Note: Contains Spoilers.
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Challenge #5: Vessel for God
"But, I cannot fight!" Alicia, First Princess of Dipan exclaimed, standing alone at the exit of a crowded Assembly Hall in Solde. While her words were loud, no one paid any attention to her or they would have realised that she was talking to herself. The crowd gathered around the enquiry counter, demanding to know when the ferry will sail again for Dipan. But, all ferries were suspended after a series of pirates attacks on the route to Dipan.
Hire helpers, then. Came the practical reply from Simeria, the soul of a Valkyrie who shared Alicia's body.
"But, who?" Alicia asked.
That man over there.
"Which one?" The princess asked again, looking at the several men crowding around the counter.
That one sitting over there.
It was then Alicia noticed the man with long green hair sitting with his hands crossed over his chest, his head nodding slightly and his legs high on another chair. While everyone else in the hall were agitated and upset about being stranded on Solde, the man had chosen to wait patiently aside, not at all flustered.
Alicia boldly approached the man and stammered. "Umm... Do you... umm... want to come with me?"
The man looked at the princess. "Why?"
"I know a way... to Dipan... Umm. Do you want to come?" Alicia stammered a reply, nervous about asking for help and knowing that she was doing an awful job of it.
The man gave her a wry look and then glanced away, hardly interested in her offer.
It was then, Silmeria took control over the body she shared. "I should introduce myself. I am Alicia, princess of Dipan and am in need of an escort to Dipan. You will, of course, be adequately compensated for your efforts." Her tone was firm and emotionless, very unlike Alicia's nervous tone.
The man looked at her and stood up. He was tall, and towered several inches over petite Alicia. "Very well." He replied, not offering his name.
This was how Rufus joined Alicia and started their journey to Dipan.
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Rufus touched the dais with his hands, but triggered a violent reaction from the protective wards placed on the dais. A violent force threw him aside and the archer hit the floor hard, the impact was strong enough that his ring fell off his finger. Suddenly, he was burning, waves and waves of excruciating pain flowed through him. Rufus cried out in pain and rolled his body from one side to another, but the pain persisted. It was not his body that was burning, but his soul.
Alicia was immediately at his side. "Rufus!" She cried, and tried to hold his struggling body.
"The ring..." Leone pointed at the ring on the ground. "Put it on him, quickly!"
Dylan, the warrior, picked up the ring and put it on Rufus' finger. Soon, the archer stopped struggling and regained his strength. His handsome face pale but otherwise showed no signs of his earlier struggle.
"Strange. The wards on the dais should not affect any human." The knowledgeable courtly sorcerer, Lezard announced, and gave the archer a sly look.
Rufus found everyone's eyes on him, thinking over Lezard's words. He knew that he had no choice but to reveal his secret. "Yeah, but I am no human. I am half-elf."
Dylan gasped in shock and looked at the archer, pity evident in his eyes. "A god's vessel! Your body... is a god's body."
"A half-elf, one who have the blood of human and the elves. A body that can grow in enormous power." Lezard elaborated.
"But... none of this makes any sense to me." Alicia's gentle voice questioned.
Rufus snapped. "This ring keep me alive, I will not age or die as long as I wear it. Should I lose it, I've been told that my soul will burn away! My body... This body... is a vessel for Odin, Lord of the Gods, when his current body wither, his soul will take over my body. I will be no more!" The harsh truth was out and the archer was visibly upset, yelling at Alicia.
"I have a personal stake in your success." Rufus continued, looking at Alicia intently. "And, I don't need your sympathy." He said to the others, and stormed off.
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"No one challenges a god!" Odin yelled at the traitorous Lezard as the sorcerer's spell encased his body. The god's soul left the body and took over Rufus'.
"Rufus!" Alicia cried but it was too late. She could not do anything about it, Rufus was gone. Only Odin in Rufus' body was left and Lezard was quick enough to kill Odin, even in his new form.
Everyone was gone, only a weakened Alicia was left. She sobbed for the loss of Rufus, her father and her failure to Silmeria. "I am sorry, Rufus, everybody." Her frail hands grabbed hold of a sharp blade and she lifted it towards her chest.
"Hey hey hey... don't give up on me yet..." Rufus' voice came echoed in the void. "Materialized me, Alicia. You can do it."
The princess could not see the archer but she understood his instructions. She found the ring that Rufus gave her, the same one that kept him alive and focused her energy on it. Warm energy gathered around Rufus' soul and he gradually gained a definite shape, until the spell completed his body.
Alicia found herself staring deep into Rufus' emerald eyes, her hands out-stretched towards his. She could feel her fingers touching his. The shy girl started to withdraw her hand, hesitantly while longing for Rufus' touch but before she could do so, Rufus grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. He held her tight, his body warmth calmed Alicia.
She closed her eyes and leaned against his chest. "Odin is no more, your body is now yours again." Alicia murmured contently.
Rufus nodded in agreement. "Yes, perhaps, now, I will pursue Godhood and become God myself."
Edited by Celestine, 13 September 2007 - 06:01 PM.
Cheers! And two horns up for metalheads all around the world!
