Abyssal Road Trip - 243 - Whatever it takes (Patreon)

Amdirlain’s PoV - Culerzic

The Gate was a liquid pool of light struggling against the chamber’s oppressive darkness; beyond its threshold were the gleaming runes of Duskstone’s summoning chamber. Without the runes on the Abyss’ side, there wasn’t even a glimmer of reflected light, but Ebusuku had no issue seeing Amdirlain. True Sight showed Amdirlain’s Anar form within the darkness, with the entwined auras of violence and death around her.

“I wanted to meet with you sooner, but it took a few days to get things settled,” Ebusuku stated. “Have you just been standing around in the dark since then?”

“True Sight is wonderful, so it's not dark,” refuted Amdirlain.

Ebusuku frowned at Amdirlain’s glib tone. “Yes, because that makes all the difference to being in a plain stone chamber. Did you spend too much time at the monastery?”

Unworried by Ebusuku’s expression, Amdilrlain just smiled. “Not plain stone—they had little details in the stonework to catch your attention. That said, there are grains in the stone here, so it's also not plain. Singing kept me busy while I waited. I’ve got lots of preparation to do for my next phase.”

“Stopping regions from creating demons?” questioned Ebusuku.

“Yeah, altering souls, so they no longer experience the torment stops the Abyss from creating demons or anything else.”

“Isa didn’t say how you planned to accomplish it,” murmured Ebusuku.

“She didn’t ask. We had other things to talk about when she visited. Are you okay if I borrow Erwarth long term?” asked Amdirlain. “She’s the only one with Glinnel, so I need her help to repair the damaged crystals from failed Lómë grottos. Isa started collecting viable ones yesterday, but we’ve hundreds already.”

While her expression gave nothing away, Amdirlain caught the smugness. “Consider her your permanent assistant.”

“No, I won’t need her all the time. I still have things I’ll be venturing out to handle,” Amdirlain demurred.

That earned a disappointed frown. “Are you still willing to meet Munais or, more to the point, Nárendil?”

Giving her an apologetic smile, Amdirlain accepted the subject change. “It depends on the reason for the meeting. I can conceal the auras if I need to, so there isn’t a need to test their impact.”

Ebusuku’s frown didn’t fade, but she didn't direct it at Amdirlain. Her following words made it clear Ebusuku had never intended the frown for Amdirlain. “To let her know what freeing her cost you.”

“She was hardly to blame, but why does she want to meet? What does she want to know? That I don’t hold Torm’s situation against her?” asked Amdirlain, and she shook her head. “Like I’d blame her for being someone’s puppet. If she needs to hear it face to face, I’ll meet with her and let her know.”

“I’d say she needs to hear it, and it might even help you,” counselled Ebusuku.

Mulling it over, Amdirlain finally nodded. “I take it she still doesn’t know who I am?”

Ebusuku shook her head. “She knows that you and Torm were close. Her Liege, however, made it clear she knows you used True Song, but Munais isn’t aware of it.”

The news made Amdirlain pause, but she nodded her acceptance. “So, since this meeting took a few days to arrange, I take it Nárendil is in Duskstone.”

“There aren’t any dwarves on her pantheon’s planets. It took some formalities for her to enter Moradin’s temple. That was the biggest part of the delay,” admitted Ebusuku.

“I’d thought she was from the Summer Court?”

“Brel and Ulat were from the summer court, but not all elves worship them. Her Liege is a member of a multi-world pantheon. Most of its members are good deities, although they also include some dark powers,” clarified Ebusuku. “Sarah says you loved your ‘game’ elves, but remember, they’re mortals and possess their expectations, temptations, and prejudices—as you experienced with Yngvarr.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve spoken to him,” murmured Amdirlain.

Ebusuku nodded. “I was harsh speaking to him when you were at the monastery. Now he’s making better choices, though that might be my expectations. Yngvarr, Alfarr, Aggie, and Pit are helping to defend the kingdoms’ northern borders.”

“How’s Pit doing? Is he still using the Basteti form?” enquired Amdirlain.

Her question prompted a laugh from Ebusuku. “He is, and he visited recently. Which led to Rasha grumbling about not being told it was an option. Now Gail teases him about not having thought to switch forms and that he needs to follow her lead more.”

“Ahh, poor Rasha,” laughed Amdirlain.

“Indeed, Gail adopted him as her big brother.”

Amdirlain laughed at the mental image of Ebusuku’s family continually expanding. “How many babysitters do you have for her?”

“Supervisors, hardly babysitters. Many petitioners have customs of extended families, with the entire community raising the children, but she’s the only child,” replied Ebusuku.

“Makes her the centre of attention?”

“Too much so,” admitted Ebusuku ruefully. “Though they rein her in and don’t just go along with her, fortunately,”

“It's healthy for children to have limits,” agreed Amdirlain.

“There is a difference between limits for our safety and limits that challenge us to grow stronger. You’ve certainly shown you can get in and out of places. I would only suggest you limit yourself to subtle sabotage. We spoke about Moloch allying with dark powers if you attract too much attention.”

“Wow, you turned it back to me so fast. Harsh. Alright, so you don’t want me playing skyscraper demolition with the Cliffs of Lust?” Amdirlain asked with forced cheerfulness.

Ebusuku’s gaze narrowed. “What’s that?”

“It would be very destructive. Guess I’ll go with stopping the damned from feeling pain.”

“Amdirlain, plan, set up, and sneakily free whatever mortals you can if that’s what you choose to do,” stated Ebusuku.

“But?”

“What?”

“There has to be a but. So what is it?”

“Please save triggering further dramatic events for when you’re not Planar Locked,” beseeched Ebusuku.

Amdirlain folded her arms tight across her body. “I needed the energy from the planar displacement to crack the arena-”

Holding up a hand to get Amdirlain to wait, Ebusuku explained. “That was not what I meant. Turning demons on each other is normal, though your use of those gates made it at the grander end of the scale. I’m talking more about celestial explosions in a gathering town and filling another town with energised magma. What you did to the Balor squad was subtle—for the Abyss—and you directed the blame at the Sisterhood.”

“Local style events only, check,” agreed Amdirlain.

“Thank you,” breathed Ebusuku. “Shall I ask Nárendil to come in?”

Amdirlain transformed into an Alu-Demon and shrugged. Ebusuku took that as agreement and sent a signal.

The door opened to reveal an elven female. Her ocean-green skin had white swirls across the visible sections, giving it the appearance of rolling surf, shoulder-length hair, the greenish-gold of Granny Smith apples, and her eyes a shimmering light blue.

Amdirlain could see her outward appearance nearly matched the compressed Astral Deva form within, the only exception being the absence of wings. A half-sleeve, figure-hugging, silk top matched her eyes, and she’d tucked it into loose dark blue silk pants. She wore the same shade of boots, but woven from what looked like plant fronds. Her music matched the tune she’d heard from Munais but edged with pain and regret.

Nárendil entered the room carefully, her gaze fixed on Amdirlain. Racing notes spun through her song, and the Angel clenched her shaking hands into fists. “You look like the Alu-Demon that I met. I was warned, but the extent of the violence from you is frightening. It even feels like your gaze is cutting through me. I didn’t expect this effect across a summoning circle’s boundary.”

“Killing you set an aura on me, according to Ebusuku,” offered Amdirlain, and Ebusuku didn’t even twitch at the partial truth. When she gestured towards Ebusuku, Nárendil started and quickly gave Ebusuku a bow of respect.

“My apologies Goddess. I found Jade very distracting,” stated Nárendil, and she hurried to shut the door. “Though I assume that is not her name any more than mine was Munais.”

“You look very different from when we last met,” observed Amdirlain.

“I’m sure we both look very different from our Alu-Demon disguises, though you’ve kept yours,” noted Nárendil.

“Would you prefer I address you by Munais or your actual name?”

“You could contact me across planes and target me with that Spell,” Nárendil stated, and she gave Amdirlain a coy smile. “Calling me Nárendil isn’t an issue.”

“I hope it wasn’t painful,” offered Amdirlain, getting to her biggest concern.

“When I received your message I almost didn’t believe it, but I’m glad I did. The pain was only momentary and nothing compared to what I’d already endured,” assured Nárendil, and her mouth twisted sourly. “You provided me mercy, and I am in your debt. I received information that some demons died because of the way you released me?”

At the shift in Nárendil’s expression, Amdirlain nodded and offered what confirmation she could. “Eleven Schir, one of them a commander.”

“There were a few more. Perhaps the other's proximity stopped the rest from dying,” noted Nárendil, and Amdirlain caught the barest of twitches.

“Will you be alright?”

The question elicited a sharp nod from Nárendil. “It gives me an appreciation for what I still have, yet deepens my sorrow for those who endured such. I’m sorry for failing all of you, and I can understand why it took you so long to wish to speak with me.”

“Nárendil, I’d never blame a victim. When were you aware they had caught you?”

“When he told me to go with the Schir troops, I walked up to them. I wanted to teleport away but couldn’t,” admitted Nárendil.

“The Wizard had carefully concealed a collar of servitude equivalent in the household uniform. He had preparations in place because he was expecting betrayal from other factions. That’s why he caught you from the first day when he wasn’t expecting a Celestial,” announced Amdirlain. “It wasn’t because you made a mistake, other than trying to get into his household. Once he had you, he planned out his next steps, and you didn’t know the maze he had you in.”

“I should have-”

“You were the victim in his trap, and he used you. There is nothing I blame you for in your situation,” repeated Amdirlain.

“Yet I’m told you still blame Caltzan,” observed Nárendil.

“They are another matter entirely. Caltzan had plenty of choices and chances to avoid what occurred. No one compelled them to reject my help. If I’d been at any of the meetings with you, I would have caught the collar the Wizard had you concealing. That’s why the responsibility stops with Caltzan,” said Amdirlain, her voice cold with suppressed anger.

Her words caused Nárendil to shift uncomfortably on the spot. “Are not all of us bound by our circumstances and experiences?”

Amdirlain’s tone remained icy, and she spat out a rebuttal. “We can choose to work to overcome them. There was nothing wrong with Caltzan either of the times we spoke. Caltzan was paranoid about omens and quick to point and judge me even though I’d provided help. I helped both with Brel and avoiding the trapped caravan. Caltzan made choices, and I’ll choose their consequences.”

“What do you plan to do to him?”

“That’s not yet decided. It will depend on what becomes of the three fallen celestials,” Amdirlain explained, and she caught Nárendil’s pained flinch and gestured for her to wait. It took a few minutes to conceal her auras, but the change in Nárendil was dramatic. Amdirlain waited while Nárendil’s posture relaxed, and the tightness around her eyes disappeared.

“How?” breathed Nárendil. “I believed such auras are impossible to conceal.”

“It takes an amount of effort, but it’s not impossible. I want you to consider my words without fear influencing you,” explained Amdirlain. “Know that I hold Caltzan responsible for Torm and the others. Torm passed on multiple warnings to them.”

Nárendil fidgeted with a pouch on her belt. “I worked with Caltzan for many years and would like to provide some-”

“Don’t, Nárendil,” snapped Amdirlain, and Nárendil snatched her hand away from the pouch. “You are not responsible for their choices, and there is nothing you can offer me that compensates for what that site did to Torm. To offer me a gift as compensation, especially seeking leniency for Caltzan, belittles that. One of your goddess’ aspects is joy, is it not?”

“Yes,” whispered Nárendil.

“How would you feel if someone snuffed out all your joy?” growled Amdirlain. Nárendil swallowed at the rage in Amdirlain’s words and let her continue.

“Caltzan snuffed out the one joyful aspect of my imprisonment here, and more besides. They will pay once I’ve spoken to them. Moloch is paying, his generals will pay, and this plane will not remotely resemble its current state when I’m done with it.”

“You might not blame me, but I blame me. Please, let me render some help to apologise,” pleaded Nárendil, and she almost crossed the circle’s threshold. “Torm was guarding you, was he not? I worked with Caltzan for many years and should have eased their initial assessment of you after the truth of Brel’s state became clear. I feel responsible for not heading off his paranoia.”

Amdirlain turned her attention to Ebusuku. “How is the pantheon situation with the elves on Letveri?”

“The oldest still remember the forest’s great spirits—it makes them wary after their losses. Unlike the Erakkö, they’re uncertain about the help we’d like to give them,” started Ebusuku, and her puzzled frown disappeared when Amdirlain motioned to Nárendil. “Would you care to help some elves from a world not among those worshipping your Liege’s pantheon, Nárendil?”

Nárendil looked at Ebusuku in confusion, but her tone was respectful. “What do you mean?”

Clearing her throat to ease the anger she felt, Amdirlain deliberately softened her voice. “There is no debt between us in my eyes, but if you want to help, there is a project that might benefit from an alternative approach. Two species of elves lost their ancestral spirits that might have become gods. The souls of those elves could use a pantheon to give them a home. I’ll leave the two of you to talk. If you choose to help the elves, I only expect you to tell them about your Liege and her kin—it's still their choice,” stated Amdirlain, and she disrupted the Gate before Ebusuku had the chance to do so.

With the lingering energy of the Gate fading, Amdirlain sent off a message. “Isa, I’ve finished meeting with Ebusuku. Will wait in the chamber so you and Erwarth can bring the crystals.”

Amdirlain returned to her singing practice when she received no immediate response. Each chord caused the Abyss’ ancient primordial music to echo in the chamber. The wild complexity of it roiled within True Song and pushed her Power to its limits. She’d spent the past days since talking to Isa trying to sustain the music for more than a couple of minutes. The manageable duration didn’t increase until she received a notification.

[True Song [S] (34->35)]

The shift eased a tension in her throat and body she hadn’t noticed. Letting the echoes fade, she started again and sustained the twisting melody for three minutes before it snapped loose.

Precognition shivered up her spine and brought Amdirlain to a halt. There was nothing after the first warning, but Amdirlain waited for a more apparent sign in the growing silence. What came next wasn’t a foe or danger, but Isa’s music as Planar Shift delivered the pair to the chamber’s midpoint. Precognition’s trigger trickled up from her growing understanding of True Song: no Anar would have been able to handle the song she’d been trying to master.

Yeah, let's not get busted doing impossible things.

Without even a hello, Isa released a dozen crystal slabs—some weighing over a ton—waved, and disappeared again, leaving Erwarth behind. The Solar was in her Anar form, but her silver gaze showed restrained tears that the darkness would have concealed.

“Isa’s in a rush,” Erwarth managed.

Amdirlain frowned. “She could have told me. What’s she doing?”

The question came out as Isa reappeared and released more crystals. This time, the blocks and shards were a variety of sizes, from a child’s fist to a match for Amdirlain’s torso.

“Sorry, got to go. Be back later.”

“She was grabbing the smaller stuff,” Erwarth laughed grimly, and she waved needlessly to the assorted crystals. “She’s got to help with a final linkage between settlements. I wasn’t sure of the effect I’d feel from your auras, but you’ve got them nicely contained.”

“How do you find the concealment with Resonance?”

Erwarth closed her eyes and swayed in time to the music swirling around Amdirlain. “I’m not sure I could sing that yet; it’s very different from Isa’s concealments. The concealment sounds like you’ve got the aura’s energy feeding back against itself to deaden it. The aura’s music is dark and grim, with sharp upswings and a smashing bass that I can feel deep in my abdomen. I believe I’ll keep my focus off it.”

Nodding, Amdirlain moved to pick up a crystal slab the size of a chessboard. “Different mindsets achieve the same end goal through different means.”

The section she randomly selected was an off-white milky hue instead of the usual transparent crystal. Numerous flaws caused its colouration, so it surprised Amdirlain that the piece had stayed intact. As she turned it around, a jagged edge corrected her assumption, showing the severed connection. A glance over the rest showed others in a similar state, but most seemed to have isolated cracks and a fading in their music.

“Are these the most salvageable or the ones that are nearest death’s door, so it's fine to mess up?”

“What Isa could grab. She just started at the edge of the grotto you found that construct in and filled up her Inventory a few times. While she plans to collect more, this should keep us busy until she has free time.”

“I hope she’ll be careful of the construct,” offered Amdirlain, and she set the plate down carefully.

“It's no longer a danger. Roher created a command rod, and Isa used it to usher it through a Gate. We’ve got it sitting in the outer region of a grotto while it's cleansed,” Erwarth explained. “A suggestion from Roher before we start work on this: we should focus on getting the Duet skill for you. Isa mentioned she’d sung with you but had to work to sing to your lead. With a proper duet, both singers look to work together.”

“Another Skill; feels like some are going to stagnate,” grumbled Amdirlain.

“Could always get a few of them higher or see if we can force them to combine,” replied Erwarth. “Plus, the Duet Skill isn’t just for singing, it’s about interlacing activities, be it singing, combat, or even Multi-voice.”

“We’ve spoken about my skills before, so what suggestions do you have?”

“The low-hanging fruit is combining Haggling, Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Diplomacy if we can get your Diplomacy into Master rank. Pushing your weapon skills might force them to combine into Silent Storm and cause it to evolve. The other option is trying to get them to combine and evolve but stay separate.”

“Anything else?” asked Amdirlain, and she hid her amusement that it was Diplomacy that needed to be higher.

“Combining Danger Sense, Perception, and Planar Sense would need another Skill, or skills, depending on what you pick up. You’ll likely need to progress to Master rank since those three are in that rank already,” explained Erwarth.

“Well, put your grinding shoes on—time to get your True Song to match mine.”

“How long shall we go for this time?”

“We’ll keep going while we have crystals to repair,” declared Amdirlain.

“Isa will probably bring more in an hour,” objected Erwarth.

Amdirlain just raised an eyebrow. “And?”

Erwarth gave a slight frown. “It’s just not your usual training routine.”

“Torm isn’t here to take a break with anymore. I’ll keep going, either helping you train or doing something else. If you don’t want to push, then I’ll go find demons to destroy.”

The partly concealed edge in Amdirlain’s voice prompted a quick response. “Once I can sing concealments for myself, I’ll help you annihilate more.”

Amdirlain nodded. “Deal.”

The Protean they had in common washed away the fatigue and strain that the True Song invoked. Days turned into weeks and months while the milky crystals Isa continually supplied regained transparency.

Not needing to draw breath for their bodies, they moved from simply singing to sparring while they worked. Though doing so presented completely distinct challenges, it pushed up the skills they needed to improve. Walking the fine line between keeping Amdirlain under pressure and overwhelming her pressured Erwarth’s singing, and while Amdirlain sought openings with different weapons, she had to match her singing to Erwarth’s tempo.

Amidst the fighting, Amdirlain released a thrown axe even as a side roll took her beneath an arrow’s flight. It impacted Erwarth’s thigh, and a click rang through Amdirlain’s being.

[Duet [Ad] (19->20)

Throwing Weapons [Ad] (50) -> Throwing Weapons [M] (1)

Silent Storm [S] (132) evolved into Devouring Cacophony [S] (1)

Sword [M] (11) merged into Devouring Cacophony

Axe [M] (1) merged into Devouring Cacophony.

Dagger [M] (1) merged into Devouring Cacophony.

Short Bow [M] (1) merged into Devouring Cacophony [S] (1 -> 2).]

The weapons she kept shifting between became mere extensions of her arms, yet still Erwarth bore down. Her greater Skill prevented Amdirlain's minor increase in proficiency from providing any advantage. The improvement just had her press Amdirlain harder, repeatedly leaving her with no time to react. Caught between the exhalation of a soaring note and swaying clear of attack, another piece clicked into place.

[Zen State [S] (98) merged into Devouring Cacophony [S] (2 -> 49)]

The empty state of the meditative technique activated, and Amdirlain stopped reacting with merely the weapon she had in hand. Though she maintained an Anar form, her whole body became the weapon. The awareness of her opponent’s thrumming song fed information into Zen State, and complete awareness flickered into life. Erwarth, having walked a tightrope of pressure versus combat domination, missed the sudden shift which sent her sword flying.

Amdirlain stepped carefully away, and together, they finished the repairs on a column they’d been circling. Only when they’d restored its transparency did Erwarth recall her sword to hand.

“I think it's time to play with some bad guys,” Amdirlain said. “Think you can handle your concealment now?”

Erwarth sheathed her sword with a smile. “I’ll find out soon enough. That was quite a jump in combat efficiency.”

“All my weapon skills merged into a combat style called 'Devouring Cacophony', and then it consumed Zen State too,” explained Amdirlain.

Singing a sheet of paper into existence, Amdirlain jotted out the notation for a concealment tailored to Erwarth. When Erwarth looked over the notations, she shot Amdirlain a surprised look. “This isn’t your song, is it?”

“No, it's for your song and energies, and it lets you fake a degree of Abyssal Heat to pretend to be a Greater Demon. Evolving True Song Composition allows for more concise music.”

“There are some twists, but I could have managed this song weeks ago,” complained Erwarth.

Amdirlain restrained her smile. “I hadn’t combined my skills yet. There is something else I want to try. While we fought, I isolated Inventory’s song and wanted to see if it's possible to unlock it for you. If I can manage that one, I’ll work to see if I can isolate Energy Drain.”

“I’ve heard enough to know what Inventory does, but why Energy Drain?” asked Erwarth.  “Honestly, it sounds like something an undead would possess.”

“Ebusuku has it. We’ve both used Energy Drain to collect souls trapped in undead on Cemna,” stated Amdirlain. “The main reason to give it to you is that I used it to capture Lómë souls upon killing Nox and transported them to Judgement.”

“The Sisterhood stronghold when you were overflowing with Souls?” enquired Erwarth.

Giving a nod, Amdirlain felt compelled to explain more. “That was the first time I used it on mortals—the slaves involved in Livia’s death. Be careful hitting demons with it; I used it to leech health from them but also got demonic shards. It anchored to the humans and undead on Cemna and drew them in after death, but Lómë souls I had to intercept before they sank into the ground.”

A broad smile appeared, and Erwarth hugged Amdirlain close. “I could rescue the Lómë souls without having to play around luring them to grottos.”

“It seems weird to give a Power this way,” admitted Amdirlain.

“Because combining Harmony and Telepathy to give affinities is so normal?” teased Erwarth. “I’ve always loved magic because one of the oldest memories I recovered in my last life was a song binding the ability to gain affinities into a species. Honestly, though I can’t remember the species, I remember the wonder of the music and its complexity. Anyway, we’re getting off track. Let’s see if you can give me this special ability of yours.”

The melody spiralled in the air between them within the first few bars, and despite the Power’s potential, it wasn’t a complex song. The only challenge in performing it was applying the intent to Erwarth’s essence. When the connection at last settled, Erwarth snorted in surprise, and she gave Amdirlain a lopsided smile. “It felt like I got smacked, and then I got one of those messages you speak of, including a note, and it’s added a new area to my Profile.”

Resisting the temptation to rub her face, Amdirlain grimaced and motioned to Erwarth. “Spit it out?”

“The first part was normal, 'Inventory unlocked'. The note part said, 'A Fallen attached you to an inter-dimensional hole? Does this make you more or less holy?'.”

“I think we need to deal with a location you know about, not talk about Gideon’s taste in puns,” sighed Amdirlain.

Erwarth nodded and worked through Amdirlain’s song without applying True Song. Once she had the tune down, she started from the top. This time the air about her thrummed and churned, and the abyssal miasma about them wrapped itself like a cloak around her. Amdirlain could hear Erwarth's internal song, but a layer of Abyssal Heat radiated from her. While it wasn’t as strong as her normal Celestial presence, it was more than some demons that Amdirlain had avoided within the city.

“Yeah, that should do the trick,” muttered Amdirlain.

“I don’t feel different,” confirmed Erwarth.

“The Abyssal Heat is being reflected away from you.”