We all looked to Janiver to guide us. The youngest of our group, but the smartest in these matters. We had no idea what was next.
She said “As you may know, our little hideaway here is in the Ethereal Plane. It mimics our own plane but doesn't directly interact with it. We are in what is called the Border Ethereal. That will suit our purposes for now.
There is another part of this plane that we may use later called the Deep Ethereal. It is totally alien — just swirling fogs with no geography to it. That also means you aren't distracted by what is familiar.”
She was met with some dumb stares, granted they were from the men, but we tried to follow along best we could.
With a sigh, she said “Just follow me," and caused another swirling portal to appear next to the ritual circle, quickly stepping through it. The rest of us followed.
Stepping from the other side of the portal, we found ourselves in a misty, gray simulacrum of the Material Plane, utterly vacant. All the were there, but there was no life to be found. We were on the forest floor outside the Palace Tree.
“I know I'm not terribly well traveled, but is this supposed to be this creepy?" I had to ask.
May whacked my arm, forgetting this time that she was wearing steel gauntlets.
“For the love of élois, Tendil, behave yourself!"
Janiver turned to speak to the group, “This is, in fact, the ideal place for what we need, My Prince, as you'll see.”
Indicating that we should stay put, Janiver walked a hundred yards or so down the avenue and turned to face us.
“Everyone needs to spread out as I've done, then say your name, your god name, like this, ‘I am Eltane!’”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she grew. She grew so high, that her head was roughly halfway up the 300 foot tall redwoods when she stopped growing.
Extending her right hand, she unleashed a blazing fireball, sending it out into the night sky until it exploded in a breathtaking pyrotechnical display.
The rest of us began to disperse immediately, eager to do what Janiver had done.
When it felt like I was at a suitable and safe distance from the others, I said “I am Lagmir!"
The ground rapidly receded as I looked at my feet. But my feet were still there. Still there and growing.
Looking about me, I could see the others growing as well. And there was May, smiling big as you please, looking like she was ready to take on whatever evil god came her way.
It only took a few seconds to reach full height, but time seemed to slow down. Maybe it was just the excitement.
Janiver called us all back together once everyone was at full size.
“We're not staying here. There's no room to move among all the trees. I'm going to open another portal now that will take us to the Deep Ether. I just want you to be ready. It can be very disorienting at first. It will take a few minutes to adjust ourselves."
She opened the portal. Like a vortex suspended on its side in the air. Nothing but swirling fog at its center. But she stepped through and we followed.
What awaited us was inexplicable. There was fog — a deep swirling fog that came up to my waist and stopped. Above as only blackness with vague Humanoid shapes flitting about like moths around a flame. I could see everything, but there was no discernable light source.
Every so often, different colored shapes, serpent like, as long as I was tall, slithered around us and left. Purples, greens, oranges, reds, whatever they were, they appeared one with the fog.
“Those are ghosts above us," Janiver said. “They're caught between worlds but they won't listen to help. They'll fly about like that for eternity thinking they've just arrived."
"Isn't that your area now, Milost?” I asked.
"I guess we'll see momentarily,” he said, walking away from the group, hollering for the ghosts to come to him. And they did. A swarm of them descended on him.
There were at least a hundred of the things, all wailing and crying at Milost at the same time, but he seemed to be understanding all of it.
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He reached his hand out as if he was going to grab a door handle and one appeared, attached to a massive golden door adorned with images of devils and angels.
“Children of the Ether, this is the correct path for you now. You've found it."
The ghosts fell into line and began shambling along as they'd be instructed. I could see them then, their true forms. Just everyday people. Soldiers, priests, farmers, royalty, they all ended up here at some point. Most were still aware enough to find the way on their own.
It was an impressive display. The first of us to use our new powers.
“How did you know what to do, Milost?"
“It just came to me, Tendil. Like instinct. And I understood all of their languages and heard it all at the same time. They were so scared, like little lost children. I'll have to come here often to help them crossover. I made the right choice.”
"You've done a good thing, My Friend. Let's go do more.” What I had just witnessed made me want to see what I was capable of doing.
"Listen, everybody,” Janiver was trying to get our attention, "What you just witnessed was beautiful, truly. We all have abilities that will be new to us. It may take some of longer to find them. Don't be discouraged.
One thing you'll want to explore now is your new ability of flight. All you have to do is think it, and it will happen. Everybody give it a try.”
She didn't have to tell me twice. In a flash, May and I were airborne, all of it coming to us intuitively. Climbing, diving, racing, we could go incredibly fast. But there was no wind here. Your face felt nothing no matter your speed.
Then May made a suggestion that we should do something I had been trying to put off.
"Come, Darling, let's spar. Just the two of us.”
"We don't have practice weapons here, Love. Don't you feel the risk is too great?”
"I do believe I scare you, My cowardly Prince!”
"Stop, May. It's not funny. One of us could get seriously hurt.”
"I promise to go easy on you, you poor man. I just want to see how my body feels with my sword at this size. Aren't you excited to see?”
I had to admit that I was. So far it felt like everything was going at a different speed, a slower speed. My mind felt like it was acting normally although my perception seemed exceptionally keen.
“, very well, May. I am curious. Just don't get carried away. I've seen you and your sword in action and you seem to get a little, um, well, crazy for lack of a better word.”
"I'll behave, Darling. Promise.”
She wore her sword with the scabbard strapped to her back. With on great she had it drawn and in an attacking stance. Gods. She looked too eager. Almost feral.
This would be my first opportunity to play with my since I would primarily be on defense.
It seemed like my mind was going much faster than normal. Going through information at a lightning pace. I could see every gap in her armor. I could immediately see that she would be attacking primarily from her right side, the tilt of her body giving it all away.
Dear élois, I also realized that she had these new abilities too. She would be sussing everything she needed to know about me to make this a quick victory.
I drew my weapons. The new dagger feeling like a welcome friend in my left hand. My rapier was perfectly balanced. Joakin had outdone himself.
Feeling confident, I tapped May's blade with mine. Taunting her.
“Oh, really? I don't think you should have done that, My Love. You don't want to see Crazy May."
She was actually very right on that point. I don't know what I was thinking.
With no warning, she lunged at me, coming in low with her blade.
I prepared to defend, planting my left foot behind me and watching her eyes carefully.
At the last moment, she spun, shifted her balance, and brought her blade in a sweeping arc over her head and down to mine.
I didn't see that coming. But I dropped to the ground, rolled to my left, came up on a knee, and tried to put my dagger into her lightly armored armpit. She quickly swung her elbow around to block the blow and my dagger clanged off her plate.
She backed off ten feet to give herself room for another lunge and I sprang to my feet, back in my defensive stance.
I had to do a better job of reading her eyes. My feelings for her were hindering me. I could see it this time though. She was about to …
The world beneath our feet, whatever was under the fog, began to tremble rhythmically. The sound of giant footsteps and something dragging behind them was getting closer.
“May, I believe we need to reschedule our little date here. I think we have some trouble headed our way.”
"What is it, Janiver?” May called out.
"It's likely what I hope it isn't,” was her obscure reply.
"And what might that be, Janiver? Should we go?” I know May didn't want to go. She wanted to fight. She was asking for everybody else.
“There is a beast of nightmares. There are many such here, but this one is an Elder God. One of the Old Ones. A creature of pure chaos. A primordial thing. They call him Nug’hibboreth, the Defiler. But there are seven of us. Seven gods. We can send him back to his realm of chaos.
Let's spread out. Make him choose who he'll attack. Everyone else flank him. Brevid and I can hit him with spells from either side. We can do this!”
A shape began to emerge from the darkness. Still far enough away to give us some time. It stood at least 200 feet tall. It was vaguely humanoid in outline, but the thing that stood out was the tentacles and eyes. All over its body. Tentacles and eyes. It looked fully capable of fighting enemies front, rear, and side at the same time.
"Janiver!” I called, "We need to make a frontal attack. Limit the number of tentacles he can bring to the battle. We'd be doing him a favor flanking him.”
"I see your point, My Prince. May, what is your preference?”
"Pelisir and I go right at him, try to hold his attention. Tendil can move quickly enough to work on the edges. Margrin and Milost can pepper him with arrows, and you and Brevid do whatever you can do that doesn't also hurt us.”
“Everyone come to me!" Janiver yelled. “He has a few special attacks, but they all cause psychic damage or fear. I can offer you all magic to help you resist those kinds of attacks."
She held both hands out over our heads and mumbled some words that sounded like gibberish, was the best I could make out, and a sense of calm came washing down over me like a warm pitcher of water.
“When it screams, try to cover your ears. It's attempting to drive you mad with fear. Oh, and its tentacles grow back very quickly. Only go for its body. Let him come to us.”
And so we stood ready as the abomination drew steadily closer.