It was the same as any other night in Northend, overbearing and desolating. The sky was darkened, its winds cold and unforgiving, the snowing clouds did not make the situation outside in the wilderness any better. Whenever a certain amount of time passed without the weather changing, a good night's sleep was guaranteed for us; and so we lowered our guards. So it came as no surprise when our camp was blown to pieces by an approaching snowstorm.
I saved you just in time. That much I can remember, grabbing hold of you just before you flew away.
Yes, my eyes bulged out slowly when I understood the situation. I was hysteric within reason I was floating in the air held by your clasp Alana. No one could be prepared to wake up in such a manner. It did, however, cause me to reach for my personal texts and Grimoire I had to secure them before they were forever lost. In the meantime, I had to push through the storm; stabbing my sword at an awkward forward angle to push us onwards. We were inching to the only mountain and cave that remained in sight, seeking refuge in its strong natural rock walls; a barrier against the cold of the storm.
Pressing through the storm proved too much for me that's when I collapsed, there was a fever rising in me. The exhaustion from acting as a weight for the both of us was visible as you gasped for air, once you fell I took the torch. Grabbing you by the waist, I was grateful that you were so compact, that muscular build of yours and short stature were effortless to carry for me. We were still being buffeted by the blizzard's storm --so I chanted. I channeled the invisible power of mana which I had just begun to sense through my words and motions.
The power built up from my diaphragm to the stomach, then the heart; and throughout the whole process my body became numb. Its Feedback was still a problem, I thought. It acted unstable when functioning and it did indeed function. Any pains that came with it for reasons unknown were a hindrance to the casting but overlookable. I did notice that the more I cast a spell, the fewer obstructions I felt when manipulating certain parts of my body.
'Mana Sphere', was the name of the spell in question, and it worked by admitting the symbols for mana through whatever magic language one spoke. Acting like a variation on the even simpler Arcane bolt. When performed with hands they could be seen moving in counter-clockwise circles the final chanting of the words, "Mana Sphere", activating the construct of the spell.
The properties of the sphere became apparent quickly enough. As if an invisible barrier had been formed; if someone's mystical sight had been on it, they would have seen two opposite winds. Rotating bluish energies that opposed each other's direction. Somehow they were still existing congruently, despite their opposing forces. And it acted as a shield against the buffeting snow, the biting cold unable to penetrate inside.
With the extra weight of a person on the shoulder, the nearest cave would have done for a rest. When he did find the nearest cave he settled her on the floor of the first nearby cave. Passing his right hand through the bangs of his brown hair, all the way to the back of his head. He looked at the logs noticing the lack of flint required for sparks. This simplicity did not stop him, however; he muttered a low chant in the primect towards the makeshift campfire. 'Flame' and embers flew from the tip of his fingers towards the logs.
Instantly, the kindling caught on fire excess sparks combusting the logs. The kindling of these logs warmed the air of the cave along with Alana, who looked less constrained once the heat had returned to her body away from the chilling winds. Her refusal to coat herself properly had been her undoing in this case. After she stated that her Northern Blood would see her through these trials she would not allow herself to bundle up in heavier clothing. He tried to explain acclimatization to her in failure. Uninterested in his explanations sure of her Blood, she had not stopped shivering since coming to.
Hours passed and still, the storm refused to desist, a yawn escaped from Godrick's mouth and he looked towards his companions. Her fever had broken fairly quickly, and her color had become less pallid. She rested comfortably on the ground as he guarded over her drifting through the sands of sleep himself. It was late now, his eyelids heavy with sleep, hand on his left cheek he swaying unsteadily. Finally, he fell to the sands; sleep gracing him to the realm of dreams.
But his rest would not come yet, the echoing of the cave resounded with the original owner of the cave's roar. A large bear walked in ferocious and bestial, its face filled with scars down to its massive body. Godrick woke immediately, sleep becoming less important to him as he conjured four highly condensed blue streaks that pierced into the bear. Barely a trickle of blood escaped from the wounds instant muscle and fat clotting the hits. "ROaARgh" it yelled, the projectiles had frightened it for all of a second before it pounced nimbly towards Godrick. Its speed and grace terrified the lone Pilgrim. A slap from its paw pushed him across the cave and into a wall, the claws impacting him with force; they left gashes on his robes and chest. Blood spewed from his mouth trickling from his chest.
"Blergh" The vile mix of blood and puke left him winded and Godrick felt a fear unknown enter him. 'No' he thought this could not be how his story would end, he was merely at the beginnings of his pilgrimage the secrets he sought were still far away from grasp.
Expecting to meet the face of the bear right to his. He wearily lifted his head, still gasping from the blow. An unconscious Alana came into his sight and a sense of duty came upon him. As he stood up the air around him hummed with power, he was channeling energies into his words and movements. The bear was using its maw and clamping its jaws upon her. 'Mana Sphere', was cast and its mouth deflected from the invisible shield. Godrick hummed exhaustedly his reserves nearly spent from lack of rest. Furiously striking against the sphere continued from the bear, who was confused as to why it could not bite upon the vulnerable prey in front of it. Each of its strikes would exhaust the emptying reserves of mana that the Pilgrim still contained within, unable to measure how much was still left, he began to panic throwing a barrage of 'Arcane bolts' aimed at the only spot he could Identify as a weak point; its head.
"Come at me, you foul-smelling scabies infested, mongrelling vermin." The heat in his voice spread through him, his leftover mana cycling potently in his body. Any obstruction inside of him broke down, joining the cycle that fed his vessel.
Comprehension dawned on the Bear a furious roar of anger erupting from the beast. With a single jump, it bounded towards the pilgrim who was casting once more, each hand thrumming with the powers of mana. Godrick had tapped into the fruits insights with the experience of life and death nearing, its madness was the least of his worries so he embraced it allowing a flood of doubt to attack his mind.
'Useless' the first of the onslaught came, 'worthless oathbreaker' they stacked on him now, 'unworthy, unliked, a disheartened fool chasing after dreams of inconsequence, you are nothing but a callous youth whose oath was as fragile as his faith. Death would be a blessing to one such as me' They came endless in their assault, attacking every point that he could not stomach.
'your village, the elder, the community, your people, your family, mother and father, Dead at your worthlessness, your cowardice and inability.' All of his unresolved traumas had come back to hound him. 'Give in, the best you will ever do is become the waste of a beast such as this ursine. Become useful for once in your life and let yourself become mulch to nurture nature so that you can finally contribute something to this horrid world.' The thoughts were dark, scathing, and derisive a true blow to one's ego. Godrick was close to losing himself before noticing a madness creep upon the entirety of the chamber, the bear ever closing in on him.
"Mana sphere, arcane bolt, " His shield came first, halting the bear's attack and repelling its foul breath as it foamed at the mouth, saliva dripping from its jaw. An arcane bolt was formed but he halted its release by holding the last hand gesture. The last spell was an incantation he had been creating and had practiced for the longest time, completely new if you excluded its origins from the elders' incanting. It was not a true spell yet but a mere Proto-spell a cantrip that generated a flame of intense heat, still ineffective in its mana usage but barely a dent to a pool of mana of higher quality such as his. With the addition of some supplanting words and the inclusion of mana into its construct, a more concentrated burn of explosive force was created.
Three consecutive spells were cast one to deflect, one to attack, and one to support. The flame pushed behind the Bolt and an explosive force was felt, the shield shattered from the force unable to resist the bear attacks or the explosion created by the supporting cantrip. For the first time the bear was pushed back, the spell had been aimed at its stomach since it remained standing as it swiped with its claws. It was pushed past the flames towards the spot where Alana once lay falling onto its back with a pained whimper.
"Aooaahuu!" Its cries were filled with the pain of having had your stomach dug through. Its thick hide and fur had been pierced by the spell displaying a gaping hole in its stomach.
Sounds of wind being cut were heard, metal severing through flesh and bone, and cutting deeply into the stone floor beneath the bear. The bear remained lifeless, decapitated as its lifeblood drained on the floor. Alana had woken from her fever, it was broken and she revitalized after her long rest, she looked at the beaten down and exhausted Godrick who was standing wobbly on his feet.
"Oh wow, I'm impressed Heretic. Ya darn managed to knock a Grizzler Ursine on its back. Ya sure, ya nearly half dead but good job." She gave him a thumbs-up with the bears head in her hand smiling at him pleasantly.
"Haha" a weak laugh escaped from him and it was his turn to rest as he fell on the floor exhausted beyond all belief.
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"That is what you recall as a hard one, we nearly died you brute," Godrick said as he stoked the dying flames of the fire with a wave of his hands and a whisper for flames.
"Nonsense, ya damned pansy. I'm bundled up now and you consolidated that there magic o' your's no? Fair deal, err' 'body knows life and death battles hone the will and spirit, ain't yer fancy magic depends on them." her reply came in a patronizing manner that would have irked anyone who did not know her.
"All did, end well I guess, and it remains in the past so you are not without merit in your words." Conceding to her statement he finished entering the account into his Grimoire.
"I believe, I have reached the limits of my wakefulness will you assume the first watch or should I?" Another yawn escaped him but he would happily light another fleurel and drink the latest potion that he had developed from a special brown bean which stimulated his blood flow.
"Or ya could come hither and gain warmth in my beddings. Flesh to flesh, heat on heat, the road has been hard no?" She pointed to her bedroll, giving him a surreptitious giggle-filled smirk.
"Thank you for the first watch." His reply came cooly already in his bedroll.
"Oh, ya bore. Goodnight punk." Standing up and away from the fire she walked a small perimeter ending when she tossed another look at her companion.
Not brave but dutiful, uncompromising yet considerate, changing yet constant he was a riddle alright but what person was not she thought. Laying back down she looked towards the stars her gaze happy as she stared at the Marni, followed by the Cynthia and then the Mouse, there was another constellation next to it that was not discussed before. Her focus became concentrated, and finally, she began being able to connect the stars slowly into the patterns that Godrick had shown her and it locked into a bestial serpent form. She felt power from it, unimaginable strength, and hours seemed to pass as she stared at it; until finally her relief came.
"It's time did you already fall asleep star gazing Alana."
"Oh no, thank ya, goodnight,"
"Goodnight my friend rest well."
"Yeah... thanks," She said quietly, her emotions stirred with hunger from the glimpse of the beast.