mogust

This chapter follows on from the bonus update that was posted a couple of days ago (33 - More than Touched), which contains some fairly important events.

Chapter 34 – Reunion.

Rachael groaned and rolled over on to her back, staring up into the sky. It had completely cleared, not a cloud in sight, the mountainside bathed in its warm morning light. Dew glistened on the nearby clumps of grass, though soon that would be gone once the day warmed up some more. Saylin lay up against the side of the path beside her, the occasional arc of magenta energy running over her. The others were a little further back, safe as well. At least no one had fallen off the other side of the path.

“How much time has passed?” she asked of Kitsune. The sky hadn’t been quite that clear when she had last looked at it, and given what had just occurred she doubted that it was only a short amount of time later.

‘Three days.’

That was a while, but wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it could have been. It was fortunate too that nothing had happened to them during that time, but the magic involved in it had likely protected them anyway. She assumed it would have been the same for Crys as well. Rachael focused on Crys via their bond; she was well, actually better than well. Not yet awake though. She could also sense her general direction, way up the mountain somewhere. That hadn’t been the case when she’d checked on her the previous morning.

Be complete, they had said. But they had done so much more than that to them. Neither her nor Crys had truly been complete since Rachael had agreed to share her life force with Crys in order to save her life. A core part of her had been given to Crys, bonding them forever, and she had no regrets about doing so. She was happy even about it. But it had changed them both, in ways that Rachael did not understand, and left them incomplete. Now though, they were both definitely complete. She could feel that it was so, in ways that couldn’t be described. A sense of absolute certainty. Exactly what had changed to make them so was still an unknown, but she was sure she would find out in time. And where she had been powerful before, now she was so much more so. She could feel it coarsening through her, the raw potential well beyond what she could have previously imagined. Learning to harness it properly would be an interesting task, one that she would eagerly embrace.

Rachael thought again on what had been said to Crys just before the magic had impacted them, the echoed words as clear as if they’d been said directly to her. Probably because they had been intended for her as well. There had been more than one voice present, almost all ones that she didn’t recognise. Warrior had been in them, but not the Core, The rest though were all ones like them. They had confirmed her suspicions. She wondered if Crys had actually understood any of it at all.

No, it wasn’t called the Core was it. That was the name that its priestesses had used for it. The Core had never actually identified itself to them.

The Core’s real identity was Arcane, though it currently went by Angel. She should have guessed as much when Warrior had allowed her to know its identity, but of course there were any number of words that could have been used to describe the concept. Just like Warrior was one of many potential terms.

All of the titles that had been spoken were plural. They referred to both her and Crys. Priestesses of Arcane, Champions of Arcane. Originally it had been just her, but with what Arcane had done to both her and Crys, Crys had become a priestess too. Arcane had done more than just save Crys’ life at that point, more than just share Rachael’s life force with her, of that Rachael was certain now. And they were her champions now too. Figures.

Chosen of Warrior. That one was obvious, and she couldn’t say that she was ungrateful, even if Warrior had its own agenda. She was kind of warming up to it too.

heh.

The remaining two however, she wasn’t sure about. Champions of Dawn. Was Dawn another one of them, or something else? She wasn’t actually sure. It was more of a state or point in time than a concept. But it had been listed first, which might mean something. She had previously decided that if was ever to have a patron she had wanted it to be the sun, and Dawn was fairly close.

And finally Children of Dragon. Something was nagging at the edge of her awareness on that one, but she couldn’t identify what it was. She was just drawing a blank. Hadn’t Alison said that the only dragons that existed in this world were familiars of the Riders from the Innerlands? But they had also said that the age was still in its infancy. Things were still changing.

The changes hadn’t been just for them either. Arrays had appeared around the others as well and they were no longer quite the same. They all had magic now, Rachael could sense it, and much stronger than the spark that a touched had. Even Saylin. Hers was bounds above what she’d had, and it was obvious now as well.

While Arcane hadn’t been among those that had spoken, it had still been involved. It may no longer be a condensed bundle of magical energy, but the rest of it was still there. The knowledge, the concept, just like it was for Warrior. All the arrays that had flowed out of her and Kitsune had been Arcane’s.

...which also meant that there was no reason for it’s presence to be gone from her either, unless it was a side effect of what it had originally done to her and Crys, compounded by the shattering.

correct.

a special connection is required.

hers is lost.

for the moment.

Yeah. She was and wasn’t looking forward to going to Odinsphere. But being one of Arcane’s champions and priestesses, she wasn’t going to be able to avoid it.

Rachael sat up, and stretched, Kitsune hopping into her lap. She still really wanted a bed. Rocky surfaces really weren’t cutting it, voluntary or not. They needed to get to Crys as soon as possible, but they were still over a day behind.

“You knew about the arrays?” Rachael asked the cat-fox, picking it up and placing it on her shoulder.

‘Of course. They’re stored in my data bank.’

“You never thought to mention them?”

‘I can’t use them, or even access them. They’re stored in a way that is incomprehensible to us. They are, after all, magical in nature.’

So Kitsune was like a mobile relay point for Angel then. It did make her wonder if Angel had intended for the initial shift to fail as well. There seemed to be a lot going on in the background around them, and Rachael doubted that they were anywhere near close to the truth. It also meant that she couldn’t utilize Angel’s arrays, at least at the moment, which was a pity.

Rachael got up and made her way over to Saylin, giving her a nudge with her sneaker. Arcs of magenta energy were still coarsening over her. Perhaps it was a permanent feature, like the animalistic traits of Ferals.

“Come on, get up Saylin.”

Saylin groaned and straightened herself. “Aren’t you meant to kiss the princess to make her wake?”

“Not a chance.”

“Shatter my dreams,” Saylin said with mock heartbreak, as she opened her eyes, and then picked herself up off the ground, straightening out her dress. “Oh, cool,” she then added as she noticed an arc of energy running along her arm.

“Feel any different?” Rachael asked as she made her way over to the other two.

“Hmm. Perhaps? What exactly happened?”

“Let’s wake the others first.”

The changes to the other two were a lot more obvious, and Saylin wore a mix of confusion and amazement on her face as they reached them. Dudley’s was fairly straight forward. He now sported a pair of wolf-like ears, void black in colour that seemed to absorb the light around them, giving them a shadowy appearance. Alison was a pile of white feathers.

“Sis?” Saylin said as she walked up to the pile of feathers.

Angelic wings unfurled and stretched as Alison stirred and proceeded to unsteadily stand, her leather jacket and top a shredded mess on the ground beneath her, along with her sword. She was going to need alternative solutions. The wings were majestic and beautiful, and Rachael couldn’t help but stare at them as Alison also did so, the wings stretching out fully before folding back behind her back. Her top half was also bare, and she was rather well endowed.

Alison swore, and turned her attention to Rachael as she folded her arms across her chest, giving her a hard look. “What exactly just happened? Why should I not be freaking out right now?”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Dudley as well?”

“I’m awake,” Dudley declared groggily, sitting up, and then giving a long whistle as he looked at the others. “I agree. An explanation would indeed be in order.”

“Even you’ve been effected,” he added, looking up at Rachael’s head.

“The horns are cute,” Saylin confirmed with a playful smile.

Oh. She should have expected that though. Rachael reached up to the top of her head, to touch her horns, and then quickly took her hands away, the sensation intense. That wasn’t something she was going to do in public. At least nothing else against them seemed to have had an effect, or she would have noticed them before now. They did appear to be radiating power, now that she was aware of them. That in itself could be problematic.

“So?” Alison was still giving her a hard stare, though there was an amused half smile on her face.

“Something has happened to Crys, and by extension me as well. Made complete they said, and a gift for our companions.”

“And the horns complete you? I like the way they think,” Saylin exclaimed happily.

“They?” Alison queried. Rachael wasn’t sure if Alison actually believed what she was saying.

“I wish I knew. Somethings old. Somethings ancient. Akin to the Core but not. That’s about the best I can tell you at the moment. But the gift was substantial. You’ve all received magic, or more magic, and not a small amount either.”

“This,” Alison said, stretching out her wings again, “is magic? They’re going to be a %$@# headache.”

True. Alison would have to adapt quite a bit. It was a massive change.

“I guess having potent magic carries a cost. I’d say it’s more a side effect rather than the magic itself. Didn’t you say that Feral’s had animalistic traits?”

“You might even be able to fly! Give it a try!” Saylin added.

Alison gave a couple of powerful strokes with her wings. Stones and the shreds of her clothes were blown around, but Alison stayed on the ground.

“Nope. And I’m not throwing myself off the path to test any hair brained theory of yours either,” she then said to her sister.

“It may require magic for you to be able to do so, but I don’t see any reason why not,” Rachael said thoughtfully. “We just need to teach you to do so.”

“This is going to make life very complicated.” Alison stated flatly, sighing. “Clothes too. Perhaps I should hate you both for what has happened to us, but right now I can’t find it in me. We chose to have you along, and if what you say is true, then it would truly be a gift, if it is anything as powerful as Clocky’s.”

even more so.

“Umm, yeah, clothes.” Rachael blushed. Alison was still bare chested, and in full view.

Rachael knelt down and rummaged through the remains of Alison’s clothes till she found what she was looking for. Pushing her magic through it as she had done many times for her own gear, she repaired and changed it into something familiar to her and more suitable to Alison’s changes. It was easier and quicker than any time she had done so before. She then handed the modified bra to Alison.

“Do you want a hand with it?”

Alison looked at it then nodded. “Please,” she said with a slight blush.

“I saw that,” Saylin declared, Alison growling at her in response.

Once Alison was fitted, and her wings folded up against her back, Rachael gathered up all of the remaining leather and cloth pieces, and with Saylin’s help (for all of her fashion sense, she did know about designing clothes), she used them as the basis with her magic to form a new armoured jacket, and sword belt for Alison. Without actual magical clothes, open backs or a series of belts at the back was going to be a staple for her. The result was softer and form fitting, and would protect her better than her old armour had. Rachael was quite please with what she created, and even Alison hadn’t complained about them. The benefits of magic and modern fabrics. It did make the rest of her clothes look out of place though, but that would be a task for another time.

“So we’re a Dragon Feral, Void Wolf Feral, Snow Owl Feral?, and a Super Alchemist! I wonder what’s happened to the others.” Saylin declared, admiring her sisters clothes.

“Valkyrie,” Rachael stated. “Not owl. Either an Angel or a Valkyrie.”

The others gave her a confused look.

“Winged warriors from the myths and lore of my time. Alison fits them perfectly. And it sounds better than owl... Super Alchemist though?”

“Hmpf. I don’t have an obvious changes, other than the arcs of energy, so I must be just a better version of me,” Saylin replied with a grin. Her logic wasn’t wrong, even if it was vain.

Dragon Feral though. That was an interesting conclusion for Saylin to draw, especially given their apparent lack, and a strangely fitting one at that. Perhaps a little too so. Rachael wasn’t sure, but she couldn’t be bothered trying to argue that one, as she found that she didn’t actually mind it. She really wanted a mirror or pool of water though.

More importantly however, they still needed to catch up with the others.

“This place is a mess.”

Rachael watched as Saylin frowned and continued walking around the ledge. They’d made good time getting to this point, even with Alison’s pack having to be split between the rest of them. She was suspecting that the changes had been more than just magic, that there were physical changes as well. Even Saylin was handling it better than one would anticipate given her stature.

Saylin stopped, and sighed. “There was a fight here, three sides, and I can’t say that there were any real victors. Three went that way,” she started, pointing further up the track, “but I can’t find the trace of what they are actually following. I assume it is Sean though. The Grazeye’s came from both down the track and up the mountainside, grabbed the girl, and then headed back. Fairweather and Crys were knocked of the ledge during the fight, as well as some of the cats, and Clocky and Vorsce went down after them once the fight was concluded. However no one came back up. What I don’t get is why.”

“They’ve left the signal stating that this is definitely the way to go though,” Alison observed, pointing to the pink plush cat tied to a bolt that had been driven into the stone near the ledge’s edge. A rope went past it, but that was anchored into the ledge further back.

“That’s half the issue. They knew that was the way that they would be going before the rest of them headed down.” Saylin stood there staring at the rope, arms folded across her chest as she tapped at the ground with her foot.

“Clocky is pretty on to it. He likely sensed beforehand,” Alison stated.

“True, but none of this feels natural. Like there is something else going on as well.”

“No kidding,” said Dudley, peering over the side. “We’ve seen the result of it already.”

“Irrespective, that is the way we’re going.” Alison then looked over at Rachael. “Is Crys awake yet?”

Rachael focused in on Crys. “No, she still asleep.”

“Hopefully nothing bad has happened to them. At least we’ve got a good chance of catching up before they move on.”

Rachael watched the ghostly flames as they danced above the pedestals, ethereal, entrancing and beautiful. But she also couldn’t understand their purpose. Unlike the gas flares she had seen at refineries, there was no need for them here. Mana wasn’t volatile in that way, if the flames even consumed it, or were just manifestations.

They were all exhausted now, and had decided that since it was nearing nightfall they would camp here. It was odd, given they had been out of it for three days, but obviously the changes that had been wrought upon them had taken a lot out of them. Given that Crys was still asleep, she did wonder if they had been woken early so that they could catch up them, but did beings such as them even think in that way? At least it was dry and secure here, and with the ambient light there would be no chance that anything could sneak up on them. Rachael had taken the first watch, Kitsune actually in need of some rest, saying that she would wake Saylin after midnight, as she had less need for sleep than the others. She was used to possessing magic after all, and all of the side effects that it carried.

Even given everything that had been said, they seemed to be handling the changes quite well, especially Alison. Rachael was quite impressed, but it was early days yet. In fact it was still just the first day. There was no way that they would be able to escape other peoples attention now. She had seen what the people of Brightswater were like, and she hadn’t seen any indications of the touched amongst them at all. That wasn’t to say that there weren’t any, just that they weren’t obvious. Their team however was more than just obvious. They shouted magic, loud and clear. Even herself as well. Rachael was used to being inconspicuous in that regards, whether she wanted to be or not. Now though, she would be hiding no longer, and proud of it too.

She did wonder how the Channellers had reacted to the appearance of other magic users. Even if they were nowhere near as powerful, they did not rely on the presence of leylines for their power. Did they see them as kin, or as a threat to their positions of power. From what Alison had said, they seemed to be accepted in the open, but underneath all that, in the weaves of power and political games, what was the truth of the situation? Clocky’s team might be an exception to the norm, given the apparent weight his name carried.

‘A threat. Definitely a threat to Bowser.’

Rachael looked in surprise at Kitsune. “What makes you say that?”

‘What was said by those who attacked the train, according to CF-203(Spectre). We’re within communication range now.’

“We are!?” Rachael narrowed her eyes at the cat-fox. “And you only thought to mention that now?”

‘Only since we got to this chamber here. They leyline does seem to be boosting the normal range, and I suspect that I’ll loose the connection once we leave it, till we’re much closer. I didn’t even realise that it would do so.’

“And Crys and the others?”

‘Still asleep, as you seem to be already aware. I’ve passed on that we are nearing them. CF-203(Spectre) will ensure that they don’t leave before we arrive.’

That solved one issue at least. But if Bowser saw touched as a threat, then what had he been up to. It did make the attack on them when the had left the gatehouse make more sense as well though. It also meant that things would be a lot more... complicated... next time they encountered him.

“Anything else of interest to report?”

‘Nothing that you won’t learn yourself within the day.’

Rachael leaned back against one of the pedestals, scanning the chamber. The others were all asleep now, lost in their dreams and thoughts, everyone up on the dais. Even for her there was a sense of safety within the flames. Dudley was a pair of ears poking out from a pile of blankets, while Alison was wrapped up within the feathers of her wings. Saylin had not so subtlety rolled over till she was up against Rachael, Rachael eventually fetching the blanket that Saylin had left behind and placing it over Saylin before sitting back down where she had been. Saylin was certainly an odd one. She then picked up Alison’s leather pants, working her magic through them, changing them to a cross between what they had been and what she herself was wearing. The end result was pretty good, even if the base material wasn’t that suitable a base. She’d make something better once she had the chance.

Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough. She was however, incredibly nervous as well. She had no idea what she was going to say, or how she was even going to react. Nor did she know exactly what she was going to find, visions or not.

“You know, as an ecosystem, this is near impossible,” Saylin observed, staring up into the branches of the tree that she was currently standing under.

Rachael shrugged. “It is a nexus. Anything is possible.” Saylin wasn’t wrong though. Even she had noticed that while this place was beautiful, it was also missing things that she would have expected to see here. She’d had a drink from the stream, the water the best that she’d ever tasted, but there hadn’t been anything else living in the stream. Not that fish would likely live up this high and in an enclosed area, but none of the smaller water-life either beyond the insects that buzzed above. Nor where there any small animals, or even any predators. No fruit on any of the trees either, at least not that they’d seen. Not to mention that everything was far too well maintained for a place without any people, lost and hidden away in the mountains.

They didn’t have far to go now, but once they had reached the valley they had stopped for a rest. Crys had woken that morning, so Rachael had been moving as fast as she could, dragging the others along with her at her pace. She had thought of just running, but that would be beyond the others at this point, so she had just maintained a brisk walk, packs and all. Even Saylin, complaints and all, had managed to keep pace.

Once they’d had a short rest, they continued up into the valley, the walk pleasant and warm, everything seemingly at peace. Not that that was helping Rachael much. She was getting more nervous by the minute. How would Crys react, what would she even think of her now? Would she, rightly so, blame her for what had happened? Had she found someone else? Was she even going to be there? There was no basis for the fears of course, but that’s why there were fears, it was their very nature. She was hoping for the best of course, but fearing the worst. Rachael felt Alison’s hand on her shoulder.

“It’ll all be alright,” Alison said reassuringly.

Rachael gave Alison a weak smile back. Was she being that obvious?

The rest of the team was standing just outside the Anchor Temple, coming into view when they passed through the grove of trees that surrounded it, bathed in the suns light and a very welcoming sight. They'd finally caught up. The temple was impressive, and at any other point in time she would have been staring in awe at it, but right now her focus was elsewhere.

While she’d never met them, she had heard enough about the other members of the team to recognise them. The tallest of those there was Clocky, orange hair and the beginnings of a beard. Rachael thought he’d probably look much better without it, and more his actual age. He also didn’t appear to show any signs of the increase in power that he’d been gifted, possibly because of the nature of his magic. The other guy would be Vorsce. He short enough that he looked like a dwarf, if you ignored the ears and lack of a beard. With them he did look bear-ish.

“Vorsce, you’re a teddy bear now!” Saylin declared, grinning as she bounded up to him.

“Really?” Vorsce grimaced. “That’s the first thing you have to say to me? Alison should have left you behind.”

Rachael grinned to herself. Saylin was actually right on that, not that she’d ever say that. Fairweather was easy to spot, though she looked more like a ghost cat now, her ears and tail wreathed in an ethereal flame not unlike the ones that had danced above the pedestals in the cave system. She was a beautiful girl, and the flames gave her a mysterious quality.

Crys was standing beside Fairweather, another cat-fox sitting beside her, staring at her. Rachael felt herself blush. There was no mistaking who it was, even though Crys was no longer male. Crys still had familiar facial features, just fully female now. She had become her true self. And she was beautiful and stunning. She looked exactly like she had in Rachael’s dream (or was it a vision), though even more gorgeous in real life. Both Pyre and Crystal. Everything about her, horns included, was alluring, making Rachael feel things that she never thought that she would.

Rachael just stood there, feeling a bit stupid and not her usual confident self. She knew what she wanted to do, so why was it suddenly so hard?

“Hey,” she finally managed, smiling bashfully.

“Hey,” Crystal replied in like, still staring intently at her.

“You look good,” Rachael managed. Apparently words were failing her too.

“You too...” Crystal had gone quite red.

Screw this. She wasn’t normally like this. Definitely not her normal self at all. Pushing all her fears and doubts off to the side she walked up to Crystal, pulling her into a passionate kiss, their lips locking, Crystal melting into it. Her lips were so soft soft, the sensation incredible, intensified by the touching of their horns. She should have done this a long time ago, even if Crystal hadn’t been in her true form.

Crystal stood back, looking happy but also confused and startled, all things considered a cute mix of emotions.

“Do... do you like me? In that way?” she managed to stammer.

“Always have!” Rachael declared, giving Crystal the sweetest smile she could. That was the truth after all. Crys went even redder.

“Oh. Umm... me... me too.” Crystal finally managed.

“Sorry I took so long,” Rachael replied.

She then embraced Crystal tightly, leaning in for another kiss, Crystal returning it with passion.

[[Arc 2 end.]]

mogust

And after spending so many chapters apart, they are finally together again!

Their reunion has only just started though, and time wise, it's actually  only been 11 days (and only 7-8 awake). Chapter wise though it has been a lot.

I had gone through quite a few iterations on exactly when and where this would happen, and if it would occur before Crystal became complete. I ended up settling on the above because it just worked.

This also marks the end of the second arc, though truth be told a lot of what occurred is also part of the third arc, so it's a soft end rather than a hard one and the next arc continues on seamlessly from it. The arcs are more reference information for me than anything else, and while the titles of the arcs are present in the contents list of my master file I have chosen to leave them out of the web version for the moment.

Thanks for reading. Comments are always welcome. Hopefully the reunion didn't disappoint (though as I said there will be more to it).

The next chapter (35 - Fronting Up) will be out later in the week.