Path of Exile Talent Competition

The First Encounter
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"When we first encountered the Elder, Exile, it changed us in the way that anyone must be changed when they first truly comprehend the task before them. Perhaps we felt as the Ezomytes did when they first sighted the gemlings of Sarn against the hills. Seeing what it did to my father, locked in struggle and fragmenting yet more of his already deteriorating memories..."

"When we made camp that night, I could swear that I heard the Atlas itself whispering to me underneath the crackling of flames and dripping of water from the ceiling of the caverns where we'd chosen to protect ourselves. It was an uncanny void of speech I've been thankful to only have to experience once since. Even the shield crabs Al-Hezmin had sourced earlier lay against our supplies, none of us bothering to crack open a shell and prepare the meat within. Looking to Drox, I could see his eyes trained on the entrance to our little alcove; Al-Hezmin too, even though his faith in his traps had been unshakable to this point."

"As I knit my fingers together, trying to find any words that might convince my companions to continue on this journey with me, Baran finally broke the silence that permeated the entirety of the map we'd found ourselves in. He looked to me not with anger, but oddly... pity. He told me,"

'Zana, when you had asked me if I was prepared to die I believed you to be humoring me. How could I fear that which would only bring me to God in pursuit of such a noble goal? But that creature... should it slay any one of us I fear our souls may never reach our Creator. This place is made to be distant from God, and I only hope that your father has a soul left to be saved.'

"If I had been struggling before, this had put me into a silence I was all too happy to be saved from by Veritania."

'Baran, this goes further than simply our lives and, as you put it, our souls. If what she has said about the Elder's victims is true, then our sacrifice might save uncountable numbers of children from these same horrors. We fight a timeless entity purely because the aid we might provide humanity is timeless as well. In this place one eternal soul, should it exist as such, is only a single tally.'

"I could see that same spark in her eyes as she spoke, dimmed by the oppressive atmosphere of this place but not snuffed out. Baran must have as well, for his next words came only after protracted thought as he gazed into the swelling fire."

'This may well be true... though I require my time to make peace with it. Perhaps this journey is one you have already taken, but I intend to walk it with Him at my side.'

"As he fell silent once more, I watched Baran pull from his pack a small, unmarked tome, a rhoa quill, and a bottle of ink. Though I could not make out the most of the text, I saw enough of his first few words to know his plans: 'I, Baran, son of Galhad, being of full age and sound mind...'"

"A silence enveloped us once more, though the whispering void of earlier appeared to have abated. Drox finally tore himself from his watch, gripping one of the shield crabs by its larger claw and lifting it to his lap to get a better angle with his blade. Al-Hezmin joined in soon after, taking two of the smaller crustaceans and attempting to break them open simultaneously. Sirus, Veritania, and I just watched the two work, each lost in our own thoughts which, if theirs were anything like mine, took us on mental journeys as we tried to understand what everyone else was thinking. It was a way for me to protect myself, at least, to not worry about my own very real fears but instead the hypothetical concerns of my compatriots."

"Sirus spoke next, so quietly that I would have missed it on any night but this."

'I wonder if this is how Ondar felt, during the Thousand Ribbons...'

"For some reason it's these words that I remember clearest from him, Exile, of all the things we said in our journey. Could I have known at the time what it meant for us, for him? Could he have known? Perhaps not, but our own Ondar had at least brought us back to the moment with his comment, as Al-Hezmin looked up from his sixth deshelled shield crab."

'Ondar?'

"For the first time since we ran into that creature, I heard joy return to their voices. Drox couldn't help but laugh, though his mirth only seemed to cause the hunter consternation in return."

'Seems you really do know your hunting better than your history. Ondar was the one to finally put an end to Chitus back in the days of Sarn, though he wasn't lucky enough to escape with his life. That Perandus was more gem and thaumaturgy than man by that point, and I suppose we're looking at no less threatening a foe.'

"Al-Hezmin was quick to retort, sticking his blade in between the carapace and the meat for emphasis as he spoke."

'Well, can't let ourselves be outdone by stories that are barely remembered any more, can we? Not when this place has treasures as great as the demon is powerful.'

'Actually, you make a good point there Hezmin.'

"Sirus perked up with the hunter's last sentence, a thought tugging back at the corner of his lips as his gaze shot back and forth before settling upon me. 'Zana, your father... he had no especially unique talents aside from his thaumaturgical tinkering, did he?' As soon as I told him he was correct, as much as I would have said otherwise as a child, he continued to explain his realization."

'In this place, however, he has taken on a power similar to that creature we've all just seen. What's stopping us from harnessing that same power, learning to fight on an even battlefield?'

"'It is only humanoid, after all,' Drox cut in once more, his eyes flicking between us as if he was already imagining what we might be capable of under Sirus' suppositions, planning how we might take on that creature."

'With the six of us, well, it'd hardly be a fair fight for it. What man do you know that can take on so many at one time with just two arms?'

"Al-Hezmin laughed at this final comment, though his expression betrayed a growing belief in the churn of voices. 'My traps would simplify that quite nicely, but I'll take your sentiment this once, Drox.'"

"In the moment, I was glad for the life that had returned to our band, truly believing in the hope that Sirus had offered us in his realizations. This time, not even Sirus could have imagined where his words would lead us."

.

it ain't much but it's honest work

xD

First submission (little fix)


And second, the process :p

Warming up:

Fanfic here

ENGLISH:
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2743642

Português:
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2743644

Doodled my Chieftain...