Chapter B: Fool me once. ~Sid.

Say what you will about support casters and their tolerances, but Bond is a trooper. It’s been months and every remedy we’ve tried hasn’t managed to end that sickness he picked up, but still he fights on. He’s become increasingly adept at weaving external Mana into his spells without the typical toxic side effects you hear about. He’s had to, because every time he channels through himself, his symptoms flare up again.

Despite all that, he doesn’t complain, just takes his medicine and does his best to not hold anyone back. At first, we tried taking it easy on him, but after a while he wouldn’t stand for that any longer. Then we were expecting his will to falter and were preparing to carry him when he fell, but he kept getting back up. Now, we just look out for him, same as we do for each other.

Not for nothing, but Alex has become much better at cleansing, healing, and buffing. Ruby has channeled some of her time and fixation on alchemic solutions and potions. Garn has even gotten better control over much of his rage. For all his other faults, Bond has been an inspiration for our little group. The rate we’re advancing you’d think we were blessed, instead of one of our members enduring a curse.

Nevertheless, we’re back again. |Thermal Spring Mountain|. Officially, we’re here to harvest herbs and other phoenix aligned reagents. That’s true enough on the surface, and we’ll endeavor to restock the supplies from this area. But mostly, we’re here to try and get an audience with the Lair’s Guardian about finding out what creature, artifact or phenomena struck Bond with his illness.

We’ve kept our feelers out for others experiencing similar symptoms, but there have been no other patients like Bond. Not from those that have fought with that bear, nor others that have crossed through |Thermal Spring Mountain| nor teams that gathered its resources for the guild. It’s possible that there was something specific about his Mana Core that caught this plague, as none of us have ever had similar problems. Though, perhaps most strange, was when an illness swept through town while we were resting up, and everyone except for Bond got sick.

We’re nearing our wits end with what to do, and I can already tell that Bond has shifted his mindset. He’s become more calculative about adventuring, watching each of us more closely, paying more attention to Guild metrics and quotas. He’s seen the other adventurers that have been forced into retirement and is determined to hold himself to a higher standard. He pushes himself harder because he knows the alternatives for him, especially if it’s this illness that beats him, are bleak.

Mana Classes are already restrictive and rare and there’s a stigma about them to the common man. So, the idea that a sickly, Mana Core, Bonder of all things, getting honest and effective work is slim.

Intending to seek an audience first, we take a different route than before. Preferring to at least try to meet with the Phoenix Lord and get guidance, or at least permission before we start hunting on our own. Because of that, Ruby brings in something special as a sacrificial offering. A trio of unhatched fire element avian eggs.

We performed the ritual on the edge of the territory as usual, but rather than the typical bland acknowledgement and safe passage we expected. We were given the task of bringing the offering to his meeting cliff, high up on the mountain.

Our trek is uneventful, comparatively speaking, but we’re all full of hopeful excitement and an abundance of caution. Even though we were initially asking for an audience, I don’t think any of us really expected to earn one. Most Lair Guardians aren’t the most social of creatures. Just claiming territory and accepting tribute so that guild members have permission to forage on their lands.

I’ve been investigating what I can about |Thermal Spring Mountain| and the phoenix that has ruled over it for the last decade. The current owner, Aurora Hephaestus, laid claim to it by hunting down and eating the wendigo that owned it previously. He earned his name a couple of years later after he completed the full Domain Shift from the taiga that it was before, into the temperate forest of the now.

Other than some grumbling about the change in exports, just about everyone prefers the new owner over the previous. Some documentation I managed to dig up even talked about assembling a raid group to try and slay the previous Lord due to its frequent refusal of tribute for safe passage. Although it stayed within its territory, it was extremely hostile to any harvesters or travelers passing through. If not for its status and power as a Lord, the amount of kills it accumulated would have had an extermination quest issued for it long before the phoenix had the opportunity to challenge it.

Once we arrived at the meeting’s location we set up camp to wait and take in the vista. None of us had been up to this place before, the resources available in the forest are plentiful enough that venturing all the way to the heart of the territory was unnecessary. Even though we’d seen the cliff from below on numerous occasions, being atop it was a treat.

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While most of us were busy admiring the view for what it was and discussing the definitely atypical tree that is dwarfing its neighbors off in the distance. Garn was busy investigating the cliffside itself. Having had my fill of the view, his curiosity drew me over, “What’s caught your attention, big guy?”

I see him glance at me when I ask him the question and so squat down next to him and take the piece of stone he hands me, “Melted.” As I’m examining it myself, he draws his weapon and holds it next to the rock. He points to some of the flakes in the stone and flicks his axe’s blade, “Same.” When I look into his eyes, I see an echo of that wariness, that fear from back when the Mako Bear attacked us, “Hot.”

Simple words, but a clear meaning. A glance over the edge shows the cliff face is more of the same. As best I can tell from up here it’s all melted smooth, or with small chips of jagged edges sticking out. Even with our advancements aiding in strength and endurance, that’s not the kind of climb we should take.

Per the next stage of the quest, at sunset, which on the eastern side of the mountain cast a great looking shadow over the lands below. We performed the ritual of tribute once more and then cast it over the cliff. The minor magic of stasis upon the little package wouldn’t hold up to a fall from any real height. So, while it was difficult to spot in the fading light, I wasn’t especially surprised to see a swift shadow cross paths with the tribute as it fell, “Something snatched it, maybe halfway down. Didn’t get a good look at it, and felt it was best not to push Mana just to see.”

The night watches pass without incident, though both Ruby and Bond report large workings of Mana and Fire far beneath us. Neither Alex nor Garn noticed any particular disturbance during their first watch and for mine I mentioned that I thought there was the barest rhythmic tremor in the stone. One I wouldn’t have noticed had it not been for the warning about the power being worked below from our mage duo.

As dawn began to break our quest updated once more, to present ourselves before the Lord.

So, in addition to our report needing to mention that the Phoenix Lord has completed an evolutionary advancement, we were also made privy to his penchant for theatrics. Because with the sun rising over the forest in the background, he flew up and eclipsed it for a moment before swooping in and perching on the edge. His attention shifting between each of us and angling his head, body or wings to cast shade upon a specific face.

“[Your tribute was worthy. What would you ask of me?]” His voice and the pounding emphasis on certain words were like an anvil being struck.

A glance at my party showed that Garn was hit particularly hard by his gravitas. When Alex stepped forth to speak of our task, I stepped over to the large man and put a hand on his arm, “You holding it together, big guy?” My concern only increasing as the muscles throughout his body continue to bulge and relax.

It takes him a long few seconds to turn his head to look at me, and his face is etched with strain while his eyes are wild, “Core. Hungers.”

Seeing him like this, I realize I misunderstood his previous fear. It wasn’t fear of the Lord being too strong for us to fight, but fear of him losing himself to the {Garnet}’s compulsion to battle, to meet challenges, “Just take deep breaths buddy. Nice and slow. Just think of it like meeting with the Guildmaster-“ his whole body tenses and flexes at that, “What’s wrong, you don’t get like this when we give reports.”

A look of shame washes over him for a moment before the strain comes back and the ember of rage begins to build, “He spars after. Wins. Core understands. Hierarchy.” While he’s talking, I can see him fighting for control, putting the rage back in the box.

But in the very next moment, I lose him. There is a sound like dozens of blades grinding against each other and a shadow covers Garn’s face as his entire body stills, “Garn. Garn! Stay with me, buddy. Now is not the time to-“

But he’s not looking at me and he turns to face what’s casting the shadow on him, and his now loud voice interrupts my quiet pleading, “Bird. Taunt.” And however anyone else was feeling before that moment, we’ve all shifted into battle readiness now. Even Alex’s typical silver tongue is stilled by the words and the posturing between the two largest members of this meeting.

“[And what are you going to do about it?]”

Any lingering concern or hope sputters out at the Lord’s reply, and grim resignation fills the rest of us. Out of the corner of my eye I catch a familiar visage, one of Garn in the midst of his frenzy, an eerie joy and rage as one emotion, “Challenge!” He’s already crossed half the distance as he tears through the bindings holding his great axe on his back with a mindless overhead swing.

A wave of ungodly heat blasts against us and staggers everyone but Ruby for the next moment as we watch the Phoenix Lord sweep one of his wings forward as he meets Garn’s dash and strikes the blade of the axe with his feathers. He strikes at the perfect moment, catches it at its apex and then uses its weight and momentum to parry himself to the side. Knocking Garn off-balance and sinking the edge into the stone.

There is another timeless moment of pause, even as I see Ruby igniting and condensing a great orb of flame in front of her, where Garn rights himself after nearly falling over. His rage momentarily eclipsed by confusion before the Phoenix Lord dashes close to him again and simply bats him off the edge of the cliff with a wave of his wing.

The next moment, my bow finally drawn and an arrow notched, I’m blinded by the beam of flame that Ruby pours out against our opponent, alongside her primal scream. The world in front of us has become nothing but fire as Alex backs away from the sheet of flame and then turns to grab Bond as he collapses in a coughing fit.

All the while I hold my draw, my target narrowing my vision even as I sink further into my trance to block out any distractions.