Souls of Light
She came to alert and in panic and checking if her arms were still there. She then finds the others standing before her, with a piece of meat being grilled on an open fire. Ellyn looked around and saw that the sky was a clear blue and although they were surrounded by tall and dark trees, the trees that were around them now had returned to normal.
She looked around and saw many streams and a river instead of the only one stream that they encountered earlier. Deer with crystal eyes and antlers were running around and they were drinking from the river. Eyeless birds flew around in the forest and many were perched atop the trees. "Where are we?" Ellyn looked on in awe.
"Look at this." Yuria grinned as she held a large bright feather. She set it down and let go of it. Suddenly the forest switched to darkness again, and the features and wildlife disappeared. This startled Ellyn until Yuria grabbed the feather and it began to glow again. "Woah." Answered Ellyn as the forest's features returned.
"This was our reward." Said Metas disappointedly. "At least we have a meal." Said Felkin pointing towards the meat being grilled above the fire. "We didn't know if we could touch any of the animals but since there's been no retribution, we assumed it was fine." Said Metas. The entity flashed before them, its multitude of wings and arms encompassing the area. Ellyn startled, shot three bolts at it and the shots whizzed towards their target before slowing down to a halt. Then three of its arms stretched out and touched the bolts and they disappeared in a flash of light.
"I would rather you not do that." The figure responded as it folded its arms up again. Before any of them could utter an apology, the figure spoke again. "Now "infinity" it is time for you to be rightfully enlightened of the roots of this world." Felkin responded: "Why do you call me that?" "It is what is branded on your sword, yes?" Felkin surmised this beforehand and just wanted reconfirmation.
"The world is divided into many different planes." The figure used two of its many hands to create a projection of multiple layers of light atop each other. "The energy from each drains and settles onto the lowest one, the earth." Sparkling dust fell from the layers of light and settled onto the ground. "Each creature and entity contain energy that they transfer or gain through their actions." The creature outstretched one arm and grabbed a sapling from the ground.
The plant wilted and sparks of light slowly flew towards it. "This is a soul." Then, something crawled out from the ground. It was one of the abyssal beasts. It snarled angrily before the entity waved one of its hands and the creature was struck dead by a bolt of lightning. It lay dead, but the group noticed no light emanating from the dead beast. "Those of the abyss do not have light in their souls, and what you think of what a soul is separated into two parts, the soul and the spirit. One governs the locomotion of one's body and its function, the other represents one's consciousness.
You can see both at once with that light. Though the spirit travels elsewhere, the soul remains. Fear, rage, exhilaration. Remnants of emotion cling to the soul, and give strength to those who lay claim to them." Felkin remembered the light inside Siegmund fade and remembered feeling his strength. He thought that it was a simple self-acknowledgement of his fallen foe's power, but the information that he was hearing proved otherwise.
"Though few, there are others who can sense the power of others' souls." The figure looked down. "Warriors or killers accumulate souls and gain power from the souls of every being they fell, though they cannot perceive it. But for those who can strike down higher beings, the power to be gained from felling such creatures is immense." "Why tell us this?" asked Metas. "It is the right of those who bear the sigil of infinity." The entity moved backwards and began to fade. "I have other matters to attend to, you may stay here as long as you wish." It then disappeared.
The group was left to their own devices. They scattered and ruminated upon the information they received. Felkin went on deeper in the forest, the others' stares following him as he went. Yuria held the feather, and tried to focus on it, trying to produce some magic or spell using the magic feather that was given to her. Metas stood far, but not far enough that he would lose sight of all of them. He tried to practice his flames but found anything more than a spark would exhaust him so.
Ellyn shot target practice, hitting multiple trees, and trying to shoot down a few birds and missing her shots. Felkin extended and twirled his sword around and inspecting the inscription on the blade. He tried as hard as he could to remember his past and why he was going on this journey. He remembered walking and carrying his sword. He remembered it being the only thing he did for a long time. He decided until he figured something out, he would continue to do the same.
Yuria could not yield a result even in how much she concentrated on the feather, no result or spell would occur. She started walking through the forest, thinking about how only recently she was planned for execution, and that she gladly accepted it. She saw a bird's feather lying on the ground and she absentmindedly picked it up. She was startled when a bony creature, a tiny bird's skeleton was defying physics and flapping its wings beside her. The bird feather turned to dust and she was excited by this.
Metas shot more small blasts of flame. He tired quickly and was forced to sat down. He lowered his hood and took a breath of air. He snapped his fingers and a small spark of flame emerged from his fingers. He focused it and instead of trying to make it larger he tried compressing it. The flame spark grew smaller than normal and he released it targeting a random portion of the forest away from the others.
The shot loosed moved rapidly and he saw a hole burned through some trees in the forest. Although only as big as a coin, the holes made in the trees were clean and precise; he thought back to his books and recalled a faraway kingdom who made weapons that shot small projectiles using fire, almost akin to a cannon but portable.
He practiced it more and more, getting more out of breath and tired with every shot but burning through large trees and even a few stone boulders he encountered. He fell on his knees tired and the flame on his hand sputtering and getting extinguished.
Ellyn sat and thought of the old man. She carried the bag of gifts and took out the pendant and wore it. It reminded her of him somehow. She still wasn't quite used to her new arm and began testing her aim and bringing out the case of tools and carefully reconfiguring the firing of the crossbow with each shot trying to find a 'sweet spot' for effective firing and aiming.
All the members of the party reconvened at their campfire. Each one surveyed the looks on the others' faces and sensed an acceptance of some sort and they began to parlay. On camp, the fire was extinguished and Yuria excitedly grabbed a piece of meat that was propped up on a stick above the fire.
"Everyone, look at this." Her blue eyes gleamed in excitement and shone amidst the dark circles under it. She held the stick and focused profusely. The others looked at her with confusion as she struggled and a bead of sweat rolled down her cheek. A shard of crystal suddenly emerged from the air. They saw the flesh of the crystal deer turn to dust in Yuria's hands.
The crystal floated in the air and Yuria shot it at the ground below; and after a while, it turned to dust as well, scattering, and disappearing in the air. "Cool." Said Felkin. Metas decided to keep his newfound techniques a secret while the rest of the group decided their next plan.
"So, why is this place called Jura's forest?" said Yuria munching on the last meat on-stick that they prepared. Ellyn answered her question after she finished with biting off the bits from her stick and throwing it away. "Supposedly he was the first person to enter the forest and survived. He helped the nearby kingdom pave the single road from here to there." Ellyn took out a pack of crossbow bolts and counted them.
"Then he went crazy and said that it was his forest. One day he went in and never came out again." In the firelight, Ellyn glared at Yuria. "They say he's still alive today." Yuria let out a slight gasp as Ellyn laughed in response. "Although this story is a mere children's story, official documentations do cite an individual with that name with the kingdom in that time." Said Metas, leaning on a nearby tree.
"Say Metas, we don't know much about you, maybe you can tell something about yourself?" Metas and Felkin looked at each other. Metas sat down in front of the campfire and began to speak. "I am Metas, part of an underground order of knights preserving the sanctity and power of the blood of the Dragons. In legend, it is stated that in the start of the kingdom "Lodeleth" the first royals were blessed by the power of dragon's blood. All those who possess traces of it today are enlisted in the holy knights. The measure of one's mettle is with their spark." Metas snaps his fingers and a flame emerged above his palm.
"A secret order of knights is sent out to discreetly investigate and deal with threats and other matters. They all wear black cloaks and hoods, and we are rightfully feared. "Why?" asked Ellyn. "Mostly because many of them use the excuse of being outside the order, to do things that would be otherwise forbidden in the order."
As they talked, Felkin only watched on. Listening, but silent and did not pose any questions. "Like Siegmund, the man we encountered?" Asked Ellyn. "Siegmund was a model knight, he transferred over because he didn't like all the paperwork and protocol and wanted to get straight into "fiery retribution" as he called it. Pretty tame compared to the others if you ask me." Metas closed his palm and the spark faded.
"We're in charge of assassinations, beast exterminations and…" Metas paused and his gaze met Yuria's. "Witch hunting." "Huh, I knew it." Said Yuria almost expressionless but hints of emotion seeped through. "No comment?" Yuria said to Felkin. "I knew. We spoke when you were asleep, at the cave. "I guess that's fair. You two have been looking out for me all this time and I'm even the reason why we got into this mess in the first place." "Yep, it's all your fault." Metas answered as Felkin gently elbowed him as if to say, "knock it off."
Ellyn patted Yuria on the shoulder as Felkin and Metas walked away a short distance to let her calm down and cool off. Felkin leaned on a tree as Metas fidgeted with his flame, snapping his fingers on and off again. "I wonder if Jura is still alive." Metas wasn't paying attention. "Hmm?" "After all the supernatural things we've experienced, a man living all these years isn't so farfetched." Felkin postulated. "He still remains living." The entity suddenly appeared behind them startling the two and making the other members left at the camp go back towards them.
"He is like you, one who feeds off the power of others' souls." "This power grants immortality?" Felkin questioned. "The power to be undying is only one of the boons of consuming souls." The glow of the spirit then dimmed, and tension was palpable in the air. "Now to more important matters. You, must consume my soul." "What?" Asked Felkin.
"I have ruminated in the higher planes and divined the upcoming fates. The soul-seekers will consume the souls of higher beings, and they will rise." It raised its arms and outstretched its wings. Balls of light emerged on each tip of each wing. "You will have the strength needed for balance. Naturally, I will not give it up in an instant." The group readied their weapons and went on their guard. "Take it from me, champion. I am Pharros the spirit of light, may the power of your soul outshine mine!" Felkin stood ready, radiating light.