Chapter Text
“I see you’re having difficulties with the layout of this land.”
Player jumped, nearly slipping off the cliff ledge they were walking on.
The two of them were near completely surrounded by air, no trees or buildings to break up the sky. Player had been climbing up a small mountain trail for the past several hours, though it was less a trail and more like a staircase of rocks. The sun shone even higher above them, its strong rays doing little to combat the cold that bit at Player’s nose. After so much time spent wielding the Icedagger, it didn’t bother them much.
Player was close to the mountain-face, paranoid of falling. After all the burns gained from climbing inside the Ancient's temple, they had a healthy respect for cliffs. In contrast, Telamon stood precariously on the edge, the wind tugging softly at his robes.
Before Telamon’s sudden appearance, Player had been completely alone. Considering who their new company now was, Player wished things hadn’t changed.
Telamon was a mystery that Player would’ve been very happy to leave unknown, if he hadn’t been determined to hover around them. He was the aloof king of the Heights, guardian of the Windforce, and was thus very interested in Player’s mission. So interested in fact, that he had ordered all guards to kill Player on sight. Sure, Telamon had claimed it was only a test, but that was after they already fought their way to the throne room. Player suspected Telamon was going to be as defensive over the Windforce as the last king they fought. After that, Telamon had forced Player into his little sword-fighting-festival thing that was going on. It wasn’t until after winning that Telamon finally revealed the Windforce’s location at the top of the highest mountain.
Player was pretty certain Telamon was just lying, or at least “testing” them again, but it’s not like they had any better leads.
It would've been nicer if Telamon could start wearing bells, though. If he appeared out of thin air one more time Player was at real risk of a heart attack.
“The cliffs are rough, but I’m managing.” Player said. They didn’t bother asking questions. It’s been a while since they’ve heard an answer that mattered.
“Naturally. These mountains were made to be traversed by beings much greater than yourself.”
Player made no comment and kept walking, not wanting to waste daylight. The mountains would only get colder at night, and who knew what kind of animals might appear. They had already fought off a mountain lion, and Player would prefer to never fight another. Telamon trailed a few steps behind, seemingly unbothered by the quick pace Player was setting.
“I must say, it’s interesting you’ve made it this far.” Mused Telamon. “Especially considering the sorry excuse for tools you have at your disposal.”
Player glanced down at their rocket boots, who’d been suffering through their long trek. The boots were already pretty old when Player first got them, but now they looked on the brink of falling apart. The boots weren’t supposed to be worn constantly, but Player had been needing the boots practically every ten minutes. The grapple hook they had haggled for was faring a little better, but one of its ropes was starting to fray. The chances of either lasting until the top were very slim.
Instead of acknowledging any of that, Player simply said, “It’s gotten me this far, and it’ll get me to the top.”
“Doubtful.” Responded Telamon, calling their bluff. “Especially when you can do much better than those things.” It was hard to tell through the shadow of the hood, but it felt like Telamon was glaring at their rocket boots like they were a personal affront.
Player hummed, cautiously stepping onto a shady looking rock. Telamon was clearly trying to go somewhere with this, so they chose their next words carefully. “If you’re offering an upgrade, It’d be very appreciative.”
“Splendid!”
Well that didn’t take long, they thought.
Player stopped and turned around to see Telamon with his hands clasped together, looking the most pleased Player had ever seen him. It was almost unnerving, how the previously stoic face was now split apart with a grin. Telamon then pushed past Player, bouncing like an excited child.
“Come, come! It’s best if we find an open platform for this!”
Is he just going to give it to me? Player wondered incredulously. They were expecting some sort of price or debt, not this sudden generosity.
They hurried behind Telamon, struggling to keep up. The king was hopping over rocks like a man in his element, and a few mountain creatures scattered to get out of his way. Dread began to form in their gut at the thought of what they could’ve just agreed to. At least this might mean Telamon was starting to like them?
It took a few more minutes of hiking, but eventually the two were at a cliff ledge that Telamon had deemed worthy enough. It was a small clearing, but fit the two of them comfortably. Player looked over the edge, and was happy to see another ledge slightly below. If Telamon had plans of pushing them off, Player could catch themself.
“You’ll be needing the Icedagger for this.” Began Telamon, “I need you to focus on it, as intently as you can.”
They summoned it accordingly. They were forever grateful the swords could be safely stored in the soul, otherwise having to haul around eight scabbards would’ve been a nightmare.
Player focused, clasping the dagger with two hands and pressing the blade flat against their chest. So close to their heart, they could feel the sword’s pulse reverberate through their body. Each beat sent frigid chills down their body, and it wasn’t long until they could feel their aches and pains fade away into oblivion. Regardless of what was about to happen, Player was glad to have this moment of respite.
Telamon watched their silent work, unsatisfied. “You need to focus deeper. If this is to work as intended, you shouldn’t be feeling anything at all.”
“You want me to go entirely numb?” They clarified. After Telamon nodded, they couldn’t help but ask, “Is that safe?” Even if the whispers were being strangely silent today, it felt dangerous trying to push the limits of the Icedagger.
Telamon smiled, and it was a strange smile. It was almost warm, but there was an edge of impatience to it that made it feel forced. “Be not afraid, the Icedagger will not harm you.”
There wasn’t much Player could do that wasn’t an outright refusal, so they decided to tentatively trust the strange king. If Telamon had wanted to mug Player for the SFOTH swords, he probably wouldn’t be asking for Player to make themself numb to all possible pain.
They focused more, until the cold of the dagger faded away into a quiet static of intangibility. They watched their fingers shift on the Icedagger’s handle, but they couldn’t feel the movement. Soon after, their arms and chest began to fade away. By the time their feet finally gave way to the icy waves, Player couldn’t help but remember how disconnected everything felt in the Dream World.
The slight awkwardness helped ground them though, since Player kept eye-contact with Telamon the whole time. Certainly one of the strangest times they’ve lost contact with physical reality. Oh well, better than turning their back to Telamon.
As if to mock them, Telamon’s next instructions were: “Good, now you must face the edge. You’ll need to face open air if you want to do this properly.”
Well that was just plain suspicious.
“Why?” They asked, shifting their body into a fighting stance. They heard their feet move, but they had to look down to make sure they were in the position they intended. Player really hoped Telamon was only being suspicious on accident, because a fight right now would go terribly.
Telamon seemed taken aback by the question, and raised an eyebrow at Player’s stance. But to his credit, he didn’t miss a beat in replying. “Those swords hold greater potential than you clearly know what to do with. With the Icedaggar, I shall teach you how to create bridges that will trivialize this ascent.”
Player narrowed their eyes, turning the words over in their head. Nothing struck them as a blatant lie. The only strange thing was how Telamon could teach such a thing to begin with. But then again, many of the Heights’ citizens talked about Telamon like he was some ancient know-it-all. And it probably wasn’t too big of a stretch to imagine the sword guardians sharing techniques with each other.
Wonder if I could get away with asking Cruel King, they contemplated. Telamon just stared at them, a slight frown on his face. There was a shifting in his robes that made it feel like he was tapping his foot. Player remembered there was probably a limit to Telamon’s patience, if they didn’t agree now they might never learn the technique.
Slowly, Player turned around to look over the cliffedge. It was hard to move their feet correctly, and they stumbled a bit away from the ledge just to make sure they wouldn’t accidentally fall. At least with the Ghostwalker, they could somewhat feel their body. Player clenched the Icedagger close to their chest, the only thing they could physically feel. Its calm pulses kept them grounded.
Telamon’s voice suddenly rang loud behind them. “Focus on the shape of the terrain around you. Where the rocks end, where the sky begins. Make sure you truly understand the world around you, it’s important you don’t try to summon ice where there is already matter.”
Player nodded, keeping the Icedagger close to their chest and studying the ground. Everything made sense so far, and Player could already imagine the new places they’d be able to reach. There wouldn’t be a scrap of bux that could hide from them after today.
The cliff face curved slightly, and was made of the same brown rocks that covered the whole mountain. Various pebbles were scattered here and there, but the dirt was mostly a single solid form. They wondered how specific they had to be with making an ice bridge. Did they have to take things like dust and wind into account?
While they mused, they almost didn’t notice it. They probably would’ve never noticed if they weren’t looking down so intently. Something strange was happening in their peripheral vision.
While they analyzed the shapes of the rocks under their feet, the Icedagger they held was shifting slightly outward. It wasn’t until the dagger began slightly blocking their view that they realized it was moving. It was almost as if something was pushing it outwards.
Player figured their hands were just getting uncoordinated while numb, and moved to let them rest at their side.
Which revealed the cyan sword tip that was now sticking out of their chest.
“What.”
“Now I know that looks bad-” Began Telamon behind them, but Player wasn’t interested in hearing excuses.
Player stumbled to turn and face Telamon, strange purple sparks fading in the air as they did. Telamon’s hands were open and raised in a pacifying gesture, which meant he probably didn’t have any alternative weapons. As long as they kept focusing on the Icedagger, they could probably defeat Telamon without worrying too much about the sword inside them.
Now what Player meant to do was draw their sword with their free hand, but instead the blade clattered to the floor the moment they pulled it from its sheath. Okay, so the numbness meant sword fighting was out of the question. That’s fine.
“Calm down! You’ll do nothing but embarrass yourself at this rate.”
The slingshot and launcher were two-handed weapons, so they were gonna need to make these ball shots count.
“Now as I was saying-”
Player launched their ball before Telamon could finish, and they felt a spark of satisfaction when it actually managed to hit his chest. It didn’t seem to phase the man much, but it meant they weren’t defenseless. As long as they could call upon an ally in their next turn, they could better prepare themself.
Player raised their hand to catch the ball on its rebound. They didn’t catch it. In fact, the ball slipped right through their loose fingers, and hit them square in the face.
They went down like a sack of bricks.
Landing on their back, Player was given a very neat view of the sword getting pushed further into their body. Nearly half the blade was now sticking out of their chest, and Player was given a very close and personal view of it. The sword had dozens of ornate patterns carved into it, glinting in the sun like a polished diamond. It made for a beautiful piece of art, but Player wondered how painful it would’ve been as a sword if their body wasn’t numb. Violet snowflakes of raw magic radiated around the sword, some the size of their palm. One landed on Player’s face, and it left a buzzing sensation in their skin.
Telamon leaned into Player’s line of sight, offering them the Icedagger. “You dropped this. Keep focusing, else you risk feeling Illumina’s sting.”
Slightly dazed and very confused, Player reclaimed the dagger. After reasserting their focus, the buzz from Illumina began to fade away once more.
Illumina is prettier than the legends said it would be. They thought, trying to recollect themself.
…
Wait a damn minute.
“ILLUMINA???” Player stumbled over their numb limbs as they tried to sit up.
“Indeed. Now be careful while moving, keep her secure and this should be over before sunset.” The pleased look on Telamon’s face had returned tenfold, and Player decided that niceties had become the least of their concerns.
“Explain. Now.” they grunted, leaning on a nearby rock. Player gave Telamon their nastiest glare, but they doubted they were very intimidating at that moment. They kept shifting awkwardly against the rock. Not being able to feel where their back ends and Illumina’s began made it difficult to get comfortable. It was also difficult to prevent the sword from slicing around inside them.
“If I decided to wait for you to traverse this mountain with your own pathetic means, I’d be wasting a week only for you to die by the end of it. Through Illumina, I give you my blessing and you’ll be finished in no time.” Telamon was practically glowing, and Player wondered how long he’d been waiting to do this.
“And that blessing is…?” They prompted.
Telamon leaned in close, as if he was sharing some great secret. “Wings.”