Chapter 4: More Grenades
"You know, when I said 'oh protector mine', that did not mean I wanted to be in constant danger!"
"You should have been more specific!"
Watching as several of the alien ships followed them, gaining fast, the little ahamkara gripped the furs in Brynden's hood more tightly. While she was poking fun at the apparent danger magnet that was her bonded partner, she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
"There's more of them! The ships are firing at us!"
"I really hope they miss!"
For some entirely unexplained reason, the shots unexpectedly veered off to the left and right side, smashing into the valley that the two were running down, causing an avalanche that buried two of the three ships in rocks and snow. Watching as their vision immediately gets obstructed by the powdered snow getting kicked up into the air, the two crouched down as they watched the lights of the third ship fly overhead, seemingly losing interest in pursuing them and flying away.
The little dragon watched her handiwork in glee from her spot in his hood. "Huh, what a strange but fortunate series of events that was."
Shaking his head, Brynden brushed off some of the snow that settled on the furs of his arms. "Yeah, who would have expected them to make a mistake like that." Taking a steady breath, the boy turned and continued walking forward with a smile on his face. "It's rather strange, it seems like every time I'm in over my head, something miraculously happens to save me."
Perching on his shoulder as the visibility cleared up, she responded with an equally half-sarcastic tone. "Strange indeed. Still, let us hope your luck holds true."
Laughing uproariously, the two heard their voices echo through the valley as they continued their journey.
The road so far has been troubling, but that alone could be seen as a bit of a blessing. Using the strife and opportunity that comes with combat situations allowed the budding lightbearer to understand the basics of how to fight. During his first encounter with the aliens, he relied entirely on his instincts and the power that Illuyana gave him, but now he was becoming a seasoned warrior with each new encounter.
"For some odd reason, I feel like it will."
—
Stirring the brothy soup in a pot atop the fire of their camp, Brynden relaxed a bit for the first time in months. Their journey was long, and seemingly endless, but the two of them have been enjoying themselves.
They passed ruined cities and rusted outposts, finding that any people they encountered were just as down on their luck as Brynden's old home was. Minor warlords ruled over the local territories with iron fists, shattering the will of those beneath them with differing levels of tyranny. Constant skirmishes with different warlords, the fallen, or even a strange faction known as the Iron Lords meant that the entire world was engaged in constant warfare.
This led to the two of them avoiding any outposts, sticking to the wilds. While this was beneficial when avoiding the warlords, it did have the unfortunate side effect of being extremely boring.
That didn't mean that no fights came from other lightbearers. Several times, a minor warlord or two would come asking for trouble that Brynden didn't want to give. He tried to de-escalate, he tried to reason with them, but the warlords were too bloodthirsty and too stubborn.
Over time, the undamaged rock and four-armed alien population of the forests and roads of whatever land he decided to walk through severely decreased. He now had gained full control over the power that coursed through his veins, training over the few months they had been traveling nearly every moment he could.
Poking the fire with a stick, he idly remembered one incident.
"You are trespassing. I bet those supplies on your back aren't even yours!"
Shaking his head, Brynden took a step back. Sadly, he only realized too late that the attempt to get out of the situation was seen by the one in front of him as weakness.
"The penalty for stealing is death." The man said, pulling out a sidearm and idly brushing the trigger with his finger.
"Is that a threat?" Brynden said, honestly depressed that walking in these lands could be considered a death sentence for any other travelers. Looking at the sidearm, he honestly thought it looked like it was poorly maintained.
"It's a promise." The man said, aiming the gun at his head. "Any last words, thief?"
Sighing, Brynden felt something in the back of his mind, a familiar feeling now as he felt Illuyana working her magic. Placing his hand on his hammer, he heard as the warlord pulled the trigger on his gun, only for it to misfire with a soft click.
Smiling, Brynden only said, "How unlucky for you." Before wreathing his hammer in solar energy, he threw the hammer as hard as he could at the warlord's face. The man would be lucky, however, as the boy knew just how dangerous the world could be should the fallen find his town with no protection.
His ghost would resurrect him, but by then he would be gone, only to remember the face of the lightbearer that defeated him so easily.
"We have company."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Brynden looked up to see Illuyana in her ghost form. She quickly disappeared using some strange form of her magic, just in time for their company to arrive. Looking over to the side of their camp, he saw a very weak looking man making his way into the light of the fire, clutching his stomach.
Despite the clearly dire situation he was in, the man smirked. He looked dirty, his leather clothes covered in dirt and grime, with his face not far behind. However, despite the fact that the man was clearly weak, dragging his feet behind him as a twinge of agony from some unknown source could be seen in his eyes. Despite the power he wielded now, the gun on this strange man's hip kept Brynden on edge.
"Good evening stranger."
Not trusting the man in the slightest, Brynden placed a hand on his revolver. Deciding to be polite, he tried words first.
"These are troubling times, friend. Excuse me if I don't trust you outright. State your business."
The man's eyes remained firmly on the stew Brynden made, only turning to him once he spoke up. His mouth morphed into a smirk behind his short beard.
"Easy now. I'm a bit down on my luck here, so I don't suppose you'd be willin' to hand over some of your chow?" Glancing down, the snake-like man saw how tense Brynden was and he raised his hands in a disarming fashion. "I don't mean nothin', I promise."
Still not trusting the man, he gestured with a quick flick of his hand toward the man's gun.
"Disarm yourself while you are here, and you can eat what you can. I'm not short on food."
Watching the stranger carefully as he removed his gun and tossed it gently in his direction, Brynden lowered his guard a bit. Taking a seat on the ground on the opposite end of the fire, Brynden kept his eye on the man even as he raised his spoon to have a taste of the food. It was as good as ever, as he always had whatever spices he needed to make it so.
"Generous of you to let a stranger share your food out here, especially me all things considered." He said, gesturing to his weapon on the ground nearby. "I've been wanderin' these parts for some time, and all I've found to eat have been twigs and rocks."
Shaking his head, Brynden pulled out a metallic bowl and poured the man a portion. Placing a spoon in the soup and handing the bowl over, the wanderer grabbed it with bony and shaky arms.
"I've been lucky, I suppose. Plenty to go around for the two of us."
Pouring himself a portion, Brynden happily ate the food. The soup reminded him of home, something that shouldn't be surprising considering it was the same recipe that his mother used to make, but thankfully he had a lot more meat and vegetables available to him at a whim.
"Mmfm." The man said, his eyes widening, talking through his mouthful of tender venison and fresh vegetables. "Thish ish good!"
Smiling, glad that the stranger felt so. "Thank you."
It felt awkward actively talking to someone other than Illuyana now. They had been in the wilds and on the roads for months now, with little to no sign of civilization, and this stranger's interruption showed just how much of a hermit he was becoming.
"Where'd you find all the spices for this out here? Been raidin' a few warlord's stores eh'?"
Frowning at the insinuation, Brynden met the man's dark eyes unflinchingly.
"If I steal from the warlords, who am I really taking from? Them, or the people suffering under them?" Shaking his head, he took another sip of the broth as he thought of how fortunate he was to have a friend like Illuyana. "No, I just came into the wilds prepared."
Giving Brynden another strange glance, all the man said in response was a soft, "Is that so huh?"
With all that needed to be said over and done with, the two ate in silence. Brynden noted that the man ate a whole five more portions before he seemed satisfied.
"Ah, that hit the spot. My thanks kid." He said, placing a hand on his knee and supporting his body as he leaned forward. "Tell you what, I got a proposition for you.'"
Eyeing the man suspiciously, Brynden listened quietly with an eyebrow raised.
Unperturbed by his silent treatment, the man kept his smirk as he continued talking. "I've been thinkin' about opening a bar somewhere, and you are the best cook in the system I'm sure. Stick with me, and I'll make you rich brotha', I promise."
Taking only a moment to take the man's proposition into account, Brynden began to laugh.
"No, I don't think I will." Leaning back, Brynden reminded himself exactly what their whole journey was about in the first place. "I've heard tell of a city free of the warlords. I'm heading there, seeing if it's true."
"Ah," the man said, "The city under the Traveler eh? Well, I suppose I owe you one, since you so generously shared your food with me." Pointing over his shoulder, he gestured towards the way he came. "It's about half a continent that'a way. City's under a giant floating ball in the sky between some mountains, can't miss it."
Blinking, Brynden was officially blindsided by the fact that this stranger knew more information about the mythical city than he had gotten from anyone else on the roads.
"You seem to know more about it than anyone else I've come across."
The man let out a laugh that didn't reach his eyes, shifting in his spot on the ground.
"I suppose I do, but I think my debt for the food has been repaid in full already. Wouldn't want to give out any information for free after all…" Standing up, the man brushed off his pants and held his hand out. Knowing what he asked for, Brynden reluctantly gave the man his gun back.
Grabbing hold of the weapon, the man bowed in a showy, flaunting manner.
"Th' names Wu. Hope I see you around, brotha'."
Despite appearances, and despite the snake-like attitude of the man, he had been nothing but polite. Deciding to do the man a favor, he smiled at him.
"I wish you better luck finding food in the future… at least until you get your bar settled."
Laughing, the man turned around with a hand over his head, and just as fast as the man entered his life, he left it. Yet, for some odd reason, Brynden felt like that wasn't the last he'd seen of the strange drifter
—
The first time he died was a terrifying experience.
Picking fights with fallen left and right was definitely a way to get yourself killed, and it was only a matter of time before a stray shot he didn't account for smashed into his face. Sadly, on this specific instance, that was exactly what happened.
Even as he threw his fiery hammer up to smash itself into the head of yet another alien, an energy beam tore through his defenses from his opponent and buried itself right between his eyes.
…
Immediately, a black expanse was all he was met with. A sort of black purgatory, with a deafening silence all around him. Panic rose up, but there were no bonds to struggle against, no air to carry his screams, and no one to call for help to.
After an eternity, but only a second, something appeared. Above him, something white showed itself to him, coming closer inch by inch. He thought it was the light that the lightbearers called their own, come to save him, but after several more showed up and their triangular shape revealed themselves to him did he understand that they were teeth.
Looking at the massive form of Illuyana, several thousand times bigger than normal descending upon him with her maw open, confusion morphed into horror and terror when he realized his friend is about to eat him.
Flailing around, he was helpless as the dragon descended upon him. He could only watch in absolute terror as he was devoured whole. Immediately, he began to feel cold, so cold, as he felt literally every particle in his body be drained of energy. Bit by bit, moment by moment, he felt every bit of heat and life within him being forcibly syphoned out of him. The thoughts of his mind slowing, and the sight in his eyes dimming, he looked down to his hand. The last thing he saw was his arm beginning to separate into dust right before his eyes, being syphoned like fuel into a strange glowing energy source within the heart of his ahamkara friend.
Before long, the boy knew no more.
…
Gasping for breath, Brynden sat up in a cold sweat. Looking around, he found himself sitting in the same position he was in when he… he…
What the hell happened?
"Are you okay?"
Looking over, he saw Illuyana standing near him, concern clear in her eyes as she examined him up and down. Despite all they had been through, despite their deep bond of friendship at this point, he felt a deep primal fear within him at her appearance.
"Did… did you just…"
Sitting there as he attempted to rationalize the strange vision he had, Illuyana just tilted her head in obvious confusion?
"Bring you back to life? Yes, yes I did."
Shaking his head, he tried to return his attention back to his situation only to blink and remember the feeling of having every iota of energy forcibly removed from my body.
Glaring at her angrily, he pointed in her direction.
"Did you just eat me?!"
Blinking, she looked confused for only a moment before realization seemed to hit her.
"Well, I devoured the reality where you died to gain the energy to bring you back if that's what you're asking. You're welcome by the way."
What?
Shivering as the thought of what he just went through crosses his mind again, he lay back down on the dirty ground and stared blankly up to the skies. He honestly didn't know what was worse, the black purgatory he was stuck in after death, or the feeling of being devoured for energy to bring him back.
Feeling a weight on his chest, he looked down to see Illuyana, now in a completely different form where she had six eyes and two strangely curled horns atop her green-scaled head, looking up at him sadly.
"Are… you okay?"
Appreciating the attempt to change her appearance to more comfort him, he nodded.
"I just… need a few seconds. That was…" Thinking of a way to say this without hurting his friend's feelings, he decided to go with, "unsettling."
Shifting her weight from side to side, unintentionally tickling him in the process, she seemingly lost herself in her own thoughts.
"I'm sorry. I should have told you, or warned you… I… I'm not the same as their ghosts, and I can only-"
Cutting her off, he curled his arms to catch her as he sat up.
"You literally resurrected me from the dead, and you are apologizing to me?" Feeling touched, he rubbed her head affectionately. "Don't worry about it, and don't think you need to change what you look like to make me feel any better. I'll get over it, I promise."
Smiling, he watched as she morphed into her normal red-scaled form. Smiling brightly up to him, she nuzzled his chest.
"I hope this doesn't change anything… While we ahamkara aren't exactly used to this whole friendship thing, but I have grown extremely fond of you, oh friend mine."
Feeling a bit touched that she would admit that, he squeezed her a bit tighter. The two sat in silence, just enjoying the moment before he stood up and retrieved his revolver from the ground. Shaking off the last few shivers of dread, and knowing full well that he would be having nightmares of what just happened, he continued onward with his journey, stepping over the body of one of the fallen he had previously killed.
"You know, if you die again, that same thing will happen… right? I don't have another way of resurrecting you."
Shivering violently at the suggestion, the boy didn't want to think about that right now… at all. He would face it with a bit more strength next time as he at least knew what was happening, but he felt like he would never get used to it.
Maybe that's a good thing? A healthy fear of death might serve me well. After all, I'll definitely be trying to improve my combat skills and keeping an eye out for snipers in the future…
—
It was about time to see if Illuyana's disguise could fool those it needed to.
Floating lazily over Brynden's shoulder, she kept her shifted robotic eye on anyone and everyone she could. The two of them agreed that they needed to see just how foolproof their disguise was in a relatively controlled environment, hoping that the other lightbearers couldn't tell the difference.
Over time, they had gathered up quite a bit of knowledge on the various warlords that held names worth remembering. According to the spattering of different wandering lightbearers heading to the Traveler, and even those that were ghostless, there was a group called the Iron Lords that were intending to wipe out the warlords and usher in peace by either adding them to the allegiance or outright extermination.
Unfortunately for them, not a lot of people believed their mission to be true. According to the ghostless, the Iron Lords were exactly the same as the warlords, with tales of displaced innocents and killed peaceful lightbearers who disagreed with them alike.
Illuyana brought up the point that should they win, an encounter with the Iron Lords was inevitable. While he knew that he would eventually meet them in peace or not, there was only one issue. They needed to conduct their deception experiment in a more controlled environment. Walking casually into a group that is confident enough in their strength to actively antagonize every warlord in the world in order to try and deceive them wasn't a recipe for survival… Much less if they were ambushed.
And so, over time, the two of them began to try and get as much information as they could about the warlords of the area, trying to figure out which one would be the most likely not to outright attack them on sight, and let them leave amicably once their little experiment was done.
According to every non-lightbearer they came across, only one name came up as a warlord that was strict but kind to those that kept his peace. Sadly for them, the rumors also said he had never been defeated in combat before, and that he was not a man to be trifled with.
Lord Shaxx.
Sadly, there was no legitimate purpose that either of them could come up with as to why the two of them would travel off the well-traveled roads to a remote castle in the mountains just to talk to the man… until Brynden had the bright idea to challenge him to a duel.
And so here they were, looking up to a run down castle-like structure built into the side of a nameless mountain. To say that Brynden was a bit apprehensive about the upcoming encounter was an understatement, and he was thankful when his disguised friend floated down to try and give him a bit more confidence.
"You are an idiot, you know that?"
"I know."
"He is definitely going to try and kill you."
"I know."
"Then why do you want to do it?"
Fully committed at this point, he continued his walk with a bit more confidence.
"Because if I win, I know I'm strong enough to protect you. If I lose, I might learn something, and he isn't likely to kill you with me… indisposed."
Moving her robotic shell in a way that could be considered shaking her head, she followed her friend.
"Don't worry Brynden, I'm here with you."
Chuckling, he mumbled under his breath as he took a step forward.
"Yeah… Worst comes to worse, I can just wish him dead."
Laughing, she turned back to face forward.
"I'd make it painful too."
Making their way in the summer sun up to the strange keep, the first thing of note was the open door. Giving a glance to Illuyana who returned it, the two made their way inside. Looking around, the boy saw a run down castle with a few men and women rushing about, doing their best to avoid him. He knew those looks, as it was the same exact look of barely disguised fear that he remembered giving to any lightbearers that visited his old home.
A moment of silence came and went as Brynden looked around before shouting could be heard within an ancient wooden door. After a moment, the ancient doors cracked open to reveal who could only be Lord Shaxx.
Brynden glanced at the massive man from his spot in the middle of the open, honestly surprised at what he saw. Shaxx gave off an aura of complete confidence behind a strange orange and white helmet. His armor appeared complete and whole, something that was seemingly a rarity even among the lightbearers.
"Who are you, another challenger coming to take my keep from me?"
Shaking his head, Brynden tried to explain.
"Challenge you, yes, but not to take your keep." Standing strong, he tried his best to look confident. Going over his little speech he came up with in his mind, he pointed toward the clearly experienced warlord. "My name's Brynden. I've heard you have never lost a fight. Let us see if you are as strong as they say."
The orange-clad warlord didn't hesitate in his laughter, uproariously bellowing his north to all of those in the castle.
"You are newly risen, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes." Shaxx said, circling him like a wolf examining potential prey.
So he thinks we are like him then? Good.
Smirking, he met the man's helmeted gaze unflinchingly.
"I may be a bit more new at this than you, but with the rumors that have been spreading around, you are more kind than most. I have a feeling that no matter the result of this duel, I will be walking away from this learning something useful."
"You are a brave one…" He said, eyeing Brynden up and down for a moment before perking up a bit. "I like that!" Striding up to him without a worry in the world, the warlord slapped him on the back loudly, forcing a grunt from Bryn's lungs. "You will have your duel, but not here. My keep has enough holes in it already." He said, gesturing out the open doorway.
Smiling a bit that this little gambit was paying off, he was led out of the warlord's keep into a relatively open field off to the south side of the castle. Illuyana floating nearby, she listened intently as she waited for the boy to give her a signal, any signal, to intervene.
"So what do you hope to gain, really, from this? You must know what's coming." Shaxx said, not even bothering to look over to him as he spoke.
Reaching the field, Brynden made his way to the opposite end.
"I swore to someone that I would protect them. I can't do that if I don't know how to fight properly." Raising an eyebrow at the warlord at the opposite side of the field, he raised his hands and prepared to defend himself. "Can't learn if all I fight are rocks, bandits, and fallen. If something comes, I want to be ready. From the rumors I've heard around, you seemed like the one that would be the best to learn from."
It was at least partially true. While he wasn't the worst at fighting, he wanted to use his newfound power in the best way he could.
Hearing Shaxx only grunt in response, he crossed his own hands over his chest, clearly relaxed in his spot. "Let's see what you are made of then. Hit me with your best shot."
Immediately raising his guard, Brynden unclipped the hammer off his belt. Feeling the rush of energy that came naturally to him now, Brynden wreathed the hammer in flames. Throwing the weapon squarely at the warlord's face in only a distraction, he switched tactics and charged him head on, lightning wreathed in his fists.
Brynden could spot as the warlord dodged the hammer, the weapon sailing past him as he sidestepped and raised his own hands. In a swift movement brought on by his own electrical energies, Shaxx grabbed hold of Brynden's arm even as he swung at his face and spun him around. Throwing him back, Brynden slid across the dirt before coming to a rest right back where he started.
"You shift from one form of light to the next like it's natural. Not many can do that."
Brushing the dirt from his furs, Brynden got back to his feet and re-evaluated his strategy here.
He's faster than me. Maybe if I can…
"You got this Brynden! I believe in you!" Illuyana yelled from the sidelines, her disguised robotic voice sounding odd to him even now.
Smiling at the encouragement, he came up with another plan of attack.
Swapping between energy forms is rare eh? Let's see how he deals with…
Wrapping himself in solar energy, he charged at the warlord again. Throwing a condensed ball of solar energy at him, he watched as the warlord was forced to move or be destroyed by the grenade.
Following the motions as best he could, Brynden intentionally over swung and missed the warlord in an attempt to bait him. Seeing the punch coming, the boy smiled as a shield of void energy formed on his overstretched arm. Blocking the titanic blow as the void shield on his arm rang like a gong, Brynden wreathed himself in electricity as he swiftly moved to sweep the warlord's feet out from under him. Happy to see that his kick would connect, he was-
…
What the…?
Recognizing the black void for what it was, Brynden spun around and found the massive projection of Illuyana looming overhead. This time, she hesitated, eyeing him down with a massive sapphire eye. After a long moment, she spoke up. "I'm sorry Bryn." She said, sounding saddened that she would need to do this again.
"This was my choice. Just get it over with."
Steeling himself, he straightened his posture and dealt with his fate as best he could…
And yet he couldn't stop himself from screaming.
…
"Your light burns strong. Not many can outright block a punch from me… but you are overthinking it." Shaxx's voice said from over his prone body. "You are trying too hard to have flair, but sometimes all it takes is one good punch or a few more grenades. You will do well enough given time."
Reaching down, Shaxx offered his hand which Brynden gladly accepted. Pulling him to his feet, Shaxx placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Try again. This time, be more direct. You wield your light like a tool, but it's a part of you, like your arm or leg! You must be either unshakable or earth shattering!"
Knowing full well that he was about to be eaten by his draconic friend far more often than he thought he would be today, Brynden shivered as he took up his spot across the field from the warlord.
Before their encounter started again, Brynden heard Illuyana's voice from the sidelines.
"Try not to die this time Bryn!"
Feeling his eye twitch, he yelled back toward the robotic eyeball that his friend was currently.
"Thanks, why didn't I think of that?!"
Uproarious laughter came from Shaxx as he readied himself for another duel. Something within Brynden just knew the man was enjoying this.
—
The two of them stayed under Shaxx's roof for a month after they arrived. The man was surprisingly kind, offering his hospitality so long as Brynden worked to better the lives of those he watched over by patching holes or providing food to those who needed it.
Life became strangely normal for a week or so, manual labor becoming a regular pastime as he helped the men of the keep with whatever they needed. The tasks seemed to be looking ahead to the future, as most of the gaps would let the cold air of winter in when the seasons turn again.
Unsurprisingly, Shaxx continuously accepted Bryn's challenges over the month that they were here. Not that Brynden was complaining, but being revived was an absolutely terrible experience, second only to pretending to the warlord they were deceiving that it was nothing. Thankfully, the boy learned quite a lot about his powers in that time, and was definitely a much better fighter by the end.
The most important lesson, however, was that just because his 'light' was significantly stronger than the person in front of him does not make up for experience and skill. Those were learned over time, and he had all the time in the world.
"Where will you go?" Shaxx said, standing in the still-open gateway.
Illuyana, now completely unafraid of the orange clad man, flew up close to him.
"Why? Are you going to miss us?"
Shaking his head and laughing, the warlord's only response was. "I might."
Shifting his now empty pack of supplies on his back, he walked back to Lord Shaxx.
"We've heard of a city under the Traveler where we might not get caught in the fights between you warlords… No offense." Brynden said, taking a moment to remember the direction that Wu told him to go. "We are going there. Maybe we can find a bit of peace…"
Holding a hand out, the orange clad lightbearer shook his hand gladly with an iron grip. "Peace is not a luxury we can afford. Know that those you protect will need your power so any peace you can give them sticks." Tiling his head toward Brynden, he continued. "With light as strong as yours though, I'm sure the Speaker and the Saint will be happy to have you."
Not knowing who he was talking about, Brynden only nodded. Turning back to the road, he raised a hand over his head. "Goodbye, Lord Shaxx. Maybe someday I'll come back for a rematch."
"Good luck out there Brynden. I can only hope that whoever you were supposed to be guarding hasn't died out there in your absence."
Looking up to Illuyana and smiling, he remembered with a bit of self satisfaction just why he was here in the first place.
"I have a feeling that what you taught me will help me keep her safe…" Smiling back to the warlord one last time, only to see him still standing there silently. "Thank you again, friend."
"Oh please! All you learned from him was how to punch stuff harder and throw more grenades!"
Shifting his, now completely full pack of supplies, he smiled.
"And yet, I have a feeling that those lessons will help me a lot in the coming years."
—
Floating behind her friend, Illuyana took to making sure she remained in disguise more often now, as meeting lightbearers on the road became more and more common. More than once, one stuck up or overconfident risen would challenge her protector to a fight, only for him to prove his previous words correct with a solid punch to the face or an attached grenade to their chest.
The boy was becoming ruthless in a fight now, throwing punches that obliterated opponents, deadly accurate hammer throws, and perfectly timed void shields to protect himself. Opponent after opponent challenged him, and one by one they all fell.
She could feed on his desire to do better, to become a more skilled fighter, but she didn't. She knew he wanted to do this on his own, and she would respect that…
Mostly…
…
Okay fine, I am very slightly using his desire to speed his progress to do just that. So what? The world was a do or die right now, and he needs all the help he can get! She reasoned to herself, somehow having a minor argument with herself and her own conscience.
Interrupted out of her thoughts, she watched as a ship flew overhead, and then another, and another. She thought they were more of those alien ships, but the design was completely different. Unlike every other time they had seen a ship, this one decided to ignore the wanderers on the road.
Watching closely, she saw as the ship had a strange insignia on the bottom of it. A wolf's head in the center of the trunk of a strange tree.
Odd.
The two walked in silence as the sound ship's engines faded into the horizon, both silently taking in the information they just received.
If those weren't fallen ships…
"Hey, Illuyana?"
"Yes Brynden?"
"What do you think the odds of us finding a ship in the next ruined warehouse are?"
The two had been walking for almost a year at this point, wandering in the vague direction that was given to them by a vagabond months ago. She felt his frustration at their situation, his annoyance at his shoes being worn down and the seemingly endless journey they were on.
But more importantly, she sensed his immense desire to fly one of those ships.
Hearing the unspoken wish in his tone, she would have smiled if she could.
"For some odd reason, oh friend mine, I have a feeling the odds are rather high."
Feeling the magic coursing through her body as she granted his desire, the two of them eventually made their way into yet another abandoned town. Upon reaching a ruined sign with markings in strange markings she couldn't understand, the two companions crossed paths with obvious scavengers.
Gripping a clearly damaged rifle tightly at the sign of Brynden, the man moved to raise his rifle but then clearly hesitated at the sight of Illuyana's ghost imitation.
Brynden, either intentionally ignoring the signs of aggression or blissfully ignorant of them, spoke up.
"Hello stranger. Is there a warehouse in this town? I'm looking for something."
Grunting, the man kept a tight grip on his rifle but didn't make any other aggressive motions.
"Yeah, it's up the hill tha' way, but the town's picked clean. You won't find nothin' there."
Smiling, Brynden simply thanked the man before leaving without another word. Wanting to terrify the man a bit more, Illuyana floated up to him and spun her little ghost chassis around behind her in an attempt to unnerve him before moving on.
"Was that really necessary?"
Looking at her friend, she laughed.
"If you weren't a 'lightbearer', he would have tried to rob you."
Not looking back as he continued up the ruined road into the town.
"He's skin and bones. Do you really blame him?"
Absolutely. I may have accidentally bound myself to you, but that doesn't mean I need to like all the other vagabond humans scouring the ruined landscape for scraps…
Cresting up the hill, the two of them saw the warehouse in question. The roof was rusted and caved in, the remains of a sign declaring the business it belonged to long since rusted to the slow decay of time and water.
Sensing the man following them, she turned to Brynden.
"You know he's following us, right?"
"Yeah, I know."
The two, ignoring the man, found an entrance to the broken warehouse. The door frame on one side had lost its ability to support the weight above it, leaving only a small area that Brynden would need to crouch under to make his way inside.
The warehouse, if it could even be called that, was a rusted heap. The building's supports have long since crumbled under its own weight, the terrible thin metal sheets that previously made up the building's only resistance against the elements. Broken glass from different bottles littered the mud-covered floor, the crunch from Brynden's worn boots crushing the only remains of the warehouse's products.
Ducking under another broken support beam, Brynden spoke up. "Really? You couldn't put it in a better warehouse?"
Glaring at him angrily from her spot in the air, she responded with a quick, "How was I supposed to know what the 'next ruined warehouse we come across' would look like? Why don't you specify a -not- ruined one next time?"
Chuckling, he shook his head as he shuffled past a rusted vending machine with the glass on the front smashed and picked clean an untold time ago. "I don't think any warehouses aren't ruined at this point."
Following an unseen path through the rubble, the two of them began to search through the rubble for the miraculous ship that they both knew was there. Examining a rusted wrench that hasn't seen use in at least a hundred years, Illuyana decided to tease him a bit more.
"You know, you could have just asked for it to show up right there in front of you."
Watching as the boy stopped flat as the thought hit him, she could almost hear the boy's thoughts of regret and annoyance at himself. However, unintelligible grumbles were all he was willing to vocalize before the two came to a closed rotted out wooden door. Pushing it lightly, the entire frame of the door detached and smashed violently into the room.
Looking around the only standing room in the warehouse, there was a massive ship sitting completely untouched with trash and glass all around it. The only lighting to show off the sleek silver hull of the ship was what little sunlight poked through the rusted holes of the sheet metal roof.
"Woah…" She heard Brynden say, and she honestly couldn't blame him. She was of a similar mind when looking at the metallic marvel in front of them.
It looked sleek, definitely a relic from a forgotten age an uncountable years in the past, taken from its home among a spacefaring species exploring the stars and placed in the rusted remains of this forgotten place. There was an open ramp leading into the ship, almost as if it was welcoming them in.
"Well, there it is." Brynden said in stunned disbelief. "I don't think I've ever seen anything this shiny before…"
Looking it up and down with her little robotic eye, Illuyana noted that it was, in fact, really shiny. However, she was more concerned about if it worked or not.
"Let's get in and see if you can fly this thing."
Stepping onto the ramp that led inside, she heard him speak up.
"You know, I don't know how to fly…"
Morphing into her draconic form as they stepped inside, stretching her legs out for what felt like the first time this week. Looking up to him, she smiled as her eyes glowed with an arcane blue light.
"I'm sure you can figure it out."
—
Rising up through the rusted metal and broken support beams, the ship burst through the warehouse's roof like an emerging butterfly from its shell. Looking out of the front of the ship, Brynden could spot the wide eyed and absolutely stunned look of the man as the ship began to take off.
Pressing a few buttons on the display that not only a few moments ago confused him deeply, the boy grabbed hold of the yolk and turned the ship to veer off in the direction he needed it to go.
"Have I mentioned how much I appreciate your friendship?"
"You could care to mention it more."
Watching as the landscape whizzed by at an alarming pace, Brynden felt a bit unnerved by how fast they were going. Raised in a tent city under a warlord, the fastest thing he had ever seen was a bicycle, and yet here he was flying a ship he was sure was going speeds he didn't even know someone could go.
"The man in the woods said that the city we are looking for was in a mountain valley under a giant floating ball in the sky, right?"
Looking over to the wolf-sized Illuyana, she looked completely relaxed and comfortable curled up on the co-pilot's chair. He could have sworn she grew even a little bit since the last time she was in this form, but filed that away for another time.
As he spoke up, she opened a sapphire eye in his direction, acknowledging him.
"Yes. Said we couldn't miss it."
Sighing, he gripped the controls to the ship a bit tighter.
"Alright… Guess I need to start looking for some mountains…"
—
"Well, that's it."
Looking out of the viewport in stunned surprise, the little ahamkara felt a pit of anxiety filling her as she gazed at their destination.
The Traveler.
She knew what it was, as she felt the paracausal energies of the impossible machine humming dormant in the distance. Yet that wasn't what gave her the feeling of immense stress.
No, that came from the city below, and despite the ragged and undeveloped nature of it, it was definitely a city. Hundreds, if not thousands of people were there sprawled out in a strange circle of torch lights and tents.
It was strange. They had been on the move for almost a year at this point, and now that it was over, Illuyana didn't quite know how to feel. On the one talon, they no longer needed to fight for their lives, but on the other…
… I better get really good at acting like a ghost…
Flying the ship over the city, Brynden eventually found an open spot to land. Bringing the ship down, he landed softly in a grassy field.
"Ready?" He said, unstrapping himself from his seat and standing up.
Morphing herself into her ghost form, she followed behind him silently. Normally she would make a witty response, but they would be stepping out into a world filled with lightbearers and potential threats.
Noticing her silence, Brynden turned to her, almost as if sensing her apprehension.
"I will protect you, I promise."
Making eye contact with him, she nodded. She could feel the resolve in those words, and despite the words being repeated previously on their journey, she was glad to know she could fully trust him.
Opening the hatch, the two stepped out onto the grassy ground. Immediately, they were met with four armed people all standing at the entrance to his ship.
Looking them over, Illuyana noted that two of them had the same strange markings on their armor that the ships did not too long ago. The artistic drawing of wolves and trees was all over their intricate armor, and she couldn't help but notice the capes.
However, the other two were also worthy of note. A strange man in robes and a bird-like golden headdress that held an aura of command around him, and a white armored man with a strange mohawk-helmet that she noted that he couldn't possibly see through.
"You there, lightbearer. State your business." Said the man with the strange golden headdress. His voice was smooth and confident, giving the impression that he was more curious at the unexpected interruption rather than hostile.
Brynden stepped forward, just as confident. "I've heard of this city even from very… very distant places." He eyed the apparent leader expectantly. "I don't suppose you need another pair of hands to help around here?"
Tilting his head back and squinting his eyes, showing distrust, the man shifted where he stood. "While I'm sure we would appreciate whatever help you can…"
He was interrupted as the man in the white armor walked up and held a hand outstretched toward Brynden who reluctantly took it. "Welcome to the Last City. We would be glad to have you here!" He said, his accent thick but his enthusiasm clear to see.
The, now confused, leader turned his attention fully to his companion.
"Saint, you trust too easily."
Saint, seemingly offended, releases Brynden's hand who immediately begins to rub at his crushed palm.
"And you are too suspicious! I am very good at judging character. You know this." He said, walking away as if their job here was done. "He said he wants to help? I say we let him. There, crisis over."
The three remaining companions shook their heads in fond amusement, but thankfully they appeared far more relaxed than before.
"Well then!" The gold-adorned leader said, regaining everyone's attention. "My name is Osiris, and let me be the first to officially welcome you to the Last City."
-Author's Note-
Hello everyone! Not much to say here. Almost 8k words of a chapter for you. Hope you enjoy, oh reader mine.
Wrangling the timeline from the lore of the dark ages is kind of difficult, so this is what I'm running on. The fight between Felwinter and shaxx happened before Zavala went to the last city, but during that fight Shaxx mentioned Saint. Meaning Saint was there first. I can extrapolate from there that Osiris was also a regular at the beginnings of the last city, as he studied under Felwinter but didn't join their order then became the warlock vanguard eventually.
Y'all have no idea how long I've been staring at lore cards… Send help.
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