The Virtues' Magecraft

Page 78: Gaze into The Abyss

"You tried to take on Godfrey the Greater? One of Satanus' closest and strongest allies?" Furcas smacked the side of Alexander's head, sending a singeing pain through the Human-Born's skull.

Alexander groaned and rubbed the point of impact. "I mean... I had to. He just crashed into the mountain. I had to fight him."

Furcas grumbled in frustration, only muttering out something about 'foolishness'. He spat out a sigh before he bent over and grabbed his helmet off the ground.

Alexander realized he had never seen Furcas in his armor. Although to be fair, he had only seen Furcas once before. He stepped back and stared at the bright glimmer of plate armor worn by the knight among demons.

Furcas was wearing silver itself, plated and layered. The silver was arrayed over his chest, overlapping with folds to strengthen and protect until reaching the main plate of his chest. The same continued over his shoulders and all of his legs, with overlapping steel of silver shielding him from any harm at all. His arms, however, were bare of armor, only wreathed with a luscious red cloth, thick and firm, yet smooth to the touch. That cloth reached down to his fingers, reaching past the armor on his hands and waist and stretching into his lower body as well, and even becoming a cape attached to the plate armor and wrapped around his neck.

Wishing to not carry his helmet, he lifted it above his head and slid it down. It was of the same silver steel that wrapped around the rest of his body, and covered nearly every inch of his head and face, leaving only his eyes open to the world. What stood out the most was the wood.

His helmet was worn with horns, singularly built of wood and painted red. They protruded outward to the sides, twisting and extending.

He stared at Alexander's hip, barren of a blade. Without a moment's hesitation, he unhooked the leather strap that held his sheathed sword to the belt of his armor and tossed it to Alexander.

The Human-Born reflexively caught it, although his eyes tinged with confusion.

"You need it much more than I do," Furcas said. While his face was hidden behind his helmet, Alexander knew he was smiling. That was all he said, before turning around and beginning his path down the mountain.

"Follow me," he ordered Alexander and Kieran.

As they climbed up the mountain, Kieran exhausted as always, Alexander explained everything regarding Elisa and all they had done on their quest. Furcas nodded in understanding and even smiled as Alexander spoke on how he couldn't abandon the girl.

The devil even laughed when Alexander mentioned he had killed Osdorhne.

Still, none of them had to speak to understand that Kieran had failed in Purgatorio. Kieran had nothing to say, and so, Furcas only gripped his shoulder and urged him to keep moving.

They quickly reached the peak as the firestorm had begun clearing out of the sky. Although on the mountaintop, it made no difference. On the precipice of the UnderWorld, all they could do was stare down.

Furcas lifted a finger and aimed at the horizon. "There... are the Doors of Life and Death."

Alexander stared into the deep distance. All he could see where Furcas pointed at was a white tower, nothing like the grand doors of stone he had imagined. But Furcas wouldn't steer Alexander wrong, not at this stage of their quest.

"I ushered Shadowfax and the girl down the mountain," Furcas told the two boys. "That way, they can rest up. They'll be ready to move again by the team we reach them. Just a few more hours, my boys. That's all we need." He carried his voice with hope as he faced the boundless horizon again.