Aryel Part 3: Hell Hath No Furies

Posted on Thu Jun 15th, 2023 @ 3:12pm by Watch Leader Frederick Hollywood

Mission: Findelion Watch - Villains
Location: Crossroads
Timeline: Present

Clouds began to gather over the small indian village. The air became cold. Far colder than usual for that time of year. Already the tribe's shaman had sensed a great dark omen. Some people had already gathered outside of his medicine lodge, waiting to find out what had caused the strange foul weather. While many more like most folks ignored the dark clouds as a freak occurrence and stayed at home.

David Opossum Sixkiller knew otherwise. Sure, unlike his predecessors he indulged in many modern conveniences. TV, internet, heck he even had a Pontiac Trans AM in his garage that he took quite a bit of pride in. Still no matter what signs he could check something horrible was about to break loose from the spiritual world. It wouldn't be the first time David had been forced to deal with something like this. Still he had a feeling this time might be different. This time might mark his passing from this world.

Sixkiller put his hat on and stepped outside with the air of plenty of confidence. When Mary asked what was going on his answer came quickly. “There is something coming our way. Go home and lock your doors. I will take a couple of young men with me to check things out in the old village.”

David raced as quickly as he could in his black and white Trans Am. Time was of the essence. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen very soon. The old roads were rough on the old bird but Sixkiller knew she could make it. She had never failed him in his time of need. Although this was not only by accident or faith. In the distance he could see dark storm clouds brimming with a strange energy gathering over the ancestral home.

Just as the shaman arrived an eye had formed over the center of the village. Somehow the oldman knew this was where he needed to be. He stepped out of his car and donned his medicine bag just in time to be greeted by a circle of light so bright it hurt his eyes.

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Aryel’s body felt like it was being torn asunder. Even her spirit seemed to be taking its toll. One thing that scared her was her connection to Delvin somehow seemed to grow weaker. As though her pantheon might no longer be able to hear or help her. Still it was a small price to pay to save her Lorde. All she knew and felt was that he was in danger. From what or who she had no idea.

How long had she been traveling through these strange realms? Galaxies had come and gone. She was quite sure that a few dimensions had also gone by. Some with little resemblance to the worlds she had known. The golden goddess was quite sure if it were not for the protection that the god of her god had given her she would be torn apart.

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A funnel cloud touched down right on top of Sixkiller. It not only tore at his body but something was reaching inside of him. Trying to tear at his soul. The old Shaman flashed back to a time when he and his mentor had to stop one of the young braves from tearing apart this very place. A Coyote spirit had taken hold of the boy. In the end things didn’t go so well for the possessed victim, but they did save the rest of the people. David began to chant and dance, fighting away the corruption trying to take him body and soul.

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Aryel started to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. The ribbon she had been traveling along now was leading to a planet. It looked in many ways just like Tera, In fact if turned just the right way and one took into account some kind of continental drift one might think it was a past or future version of the home of her god.

Still traveling at incredible speeds as she entered the atmosphere flames began to erupt around her body. Luckily she was quite immune to the normal effects of elemental damage. Making her feel like a comet about to make earthfall.

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A yin yang began to form on the ground with intricately laced runes. The eerie, glowing, magical, words seemed to spiral into the center going smaller than the eye could see. Then a figure crashed to the ground in a typical hero landing. Glowing eyes looked out from the eye of the tornado. Words reverberated through the air. WHERE IS HE!/

“I don’t know...” David tried to speak but suddenly the world around the two travelers began to shake and vibrate. Pulses of energy and air threw the old buildings away from the circle where the golden woman had landed.

Aryel screamed, “Something is wrong!” Her face contorted in rage and sadness and perhaps a bit of betrayal. “The portal should not still be here!”

Just then in the blink of an eye everything within a quarter mile of the village, including the village itself was sucked into the portal. Almost as if it had been a black hole or some other massive gravitational anomaly.

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Mary could feel something had gone terribly wrong. She raced from her home to the elder council to tell them what had happened. When she burst in on their meeting and started frantically telling them what had gone on, the men simply looked at each other as though a mad woman had just burst in. Sure they knew David, and sure they knew Mary and what they meant to the people. Course many people who dealt with such things had been known to go off the deep end.
Chief Daniel took the lead and walked over to the distraught woman. “Hey no problem Mary. We will look into it. If David is missing we will find him. If something has happened to him we will find that out. For now why don’t you head home and let us take care of this.” and just like that she was sent home with an escort like the village idiot.

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The Trans Am landed on something that resembled a large highway surrounded by nothing but open space and stars. Shortly after the two travelers came flying out of the portal that had brought them to this strange place. Aryel simply spread her wings and landed with ease, while David on the other hand slid across the ground like a rag doll almost hitting his car.

That had hurt like hell but after standing up and dusting himself off Sixkiller realized nothing major had been broken. He looked around at the strange scenery. There were planets in the distance. One with an eyeball that seemed to be looking right at them. “Any idea where we are?”

“No.” She didn’t recognize this at all. Saying something as the air mephit had quite a working knowledge of the cosmos. At least her own.

David pointed at the road. “Forward, back, left, and right. This could mean we are on the Crossroads of Infinity. I always thought that was a myth.” Although in his line of work it paid to have a working understanding of myths.

“What does that mean, Human?” While she had heard of things like this, nothing was exactly like this.

The old shaman smiled at the small being, “The name is David Opossum Sixkiller, and according to legend the cross roads can take someone to any dimension as long as they are willing to travel it and well undergo some trials.”

Great more tests, more trials, more sacrifice. Aryel thought to herself. “Is there some special way of traveling these roads?”

David just shrugged and then walked over to his trusted steed. He stepped in and started the engine. “Might I suggest this?”

Aryel had seen one of these before. Frederick called it a Mustang. She hopped on the roof of the car and held on with her hands slightly inside the windows. She tapped her claws in a loud way and made a noise like trying to make a horse go.

David started driving. For now there was no use in trying to guess direction. It was best to get out of the way of anything else that might find its way to that exact spot. “It doesn’t work that way and if you want you can sit inside. The radio might not pick up much out here but luckily I have some eight tracks. Do you like Elvis by any chance?”

TBC