Open Chronicles Where Angels Do Not Tread

[Aless Frostborn]

Aless removed her horse’s saddle and bridle, then brushed a fond hand down Araxa’s nose. “We’ll come back this way,” she promised him. “You won’t be able to follow on the stairs.”

She glanced up the stairs up towards the mountainside. They were probably more than a day’s climb to the temple itself, and most of that Araxa would not be able to travel.

A dark, intelligent eye studied her for a moment and then the warhorse butted his head against her armored shoulder. It was his way of telling her to be safe.

Aless was not the first to walk up the steps, but she quickened her pace to be near Jahi just in case his foot became too much to endure. The first thing she noticed after passing through the arch was an almost overwhelming sensation of weight. The center of her chest was suddenly impossibly dense and crushingly heavy. It felt more like a knot of broken glass than a smooth sphere. Emotions poured through her like sight through a kaleidoscope.

She bit her lower lip to bring herself back under control, but this was like holding a hurricane by the tail. Her vision dimmed and swam, leaving only enough to see the steps. The song of Jahi’s heart was quickly replaced by something far uglier.

You’re a fool if you think this will be easy. I’m going to enjoy breaking you, mongrel, Tormund’s voice said with that chuckle she associated almost the most with pain. For all the skill he imparted, all the skill she’d honed since leaving her birthplace, she still could only manage bitter appreciation. The next sensation was a fist hitting her face. She saw no attacker, but that pain was familiar, if stronger than it had felt in years.

Aless stopped, bringing a hand to her nose. When she brought her hand away, there was actual blood dripping down. In the distance, she could hear the chant. Two Drops! Two Drops!

Ice crystallized in her expression as she turned to face the Abomination. “I would suggest you keep ahold of your nature, creature. There are defenses along this path meant to dissuade those who would bring harm to other living beings. I imagine there’s enough holy fire here to burn one to ashes, even you.”

The feeling of incredible weight remained, unchanged, all of her past sins bearing her down. This would be the climb of a thousand lifetimes.

 

[Adriwolf]

When Jaken stepped on the Path, his body froze. He could feel something penetrating his chest and coming out his back. It was like being impaled by a big pole. For a moment his vision became red-blood with white. He heard his organs being crushed, his breath being taken away by some force. He could hear cries. Three cries oof women and one of a man. The screams... they sounded so familiar. Even the pain he was experimenting was excruciating, nothing compared to those screams he had heard a long time ago and had been locked up in the deepest part of his mind to never be brought up again: the screams of his family being murderd by the werewolves who bit him.

But he was fine. There was no pole being impaled on his body, his organs were just fine, he could breathe, the screams and the colored vision had faded away in a second. Everything was back to the normal in the blink of an eye. Was this what the Path did to others? Show them glances of their memories that cause them pain and had been buried deep down in their subconscious? Jaken's heart beated faster. He knew, while not knowing what was to come. He would always go with precaution in unknown situations, but this... this made him actually be scared.

“Mother?”
The others heard the song, a woman’s voice lifted in the mountain air, and its tune entrancing...

He heard it, a beatifull song from a beatifull voice. Apparently, Jahi called it 'mother', so what was happening to him was happening to everyone else. Jahi was remembering his mother. Although, the song was entrancing, Jaken snapped back to reality. This was the Path's doing, it could hypnotize them and have them subdued. This could not happen. The werewolf walked towards Jahi, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him violently "Stay with us Jahi." he shook the bird "Stay with us. The Path is deceiving you!!"

"I remember..." "This place....."

'Sarah's' voice had changed. It had turned into a demonic voice, instead of the sweet one the 'girl' possesed. Was this a part of the Path's plan? To trick others into thinking that their allies were turning up against them and make them fight to death? "<<What the...?>>" Jaken thought.

"You guys are lucky that I didnt kill ya'll upfront when ive met you...."

Jaken growled. So 'Sarah' wasn't so innocent after all. She had plans for them. Killing them. Jaken would not let that happen. He aimed his crossbow to the creature, ready to shoot if anything happened. And then, 'Sarah' confessed it. She was not who she claimed to be. Jaken growled louder. Squezing the trigger, but not shooting, he was prepared for combat if anything turned south.

 

[Jahi]

Jahi was utterly enthralled. It had been several years at least since he last heard her voice, and it was still just as beautiful as the day he first heard it. In truth, his own voice a shadow of his mother’s, at least in his mind. But something was different this time around, something truly harrowing. Perhaps it was her choice of song, perhaps it was simply the place. Whatever the cause, he could not help himself from tearing up at the melodious notes carried on the wind in the fluid Nirthani tongue.

<<"The road has called you
Called you home
Safe into my arms.
Hush now, don’t cry.
Ease your weary eyes.
Embrace the comfort of my arms
The comfort of my heart

Though now we greet
Our paths divulge
Before our hearts can heal
Easy child, calm child
For your road will lead you
Into my arms
And heal our hearts anew.

But far ahead your road awaits
Take comfort in the way
Embrace the path before you
And when you find it
In your heart
To call it home
I will be there for you.">>

Freshly determined, Jahi pressed on in spite of the injury. In fact, were it noteworthy compared to all else, he seemed altogether unhindered by his wound. But it seemed that all were experiencing the effects of the Path, for even without memory, it could call where even the mind could not. As he pressed forward, he heard a commotion from behind, so he languidly turned his head to see, not missing a step in his slow progression. To the others, his eyes and the markings beneath were now glowing far more vibrantly than before.

"My name is not Sarah...." The Abomination said in "Sarah"'s female voice.

She snapped out of it, soon ready to cast a spell "Who are you creature?"

"But you are both now what you have always been, and more: whole." Tears continued to flow down his face. "The Path is both cruel and kind. I see that now. It must help us to know ourselves. I think it was destiny that the two of you came here, now." Then, turning his head in an almost trance-like state, he pressed onward.

And then stopped.

The werewolf walked towards Jahi, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him violently "Stay with us Jahi." he shook the bird "Stay with us. The Path is deceiving you!!"

Jahi stopped and put a hand on Jaken, looking the werewolf in the eyes, the Raaka's own eyes burning blue embers. "I know, Jaken, and I fear what it may show me. But I must know, as must the temple. If we are to be a cleansing light like in the tales, should we not allow ourselves to be burned by that light. It terrifies me beyond reckoning, but I have you and Aless with me." Turning, he saw that Aless had caught up to their position, and he noticed her slowed, deliberate pace. After she snapped at 'not-Sarah', Jahi turned to match Aless' pace, and indicated that Jaken should follow.

When he spoke again, he spoke to the both of them."I may not have been of use to the two of you on the field of battle; but let me be your squire on this field of the soul. You both are hurt and heavily-laden. Please let me bear some weight as you have borne mine." For a short while, the three continued in silence, permitting each others' presence; and on the wind, a sweet melody slowly broke young Jahi's heart.

 

[Abomination]

"Sarah"/The Abominatiom's body changed color, to a dark black, gel like material in the shape of "Sarah." He looked at Lara and Jaken, frowning at them....

Then he remembered something else, a instinct he got, the same one that resulted in him being knocked into that tar pit, and become transformed into the Abomination. He dosnt remember what the instinct resulted in, only the instinct itself...

"Im not going to kill you...." The Abomination said in Sarah's voice.

The others can see faint shapes of people, if they look carefully. Sometimes they seem to disseapear. They were surronding the Abomination, seemely judging him...

The Abomination looked around the surronding. Then he saw Aless, he stuck his hand out towards Aless, a hostile look on his face.

"WATCH OUT!"

The Abomination growled in his beast voice, as his hand turned into a long spike. However, the spike was not aimed at Aless.

The spike impaled a entity behind Aless, a semi transparnt human that was attempting to attack from behind. The Abomination looked at the human....

"You tried to save me..." The human laughed, his body glowing. "But we knocked you into the pit...."

The Abomination pulled his hand out of the human, and roared. His head shrunk into the body, as a bear-shaped head came out of the Abomination's chest instead. The Abomination leaped onto the semi transparent human, and repeatly punched the human, while spikes and blades emerged from the Abomination' body, attempting to impale the human.

The human fought back, two hunting knives appreared out of his palm, as he stabbed the Abomination repetaly with it. However, it does little to no effect on the Abomination's amorphous, ooze body.

A head appreared out of the Abomination's back, a human head in the shape of "Sarah" however, it was made with ooze like materials. just like the Abomination.

"Leave!" The head shouted in Sarah's voice. "I'll deal with him..."

Something acidic seems to burn in the air, as the human pulled out a daggger covered in faint, green acid. He stabbed the dagger into the Abomination's body, burning its body.

 

[Lara Angiris]

I'm to old for this... Lara thought and went to go help Aless "Are you alright?".

The elven girl looks at the abomination and sees the aftermath.

Well I'm not interrupting that. Hearing a female voice echoing in her head "Help the others"
"Very well..." she summoned her staff.
"Standing here like statues isn't helping child lets go" The witch had said.