"Well?" Wildfyre twirled for several seconds. When she paused to look at Eirena and Lyndon, there was a smile on her face. They were at Miriam's place, and she'd just finished going through the catalog to choose a clothing style. She'd do this several more times throughout the Journey, but the first time always took the longest because she liked experimenting with various styles, she thought might look cute on her. In the end, she was, as usual, torn between Archon, Firebird, and the basic cloth style that would show off her underboobs. Ultimately, she chose against cloth clothing because she didn't want to be basic. Or worse yet, seen as a woman "wanting some".
"I have never seen you happier while doing this," Lyndon commented. "It's almost as if Kormac sucked the life out of everything. I'm glad to be rid of him."
Eirena looked like she wanted to chide Lyndon for his words, but she understood a fight would sour the moment more for Wildfyre than Lyndon's words would. Not to mention the fact that they all agreed Lyndon was right. Without Kormac around, things were less stressful. Not just with the absence of his constant prattling of justice, honor, and glory. But they weren't treated like children who didn't know anything and couldn't make a single choice on their own. The only good thing that seemed to have come out of his departure was that they had begun to think more before they acted. Kormac was their strength and armor, and without him, they at the very least, needed to be more logical and strategic.
Lyndon's current comment was about how Kormac always pressured her—all of them, really—to wear more armor. She and Eirena were magic wielders, though. Kormac understood they didn't often place themselves in situations where they'd be in the thick of things. But he would always tell them their higher elemental and magical resistance couldn't stand up against physical damage. He didn't seem to understand that armor weakened their damage unless it was made with magic in mind. It was by far better for them to kill their opponents fast than to find the endurance to tough out a battle long enough to kill a creature.
As for Lyndon, he was agile and also stayed back when in combat. For the most part, he was only able to shoot one enemy at a time. Launching three arrows always took so much focus and energy out of him, so much so that he only did it if he were certain he'd execute the enemy. Because of his reload times, he occasionally got surrounded. He was pretty good with his daggers, if not deadlier, but he preferred not to let things get to that point. And to be honest, she'd do anything to ensure he remained safe. Except for benching him, as she knew overprotectiveness always caused problems.
Finally, she spoke. "It was really nice not to deal with his comments about every choice. I mean, I do try armor pieces, but few of them please me aesthetically. Despite how cumbersome armor can be, if I could find some armor that was made for magic, protective, and pleasing to the eyes, I wouldn't hesitate to wear it. Or if I chose to change Class to a Crusader or Barbarian. Possibly even a Demon Hunter. Then again," her voice lowered as she trailed off in thought, "Femme Fatale, Lacuni in sheep's clothing, etc." After a few seconds of silence, she continued. "I'd much rather people look at me and think I'm soft enough to be taken advantage of from the start than to have them carefully plot how to destroy me. Look at Eirena."
"Hmm?" Eirena sounded clearly confused, but Wildfyre continued before she could speak.
"You are from centuries in the past. So many things have changed in the time you slumbered as you awaited my arrival. Many have attempted to take advantage of your ignorance or naivete, only to find they messed with the wrong person. Despite your lack of knowledge of Sanctuary as it is now, your intuition, perception, and deduction skills have served you well. That's what I go for. And that's what Kormac doesn't seem to understand."
"Perhaps he just views it differently than us. In his mind, the very name of a Templar inspires confidence in allies, or fear in one's enemies. He may think the more terrifying the armor looks, the less likely people or creatures are to pick a fight, as they are confident they will lose. Doing so saves strength for the deadlier, braver, or more foolish opponents."
Again, Wildfyre was silent at the words, but she nodded, for she could see the reasoning behind it. Still, Kormac knew how they felt about his beliefs. It was one thing for him to believe, but he should have stopped talking about it once they made it clear they didn't want anything to do with it. Instead, that seemed to make him prattle on even more, as if he thought the more they knew or the more he talked about it, eventually, they'd learn something that would make them side with him, or be educated in his beliefs just to make him shut up. Because he thought he was trying to spread necessary knowledge, he likely would never see his needling as attempts to shove his religion down their throats. They also understood that, aside from his faith, everything Kormac said was because he had their best interests at heart and in mind. She turned to Lyndon as she decided to cast such thoughts from her mind. "You still haven't answered."
He chuckled. "It doesn't matter what I think. You're going to choose the Archon style." There was a pause as he reached up a hand to cup her cheek. "And it doesn't matter what you wear. You look beautiful in anything." Lyndon leaned forward to whisper in her ear—though not too close to her ear since he knew she didn't like that. "But not as beautiful as you look in nothing."
She blushed deeply, and though Eirena hadn't heard what was said, she chuckled. To save face, Wildfyre turned back toward Miriam. Now that she'd decided on an outfit, she needed to dye it. Of course, she might change her mind on some pieces based on how the dyes looked on them. Although she usually chose Cardinal, Golden, and Forester dyes, she liked experimenting with different colors. There were only twenty-one dyes— and two unique ones that you had to pay the Battle Net Corporation for—and that limited selection was something she was sorely disappointed about. It had been so long since the Battle Net Corporation had released new dyes. Estuar had its own collection of dyes. Though from what she understood of their dyes, they were offered in template form and not singular like these. What that meant was beyond her. All she knew was that Estuar had yet to share their dyes with the Western Kingdoms. Why not was a mystery.
After several minutes, she finally chose her usual colors and brought out her weapon for Miriam to inspect. The Mystic placed two pieces of parchment on her table, and a list of the attributes currently on the weapon appeared on the first page. Only when Wildfyre touched one of the affixes did words appear on the second page. Those words revealed what that attribute could be changed to, and its ranges. She paused to think. Right now, her biggest concern was preventing unnecessary death, whether that be her own, Lyndon's, or Eirena's. That meant she should go for as much damage as possible.
It took her ten tries to roll Intelligence to the high end of the range, only to curse as she was finally successful.
"What is it?" Eirena questioned as she approached, and Wildfyre blushed, as she hadn't realized she'd cursed loudly enough for them to hear from several feet away.
"Nothing, except that I forgot one of the tasks was to add a socket to a weapon. Plus, a Flawless Royal Emerald in the weapon would have given me far more damage than the extra 30 points of Intelligence." She flinched at her tone, only to realize her eyes burned, and she shook, which only caused her to curse again. Why did such simple things going wrong frustrate her so much to the point where she wanted to break down and cry? It was an accident that could have happened to anyone. But she should have expected something to happen. Things always went wrong when she was happy. Almost as if the High Heavens or the Burning Hells had something against her.
"Hey!" Lyndon wrapped his arms around her from behind, and his warmth and heartbeat did much to calm her. "Breathe." Other than that, he didn't say anything that would seem patronizing. He knew well how these episodes of hers worked and how, unless she asked for help, she just needed comfort.
But as he began to walk her away, she was reminded that her last panick attack had been while visiting Miriam, and it only upset her more. She didn't want to embarrass him like this. It was bad enough that people seemed to think he'd gone soft because he'd chosen to be with her. Wildfyre tried to push him away, an act that seemed to surprise him, but he only tightened his grip on her. "I don't care if others see me," he whispered into her left ear. "Go ahead and let it all out."
As usual, strangers paused to watch the scene. Wildfyre was too out of it to pay much attention, but she did know that not long after she noticed the crowd, Eirena left, only to come back a minute or so later. When she did, Eirena took hold of one of her hands and placed an object in it. Nearly instantly, Wildfyre stopped crying—though she still struggled to breathe normally—and focused on the item. It was a gemstone that shone different colors depending on how she held it, how much light hit it, and where it hit it. She was vaguely aware of Lyndon removing his arms to reposition his grip on her. His arms were still wrapped around her chest to provide a sense of warmth and comfort, but now she had freedom of movement with her arms to better investigate the shiny.
Lyndon chuckled as he placed his chin on her shoulder. "She cannot resist the power of a shiny, can she?" Wildfyre blushed at his words and elbowed him gently in the chest. He gasped more in surprise than pain and did not let go of her.
Though they said nothing, Eirena and Lyndon continued to watch her, amused by her absorption in the shiny. Eventually, Wildfyre gasped and squealed. Lyndon had to let go of her at this point because she squirmed too much in her excitement. "This is a Source!" She bounced up and down several times, which made it clear to them there was more to the item than just being a Source. "Won't be as good as myOrb of Infinite Depth, but I can use it as a cosmetic transmogrification. Sad that person didn't know the value of what they had."
"I don't think most common people would. And only those of the Wizard or Enchanter Classes would recognize it as a Source. It is quite fortuitous that it fell into our hands."
"Did you? Is that why you brought it to me? Or because you noticed it as well?"
"Noticed what? How can it be more than a Source?"
Wildfyre smiled, used one hand and her powers to lift the gem several feet above her head, then gestured with the other hand for the Disciples to stand back. After several seconds, the gem began to crack. Slowly at first, and then quicker as the original cracks made it weaker and weaker. Until, finally, it exploded in a bright ball of color. She shielded her face with her arm, but the light was bright enough to irritate her eyes even with that barrier.
When she lowered her arm, she felt something in her hand. Wildfyre opened it to see a small stone shaped like a flickering flame. It had an inner color of blue, symbolizing the hottest part of the fire, while the outer edges were red-orange. She didn't recognize it as a Journey badge, nor would she have received one from a random person. So, what on Sanctuary was it? Her ears caught the sound of a crackling fire, and she lifted her head to look before her, only to go still at the sight of a Manticore, burning the same fiery hue as the outer edges of the stone. The creature wasn't just any Manticore, though, but one of the rarest to exist in Sanctuary and was said to come from a warring world called Azeroth.
There were other beings like it, from other worlds. How any of them made their way to Sanctuary was a mystery. Some people believed the Battle Net Corporation existed in those other worlds and was more powerful than the Nephalem. Yet, nobody had ever come forward with definitive proof of Battle Net Corporation. Anyone who claimed to have seen or interacted with a member either completely changed their story later or was pretty much crazy. Wildfyre believed in their existence and the validity of most stories she'd heard. After all, if there were a power on Sanctuary greater than that of the Nephalem, of course the beings who held such power would want it to remain a secret.
Her focus returned to the Manticore before her. She knew it had a name in its world, but it was no longer there. Wildfyre extended her right hand, palm down and fingers bent toward the palm, for the cat to sniff. Once its ears perked up, she slowly flipped over her hand and gave her scritches under the chin. "Hello. My name is Wildfyre. This is Lyndon and Eirena. Welcome to Sanctuary, Fyrena."
Fyrena shook herself as if she were wet. Wildfyre stepped toward the Manticore to mount her, only to be stopped as Lyndon grabbed her arm. "As much as I know you would love to bond with the creature, perhaps you can find the patience to do so after we've checked off our To-Do list today."
"Or maybe even do it tomorrow after you regain your energy from the Master Nephalem Rift. At least buying from Kadala will be easy enough if you can find a Blood Thief in the Rift. You might even get lucky and get a Legendary item from her."
She sighed. "You're right. Plus, the next thing on my list to check off is all the Bounties from each region. So, I must save as much energy as possible for that." Wildfyre channeled some fire magick into the stone, and the Manticore disappeared. However, she was surprised that nobody had come forward to investigate the strange creature or run from it in fear. Then again, they may have thought it was some illusion spell or something. Although Wizards had a set of Familiars they could summon, a Manticore wasn't one of them. Nor could a Witch Doctor or Demon Hunter, but it wasn't as if the common person would know such a thing.
For several seconds, she stared at the stone she held in her hand and wondered how she would put it on her person. But then the stone transformed. It was still the same fiery shape as before, but now it had a hole in the top to be slipped onto a chain. Before she could even open her mouth to ask, Eirena had taken the stone from her and attached it a few chain links over from the Phoenix-Wolf pendant. Wildfyre smiled, and a sound of contentment escaped her.
"It looks beautiful on you." Eirena smiled at Wildfyre and then turned to head toward the Obelisk, which caused Wildfyre to groan. The Enchantress glanced back at her.
"I'm sorry. I know it needs to be done, but I really just don't want to go right now."
"Can't keep putting it off, wolfcat. Tell you what? Complete the Master Nephalem Rift, and I'll give you a gift."
"Oh?" Wildfyre turned to look at Lyndon. "Can you give me a little preview of this gift?"
Lyndon didn't respond, but it wasn't because he didn't want to. He was more in shocked silence at the fact Eirena had approached, took hold of his face, and without warning, drew him into a deep tonguey kiss. Wildfyre moaned under her breath at the sight, a sound which, although quiet, both Lyndon and Eirena caught. When Lyndon moved his hand down to Eirena's bottom, she drew away. Her eyes were alight with mischief as she wagged her pointer finger. "Later." The words came out with a bit of husk to them, and Wildfyre smiled at the knowledge that Eirena was into Lyndon as much as she was.
The interaction between Eirena and Lyndon caused her to take hold of Lyndon's hand and rush toward the Obelisk. She felt resistance at first but knew it was likely because he was surprised she was taking him with her rather than a lack of desire to go at all. He'd likely follow her into the depths of the Burning Hells or the heights of the Pinnacle of the High Heavens if she asked him. Which meant a lot considering his sense of self-preservation.
They reached the Obelisk, and before Lyndon even had the chance to question anything, she activated the trial and entered the portal. Orek's voice echoed around them, "Many Nephalem have stood where you are now, but few succeeded in overcoming the trials", but she was more concerned about Lyndon's response.
When they made it inside, he pulled himself from her grasp, and when she turned to look at him, she saw he was definitely confused. "When we got together, I thought you'd start taking me on your Rift runs, but you kept choosing Eirena. I understand you were used to her, but it made me feel like you would never ask me. That you thought I wasn't good enough."
Wildfyre's mouth dropped open, and she couldn't find the words to reply for a while. Sadness filled Lyndon's eyes at her silence as he possibly assumed it was affirmation. She quickly moved forward and wrapped him in a tight embrace. One that he hadn't returned yet. "Eirena has always been the first for me to gear as, because I'm a Wizard, most gear will drop with Intelligence. You require Dexterity. That's why I paid so much for Haedrig to make your armor. He special ordered it."
She drew back to see his face and placed her hands on his cheeks. "I've learned to cope with Eirena's deaths. It hurts a lot, but it's not as gut, soul, and heart-wrenching as it would be for your first time. Even though I expect things to go wrong and be unable to save you, I wanted to delay that first death for as long as possible. Lyndon, I never thought I'd love you as much as I do, and I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt. Or the thought of Miriam's cryptic message that the only way to save those I love from the permanent embrace of death is to burn myself out and unlock my full potential. But if that means losing you, even temporarily,…"
By this point, Wildfyre was crying, and he leaned forward to kiss her deeply, so much so that she was certain he was about to start undressing her then and there. For some reason, her line of thought then was that if Orek knew when the Rift Guardian arrived, he would be able to see them. Not that she really had any qualms about others watching, but that was beside the point. Lyndon then glanced up, stiffened, and pushed her away from him. He got in front of her, drew his dagger, and flung it at the creature that had dared to interrupt the moment.
He glanced back at her. "Are you okay?" Only once she nodded did he walk off to retrieve the dagger, and she followed him. "Don't you even think about apologizing," Lyndon added when she reached him. His bow was in his hands, and he was stringing it. "If anything, I should, for doubting you. For thinking for even a second you were that type of person. You're everything I'm not, and for some unfathomable reason, you chose me. It's only right I take that unconditional love at face value."
"Hey," Wildfyre placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay. Not trusting people is a part of why you're so good at your work. I'm not sure if you genuinely love me, but if you do, you might struggle with the concept of not wanting to use and manipulate someone. So long as we are always open and honest with each other, things will be okay."
"It doesn't matter!" Lyndon's tone caused her to flinch, and he shook his head. "I've known you for years. Know you well enough to know that when you give your heart and loyalty to someone, you won't betray them. Hells, you wouldn't do so even if they were your enemy because you don't believe in tit for tat. Even if you thought of paying them back, you'd never do so unless in a way that didn't hurt them. You're an amazing person and far better than I deserve."
Wildfyre opened her mouth to speak, but Lyndon spoke over her. "And don't even try to suggest that I had the right to because of how I felt. Everyone has the right to their feelings, but they don't get to treat others like shit because of how they feel. What I did was wrong, and nothing you say will change that. All that's left is for us to learn from this and move on."
She sighed, a small lift to the right side of her lips as she gazed into his eyes. This. Right here. Was what had made her fall in love with him. This was the softer side of him she'd seen that nobody else had. The side that he tried so hard to hide and bury for whatever reason. Perhaps he'd been betrayed by or lost someone he cared about. He still hadn't been forthcoming about his past, but she was patient and knew he'd tell her eventually. Or if it was absolutely necessary to. Instead of a response, she merely nodded and turned to look at their surroundings.
The layout of this "map" was familiar, and she squealed when she recognized it as The Cursed Hold, where the Butcher kept his prisoners. It was a common spot for a "Goblin Festival", which was just a group of 10- 20 various Goblins. If you were super lucky, you could run into a second group on the same floor of the Rift. Gem Hoarders, Treasure Goblins, Odious Collectors, Gilded Barons, and Insufferable Miscreants were among those that could appear. Malevolent Tormentors, Menagerists, Blood Thieves, and Gelatinous Sires could also spawn in Rifts, but she couldn't recall seeing them in a Gob Fest. Wildfyre was certain that Rainbow Goblins spawned in neither a Rift nor from a Bandit Shrine.
After Wildfyre drew her sword, she ran past Lyndon to finally begin the Rift. Minutes passed, and she was beginning to think they wouldn't make it through this level unscathed when she noticed a Pylon. When she saw the symbol above it, she squealed. "Are you ready to run?" Wildfyre glanced at Lyndon, who chuckled at her excitement and nodded. At his approval, she squealed again before she turned and ran toward the Pylon. As she touched it, she yelled out "Zappy", and ran around, letting the electricity of the Conduit Pylon kill every creature she passed before it could even touch her.
Thanks to Lyndon wearingNemesis BracersandThe Flavor of Time, not only did the Conduit Pylon spawn a group of Elites upon being touched, but its effects lasted twice as long. As the most overpowered of the Pylons to the point where it lasted the shortest time, extending its duration was very beneficial. Sadly, the deaths from the Conduit Pylon only produced half the energy required to summon the Rift Guardian.
Several minutes and close calls later, Orek's voice rang out. "The Rift Guardian has arrived!"
"Look at that thing over there! Let's kill it!" She followed Lyndon's gaze to see Voracity, and she groaned. This Guardian was a version of Ghom. Despite all Haedrig's hard work, their Resistances weren't maxed, and Poison was the weakest. Wildfyre glanced at Lyndon and opened her mouth to tell him to stand back but shook her head and looked back to the Rift Guardian. Being overprotective was never a good thing. If she trusted Lyndon to stand his ground enough to bring him along, she needed to believe he could take on the Boss with her. Still, she wished he had theSkeleton Key.
For the next several minutes, the two deftly avoided the pools of poison and acid slugs sent their way. They took advantage of moments of Stun and distance to unleash flurries of spells and arrows. Eventually, with a pain-filled scream, Voracity died. Wildfyre watched with a mix of amusement and disgust as its belly burst open and the contents of the Boss' stomach spilled onto the ground.
"You're getting too good at this." Lyndon complimented, but she barely heard him, for she had begun to faint. He threw his bow onto the ground to catch her before she could hurt herself. Then, being neither Nephalem nor versed in magick, he could not open a Scroll of Town Portal. After making sure they were in a safe part of the Rift, he knew there was nothing for him to do except lay beside her and pull her body against his chest. Not long later, he fell asleep.
