Time until quarantine lifted = 00:00:05...
00:00:04...
00:00:03...
Callan opened his eyes. At some point he must have dozed off. All he could make out was the thin slit of light drifting in from under the lip of the rock.
00:00:02...
00:00:01...
00:00:00. Quarantine has now been lifted.
Like flowers blooming at midnight, the balls of light inside of him unfolded, pulsing with their resonant power. Callan dove into the one that gifted him with Shape Stone, and with a mighty shove pushed the wall of his prison aside.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is at 4.5%
The glow of the lamplight hit his face, making him squint as he crawled free of his hiding place. Casting a glance back, Callan could hardly believe that the cultist had been fooled by it. Stone flowed in irregular patterns, looking more like paint smeared on a canvas. There were obvious handprints in several places as well where he hadn’t done a good job of smoothing out his work. Altogether, it was an embarrassing mess.
One which had cost him dearly to make. Callan could only hope it would prove worth the price.
Hurgh...
“Xeph, that you?” Callan felt relief flood through him. After losing contact with the god for the last two hours he had begun fearing the worst. Only the fact that he could still access his stat screen helped to alleviate the panic. “Where have you been?”
...*Blech*
Huh. Had the god just... thrown up? It certainly sounded like that’s what had happened. Could Xeph even throw up? Was there psychic vomit floating around in Callan’s skull even at that very moment?
That was entirely too much to dwell on right now. He shoved the concern away for later.
Ah, that’s better. Xeph’s voice was faint, but otherwise he sounded as he usually did. It has been too long since I experienced the joys of apotheosis. I’d forgotten how... disorienting it can be.
“Disorienting is right. I wasn’t expecting to be completely powerless for the last two hours. And what about you? Where did you go?”
I did not ‘go’ anywhere, mortal. When you drew on my power past the threshold, I was forced into a weakened state, one where I am just barely conscious. Be assured that I still heard all of your banal chatter during that time, though. ALL of it.
Callan rubbed his neck, chagrined. “Oh, ah, sorry about that. Getting stuck under a rock for a few hours kind of does things to a guy.”
I shall forgive you mortal. Just... next time perhaps don’t sing the same song repeatedly to yourself. If I could have screamed, believe me, I would have.
“Right, right.” Then Callan shook his head. “Wait a minute, that’s not important right now. Kivi was taken! We need to get her back before the caravan arrives.”
Footsteps rang on the floor above his head. Without even a thought, Callan activated Mountainform. He raised his fists right as the trapdoor swung open, then let them fall as Tervak’s worried face appeared.
“Avatar! You are alright! When the cult searched the village, I feared the worst.”
Swinging himself around, he dropped directly to the floor, the limber movements belying the elder’s age. “It appears the caravan is arriving sooner than I feared. Twenty of the villagers have been taken already in anticipation of its arrival.”
“I’m aware. Kivi’s among them.” Callan gritted his teeth as he spoke.
“What?” The elder’s expression crumpled. “Then we are lost. Aldis has been seized as well. Without either of their support...”
He trailed off and hung his head.
“We’re doing this,” Callan said. Tervak’s head snapped back up.
“Honored Avatar, are you certain? Our numbers—”
“Are only reduced until we get into the temple. Once we free the others it will bolster our support. Besides, we have to at least try. We won’t have another chance after today.”
“I fear you are right. In that case, I shall go alert Shamain. And my nephew. Though I fear that with the cult already on alert, his attempt at distracting them will be rather futile.”
“Wait a minute, why aren’t you at the pythian tree?” Callan asked, pieces falling together at last. “It’s got to be past time by now.”
“I do not know. The cult did not send us to work after gathering our family members. Perhaps they wish to keep us homebound and out of the way until after the caravan departs.”
“Perhaps.” Callan thought over this for a moment, then shook his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Are the priests still patrolling the streets?”
“Yes. I counted two patrols on my way here, six priests in total. Including the archon.”
Silently, Callan cursed to himself. Well, so much for trying to take the man prisoner after the temple fell. “Do you think you can get by them without being noticed?”
Tervak drew himself up proudly, all three-feet-six-inches of him. “Of course, Avatar. This is our village. I know these streets as well as my own family.”
“Then find Shamain, and head out of the village, to where we trained with Wurmchain. Find somewhere to hide and await my signal.”
The elder frowned at this, and Callan was sure he was going to protest. Instead, he asked, “And my nephew? Will he still serve as a distraction?”
“Leave your nephew out of this, Tervak. I’ll take his place. Our time is too precious to risk anyone else for this.”
“You will serve as our distraction, Avatar?”
A mischievous grin split Callan’s face. “No. I’m serving as our bait.”
----------------------------------------
Callan waited until the elder’s footfalls had faded into the distance before speaking. “Xeph, I need to know you’re with me on this.”
What do you mean, mortal?
“I mean, this plan isn’t without risk. I need to know you’re not going to pull some shit like you did the other day and cut off my powers at a critical moment.”
That was different. You were planning to throw your life—and mine—away for a single lud. One who wasn’t even yet a follower. It risked everything we were building here.
“Yeah, well so does this. Even if we can deal with the problem of the archon, there’s no guarantee that the temple will fall in time. Are you sure you want me—us—to risk it?”
It is not as if there is an alternative.
“There is.” Callan paused a moment, then said. “We could just leave. Head out the way we came, find another village. Somewhere outside Zavastu’s influence, somewhere that doesn’t have all the troubles they have here.”
Stolen story; please report.
...Is that what you want?
Callan grimaced. “No. I want to stay here and fight. I stood by helplessly once already, and I’ll be damned if I let myself do that a second time. But we’re partners, aren’t we? If we’re going to do this, I want to make sure we’re both of the same mind. Committed, to the very end.
I... Xeph went silent. Callan let him think. Sometimes it was better to let a person come to their own conclusions.
Or in this case, a god.
At last, Xeph spoke. I do not wish to die needlessly. But I also do not wish to leave these lud to their fate. Even if they have not sworn themselves to us yet, they... No. It is not the way of a stone god to run. We are implacable, like the mountains we represent. If we are to make a stand, let it be here.
A wave of relief passed through Callan. He had been hoping that was the decision his head-mate would make, but he hadn’t been certain until that moment. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Also, I wish to learn more about this Zavastu. Enslaving these lud rather than taking them as followers is... strange. There is something unusual going on. We need information, and those priests are our best chance to get it.
“Good enough for me.” Callan cracked his knuckles, then started climbing the ladder. Tervak should have had time to find Shamain by now and sneak out of the village. Assuming neither of them had been caught... Probably best to keep an optimistic attitude about the whole scheme. The alternative was to let himself go to pieces with worry.
So what is your plan for gathering the priests?
“I told you, Xeph, I’m going to act as bait.”
That is not a plan.
“Sorry, it’s the best I can offer.” Callan shrugged, then heaved himself into Kivi’s kitchen. He glanced around, but everything was quiet, so he made for the front door.
“I’d really prefer doing this without the archon,” he muttered. “Not knowing what the guy is capable of isn’t exactly comforting.”
Perhaps we could simply avoid engagement.
“Nah, afraid that’s not going to be an option.” Pushing open the front door, Callan glanced down the empty street. He took a deep breath.
“HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!”
What was that??? Xeph demanded. Callan almost chuckled at the note of horror in the god’s voice.
“You wanted to know how I was gathering the priests. There you go.”
Couldn’t you have been a little less obvious about it? We don’t want the entire cult on our trail.
“I’m working with limited options here, Xeph. Oop, looks like it worked.”
A trio of robed priests rounded the corner at a jog, obviously coming to investigate the yell. They stumbled to a halt at the sight of Callan. He gave a stone-encrusted wave, then took off running in the opposite direction.
The yells from behind told him they were following.
Now what? Xeph asked.
“Now we try to find the second patrol before taking a fireball to the back.” Callan swerved to one side as a gout of flames passed over his shoulder. “Ooh, that was a close one. Hey, found the second patrol!”
Another trio of priests stood ahead of them, Ligo at their front. The forfiliin frowned at Callan’s appearance, clearly unsure what to make of it. Callan grinned, then turned and dashed in the direction of the cliffs. In seconds he was past the houses and out onto the prairie.
Here was his most dangerous traversal. There were no trees or other barriers he could put in between him and the following cultists, so he adopted a sort of zig-zag run, sacrificing a bit of speed in favor of not taking a blast of flames to his posterior.
Even so, there were several close calls. Balls of flame scorched the dry grass and sent pebbles flying into the air as they struck around him. One passed close enough it singed Callan’s leg. He winced but managed not to fall over and kept running.
The rocky shelf appeared ahead of him. A glance over his shoulder showed the priests still following, Ligo in the lead. The archon had an expression that was mostly angry snarl. Callan didn’t look forward to letting the man catch up to him.
He kept his speed up until right before the cliff edge, skidding to a halt only a foot away from tumbling over, his arms pinwheeling to keep his balance. Slowly, he turned around.
The priests had spread out in a semicircle behind him. Ligo took a step forward, a ball of flame bouncing in his palm. “Who are you, stranger? What are you doing in this village?”
Mentally, Callan pulled up his stat screen. Giving it a quick scan, he noted that his apotheosis was once again down to zero. Perfect.
Time to get this show started.
“I am Callan, avatar to the god Xeph-Zul-Karatl.” Sticking out his finger, he pointed at each priest in turn. “This is your one opportunity to surrender. Do so, and I’ll spare your lives.”
“Hah!” Ligo snorted, and several of the priests behind him started laughing as well. “This one’s got a pair on him, doesn’t he? If you’re an avatar, you must know this territory belongs to the goddess Zavastu. She doesn’t take kindly to interlopers in her affairs.”
“Not anymore. This village is under the protection of Xeph now. So, what’ll be? Surrender, or death?”
“I don’t think you appreciate your situation here, Avatar.” Ligo gestured to the priests behind him. “You wander into this village alone and unprotected, and think you can simply take what the goddess owns for yourself? And we would just lie down and surrender? Perhaps if you surrender, you might live long enough for the goddess to teach you the error of your ways.”
He took a step forward but paused as Callan grinned. “Afraid you’re wrong on all counts, there Ligo.”
The forfiliin blinked in confusion. “How do you know my name?” Callan ignored him.
“First, I never expected you or any other of Zavastu’s priests would surrender; in fact, I was counting on the opposite. Second, these lud aren’t property. Neither your goddess nor anybody else gets to claim otherwise.”
Holding his arm out, Callan summoned his Wurmchain.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is at 4.5%
“Finally, and most importantly, did you really think I’d come out here without support?”
From behind a nearby hillock, Tervak and Shamain burst from cover. Callan had to admit, he was impressed; he hadn’t been able to spot them when he ran in, even while looking for them.
They stood just at the edge of the rock shelf, barely within the range of his domain. Even as the priests began to turn, they raised their hands, working with their Shape Stone ability.
When Callan had explained the plan to Tervak earlier at Kivi’s, the elder had expressed uncertainty that the combined power of only three of them would be enough. Although Callan had similar doubts on the matter, it was still the best choice they had given the circumstances. Especially with twice as many priests out on patrol. A direct assault with Wurmchain simply wouldn’t cut it against so many.
So instead, they sprang a trap.
Still holding his chain, Callan activated Shape Stone, mentally directing his power beneath his feet. While he would have preferred more opportunities to practice manipulating stone he couldn’t actually see, his battle long ago with the velak had at least taught him that it was possible.
His sphere passed through the stone at his feet, then went slack as it encountered open air beneath. Mentally he shifted it further back until he found the cliff’s edge beneath.
His fingers tore it apart with abandon.
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is at 9%
Behind the cultists, Tervak let his hands drop and stepped back. Callan had advised the two lud to not use their own Wurmchain until it was absolutely necessary. Unlike him, once their fifteen minutes of use were up, that was it.
Next to him, Shamain continued her own manipulations of the stone beneath, cackling madly. Several priests moved in her direction but stopped as one of their number let out a yelp, Callan’s Wurmchain biting into his shoulder. Callan didn’t swing again, instead focusing back on manipulating the stone.
Ligo growled, and suddenly his own whip was in hand, this one surrounded by a blazing inferno. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I intend to get answers out of your scorched hide—
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is at 13.5%
The stone beneath their feet shuddered. Slid to one side. Arms flailed as cultists attempted to keep their balance, and the archon’s whip passed harmlessly to the side of Callan’s head, the air sizzling in its wake. Callan concentrated, tearing into the stone beneath further. Just a little bit more... Just...
*Crack*
Alert: 4.5% Apotheosis used.
Total Apotheosis is at 18%
Stone shuddered again. Tilted. Then the entire thing simply pitched forward.
“Yargh!” Ligo flailed away as Callan struck out with his weapon, raising his own fists in response. But attacking the archon wasn’t his goal, creating a space was. And now he had it.
He rushed past even as his perspective began to tilt dangerously, then he was through the cluster of screaming, flailing priests before they even noticed and was leaping away, back towards the cliff as the rock tilted further and tumbled into open air. Already the lip was past his point of view, but that didn’t matter to him. He swung his Wurmchain, and the deadly point sank into the cliff face, embedding itself deep.
With a shoulder-wrenching jerk, his fall was arrested, and the canyon wall rushed at him as his weapon carried him in an arc towards it. He hit the wall, bounced off, and almost released his hold in response. Only the enhanced grip from Mountainform kept his hands locked around his weapon’s handle.
Swinging back and forth, Callan risked a glance down. Then immediately wished he hadn’t. Sheer canyon stretched between him and the floor a hundred feet or more below, without so much as a ledge to catch his feet on. Instead, they kicked open air or scraped the wall in a futile search for purpose.
Distantly, he noted that the cult’s screams had stopped. He hadn’t even heard them hit the ground. Not that he intended to risk another look down to confirm, since his brief glance had already shown him their broken bodies lying strewn beneath his feet.
Pity the archon had to be included in that little plan, but better the loss of a hostage than needing to fight him outright later.
Before his grip on the chain could begin to slip, a rope tumbled down into his periphery. Above, Tervak and Shamain looked down at him. “Avatar! Are you doing alright?”
“Oh, you know. I’ve been better.”
“Grab ahold and we’ll pull you up.”
Callan quickly changed over to the swinging rope, his Wurmchain puffing away to nothing the moment he released it. With Mountainform still covering his hands, he found pulling himself up was a relatively easy matter, but he still let the lud assist, and in only a few moments he was back on solid ground.
“Thanks,” he wheezed. “That’s not an experience I want to repeat any time soon.”
Honestly, I still can’t believe it actually worked, Xeph grumbled. Privately Callan agreed with him but decided not to ruin morale by saying so out loud.
“At least the difficult part is done.” Shamain grinned maliciously. “Now just the small matter of assaulting the most secure building in the village, which still has enough priests inside to outnumber us two-to-one!”
“Once we have freed the others, it should be easy enough to bring villagers onto our side,” Tervak said, puffing his chest. “The rest of the villagers should help us even the odds in a fight.”
“No fighting, not unless we can help it.” Climbing to his feet, Callan dusted himself off. “Our mission now is simple—I shut down the temple. If you can free Kivi and the others before then, great, but what’s important is you two keeping the priests away while Xeph works his magic.”
The two lud nodded, and together they set off back towards the village. In his pocket, Callan could feel the remaining memory shards, waiting to be used.
“You ready for this, Xeph?”
Would it matter if I wasn’t, mortal? No, don’t answer that.
Callan chuckled to himself. “Fair enough.”