Quest Deep Within (Eridanus)

[Cascade]

The fireball had hit its target. His laughter became even more hysterical, but he did have the mind to run off to the mass of water in the middle of the chamber. This gave Joffrey and Gianna enough time to recompose their selves. The mad mage emerged from the water. His sleeve had been charred off by the fire, and there was a terrible burn by the shoulders. Albeit he continued to laugh, there was also the impression that the attack did nothing but anger him. “Stand aside, Alarous!” a new voice suddenly bellowed. Gianna, who had been helping Joffrey to his feet, spun around in surprise. Standing from the direction of the cavern’s entrance was a strong looking woman they couldn’t recognize. She had a spear in her hand and wore various battle ornaments. As soon as she had spoken, the mad mage seemed to recognize her as he retreated to a dark corner. The woman strode past the mad mage, Gianna, and Joffrey. She went straight to the burial chamber in powerful strides. In the burial chamber, the remaining skeletons remained unfazed as they marched forward. They could not sense Eridanus’s fatigue, nor were they impressed—they were simply moving according to how they were created. They couldn’t even tell that at this rate, despite his prowess so far, they would likely be able to overcome Eridanus soon. However, as soon as they detected the presence of the woman entering the chamber, they quickly stood aside. Curiously, the woman had been able to enter the chamber armed and without triggering the glyphs. She pointed the spear’s point right at Eridanus. She could sense his fatigue, but she gave no qualms about it. “You dare disturb this chamber? I’ll be your opponent, son of Leth,” she told him, taunting him to come forward.

[Eridanus]

There was a disturbance outside, and Eridanus witnessed this new arrival with interest. She seemed to defy all expected phenomena as the mad mage bowed down to her, and even the skeletons moved aside to grant her a path. Was she the one who created this entire mess? If so, he might be in serious trouble, for it was likely that this spear belonged to her.

"Wait, perhaps we can talk this over...?" He began, attempting to make negotiations. Compared to the mad mage and the overpowered undead, this woman seemed the most human and therefore he assumed that he could make some sort of rational bargain. He was already feeling fatigued physically, mentally and spiritually, and did not really wanted to mindlessly charge into another battle when he could avoid one with words.

Unfortunately, she proudly declared him to be his enemy, and he sighed, going into a practiced stance with the spear with his stolen knowledge. Expanding the aura of Evantia outwards, he began to collect information and intent from his new opponent as he considered her more warily.

"We could always talk, you know..."

[Cascade]

She looked at him skeptically as he made his request. The woman did not appreciate these mortals barging into places they did not belong in, but she also had other questions to answer. As such, she was curious as to how one person could have brought down a number of animated skeletons who were made for the sole purpose of protecting the artifact. For a moment, she seemed to consider his question. The Goddess knew who he was, and killing him here, even accidentally, would be a waste. But she saw the skeletons as well… and realized that simply letting him go would be dim-witted. In the end, she was adamant in her decision to disagree. The only way he would get out of here alive was to convince her that he was worth it. He had to prove himself. “If you shall not make the first move, then allow me,” she said simply. Behind her, Gianna and Joffrey were watching with expressions of horror and curiosity. They refused to cross the glyphs, and they were unmoving and clueless. Brandishing the spear in the most optimal way, the woman lunged towards the Ethaefal. In a few strong strides she was before him, and she swung the weapon horizontally, ready to make a gash across his abdomen. Her actions were powerful and calculated, but she was also holding back, as if testing him.

[Eridanus]

"Well I suppose I didn't mean it that way-" He began, only to be rudely interrupted by the warning flares of Evantia. Unlike the skeletons' blind, feverish attacks, hers was more of a measured and calculated sort. It was as if she was testing the waters, to try to see the extent of his combat abilities before committing more into further attacks. That suited him, for he was wary to jump straight into mindless battle with another thinking sentient being.

Stances and knowledge that the spear granted him was activated in quick succession, and he easily wielded his form and weapon as if they were his beloved long swords. Anticipating her attack, he parried the powerful swings easily enough, though the weapon and his hands rattled with each impact. He kept his smile grim, unwilling to show the physical impact her attacks was having on him, and replied with jabs of his own.

[Cascade]

She analyzed his every movement, and she attacked and parried without much effort. While she was impressed with his skill, he was still no match for her. The Goddess also knew that he was not adept when it came to using the longspear, but somehow, he was getting by with the resources handed to him—and that included the power that the artifact itself held. “Do you know who I am, Son of Leth?” she asked as she parried with a particularly powerful blow. The angle at which she had swung at was strategic, hitting a spot which caused the Ethaefal to lose his balance and stagger back against his will. “I am called the Goddess of War, Victory, and Battle. That spear you hold, it does not belong to you. Tell me why I should not end your life now?” Behind her, looks of surprise met Gianna and Joffrey’s faces. They exchanged glances as realization hit them. They had no idea what they had walked into. Feet away from Eridanus, the Goddess took another stance, this time defensively. She gestured for him to recompose himself, and her expression said all that she needed to say—that she wanted to see everything that he had within him. “Impress me, and I will let you live.”

[Eridanus]

Surprise struck the ethaefal when the lady announced her identity. It was hard to believe, to be honest, though he could feel the surety and confidence in her declaration. He was fortunate enough amongst the folks on this mundane world to have met divinity more than once, and he understood the aura of power that such beings emanated.

Though this figure was not emanating the usual levels of awe that previous deities had, he could feel a subtle tone of it hiding, as if masking the true brilliance of her aura, and the wave of information that Evantia flooded him with began to prove too much for his mind to handle. Mortals could not process that many thoughts and intentions at once.

As if to prove herself right when she seemingly intentionally flooded Evantia with her thoughts, Myri smiled as she made her stand, and Eridanus sighed within. He understood enough of the vicious war-goddess that she would not care for cowards. The time for verbal negotiations was gone, it was time for battle.

Adrenaline surged in his body at the thought of battling a god, and strength from Yahal's blessing filled his body. With Evantia supporting his mind, and Ennervism supporting his body, Eridanus prepared to make his final assault. Using the last remaining sparks of his djed to reactivate the flux in his body, the djed strands jumping throughout his body at will, the ethaefal rushed forward, putting everything he had into one final attack that would decide the outcome.

There was no holding back. Experience, conditioning, magic, gnosis and enchanted relic all factored into his attack. He would strike and jab forth with vigor and energy, dodging and parrying where he could but attempting to strike at least one hit on the warrior goddess.

[Cascade]

With a perplexed smile, Myri’s eyes widened momentarily as she witnessed the surge of strength from the Ethaefal. She returned his strikes, and saw that she needed to put in more effort than had to previously. The Goddess could see that his attacks were amplified by multiple aspects—the artifact, the blessings of other Gods, magic, and his strength itself. And the spear’s point almost touched her own skin if she had not, at the last second, twisted her weapon skillfully to strike it away. Even when impressed, she would not allow a mortal to wound her. Though she knew that if he had more knowledge in using a spear, she would have been struck. Myri had watched him before. If that was a longsword in his hands, she would have had to fight him as an equal. The Goddess locked her weapon with his and then pushed him away. With that, she placed the bottom of her spear on the rocky ground to signal the end of the fight. Knowing that he was fatigued, she gave him a few seconds to recompose himself. “You insult me by coming to this chamber, but as I said, I will let you live because it would be a waste to kill someone with such vigor,” she told him. The Goddess of War granted respect based on ability and prowess, and she saw that he deserved her respect. “I have watched you before, and I know where you are headed. You are going to meet obstacles wherein you would do well to serve my name. I offer you this. I will forgive your trespass if you vow to continue as a true fighter should—with hard work and commitment. What say you?”

[Eridanus]

Eridanus' heart soared as he exchanged blows with the goddess. This was the pure joy in combat, where everything else was stripped away leaving nothing but a match between two masters. There was no worry of death, for he knew that either way he was in her grasp; there was no escaping a god once divinity deigned to materialize. There was nothing else he could do but put his entire self in the moment and to live it to the fullest.

His spear lunged towards Myri, and just before it struck her it was parried away with a more skillful blow, and just as that happened the last of his strength faded away and he stumbled forward, having to use the spear as a crutch as he felt his body go cold, as a beginning sign that further flux usage would no doubt lead to overgiving. As the amplified abilities of the flux disappeared, the magical strength holding his body disappeared too, and the realities of physical exhaustion crashed onto him, causing his legs to shiver clammily.

The adrenaline started to fade, even though his heart pounded so strongly, and with it Yahal's strength left him to fend for himself, even as the divine aura of Evantia detected the end of battle and closed up around him, no longer absorbing intentions from opponents.

"I am defeated," He admitted simply, both hands shaking as he attempted to maintain some sort of dignity and remained somewhat on his feet, albeit unsteadily. Ready to accept the consequences, he gazed up surely to the goddess of war.

However, she seemed to have other plans, and her remarks gladdened him. It was heartening to know that all his previous pleas to her had indeed been heard, and he grinned in delight, though trying his best to hide the smile to maintain some sort of confident decorum.

"From what I have heard, there is no doubt that war is brewing. If the goddess of war herself should so deign to support me in my journey, there is no doubt that there can only be one outcome. I will fight, and will never stop until I am victorious."

Bringing his glance up to look her in the eye, he ended simply, "You know my heart, goddess, even as you have viewed my actions. I will continue as I have before, and no obstacle shall sway my vision."

[Cascade]

A character symbolized by hard work and commitment—that was what the Goddess of War searched for in her followers. The Goddess was pleased. Stepping forward, she reached out to him and let her own strength surge from within her and unto the Ethaefal. Eridanus would feel a new, foreign power in his being as Myri’s mark materialized in his skin. And henceforth, he would an even better understanding of battle. When she was done, the Goddess stepped away once more and pointed at the spear in his hand. “Now, return the longspear,” she told him. “That is not meant for you, and you shall not speak of this chamber to anyone. I assume the same for your companions as well.” Her voice was hard and firm. Myri was known to be merciless as well, and she meant what she said. Behind her, Joffrey and Gianna exchanged glances once more. It was apparent that they couldn’t leave with what they were tasked to come for, but they were not foolish to anger the Goddess further. Up until this point, Myri had not even acknowledged their presence, not deeming them worthy enough. Once Eridanus placed the spear back, he would find that the skeletons would crawl back to their tombs. Myri waited, her expression slightly impatient, and she would watch the Ethaefal with stern eyes until he exited the burial chamber.

[Eridanus]

As Myri stepped up to touch him, the ethaefal felt a rush of power enter his body, and his jubilant eyes gazed upon the ceiling in a spiritual rhapsody as he felt a connection being built between the two of them. Now his life was irrevocably altered, there would be a divine connection, for better or worse, between him and the Goddess of War. Any misgivings that he might have washed away, and he felt amazed at the current brand of insight this connection brought him.

"Sincerest of apologies, my Goddess," Eridanus remarked, returning to place the longspear back on the pedestal. As he did so, the information and knowledge granted by the weapon began fading rapidly, though he tried his desperate best to retain any of the information that he could by forcefully memorizing whatever he could into his consciousness.

"If I had known that this belonged to you, I would not have even dreamed of agreeing to the sailors' task," He clarified as he departed the burial chamber respectfully. "My word is gold, my goddess. Never doubt that."

With that, he paid his final respects to Myri and left the chamber, looking at the amazed faces of the two sailors.

"Didn't expect it to turn out that way, eh?" He grinned, picking up his swords and sheathing them back on his weapon harness. "How about we get out of here and continue on our journey?"

Before he left, however, the scholar turned back to realize that a gaping hole still existed, in the form of the remnant shield he destroyed using his long sword. Closing his eyes briefly as he brought what little djed that remained from his body, he fed the astral substance to what remained of the shield. Instead of building one from scratch, he sought to reconstruct the original shield by using the remains of the shield, bolstered by his insight and personal djed to rebuild the barrier.

It was a task more similar to guiding rather than actual building, and he made liberal use of glyphs to make up for areas in shielding that he could not due to the lack of djed and the weakness that threatened to collapse his body. It was the least he could do in exchange for his unintentional trespass.

"There, that should do it," He finished, muttering to himself as he obsessively added a few more runes to stabilize the structure so as to finalize the integration of his own djed and the original one that formed the shield that no doubt made so many years ago.

"Farewell," He whispered, as he gestured for the sailors to get out of the cavern. The threat of Alarous had been diminished, possibly due to his reverence or fear from Myri's materialization, but it would be in their best interests to leave the area as soon as possible.