Vilora’s prediction had proven true. The Mother Tree’s main entrances remained sealed for a full 2 weeks, and it took almost three days for Benjamin, Viola, and Valtrya to leave their room. Eventually, they resurfaced, to the less than gentle ribbing of Jukha. Benjamin spent most of the rest of his time exploring the Mother Tree, wandering its walls in silence, or with the sisters. At the end of the second week, the Queen mother held a banquet for the occupants entombed together during the storm.
Benjamin, Viola, and Valtrya were met by a beaming Jukha and a smiling Vilora who fluttered up to give each an embrace, “Ah, I see rest has done you well. Come, Jukha is dying to show you finally.” The five entered the ballroom doors, and Benjamin took an explosive breath. There, as the centerpiece was the Egret… well, what he assumed was the Egret. The bird was mounted, its carefully crafted pose attached to a bronze baseplate that was almost certainly necessary. The massive avian stood 15ft tall, and wore the face of an oversized shoebill stork save for a massive hook-like ending on the tip of its beak. Its pure white coat of feathers and outstretched wings betrayed a body that seemed more eagle than a stork, and its pose crafted to guard the main banquet table with the queen mother directly centered beneath it.
“Come! Come!” The distance-muted voice of Vilora’s twin sister beckoned them in. Benjamin instantly felt underdressed but ignored the eyes upon him and his friends as they were escorted to the Queen's table. “I see the weather has not treated you too harshly” she began as they sat. Vilora and Jukha sat to her right, and Benjamin sat between the Aereseen sisters to her left. Benjamin smiled, sliding the chairs in behind the sisters before taking his own, “No, your majesty. We’ve not left the tree. I’ve spent a good deal of time in snow, but I know when I’ve met my match.”
“But is it.” Queen Victoria asked, “Your match, I mean” she asked. Benjamin looked at her first in confusion, then In understanding, “I… I don’t know.” The queen raised an eyebrow at him before their exchange was terminated by fanfare.
Large crowds: staff, guards, and noble Alike all filed in and began sitting. At the tables. “What did she mean?” Viola’s quiet whisper tickled Benjamin’s hearing. “I… I’m not sure…” he responded before snagging her hand for a quick peck, “not today, today is for fun.”
Soon the hall was bustling with activity. The Queen Mother revealed herself to be an odd monarch, staff and servants appeared to be necessary for the smooth running of the palace, yet when the main table filled with food was rolled in, those same servants were offered the opportunity to fill their plates first in a buffet style line. “It is our way” the Queen had stated simply, as the buffet line seemed to naturally take on a reverse order of seniority, with the Queen and her guests filling their plates last.
There was no risk of running short of delicacies, however, and soon Benjamin was stuffed to the brim with savory meats, salads, vegetables, and a wildly popular dessert that seemed to blur the line between fried ice cream and something he could not decipher. Jukha regaled the group with the story of the hunt, proving himself to be an excellent storyteller in his own right. Musicians finished their fill and began to play for the rest as the feast shifted from consumption to conversation. A low din of multiple voices in small groups buzzed as Benjamin took a pull from his ale flagon. “Your majesty, do you think this storm is to delay our trip north?”
“Ah, eager to stay longer?” The Queen teased for a moment, “It may, I do not normally like sending an envoy this early in the year, but this storm will slow the thaw in Medina’s Pass.” Benjamin perked up, “Medina’s Pass? Forgive me, but I am still behind on learning the history of… well, here.”
“Ah, well” Vilora began, “Medina’s pass is named for a Maje, but what we know is still considered hearsay, even among my people.” Benjamin raised an eyebrow, well aware of the Farie races’ immortal status, “that seems a bit odd, surely there must be some information?”
“Almost none,” Victoria answered, “No Vin survived the event to recount it. Legend is all we have to go on.” She smiled at Benjamin’s interest before continuing, “The legends are… cryptic. Suposedly, Medina was a powerful Ork Maje that had escaped the principality, but not their hunters. She lived a life of solitude, almost as deep into the FeralWood as we are now, but much further north.”
Jukha stirred, “Aye, I’ve heard of this, Some called her a fire-breather, others believed her to draw her power from a blood pact with Suelin herself.” Benjamin looked to the Orc, eyes intent as Jukha continued, “The legend goes that a bounty party, like the one that hunted us, found her meditating.”
“Indeed, but what comes next makes little sense,” Victoria picked up the story, “the stories say that the stone itself melted below her feet, and that she wielded fire so hot that none could see it. There was a Maje among the hunters, Jerall. It is said that he was her equal at the Principality academy….. The two’s battle created the pass. Some accounts claim that Medina called down hell itself to fight. Others recount a mountain removed in a single flash. What we do know, is that Jerall survived, for a time… He made it to an ascendancy village. he… Benjamin?”
Benjamin was visibly shocked, but his eyes held something else. Viola placed a hand on his, knowing the nightmare he received the night of the storms beginning. “How did she die,” Queen Victoria raised an eyebrow but ignored the lack of honorifics. “That, we have records of. His hair fell out within days, followed by a complete collapse of his literal life’s core. Boils and bleeding from the eyes and nose. The Vin that treated him lived a month before falling ill with similar symptoms. She lived, but her weakened body succumbed to disease a few years later.”
“I see.” Benjamin sighed, then visibly steeled himself, “I would like to accompany the envoy. I need to see this Madina’s pass.”
“It can be arraigned, but it will lengthen the journey, for you, considerably. I must think on it.” The Queen responded. With that, the conversation meandered to more joyful topics.
The next day saw the return of clear skies and warming days. Benjamin finished his saber but slowed his combat training. Yilaaran had not liked it. Twice a week, Benjamin would disappear into the deep woods. He left early, and alone. And would often come back sweating and too exhausted to forge. The next weeks saw the beginning of the thaw. Snow drifts gave way to mud, and flurries to a damp drizzle. Yet, Benjamin seemed intent on trudging out into the muck without fail.
This day was like the others. Benjamin sat in an empty clearing a mile from the Vin settlement, the stone he chose as his perch kept him from sitting in mud but did little against the rainwater streaming down his face into haunted eyes. His nightmare was the worst kind, a repeating one, His original death mixed with a horror that felt inevitable. Val and Vi were worried for him, but he forced them to promise not to follow him. He prayed that they listened to him.
He reached out with his scarred arm, and the faded echos of the electrical burns began to glow once more. In the center of the field, rainwater stopped falling, hanging motionless in mid-air before being pressed into a hovering ball of clear rippling liquid. Benjamin began to sweat, not from effort, but from stress. He was in over his head, he knew it…. But he felt he had no choice. ‘Just a little more…’ steam began rising from the ball of liquid as Benjamin worked slowly, straining under the mental demands of this task as the ball of liquid began to fizz and change state. ‘Just a little furt..’
*STOP!* a familiar voice bellowed and rampaged through Benjamin’s Psyche. His scars and eyes stopped glowing and his body fell limp, tumbling off the boulder and into the mud where it lay face up. “I was wondering when you would show up.” Benjamin watched from outside his corporeal form, as Sol appeared next to him in this in-between existence. Her eyes flashed irately, grabbing him about the collar of the shirt he was happy to still be wearing from last time. “Cosmos is not to be trifled with! You know not the forces you play with!!”
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Benjamin firmly grabbed her by the wrist holding him, “What was that dream?” He inquired, and The Wildly raging aura about Sol faded in realization, “you did all of this…. To ask about that?”
“No,” Benjamin admitted, “I need to see where my limits are, where my knowledge is lacking; but since you are here…. That was not just a dream, was it.”
“The touched don’t get to just dream, Son of Terra” Sol released him with a huff, “By the Cosmos, If I knew you were going to be this reckless…” she paused at his raised eyebrow, “You are developing too quickly, you should not be having visions yet.”
Benjamin’s ethereal form crossed his arms, “And yet I saw myself melting people… I saw Val die by my hand. I felt no control. If that was a vision, I must continue, to prevent it..”
“Or fulfill it, Son of Terra. Many such touched have raced to their doom in this way. Your Human knowledge has limits.” Sol regarded him before sighing, “I cannot have my champion falling before his task is complete.”
“Your… champion?” Benjamin said slowly, his tone drawing a raised eyebrow from the interstellar avatar, “I belong to no one…” Sol slowly walked up to him, “That is not… strictly true. We all have masters to serve. This body of yours” she waved down to the unconscious muddy form on the ground, “is not the one you died in… That one, sadly, is dead and gone.” she paused as the confirmation hit Benjamin like a truck, “I’m truly sorry, but I could only save your spirit, and in doing so I am required to take responsibility for it…”
Benjamin slowly dropped his hand, “you mean…” Sol winced sadly, “Yes, you once told me that you are not interested in gods or goddesses… but to take your soul, I had to make you mine… I’m sorry Benjamin, but under the old laws, you belong to me.”
Benjamin stumbled and sat down on the boulder his body fell from, “fuck…” Sol let him be for several moments before putting a hand on his shoulder, surprised he did not recoil from it, “It was the only way, this I swear it. Like I told you, I need you to preserve this realm. Stakes are simply too high to be ignored for such a noble thing as freedom.”
“My girls… they will die if I do this,” Benjamin rasped. SOL squeezed his shoulder, “They will die if you fail; they only may die if you succeed. I can promise no more.” She stepped around to kneel in front of Benjamin. “Tell me, why do you play with…” she waved at the clearing, “this.”
Benjamin raised his head to look at her, a mix of anger and resignation boiling behind his gaze, “You know why… I barely know the basics… I’m a gunsmith playing at being a physicist, toying with the powers of the universe itself… I have to find the line somehow because I cannot allow myself to cross it on accident.”
Sol stood, “I see… and If you crossed that line, here?” She asked. Benjamin shrugged, “then I only take myself out, I hope.” Benjamin shook himself, and Sol regarded him cautiously as he squared his shoulders to her, “I will serve you, on two conditions.” He paused, waiting for her nod. She gave it, and he continued with deadly care, “When this mission is done, I am free. When this realm is safe, I will live out my life in peace.” Sol nodded, “I accept, and the second?”
Benjamin stepped closer still holding her gaze in his, “You have knowledge I need. I will have it, or you will kill me here and now. I cannot complete my task if I must walk eggshells to do it. If I am to be your champion, then give me what I am missing. Allow me what I need to save this reality without erasing it in ignorance.”
“Are you sure,” Sol asked carefully, “Your mind may not survive,” Benjamin nodded, “I do not need cognitive understanding, build what you must into my instincts, into my subconscious. Then, erase it when my task is complete. This mission will force me to walk a terrible line. You and I both know that I possess the knowledge to erase continents… I seek the knowledge to avoid doing so, blindly, or by accident.”
Sol’s eyes narrowed, “very well, Son of Terra. I will grant this, but do not test me further. Even I have limits.” Benjamin did not flinch or pull away when she grabbed his head, placing her forehead to his, “Let us begin.”
———————————-
“We promised, I’m sure he is fine,” Viola was busy polishing the last bits of bright work on her newly completed armor set, but he gazed remained affixed to her sister. Valtrya abandoned her own polishing, instead focusing on staring out the window. It was still an odd feeling at times, being only one half of an individual, intimately familiar with the storm of emotions raging inside their soul, yet capable of independent thought from her sister.
It was late afternoon, and Benjamin had not returned. Viola struggled to focus through the waves of panic thrashing the two of them, “Val, come. Sit… Benjamin is strong, I’m sure he will be here soon.” Viola watched her sister drag herself from the window. It was pouring down rain now. Thunder clapping between flashes of god light.
She trusted Benjamin, but did not like that he was hiding stuff from them. this was not like him, and he had changed since his nightmare during the blizzard. She noticed several more of such dreams; often waking him in the early morning. It hurt seeing him this troubled, but it hurt more that they were unable to help him calm his mind.
Thunder clapped, louder this time. The storm rolled in fully on top of them, but Val jumped as she recognized an almost hidden sound. The door had slammed in the second forge room, and Val rushed through the conjoining entrance closely followed by Vi. Benjamin stood next to a roaring forge, and lit lanterns that had been cold not a moment before. “Ben…. You were gone.. too long” Val scolded; much to the surprise of both her sister and Benjamin.
Benjamin sighed, “I know, I’m sorry.” Vi raised an eyebrow at his tired, but not completely exhausted expression, “I’m done through. I’ve got what I was looking for.” Vi watched in familiar awe as Benjamin’s scars and eyes began to glow. All at once, all of the water soaking him was ripped from his clothes and body, congealing into a sphere in front of him before being dropped into a wash bucket. “What.. you.. what did you.. find” Val asked, stepping up to a now bone-dry Benjamin. “What was so.. imper.. important”
Benjamin pulled her into a capturing embrace, “It would take too long to explain; but in short, control.” He said “Understanding.” Vi followed her sister, catching a long embrace as well. “You scared us, when you did not come back. We’ve been waiting. We are finished.”
Benjamin visibly brightened, “Oh?” He asked, “Show me.” The sisters practically bounded into the other room, and Benjamin stepped over to the tall cabinet in the corner. His saber was long finished, as well as Val’s spear tip. Viola’s sword was almost done, but Benjamin needed her for the finishing touches. The same went for Val’s shield. He laid everything out and covered it in a canvas tablecloth just in time for the women to return. Each wearing their armor; Val and Vi stood before him, in all their shining glory.
Both had chosen an almost fantasy-style breastplate that accentuated their female forms. Val had gone for an armored skirt, much like her practice armor, but with well-made thin articulating pieces of steel instead of iron. Her breastplate comprised one solid piece of forged steel that protected her from her throat to just below her bust. That piece ended there, replaced by a series of riveted pieces that articulated and overlapped with the main chest plate. She had clearly put thought into giving herself the maximum amount of flexibility and maneuverability. It was form-fitting, but still sized appropriately for the short-sleeved gambeson backer.
“I have, mail.. long sleeves, but.. wanted lighter, cooler, for travel.” Val explained, hefting a fully-sleeved gambeson with interwoven chainmail. She wore leather gloves with small pieces of steel protecting her knuckles and the top of her hand, and they disappeared under a pair of gauntlets. Benjamin smiled as he recognized the pattern on them. Val had mimicked and stylized the electrical scars on his arm into an ornate design on the gauntlets.
Benjamin stepped over to her, feeling out the plates and inspecting the joints, “impressive, well made. I'm not sure how I feel about the sacrifices you’ve made for movement, but You’ve done well.” Val beamed for a moment then gasped as Benjamin’s eyes glowed. She could feel her armor warming about her, but it did not burn her, the metal seemed to groan for a moment before Benjamin stepped back.
Val looked down, seeing the armor unchanged around her “What.. did I make, mistake?” Benjamin shook his head, “No, you’ve made a truly exceptional set. However, not all steel is equal. Where I come from has the ability to make steel far stronger than what is capable with hammer and forge. I simply am giving you that steel. Bounce a little, you will feel it.”
Val bobbed up and down lightly, “whoa! So. Light. Is, safe” Ben nodded, “it is, and it matches these,” he pulled part of the canvas back to reveal Val’s present. “The spearhead will need you to choose a shaft you like,” he handed her the shield head and watched her carefully inspect the mirror-polished edge. Her thumb pulled away from the tip quickly as Val stuck it in her mouth, “ow, sharp”
“It is,” Benjamin nodded, “Here, take this,” he handed her the shield he forged for her, it spanned almost 3 ft in diameter, and easily covered most of her body while still being extremely light for its size. An individual of Val’s stature should have had trouble hefting it, but Benjamin smirked as Val’s forge sculpted strength easily hefted it, “It’s light.. practice shield… heavy.” Benjamin stepped over, “good, I need you to grip it properly, I am going to fit it into your hand.”
Val gasped this time as the metal of the central grip began glowing in her hand. Again, she felt the searing heat, but her hand remained unburned, “that’s it, now give the handle a moderate squeeze.” Benjamin asked. Val did so, and felt the hot metal give under her grip, molding to the contour of her hand, “there..” she whispered, “Comfortable” she stared in fascination as Benjamin pulled the heat back out, leaving a perfectly molded grip in its place, “last thing,” he said, “reach out in front of the grip, find the lever that is there, and squeeze hard.” Val noticed Ben step back as he finished. The lever was there as promised, and she squeezed.
Her and Vi gasped as the shield clanged, sending an 8-inch spike out of the edge of the shield that stood directly in line with Val’s arm. Benjamin gave a dark chuckle, “I remembered the clobbering you gave me with the shield, I hope you like your “something spikey” Val released the lever, and the spike snapped back into place. She gave Benjamin a massive grin and squeezed the lever several more times, cycling the “punching spike” in and out. “I love it.” She squealed, setting down the shield and slamming into Ben with a hug, “oof! Armor, can’t breathe.” Ben laughed, and Val bounced back with an only half apologetic look. Benjamin looked toward Viola and raised an eyebrow.