Of Gold and Lightning
"Strange that we should meet each other here, priest," Godwyn remarked as Fortissax landed on the ancient aqueduct. "You always seem to be where trouble is brewing."
The beast was growing weary, dragging its hooves on the ground. Ranni's efforts to comfort it were sufficient for the moment.
"And you," Godwyn said, pointing at the princess."It's rather far from the Mountaintops. Please don't tell me you have a hand in this… abomination."
Ranni did not respond to the demigod. They were lucky that the witch's attire was enough to mask her true identity. It didn't change anything for Nokron. But he supposed the girl didn't need the trouble.
"Is there a problem, golden one?" Nokron asked coldly. "What insults the Golden Order this time?"
"I will assume you don't know, priest, for the alternative is much worse." His voice turned grim as it looked at the beast once more. "This creature is foreign to this world. It has no place in it, and the Greater Will cannot carry out its designs with it present. You saw its descent and the destruction it caused, did you not? I was lucky I returned with the reborn Ancestral Followers when I did, or I fear I would have been too late."
"I'm afraid you need not concern yourself here, golden one," Nokron once again spoke. "As you can see, the creature is harmless now and of no interest to the Golden Order. You may stand aside."
"You must think me a fool, priest. This creature destroyed more than marble pillars. It meddled with the essence of those around it. The damage it caused cannot be taken back. I know you are stubborn in your old ways, but surely you don't intend to protect a creature, which you've seen perform such horrors?"
Nokron took a deep breath. He knew what Godwyn and his dragon were capable of. Going against him now would surely mean imprisonment by the Golden Order, and he had spent the past centuries of his life making sure that wouldn't happen for the sake of the Rite of Death. He looked at Ranni, who silently was petting the beast. He'd already forfeited all hope before this. He did not see how the beast could serve Death.
"If you insist, golden one." He saw Ranni scowl at him. "But there is one thing I'm curious about. How exactly is this beast a threat to the Golden Order?"
"Perhaps there is hope for you to join us still," Godwyn remarked, relieved by Nokron's words. "Though I cannot answer your question. I do not claim to understand this creature's power, but I know it is a threat. Cross the bridge to this side, and you will face no consequences for your actions, priest."
Ranni was now holding tight to the beast, almost whispering to its head. "And you, ice witch. Cease this disgusting affection for the creature, or must I-"
In an instant, Ranni stepped back from the beast as it bellowed louder than ever before. Its eye glowed purple as it clicked its mandibles furiously. The dragon that had blocked their path twitched as that same glow enveloped the channel around it. It now floated in the air, as if it weighed nothing.
"What's the meaning of this!?" Godwyn demanded as he found himself also unable to move.
But Ranni gave no response, and Nokron understood just as little. The princess then straightened her arm to the left. Fortissax was shot in that direction, falling with his rider to the river below. The dragon was heavy, but that did not explain what happened. It was less of a fall, and more like the ground itself pulled it down.
"That won't stop them for long," Ranni said before they'd even hit the water. "We must make haste."
Nokron shook his head. "It's no use. We must abandon the beast. You don't expect us to outrun a dragon, do you?"
"Can thou not follow my commands even in dire stakes?" Ranni asked, exasperated. The beast put its head down, and she climbed atop its back. "Come on, then! I'll excuse thy cowardice, but this is no time to dawdle, priest."
Though weary, Nokron approached. Between Ranni's impatient yelling and the beast's temperament, it was a miracle they were not thrown off the highway.
Even though he'd conceded to this arrangement, Nokron was far from confident in it. "Even at the beast's fastest pace, we'll never make it out of the ravine in time. You must have something else in mind, surely."
It seemed, however, that Ranni had had enough of Nokron's incessant questioning. She merely tapped the coat on the beast's back lightly, before hunching forward to brace herself.
Nokron barely had time to do the same as the beast galloped forward and leaped to the chasm of the river below. It bellowed again. The beast floated on the spot, for but a second, and then shot upwards like an arrow.
Thoughts of their inevitable fall came to Nokron's mind, but it did not befit a priest of the Rite of Death to entertain them. He put aside his fear, and accepted what would happen; regardless of what it would entail.
When Nokron exhaled and opened his eyes, he saw that the beast was floating outside the ravine, its strange eye manipulating its weight. It then dropped to the ground like a feather before galloping once more.
"How did you know the beast could do that?" Nokron asked.
"I didn't. We just had little choice."
Though Nokron did not fear Death, he would rather not have ended up at the bottom of the ravine, waiting for the Golden Order to resurrect his body. They were lucky Ranni could control the beast as she did.
"What was that, priest?" Ranni demanded, raising her voice for the first time. "I thought thou wert a servant of death. But thou risked thy life against the beast one moment, then cowered before Godwyn the next."
"It was not cowardice, princess. Our defeat was certain. I neither turned against you nor risked my life on a miracle I did not know was coming. I merely accepted what was."
She scoffed in insult. "Art thou not a priest of death? How willst thou serve it if thou won't fight for it?"
"Death always has its due." This was the wisdom he had learned in the snow. "A pointless sacrifice is an insult to it. It means believing that Death is incapable of achieving its ends and setting its servant on a pointless errand on that doubt."
"Tis not pointless, priest. Sometimes fate requires that thou stand against everything to achieve its designs for thee. Thine enemies. Thy friends. Even thy principles. For one cannot defy fate. What would thou have done had Godwyn slain the beast? Gone back to thy temple and awaited another falling star for fear of being unable to save this one?"
"If that is what it took, yes," Nokron said with certainty. "I would wait a thousand years more if I had to. But let's leave this conversation for now. Where to now, princess?"
"Now that Godwyn has seen the beast, the Golden Order will not relent. They will seek it out at any cost, amassing their entire army. We cannot hide any longer. We must find allies. I will need to consult the stars."
"There's no time for that," Nokron said, growing sour at their dependence on fate. "The Stormhawks. We must go to the Weeping Peninsula and speak with them."
"Tis not the worst plan I've heard, but we must-"
This time, a loud roar preceded the gust of wind that almost knocked them off the beast. There were cracks on the dragon's stone scales, but it still flew ferociously in the sky, even as the beast's hooves seemed to fall slower and slower.
Having learned its lesson, the dragon didn't dive for them. Instead, it flew ahead and produced two stakes of red lightning. The sight was too much for the beast, as it began to buck wildly in panic.
"Hold… still… we-" Ranni's attempts to calm the beast were futile, as she and Nokron were knocked off and it tried a frantic escape.
It didn't realize it, but it had saved the two. Fortissax threw the stakes of lightning. In the blink of an eye, both struck the beast. Any other creature would have been instantly eviscerated, but its black carapace protected the beast. If it had survived, the beast now lay under a mound of black rocks that once was its outer shell.
Ranni rushed to it, but Fortissax used its wings to blow them back once more.
"It is pointless, witch," Godwyn declared, the word carrying a heavier tone in his voice. "The creature is no more."
He gestured to the dragon to land. "I still bear you no ill will, despite your insistence in fighting me. You need not suffer the same fate as the creature. Though I must know that something like this will not happen again. You two spent the most time with the creature and likely understand the threat we face. Swear yourself to service to the Golden Order, pray penance, and I promise you, Queen Marika will forgive you your transgression."
Though Ranni hid her face behind the white hat, the grip on her coat showed her panic. Godwyn no doubt offered this mercy to turn enemies of the Golden Order into allies. But she was already part of it.
"Despite the injury upon me and my companion, you need not fear," Godwyn continued after the silence. "I hold to my word without grudges or recompense." He pointed at Nokron. "I asked you this question back at the temple, and I ask it again, priest. Is there nothing beyond death you seek?"
Beyond Death… the words hung on Nokron's mind. He looked at the rubble where the beast had fallen and saw a stone move. Death was the ultimate goal. The ultimate end. But it was his alone. This world no longer sought it. Perhaps he could never achieve the Death he sought. Not himself, at the very least.
Nokron took no comfort in leaving the matter in the hands of fate. Experience told him that patience was key and that Death always emerged triumphant. But perhaps Death no longer could. Not with the Erdtree's branches shining above them. Though she did not believe as he did, perhaps Ranni could carry out his will. Death would lose a servant, but it would gain something more. A gamble, but with fate involved, perhaps…
"I have given your question some thought, golden one," Nokron began readying his hand, hoping it would not be noticed.
He traced the Mark behind his back as Godwyn responded. "It brings me joy to hear you've finally seen reason, priest. With your assistance, the Golden Order will root out the remains of death from this land."
"I still serve Death, golden one." Nokron pulled his arm back. "I only choose to trust beyond it."
A rancor of spirits came out of Nokron's hand. Fortissax moved to block them with his wings, as Nokron had hoped. The spirits were only a distraction. He materialized his ghostflame spear and threw it at the dragon's wings. The tang of metal confirmed that he had struck the demigod.
"Run!" Nokron called to Ranni. "Escape now while you can!"
Ranni glanced at the rubble for but a moment before fleeing. When she was far enough away, she disappeared as if she had been naught but a puff of snow.
Fortissax opened its wings in panic, more concerned for his companion than himself. The spear had lodged itself on the demigod's shoulder, a wound that would have killed any mortal. But Godwyn grabbed the shaft and removed the weapon from his flesh, howling through the pain of ghostflame.
"I have been nothing but patient with you," Godwyn growled, throwing the spear to the ground. "But you leave me no choice, priest. I had hoped you would see reason and abandon this morbid obsession with death. But an evergaol is all that awaits you now."
Fortissax lunged and opened its maw. Nokron merely stood. The dragon was too fast, and his power too weak. When the dragon would shut its jaws, a perverted death of the Erdtree awaited him. Whatever happened next, at least Ranni had escaped. At least there was hope for Death. Nokron closed his eyes.
The dragon got ever closer. But its bite never came. A loud screech, one he hadn't heard in centuries, made Nokron open his eyes. It made the dragon halt as well. From where Nokron's spear had fallen, an explosion of ghostflame half the size of the dragon erupted. Fortissax moved to block the rancor of spirits with its wings again. But Nokron wasn't the one who had summoned it. A Deathbird, holding a large fire poker, emerged behind the flame. Like Nokron it punished the dragon's defense and tore through its wings with the poker.
Fortissax roared in pain and was pushed back. When the ghostflame cleared and the dragon's wings retreated, Nokron laid eyes on the Deathbird fully. Something had changed. It was not as majestic as the day he'd met it in the snow. Its human-like head was now cracked, and the feathers on its neck and talon-like hands were lost. It even looked smaller and its ghostflame dimmer. It resembled a carrion feeder, more than the immaculate bird of Death it once was.
The Deathbird looked at Nokron for but a second, and he understood. Death was dying. A ludicrous notion, but Nokron could not refute it. The Rite of Death that had watched over the world for so long, now had nothing to feed it. Like a flame without kindling, it was being extinguished by the Golden Order.
Fortissax breathed fire at the Deathbird, even as it rolled on the ground. Godwyn had fallen from his mount and was righting himself. The Deathbird screeched once more, taking in hand Nokron's spear and holding it with the tip pointing to the ground. Its grip tightened, and the ethereal weapon shone brighter.
Deathbirds rarely intervened in matters of the world, and even when they did, it was only to free remaining souls from ghostflame. This was different. It was saving him.
The dragon roared in fury, but it was futile. The Deathbird planted the spear in the ground, and an explosion of ghostflame surged from it. Nokron had to shield his eyes to block the blinding light. Priests of the Rite of Death had an understanding of ghostflame and the respect to guide it. Deathbirds controlled it.
The flame spread through the ground with frightening speed. It reached Fortissax and furiously enveloped the dragon. The large creature roared in pain. The ground shook as Fortissax thrashed against the flame.
"Enough!" Godwyn shouted, losing his composure for the first time. The Deathbird turned its attention to the demigod. It moved to attack him with its poker, but Godwyn stood his ground. He straightened and spread his hands out.
A ring of gold appeared on the ground before him. Rays of light emerged from the circle. The grass and stone around them were unharmed, but the Deathbird was stopped in its tracks, screeching in pain. The demigod took another step and assumed the pose again. The golden light tore through the Deathbird, who was getting pushed back further and further.
The Deathbird's defeat was assured now. Whatever force Godwyn and the Golden Order commanded not only perverted Death but also expunged it. The bird looked so small now, squirming as Godwyn continued to pressure it.
For whatever reason, Death had chosen him to be worthy of escaping. Nokron couldn't help it now, let alone serve it. The best he could do was take the distraction and leave.
He couldn't do so without the beast, however. He turned to the rubble. It was toppled and empty inside. In the distance, he saw the ethereal glow of a spirit. Ranni's troll.
Nokron felt relief to see the princess had not entirely abandoned him. He wasted no time in following the troll as Godwyn madly lashed at the Deathbird, whose cries became weaker and weaker.
Author's Note: I apologize for the slight delay on this one. Nevertheless, I hope you found this chapter enjoyable. Trying to inspire sympathy for a Deathbird might be controversial, so feel free to let me know how you found it. As for what comes next, Nokron will only be confronted with even more challenges. See you at the next one and thanks for reading.
PS: For some reason, the traffic graph on this story isn't working as intended. I don't know if it extends to reviews as well, but if there's something I didn't see, worry not, as it'll doubtless appear soon. But in the meantime, sorry if I missed something.