Chapter 12: Part 2 - Corrupted Gods

Even though the sun had began to rise, clouds covered the sky which made it appear darker than when we originally had set off. Tobih and I walked side by side as Angel lead the way. She had insisted on looking ahead of us for any signs of trouble, but it seemed as if something was bothering her. I wondered if the disappearance of Ragnvaldr had affected her more than she let on. Angel was like that, though. In all of my time spent with her I had gotten to understand her a little better. While she was certainly a thinker, she was also emotional. She just managed to keep the latter part hidden.

I envied her. She was emotional, yet she was still strong. Maybe the two went hand in hand.

My eyes fell to my hands. I felt like I had a lot of power within me but I also knew that I wasn’t sure on how to harness it. I began thinking that maybe I could have prevented what had happened if I was a little more diligent in training it.

“These old statues are corrupted,” Angel luckily pulled me from that dark pool of thinking before I could completely submerge myself in it. She pulled her hand back seconds after laying it on the stone hand of Balthazar.

Tobih moved forward to touch it as well, but Angel grabbed his wrist. “That’s not a good idea.”It didn’t take long for me to put two and two together, “It’s hot.”

Angel nodded and pushed Tobih away with her forearm. “Some gods,” she spat it out so casually.

The tyrian Gods had never really been physically present from the time I came to be. In Divinity’s Reach I had heard the preaching and I had seen the statues. I even read all about them in my books. Back when I was originally living, even, they had been sending avatars or vessels to the physical plane of Tyria to spread their word or even to play games They were much more active but to me, I couldn’t see them. They may as well have not been here at all. So while the knee jerk reaction to her temper was one of displeasure, I realized that I didn’t actually care all that much.

Yet I was on this journey to ask them for their mercy. Even if I managed to make it to an altar in the land they once called home there was no guarantee that they would take pity on someone who felt as godless as me.

Angel stared down at me with eyes that spoke more words than she would let pass through her mouth. I felt that maybe she understood. I don’t know why she continued to push me forward if she did, though.

“It is like being in charge of a baby,” she suddenly groaned and contorted her eyes into a glare. “We cannot keep staying in one place for so long just because you cannot get a handle on your feelings.” She continued to scold me, “If we have to stop again, I might just turn back. Too much of a bother.”

“You’re not going to fight her again are you?” Tobih crossed his arms and craned his neck upwards to look at the norn.

This time Angel shook her head, “No.” Without waiting to see if I was following she started to walk away. “It’s not worth the energy.”

“I thought you were especially high energy, though.” It just kind of came out, like old times.

“I’m sure you meant that as an insult, but I’ll be taking it as a compliment,” she patted her sword, “That energy will get us through this hellscape.”

I tried to laugh a little and continue the banter. “That’s the spirit,” I said and she looked back towards me again. Her eyes were stern but maybe a little softer than they were moments ago.

Angel was right, though. I was slowing us down in a dangerous situation. I couldn’t continue having the two of them console me like a child.

We passed between the remnants of trees long dead but petrified. Drying seaweed was naturally draped across the brittle coral-covered branches.

A shadow fell over my eyes so I looked up to see what had created it. The wings of a bird beat above us and circled our general location. Something seemed off about this bird, though. In all the time I had spent here in Orr, I hadn’t seen another living thing. I’m not sure how long it took for me to realize that it was undead like all the other risen, but Tobih had already come to understand its raison d’être.

“That bird is scouting us.” He held a hand up above his eyes as he studied the eagle. “If the risen really can communicate between each other…”

“We need to prepare for an attack,” Angel cut him off and unbuckled her sword. In response to hear readiness, I grasped at my staff as if the enemy would ambush us at that very moment.

However, no such event transpired. The bird eventually left and though we stayed at the ready, no undead hoard had made a move on us. As Orr had proven to be time and again, everything was eerily quiet.