ensure that the explosion didn't expose any other weaknesses in her guard. After three seconds of silence from the goddess, she charged in Ophilia's direction, and the cleric threw up the Illumination Staff to keep from being hit by the fan. Sealticge was quick to kick Ophilia's feet out from beneath her before preparing to strike downwards once again.
Ophilia was left desperate from the strike, but she still managed to concentrate her energy into a quick blast of light magic that hit the ground off to Sealticge's right. It didn't do any damage directly, but the resulting shockwave was more than enough to send the goddess careening off path. Ophilia scrambled to her feet as soon as she had the chance to do so, readying herself for another attack by raising the Illumination Staff with nervous hands.
Sealticge's moment of weakness forced her in H'aanit's direction, but unfortunately for the goddess, the huntress was waiting for her. H'aanit raised her axe before striking down with as much force as she could muster. Sealticge let out a cry of shock and pain. At the same time, Linde lunged towards Sealticge, closing her jaws around the goddess' ankle. It was the same leg that had been injured earlier in the fight, so even when Sealticge was able to shake Linde off, the weakness remained. She had simply taken too much damage on that side of her body to be able to maintain her previous benefits of speed. Her balance had been destroyed, so dancing around the battlefield was no longer feasible for her. How could she even come close if she could only rely on one leg without risk?
Sealticge did her best to jump backwards and out of the reach of the travelers, but she wasn't able to maintain her distance for long. With one leg already out of commission, she was left open to attack from Tressa easily, and the merchant didn't even have to think twice to send out a blast of wind that knocked the goddess off her feet. Sealticge tumbled to the ground gracelessly, her fan slipping free of her fingers in the process.
Primrose was quick to dash towards the weapon, and energy immediately flooded her body with surprising vigor. She felt as if she had suddenly been granted powers she never would have even dreamed of previously, and her eyes went wide with the sensation. Her body acted on instinct a moment later as she twirled gracefully on the spot, magic spreading outwards from the fan.
Immediately, every member of the group seemed to grow faster, and Primrose could feel the energy rush through her muscles as well. She cast a quick spell of light magic before sending it in Sealticge's direction. Cyrus made a prison of ice to ensure that Sealticge was unable to escape as she was hit, and the goddess let out a gasp of pain. She refused to give the travelers the dignity of hearing her scream though, so she remained mostly silent as Ophilia and Alfyn both created light magic attacks of their own.
Olberic held the Sword of Stone in Sealticge's direction, the blade primed perfectly in front of her throat. Given the fact that she was immobilized with a weapon at her neck, Sealticge was defeated. She could sense it as well, and she allowed herself to smile before nodding. Olberic sheathed his sword, and the ice around her began to dissipate, leaving her on her back. She rose to her feet carefully, though she seemed to avoid putting weight on her damaged ankle. Sealticge looked down at her leg carefully before allowing magic to start coursing through her body, healing the damage immediately.
"Thou art impressive fighters," Sealticge remarked with a small smile. She bowed her head respectfully before finally placing her weakened foot back on the ground. The healing abilities of the gods were truly beyond impressive, and Primrose couldn't help wishing that she had the same powers. Healing magic was one thing, but the gods' strength was another matter entirely.
"We've fought through quite a few of your allies by now. I should like to believe that we've refined our skills on the matter," Cyrus told her. He allowed the Tome of Tundras to fall shut before he placed the book back in his bag. "Is there anything you would like us to know before we depart?"
Sealticge thought about it for a moment before her gaze fell upon Primrose. The dancer was still holding the fan, though she had admittedly almost forgotten about it in the constant activity that came with the battle. "Thou hast fought well to earn my blessing. That weapon thou holdeth now is known as the Shadow Fan. Use its strength well."
"It seems to have the power to give others an increase in ability... Is that true?" Cyrus questioned, unable to hold back his curiosity. His eyes were sparking freely with his regular sense of wonder, and Primrose mused to herself on how only Cyrus would be able to go from fighting against a god so fiercely to asking questions of them in a matter of moments that way.
Sealticge nodded. "That wouldst be one of my many abilities. When used properly alongside my gift, special dances can grant boons to one's allies," Sealticge explained. "My gift is the blessing of grace to all."
Primrose thought about it for a long moment, desperately trying to figure out what that meant, but she could only imagine that she had accidentally tapped into its power when she was trying to fight with the Shadow Fan. The grace for all was the power to give all of her allies the strength they needed to finish the battle, and she had done so with the Shadow Fan and the dance of speed. The weapon and its corresponding gift certainly opened up new possibilities for combat from then on, and Primrose found herself excited to see what she could learn, much to her own surprise. She hoped that it was never necessary to call upon such a blessing again, but something told her that it wouldn't be quite so simple. Given the travelers' track record, they would be fighting again, and it would likely be sometime soon.
"Thank you for all that you've done for us," Ophilia smiled with a small nod. "We'll all do everything we can to uphold the blessing you've granted and save Orsterra. After all that you and your allies have granted us, this is the least we can do."
Sealticge offered the group a small smile that was so genuine it almost felt painful to look at. "I hath no doubt of your honesty," she said simply. With that, light began to flood the area again, and Primrose was forced to press her eyes shut in the face of the overwhelming glow. Their battle with Sealticge was over, and it was time for them to return to the life they all knew so well.
When Primrose opened her eyes once more, she was standing exactly where she had been before, one hand braced against the carving of a fan before her. Upon closer examination, she realized that the stone showed the Shadow Fan itself. When she glanced down to her other hand, she saw that the weapon was already poised delicately between her fingers, and Primrose smiled to herself. She could already tell that she was going to have countless uses for the Shadow Fan in the future. Fighting with a new weapon was bound to be a unique experience, but she was more than willing to go along with it if it meant saving Orsterra from its unknown distant demise.
Wait... Was that her goal?
Before Primrose had the chance to wonder about why her mind had gone towards saving others rather than her own revenge, Alfyn let out a heavy sigh. "Alright then... I guess that we're finished here," he announced. "We should probably get goin' so that we can reach Saintsbridge by nightfall. It wouldn't do us any good if we got caught in the middle of the wilderness when the sun goes down."
Primrose nodded her agreement, and she was left wondering just how much time had passed in the battle. It was somewhat difficult to gauge how much time the group spent in the realm of the gods each time they entered it, though she supposed they would be able to figure that out when they went outside. She was more than happy to have the distraction from her own thoughts for the time being, so she pulled her hand away from the pedestal in full before starting towards the entrance of the shrine. They would be at Saintsbridge by the end of the day. Maybe Primrose would be able to think through everything that she had realized a few moments prior after they arrived.
Or maybe she could not. That would be fine with her too.
And so ends our next god fight!
This was a fun fight to do, and I must say that I'm happy to have been able to fit the entire battle into a single chapter instead of having to split it up. I've had to do that a few times before, but I definitely prefer putting it all together. Given how H'aanit's chapter two ended, I was in a perfect position to just put everything from this fight into a single chapter, and I love how it turned out. Oh, these god fights are great, and I wish the game had included them too.
I don't have all that much else to say about this chapter since it was primarily about combat, though I will say something that applies to both the Shadow Fan and Tome of Tundras: the weapons come from Champions of the Continent. I decided to give every class their own weapon rather than splitting up the six weapons in game in pairs because of Champions of the Continent giving me fans and tomes on a silver platter. Figuring out the others was a bit more difficult, but I got there eventually, and I'm happy I did.
With all of that said, I'm going to leave things off here. Next time, we'll continue the journey to Saintsbridge. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital