Zeroth shivered slightly as he led his group off Tingle's airship onto the bare stone of the mountains. As he began to look around, Zeroth pulled his battle axe from his back and allowed Vulcanix's power to flow, igniting the axe and casting an orange glow around him and his allies. "Glorified torch," Varic stated with a chuckle as he followed Zeroth toward what seemed to be some sort of decrepit outdoor shrine. Coming into a fairly large clearing, Zeroth held his axe above his head to cast a larger field of light which allowed everyone to see the area. Zeroth watched as Varic set up multiple torches around the clearing and lit them with his magic, allowing Zeroth to stop holding his axe in the air. As Zeroth led his companions into the clearing, now illuminated by the flickering torchlight and the fiery glow of his axe, they found themselves enveloped by a sense of serene gravity. It was as if the very stone beneath them seemed to hum with the echoes of years past.
The stone pillars that ringed the clearing stood tall, their surfaces worn by the elements yet resolute against time's relentless march. Each pillar, a hexagonal monolith of grey stone, was etched with intricate runes and symbols that shimmered faintly in the combined light. These runes spoke of protection, balance, and the intertwining of the elemental forces that governed the world. At the circle's center lay a dilapidated altar, its surface cracked and overgrown with moss. Despite its appearance of decay, the altar held a commanding presence. Surrounding the altar, the ground was paved with a mosaic of flat stones laid in a pattern that mirrored the constellations above, a celestial guide reflected in the earth. As Zeroth was exploring the area he noticed the cave entrance not too far away which led him to his battle axe. As if in response, the flames on his axe flared as he stared at the entrance. "You alright there?" Ardric asked as he placed a hand on Zeroth's shoulder. Zeroth jumped slightly and responded, "Oh! Yeah, I'm okay. That cave there is where I found this joyous axe." Ardric raised an eyebrow at that. "Seems it came full circle in a way. Are you ready for this ritual? Luminara has been giving me an idea of what to do here."
Zeroth looked down at his axe then turned towards his brother with a serious look across his face. "I believe so. My trust is with you and Varic in this, sadly Tingle will just be emotional support. On my end, I just have to... Let go." He tightened his grip on his axe as he finished his sentence. Tingle, who was not too far away examining the runes on the pillars, piped up. "Hey! Tingle will have the most emotional support ever! Maybe one-day Varic could teach Tingle to use magic so I could help in the future." Varic cast Zeroth an exasperated glance at that and mouthed "Please no." to him. Zeroth began to cackle at that and said, "Oh yeah! Once this is all over, Varic promises to teach you something." Zeroth winked at Varic who was scrunching up his face in over-animated disgust.
As the group's laughter died down, the gravity of the moment began to settle over them once more. Ardric, sensing the shift in mood, cleared his throat and gathered his companions closer to outline Luminara's guidance for the ritual. "Luminara has been quite clear," Ardric began, his voice steady and imbued with a newfound confidence. "Our focus tonight is on balance and restraint. Zeroth, you need to channel Vulcanix's power, but not let it consume you. We're walking a fine line here, drawing him out without giving him control." Varic, still shaking his head at the thought of teaching Tingle magic, added seriously, "And I'll be reinforcing the protective barriers around us, making sure whatever energy we're dealing with stays contained. Eldrinacht has shown me a few protective wards I never knew of."
Zeroth nodded, his gaze drifting back to the cave entrance, the source of all his current strife and power. "And I suppose," he said, turning back to face his friends, "if things go south, you'll be the ones pulling me back." Ardric placed both hands on Zeroth's shoulders, meeting his eyes with a determined look. "We won't let it come to that. Luminara's given me a bit of insight into divine locks, ways to tether you here, to us, preventing Vulcanix from taking full control of you." The group shared a moment of quiet understanding, each acknowledging the part they played in the ritual ahead. The air around the Heartstone Circle seemed to thicken with anticipation, the ancient stones and runes casting elongated shadows under the moonlit sky.
As they began the final preparations, Ardric led them in a brief moment of meditation, asking for Luminara's protection and guidance. Varic quietly set about strengthening the magical defenses, and Tingle stood back on the edge of the pillars, examining Varic's wards. Zeroth, standing at the heart of the Circle, felt the weight of the axe in his hands, its flames reflecting in his determined gaze. He knew the road ahead was fraught with peril, but at this moment, surrounded by the mountains and his allies, he felt a rare sense of peace. It was time to officially face Vulcanix, to reclaim his fate.
When Zeroth looked to Ardric for confirmation, he saw Ardric was already beginning to exude Luminara's protective aura, his eyes shut in concentration. When Ardric opened his eyes, he nodded to Zeroth to begin, Varic grunting to say he was also prepared. With a deep inhale, Zeroth shut his eyes and allowed all of Vulcanix's raw power to flow into him. Zeroth thought he could hear a faint "Oh?" echo in the back of his mind, Vulcanix's taunting voice all too familiar. "Yes... Give me all you got. I give in." Zeroth thought, seeing nothing but the hellish flames in his mind. When he opened his eyes, Zeroth looked down, expecting to see his arms engulfed in flames as they usually were. Zeroth let out a shocked gasp as he saw his arms were massive and his flesh seemed to flow like lava, similar to Vulcanix's volcanic flesh.
Zeroth's transformation sent a shiver of awe and fear through the onlookers. The sight was both magnificent and terrifying, as Zeroth's dwarf form took on aspects of the god's fiery visage. The crackling and hissing of what sounded like molten lava emanated from his now towering form, his arms rippling with the same powerful flaming energy that enveloped Vulcanix. The flames danced with a life of their own, flickering and reaching out as if trying to claim more of Zeroth's humanity for Vulcanix's domain. Yet Zeroth's face remained his own, a testament to his spirit's resistance against the complete takeover. His eyes, though, had taken on an intense glow, reminiscent of burning coals, indicating the internal struggle against the invading force of Vulcanix.
Ardric, Varic, and Tingle watched, poised to act. Ardric’s light shone brighter in response, casting divine radiance around the circle, and Varic's tattoos began to writhe with the surge of power, signaling his readiness to deploy his most potent wards should Vulcanix's presence attempt to break free. "Stay with us, Zeroth!" Ardric’s voice was steady but laden with concern. His divine aura now shone like a beacon, a clear signal to both Zeroth and any deity watching that this was a mortal fighting an immortal battle. Tingle, usually the most lighthearted of them all, clenched his fists, his usually chaotic energy now focused and sharp. "Don't let that flame-headed bully push you around, Zeroth! You're stronger!" Zeroth's chest heaved with labored breaths, and with a mighty roar that echoed through the mountains, he reaffirmed his grip on his humanity, on his essence. The fiery limbs seemed to solidify, no longer just an imitation of Vulcanix's form but a display of Zeroth's command over the power that sought to dominate him.
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In the next moment, as Zeroth seemed to be at full power, Ardric pulled his arms against his chest as bright gold light formed in his hands, and silver sigils began to form along his arm, flaring with energy in tune with his heartbeat. A few seconds later, Ardric stepped forward with a grunt and shot his hands out towards Zeroth. Zeroth gasped as he watched three golden chains with jagged hooks begin to fly towards him out of Ardric's hands. Zeroth shut his eyes expecting instant pain but when he opened them a second later he gaped as he saw the hooked chains gouged into the massive form of Vulcanix in front of him.
Zeroth took a step backward, shocked at the barely visible form of Vulcanix looming over him. "What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't leave the axe!" Zeroth shouted at the god who had been tormenting him. Vulcanix seemed to chuckle in response but then fell to one knee, the power of Ardric's golden magic chains restraining the god. "Technically, you're turning into me so I can be out... But something's wrong." Vulcanix responded. What do you puny fools think you are doing?" Vulcanix asked as he seemed to begin to shrivel and shrink slowly.
As Vulcanix's form continued to shrink and wither under the divine constraint, Zeroth stood firm, his stance wide and commanding. Vulcanix, now barely larger than Zeroth, looked up with smoldering eyes that spoke volumes of his wrath and desperation. The chains had bound him not only in form but also in power, leaving him vulnerable for the first time in eons. "You might die by my hand, Vulcanix," Zeroth declared, his voice echoing with a newfound authority, a blend of his essence and the strength he had commandeered from the god. "But you can get out of this alive. Call out to Aeonis, accept your defeat, or wither into oblivion." Vulcanix snarled, his fiery aura dimming as he struggled against the chains. "You... you cannot do this to me. I am Vulcanix Sulphyrion, God of lava and metalworking!" His voice, once a booming furnace, now cracked like dry earth from his bony face.
Zeroth stepped closer with his axe raised slightly, and Vulcanix recoiled as if the proximity to Zeroth's new form was an anathema to his dwindling power. "Your title holds no sway here, Vulcanix. The Godswar will proceed without your interference. Call out to Aeonis." The air grew tense, charged with the potential for chaos or order. Ardric's chains pulsed with holy light, the sigils along his arms glowing brighter with every passing second. Varic and Tingle watched, ready to support their friend, their expressions a mix of hope and solemnity. Finally, with a roar of defeat that sent a shockwave through the clearing, Vulcanix bellowed, "Aeonis, I invoke your presence! Hear my call and receive me!" The sky above rumbled, a testament to the power behind the name. In the next instant, the fabric of reality parted, and Aeonis appeared. His form was neither old nor young, his face a mosaic of every creature that ever had the chance to dream of gods. His eyes were like twin galaxies, swirling with the wisdom of ages and the weight of countless worlds.
"Vulcanix, you have overstepped," Aeonis's voice wasn't loud, but it carried the irrefutable force of law. "Your tether to the mortal plane shall be severed. Your power, misplaced in your arrogance, shall remain with the mortal who has bested you. It's too late to pull that power so close to the Godswar." As he spoke, Aeonis raised a hand, and a beam of pure, unbridled energy shot forth, striking the chains that held Vulcanix. They glowed brighter and brighter until Vulcanix let out one final scream of defiance that faded into a wisp of smoke. The figure of the god disappeared, leaving behind a weakened, hollow echo of his presence. Zeroth felt a surge within him, the power that had been Vulcanix's filling him to the brim, now his to command. He was no longer a vessel; he was a conduit, a balance between mortal will and divine might.
Aeonis turned his gaze upon Zeroth and his companions, a silent nod acknowledging the gravity of what had transpired. "I sent him back to his realm. The Fracture hasn't destroyed it so his godhood is safe. That axe will be the internal link between you two though he won't be able to attempt this again. The Godswar awaits. Prepare yourselves, champions." With that, he vanished, leaving the Heartstone Circle silent but for the crackling of torches and the heavy breaths of the champions left to contemplate the fates they would soon challenge.
In the aftermath of Aeonis’s departure, Zeroth stood in the center of the Heartstone Circle, his body still echoing the visage of Vulcanix. Ardric approached cautiously, a smirk playing at the edge of his lips. “So, brother,” he teased as he stared up at Zeroth, “going to join a traveling circus, or do you plan on turning back into the bearded dwarf we all know and love?” Zeroth, still processing the recent events, looked down at his molten arms and body and shrugged. “Give me a moment, it's not like I’ve done this before.” His voice was tinged with Vulcanix’s timbre, which he quickly coughed to try to clear. With a concentrated effort, he willed the power within him to recede, the fiery glow around him flickering slightly. Tingle, bouncing on his toes, piped up, “Zeroth, just imagine you’re taking off a very tight pair of boots, but, you know, with your entire body.” Varic rolled his eyes, folding his arms. “Yes, because clearly that’s helpful, Tingle. Zeroth, just focus on who you are. Your essence is still your own. Command the power, don’t let it command you.”
Zeroth took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused on his identity, his memories as a hill dwarf, his love for rocks, and his companions. Gradually, the overwhelming aura began to retract, and everyone watched in silent anticipation as his form shrank back to its normal stature, the rocky, molten skin transforming back to flesh. As Zeroth’s beard reappeared, now smoking slightly from being pure flames, Ardric clapped him on the back, almost knocking him over. “There’s our Zeroth. A little singed, but it's definitely you.” Tingle clapped his hands, delight evident on his face. “Tingle knew you could do it!” With a relieved grin, Zeroth looked to his friends, his gaze lingering on the axe that lay on the ground, quiet and inert. “First things first,” he said, “Let’s get out of here. I could use a drink, and we have a Godswar to plan for.” Scooping up his battle axe, Zeroth followed Tingle back onto the airship, very much ready to sleep after the night's fun. Zeroth sighed in contentment as he watched Tingle seeming to pull random levers and hitting random buttons as the airship began to lift off and slowly head for Alderbrook.