Elegy for a Star

When the party awoke the following morning, donning armor and readying equipment, there was a silent nervousness that the group shared. The dangers of the Void had made themselves known quickly and ruthlessly from the moment they arrived. They have proved capable of handling them, but for how much longer?

Tess didn’t have much to do in order to get ready. She had her clothing and that was about it. Joyona needed no help donning that magical armor of hers and Mairaela didn’t have much armor to work with.

“Gwen?” Tess asked, “Can I help you with your armor?”

“Gwendolyn,” The Dame reminded Tess with an amused smirk, “And sure, I would appreciate that.”

Tess grabbed a piece of armor, looked at it from a few angles, and decided that it must attach to the thigh. She settled to the floor and brought it to Gwendolyn’s thigh. It didn’t quite cover Gwendolyn’s leg, falling short by several inches at the top, but Tess assumed that was just the Void’s typical aesthetic. A number of straps held the cuisse to Gwendolyn’s leg, though it remained mostly bare in the back. With the second piece of armor attached, Tess worked with Gwendolyn’s vambrace along the forearm. It was a leather material that kept things flexible, and Tess had to overlap a series of leather knots to tighten it around Gwendolyn’s arm.

When Tess looked up, she saw Gwendolyn watching her with a smile. Tess redirected her gaze back to her work, finishing another knot. “What?” She asked with a sheepish chuckle.

“You look cute.”

Tess’ heart skipped a beat and she felt as though she could float in the air right now. She couldn’t keep from smiling. “Don’t distract me,” she said, “Or your armor is going to fall off during a fight.”

“Ah, yes, you would just hate for that to happen,” Gwendolyn remarked.

Tess rolled her eyes, “Yes, I would if it meant you being in danger.”

“Thanks, Tess,” Gwendolyn said once the last piece of armor was attached. She hopped from one foot to the other, shaking out her arms and testing the feel of her equipment. “Tighten this one for me?” Gwen asked, turning around and pointing toward her waistguard, the last bit of armor before she was bare down to the tops of her thighs, except for the thin leotard.

Tess did as asked, pulling the leather strap of the fauld around tighter so that it sat snugly upon Gwendolyn’s hips. “Better?” She asked, and Gwendolyn nodded her head with a big smile. Tess returned it. There was something about making Gwen smile that Tess couldn’t get enough of.

“We need to get moving,” Mairaela said, tightening the strap on her chest piece to fit snugly over her right breast. Tess was looking at the Fey in a new light ever since they had sex, but Mairaela seemed to be back in her serious and professional mood.

The group moved to the top floor of the belltower, dipping their heads beneath the bell itself. The rope attached to it had long since rotted away and now it would take someone with Joyona’s strength to tip it enough to ring. The cityscape and the wastes beyond stretched out in their field of vision, with a bright light awaiting them in the distance.

Tess asked, “Why is this city here, by the way?”

Gwen shrugged her shoulders, but Joyona spoke up, “When the Old Gods left, they took their memories of the world with them. Those memories populated the inside of the Black Sun. This is a city from the past. I heard Philomena and others say that the inside of this Void is so ruined because when it was separated from the Black Sun, it began to crumble.”

There was a very brief moment where Tess felt bad about that, as though they stole a child from the parent. That was, until she remembered that in that analogy both the child and the parent were trying to end the world.

“Look at that,” Mairaela pointed out across the city. There was a dust cloud coming up from one of the buildings, but also a glow of light. It was golden, like some of the light she’d seen surrounding the others, like Joyona’s armor.

Gwendolyn peered at the sight, and Tess commented, “So we avoid that, right? Dust means something disturbed it, right? Movement or something?”

The Dame replied, “Could be. Could be someone that needs help.”

Tess’ lips parted, eyes widening with surprise, “What? What could be in here that possibly needs saving?”

“Not everyone that goes in gets out,” Mairaela said with a sorrowful tone, “The odds are not good, but it’s possible that there’s someone from the last exercise that’s still trapped in here. Anyone know if someone from the last recruitment exercise didn’t make it?”

Joyona shook her head and Gwendolyn replied, “Not sure.”

Gwendolyn was resolute as she said, “Let’s go see.” Joyona nodded her head and Mairaela followed silently.

Tess followed along. She didn’t question the logic of it, even if she wanted to, because she knew that she would want help if she was trapped here. She was glad to be in the company of like minded people.

Leaving the bell tower was a nerve wracking experience. The streets felt so exposed with the tall buildings surrounding them. It was unusual that the streets were so narrow. Wagon carts wouldn’t be able to fit through these. It was rare to see any wooden buildings at all, anyway. Was the memory of this city that much older than the present day?

They moved through alleyways, trying to keep out of sight as much as possible, keeping eyes on either side, behind them, and above. There were more ambush angles than the party had eyes, which gave Tess a nervous swell in her chest, but she insisted that she was safe in the company of these gifted. As they moved, Tess practiced her constellations in the hope that she could be more useful next time. Wanting to protect others, she made the sign of the Keepers, three large pillars with a disjointed anchoring star. Nothing happened, of course, but Tess wasn’t very hopeful to begin with.

“Wait here a moment,” Joyona whispered, checking the next street crossing left and right.

Tess attempted the next constellation, the Branch; a mountainous range with an anchoring star buried in its foundation. She was happy with her air-drawing, moving her fingers in the proper motions, ending with the anchoring star. Something about it just felt right.

“Come,” Joyona said, moving across to the next alleyway. Gwen and Mairaela followed swiftly behind. Tess was distracted, halfway through the process of drawing out one final constellation in the air: The Crown, a symbol of power.

There was a spark at the tip of Tess’ finger, a small, shimmering block that existed for a mere half-second just in front of her. Tess’ eyes widened. She froze, unsure of what to do. Her hands shook and for a time she was simply confused.

I did it, she thought, I really did it. Scirocca wasn’t just getting her hopes up.

Her breath quickened and a smile broke across her face.

“Tess!” Mairaela hissed across the street, “Tess! Move it!”

Tess wanted to scream in joy, but she forced it down and ran across the street as quickly as she could.

“Did you just see that?!” Tess whispered excitedly to the others.

Gwendolyn turned around to ask, “See what?”

“I just-...”

“Quiet,” Joyona interrupted, moving toward the exit of the alley and into the next street. The others followed closely behind. She leaned out of it and glanced to the left. The right side of her armor flashed with light, and Tess felt someone grab her shoulder. Tess was yanked from the alleyway and pulled to the side, finding herself in Mairaela’s arms. The same second that occurred, a wall of flame shot from the alleyway they’d just been in. Even though she wasn’t in it, the proximity caused Tess to grimace and wince.

When the flame died down, Mairaela shouted, “Hide!” The Fey dashed back into the alleyway and despite the command, Tess looked around the corner. Joyona and Gwen were nowhere to be seen, and Mairaela booked it to the right once she hit the other street. The floor of the alleyway was scorched and the walls were cracked.

Tess' chest rattled and her ears rang as she heard the sound of a dozen beasts roaring in chorus.