The Haunted Alps ~ Ashura's Shrine

[Okoye]

Through the biting winds and swirling snow of the Hyperion Mountains, Okoye and Ovan pressed onward, their figures barely discernible amidst the relentless whiteout. Both of them were clad in layers of fur-lined clothing reinforced with enchanted runes to withstand the frigid onslaught. But Okoye took the opportunity to splurge a bit before she left. Whenever she managed to gain any amount of money in her pocket, the young woman was anything but frugal. It may have been from a time long removed, but Okoyee was born into expensive tastes, and her previous mission in Helidor left her pockets swollen with opportunity. She bought only the most expensive garbs, those imbued with the strongest magics, and sewn with the toughest hides. She wanted nothing to slow her down. Not even an arid, unapproachable frozen tundra. But it wasn't like they had to walk through it..

They soared atop the back of a monstrous demon, its wings outstretched like ebony sails against the blizzard. Okoye only recently absorbed the beast during her battle in Hojoku, yet already she commanded the creature with a firm hand. Despite its menacing appearance, the demon obeyed her every gesture, its crimson eyes gleaming with an eerie intelligence as it soared through the frozen, misty wastes.

The mountainous landscape of Hyperion stretched out before them; a desolate expanse of jagged peaks and icy valleys. Each second felt like lacerating crucible against the elements; despite her attire, Okoye could still feel the biting cold gnawing at their exposed skin, while the howling winds threatened to tear them from the skies.

Okoye's exhaustion was evident in the weariness etched upon her face, the shadows beneath her eyes betraying the countless sleepless hours spent in pursuit of her elusive goal. Yet, her resolve remained unshaken, fueled by the burning desire to uncover Ashura's Shrine. Beneath her scarfs and hood, her eyes maintained an ugly determination.

Beside her, she prayed Ovan's eyes could pierce through the veil of snow and reveal the hidden runes that marked the entrance to the shrine. It looked absolutely impossible for anyone to see anything out here. But if anyone could, it was him.

”Can you see anything?” Her voice resonated through Ovan's mind like a subtle hum; a gift of the mystical earrings she'd been given from the Voudani Tribe. They allowed Okoye to project her thoughts to anyone within a close proximity, and made communication in conditions such as these simpler.

As they journeyed deeper into the heart of the mountains, the air grew thicker with magic and treacherous winds. However, despite the perilous conditions and the weight of exhaustion pressing down upon her, Okoye pressed onward with Ovan, their hearts aflame with the promise of discovery.

[Ovan Hellgate]

They soared over the whiteout valley on the back of a beast straight from the pages of Death's Note: 100 Shinigami and Other Unseen Beasts, a mythic ledger Ovan only perused himself once. On the back of this creature, Ovan felt strangely at peace, bundled up in some of the nicer clothing he'd had the pleasure of trying on. How long had it been since Ovan dressed up? The last five centuries, he spent avoiding the snow caps, adventures he left to a younger, more daring self.

Below, the painted white slopes drooled off the jagged walls, windswept, eroded caves howled in the silver night. The equipment Okoye acquired for the mission rebuffed most of the harsh elements they weathered, a sentiment Ovan appreciated. He tended to keep his wardrobe simple and light, rarely did his contemporaries comment on his appearance. Okoye, underneath all her determination, also had taste. Good fashion sense took the bite out of the slicing winds frosting over his outfit. He had the hood and visor closed completely, stuffed into one another to hide his whole head from the frigid elements. Within, he enjoyed a wide spectrum of sight, scanning the winding valley below for the menacing presence that kept him on the plains and in the house.

Okoye's voice seeped into Ovan's mind as they approached an area swirling with a sinister force. .

The Pit, the space where the direceasts even shy away from. Their vicious nature and cunning hunting skills could five them a sixth sense about this place, it reeked of death far mre than any desolate location should. Places like this were scattered all across Vescrutia, masses of concentrated energy physically altering the ecology and geography around them. Hyperion was a hardy range home to strong natives and wildlife, but this place was a void in that formidable space. The Pit swallowed any energy pointed at it. legends speak of adventurers taking its vorpal character as a challenge to surmount, only to succumb to the weight of its curse.

It's just below us, there's a cavern at the center of this vortex.

Ovan could see the icy epicenter retreating beneath the snow and opening into a surprisingly large cavern beneath oozing with malice. From the back of the demon stride, he felt perfectly comfortable in the cold.

Shall we?

[Okoye]

..this place was a void in that formidable space. The Pit swallowed any energy pointed at it. legends speak of adventurers taking its vorpal character as a challenge to surmount, only to succumb to the weight of its curse.

It's just below us, there's a cavern at the center of this vortex.

Ovan could see the icy epicenter retreating beneath the snow and opening into a surprisingly large cavern beneath oozing with malice. From the back of the demon stride, he felt perfectly comfortable in the cold.

Shall we?

No other words were said. The monstrous demon carried them through the turbulent currents, its obsidian wings slicing through the icy winds with an eerie grace as they descended into the swirling vortex below.

Once they entered the heart of the twisting maelstrom, the air Immediately grew heavy with the sense of impending doom. The world around them began to distort and warp, the very fabric of reality bending to the will of the sinister force that permeated the air. Shadows danced and twisted upon the walls of the cavernous chamber below, casting eerie shapes that seemed to writhe and squirm with a life of their own.

The temperature spiked even further as they soared deeper into the frozen tundra, the icy chill seeping into their bones and freezing the very marrow within. Yet, Okoye's grip on the reins remained firm, her determination unshaken despite her chattering teeth and the ominous atmosphere that surrounded them.

Soon they reached the bottom of the cavern, where Okoye and Ovan found themselves among a vast expanse of crystallized earth where the walls of the chamber towered above them like ancient sentinels. Strange glyphs and symbols adorned their refractive surface, humming with an otherworldly light that seemed to pulse and flicker in time with the beating of their hearts. Okoye commanded her beast to land cautiously on the cavern's icy surface. She made sure to use the demon's colossal weight to test the crystal floor's integrity, so she'd wait before dismounting and dismissing the Avian servant.

“…”

Her sunken eyes, frosted at the lashes from the bitter temperature, slowly but purposefully scanned the area. More confused than convinced. ”..is this–?” Her thoughts, though incomplete, chirped through Ovan's mind– hoping for a sliver of clarity. This seemed wrong. She tried to decipher the ledgings along the walls, but couldn't understand them. It was empty.. and yet, Okoye could feel something literally pulling away her Naten with tiny, sharp, invisibly claws. The longer she looked around, the more she felt as if they'd stumbled upon another dead end. This didn't look an appropriate location for Shrine or temple, but more of a tomb. Or burial ground.

[Ovan Hellgate]

The demon dove straight into the vortex without batting an eye. The frozen air barreling past them only barely touched his well protected body, secluded beneath the hefty insulation. With his entire face covered, he still operated his reconnaissance with zero difficulty.

Descending into the cave flooded Ovan’s sight with a bright burning light, making him wince in pain. He expected to meet a powerful entity here, but did not expect the sheer magnitude of Naten hidden within The Pit. It reminded him of the Naten pouring from Sorith throughout their conversation regarding his succession to the crown. Time and time again, he was met with overwhelming destructive force and even here during his break from training, a seemingly indomitable force emanated from this chamber, filled it with heat and a magnetic force drawing more than just his attention. It made for a very good reason to keep whatever was locked away down there. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the plan.

Ovan blinked and allowed his eyes chance to acclimate to the new Naten frequency. The glowing glyphs, pulsing in time with their heartbeats gave him great pause, Typically associated with blood magic or energy that utilizes life force directly. Ashura, this demon Okoye came to subdue without the vision to see, was something Ovan would have loved to avoid at all costs if he could.

It definitely is. There seems to be a blood seal here, but I don’t recognize the language yet.

Ovan strolled around the perimeter and analyzed the glyphs, he whipped out a small notebook and copied them into it. They were foreign, but he had a mastery of many languages, so it would just take time to decipher their message.

They all work pretty much the same, but this one looks like it’s broken up into three parts. It’ll take a sec for me to break it down, but I’m pretty sure I can do it.

Ovan paced the walls and took his notes, careful not to make too much noise while he pondered. Blood arts are tricky to deal with since they have very specific conditions to activate or deactivate them. He’d know in a moment where to go from here, but he needed some time to work.

[Okoye]

After dismissing her avian servant, Okoye folded her arms and used her eyes to follow Ovan around the chamber. She was absolutely the bravest person she'd ever known or came across, but even she was feeling uneasy. Her neck craned over her shoulders to the icy whistles pelting against her.

..I don't like this.

Okoye thought to herself. She didnt share her apprehensions because spooking the scholar could ruin the entire endeavor. She couldn't make heads or tails of what the wall etchings were supposed toconvey, however, there were familiar runes and sigils she recognized. One of them being the same rune she'd drawn unto her neck, back and chest. And those same sigils were beginning to burn her flesh like sulfer was rubbed on them. It was as if they were responding to this chamber, which was enough for her to be sure that they were on the right track. Still.. she would await Ovan's translation.

"It definitely is. There seems to be a blood seal here, but I don’t recognize the language yet."

Ovan strolled around the perimeter and analyzed the glyphs, he whipped out a small notebook and copied them into it.

"They all work pretty much the same, but this one looks like it’s broken up into three parts. It’ll take a sec for me to break it down, but I’m pretty sure I can do it."

Okoye responded with silence and patience. She knew the work that went into research and analysis. A simple flaw or misinterpretation could be catastrophic in such delicate circumstances. She kept her head on a swivel, carefully as to protect her polyglot while he invested his mind to the task at hand. She listened as he tried to unpack the mysteries ; breaking down what he understood into a digestible soundbite. He spoke of the blood pact-- Okoye knew it well thanks to Euriell's journal. It's what allowed her to harness Ashura's power without having to control him directly.. but she wasn't satisfied with just a sampling. Okoye knew that if she wanted to defeat Akundae, she would need every ounce advantage Ashura could give her. It was why she marked herself.. it was why she was here today.

[Ovan Hellgate]

Ovan finished taking down the sigils, arranged around the room in a triangular formation. After assessing their position and distance, he stepped away from one pacing to the dead center of the chamber. As he approached the epicenter, he felt a tingle behind his eyes for a moment, processing the script and its energy. He blinked and the room went alight with an energy radiating from the center, pulsing out into vertices at each sigil inscribed. He even saw the same energy seeping out of his notebook, the aura on fire like a solar eclipse encircling his ledger.

“Nero d’avola nerello mascalese.”

Two pulses surged and the fiery energy radiated fiercely through the stone walls. The triangle connecting the sigils burned, the strange energy spilling towards the ceiling like magma forcing its way through a fissure. The notebook floated away from Ovan’s hands, suspended soundly at the center of this magic circle spewing intense energy between Okoye and Ovan. The frigid winds immediately became an oven, sweltering heat warping the awareness of any layman with heat deeper than the heart of Acrix Solara. This special energy stuck in a realm between the Seen and Unseen started peeling away the veil between them. Then, something interesting caught Ovan’s eye, the same sigil glowing and pulsing on the other side of Okoye’s neck, swirling with its own firestorm he could only imagine at least kind of hurt, judging from the amount of power pouring from the floor. But the more it swirled, the more the sides of the triangular polygon drew inward toward her, the sigils on the wall blazing torches opening windows to another world, an Unseen one clad in elemental fire and magnetic attraction.

“Uva di Tr—“

Just as the words slipped from Ovan’s mouth, the sides of the floors immediately snapped shut, energy like stone walls and steel bindings suturing the realms opening shut. The sigils on the walls, windows to this otherworldly plane burst, ripping that same brightness from the sigil on Okoye’s neck. It split into three sparks and the notebook thumped directly into the ground between them. Ovan’s head ripped left and right, unsure of where the energy was going to emerge from. The windows to that other realm were closed or blocked, the fire pouring from the sigils shrinking as three fearsome, frozen looking weapons emerged from around them. Each weapon snuffed out the fire from whence they emerged, a scythe ripping through one, hammer bursting from the next, and a pair of katanas slicing through the last. Ovan shook in his boots just from the sight of them, trembling a bit as the sweltering heat that had just filled the room cut out and the frigid cold returned with a terrible vengeance.

“You didn’t tell me there’d be guardians.”

Ovan swallowed his fear and turned to face one of the three entities clad in the elemental fire and magnetic attraction wielding the scythe, unsure of its origin but certain of its animosity. It was an oversight on his own part, knowing that demonic seals and blood sigils treacherous nature, commonly boobytrapped. As he watched another entity crawl through and wield the hammer, he kicked himself for assuming The Pit itself would be the only trial, their journey was too straightforward.

A grave mistake for the scholar.

But, when he considered the facts more important than his own unpreparedness, the presence of these apparitions meant he got the spell right, but where was the shrine?

Through his eyes, all of the energy died when the magic circle was closed. All the invisible energy was drawn into these three apparitions, but the weapons they wielded were surging with something more familiar. It resembled the same energy he saw in Okoye and his intuition started going into overdrive. The pang of fear got smothered by his curiosity and intrigue blood rushing to his head imagining the possibilities and insights he’d gain from this encounter.

Here in this coincidental meeting of this woman from some far off land, Ovan was brought to a moment where he could see himself as the successor to the Horus Crown. They both approached this journey tired and broken, eyes set on a greater prize that worth more than their rest. Her indomitable spirit and his unbeatable curiosity spurred him to confidently step into the footsteps of the kings who came before him. His Inherited Mastery honored those who came before him, gifted with the insight of his forebearers Ovan realized the necessity of overwhelming power to bring your ideals to reality, but also finally saw a path he could fully commit to to achieve such power.

[Okoye]

“Nero d’avola nerello mascalese.”

Two pulses surged and the fiery energy radiated fiercely through the stone walls. The triangle connecting the sigils burned, the strange energy spilling towards the ceiling like magma forcing its way through a fissure. The notebook floated away from Ovan’s hands, suspended soundly at the center of this magic circle spewing intense energy between Okoye and Ovan. The frigid winds immediately became an oven, sweltering heat warping the awareness of any layman with heat deeper than the heart of Acrix Solara.

..the sigils on the walls, windows to this otherworldly plane burst, ripping that same brightness from the sigil on Okoye’s neck. It split into three sparks and the notebook thumped directly into the ground between them. Ovan’s head ripped left and right, unsure of where the energy was going to emerge from.. windows to that other realm were closed or blocked, the fire pouring from the sigils shrinking as three fearsome, frozen looking weapons emerged from around them. Each weapon snuffed out the fire from whence they emerged, a scythe ripping through one, hammer bursting from the next, and a pair of katanas slicing through the last..

The symbols etched onto Okoye's flesh began to radiate with a sinister, crimson light that itched and burned like a deviant rash. It ravaged her, peeling her skin and trickling blood onto the ice. But she couldn't afford to deviate her attention. Her focus was held in a vice grip by the fiery emergence of three spectral sentinels. They were invisible; even to someone with such a high spiritual awareness as her, but their weapons were corporal and solid.

”You didn’t tell me there’d be guardians.”

Ovan swallowed his fear and turned to face one of the three entities clad in the elemental fire and magnetic attraction wielding the scythe, unsure of its origin but certain of its animosity.

In truth, Okoye found herself just as transfixed as Ovan. Euriel's exhaustive journal failed to mention the existence of any guardians. Yet, her own understanding of Voudani lore unveiled cryptic clues that illuminated the origin of the otherworldly tools directed against her. The Vishanti. She thought to herself as her heartbeat quickened in pace. These were not mere relics but revered champions of the Voudani Tribe, selected by elders and tasked with the daunting exorcism of the malevolent entity, As'ura. Millennia ago, amidst a tumultuous clash, the Vishanti valiantly battled the eldritch terror. And though their physical presence faded from the annals of Muu's history, whispers persisted of their legendary feat: the successful sealing of the Shackled Star. In death, they managed to bind the entity at the threshold between realms, where it would remain in a perpetual slumber. No living soul had beheld the Vishanti firsthand, yet their legacy lingered in the enchanted arsenal they left behind, vestiges of their selfless sacrifice.

"..get behind me."

With steely resolve, Okoye instinctively positioned herself before Oven, her unwavering gaze fixed upon the spectral phalanx of weapons hovering ominously in the air. Though she recognized their legend, Okoye was largely unfamiliar with their styles of combat. And the enchanted tools themselves were far more menacing then they were illustrated on parchment. Her face remained undaunted, but her mind was racing a mile a minute. She took account of her exit strategy above them: the swirling vortex where they tunneled through. For a brief moment, she thought about running away– she didn't want to risk Ovan’s life. In her current condition, she she wasn't certain she would be able to protect him herself. There was only so much left in the tank.. she needed to preserve all the energy she could for when she encountered Asura. She was convinced that this was the location of Asura’s tomb, even though she could not physically see it. She wondered if Ovan could see it.. She wondered..

”What can you see?”

Her thoughts whispered through Ovan's mind as she adopted a defensive stance before their enemies.

[Ovan Hellgate]

”What can you see?”

Her thoughts whispered through Ovan's mind as she adopted a defensive stance before their enemies.

“Y’know, it’s kinda funny. The weapons are icy, but the entities wielding them are clad in flame.”

Ovan felt a swell of pressure course through the room when Okoye stepped in front of him, and though she intended to protect him, there were more than one side they had to make sense of. Though he appreciated the gesture, he felt his succession demanded more of him. Okoye appeared to be blind to their true form, while Ovan was witness to their frightening figures. Each apparition appeared draped in ceremonial vestments adorned with similar glowing sigils as those scribed in the notebook affixed to the ground beneath them. While the dual swordsman and hammer brandishing guardians stepped forward wielding their weapons with a martial flair, Ovan looked over his shoulder to the smaller of the three and the scythe about twice as large as their stature should be able to support. Their armor seemed to be more modest, still retained the same ornate style, while their form appeared more feminine. A long wisp of ethereal darkness flowed from their head with a pair of scarlet eyes peering through the winged visor over their face.

smoldered into the frosty wind, smoking into the ether.

“Their weapons are free but…”

Ovan took note of the smoking chains that seemed out of place compared to the ceremonial garb each apparition wore. They lined the apparitions necks and limbs, coiling around their bodies and flowing from them towards the walls of the shrine, he followed them with his eyes and traced a network, a spiderweb of wispy chains and shackles encapsulating all of them this cage.

”It looks like our opponents don’t have the same luxury.”

Ovan made the Mudra of Separation almost instinctually when he saw the chains wrapped all around them. Though The Pit was still open above them, the shrine was cut off from the outside, and the frigid wind stopped. They were all locked in together, so to escape would mean breaking the chains that bound these formidable warriors. The Horus were the ferrymen to the other side for the Hellgate, handling their funeral rites for the long lived mages. He saw a path forward, but wasn’t convinced he’d be able to step through if Okoye could only see their weapons.

”Do you see the chains that bind them?”

[Okoye]

“Y’know, it’s kinda funny. The weapons are icy, but the entities wielding them are clad in flame. Their weapons are free but.. It looks like our opponents don’t have the same luxury."

Ovan made the Mudra of Separation almost instinctually when he saw the chains wrapped all around them.

”Do you see the chains that bind them?”

Chains?

Okoye focused her gaze into fine slits and searched the frozen chamber for what Ovan mentioned. Her awareness was nowhere near as powerful as his; She couldn't outright see the coiling network of smoke and metal, but she could see visages of the shadowy shackles stemming from the icy walls of the chamber. If only barely..

“...”

But she couldn't be sure. And she didn't want to distract herself too much, lest she be caught off guard by one of the spectral warriors. Were there only three of them? Which of them were the most powerful, which of them the quickest and which of them demanded immediate attention? These were the questions surging through her fatigued mind as the invisible hands of her enemies fashioned their tools into their respective styles of warfare; over hand, under hand, and dual wielding. ”..let's say I can.” She replied to Ovan, humoring the notion after his completion of his mudra. “Can you break them?”

[Ovan Hellgate]

“Let’s jus say I can.”

The moment the thought spilled from his mental lips, the guardian wielding katanas stepped towards Okoye and kicked off the ground, leaping high into the air. Ovan heard a strange sound like fluid drawn through a pipe and cranked his neck over just in Time to catch the apparition ready its aerial strike. It’s swords flashed a sinister blue light before swinging them in a cross chop at the ground. Thinking quickly, Ovan pushed off her back and shoved her forward. He slid backward and they both narrowly escaped the slicing arcs of accursed energy carving a cross into the shrine’s magic floor. The hammer wielding guardian simply stepped forward, winding up a sideways swing with an incendiary force.

Ovan found himself in the middle of another lopsided battle, at least he had some help this time. Based on her physique and determination, Ovan had little doubt in her ability to get them out unscathed as long as he could support her. It felt like the perfect chance to put Sorith’s insight to use.