#thread: outer divinity

[chosen--champion]

The entity narrows her gaze at him. Tilting its head as she eyes his spear before slowly stalking towards Perseus.

"I simply came here to warn you in advance.. keep your guard up and wits about, trust the Arcane Council in helping Halia- listen to them- and keep in good relations with Gala if you know what's good for you. Saretheil is still on the loose, he'll only bring more disaster and suffering when he returns. Don't listen to any word he utters, no matter how promising it sounds."

She approaches all the way until the point of his spear is in near intimate proximity of the gaping star wound on her chest as she leans forward,

"I can smell your beloved Gorgonna's all-genuine presence in the vicinity. Heed her words right, for it means the real Hunting Goddess is awake and there for the Wildborn. She won't take kindly to the Halians waging war on her people, none will be spared from her bloodthirst and cruelty, including you."

Her long claws began grazing the blade of his spear. The tiny scritch trailing to its base, "It will be a tragedy far more devastating than anything your mind can comprehend. It'd be a shame if more lives and your's were sacrificed needlessly. Didn't you want to avoid as much conflict to prevent more lives lost? Isn't that why you became a General in the first place?"

Her eyes began to soften in melancholy, as if this extended beyond mere sympathy. No, in those bloodshot eyes of her's, he could sense the familiarity within. As if she herself personally knew what it's like to be in his position, to go through all this.

*Perseus stays still as the creature speaks. It sounds like a warning, and an advice, for him to listen to the Arcane Council and the Wildborn girl… But to tell him not to listen to Sarethiel? He almost retorts, but stops the moment she willingly comes close—her vital point no less—directly to the tip of his spear.*

…

*The General lowers his spear as she finishes, being able to tell that this entity, while looking horrific… is human.*

You know I’m not the kind of man who abandons people and their lives. But you also mentioned my own…

*He keeps in mind the way she talks about Gorgonna and the real Hunting Goddess. “All-genuine”…? Perhaps he should ask her the next time they meet.*

*Not only this one, but Bellarose, and the gentle breeze… They all look at him and speak to him the same way. The same sorrow, the same melancholy. Why is that…?*

[chosen--champion]

"̴̙̯́͠S̷͚̥̊͂̚á̵͍̮̓͒r̸̼͛e̸̦̙̰͊̊̇t̴͓̖̬̅̑ḧ̶̰̲́e̵͕̠̓͠͠i̵͙̲͘͜l̵͔̋̒'̷̡̩͍̌̀̈́s̷̩͎̅̑ ̷͓́r̵̛͕̼̲͂ȉ̸̭̇͛b̷͍͑͂s̸̝̻̽ ̶̙̻̬̈͌s̷͉͍̿ͅo̵̼͖̓̓u̵̮̍̇n̷̙̆̏͗d̵͎͕͍͆͗͗ ̸̛̥͠͝ŕ̸̖̯̔̈ä̴͔̹́͆ͅt̴̼̞͒̈h̸̦̬́̚ě̸̺̥̀ȓ̶̠ͅ ̸̹͗à̷̤͙̚p̸͓̒̀̌p̵̧̖̮̓͂͠e̴̢̙̾̀t̷̨̝̍̌̄ḭ̴̠́ẓ̶̦͌̄i̵̖͉͛n̴͇̕g̷̲͖̲̏͋͌,̶̘̍̀ ̸͇͑̓̅d̶̥͑̚o̷͇͔̯̅̋n̶̺̊'̷͙̗̆̀͝t̷̤͈̉̄ ̸̟̊̃̄ͅy̴̳̜̹͗̑͐o̶̡̞̺̅͐u̵̞͉͖͛͐͘ ̵̯̋t̸̑̎͜ͅh̶͍̅͑i̷̘̺̺̇ń̸̪̲̤k̵̬̾͌͐?̷̜̂"̷̠̹̥͝ ̶̟̆̌

The low, deep feminine voice outside the Perseus's tent sounded like it came straight from the pits of Tuttleton.

"̵I̶ ̷w̸a̶s̷ ̵r̵a̸t̵h̵e̵r̵ ̶u̸p̴s̸e̴t̴ ̵s̵e̵e̷i̶n̶g̵ ̷S̸a̷r̶e̵t̴h̵e̴i̶l̵ ̴i̷n̸ ̴h̴i̶s̸ ̸s̵t̷a̷t̸e̷,̷ ̸c̸e̸r̸t̴a̷i̴n̴l̵y̵ ̴m̷a̷t̶c̶h̵e̸s̴ ̸t̴h̷e̴ ̷c̷o̴n̵d̷i̵t̴i̴o̵n̸s̵ ̶H̴a̸l̸i̶a̴ ̴i̴s̷ ̸s̷u̴f̸f̴e̵r̷i̶n̴g̸ ̷c̶u̶r̵r̶e̵n̶t̴l̵y̸.̸ ̵N̷o̷t̷h̶i̷n̵g̶ ̴l̴i̵k̴e̴ ̸t̵h̷e̶ ̸h̴e̷a̷l̸t̵h̶y̴,̸ ̵r̵o̴b̸u̴s̴t̷ ̷m̸a̶n̶ ̶w̶h̷o̸ ̶r̷o̶d̸e̶ ̷o̶n̸ ̴h̶i̴s̸ ̵m̸i̸g̴h̴t̶y̸ ̸s̷t̷e̴e̴d̴.̷ ̵H̸e̸ ̵h̶a̵s̸ ̶u̵n̴d̴o̸u̸b̸t̸e̶d̴l̵y̸ ̵f̶a̵l̵l̸e̵n̸ ̴f̸r̸o̶m̷ ̷g̶r̸a̵c̴e̸,̵ ̴s̴e̴l̵f̸i̸s̷h̴l̵y̴ ̵d̶r̵a̸g̴g̴i̷n̶g̶ ̷h̵i̶s̸ ̶o̵w̶n̴ ̷d̵e̷v̴o̷t̵e̶d̵ ̶f̸o̷l̵l̴o̵w̸e̸r̶s̷ ̸d̵o̷w̷n̵ ̷i̸n̵ ̵t̶h̵e̶ ̸p̷r̸o̸c̶e̴s̸s̷.̸"̴ ̷

Soon, a faint silhouette of a person would begin to materialise by the flap of the tent. But not daring to enter just yet, only enough to make her.. its presence known.

"̷B̶u̶t̶ ̶n̵o̸ ̶m̷a̴t̶t̴e̶r̴.̵ ̴I̶ ̶w̸i̴l̸l̷ ̶h̷u̴n̵t̸ ̶h̶i̷m̸ ̶d̸o̷w̷n̴ ̵t̴o̸ ̷t̵h̸e̵ ̵e̷n̵d̶s̷ ̷o̷f̶ ̵t̴h̵e̸ ̶w̸o̴r̷l̵d̷ ̷a̶n̸d̴ ̷d̷e̷v̵o̸u̷r̵ ̸h̴i̵m̵ ̶l̸i̵k̵e̸ ̵t̷h̴e̷ ̶r̶e̸s̶t̵.̶ ̸H̵i̷s̵ ̵s̶o̸u̸l̴ ̴w̷o̸n̷'̶t̶ ̸e̶v̶e̷n̷ ̸r̴e̸t̸u̵r̸n̴ ̵t̷o̶ ̷t̷h̵e̷ ̸T̸r̴e̷e̴ ̴o̵f̷ ̴L̶i̶f̴e̷,̵ ̴a̷n̶d̴ ̷n̶o̶ ̸o̵n̷e̶ ̸w̶i̷l̴l̸ ̶b̶e̷ ̵a̴b̶l̵e̵ ̶t̷o̶ ̷s̸t̵o̵p̶ ̷m̷e̴.̷"̷ ̵ ̴

"̶̡̣̯̩̖̮͆̊̋̿̚N̶̢̺̩̘̩̞̑̃͝o̴̢̫͇̹̙̽̍́t̸̺̞͙̫͚̐̚ ̶̢̱̌̋͊ͅe̶̥̗̮̦̙͛̌ͅv̶͕̿̏̋͑̚ë̸̻̲͉́͐̓͌̋n̵̦͉͈̭̫̑̏ͅ ̸̛̦͙͕̖̍̀̐͠ͅĹ̵͕̜̭͎͙͐͛ā̷̛̛̖̫̣̹̙͔̄͗̔d̸̰͔͕̞̘̄y̵̡͛̋̅̃ ̷̪̩̥͋̋͂͒M̵̡͈̞̘̦̺͝e̵̩͇̐͌͌̀͑r̵̜͇̪̓̅͝ĺ̸̢̹̜̘̈́̿̅͘͝ͅì̸̖͙͙͍̕ͅͅņ̴̬͎̬̩͋̕.̶̨̹̓̈́̈̆"̴̹̲̞̫͍̥̔͑͌͘

*Perseus immediately jumps right when he first hears the sound, for a brief moment thinking it may be a nightmare becoming too real.*

*But when the voice speaks again as he's now awake and alerted, he knows it's not the case.*

...

*And for some reason, he can understand the crucial details of what is being spoken to him.*

*Another reminder of the God he reveres, having fallen from grace... Except, this time feels different. Did he catch something about... hunting and devouring?*

The Hunting Goddess...?

*That doesn't seem right. The Hunting Goddess is cruel, but to hunt and devour the Gods...?*

And not even Lady Merlin will...

*The General takes his own step forward to confront the entity, Divine Spear and shield in hand.*

[chosen--champion]

With his spear extended to her, the entity would then prick the palm of her hand. Drawing blood that trickled all over the blade of his spear. Dousing it entirely with the crimson liquid until it seeps into his weapon. To the unknowing, this may look like an unholy ritual.

But Perseus could feel it. The divinity running through the streams of blood, the fluid itself vibrant and healthy. Thrumming with unimaginable power of both sanctification and utter desecration.

"By the might within me, I bestow upon you the power to prevail through the trials of fate."

*Perseus, despite not being attuned to magic, can feel the potent magical array coursing through the stream of blood that's trickling—then coating— all over and within the blade of his spear. He's almost in awe, but he makes sure not to move an inch.*

*The General vividly remembers when Sarethiel blessed him with these divine weapons, granting him strength so he could keep protecting his people... They were referred to as his followers.*

*This time... The second time he's blessed... feels different.*

To prevail through the trials of fate... *He mumbles to himself, looking thoughtful...*

*... before giving her a silent bow of gratitude.*

[chosen--champion]

"Yes, you perished in battle and in our timelines.. it only served to worsen the conflict."

The entity sighs before pursing her lips and looking at him with determination and a bit glimmer of hope, "Fate can be unpredictable. Even if you have warnings in advance, would it all actually make a significant change?"

She then reaches a hand out to the tip of Perseus's spear blade, "If you allow me, I would like to grant you my blessings. To give you a fighting edge against seemingly indomitable odds. You might even stand a chance against the gods and their minions."

*If Lady Merlin were here, she most likely would've suggested he accept this... No, even before this, she's already been trying to give him advice many times. He's even been told just as many times that the god he reveres has fallen and now only cares to destroy.*

...

If this means I can keep standing watch to see the day Halia wakes up again...

*If this means he wouldn't perish in battle, and so these people wouldn't be stricken by grief... Especially Gorgonna...*

*Without saying another word, Perseus holds out the blade of his spear towards her.*

[chosen--champion]

"That is a honorable trait you possess," She pauses, "And yet so frustrating.." She mutters under her breath whilst averting her gaze, though it didn't really hold any true venom to his character before she scoffs.

"The fates must find it laughable that I thought I could possibly change the course of things with a few 'words of wisdom' from the future, let alone from a different timeline. Lest one is ready to face drastic changes and consequences." The creature runs a clawed hand through her hair as she sighs. "Your death felt.. so avoidable."

The entity looks down at herself, her entire being and perhaps even at what she's become, "All this power.. all the sacrifices I've made to become what I am. A commander, a mage, something beyond the gods themselves.. and yet still powerless to prevent such tragedy among many others. " She then directs her gaze towards him, eyeing him with a storm of emotions, "..You are Saretheil's Chosen Champion. He gave you your spear, the shield.. you use them to protect Halia. Yet in the face of disaster at his hands, they feel more like they were keeping him and his wretched insects unscathed once his people would eventually turn against him. Including you, once the truth settles."

Timeline…?

*Did those two not allude to the same thing, too…?*

*It’s clearer to Perseus now the more the entity reveals things to him. Something has happened to him in their timelines, hence them coming to him with their own ways to warn him here.*

*And his encounter with Gala was a confirmation.*

Are you saying… I’ve already died in your timeline?

*The General is always willing to exchange anything of him—even his life—for a better Halia… for a better place. It is beyond the shadow of a doubt.*

*However, the idea of him actually being gone, and how it’s affected the people that came to give him warnings. Not just them, but Abundius, Master Bakis, his comrades— the rest of the Halians, too…*

[chosen--champion]

It was barely audible but if one were to strain their ears, they'd be able to hear deep animalistic growling on the other side before it halts. Then a clawed finger pokes out, followed by other fingers slowly parting the tent flap before Lady Merlin's grotesqued face juts out at Perseus with indiscernable noises before the entity begins crawling up the walls and ceiling of the tent.

It eventually stops at a top corner where the General can see the creature in all its horrificness. While its figure is more feminine, curved and toned in some parts of her elongated body, he could gauge that its more taller and bigger than him still in size. Maintaining eye contact with Perseus at all times, even if it costs tilting and turning her head at inhuman angles. The entity reeking of iron and some sort of.. rotting almost corruptive energy that feels similar to what he's seen from some fellow Halians that have fell.

It didn't move. He neither. Just held each other's gaze for what felt like eons as he watch her face morph from Lady Merlin's to something.. similar to her's but with a pale complexion and different textured blonde wavy hair while its eyes remained bloodshot red. Her body twists to face Perseus, revealing a gaping star-shaped red wound on her chest where the heart is located. (Maybe a weakness? Something worth noting.)

"Remember the Arcane Council took in a third member?" She broke in a much clearer voice now, her gnawing grin contorting further that it became evident it was forced as she hints at her identity.

*As the creature stalls, so does the General. Locking eye contact without regard to the tricks it— or she— pulls. He doesn’t flinch either when it crawls around in his tent and contorts her body in impossible angles.*

*Coupling it with the all too recognizable stench of blood and corruptive energy…*

*He knows that’s not Lady Merlin despite the entity wearing her face… as well as when it morphs into what appears to be her true face.*

*Sinister. It’s one word he can describe it.*

*Perseus is then slightly taken aback upon hearing the question, and it’s not just because of how clear she sounds… Still, he remains guarded.*

Impersonating the Hunting Goddess is one thing… Impersonating Lady Merlin is another. Why are you here?

*Perseus swings his spear, pointing to the entity… but doesn’t shift his stance to hurl it.*

*He has caught on that whoever she is… may be intentionally exposing herself a little too soon.*