Chapter 64 - Divine Champion: Fire

Merkiv Blastguard's POV

It's night. I'm walking through the fields surrounding the village. Too unsettled to sleep properly, I always found that a nice long walk helps soothe my nerves.

As I walk, I notice a flickering light at the edge of the forest. I feel oddly lured in by it's dance. A Wisp? I approach the light, and it retreats further into the woods. I cast a hesitant look behind me, to the barely visible lights of the village in the distance.

The urge to follow the light overwhelms me, however, and I go further into the forest in pursuit of it.

Once it comes upon a clearing a few hundred meters in, the light stops and waits for me. As I approach, I realize that it isn't a Wisp at all, but a beautiful woman with flowing locks of true fire. She is heavily muscled with bronze skin and is garbed in the traditional Pyrean Smith's attire.

She turns to me and smiles. A beautiful smile, though I'm quite distracted by her right eye. It's an empty socket. I fall to my knees, showing my reverence to Eitri, the Divine Envoy of Fire.

"Rise, Merkiv." Her voice is soft, yet carries a hoarseness to it, as if her lungs are damaged. I obey, my knees shaking slightly. So it's true!

"Indeed. Your intended Fate's been altered, and you've been chosen as the Divine Champion of Fire. No doubt you've noticed your increase in strength?" Eitri walks up to me, handing me a silver hand-mirror.

"M-my intended... Fate?" I stammer, not quite grasping the implications of her words. Too flustered to really think over what I'm doing, I accept the mirror from her.

"If you want, you can see what would have come of you if not for the actions of the Monarch. Just gaze into the mirror, and it will show you." She seems amused by my reaction of staring dumbly at the back of the mirror for a moment.

"I-I'm sorry, this is just a bit much..." I sit down on the ground, ignoring the cold wet that seeps through my pants.

"It's quite all right. If anything, I'd be worried if this wasn't your reaction." Eitri sits down next to me, the cold is replaced with a pleasant warmth, and small trails of steam start rising from my pants as they're dried.

"But why? Why me?" I ask.

"Because your Fate was changed. Because you're the only eligible humanoid for this role that's close enough. That's why." Eitri waves a hand in the air, and several trails of fire appear floating mid-air. They twirl and dance, creating a map of the World.

Waving her hand again, several bright lights appear scattered across the map. "See, this is where thing's are going to go down, most likely." She points to a spot to the south of G'cal, within the Illomen Forest.

"And here you are." She points to the spark closest to it. The location correlates to where I am currently. It's the only spark even within Parshura, all the others are concentrated up north, in the Ashen Wastes. "So, since we're unsure about when things will go down, the Divine of Fire wants a Champion that's close enough to be able to quickly respond."

Eitri waves away the flaming map and shrugs. "If anyone else was picked, they would be too far away to even be useful."

I look down, fiddling with the hand-mirror, barely noticing the red thread that connects my wrist to it. "So it's because it was convenient?" I finally ask.

"Yes, and also you're associated with the Monarch, that's one other reason. She's quite fond of your group, you know."

Considering her words, I happen to peer into the mirror. My reflection is softly lit by the gently swaying flames that are Eitri's hair. As I study it, the reflection shifts and swirls, giving way to a completely different scene.

The wast flowing plains north of G'cal... I've spent so many years in them, I recognize them immediately. I see Germund and Seagrass... Running from something? Seagrass is holding something big.

As I focus to try to see, I'm suddenly within the scene displayed by the mirror. I seem to be dragged along by something, my view moving on its own without my input. It's quite dizzying actually.

Whatever it is that controls my sight turns to look behind, and I nearly scream in surprise as a massive Dreadtail is swooping down on me. Magic manifests from somewhere, and the Dreadtail breaks off her attack.

Wait- is... is this how the egg poaching job for the Aurellium would have gone if not for Valena and her team showing up?

As I consider this, my view suddenly zooms in on the ground before going dark for a moment. If I'm seeing this from my own perspective... I must have tripped. This other me then looks towards the hesitating Germund and Seaweed.

"Run!"

I hear my own voice, filled with panic, shout a desperate order. My view turns around again, and the Dreadtail is about to sink her claws into me. A violent explosion swallows us both, and my view goes dark.

When I can see again, I'm standing next to my own mangled remains. Seems... seems I blew myself up along with the Dreadtail in order to save the others... I didn't manage to kill her though, but judging by the odd angles of her wings and limping gait, she won't be able to follow Germund and Seaweed.

I blink a few times, and find myself back in the grove with Eitri. The mirror once again only shows my reflection. It's now quite pale, and I feel a rising nausea.

"Here, let me take that-" Eitri secures the hand-mirror as I desperately maneuver myself to try to not cover the Divine Envoy with vomit.

"Was... was that how I was supposed to die?" I hack between bouts of retching.

"One of the ways. It could have played out slightly differently, like all three of you getting killed by the Aurellium for refusing to poach that egg." She stows the mirror somewhere. "I personally think the Mirror of Fate tries to show the ending that one could most easily come to terms with."

I nod, the nausea settling down. "I'd rather have gone that way... In that scenario, he lived, didn't he?"

"Most likely. The Mirror of Fate cannot show much more than the direct scenario. It's unable to show the consequences of this now hypothetical chain of event." Eitri shrugs.

"So, now what? I've been chosen as the Champion of the Divine of Fire, but what am I supposed to do?" I ask, wiping my mouth and getting some distance on the puddle of vomit that now lies on the forest floor.

"Travel to G'cal. All the others will congregate there in anticipation of the coming events. You're free to bring along your companions, though it will be dangerous once things go down. Good luck, Merkiv." Eitri instructs me before walking off into the dark, her bright flaming hair the only thing telling me she's still here. Eventually, even that fades, and I'm left in the dark forest on my own.

The Next Day

"What do you mean, you're the newest Divine Champion?" Germund asks just a little too loud, bringing about hushed whispers and curious stares.

"Keep it down!" I hiss, a touch too harshly. We're sitting in the village tavern, eating breakfast, and I'm seriously regretting telling them the news here and not in private.

"So, did you see the Divine Envoy? Was she as hot as the stories say?" Seagrass leans in an gives a mischievous snicker.

"Her hair was literal fire. I don't know if that qualifies her as 'hot'." I respond, giving him a look.

"Ah yes, I keep forgetting you're like, completely oblivious to the finer things about women." Seagrass mumbles into his Gava juice.

"So, what does this mean for us? Like... do we all go on a glorious Divine appointed mission, or?" Germund asks, his voice now barely audible.

I sit back and consider for a moment. I'd love for them to come along, but...

"Only if you two want to. It will be dangerous, as apparently all the other Divine are awakening their own Champions as well. Whatever is going on in Illomen Forest, it's going to be big."

"So- If we refuse... you'll go off on your own?" Seagrass asks between mouthfuls of wheat and nut porridge. I nod in response. Both Seagrass and Germund furrow their brows.

"I'm coming with. I'm not going to let you go off into danger on your own. After all..." Germund trails off, blushing and becoming too flustered to admit the truth publicly.

"As am I. After all, someone needs to keep an eye on the lovebirds, no?" Seagrass gives me a wink as he settles back into his chair.

We finish breakfast and start packing for the trek back to G'cal. Not that many people would be happy to see any of us back there, but what can you do if the Divine of Fire has chosen you to fight for them?