Helios
Unlucky0013
Lord Zee
DracoLunaris
Frettzo
Vec
Eviledd1984
Kalmar
ButtsnBallsBonanza, Savior of Humanity
The disturbingly stoic face of Benea stared into the darkness of node 11. Behind her a brilliant golden light illuminated her followers and even cut the realm in half. Her left hand was on the node and her right was held in front of her. A road of golden light (by her command) had formed and cut a path from the borders of Node 12 all the way to the borders of Node 6. It repelled the dangers of 11 with its divine light and dazzling flagstones of light. With one task done, Benea was onto the next.
“Bring me to Monica,” Benea commanded and three orbs appeared in her right hand. One of red, one of blue, and one of green. They fluttered and spun in the air before bee-lining towards the suspected crash site of Monica only to suddenly stop and circle back to Benea. The goddess squinted and caught the orbs in her hand before popping them into splashes of light.
“What is it my lady?” Jermane stepped behind her.
“Monica is interfering with my guiding lights,” Benea said softly. “The poor dear doesn’t want to be found.”
“What shall we do?”
Benea turned to her paladin and smiled softly, though clearly she was upset. “We have to deliver our people to safety. Too many would be harmed looking for someone who refuses to be found.” A pause. “Come darling.”
Together the two turned back to the road of light and made their way onto its flagstones. Each step seemed to echo in the empty realm of node 11, and an unseen wind was breathing over the two as they made their way. The uncanny land at least felt warm near the node, thanks to the road of light. Benea couldn’t help but wonder how long her construct could fight off the umbrium and the other strange things Monica’s will birthed.
Worst still, Benea couldn’t help but wonder what exactly festered in Monica to have this be a symptom of her will. Her face scrunched in thought, it was foreboding.
-0-
Humanity was on the line as was Benea’s plans for true order, so without Monica, Benea left for the north to reach node 6. For humanity, Benea had to move onward and to keep the train of lives moving north on the road of light, especially while it was at its strongest.
The rest of the way was a silent one, with only a cold breeze to wail now and again out of the darkness. Light from the road kept the journey from being a blind one, and the warmth it provided at the very least warmed the bones of the mortals that walked it. Benea’s usual smile was blunted now, though, having witnessed such a drastic failure in the Node 11, putting a wrench in her ultimate plans. In her mind she conjured up various solutions for the landscape. Short of rehauling the entire area, Benea figured periodic light showers that dissolved umbrium and injected heat into the realm could be one conclusion for life, or maybe even some sort of creature or beast that did the same. She shook her head, one part worried for Monica’s safety, two parts annoyed at the result of their journey into 11, and 3 parts concerned over the true will of Monica.
“My lady,” Karlene broke Benea’s thoughts. She stabbed a stone spear at the horizon where the road’s end was coming into view. “Salvation.”
“Point with your hand when addressing our Lady,” Jermane corrected. Scowling for a moment, Karlene lowered her spear and pointed with her finger.
“I see,” Benea finally answered, free from her thoughts. “Thank you.”
Renault, the Blade of Benea, heckled behind Karlene. “Good going.” He stepped past her, giving her shoulder a shake as he walked by. Karlene’s face twisted with annoyance and with one swift motion, sent the butt of her spear to tangle Renault’s legs, sending the man falling forward.
A rough hand grabbed the back of Renault’s fur-lined collar, keeping his face from slamming into the road below. The owner of the hand, Larissa (the Axe of Benea) simply shook her head.
-0-
Now well practiced in navigating the horrific wilds of unclaimed regions, Benea found Node 6 to be terrible rather than existentially disastrous. Of course there were the beasts of the land, but the paladins armed with Benea managed to fend off the smaller ones while the Goddess' planning helped them avoid the larger ones. If anything, the group deserved an easy journey and this was as close as they were going to get.
Through the shifting lands of desert, tundra, forest and mountains (more often upside down than up right) Benea finally found the central node. It was as black as she remembered the last and as unbothered by the shifting lands as could be. If this structure was alive, Benea thought, then surely it boasted a patience above anything else.
A porcelain hand reached up to the dark node. Benea’s eyes were stuck on the glossy surface and the lightning storm that it reflected off in the distance. The blue arcs webbed and scattered wildly across the surface, only hindered by the shadow of Benea’s hand. A small smile formed on her face and her hand pressed on the cold surface. The ebbing of the electricity froze immediately, and all sound drained away.
“Benea’s will be done.” A voice not unlike grinding stones boomed over the region and all at once the ground began to shake and the sky began to swirl. The humans themselves froze in both awe and fear, unsure of what was to come.
What did come was a great white flash, and all sight was blinded, all sound turned to harsh ringing, and all smell disappeared.
Slowly everyone’s eyes readjusted and the ringing gave way to the buzz of summer insects and the chirp of birds. The smell of flowers and grass entered the noses of the humans and the warmth of a pleasant sun laid on their shoulders. Plush grass hugged everyone’s legs, rising up past their knees. They stood in a meadow that seemed to stretch far and wide, only to be eaten by gentle slopes and oak and maple forests. Brooks no wider than Jermane babbled under the grass, and freckled deer bounded up and around wooden copses.
Benea stood smiling by the node, a white gazebo housing it. She clasped her hands at her waist and smiled. “Welcome home.”