Snowhead Temple [BP/Darth]

"That makes two of us," Laurel said, realising she was biting her thumb. She was consumed with guilt. If only she had kept her hands to herself when they had entered the temple! For the second time, she'd unleashed some gargantuan monster and now she had to re-seal it before it would run rampant through the civilised world. "At least we have plenty of time to catch up with it," she finally said, looking at the vast expanse of snow and mountains before them. "And with luck, it will have trouble moving, so we can gain on it... considering we're smaller." She reached for her belt, where she had a small, ornate instrument in the shape of a horseshoe. "How comfortable are you riding horses, Sister?" she asked.

However, she didn't wait for an answer, blowing into the instrument and producing a short series of eerie and yet comforting notes; from below them sounded a whinny as Marich cantered up to the ledge they were standing on. The white stallion was entirely unharmed and his ears twitched in interest rather than fear, any spooking from the creature undone by the Horse Call's magical properties. "No two ways about it," Laurel muttered as she looked around, "We'll have to jump for it." At least they weren't too far above the horse, as he was quite tall himself. "Don't worry about his back," she said to the priestess, "He's tougher than he looks and we aren't that heavy."

With that, she sat down on the ledge, putting her hands to it and lowering herself until she was as close to the horse's back as she could get. She could almost touch her toes to his saddle. Almost. Not quite. Taking a deep breath, she let go of the ledge, falling for a precarious second until she felt the saddle under her, Marich looking back in surprise when she landed on him and took his reins in her hands. "Come on, Sister!" she called down, "I've got him now!"

Judith would have to hurry. The thundering noise of hooves approaching them became louder and louder. The beast was coming back towards them, perhaps having sensed their magical abilities and their hostile intentions towards it.

Masked Mechanical Monster​

Goht​

"Jump... down? Ummm...!" Judith gulped as she peered over the precipice. Eager as she was to slay a false god, the priestess was in no hurry to repeat her earlier plunge. Granted, this was a much shorter fall than last time, but still... They'd be descending into the belly of the beast by doing so. Hopefully not literally. Since the strange machine was coming back this way, would it not be safer to stay atop the ledge and pelt the beast with spells?

In the end, the choice was made for her as Laurel summoned her horse and lowered herself down, urging her to do the same. For a moment, Judith hesitated, thinking the noblewoman had squandered their best tactical advantage, but she quickly shook her head. No, Laurel was right to face this monster head-on. It was an unholy abomination, and it was her duty as a servant of Nayru not to cower in fear when heresy was afoot. Besides, given the sheer size of the automaton, she was quite sure it could dislodge her from her current position if she tried to stay up here. Eyeing the ledge once more, Judith mouthed a prayer and stepped forward. Was this what they called a 'leap' of faith? Taking a deep breath, she made to swing herself over the side and drop down as Laurel had done...

... And promptly slipped.

"Not agaaaaaaaaaaaaaain!"

All the air Judith had just inhaled was slammed out of her lungs as she collided with Marich's saddle stomach-first, only to bounce out of it and land face-first in the snow. Her involuntary shivers returned in full force as she wheezed for breath, and not just because of the cold. The thunderous rumbling of the construct's hooves was getting louder and louder, but Judith couldn't even stand in her winded state.

"Mo... ther... Nay... ru..."

Marich snorted, jolting in surprise, when Judith collided with his saddle and bounced off, and Laurel looked at the priestess in a panic. Her mind raced. What to do? The mechanical beast was coming closer quickly, and Judith was prone and vulnerable. Marich was starting to get nervous, too, and for a moment, Laurel doubted her plan. What was she thinking? Marich wasn't a warhorse. He would run off at the first sign of hostility from this thing! And yet, he was also well-behaved and had rarely tried to throw her- although obviously she'd never ridden him into a situation like this before.

She could ride forward, she thought, her lower legs already tightening around Marich's flanks as she thought of it. Challenge the beast. Distract it from Judith so she could regain her breath and perhaps attack the beast while it was distracted... but she couldn't take the risk. What if it didn't focus on her but on the priestess? The danger of being trampled existed, of course, but what else was she to do? She had a responsibility to take. "Sister Vilcaron!" she shouted, having made her decision, "Hurry and get on!" She held out her hand, dragging the priestess into the saddle behind her and landing her calves in Marich's flanks hard. "Hold on tight," she said, gritting her teeth as she held on to the reins with both hands and Marich started to gallop, "We're in for a wild ride."

Still straining to regain her bearings as Laurel hauled her aboard her steed, Judith coughed and spluttered, trying to force her lungs to cooperate. She was of no use in this state... Even without her huffing and puffing, the oppressive cold made it difficult to think clearly, and the din of the construct's cacophonous charge wasn't doing her any favours, either. Gritting her teeth, she took a shallow breath and focused.

Knowing that it would be pure folly to engage such an immense beast in melee, the priestess drew her staff with a trembling hand while the other clung to Laurel for support. They would have to work as a team to best this monstrosity. Laurel would guide their mount, and she would assail the automaton with her magic. Distance would be key- Having grown up on a farm, Judith was keenly aware of how skittish horses could be when faced with grave danger. If the construct closed in and Marich threw them, they were dead.

"I-It's p-ponderous... I d-d-doubt it c-can... turn v-very swiftly." She managed, croaking out the words. "I-If you can circle it... I can f-fire at its legs. Damage the m-mechanism... Maybe make it c-collapse under its own w-weight. Just don't let it get c-close..."

Ordinarily, casting spells from horseback would have resulted in pitiful accuracy, but Judith was counting on the sheer size of her target to offset the lack of precision... as well as the wrath of Mother Nayru, who would surely loathe this engine of destruction and thus bless her aim.

"Understood." Marich kept picking up speed as Laurel gave him leeway with her reins and urged him forward with her calves. He snorted, but didn't protest, only leaping further and faster with every moment. His mistress smiled as she leaned forward, bending over his neck so she would catch less wind. Noblewoman's steed or not, Marich was of a breed well-known for its high top speed and agility, and she herself was a more than able horsewoman. She had always enjoyed watching suitors and fellow nobles freak out during hunting trips or moonlit rides when Marich took off, only to watch their faces turn to utter shock and stupefaction when Laurel not only remained in the saddle but thoroughly enjoyed the seemingly mad gallop through the woods.

Marich pulled on his reins as if annoyed, but Laurel shushed him. True, normally he'd go from standstill to top speed much more quickly than this, but normally they didn't have a passenger who didn't know him. And a lot of slippery terrain under their hooves. "Hold on, Sister Vilcaron," she reiterated. "He might slip a little." With that, she gave a tug on the reins, the stallion immediately wheeling to a side. As he had expected, they slipped, but Marich corrected himself and stretched his legs further, picking up even more speed as he raced towards the monstrosity. Now assured that she could keep him under control, Laurel grinned.

"Now, sister!"

Charging head-on at the mechanical menace seemed foolhardy to Judith, but then, she was no equestrian. She had always handled the cooking and cleaning on her father's estate rather than the physical labour- She had fed the horses, but left the actual riding to her father and brothers, preferring to watch from afar. Perhaps Laurel had simply placed a good deal of faith in her skills, confident in her ability to steer Marich away from the oncoming behemoth. The priestess figured that it would be best to set her own doubts aside and trust in her ally. After all, the noblewoman had proven to be quite capable and resourceful on this journey, far more than Judith had expected of a lay student of magic. There was a vast reservoir of untapped potential within Laurel, and it just needed to be nurtured for it to come to light.

And besides, while it might seem illogical to rush toward a hulking metal goat, being an eternal pessimist was no less unwise. It was important to be realistic, of course, but harmony, trust, and teamwork were virtues Mother Nayru favoured as well, and Judith was determined not to be proven wanting in any of them. Allowing herself to be distracted by doubt would only sabotage her aim. She would do her part, and Nayru would provide deliverance.

As Marich picked up speed, Judith quickly settled on what spell to cast. Would Magic Bolt do any harm to the automaton whatsoever? It was wholly inorganic, and she imagined the electric energy would merely dance across its plated surface rather than disrupt its internal workings. No, if she were going to attack the legs, her new Ice spell was her only option. The direct impact would do little, but if she could make the frigid orb shatter in such a way as to lodge one of its shards between the construct's armour and jam whatever mechanism lay beneath, she could possibly render it immobile.

When Laurel gave the signal to fire, Judith wordlessly raised her staff and loosed her frozen missile, striking one of the strange machine's front legs in an area she believed to be a joint. She then closed her eyes and braced herself against the saddle in case the automaton did careen into them, yet her fears were unfounded. A mere fraction of a second later, she felt a powerful gust of air as it ran straight past them, seemingly only inches away. They had evaded its onslaught, at least for now.

Immediately opening her eyes and twisting her head over her shoulder to survey the effects of her magic, Judith was dismayed to find that the construct had not slowed one iota, relentlessly plowing through the snow ahead. For a moment, the priestess was disheartened, but then she noticed something odd. As the goat finally came to a halt in order to reorient itself for a second charge, it briefly stumbled, and the priestess could have sworn there was a certain wobbliness to its gait.

"B-Buy me some more t-time. If I c-can keep at it... I think we can b-bring it d-down."

As if in defiant response to Judith's suggestion, the automaton bellowed, a ghastly, ear-piercing sound that echoed throughout the mountains around them. At that volume, the priestess thought grimly, it was liable to cause an avalanche.

"Right." Marich snorted, throwing his head, when the monster behind them gave a bellow, but Laurel kept her reins taut and gave a tug to keep him in reality. If he ran off, they would have a bigger problem on their hands. "It's going to have to be all you, sister," she said as she turned the protesting horse around for another charge, "I'm going to need all my wits about me." When crashing towards a monster through slippery terrain on a very fast horse, letting go of the reins to cast a spell was tantamount to suicide. She was glad to see that Judith's spell had at least done something, although she wondered who would drop first- Marich or their enemy. It hadn't done much, after all.

And short of enchanting Marich's legs and hoping he would deliver a good kick, there was nothing she herself could do to go on the offensive. She didn't even know if enchanting a living being was possible, let alone wise. Passing by the automaton and whirling around to get behind it, she started chasing it down the icy mountainside. She knew Judith would need time to recharge her spell, but if they let it get away it would forget about them and focus its attention on the civilisation at the foot of the mountains. If that happened, they would have lost. "Do you have any other spells you could use?" she cried over her shoulder, hoping she was audible over the howling wind, "We need to speed up the process, Marich can't last forever!"

"N-Not exactly..." Judith replied, perspiration forming across her skin as she willed her body to cooperate. She'd told the truth when she had informed Laurel about her own lack of confidence in her offensive magic; she was ill-equipped to face a being of this nature. Not that anyone could ever truly be prepared for an encounter with a giant mechanical pseudo-deity, but the priestess took little solace in that fact. As it stood, her options were limited. Every second she waited for Ice to be available for casting again was another second this foul automaton could run amok... If it were to escape the mountain and reach civilization, it could wreak untold havoc upon Nayru-knew-how-many innocents. That could not be allowed to happen. She could sing Nayru's Wisdom, but she wasn't sure that would meaningfully hasten the process- by the time she finished singing and they were in range for another shot, her spell would probably have already recharged. And there was still no reason to believe that Magic Bolt would affect it at all...

... Wait a minute! Maybe HER Magic Bolt would be useless, but Laurel could enchant hers! She had seen her companion melt an Eeno by doing just that. If the two could weave their spells together somehow... perhaps their combined assault would do what a single spell could not! Of course! Harmony. Teamwork. The simple truths of Nayru had shown her the way!

Placing a hand on Laurel's shoulder to get the noblewoman's attention, Judith leaned forward and shouted into her ear, hoping her voice would carry over the deafening wind.

"L-Lady Veranius, I know th-this is a lot to a-ask, but I n-n-need you to fire an enchanted Magic Bolt from your r-rapier! J-Just a quick blast sh-should be fine, so you won't need to r-relinquish your hold on the r-reins for long! B-Besides... It'll be a good chance to test that new enchantment of yours! I'll follow up w-with a spell of my own... If w-we do it together, I'm sure we can hobble him! Get us into position and aim for the l-legs... On the count of three! R-Ready?"

"At these speeds?" Laurel shrieked, "Have you lost your mind?!" Still, as they soared over the snowy ground, she began to realise there was little choice in the matter. Judith's single spell alone wouldn't be enough to put a stop to the mechanical monstrosity. Sighing and steeling herself, she took both reins in her left hand, drawing her rapier with her right. "Don't blame me if this goes horribly wrong..." Keeping her eyes open and muttering the incantation to herself, she enchanted her weapon to become cold, a shimmering blue sheen coming over it. She held it out, summoning the familiar ball of electric energy at the tip of it.

To her horror, she realised their enemy had turned around and came right at them. Marich neighed loudly in terror, throwing his head and jumping to the side. Laurel gave a yelp of surprise, biting her tongue to keep from screaming. As the horse landed and skidded, she transferred the enchantment from the rapier to the Magic Bolt, bringing the weapon down and flinging the spell at their enemy. Alongside the Magic Bolt, Judith's new spell flew at it, crashing into the hind leg Judith had not damaged with her first assault.

The mechanical beast bellowed in what Laurel hoped was pain, its gait hobbling and faltering. Finally, it crashed to the ground with a roar and a massive bang. It skidded to a halt, rumbling, and as Laurel finally managed to calm Marich and slow him down, she saw a large, balloon-like appendage rise from its back.

Unable to resist the urge to whoop as the mechanical monstrosity came crashing down, Judith beamed and turned to Laurel. "S-See? I-I told you it would work... Now that it's i-immobilized, we just have to d-dismantle it." Gesturing to the bulbous protrusion that had just appeared on the construct's back, the priestess hopped off of Marich and slowly approached the fallen titan, too elated by their victory for the icy pangs in her feet to even register in her mind. "I r-reckon we should start with that. That's p-probably its p-power source."

With both its hind legs damaged, their gargantuan foe did not seem like it would be getting up anytime soon. The slippery ice and snow would make it difficult for the machine to gain traction, and its bulky frame did it no favours as it tried in vain to lift itself up. Such was the folly in designing a construct purely around the concept of brute force, Judith supposed... A little Wisdom would have gone a long way toward improving its combat functionalities. With no other apparent means of attack aside from using itself as a battering ram, the downed contraption would be harmless if they came at it from the sides.

Or so Judith thought. No sooner had she taken five steps than she sensed a sudden surge of magical energy.

"Wha?"

Her eyes were drawn to the goat's horns, which were glowing blue... No, they weren't glowing, they were conducting a massive buildup of electricity! She whirled to scream a warning to Laurel, but it was too late. The automaton discharged a large bolt of energy from its horns, which immediately arced toward the priestess, and her voice died in her throat as she hurled herself out of its path just in the nick of time to avoid being vaporized by the blast.

For the third time today, Judith was lying facedown in the snow. It was no more pleasant than it had been the first two times, and she felt rather foolish. Of course a machine this advanced would have a failsafe defense system... How could she have believed otherwise? There was no time to wallow in self-pity, however, as a loud whirring noise heralded the imminent arrival of yet another threat. A series of hatches had slid open along the goat's metallic torso, which, without further ado, began to disgorge a barrage of black, spherical missiles in her general direction.

Bombs.

Judith was on her feet in an instant, sprinting back toward Laurel, gasping all the while. She chanced a glance over her shoulder as she ran, and gulped. The construct's horns had started to crackle again, charging up for a second shot, even as it continued to pepper the mountainside with explosives.

One hit from that, and it would be all over...

Did that thing not know when to stop?!

Laurel looked on in horror as it launched a bolt of electricity at Judith. Fortunately for the priestess, she dodged in time... but there was no time for Laurel to be relieved, as she realised this meant the bolt was now rushing towards her and her already uncomfortable steed! "He- HEY!" She called out, startled, when Marich leapt out of its way of his own accord, but decided he'd had enough. The stallion no longer cared where he was going, as long as it was anywhere but here, and took off, his mistress still on his back.

The noblewoman did see the barrage of explosives coming out of the mechanical monstrosity, but she was too busy trying desperately to calm Marich or at least get him back under her control to do anything about it. To her horror, he had launched the two of them straight at the thing, which was still struggling to get up. "What are you going to- Marich, you mule!" She screamed, clutching the reins tightly and leaning forward in the saddle, as Marich gave a kick against the bulbous growth that had been their target all this time, launching them over the construct and clearing it with ease.

The construct, for its part, bellowed in pain and launched another series of bombs, this time directly above it in an attempt to hit the white horse. But Marich was already gone, having galloped off the moment his hooves had touched the ground, and gravity did its work, pulling the explosives back down and setting them off on the construct itself, covering it in a thick cloud of smoke.

Barely dodging the incoming bombardment, Judith watched in despair as Laurel lost control of her frightened horse, the two vanishing from sight as Marich vaulted over the mechanical goat's prostrate form. As if to compound her worries, their foe retaliated against this invasion of its personal space by shelling its own position with bombs, kicking up a cloud of dust and smoke. Whatever else the construct's creators had imbued it with, a sense of self-preservation was evidently not a feature of its primitive intelligence. She was tempted to once again attribute this odd behaviour to faulty design philosophy, but she knew better than to underestimate this beast a second time.

Was her noble companion dead? Judith prayed that it were not so, but there was no way to be certain and even less time to fret about it. If any of them were to get off this mountain alive, she had to act, and fast.

Fortunately, she had an opening. The machine's self-destructive tactics had given her an idea... Not only was its reckless salvo likely to have damaged its otherwise-impenetrable hull, but she could use the smoke it had generated to screen her advance. If she could get close enough to destroy the power source she had identified earlier, it could set off a chain reaction involving the bombs still stored within it, obliterating the entire chassis in one catastrophic explosion. It was worth the risk, yet she would have to hurry. If it kept firing wildly like that, it would deplete its munition stores in short order, and she didn't fancy her chances of permanently disabling the construct without the additional detonation.

Taking a deep breath, the priestess rushed toward the rear of the fallen automaton, pushing her body to the limit as she skirted around its flank to avoid the lightning generator's arc of fire. If the machine perceived her movement, it did not react, though the smoke made it difficult to see what it was actually doing. It had at least stopped deploying bombs, however, which Judith was thankful for. Partly because it was instrumental to her plan, and partly because the ringing in her ears from the repeated explosions was getting to be unbearable, particularly at this proximate range. Finally reaching her destination behind the mechanical goat, Judith steadied herself, took aim with her staff, and waited for the smoke to disperse.

When it did, her jaw dropped.

The hulking metal monstrosity had somehow righted its hind legs, and was slowly but surely attempting to stand. By the looks of it, it would succeed if she did nothing.

Panicking, Judith unleashed her Magic Bolt at the goat's bloated core, hoping the burst of electricity would overload whatever eldritch energies powered its infernal mind. Despite her reluctance to employ the spell beforehand, she assumed the power source would be more vulnerable to a sudden shock than the rest of its metallic bulk. Her spell struck true, and the creature shuddered under the impact, before emitting a bloodcurdling roar that practically shook the mountain itself.

For a fleeting moment, she thought she had done it. That thought was quickly dispelled as the construct, having expressed its anger, resumed its efforts to stand, making more progress with each passing second. The priestess felt a sickening lurch in the pit of her stomach as she beheld her colossal foe, alarmed by its resilience. Could nothing slow this beast down? Even its external armour, while dented and scorched by its own bombs, did not seem overly compromised.

With her life on the line, Judith breathed a prayer to Nayru and adjusted her aim...

He was still protesting heavily, but much to Laurel's immense relief, Marich finally started to respond to her weight on the reins again. She wasn't gentle when she yanked on them to turn the stallion around, and he huffed indignantly, but when she drove her heels into his flanks as hard as she could he obeyed, galloping back to the scene of the battle. And just in time, too, because as they approached, Laurel saw that the mechanical monstrosity was trying to regain its footing. Electricity was dancing over its frame- both the blue crackles that it produced and a different, yellow current that didn't seem like it belonged there.

"Think again!" she screamed, swinging her rapier and sending a large Magic Bolt its way. She had enchanted it with electricity, hoping to increase its power, and watched as it impacted on the exposed knee of the beast's nearest hind leg, which it had managed to right. The joint area was poorly covered, and Laurel's spell so large that it hit home without difficulty. With a loud crash and another ground-shaking bellow, the beast toppled over once more. There was no time to celebrate however, as an entirely different rumble prompted Laurel to turn her head and look up.

They were not on the highest mountain in the Snowhead Range; far from it. Around them, taller mountains towered above them, and on one of them, the snow had been shaken loose by the monster's roaring. "Sweet Mother Nayru," Laurel muttered, turning back towards the beast and spurring the horse forwards once more. "This place is so going to be the end of me... Sister Judith!" She pulled to a halt next to the priestess. "We'll have to get out of here before that avalanche hits." She didn't bother explaining why- the priestess was smart enough to figure out the details.

The relief Judith felt in response to Laurel's continued survival was offset by the realization of her darkest fears- the very mountain beneath her feet had begun to shake, stirred into action by the construct's cacophonous cries. In its berserk state, the mechanical goat was seemingly oblivious to the peril it had placed itself in, mindlessly fixated on destroying the two women before it. Abandoning her plan to assail the downed automaton in the faint hope of disabling it, Judith lowered her staff and hustled toward Laurel. Let the foolish thing reap what it had sown... Escaping the impending avalanche was her top priority. A victory would be meaningless if achieving it meant being buried alive!

Fortunately, Laurel appeared to be of similar mind, spurring her horse in the priestess' direction and entreating Judith to join her. In the interest of saving time, the clergywoman spared her ally only the barest minimum of a reply, a brief nod of acknowledgement, before wordlessly clambering into the saddle.

Chancing a glance behind her as they proceeded to flee, Judith watched as the massive construct was swept up by a rolling wave of snow that easily dwarfed it and tossed it into the air, in the same manner a child might toss a ragdoll. When it impacted with the mountain's slope, it came apart in spectacular fashion, it's flailing limbs detaching from its body as they slammed into the earth. Its bestial head was likewise jarred loose and flung upwards by the force of the avalanche, and judging by its trajectory, it would land...

"Milady, mind the debris!" Judith shrieked, painfully aware of the long shadow that had formed around their immediate vicinity...

"No worries, Sister!" Laurel shouted over the howling wind around them and the mowing hooves beneath them, "You just focus on not letting go of me!" The moment Judith had leapt into the saddle, Laurel had spurred Marich forward, sending him into a mad gallop directly away from the avalanche. As they both noticed the shadow approaching them, however, the stallion neighed loudly, stretching his legs further to make bigger steps and speed up even further. They got away from it just in time, the white horse snorting and kicking his legs in frustration when the monstrosity's head crashed into the ground behind them and bounced away, a swerve to the side sufficing to move them out of its path.

Escaping the avalanche would be harder, requiring everything Marich had in terms of speed and endurance. "Oh my god," Laurel muttered to herself, "Mother Nayru DO SOMETHING!"

At this rate, they would never outrun the avalanche. Judith grimaced; she knew no spells that could teleport them to safety or else halt the rolling mounds of snow. Short of successfully beseeching Mother Nayru for divine assistance, she was rather useless in this dire situation. Would this truly be the end...? To die so far from home, after finally escaping that deathtrap of a temple...

The temple. Her eyes widened. The temple, of course!

"Milady, make for the base of Snowhead Temple! The entrance faces the downward side of the slope! The avalanche will part around either side of the rock formation, so if we take shelter in the cavern, we should make it through this unscathed!" Momentarily cured of her chattering stutter by her triumphant pride in her solution, Judith clung to Laurel a bit tighter as she yelled out her instructions.

Of course, there was no guarantee they could make it in time... They had emerged from the temple at a much higher elevation than from where they had ventured inside. Their lead on the avalanche was rapidly eroding... it would be close, and Judith prayed Marich's stamina would hold out. There was also the risk that the rock above the cave wouldn't be strong enough to divert the avalanche, covering the entrance in snow and thus trapping them inside. But that wasn't the immediate concern, and if worst came to worst, she supposed they could navigate the temple once more and try to find an exit elsewhere on the mountain. She didn't relish the idea one bit, but it was preferable to the alternative of certain death outside.

Admittedly, that would mean leaving Marich behind... But that was a sacrifice she was prepared to make, if it meant preserving the life of her charge, as well as her own. The priestess cast a worried look at the faithful mount, then at Laurel.

The question was, was it a sacrifice the noblewoman would be willing to make?

The temple? It was a risky bid, but what other options did they have available to them? None at all. "Alright," she screamed, "Hold on tight!" With that she yanked on the reins, Marich making a sharp turn to their side and making a beeline straight for the temple entrance. The snow gained on them quickly, and Marich was snorting more audibly, nostrils flaring and hooves slipping every few paces. "No, not now!" Laurel cried, "Just a little further! Just a few... more..."

With a thundering crash, the avalanche overtook them. But Marich was just a split second faster; with a final desperate lunge, the stallion dragged himself and his riders into the temple, inside the doorway. Laurel wasted no time in jumping off of him and running her hands over his chest, legs, and neck, inspecting him for injuries. "We'll have to wait," she said, looking out the entrance. "But... I think we may have been successful. We're alive..." She patted Marich's neck, her knees finally giving in. "And he just needs some rest after that mad dash. Good boy, Marich. Good boy."

It was good to be alive. As illogical as it was, Judith could not entirely contain the rush of exuberance that inevitably followed a close brush with death, and she let out a nervous chuckle as she dismounted alongside Laurel. A truly wise individual would have solemnly reflected upon events in order to avert such a predicament in the future, but... Joy and levity had their place, as well. And Judith already knew that she had a long way to go before she reached true enlightenment. She was not a paragon of Wisdom yet, after all.

That said, she would be remiss not to dedicate this victory to her Goddess.

Dropping to her knees and ignoring the biting cold, Judith put her trembling hands together in worship. "Mother Nayru, Greatest of the Golden Goddesses, I thank You for Thy protection and guidance. My companion and I have cleansed this shrine in Your name. Let it become a den of knowledge and learning, rather than one of wickedness and heresy, and may Wisdom light all our paths. I am your faithful servant in all things, forever and always."

Taking out her canteen, the priestess splashed the last of the blessed water on the cavern floor, marking it as the territory of Nayru. She then rose, beaming at Laurel.

"We d-did it, M-Milady. We survived, and that c-creature did not. A f-fitting end for something of its i-ilk, I'd say. Nothing of this world should house that kind of p-power... It is only natural that such a thing would be undone by its own hand. Or h-hoof, in this case. L-Leave that kind of power to the heavens and Mother Nayru." Breathing a sigh of relief, Judith dabbed at the sweat on her forehead with the sleeve of her robe. The trials of the day had been exhausting, and only now were they catching up to her.

"E-Everything's turned out for the best. We both found the magic we sought, and d-destroyed a great evil along the way. All that's left is to collect ourselves and head home. F-Fuzzy rugs and cocoa await!" Looking more pointedly at Laurel, she added, "Oh, if you ever require further assistance in your magical studies, the Cult of Nayru would be happy to provide it." Judith considered extending a formal invitation to join her order, but Lady Veranius was an aristocrat. Her station might not permit it. She fell silent for a moment, then abruptly spoke up, shuffling from one foot to another and glancing off to the side shyly.

"And, u-um... On a more p-personal note... M-Maybe we could exchange letters sometime?"

Truth be told, Judith did not have many friends her age. Her fellow Sisters were more like mentors, and she'd had trouble fitting in with her peers growing up, even though she got along with the older and younger generations just fine. It would be nice to befriend someone with similar, magically inclined interests.

The fact that Laurel seemed to follow Nayru more than the other Goddesses was a plus, too.

"Fuzzy rugs and hot cocoa!" Laurel stomped the air in an extremely unladylike display of enthusiasm. "You have no idea of the immoral things I would do for those right now. I can't WAIT to get back to the mansion!" Fortunately, it looked like the temple's structure had held, and the avalanche had been diverted such that it didn't clog up the entrance. Once Marich had regained his breath, they could start climbing back down. "Thank you for your offer," she said when Judith offered her religious order's help with her studies. "Genuinely. I'm sure I'll take you up on it someday." It never hurt to have connections and good contacts with organisations, even one as unorthodox and small as the Cult of Nayru.

As for her more personal enquiry... "Sure, why not? I could use the break from time to time." Nobles could be incredibly tiring to deal with, even outside of court. She'd learnt that much from her misadventures by Idris's side. It would be nice to be able to break away from that every once in a while to connect with someone from a different social class.

Not to mention that maybe it would shut Taylor up, with his constant 'my god Laurel, you need friends.'

~*The End*~