[Fsh] Chapter 45: Thundervale

Red lightning blossomed across storm clouds, far above Caledon. The streaks speared out of towering clouds that eclipsed the scale of Brimstone’s Verscallian Peaks, colouring them in a pink-red hue. Their bright flashes were carved into his vision. Even as he blinked, the afterimages of the lightning lingered.

The towering clouds covered the horizon as far as Caledon could see from where he was perched on the clifftop. Secluded from lightning strikes within the safety of a small cave. The deep rumble of thunder was ever present in the lands around them.

The lands beneath them were filled with trees with canopies of beautiful lavender leaves, shifting in wind which preceded the coming of a thunderstorm. Beneath them, spanned infinite blades of grey grass that covered the vale.

Caledon lingered over an electric blue river that cut through the land, as if filled with the essence of lightning itself. He watched as a herd of familiar horses rested at the river’s edge. The familiar horse he had seen thundering through Viridian’s streets.

Caledon, Shiver and Virgil stood within their second Inheritance, the Thundervale.

It was situated in the section of the Dreadwood shrouded in lightning and thunder. Similarly to the Gloamshores, it was a world unto itself, divorced from Elucidor.

Caledon queried Idriel, and felt a familiar resonance reach his Fearcore, then spread outwards to encompass the lands around him.

Retrieving generic resources in your proximity:

·        Thundermare [80% compatibility]

·        Bladefrog [5% compatibility]

·        Thundershrieker [5% compatibility]

·        Lightning wyvern [1% compatibility]

The names of creatures that would not have appeared to him previously, were now revealed thanks to the effects of the Tranquillity withdrawals. Even so, some creatures were still beyond his reach.

“Vale would love this place.”

Caledon raised an eyebrow at her.

“Because she has lavender eyes? Or because its called the “Thundervale?””

“My, my. You’ve been paying close attention, haven’t you. Both. She should really consider changing her name to Thundervale, it’s far more inspiring.”

Shiver had invoked her Fear. The moment she received it; she had been itching to try it out.

[Allure of the anglerwhale]

Caledon had to admit, it was an impressive sight. When she called it, the air around them turned slightly frigid, forcing his languid eyelids open. It gave the girl’s ash-grey hair a light sheen to it, even brightening Shiver’s piercing cerulean irises.

Shiver winked at him, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

“Hmm, you didn’t blush. It looks like the invocation has its limits. I wonder if I’ll be able to make myself… scarier.”

As she said so, Caledon watched as his perception of the girl shifted slightly. Yet, the change made a world of difference. Lifeless eyes of winter stared into him, her cheeks drawn and eyes hollow. Her invocation allowed her a degree of control over other’s perceptions of her. To a much lesser extent than was afforded to him with [Mirage of the Anglerwhale], Caledon suspected.

Despite how much Shiver had hounded him to test his new invocations on her, Caledon had refused. Perhaps it was unwise, hunting other creatures without having tested the limits of his invocations. However, he was adamant about not imposing mental corruption onto other elves.

That was a line that he would not cross, unless he was given no other option.

“We only have two targets in the Thundervale. Caledon - the Highlady has recommended that you hunt the Thundermare. Shiver, she intends for you to kill a bladefrog. A thundermare as well, if possible.”

Virgil seemed to blanch at the name of the second creature. Even though Caledon was curious as to how exactly his Fear would interface with a horse of lightning, he relented, allowing Shiver to ask her question which he was equally as curious about.

“A Bladefrog? Virgil, why does it look like a vampress has sucked the soul out of you? Actually, you know what, don’t spoil the surprise. Fighting frogs will be a welcome break after bloodsucking spiders and whales with teeth the size of me.”

As Shiver hummed, taking a bite into her provisions and readying to leave the cave in which they were sheltered, Caledon glanced at the Fearshaper of stars. Virgil’s eyes were wide, as if recalling a past memory, as he mumbled under his breath.

“Those “frogs” are far more terrifying than any Anglerwhale.”

Caledon stared at the man incredulously.

As he was increasingly learning, elves weren’t the only creatures with Fears that they fixated on, and derived power from. The very creatures that they hunted instinctually called their Fear in different forms. The vampress, with its Fear of blood, the shadow wolves with their Fear of shadow, and the anglerwhale with its Fear of dreams. Their Fears shaped and induced by their environment.

No matter how much he had enquired with Virgil, the man had been reluctant clarify this phenomena. Caledon suspected, that unlike elves, creatures inherited their Fears. That there were wolves of frost and shadow seemed to suggest that the powers of the creatures became hereditary over the generations, solidifying into different species.

That being said, a tantalising question continued to hover at the edge of his mind. He stared at Vale’s undead revenant who still accompanied them.

The Fearshaper of blades.

An elf… I would understand. But how exactly does a frog develop a Fear of blades?

---

“Zel… are you there?”

Ever since he had spoken to his guide in the Gloamshores, Zel had been unresponsive. The floating eyeball had not responded to his request, when he called for him. Caledon sighed helplessly. Unlike Lord Quietus or Icey, his guide was much less forthcoming with him. Still, he was grateful for Zel’s assistance and decided to give his guide some space.

“Observe your surroundings. Watch out for the lightning.”

They emerged from Virgil’s tear in reality, into the vale. Caledon was grateful they hadn’t been forced to climb down the cliff surface. As he looked upwards to the cliffs in the distance, he saw lightning regularly strike its highest points.

Caledon watched the horses grazing in the distance by the electric blue river. The Thundermares had white coats, and he watched as white sparks flickered in the grass beneath them, where they walked.

A streak of red lightning speared downwards to strike one of the horses. Shiver and Caledon watched agape, as the horse nonchalantly welcomed the lightning strike with a whinny. A shower of pink sparks flew outwards from the point of impact on the horse’s flank.

Then, the white sparks began to accumulate around its feet, dancing between the blades of grey grass.

The Thundermare had been imbued with energy in the most literal sense. Caledon watched as it flashed forwards, white lightning sparking outwards as it cantered forwards at breakneck speeds.

Empowered by lightning.

“So, lordling. Would you like a hand with the Thundermare?”

“I... have an idea. Have fun fighting your frogs. Besides, I can’t be relying on you to solve all of my problems.”

“Huh. Alright then, I’m off to go hunt some frogs. Won’t be long.”

As sorely tempted as Caledon was to rely on Shiver’s help, he needed to learn to fend for himself. Shiver wouldn’t be there to neatly resolve all of his problems, and he was beginning to confront the reality of the situation.

It was time to embrace his Fear.

---

Caledon crept up to the horses by the riverbank. He had spotted an older horse with scars across its flank.

Caledon invoked his Fear.

[Mirage of the anglerwhale]

As his invocation took root in the creature’s mind, Caledon knew intuitively that he could induce a similar dream-like sensation the Anglerwhale had imposed on them. Alternatively, he could conjure a lesser form of illusion, similar to the Anglerwhale’s deception when it had conjured an image of itself hovering over the waters, flying in the skies of the Gloamshores, before flickering out.

Caledon decided he would change one simple aspect to the creature’s perception.

He removed himself from its vision.

Before he could creep further, he noticed a small tear in reality appear right beside his ear.

“Caledon, there was one thing I forgot to mention… be careful of the grass.”

Caledon raised an eyebrow at Virgil’s strange message, before peering at the field of grey grass that extended outwards before him, up to the river’s edge.

What’s wrong with the grass? Apart from the fact that its grey, it looks like nor-

Caledon flinched, and bit back a yell as he touched one of the blades of grass.

It had cut his finger.

The blade of grass, was quite literally a blade, composed of a malleable metal that bent with the gentle passage of the wind.

Then, Caledon watched as the blade that he had touched, sparked. As it did, the grass seemed to soften momentarily, before becoming rigid again.

He felt a momentary flash of concern for Shiver as he was reminded of her quarry.

This changed his plans. He could not approach unnoticed, by removing himself from the creature’s vision. He winced, as he struggled to retain his hold over the creature’s mind.

The Thundermane’s metal hooves protected it from the grass below. The lightning the creatures passively conjured rendered the grass around them harmless. If Caledon attempted to venture out into the field before him, his feet would be turned into bloody ribbons.

Dread and guilt began to well and twist in Caledon’s gut, as he stared at his target.

I’m sorry. For what I’m about to do.

---

The Thundermare grazed with its herd. It watched, as the young foals that were struck by red lightning for the very first time weaved excitedly between the herd’s members, empowered by it.  

It heard a whinny behind it, and it turned.

It saw its own foal, standing in the distance. The old Thundermane would never forget its child’s whinny. The sight, was an impossibility.

The foal had been stolen away by one of the lords of the sky. It still remembered the sight of it in the clutches of the wyvern that its herd had failed to ward off.

The Thundermare began to approach it, when its vision flickered.

---

Caledon watched as the Thundermare approached it. As its metal hooves grazed the grass beneath it, he saw sparks flit amongst the blades of metallic, grey grass. Then he watched as the horse came to a halt, some distance away from him.

Why isn’t it-

Caledon felt the hairs on his forearms lift. Goosebumps erupted across his neck. Then he watched in horror, as the sparks at the foot of the horse began to dance in a wide circumference before him, up until the point where the deadly blades ended, where he was crouched.

Caledon barely dodged as the red lightning speared downwards, into the spot he had been crouching.

His world spun and ears rang from the force of the lightning bolt. He barely had a second to recover before he watched as the Thundermare charged at him, large puffs of water vapour erupting from its nostrils.

Betraying its anger, at the creature that sought to use the memory of its child against it.

“Feardamnit.”

---

Virgil enjoyed the cup of winterlily tea safely within the confines of the cave on the cliff. He watched as Caledon struggled to flee from the oncoming Thundermare. The boy had unknowingly picked out the veteran of the herd. On the bright side, there wasn’t a doubt that it possessed the invocation that the Highlady intended for Caledon to gain.

“Vale has recovered. It was possession. Her mother’s soul attempting to control her. She wants time to think over the invocation that the Highlady suggested she acquire. She will rendezvous with you in Stonehollow, after Caledon and Shiver obtain their invocations.”

Lady Velra sipped at her tea, shooting Virgil a smile. Of the Dreadwood knights, the two were especially close. Clona was far too excitable, and Rathos was… wrapped up in his books and studies, despite his imposing appearance.

Virgil was a calming presence, which the Dreadwalker of wounds appreciated.

“You should have seen my niece’s face, when Marta and Pov thwarted her plans. I haven’t seen Solastra sulk in an age.”

Virgil smiled. It was always a pleasure when your dreadful boss received their just desserts.

They watched, as Caledon desperately attempted to invoke [mirage of the anglerwhale] to divert the Thundermare to no avail. Virgil remembered, when Highlady Solastra had “nurtured” him similarly, forcing him to face a moonbeast on his own when he had descended through Trepidation.

The easiest way to discover the bounds of your invocations was through… applied learning, as Knight Rathos had affectionately termed it.

The man really needed some new hobbies.

Though he did have to agree as a fellow victim, was no better way to learn than being thrown into the deep end, after all.

“This tea certainly is delicious.”

As they watched Shiver step into a plane of ice, down into the clearing below, Lady Velra let out a long sigh. The reason she had been called by Virgil to the Thundervale in the first place.

“I suppose I had better get ready.”

Virgil and Lady Velra shuddered in unison as they uttered the name of the creature under their breaths.

“Bloody Bladefrogs.”