Zach and Beira: The Phoenix of Kosetsu

As if slaying this phoenix wasn’t a task enough in itself, he touched the orb and experienced the familiar visions, his mind traversing throughout several planes.  He couldn’t bring himself to stop, feeling icy cold wash over him as well as a penetrating, frosty wind.  The visions fled as quickly as they took over him, leaving him staggering and disoriented.  He stowed the orb and turned to Beira, unfortunately knowing the next move: Kosetsu.  Zachariah briefly frowned, remembering how much of a distaste he had for the tundra.  But, the mission required it, and to Kosetsu they would go. “So, back to Wakusei?” Zachariah asked.  In actuality, he didn’t even want to leave Kyoka.  Had it been up to him, he would have stayed there forever, given the magic power that flowed through just about everything.  Despite the deadly fauna and flora, it was a rather quaint place.  Perhaps he could use the place to train and enhance his magic.  There weren’t many places like this in Fiore, or anywhere he’d been for that matter.

Although he was quite dazed himself, Zachariah was able to ease Beira back to her feet and steadied her shoulders.  “Whoa whoa whoa there, breathe,” he cooed and unsheathed his healing dagger.  The cool metal soothed his hands, and while he didn’t know what currently ailed his partner, the magic of the dagger would be able to heal her wounds regardless.  True, the two had fought valiantly, and this battle was rather short in comparison to the previous battle against the creature’s brethren.  Zachariah suspected the coming battle would be of similar difficulty, the odds in their favor, but never wanted to underestimate a job.  “Is everything okay?” Zach asked, waving the dagger’s healing magic across her body.

He turned his attention back to Kosetsu.  “I bet you’re excited to travel to this next shrine.  It’s essentially all ice,” he commented.  Zach shivered at the mere thought of it.  He considered his previous jobs in the Silent Glaciers to be cold, but he had heard myths about Kosetsu from passing travelers.  After all this interplanetary business with the phoenixes was over, he would swear off of traveling anywhere below moderate climates, for a while at least.  Although he had grown up in a mountainous region, he preferred the sun.  Perhaps it was akin to his use of light magic, but the cold had always felt a bit empty to him.  Even when he utilized the Jotunn soul of Ymir-a power he didn’t like using often-he felt like he lost a bit of himself, a bit of his own warmth.  When they were ready to leave, Zachariah summoned the Starlight Surfer to transport them to a safer location, or all the way to the Wakusei Portals if necessary.  It radiated a sun-like warmth and offered an orange glow to illuminate the shadows.

“Shall we?” he quietly asked.  He was sore in several different places, and he didn’t even realize his Ymir form had expired, but he was ready to go.


[504/7500]

Beira was still recollecting her senses as Zach touched the orb and experienced his own disorienting sensations. The question her partner asked was met with a simple nod; the girl was still feeling rather winded from the last battle. All the same, there still remained work to do, and though it was necessary to attempt to rest and recover some energy before jumping into the next encounter, the sooner work was finished, the sooner a well-deserved bed and meal were acquired. An Utgardian proverb, or at least a proverb with heavy Utgardian sentiment. Procrastination was an enemy; work was best done as soon as possible.

While she had decided to take up her mission partner's offer of healing, Beira was more expecting Zach to just activate whatever secret powers his dagger possessed, and that would be that. Therefore, she was quite surprised when he helped her to her feet and steadied her before using the dagger's healing powers. However, she decided it would be safer for her not to react, because she had no idea how to. Much of her dealings with people had mostly involved her being treated with condescending disdain, on the part of those who believed themselves her superiors, or fawning obsequiousness from those whose stations were below her. The feeling of being treated as an equal in need of help was, for lack of a better word, uncomfortable. Beira realized that was partly the reason she didn't like asking others for help, or burdening them with her own problems. Yet, uncomfortable as the feeling was, it was something that could be borne happily.

"You have my gratitude, Zach. I believe I'm well taken care of now," the God Slayer replied to the Sabertooth mage's question about her well being. The idea of the next place being a planet of ice was, yes, exciting. If anything, Beira would have an advantage in whatever battles would be fought. The next encounter would most likely be much easier than the other two. Beira made a mental note to herself to prevent Zach from doing too much work when the duo arrived on the strange planet called Kosetsu. As it stood, he had done enough work with his magic, and Beira had noticed that he had not used the dagger to heal himself, while using it on her. "I have the feeling that you're not as enthusiastic as I am in visiting Kosetsu," the blonde mage replied, "but the advantage there is that since I'm in my element, it should be a breeze. I must apologize before hand though, I don't have any means to protect you from the weather... but I could give you my cloak. It's quite thick."

She got on the glowing surfboard, and the two mages were off, speeding across the vast expansive lands of Kyoka. Fortunately, the wildlife that took notice of them decided to keep distance from the mages, most likely having seen the battle with the phoenix, and deciding that they weren't cut out for that kind of thing. The trip to the intergalactic portal was quiet and without much event, and soon, the mages stood before the gateway. Beira could already feel the cold emanating from the portal. She turned to Zach, took off her cloak and handed it to him silently.


WC: 550 words
Total: 1054/7500

In spite of Zach's insistence that he would manage in the frigid atmosphere of Kosetsu, Beira was convinced that he would still endure quite a bit of discomfort, due to the almost, if not completely sub zero temperatures of the planet to which the pair would be traveling. As was the usual sensation the Utgardian perceived when engaging in interdimensional travel, Beira felt her skin tingle at the change in dimensional media as the mages crossed the threshold of the Wakusei Portals. Having found the gateway to Kotetsu, the pair exited through it, as the tingling sensation on Beira's skin gave way to a more familiar, refreshing cold.

Beira looked up at the steel grey skies, not glowering enough to suggest the coming of a storm, but just a pale, uniform, bleak slate color, with no other features than perhaps the snowflakes that flitted into visibility from the frigid heights from which they fell. The geography of the planet, or at least where the two mages had found themselves, seemed to be rocky and proliferated with cliffs and other high stone structures. The portal opened into a valley, and a camp seemed to have been built here, although the site seemed to have been long abandoned. There was vegetation, but only of the sort accustomed to half frozen plains an high mountains. As Beira studied the area, she took note of the river, with its torrent running strongly under the deceptively firm covering of ice above it. In the distance, a pale blue light rose unto the grey heavens. That was where they would be headed.

If the same thing held true with the other locations to which Beira and Zach had been in their hunt for the phoenixes, then the shrine to which they would be going was expected to be in an area of low elevation. Even though the mages were in a valley, it stood to reason that the river flowing swiftly meant that the water was moving to lower lands, and the likelihood that the shrine would be in the lower lands was very strong, especially seeing as the direction in which the river ran seemed to be in the general direction of where the cyan light stabbed upwards into the sky. Yet, rivers were never known for traveling in straight lines, so deciding to follow the river was probably a sort of gamble. All the same, it was probably a well-informed one, if Beira was looking for any chances to take.

"I have an idea," the God Slayer said in response to Zach's muttered contemplation. "We could follow the river, and I expect that thought it may not be strong enough to hold our weights as long as we would like, the ambient temperature, assisted so generously by my powers, should be able to ensure that we follow the river's course with considerable ease and safety. That being said, please come with me onto the center of the river. The sooner we're one here, the sooner we can get to more comfortable climes, yes?" So saying, the ice mage walked onto the ice, creating a platform of nether rime to fortify the ice on which she would stand. After waiting for Zach to join her on the ice, Beira swung her hands, using her control of ice to make a large hemispherical bowl with the two mages inside. The back of the bowl was much higher than the front, and there was a curious stout beak of nether rime at the fore of this ice contraption.

"Don't fret, this will be fun."

Leaping out of the bowl, Beira landed behind it, placed a hand to the frozen river surface, and cast her  Ruptura Precept spell. There was a dull boom, and a loud cracking, as the ice shattered beneath the nether rime bowl, sending it into the river. As ice normally floats on water, the nether rime makeshift boat sailed down the river, its large beak breaking the ice on the river before it. The strength of the flowing river was enough to propel it along and not allow it to be stopped by the ice in the fjord. For a while, Beira gripped the rim of the side of the makeshift boat, a slab of nether rime beneath her feet, upon which she surfed the tide of the river, giggling excitedly. Then after a moment of allowing her royal upbringing to catch up with her youthful exuberance, Beira used the ability of her nether rime to freeze even gravity to launch herself up and off the river's surface, vaulting gracefully into the nether rime boat. "Minimal effort, and little waste of our energy, whether physical or magical." Beyond a twist in the fjord's cliff walls, the terrain opened up into sloping lands, with a remarkable vista spread out before the mages. From that height, it was quite visible to see that the place from which the cyan light rose into the sky was not too far off from the river, though there was some forest land that separated the two locations.

"See?" Beira said, pointing in the direction of the shrine. "We get out of our joyride there, and just do a wee bit of hiking."


WC: 872 words
Total: 2877/7500

The makeshift boat of nether rime moved quite smoothly through the course of the dark cold river, speeding along as it was borne on by the current of the waters flowing swiftly down the terrain of Kosetsu. Of course, the fact that Zach was using his light magic to break up the ice before the boat made the journey downstream much less bumpy than it normally was supposed to be, if it was only the stout beak of the vessel's prow that was involved with smashing a way through the partially frozen river. Beira was happy enough to see that Zach seemed to at least be having fun, despite his aversion to the cold weather.

A speck in the distance caught her eye... no there was more than a single speck. Beira turned in the direction of the approaching forms, which quickly enough revealed themselves to be birds. Initially, it was difficult to say exactly what the intentions of these creatures were, for though they seemed to be coming in the general direction of the river, they didn't seem to approach with the sort of urgency that was akin to the mannerisms of a creature in the motions of a hunt. Soon, however, their approach became more focused, their intentions much more clear now. They wanted a meal, and they were certainly not interested in the river's fish. Zach made short work of the birds, in any case, the last one being buried under a load of ice, snow and mountain grit, which also resulted in a temporary swell of the river, pushing the boat faster. With her mission partner's competence, Beira didn't bother to attempt assisting him. It might look more insulting than helpful.

Soon, the speed of the river's flow began to reduce, as the land became somewhat more plain. As the boat came to a stop at a small beach of white sand, Beira followed her partner's gaze to look at the two waterfalls which fed the river, whose waters flowed beyond to lands unknown. This planet was similar to Kyoka in that it was as beautiful as it was dangerous, the bones along the bend of the river lending credence to the fact that anyone who desired to take a hike through this wild land would have to come ready to fight, or ready to be killed. By what, Beira could not specifically say, though she was sure she would find out soon. Beira waited till Zach had gotten out of the boat, then it dissipated into nothingness, causing the God Slayer to drop feet-first into the water lapping the edge of the white beach, with a small splash. She half-walked, half-skipped across the beach towards the forest, apparently oblivious to any danger. Yet in truth, she could feel something ominous, something hidden, watching the two mages.

The air was quite still now, and there was a whistling sound coming from the forest before them. It was probably a bird that was making those sounds, but most definitely a bird Beira had never come across before. "No, you're not going crazy," the Utgardian replied, staring at the wall of trees before them, through which a small footpath meandered from the beach. "There's something making those strange noises deep within the forest. It could even be our song finch, for it sounds like a bird. And yet...." She paused, her senses picking up extra motion behind the two. Something was stealthily slithering out of the river. A curved blade of ice formed in Beira's hand, and she spun suddenly, flinging the blade at the stealthy enemy. It sliced through the neck of a long, black, snake-like creature, which fell to the ground and receded int the river. Before little more than the span of two seconds had passed, half a dozen of identical black snakes burst from the river, snapping at the two mages.

"Hydra!" Beira yelled, drawing on her magic to form a wall of ice to protect herself and Zach from the onslaught of the monster. Two of the heads struck the wall and got stuck on it, causing the other four heads to attempt to attack the mages while trying to avoid the wall. But since they were all connected to one body mass, all the heads had their mobility reduced. Taking advantage of this, Beira dodged round some heads and fired a shard of nether rime into the river. The shard hit the submerged body of the creature, coating it in an ice prison. Creating a large sword of nether rime, Beira charged towards the frozen beast, as the nether rime coating it cracked ominously. The ice wouldn't hold it long, but Beira didn't need a long period of time. She leaped into the river, onto the creature's back, and drove her sword as deep as she could send it, even as the nether rime coating it broke. All the snake heads shrieked in one accord, and then dropped in unison, as the river's current moved the corpse along.

Beira waded out of the icy cold river, wet but not at all seeming to mind. "I think we should get into the forest soonest," she suggested, pointing towards the trail leading into the forest, as the sword in her hand dissipated into a dark purple mist. "Apparently nowhere is safe, and I'm sure that includes the forest. Yet, the sooner we deal with our song finch, the sooner we'll be out of this lovely place. It should be that way, I believe."


WC: 919 words
Total: 4688/7500

The journey into the forest was a relatively interesting one, even if it was uneventful. Interesting, if by the definition of the word, it involved you having the feeling that you were about to be jumped by creeping shadows at every turn, as the cacophony of weird avian-like sounds assailed your ears and gave you the disadvantage of having one of your senses severely handicapped. For someone such as Beira who was a God Slayer, the sounds were almost maddening.However, she decided to keep herself from screaming and firing a blast through the forest, or doing something dramatic. For starters, it would reduce her magic energy, which was not safe to be done in a situation akin to this one, in which the potential, or reality, of danger loomed at every turn. Secondly, Beira concluded that her drama would probably bring her and Zach to the attention of things within the forest, things which currently took nether notice nor care of the two mages. The less things that bothered with the mages, the better for them.

Beira's sixth sense could detect things crawling about in the arboreal canopy above. Most certainly they were not friends. It was quite clear that they were seeking a perfect moment to strike at the mages unawares. Unfortunately for them, Zach cast a light spell that sent them scattering. They seemed to be quite averse to light; creatures of ice and shadows they seemed to be. In any case, they would find no close kinship with Beira's magic, if ever they dared attack her, despite the fact that her magic was ice imbued with negative energies. Still, Beira was more interested in saving her energy for the great bird that no doubt waited for the mages just some distance away. She would have to rely on Zach for light, then. Her magic was dark, literally and figuratively. Still, it wasn't so much of a disadvantage for her. If she had to fight in the darkness, the denizens of the dark forest would quickly realize that they weren't the only ones who found comfort in the darkness.

"Indeed, a lovely place this is. And yes, a lot more guests," the God Slayer replied, "who unfortunately seem to begrudge us our breathing space. Shame on them. Then again, it's not like we've ever been to any planet which had a hint of an idea of hospitality, in our search for these phoenixes. In any event, I sense we're quickly approaching our host. Time for some Kosetsu hospitality." As she spoke, the two mages rounded a bend in the forest and came suddenly upon a clearing. It was identical to what had been seen in the vision on Kyoka. And of course, in the center of the clearing floated a blue stone, releasing a steady stream of light skyward. "Here we go..."

Effervescent cyan smoke rose from the ground and formed the phoenix. Behind Beira, a huge form manifested as well, identical to the phoenix but much larger. Then it exploded into many shards, each deadly splinter of nether rime homing in on the phoenix and assaulting it. While this was going on, Beira held out her hands, as a crystalline double headed axe formed in the air before her, her fingers closing round the shaft of the weapon. "Do forgive my rudeness," she announced, charging into the fray, "but we really can't just stop and stay to chat. No hard feelings, I hope."


WC: 576 words
Total: 6185/7500

The battle had been quickly joined. With Beira beginning the assault on the giant bird, Zach was quick to execute a follow up, even as the bird was attempting to make a come back of its own. Out of the corner of her eye, Beira took note of the new form of the light mage, with stars shining from his form, and his hair glowing vividly. The Sabertooth mage had a power that was as dramatic as it was effective. Personally, Beira was eager to study the aesthetics of Zach's magic. She was also curious about whether the darkness and shining stars on his form were simply, more or less, painted on his skin, or whether his skin was reflecting the cosmic void of space and the many lights that shone therein. Sadly, there was too little time for that. There would probably be time for that after the battle.

The familiar sound of Zach's horn reverberated across the countryside, invigorating the Utgardian warrior, causing her to throw herself more avidly into the fray. Even as the phoenix summoned miniature versions of itself, Beira kept up her assault on it, though she kept utilizing her sixth sense to attempt to dodge attacks made from her blind spots. Of course, she was not a hundred percent successful; there were scrapes and cuts, although these did very little to dissuade the God Slayer from repeatedly attacking the bird with her axe. Even though it fought back, between Zach's and Beira's assaults, the phoenix found great difficulty in taking to an altitude higher than the two mages could hit it. Not to mention the strange, golden halves of ravens that had been summoned to aid the mages. Beira was sure she really wanted to know how those things could keep aloft.

There was something a lot more curious than the two raven halves, though. Beira could swear that as the mages fought the bird, for every turn in the battle, there sounded like what appeared to be a cheer that rang from the forest. There were spectators to this battle, it was certain, but what exactly were they? And did they hold goodwill or not towards the mages doing battle with the giant bird? In any case, these questions would have to be put on hold at the moment. Defeating the great bird was the most important thing at present. As was done against the first phoenix the mages had fought, Zach executed his petrification spell, changing everything in the immediate vicinity, except himself and Beira, to stone. Even as he looked at Beira and gestured to the trapped bird, she was already making her move. Drawing as much air as she could into her lungs, Beira released the nether rime infused air from her mouth in a spiraling torrent of icy cold devastation. Her Winter God Bellow smashed into the phoenix and everything that was behind it, sending chunks and particles of stone and ice flying in all directions, as the blast flung the phoenix like a ragdoll.

There was a moment of silence as dust and icy mists settled. Then the bird rose, bowed to the two mages, and disappeared, leaving the stone floating in the air, waiting for the victors to claim it. "I think that went well," Beira said happily, though she took care to keep an ear out for whatever had been cheering in the forest. All was particularly silent now, as she reached out and gripped the floating stone. She felt a warm sensation, and saw a crimson stone. The Utgardian turned to look at Zach with a mildly irritated expression on her face. "Joy and the highest merriment," she intoned peevishly. "The next bird is fire."



WC: 620 words
Total: 7580/7500