“Before you enter,” Sect Head Lambert warned John, “Be aware that the inside is trapped to prevent people who do not belong. I can advise you on the safe path, but if you go off course… there are too many paths to explain them all.”

John nodded. Any creature a sect kept as a guardian beast would be extremely powerful, but not invincible. Ciaritzal hadn’t possessed any exceptional defenses around his cave and that almost resulted in his defeat- though the Society of Midnight had to commit significant forces to the effort.

It wasn’t clear why the Cuah’arn wanted to meet John alone, but such was the way of things. The combined efforts of several people were required to open the doors into the massive structure and he carefully stepped inside. Moments later he was sweating.

The heat was not as bad as the sweltering oppression of the Green Sands, but the halls were full of more than just heat. Concentrated light elemental spiritual energy filled the large chambers, flooding John’s eyes and energy senses. Managing the high ambient levels had been bad enough, but now John found himself blind and barely able to feel his way.

At least he had instructions for where to turn. The entrance hall opened up into dozens of side rooms and hallways, and John slowly made his way over to the correct one. He counted the openings several times as he passed them, just to be certain.

For all the difficulty it caused him, the light was not malicious. It was just the inevitable consequence of such power packed into one place. Directly resisting it was impossible, but John did his best to guide it away from himself. He had experience with every other form of spiritual energy, even fire, but he was relatively inexperienced with controlling light. All of his instincts were wrong, because though it was similar to darkness, it was also in a way the opposite. When he tried to cling to it it pulled away, and when he tried to shove it away it clung to him- rather painfully.

As John’s stores of darkness energy were worn down, it actually became somewhat easier… though he also felt more vulnerable without his primary element. Despite having four totems attuned to different elements, darkness was more than a quarter of his reserves since everything was at least partially connected to it. Without the darkness, control of everything else was just a little bit different.

At least the walls and floors were made of stone, allowing him to continue to navigate. He was able to sense some of the traps he was passing by as he followed Lambert’s route. There were likely more he missed as he turned down twisting corridors.

Even through closed eyelids John could see the brightness of the light, like looking into the sun. As he reached the final destination, he had to cover his face with his arm as eyelids weren’t enough. As he felt the power of the beast suffusing the room, he recalled his dream. He couldn’t see or even really pick out a distinct outline, but he knew it was the bird in question from the way its energy bore down on him.

“Bonded of Ciaritzal. Give me one good reason not to strike you down where you stand.” The voice echoed throughout the room, stinging his ears with the light element.

So the fight was real then. John decided to answer quickly in case she got impatient. “It wouldn’t make you feel better, and it would be a waste of the effort to call me here,” John supplied. There was something else though. He could sense that, but the precise details were concealed by the overwhelming presence of light element.

“Maybe that is so,” the malice from the creature slightly faded in intensity, “But I might be willing to take the risk for the taste of revenge.”

“I believe you have more wisdom than that,” John decided to begin with some buttering up. “Perhaps you and Ciaritzal might have been enemies… but I imagine that was before the time of the Tenebach clan. It should have been under the guidance of the Society of Midnight, our mutual enemy.”

There was a loud clacking sound on the stone tiles of the hall as John felt something step closer. “It is true that the Society of Midnight is friend of neither of us… but they have remained distant for generations.”

“That was true,” John admitted, “But they’re no longer content to sit and wait. Their leadership… are running into the pitfalls of losing a guardian beast. If the Society of Midnight once more gets their hand on Ciaritzal, it would inevitably come into greater conflict with the Golden Tomb Guardians once more.” John didn’t stop his searching for the piece he was missing, but it was difficult. He might as well be straightforward with it. “What did you bring me here for… and why alone? You could easily have had the sect kill me, or you could. I don’t imagine you were so bored that you needed to see me in person.”

“I do not languish with the passing of a few decades like you humans do,” Cuah’arn stepped forward once more, talons clacking. “I would never be bored to begin with.”

“Then… what do you want?” The dream memories were becoming more clear. John could feel it now, and chose to pull his arm away. He could see nothing but brilliant light, of course. Nothing… except a tiny point of darkness buried deep within the creature. “Perhaps you wish for that claw to be removed?”

“Could you even do it?” The creature asked haughtily… but with a hidden edge of hesitancy.

“Of course I can. I was able to wrestle pieces of Ciaritzal out of those who didn’t wish to give them up. This should be easy.” John spoke with confidence he didn’t feel. Reaching into the elders of the Society of Midnight had just been sinking into darkness. Even if it wanted to fight him, it was all familiar. Light, on the other hand… was naturally antagonistic to him.

Talons continued to clack on the floor until he could feel a presence looming over him. “A bold statement. But I will humbly admit that if I control my vast power, it may not crush you. And I will not lie and say that this claw does not bother me with its presence.” John could vaguely see the point of darkness he focused on moving closer, though he knew it was buried beneath the surface. “You may begin.”

“I’m going to touch you, alright?” John got no verbal response, but he also got no objection. His hand reached out to touch warm feathers, but they weren’t quite what he expected either. They felt as if they slipped through him, and he moved through them while still retaining the tactile sensations of moving across his palm. Eventually his fingertips touched something more solid, and while he might be able to pass through further he wasn’t willing to risk the attempt.

John carefully considered how he would make the attempt, and decided that he needed to make use of everything he had. His darkness element was already dissolved away, so he intertwined water and earth, coating them in air. As air was aligned with light, it would be the most palatable to Cuah’arn. Yet he couldn’t use just that, as he needed all the power he had.

Reaching into someone was tricky, even if they allowed it. John could tell that Cuah’arn was trying not to resist, but it still happened unconsciously. Light energy squeezed against his power, trying to stop it and wearing away the protective layer. John continued to push forward, tracing his power through the belly of the creature towards the piece of Ciaritzal deep inside.

Even as he touched it, the power readily leapt at him- but that strengthened the reaction of the light. John almost found his trail of power destroyed, but he held it together, the three elements supporting each other’s strength. As Ciaritzal’s darkness merged with his energy, he pulled it inside, defending it with all of the rest. As he began to extract the darkness, the intensity of the power surrounding him amplified to a greater height, trying to destroy the piece of darkness… and though Cuah’arn had been unable to do so up to that point, it might actually happen with this moment of vulnerability.

That would be bad for all involved, however. The destruction of the piece of darkness would have violent fluctuations inside the great bird. As John sheltered the piece and pulled it towards him, his task became easier even as his fatigue grew. Then it was out, touching his palm and sinking into it- before the tiny shard of Ciaritzal rushed its way through his meridians into his dantian where it seemed to curl up to take shelter.

Then a massive bird collapsed on top of John. She was… unexpectedly light. Or maybe unexpectedly heavy? John hadn’t really considered how much he thought she would weigh. If she was actually made of light he would expect nothing he could sense. Did light even have mass, or just momentum? Yet a twenty foot tall eagle should probably be heavier than what he felt. Ciaritzal definitely had weight and was made of darkness, so he provided an interesting piece of information as well.

John slowly wiggled to extricate himself from the creature, which seemed much more… balanced. Once he was free, John stood up and bowed. “I do believe we are done here, Cuah’arn. I hope your wounds heal well, and that we don’t need to meet again.” Cuah’arn didn’t answer, seemingly unconscious… and weak.

Bit by bit he made his way back towards the entrance, his lowered stores of energy making navigation more difficult. But he took his time, eventually stepping outside. “Haah,” John sighed. “Too much light.” He slumped against the side of the building.

Sect Head Lambert placed a hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry it was so difficult. It is not made for you.”

“Obviously,” John smiled.

“Might I ask what Cuah’arn wanted?”

If he hadn’t been told, John certainly wasn’t going to say it in front of so many others. The Sect Head should probably know about her lingering injuries, but the other members of the sect might be better not knowing. “It’s hard to say, exactly,” John shrugged. “Some kind of test, maybe. Perhaps you could ask Cuah’arn directly at a later time.”

“Perhaps I will… tomorrow. As the Sect Head, even I can wear on her good graces.” John thought that meant he knew about the injury, and that the guardian beast tired quickly. Either way, there wasn’t much more to be said at the moment.

Despite it barely being noon, John found himself exhausted. He just wanted to stick his head into a hole, and since the morning negotiations had been canceled due to the Sect Head not learning Cuah’arn’s position on the potential alliance there was little he had to do but sleep. Sleep was good.

-----

The same dream repeated that he had before, but seeing it again John was able to more objectively feel the fight. Cuah’arn and Ciaritzal certainly fought, because of their instincts and because the circumstances forced it- but in the end John didn’t feel a sense of lasting malice. He only had Ciaritzal’s side to go on, but he thought it was the same in reverse.

When John awoke, it was night. He didn’t intend to go wandering around an unfamiliar sect, especially one he was pretty sure would be overly bright in some places. Instead, he thought about what he had done. It was probably the right thing to do, but there had been risks. Risks to himself, and to the clan. He could have died by treachery or accident, though he felt that the former was unlikely. Even though no promise of alliance had been made, John did not think the Golden Tomb Guardians would be enemies. The guardian beast seemed to have been puffing up herself to hide her ‘weakness’, but such a deception was expected. The Golden Tomb Guardians could turn around and go against the Tenebach clan now, but he didn’t think they would.

In the worst case, he expected to leave with one more piece of Ciaritzal having been retrieved, which was well worth the risk. Each of the shards made Ciaritzal stronger, and thus provided more stability for the clan. It would also make it more tempting for the Society of Midnight, but the more whole Ciaritzal was the harder it would be for them. John just hoped that even if the Golden Tomb Guardians didn’t officially ally with the Tenebachs that they could be coaxed into causing the Society trouble. That, at least, should be something he could accomplish.