I pull my jacket closer.
"Oh my gods its so cold."
Saint dread huffs
"yeah. I've got to agree. My bones hurt, its that cold. How does it even get this cold?"
We walk forward. I keep a strong grip on my jian
"well, we still dont know much about the area, even with the exploration reports from heat seeker."
"Not what I meant"
saint elderwood sighs
"lets just get a move on. We need to do this as quickly as possible. Who knows what kind of horrors are out here"
we go silent for some time as we approach the temple citadel. It almost reminds me of the lord of shadows unnamed temple. Almost, its not exactly the same. The temple was built into the side of a massive mountain, its quite big too. Most of it is in deep shadows cast by the mountain around it, even with the sunlight hitting all of the snow around. I summon and active a small charm memory, letting me see in the dark.
"Is everyone ready?"
"Yeah unfortunately"
"i am"
"shouldn't be too hard"
We get to a massive whole in the road. Saint elderwood lifts her staff and vines fill it in. Saint dread taps it with his foot.
"You know, maybe we should talk about what we are about to do. Like what are the rundown about yalls aspects and all that?"
Me, morgan and saint elderwood look at each other, silently communicating. Morgan speaks first
"i guess."
He turns away finally stepping on the vine bridge. He jumps a few times. When it doesn't fall he puts his hands on his hips with a nod.
"Well then. Dormant is absorbing essence from the air around me. Awakened is being able to store a ton of essence. Ascended being able to control essence better. Transcendent, its to transfer essence to others. Simple, but odd i guess."
Huh? He just... told us, just like that? Non legacies are something else, confusing thats what. Saint elderwood sighs
"I'll explain mine then."
She walks past him
"its to make and control plants. I can turn into a walking tree."
Saint dread nods, waving his hand
"yeah seems about right. Still, its weird your aspect is around plants and your clan is called elderwood."
She keeps walking
"i suppose"
i feel morgan grab my arm pulling me with her.
"Come on. Mine is easy to guess, physical stuff and using charms more then others. All that and i doubt i need to say my transcendent form"
I almost trip but I catch myself
"mine is speed, myself and others, as well as speed up processes in myself, like essence regeneration and healing. My transcendent form is turning into a storm of ash."
We keep walking
"hmm. Well then i guess it shouldn't be too hard. As long as its not of the great rank right guys"
we all go silent walking together towards the temple
"yeah. Its going to be great ranked now isn't it? Maybe I'll just shut up"
We finally enter the massive dark temple summoning our weapons, or me and morgan does. Saint dread summons a ghostly vine that wrapps around his arm, i think thats something he was given by heat seeker. Although I am unsure of its exact effects, its probably a good idea. If there's one thing i know them to be, its smart with their memories. Then again their creativity isnt matched by anyone else either. We all glance at each other. Morgan and saint dread seem to be on the calmer side, me and saint elderwood are on edge. Morgan nods forward, a signal to keep going. With torch we pass the pale blue torches lining the side of the walls go out. We get closer together feeling eyes on us. I can't quite tell the place the eyes are coming from but I feel them. Whatever is watching us is yet to attack, its waiting, watching us. So its likely at least a demon, probably a devil by the fact there isn't any minions attacking us. I hold my jian tightly, glancing at saint elderwood, i have a idea, but she would likely know more about it. I mouth a word to her
"lord?"
She thinks for a minute before she nods. So it is the same feeling as being watched by the lord of shadows. I had the suspicion mainly because this is a temple to shadow god. Its likely a shadow spawn as the guardian for this temple. We finally make it to the only place in the sunlight, the massive sprawling courtyard, in it is a massive tree made of ice that takes most of the light as it sways in the wind. In its shadow is a massive black 4 armed beast with a set of 5 horns.
It melts into the shadows, we all lift our weapons. I step forward blocking a attack as it comes out from the shadows. Its black eyes stare at me a look of hate within them. Morgan steps in slashing at it. One of its arms, it should have 4 but one is missing and seems to have been for a long time, blocks the attack sliding back. Holly comes from the other side vines grow on her staff, thorns grow on it. She swings on it, it blocks the attack getting thorns on its hands. Ghostly vines wrap around its neck and saint dread uses that to jump onto its back. It roars throwing us away and it grabs at him.
"Gods damn it!"
He lifts his hand, his armor shifts and changes slightly turning into a set of claws. That he claws at its face with. He's finally thrown off and he desummons the ghost vines. Hes caught by vines, hes allowed to slide down. Me and morgan glance at each other, light that's what we need, sudden light to throw it out of its shadow form. With how much essence was no doubt taken from it, the shadow spawn is likely very low on essence, or a lot lower than before. With a low growl it sprints forwards on all fours, all fives? I lift my jian as it slams into me once again. Its tail slashes at my chest, i burst into a cloud of ashes. I do a roll, using it to get up quickly. Morgan takes my place as the main fighter. I use my aspect to rush forward attacking it from the back. Its hand grabs me pulling me into the shadows. Everything is wrong, i can't feel my body. My soul is being torn apart. I flail, trying to fight back. A sudden light pulls me out of the shadows, even as I scream in agony I lash out stabbing the shadow spawn in the chest. It recoils back in pain with a scream that sounds too human. It doesnt get to escape as a vine wraps around its arm pulling it back. Morgan uses that to cut its head off.
I fall on the floor panting, holding my chest. God it ripped my soul apart. The group leans over me. Saint dread summons, hey isnt that heat seekers glove? He puts his hands on my chest and its so soothing... isn't that changing stars aspect? I finally get up after a few minute.
"Arg.... we've got to find the gateway..."
the group, which is now sitting together glances over to me
"we should wait to fan out, just in case something attacks."
I walk over sitting with the group, who had been taking apart the... oh its actually a corrupted devil. That does track with how strong it was.
"You okay?"
I look at dread
"yes it just hurt. A lot"
"no need to get sarcastic"
saint elderwood takes it apart
"which part do you all think is most useful for enchanting or crafting."
Morgan uses her finger to cut the horns off
"these, obviously. Although the claws can make good makeshift daggers from what I can tell."
Saint dread looks us over
"this feels morbid doesn't it?"
We all look at him, to which he just raises his hands
"okay okay. I get it. Don't get all creepy with me"
we keep taking apart the devil. It takes a while the thing is quite tough. A shame, no memories came from it. Soon after we confirm nothing will be attacking us we go our own ways to find the gateway. Even after hours of looking we just cant find the gateway, we gather back at the courtyard under the shade of the massive tree made of ice. Its a pretty tree.
"So. The gate back won't be opening back up until we find the gate?"
Theres a collective sigh.
"Yeah probably knowing that damn thing"
"I've got no doubt that is the case"
"seems to be about right."
We stay silent for a minute in a very awkward moment of collective dread.
"So. Maybe we have to get back to looking. Come back here when the day ends?"
"Fine."
"Yeah"
"damn it, I guess"