An Age of Mysterious Memories

B 2 C 32: Raise You, Like a Phoenix

Before I wipe them out, I have to risk letting them succeed by following them. Worse, one of these little punks is possessed right now, and I can’t let myself look or think about who or why. The climb is a little more arduous for them than me at most spots, but it also becomes a bit terrifying when I need to catch up. Sometimes to catch up, I basically hang upside down under an overhang as my tendrils try to pull me outwards and upwards. I could JT myself out and up, but I really don’t want to risk a dragon, or roc or phoenix showing up as I take to the air up here, in case they’re hostile. I mean, if they exist and are hostile. Well I know dragons exist.

I can feel us passing through a thick layer of smog. I cough, sputter, and choke as we move through it. Wishing I’d taken a deeper breath, I try to hold my breath until we’re clear. When it feels like my lungs are going to burst, I thrust myself as high as I can to take a deep breath, gasping for clean air. That’s when I realize we’re at our destination, me and these oviraptors. There’s a massive terrace spanning out below where I’d just jumped from, only its base is shrouded in smog. On the far end of the terrace is the presence of a great conflagration. It’s almost a noble warmth. I think it could bypass my thermal resistance if it were hostile.

Thankfully, what I can only assume is a phoenix nesting atop eggs, sits idly by, silently observing. It could probably wipe out the oviraptors on its own, but I don’t want to risk one slipping by it and harming it or any of its eggs. So starts my long day of bringing down thunder and lightning upon raptors in a phoenix’s nest.

Most of my limbs still aren’t very functional. My right hand is still a mess, but at least my right arm and wrist work again, mostly. My left arm hangs a bit limp, I can use its wrist and hand just fine, but it’d be hard to do much with anything I held in my left hand. I really took for granted the way I thought healing always worked in this world. My tendrils work just fine, as do my left leg, and about half of my right leg. My back oddly feels fine, though that may just be because it was pretty much powdered and pulverized from near sonic levels of acceleration.

Regardless, if I’m careful, I can stand on my own two feet, and use all three tendrils to wield weapons, now that I know what they’re capable of. No chance in the fiery pits of hell that I’m pulling out a copy of Gae Buidhe next to a phoenix. Can you imagine, accidentally permanently killing the unkillable bird of rebirth? Still, out of three tendrils, I’ll have this one wield a Valkyrie Sword, and these two will wield the staff of thunder and lightning. Even though the tendrils give me feedback, it’s not as bad as letting myself be a lightning rod, since I still don’t quite know how to control the lightning aspect. I need the area of effect of the lightning jumping from raptor to raptor though, as long as we stay on this far side, so that I don’t accidentally hit the Phoenix. Hopefully my thunder booming won’t piss it off.

Slicing in even strokes with the sword tendril as I stand in place manages to carve out a swathe of the raptors and keep them from being able to advance en masse from their only path up to the terrace, though I’m sure they’ll eventually think of something if I do only this all day. I wait for an opportune moment to begin swirling, twirling, and windmilling the staff as I bring it crashing down in the middle of a new clump of them, picturing the staff itself being the lightning rod instead of me this time, and the lightning jumping between all the little compy-like creatures.

The lightning attack’s a massive success, and just leaves an incredibly sharp hot pain in limbs that I don’t actually have. I alternate between the two methods of attack, and occasionally mix them up at the same time, when I can get a solid stance to not fall over. Looting is fairly easy, if somewhat unrewarding. Eventually it feels like I’ve slain or driven off hundreds of the buggers, and their numbers might be either dying down, or retreating, when I feel a hostile presence pass through me from the front, towards the rear, where the Phoenix sits.

I can’t help but say aloud, “Oh you have got to be kidding me. That’s, that’s just not fair.” as I feel the noble conflagration on the move. The heat is overwhelming as the firebird takes wing and sets me alight, flying through me repeatedly in the span of mere seconds. It’s all I can do to soothe my burning, boiling, blistering flesh with my FFS each time I rack up a new explosion of subdermal heat as this creature passes through me.

Just before it tears through me at its ridiculous speed on each pass, I hear the most awful raucous, thundering “Skreeaww!” At least I have warning when it will strike, not that it does me any good. My body’s shot, and even in the best of shape I couldn’t dodge something this fast. Teuila might be able to in Valkyrie form fully manifested.

I could swear we were pretty certain the creature had to at least have hostility towards me to be a candidate for possession. I find myself stumbling backwards towards its nest, and that’s when I feel one sneaky little oviraptor darting for an egg. I take another massive wave of heat that runs through my entire body. Somehow the inside of my throat, nose, and tear ducts scar and blister. It knocks me full force on my rear, just out of sensory range of the oviraptor that was making its move. Still, I can’t let the thief get that egg. I need to carefully dissuade it without harming the egg itself. I use JT to launch myself painfully towards the nest. As I arrive, the oviraptor’s already about to dash away with the egg.

After I save this egg, if I even can, I need to leap off the volcano terrace or I’m going to die. I can’t take much more than another one or two passes of the noble conflagration. Trying to figure out which weapon would be safest to use, I facepalm with the remains of my right hand. Summoning my weapons to my inventory, I just grab the little bugger with my tendrils, and pull it apart, derezzing it.

I really hope the phoenix’s instincts to protect its nest win out over the possession. Here goes nothing. I hobble towards the edge of the terrace and bodily throw myself into the smog below. I JT myself away from the volcano face so that I don’t come crashing down on rock. Just when I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief, that awful screech of the titanic firebird reaches me, and a massive wave of heat approaches me. I try to adjust my trajectory with JT movement twice, but the heat course corrects each time to intercept me. I won’t be able to outrun it unless I JT straight into the ground, then I’ll just be a greasy red smear along Fire Biome’s otherwise fairly featureless plain.

Well, it was a good try at least. Maybe if I die to a phoenix, I might return to an egg too? Then Lil and I could hatch together in twenty five years or so. I wonder if Mataalii is maybe twtitterpated or in love with Teuila. It doesn’t strike me as a relationship that would work out, but I’d never begrudge Te moving on with her life, especially if I were missing for twenty five years.

Te and I have had a few years of experience in hypertime accelerated thinkspace together, and it was an amazing life. My memories tell me most lives don’t work like this, they definitely don’t have as much adventure and chaos. A person would normally maybe go backpacking across a landscape once in their life in a foreign land. Some adventurous people might hike the same mountain trail over and over for years, or try to scale a single mountain, or head to a polar region. These are all types of activities that give context to words I know, but I don’t know any individuals, no names, no faces. Maybe someday I’ll be able to just forget and give up on these glitchy memories.

A sonic boom sounds in the distance, and for a second I worry Teuila is injuring herself to come save me, but no, it’s caused by a much larger body, moving at even higher velocity. Two enormous birds clash as they grip at my falling form. One, mostly intangible, pure fiery fury. The other has to be a roc. I don’t know any other bird creatures this size. Its enormity is hard to put into scale. It’s not quite the catastrophe class size of the cragbeast queen when she went enraged and blew the top off a mountain foothill, but it’s relatively darn close. Plus, it feels way more formidable than she did.

At first, I’m not sure which bird won out in the battle for my falling body, as I seem to end up being lifted back towards the phoenix nest. I don’t however feel like I’m gripped by claws of flame. Ugh, it’s definitely the roc that has me. I’m pinned beneath its massive talons, and I don’t have the fight left in me right now to even struggle out.

Suddenly there booms a voice, “9, 8, 7.”

I don’t know what it’s counting down to, so I ask, “Is, is there something I can do to earn your favor?”

The voice continues, “6, 5, 4.”

I’m not exactly above pleading for my life, so I try to plea, “I’m, I’m sorry for trespassing, I was hoping to, to possibly help my dragon friend return to our family. I mean, to maybe earn someone’s help to bring them back. We, we can’t wait a quarter of a century without them. I, I need Lil. I know that makes me codependent, but I don’t just need Lil for me, I need them for Lu to be as happy as she deserves. For Te to have her extra special bond.”

The voice finishes, “3, 2, 1, the end and the beginning. If all fall, it enters. It enters the beginning to as far as the end. But only the first beginning, not the one that stretched out before, longer ago.”

I’m completely flummoxed. A countdown, something enters if this countdown occurs? Like, a creature can go back to the beginning? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Also, how can there be a first beginning, and one that’s stretched out even further earlier than that?

I feel the heat approaching once more, and I resign myself to death in my pinned position. Even if the roc wants me for itself, at this point I’m too crispy fried to survive another blast wave. The Roc sounds a thunderous blast that’s akin to cannon fire. Even pinned beneath its feet I feel the force of its roar, or scream. The phoenix seems to be perturbed by this, but not altogether defeated or anything. It does however seem to go sit back upon its nest. Why does this entity keep hounding me? Why did it ever start hounding me to begin with?

The Roc raises its talon and beats its mighty wings as it begins to take flight. The voice calls out again, “Remember, 3, 2, 1, if all fall, it enters the first beginning. That is why.”

Wait, did it answer my thoughts? If it could do that, it probably would have been more explicit with its warning. Sighing, I unwrap my eyes and doff my helmet. The phoenix isn’t attacking me anymore, so something strange is up, and I probably need to see what it is to figure it out. Through blurry, fire-baked vision, I see the phoenix looking for all the world to be trying to blast a red glow out of its eyes.

As much as I’d like to take the opportunity to escape, everything fails me at this point, even my lungs. I can’t even find the strength to gasp for breath as my heartbeat hammers my eardrums as the ring of tinnitus strikes as loud as it ever had previously. As my vision tunnels, I see a curious thing. I could swear the phoenix snapped its head back, bit at the red eye glow entity, and swallowed. I don’t know how one mostly intangible creature swallows another, yet it happens, although sadly it doesn’t destroy the red glow. Rather it swirls amidst the phoenix’s insides for a bit, before, well, being expelled at high velocity.

I sit, patiently, hoping that if I’m lucky, the phoenix either forgets about me, so I can sneak away, or if I’m extra lucky it strikes up a conversation. Waiting around a while, it just keeps one eye on me. I spot another oviraptor sneaking around near the nest, so I just roll my eyes and lance it with a sharp stone from my inventory using JT propulsion as an attack. Sometimes an oldie is a goodie, and it’s all you need. Learning to use space skill to push things out of my inventory at high speeds was one of the first things I ever did.

“What else did you learn?”

Well, eventually, far later than I should have, I learned I could use that same theory to propel myself, or guide my falls. I learned how to summon radiant copies of inventory equipment, then learned doing so was bad, so learned to summon umbral copies. I learned to control thermokinesis, so I can technically make ice and fire, though ice is easier, since the energy doesn’t necessarily have to come from me, I just pull energy away from matter to chill it. My fire abilities are too miniscule to even call them fire when I’m in your presence.

Wait. Uh, have I been talking to a godly flaming bird who answered my thoughts?

“Perhaps.”

I’m a bit panic stricken with terror at the moment, I’ll check back with you when I’m done being dead now. I lay on my side and go slightly fetal, trying to process whether or not I might be hallucinating again.

The phoenix lets out a blast of laughter that feels like it would sizzle the skin off an elephant, and I can’t help but chuckle at my own chagrin. I’m not sure what level of propriety or uh, formality to use in the presence of one of the greatest creatures of legend.

“That level works just fine.”

Ah, uh, right. Thank you for not destroying me, though your powers were overwhelming and I was moments from death. I, I’ve come to beg, to plead for aid in helping my draconic friend return to us, their family. Lil has a partner, a lifemate that misses them dearly, as well as the other two of us, we also dearly miss our friend.

“The four of you then? Come closer.”

Gulping, I drag my broken body closer to the majestic bird, this solar grace. The intensity of its mere existence is excruciating to bear up close, especially when I’ve been damaged so far beyond recognition. Still, I persist. I suppose, dying by basking in its presence isn’t the worst way to go.

“You are truly melodramatic. Still, I’ve harmed you. You may pluck one plume for free in return for my folly. You may pluck another four for your winsome coterie. Do not return however. I may overlook it if one of your allies journeys in your stead, but do not believe that you are tricking me. I choose to bless you thusly, at my own leisure.”

I gulp, this being of pure majesty lowers its breast to within my reach. Its down is the most splendiforous thing I’ve ever laid eyes upon. And I’ve laid eyes upon my beloved inner circle. I can’t begin to describe how deeply heartfelt of a compliment that is. This beast of fire, life, and love chortles at my train of thoughts. Carefully, I reach forth into its breast to pluck a plume of down. Its rachis, or perhaps shaft, or quill, is as sturdy and long as a sword within my hands. Shortly after grasping it, this benevolent sage of light and life blows a simple breeze over me, and the plume disappears in my hands.

The plume’s warmth flows through me, it feels as if it sizzles away every part of me, but perhaps only the imperfections, the wounds, the blisters, the pulped and powdered bones and flesh. In the end though, it feels as though that’s most of what currently makes up my body. Indeed, as the internal fire consumes all that I am, I’m born anew, whole once more. The experience was otherworldly. In fact, it feels as if I’ve experienced such a thing not once, but twice before. Two other worlds. The weight of all three worlds Luni once let slip. I have to not think of or guess as to these thoughts. I can’t let her down, I can’t change whatever she’s keeping me from changing.

“You are a curious sort aren’t you? Maybe one day I shall seek you out, for a favor, hm? Stay strong, little old one.”

I cautiously pluck four more plumes, trying not to puzzle too hard about what the phoenix referred to me as. I need My Anchor to know what lines of thought I shouldn’t cross, and I know I’ve been getting dangerously close when dealing with these sagacious creatures. I carefully place the plumes into my inventory, double checking, triple checking, and quadruple checking that none of their properties change from entering my void.

Gulping, I try to speak, “Thank, thank you, beyond words, from the deepest bits of my soul, to the highest heavens. I, um. Please let me bid you farewell, and forgive any possible rudeness I may have shown in my ignorance. P, Please.”

The phoenix leans its head down close, and I’m a bit panic stricken on what the custom might possibly be, so I hug the beautiful being around the neck as best I can, sizzling away plenty of my own skin once more, but I’d endure this a million times over for what it has shared with me. The divine bird leans away from my embrace, and once again gently blows its breath over me as a strong breeze. I skid away from it across the plateau. Not wanting to anger it, I run and leap off the edge of the terrace.

Now that I’ve survived that ordeal, and am in far better shape than when I started, I don’t even fear a many thousand-feet plummet like the one I’m taking now. I JT myself at upward angles in the direction of home, letting the apex of my boost happen at lower and lower altitude, until I’m basically sprinting across the ground many kilometers from where I started my leap. I feel powerful, and victorious. I endured through an actual god-class beast of a primordial element, even for the briefest amount of time. It actually sounded like we ended the conversation amicably, possibly on friendly terms.

The phoenix also was able to do something that gives me hope for one day ending a curse that has been plaguing me. It broke free of a control. I’ve never seen an indication that that could possibly happen before now. It may have only been because it was virtually a god of flame, but still, if there is even a fraction of a chance, we might be able to inoculate others against the horrid hunter.

I’m starting to fall into a panic attack, so I have to shut my mind off for the rest of the way home. I may make camp, I don’t recall how far I’ve been able to travel in what amount of time.

When I arrive home, there’s a fair amount of surprise, both that my face, neck, arms and shoulders are burned to a crisp, but also that I’m walking around and using all my limbs

I announce, shakily, “Hi, hi, um, hi everyone. Guess who has two thumbs and found a phoenix? This little dork right here of course.” I point both thumbs at myself for emphasis. Agwai laughs at my humor at least. The others give mostly eye rolls or share their excitement and jubilation that I’ve both returned, and that I’ve done so fairly quickly, however few days I’d been gone.

To me, the best news of all from the family currently is that Teuila is sitting up in bed, massaging her legs.