Alfyn shifted his attention throughout the shrine as soon as the shift had taken place, and he blinked slowly but surely to refocus his eyes. He didn't think he would ever truly be able to get used to the transition between the regular plane and the realm of the gods found within the shrines. His vision was still exploding with stars at the corners, and he reached up with one hand to try and banish the phantoms dancing around behind his eyelids.
Soon enough, he was able to catch a glimpse of the one he was searching for though, and Alfyn immediately found himself hesitating at the sight. He had noticed previously that the gods tended to bear a striking amount of resemblance to members of the group, though he hadn't known for sure quite why that was. Aelfric and Ophilia had worn the same regal grace while Primrose and Sealticge looked so similar that they might as well have been twins. It was something Alfyn had passively noticed, but he had never been given the chance to figure out how he thought about it...
That was, at least, until this god looked almost exactly like him.
The man was on the taller side, and his shoulders were broad in a way that seemed comforting and familiar, like his very body was a home that he was preparing to offer up to anyone who was willing to accept it. He wore a green jacket that had been loved to death even though he was a god with more than enough power to clean up the faded colors. His shirt beneath it was a pristine white color, and both obscured his muscles from view. That was the next thing Alfyn noticed: the god was more than prepared for a fight in terms of physicality, and despite his comforting appearance, he had no doubt enough power to push back against all the travelers without breaking a sweat. In other words, this fight was going to be just as difficult as all of the encounters that had come before.
The god's trousers were a pale blue color, though his belt was where most of the intrigue came from where the lower half of his body was concerned. There were countless small bottles shoved into pockets attached to his belt, and Alfyn found himself passively reminded of the supplies that he used when it came to concoct treatments and elemental attacks. Granted, the god was much more organized about it than Alfyn was, but as long as he was able to get the job done, the apothecary could hardly bring himself to mind.
The god finished off his look with black gloves that hid his hands from view entirely to match the lace-up boots on his lower legs. The mask that wrapped around his upper face looked a lot like bandages, and Alfyn could only assume that his foe this time around was some kind of healer. The god's hair was a gentle light brown color and tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck, though it was long enough to reach the middle of his back effortlessly. Despite his demeanor looking much more casual than the previous gods had, he still held an aura that showed he more than had everything under control, and Alfyn was confident that this battle would be just as difficult as the previous encounters, if not more so.
"Hail, travelers..." came the voice of the god as he took a small step forward. His smile was inviting and warm, and Alfyn could feel the aura of honesty and care even if the man's eyes were hidden from view. "Thou hast come a long way to reachen my shrine."
"Who might you be?" Ophilia questioned. She still had one hand resting against the top of the lanthorn, something that had come to be a comforting gesture for her throughout the course of the journey. Given that the group was closer to Saintsbridge than ever before, it made sense that her anxiety would start to mount, though Alfyn wished he was able to do something more to help her.
For the time being though, the god simply smiled a little bit wider, and that took all of Alfyn's attention away from the world around him. "Dohter, the healer among the gods," he said simply. "Thou art here for the strength I can provide to thee... I hath no doubt that thou understandeth what must come next of our encounter."
Alfyn nodded. He did his best to shake away how Dohter looked like a strange variation of his own reflection, instead concentrating on pulling his axe out and priming it for the battle at hand. The other travelers were quick to follow his example nearby. Dohter's friendly and open nature made Alfyn sure that they would be able to talk more about their fates after the battle was over, but for the time being, they had to prove themselves so that they could earn his favor. Alfyn had no intentions of letting anything stop him from showing that they were more than worthy of the power Dohter could provide, and even if a tough battle awaited them... So be it. That was simply the price he had agreed to when he set out on this journey to begin with.
"Allow us to begin at once," Dohter announced. He bowed his head for a moment, giving the travelers a beat of respect in preparation for the battle at hand. He reached one hand out to the side, and green magic began to condense in the air to create a single axe. Alfyn stared at it for a long moment, his eyes squinting as he tried to get a better glimpse of it despite the distance. The hilt looked as if it was made of deep green vines wrapping together before splitting off into a pair of deep gray blades. The weapon was hefty and certainly difficult for most people to wield, but Alfyn couldn't help thinking that he wanted to give it a try for himself.
Hopefully, if the group won the battle, he would be able to.
Of course, before that, they had to actually succeed in their fight against Dohter. Alfyn looked to the rest of the travelers, double checking that they were all just as ready as he was, and he found his attention drifting to Cyrus. The scholar's eyes were wide as could be as he stared at the axe. "That pattern... I don't believe it matches any of the known elements of this world," he murmured. "The only known elements that we haven't yet encountered are fire and thunder, and this... This matches neither one of those."
"I see thou knoweth quite a bit about the arcane powers of this world," Dohter remarked as he pulled his axe back into a combat stance. "I will sharen with thee all that I know... As soon as thou hath won this battle."
With that, Dohter raised the legendary axe before slamming it into the ground. The floor of the battlefield seemed to tremble immediately, but it wasn't with the familiar shake of earth that had come with the battle against Brand. Instead, plants began to freely sprout from the floor below, creating a firm rift between the travelers. The vines forced them apart into three groups. Alfyn was with Primrose and Olberic while H'aanit, Tressa, and Cyrus were bunched together. Last but not least, Ophilia and Therion were left standing together, struggling to see around the vines to catch a glimpse of their companions. The vines were more than tall enough to ensure that the travelers couldn't easily find one another, and since Ophilia and Therion were short enough as it was, that only left them at an even greater disadvantage.
"This magic..." Alfyn heard Cyrus whisper from elsewhere within the shrine. "This is precisely the power we saw from the Lord of the Forest when we were in Stonegard!"
"In other words, I'm willing to bet that the Lord of the Forest figured out how to use an element that humans lost contact with," Tressa concluded as she glanced over in Dohter's direction. "And that just so happens to be the power that Dohter possesses now."
Dohter didn't say a word about it, but judging by the way the god's lips quirked up at the corners, Alfyn could tell that this assumption was correct. The apothecary tightened his grip on his axe before swinging the weapon in a grand arc to try and cut down some of the vines that had grown between the different members of the party. He wasn't able to get far though, and he realized with a wince that the plants were much stronger than he would have expected. In other words, Dohter's summoning abilities far exceeded those which the Lord of the Forest had displayed and he was making sure the travelers knew it and then some.
Before Alfyn could fully find the energy to find another way around the vines spread throughout the arena, he heard somebody streaking towards him. He looked up to see that Dohter was rushing in his direction. Alfyn let out a yelp of shock before he attempted to duck out of the way just before the god made impact. He was only barely able to escape Dohter's grip, but he couldn't keep himself out of the line of fire for long. Plants started to wrap around his arm, and Alfyn found his axe wrestled from his grip before it was sent flying across the ground.
Primrose picked up the weapon before tossing it to Olberic, who caught it effortlessly. The warrior raised the blade above his head before slashing down at Dohter. The god suffered a strike on the arm, and he winced before forcing himself into a quick retreat. As soon as Alfyn was free of Dohter's gaze, Olberic turned the axe in his direction, pulling the plants on Alfyn's arm apart with the blade of the axe. Alfyn was shocked at the ease with which the vines began to crumble given how strong the other set had been. It seemed that the larger the plants were, the harder they were to destroy, not that this was particularly surprising.
Alfyn reclaimed his axe soon afterwards, and he glanced up to see that Dohter was standing beside some of the plants that had sprouted from the ground. Something that looked a lot like sap was leaking from one of the vines and into a small phial that Dohter had retrieved from his belt. Alfyn recognized the liquid as an ingredient for a concoction of some sort, and just as he expected, Dohter used it to create a new blend a moment later. With a flash of materials so fast that Alfyn could barely register what was happening, Dohter finished his potion, and he downed it soon afterwards. As soon as the medication was in his system, the cut on his arm began to vanish, and not even a scar was left behind in its wake.
"If we're going to make any progress against him, it'll have to be by getting those ingredients away from him," Primrose murmured from her place at Alfyn's side. "As long as he has those on his side, he's going to be able to heal from any injuries that he suffers. From there, it should be easy enough to get rid of his weapon."
"That's bound to be much easier said than done as long as we're separated like this," Alfyn pointed out, not that he was planning on letting it stop him. Hell, if anything, that just made him more determined to fight back. He could barely see the other members of the group around the plants that were dividing the arena so firmly, and he prayed that they knew what they were doing when it came to pushing back against him.
A flash of electricity dove down from the ceiling, and Alfyn recognized it as a strike from H'aanit. The thunder shot itself towards Dohter with immense force, though he was able to shrug it off for the most part. Soon afterwards, he turned in the direction of the huntress, no doubt planning on getting her out of the way after her previous strike. He began to run towards Cyrus, Tressa, and H'aanit, and the plant barriers briefly parted for him to pass through before settling down once more as soon as he had slipped between the vines. In other words, he wasn't taking any chances on letting the other travelers pursue him.
Cyrus dove out of the way alongside Tressa as Dohter raised his axe in H'aanit's direction. She was quick to block the attack with her own weapon, and Linde curled around behind Dohter with her fangs bared. She lunged at the god, and as soon as she was within range, she targeted his belt. She gnawed away at the leather, desperate to pull it away from him. It seemed as if she understood where Dohter's strengths rested as well, and this was the best way she could remove that advantage from his side of the battle.
Unfortunately for her, Dohter refused to allow himself to be pinned between H'aanit and Linde. He created a barricade of plants between himself and the huntress, and that gave him the time he needed to concentrate on getting Linde away from him. He pushed the snow leopard away after strapping his axe to his back with a thin string of vines, putting his immense muscles to good use, though it still wasn't enough to do significant damage to the large cat. Linde landed in a crouch before preparing to strike once more, this time hitting Dohter in the legs with her tail.
The god nearly doubled over from the sudden strike, but he was able to keep his balance by throwing one hand backwards to the plant barricade he had made to get H'aanit off his back. However, that proved itself to be a much less reliable source of security than he would have expected, as Cyrus sent out a fireball that immediately began to consume the plants. The flames were quick to burn away the barrier, and Dohter was left with no choice but to pull away with burns marking his hand. He hissed as he looked down at his palm, fingers drifting to his belt to find the ingredients he was searching for.
Tressa pointed the Tempest Spear in Dohter's direction a moment later, immediately extinguishing the fire and sending the god sliding backwards. Because of his impressive frame, he was able to maintain most of his balance, though he did eventually collide with the plants. Tressa nocked an arrow on her bow with surprising speed before preparing to fire. Behind his mask, Dohter's eyes went wide, and everyone could see it on the rest of his feet. He appeared to be cornered, and he knew it.
However, Dohter refused to let this be the end of the battle. He allowed the plants behind him to shift, and he fell between the curtain of vines before rolling backwards and coming up in a crouch. He kept all weight off his wounded hand though, rising to his feet carefully as Ophilia and Therion prepared to lash out at him. He was in their segment of the battlefield now, and the cleric and thief refused to allow him to slip away without suffering at least a bit of damage.
Dohter focused most of his attention on concocting a remedy for his injury, using a small amount of sap from the nearby plant to finish off the medicine. He poured the liquid across his skin as soon as it was completed, and he rubbed it in with his other hand after tucking the phial away. A matter of seconds later, the injury was completely gone, and Dohter's hand was back to normal. He reached for his axe once again, bracing it perfectly between his fingers.
Ophilia concentrated her energy on a blast of light magic, though it wasn't enough to rattle the god. Instead, he simply stepped to the side to keep from being hit, though Ophilia refused to stop there. She pointed her staff forward, and a column of ice shot up in the place where Dohter was slated to land next. He was thrown off balance immediately, and Ophilia's eyes narrowed as the column began to splinter outwards, creating an explosion of frozen shards.
The ice mercilessly tore into the vines spread throughout the area, and while it wasn't enough to completely destroy them, the damage was still significant. Luckily, that was just the boost Therion needed to charge his hand up with fiery magic before slamming it into the vines. The flames spread outwards from there, burning through the plants with a controlled fury before sparking away into nothingness when they had done their job. The flames accomplished quite a bit in terms of destroying the plants, though there was still quite a bit left behind after the fact.
Dohter hissed at the sight of the barricades starting to fall apart, but he didn't let it get to him. Instead, he braced his axe for an attack before lashing out at Therion with everything he had. The thief ducked below the first strike before he was hit by the follow-up, and Therion let out a small grunt as he was forced backwards. He realized a moment later that he wasn't going to be able to get away from this fight without using a weapon, so he reached for his dagger before twisting it over between his fingers.
Dohter sent another quick strike of vines in Therion's direction, but the thief was easily able to maneuver his dagger in a way that cut himself free before he could even be trapped. Therion braced his knife carefully when Dohter charged towards him next, though it took every ounce of his strength to keep from being fully struck. Ophilia summoned yet another blast of magic before sending ice spiraling towards Dohter, forcing him to stumble away from Therion with a frown heavy on his face.
Elsewhere in the shrine, Cyrus snapped his fingers to summon the power of fire once again, doing what he could to burn away at the rest of the vines left behind. H'aanit was quick to follow suit, though her flames were far less prominent by comparison. As soon as a free spot had been created through the vines though, both Tressa and H'aanit reached for their bows before letting arrows fly free in Dohter's direction.
The arrows pierced Dohter's shirt near his neck, though he barely managed to avoid from being hit himself. There were a few traces of the vines left behind him, and the arrows pinned his shirt to the greenery that had managed to survive Therion, Cyrus, and H'aanit's previous wrath. Dohter immediately took to struggling against the vines, but he couldn't seem to pull himself away because of the awkward angle at which he was pinned down.
Cyrus shifted his attention next to the vines that had pinned Alfyn, Primrose, and Olberic away from the rest of the group, and he sent out a quick fireball to burn away at the greenery. Primrose pulled backwards to keep from being burned by the lick of the flames, and she briefly twirled on the spot. Alfyn immediately felt strength surge through his body, and he could tell that Primrose had given him a boost of energy necessary to make more progress against Dohter.
As soon as most of the vines had been burnt away, the apothecary dashed towards the god. Alfyn let one hand fall onto the wall of vines Dohter was still pinned to, and icy magic began to mount across the surface of the plants. As soon as the ice had completely consumed the vines, Alfyn allowed the fragments to explode outwards, destroying the remnants of the plants and forcing Dohter forwards. The arrows that had him trapped were shredded in the process, left discarded in pieces across the ground below.
Dohter looked up carefully when he realized that he was surrounded, and Alfyn lunged in his direction with his axe primed above his head. The apothecary went to slash downwards, but Dohter rolled out of the way and returned to his feet with surprising swiftness. This left Alfyn's axe to embed itself in the floor of the shrine, and Alfyn struggled to pull the head of his weapon free with a frown on his face. He couldn't afford to linger for too long though; Dohter was going to take advantage of this moment of weakness as soon as he recognized it, and Alfyn could already tell that he was in trouble.
Sure enough, the god made to kick at Alfyn, but all that did was give the apothecary the extra bit of force he needed to pull his axe free. He rolled to his feet, ignoring the throbbing pain that had appeared in his side from the contact with Dohter. He prepared to charge once again, axe at the ready, but he never got the chance to do so, instead distracted when another rush of energy flooded his body.
Alfyn glanced off to the side and realized that Tressa had briefly offered a bit of power based on what she had learned from Sealticge. She had given him a bit more speed, and if all went well, that would be all that he needed to get the upper hand against Dohter. Alfyn offered her a grateful nod before rushing in the direction of his foe.
Dohter knew that Alfyn was coming this time, and he dodged the strike before the apothecary could get close to him. Unfortunately for him, Alfyn knew what he was doing this time, and he allowed his free hand to drift to his satchel where he found a familiar ingredient known for its magical properties. Alfyn threw the small white and red crystals on the ground, creating a quick plume of explosions that alternated between fire and ice.
Dohter was forced to throw his arms up over his head to block the strike, but that wasn't enough to fully defend him from the onslaught. The crystals didn't have much power, yes, but they were still more than a potent distraction, something that kept Dohter from being able to see what was happening until it was much too late for him to avoid the next attack. Alfyn took advantage of the speed and strength he had been granted by Tressa and Primrose respectively, and he rushed behind the god as he raised his axe, determination written clear as could be across his features. Out of the corner of his eye, Alfyn saw the other travelers preparing themselves for the final strike.
Alfyn slammed down onto Dohter's back with the side of his axe, and the god was sent flying forward because of the sudden spike to the apothecary's strength. As soon as Dohter hit the ground on all fours, the earth created a few spires of rock to keep him chained in place. Olberic and Therion had both concentrated the energy they received from Brand to lock Dohter down, and even though the god struggled for a moment, he was unable to pull himself away from his confines, eventually falling still when he realized escape was a futile effort.
"Impressive," Dohter said simply. He waited until after Therion and Olberic had released the rock on his arms and legs before pushing himself back to his full height, a smile on his face. "I had heard that thou were incredible fighters, and I see now that my fellow gods weren telling the truth."
"You've heard from them?" Tressa questioned as she tucked away the Tempest Staff. "I suppose that makes sense... As the highest powers in Orsterra, I guess that you would have a way to talk to each other even if you were spread out in your shrines."
"The gods do not stay in the shrines we visit," Cyrus pointed out. "Their home has been in the sky above for many generations now, and they simply project themselves into the shrines when we arrive here so that we can speak with them."
Dohter nodded his confirmation. "Thou art well read... Though I shouldn't have expected anything else from a scholar such as thou." He reached for his axe a moment later, a small smile on his face again. "I grante thee with my blessing now. Use this blade wisely to bring peace and prosperity to all of Orsterra."
Alfyn wound up being on the receiving end of the weapon, and he accepted it carefully after tucking his own blade away. "Thanks," he said softly, immediately hit by the rush of power that flooded his veins at the contact with the hilt. He could certainly understand why the others were so infatuated with the weapons the gods had given them previously; he didn't think he had ever felt stronger.
"It goes by the name of the Rose Axe. With this blade, thou will possess the powere of nature itself in all of its glory," Dohter explained. "My element is that of wood and plants. The gift was losten many years ago as nature grewen out of humanity's control, but with this gift, thou shalt be able to influence the plants once more."
"This is the power that the Lord of Forest possessed then," Primrose concluded with a small nod. "It makes sense. Even if humans lost the ability to influence these elements, the traces of them would linger in the world around us decades after the fact."
Dohter nodded. "Thou will need all the strength thou can acquire if humanity is to standen a chance against its foes," he declared. "Be careful and remain on guard always... The world is full of unexpected changes."
Alfyn nodded his understanding at that, and he let out a careful breath before glancing up to meet Dohter's gaze. "What's your specific gift?" he asked before he could hold himself back. "Aelfric has the power of the second chance, Alephan talked about unparalleled focus, Brand had..."
"Strength unrivaled," Dohter finished for him. "My gift is that of generosity... The strength to granten others a love and care that rivals the greatest evils of this world. As the future saviors of Orsterra... I hath no doubt that thou will find a way to use it well."
"Thank you for all of this," Ophilia smiled, bowing her head kindly in Dohter's direction. "We'll do everything we can to keep fighting." She was clearly left holding back a comment about how none of them truly understood what they were fighting for, but Alfyn could tell that she was still uncertain as could be about their duties. They would be able to figure out the truth soon enough; it would take time, but they would find the answers they were seeking.
Dohter nodded once again, his expression firmly set in a smile. "Travel on with pride," he said simply, and with that, light flooded the shrine and spread outwards until everyone's vision was consumed with a void of endless whiteness. Alfyn pressed his eyes shut as per usual, a smile on his face as he tested the weight of the Rose Axe between his fingers.
When Alfyn opened his eyes once again, he was back in the shrine, and the Rose Axe was still perched in the same place as ever. He smiled before reaching for his old axe, his gaze shifting into something bittersweet. "I suppose I'm not going to need this as much anymore, huh?" he murmured.
"We can always use the extra equipment. I'll take care of it," Tressa told him, accepting the blade easily before tucking it away with the rest of their supplies. Alfyn gave her a grateful grin, and she nodded before turning her attention back to the rest of the group. "I guess we should get ready to head out to Saintsbridge, huh? It's getting late."
Alfyn winced at that, realizing that she was right. Their battle against Sealticge had also been that day, and that morning, they had been in Stonegard. They had traveled quite the impressive distance that day, and they were going to have to get going if they wanted to find a room in the inn. Saintsbridge was an impressive city, and Alfyn had no doubt that it saw its fair share of tourists. In other words, they all needed to sleep, and if they wanted to have any sense of personal space or privacy that night, they had to leave for Saintsbridge immediately.
"Let's get to it then," Therion said simply. He started walking towards the entrance of the shrine, expecting the others to all follow him. They did so effortlessly, and Alfyn took up the rear after tucking the Rose Axe away where it belonged.
Alfyn couldn't believe all that they had been able to accomplish that day. They were going to have made it from Stonegard to Saintsbridge by the time the sun vanished over the horizon, and along the way, they were able to get two shrines under their belt. That didn't even factor in that they had made it to Wellspring to activate the Warp Staff for their future travels there. This had been perhaps the most productive day they had seen in ages, and Alfyn loved it.
He was glad that the group had been able to get back on the road again. He needed to keep looking forward, as even if he was getting better at grappling with the encounter with Vanessa, it still seemed to creep into his thoughts when he wasn't paying attention. The more he moved forward, the more distance he would put between himself and the past that he had found in Goldshore. Saintsbridge would offer new opportunities, and he could only hope that this would help him out more.
Heaven only knew that he could use all the help he could get at this point.
Next god fight down! Hell yeah!
I don't have all that much to say here since the chapters that are mostly fight sequences tend to speak for themselves, but... Yeah! Wood magic! I figured that having plant based magic would work pretty well for Dohter since a lot of ingredients for concoctions in game are based off plants, so it would make sense if the apothecary and healer of the gods was able to grow whatever plants he wanted to create healing tinctures and potions. The Lord of the Forest having this type of magic was meant to foreshadow this moment, so that's why I spiced things up a little bit more with that fight. All things considered, I love how it all turned out as a whole, and I hope you enjoyed it too.
At this point, the to-do list is pretty small for what's left in chapter two. I mean, we're halfway there now, and with six god fights out of the way, we're making some pretty damn good progress. Since Tressa and Cyrus' chapter twos take place in the same town, there's going to be a lot less bleed between them since they'll be pretty close to one another. We're making some really great progress in this story, and I don't think I could be happier with how it's all going. Just... Wow. I love this story a lot.
With that said, next time we meet, it's going to be time for Ophilia's chapter two in Saintsbridge! Hell yeah! Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated just like always. Have a nice day, everybody!
-Digital