Breaching the portal to the Dark God's realm caused any number of interesting effects. Many of them occurred a short distance from where the shimmering gateway had stood and would doubtless have been of great interest to Eliud were he aware of them.
Principally, though—and by far the most pressing issue for the small group—the surrounding flora and fauna immediately demonstrated their displeasure at the appearance of these interlopers.
In response, almost as soon as she crossed the boundary of this realm, Kirstin activated her
The Duskstrider was thrown forward, fouling his own struggle with a pack of some sort of dire wolf. It took him but a moment to regather his footing, activating several Skills to incinerate the tree from which the vine - and now several equally vicious looking - had emerged.
Nobody missed that it shrieked in a very animalistic way as it burned.
Clapping his hands together to crush the wolf pack in a wave of pressure, he turned to his other companions and asked, with no little venom, "I assume our little Harbinger is still with us? She just chose to phase out in the middle of a battle?"
Savage swallowed the mutated bear that had picked her up and, with a sickening crunch, reassembled her jaw to answer. "I came through with her. But she vanished as soon as the foliage attacked."
Another bear, this one twice the size of the first, crashed through the trees towards them. Savage stood her ground, mouth opening as the beast lumbered forward, roaring and snarling as it did so. There was just enough time for it to realise something was very wrong, and it was about to be engulfed down the cat's hyper-extended maw - and bellow in alarm - before Savage, with a gulp, swallowed it whole.
After that, the rest of the fighting was over in rather short order.
Even without Savage's insatiable appetite, Josul was more than a match for any of the beasts that had been alerted to their presence. He tore the throats out of countless monstrous attackers, flinging them over for the cat to digest when she mewled her discontent at the waste.
Likewise, with Eliud churning out a nonstop stream of liquid fire at the aggressive vegetation, an eerie silence soon reigned in this part of the wood.
Kirstin phased back into existence as soon as the final creature was dispatched. She had been watching them work with a smile - she doubted there were many more well-drilled military outfits. "Well done. It looked like you three have done something like that before!"
Eliud waved a hand - extinguishing the flames in the trees surrounding them - and turned, hands-on-hips, to face her. "Thank you. It is always gratifying to have the approval of such a battle-hardened veteran. Truly, your hours of adventuring experience mean such praise is very appreciated. Why, even though legendary warriors have lauded me at the conclusion of epic wars, I will hold your applause there as my dearest memory. I feel I should ask, though, is there any particular reason you chose not to play your own part in that skirmish?"
Kirstin shrugged, then bent down to pick up Savage and return the cat to her accustomed spot on her shoulder. After watching the animal gorge herself, it never ceased to amaze her how light the little kitten was.
During their journey, Eliud had tried to explain the nature of Savage, but the best Kirstin could make sense of it was that the cat was - essentially - a mobile, hungry portal.
"So, anything she . . . she eats is transported somewhere else?" she had asked.
Eliud had shrugged back. "That is the best I can figure it. Her mass does not increase, no matter how much she consumes. So whatever she eats has to go somewhere. I've tried to look into her . . . I'm going to say 'throat' because 'Hellmouth' sounds judgemental. And I am comfortable saying that is not a threshold I would ever like to cross in earnest."
"Are the things she eats still alive after she swallows them?"
"I'm sure they are," Elud had said. "If briefly - and very painfully - so, at any rate."
The cat purred and bunted the side of Kirstin's head. "I do not like it when you go missing like that. I cannot sense you when you have that Skill active. It is . . . unnerving."
Ignoring Eliud, Kirstin rested her cheek against Savage's forehead. "I know, and I'm sorry. But you see, sometimes our friend - the big, bad Mage over there - forgets he's not fighting on his own and uses Skills that are not especially party-appropriate."
"I object to that!" Eliud protested. "We've been in several scraps on this journey, and I've never once -" Kirstin raised her eyebrows - "after the first couple of times," Eliud continued, "done anything to warrant such a terrible slur against my capabilities."
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Josul barked and shook himself, the flames that one of Eliud's Skills had ignited on his fur going out under the vigorous motion.
"Oh, come on! Not you, too, Josul! Do I have no allies in this brave new world of group travel? I have to say, I am more and more reminded of the reason why I retreated, in isolation, from public life."
"Sure you do! Lots of people are thrilled to fight alongside you. As long, that is, as they are immortal, inflammable or have the ability to step out of time. To everyone else, it strikes me you are somewhat of a natural disaster."
"And it strikes me," Elud said, a hint of iron slipping into his voice, "that someone is doing their very best to pretend they were not nervous about using their 'threshold bonus' for the first time.
Kirstin sniffed at that, suddenly no longer so interested in badinage.
*
In the excitement of the ranking up of her
'Shadowstrike', as described in glowing, gold display text, was clearly what her notification had meant by a 'threshold bonus'.
It was crafted from a material Kirstin did not recognise; its surface was as smooth and polished as anything she had ever seen, and its deep, non-reflective finish was a thing of beauty. After pulling it from her inventory, she ran her hands down its length, marvelling at its feel.
It was not made of wood, she did not think.
When asked, Eliud simply smiled back with an infuriatingly knowing look in his eyes. Ignoring him, she had held the bow out from her body, noting that its limbs were of a perfect recurve design, which would provide a blend of power and precision. One of Kirstin's biggest frustrations as an Archer had been that she was not tall enough to use the giant longbows she had seen kept around Keep Trellec.
However, she could tell that the curvature of Shadowstrike would maximise the energy transfer from the draw to the arrow, ensuring a powerful release - far more powerful than a bow of such size would usually be capable of.
Her fingers touched the bowstring, marvelling at its ethereal shimmer. It felt almost weightless, yet when pulled, it maintained incredible tension. To her professional eye, Kirstin could sense it was designed to endure repeated heavy draws without losing elasticity. The string's minimal stretch and quick rebound enhanced the bow's efficiency, allowing for rapid follow-up shots.
Power and speed, she thought—the best of both worlds.
As her fingers played along the length of her bow, Kirstin felt intricate runes etched along the grip, their lines so fine they were almost invisible at first sight. Now she looked more carefully, she could see that these runes glowed faintly with a silvery light, pulsing softly in rhythm with her heartbeat.
She had, much as she did not like to do so, asked Eliud about that.
It did not look like he was going to answer for a moment, but then Josul had growled, and he nodded in apology. "I would suggest that this piece is soulbound to you. The mirroring of your heartbeat with the glow demonstrates a strong bond between archer and weapon. Moreover, I may suggest that these markings hint at the bow 'powering up', as it were. It would be interesting to see the quality - and power - of the shot that you were capable of when the glow of the runes solidified."
Kirstin nodded her thanks, adopting her shooting stance. Shadowstrike's design, she noticed, incorporated reinforced nocks and a slightly reflexed profile, which should reduce hand shock and increase the speed of her arrows. The longbow's draw weight was substantial, allowing for deeper arrow penetration and greater impact force, but nothing that she did not think she could handle.
In fact, the bow’s balance was flawless, with a centre of mass aligned for stable handling. The grip, contoured as if to fit her hand, would ensure a steady aim, even in the heat of battle. Kirstin tentatively drew it and smiled as the bow's tension was evenly distributed.
It was as close to perfect as anything she had ever held.
Kirstin could sense that Shadowstrike was more than just a weapon. It was a precision instrument. Every component was designed to achieve one thing: to deliver arrows with deadly accuracy and unparalleled power. This was a bow designed for an expert Archer - a Celestial Harbinger, if you will - capable of turning even the most challenging shot into a deadly certainty.
Which made it all the more strange that she had not wished to use it in their most recent battle.
"Leave the girl alone," Savage hissed. "If she does not want to use her new toy, then that is her business. It was not like we needed the help!"
Eliud shrugged, his purple eyes glowing with something that was not quite amusement. "No, indeed. However, it has always been my experience that it is worth taking the opportunity to try out new weapons in circumstances where their success is not vital. I would not like," he continued, turning his gaze to rest on Kirstin, "to have the first time you use it in earnest. That way, problems lie."
Kirstin met his eyes and nodded. "I understand. I just . . . I don't know. I don't know if I feel worthy of it!"
"We sometimes are gifted things of great power, Kirstin. Those that make those gifts expect them to use them."
"But who gave me this gift? Do you know?"
"Ah," said Eliud, "now that is a fascinating question. And one we can reflect on as we travel. But we have wasted enough time." He was suddenly all businesslike, almost - though Kirstin - as if he wanted to change the focus of the conversation. For now, we need a direction for our quest!" Eliud looked down at the giant lapdog. "Josul, can you smell Genoes anywhere?"
At the word 'Genoes', Josul's nose lifted the air, and a baying roar came out of its mouth. In an instant, he turned and set off into the woods, crashing trees and bushes below his feet.
"It would seem, my dear, that the game is afoot!"
With that, and with a massive outpouring of mana, Eliud raised himself into the air, setting off in pursuit of his dog.
"Unlimited mana pool, and he leaves us to run," murmured Kirstin as she began to make her own way following Josul.
"It is always that way with the great ones," Savage replied. "They forget that the rest of us have limitations."
And then they were gathered up by the darkness of the woods.