Alright, alright, alright. Here we go!
The priestess' words intrigued the Emperor. She prophesied his desire, to be loved greatly by the people of Xin. The priestess, calling herself Illipia, warned the Emperor of sharing her tale with the people. He elected to expose Drabaki's true nature at a later date to allow his people to accept the truth. In the meantime, the Emperor called for the finest warriors in Xin to meet with him.
Five answered the call.
Xiang Zhen, a giant of a man who felled bandit and beast alike with a hammer said to weigh ten men.
Chandragupta, an archer of such skill that even elves were said to envy his skill and speed.
Takeshi, a master of the blade who was rumored to draw, cut and sheathe so quickly one had to avoid blinking to even catch the slightest of glimpses.
Shisui, a self-proclaimed prodigy of twin swords who claimed his cuts were like that of a steely storm.
And finally, Haan, a warrior hailing from the far-flung village of Fahrmann. His parents failed to name him as the father died in the wilds and his mother followed suit upon his birth. He claimed to be a master of both spear and sword, having honed his skills on the mountains against bandit and beast.
The Emperor shared Illipia's vision with the five men, and they readily accepted the task of slaying the great serpent. However, none knew of Haan's reputation and thus assigned him the menial task of guarding Illipia, who would accompany the warriors in their quest. Haan accepted without complaint.
The priestess Illipia, however, was no mere mortal. She was an instrument of the Goddess Ishmael, a Celestial. One of four to spread word of their Goddess' love and power. Her task in this land was to cultivate worship for her Goddess so they may know her love. To this end, the beast, Drabaki, had to die. Xin could not worship a monster. They had to worship a true god.
Ishmael had commanded Illipia to see that the beast fell at the hands of man blessed by the Goddess. Only then would the people believe in the one true Goddess. The beast's blood would be a means of appeasement, to ensure the devoutness of The Emperor. The idea of the Goddess blessing the people to fell fake gods and imparting power unto their most beloved would sway them to Ishmael's side. No longer would Xin be a land devoid of worship.
This was the divine plan. The divine wish of a god.
The five warriors and the priestess departed the valley shortly after their imperial appointment. Within the wilds, the former four led the way, Illipia following close behind with her protector, Haan. She noticed Haan's gaze lingered on her.
"Is there something amiss, Sir Haan?"
The warrior held a contemplative silence. "... Forgive my presumptuousness, Lady Illipia, but I do not feel that you require an escort."
Illipia stopped herself short of visibly swallowing. "Whatever do you mean?" His stare was piercing, as though those orange eyes could see through deception as easily as one would through clear water. Her identity was to be hidden away behind the facade of a traveling priestess. It was her Goddess' belief that man was not prepared to encounter the truth.
"You walk not with the confidence of faith, but with the confidence of skill."
Illipia held her neutral facade. "I cannot defend myself as you and the others, Sir Haan. I am unarmed, and my faith grants me only the power to support you brave warriors." A lie. A silver pendant engraved with a golden cross hung around her neck; a catalyst that permitted Illipia to conjure weapons using the El itself and allowed her to perform magic capable of destroying small armies. She was never unarmed.
Haan seemed unmoved. "Perhaps. Yet you traveled through the wilds of Xin and beyond without assistance. Am I to believe you made this journey alone?"
She closed her eyes and cracked a small, false smile. An opportunity to sway the warrior's faith was presented. "I am never alone, Sir Haan. My Goddess, Ishmael, always watches over her most devoted. Her power protects me from danger."
His gaze didn't falter in the slightest. "Steel, prowess, and wit protects one from danger. Faith such as yours is merely belief in what we cannot see nor touch. Drabaki protected our people not with divine power, but with its fangs and weight. My faith lies in my steel and my own abilities because of that. I mean no offense, Priestess, but I find such ideas ridiculous."
Even with those words, Illipia took much offense from his words. If she so chose, she could smite this nonbeliever where he stood, but her task was not to punish such people. So she merely bowed her head. "None taken, Sir Haan. I understand believing in our Goddess can be difficult, but that is why my faith has been rewarded; I believed that our Goddess would see me across the world safely, and here I am."
Haan nodded. While he didn't share her faith, he at least acknowledged and respected her beliefs. It was a start.
Haan suggested visiting his home village, which nestled on the cliffs of Fahrmann Peak, the mountain where Drabaki meditated. It would serve as a staging ground for their assault on the serpent. No objections were raised, save one from Shisui who held no desire to 'rest in a mudhole on the mountain.'
The young man was reckless and eager for glory, often turning to Illipia for praise. She gave it readily, if only to maintain her facade. She truthfully found the young man irritating and would rather he move something else than his tongue. The others shared her quiet opinion, though they did not know it.
So his death was met with minute grief. The group came upon a pack of draconian monsters, spawn of Drabaki's lesser and feral kin. The party desired to avoid a fight if possible, but Shisui disagreed. "An opportunity," he claimed. "To see who among us is the greatest." And, as the others suspected, the only part of Shisui that was flexible was his tongue.
His swings were wide and flourished, meant for pleasing the eye not cutting flesh. He was quickly surrounded and killed by the beasts. As though his foolishness could not run any deeper, Shisui ran to Illipia for aid before he was killed, leading the bulk of the pack to her.
And then Haan stepped forward. Illipia watched him from behind, curious of how his faith in steel, prowess, and wit would fare in this fight. The man was outnumbered ten to one, but it quickly turned to nine. Then eight. Seven. Six.
Illipia found herself in awe of the Haan's skills. He wielded both spear and sword as though they were extensions of his limbs. His spear rested on his shoulder as though he were strolling down the street, but his arm swung the polearm with such speed and power that the point bit pieces off surrounding trees. He used it to maintain spacing between him and his beastly opponents, occasionally throwing it to secure a kill when it was safe to do so and once to pick up the corpse of a fallen monster to use as a shield and distraction. His blade would be his preferred tool of killing, as the beasts that attempted to push inside his spear's reach would meet their end on his sword.
Every swing, thrust, flick was measured, compact. No wasted movement. And when the last monster fell dead with his spear piercing its head through the mouth the others fell silent in shame. They never expected a mountain man to possess such prowess.
Xian Zheng said, "I have never been so taken aback by a martial display as I have now. You spoke true of your skill with spear and sword. Walk with us, Haan. Together, Drabaki may yet fall to our strength."
Illipia, who expected to carry the burden of the fight to come, found herself believing in that strength now. The strength of man.
Weeks remained before the party would reach the summit of Fahrmann Peak where their quarry meditated. That was weeks of travel, rest, hiding, fighting, hunting, eating, drinking, and talking. Illipia was accustomed to such things in solitude. And she continued to prefer it to the chatter of these men. Xiang Zhen, Chandragupta and Takeshi frequently conversed, laughing at one another's tales.
So she did find some solace in the company of Haan, who despite having earned the respect of the others chose to engage with them sparingly. She was unsure if this choice was out of spite or a preference like hers. They often walked in silence behind the others.
So it came to her great surprise when he spoke to her. "Lady Illipia, I have a question."
She masked her astonishment with a soft smile. "What is it, Sir Haan?"
His gaze flitted to the surrounding trees in a rare moment of uncertainty. "How do you believe in something that you cannot see? Forgive my presumptuousness, but I am assuming you Goddess is not of our world."
Illipia closed her eyes in mock thought. In truth, she was angered by his ignorance. This man was a reminder of her mission: to convert the land of Xin to the grace of Ishmael. But all great journeys begin with a single step. "That is not entirely true, Sir Haan. Our Goddess, Ishmael, is in all that you see. She created this world, Elrios, so that she may watch life flourish. Her divine wish for life was heard by the El, and thus it gave birth to Elrios. If not for Ishmael's wish, we would not be speaking now. We wouldn't exist."
The man hummed thoughtfully. "I see… May I ask another question, then?"
His curiosity amused her. Mortals were such ignorant creatures. "Of course."
"Have you heard of Yin and Yang?"
It must've been a Xin tradition, she had never heard of such a thing in her travels, nor did her Goddess inform her. "I'm afraid I have not, Sir Haan. Is that perhaps a Xin tradition?"
"An idea. A philosophy that we of Xin adhere to. Yin and Yang are two parts of a greater whole." The group conveniently decided to rest for a moment, so Haan took the opportunity to kneel on the earth and trace a circle in it with his finger. She watched as he drew a curved line through the middle, dividing the circle perfectly. "Yin and Yang are opposites. White and black. We believe that for all that is good, there is all that is evil. All that is life, there is all that is death."
For the first time Illipia visibly frowned. He continued. "We all live, and then die. Day becomes night, and then day, and then night. Light casts shadows. Our ancestors recognized this as an undeniable truth to our world. You say your Goddess gives life." His stare locked with her gaze, as if to emphasize his next words. "What of death?"
Illipia bit back a reflexive 'blasphemous heresy.' Truthfully, she didn't have an answer to his question. All she knew was light and life. Never had she considered the place of such… dark things in the grand scheme, for she was immortal like her Goddess. She was an absolute.
Right?
This question frustrated the Celestial, for it brought more questions that she felt she should know the answer to, but now those answers' validity faltered. But she had to at least pretend to be open to new ideas. "... I've never considered this, Sir Haan. Thank you for sharing this with me."
She walked away to sit under a break in the canopy of trees above so that the rays of the sun would shine on her. She really did prefer solitude. Company brought questions.
And questions were dangerous.
I am posting updates daily on the Elsword Phorums. Come check it out on the Fan Art and Fiction section! The thread is titled Luminous Heart [Title Pending]. I was still trying to nail down a name when I made it before I settled on Hearts of Man, Beast, and God.
Until next time!