I Can't Get the Vampire Rogue to Romance Me

Chapter 23 - Let Your Light Shine Down

She mounted up the steps and moved forward until her thighs bumped the edge of the altar. Sure enough, when she laid her hands down on the surface, they found handles of the egg-shaped canister that had waited there for ages for someone to come lift up and free the being within.

"I'm going to count to five to give you time to get back to the door if you sprint, and then I'm going to open this," she said to Valerian.

He didn't respond.

Concerned, she turned, peering through the dark, trying to detect if he still stood there. "Valerian?"

Still no response.

"Hey! Valerian?" she shouted louder.

Still nothing. Maybe he was being a pissy little boy.

"Sigismund? Artmond? Did Valerian come back to the door?"

They didn't answer either.

That sent skitters up and down her arms. In fact, her voice didn't seem to carry very far at all.

Knowledge: Arcana. Failed.

She wasn't sure what that meant, if anything, so she refocused on simply finishing this task. They didn't have a whole lot of time, she was sure, before the necromancer escaped the Tangle Vines and came after them here.

True to her word, she started counting down. "5...4...3...2...1!" she shouted, then lifted up with all her might.

Strength check. Passed.

The heavy lid lifted up. As she expected, bright, blinding light burst from the seam and flooded over her like a tidal wave of force.

She found herself flying back, but it wasn't from the wave of magic. Valerian jetted forward, having been the one to throw her off her feet, only to be met a second later by the real force of magic. He cried out as it swamped over him, knocking him so he fell to the ground next to Evangeline. His skin was blistered red, like he had a severe sunburn.

Evangeline blinked, realizing she could see that clearly, before looking up.

Rising out of the egg-shaped canister, light moving as if made of liquid, flowed up. It contorted back and forth, bubbling and weaving itself into the wonderful image of a bird with a long swan-like neck, raptor head and wings bold and strong as the eagle. Its tail trailed below it out of the canister like the fan of a peacock made of lava-like motes, flaring as it twisted and twitched. A triumphant call roared out from its beak that no one could mistake its meaning.

Free at last! Free at last!

All around them, the light blew away Valerian's cloud of darkness, Evangeline connecting it as the reason she hadn't been able to see or hear anything behind her. She had missed the obvious tell, even as it no longer mattered since the phoenix's magic had destroyed it.

The phoenix flapped their wings a few more times, then settled down to land on the table, settling its wings in the process. Even in the dark, it continued to glow warmly as a campfire.

<Thank you, child of the day and child of the night, for freeing me,> they said, though the words seemed to echo in Evangeline's mind. They regarded both of them quietly, waiting for a reply to its greeting.

Evangeline and Valerian looked at each other in astonishment. Evangeline recovered first.

"You are welcome!" she said, pushing herself up to standing, though she wavered a moment. Glancing at her stats, she had exactly one hit point left. That was too close, but it was okay now. There would be no more threats from this point on.

They flapped their wings a moment, then resettled them as it regarded Evangeline. <Yes, you're very interesting. I would like to join you if you will have me,> they said into her mind.

"Of course, in fact, we have need of your immediate aid."

They cocked their head and then closed their eyes. Immediately, a sensation like the brushing of a wing passed over Evangeline's face and through her mind, even though the majestic bird in front of her hadn't moved a muscle.

"<Yes, I see. Very well. I shall meet you at your camp. Follow me there.>" And they flapped even more rapidly, throwing themself up into the air and then out, blasting a caw and subsequently a hole in the ceiling of the temple. They dashed through and disappeared into the starry sky above.

With a yelp, Evangeline managed to hop out of the way of the falling ruins by a hair's breadth. It didn't deter the overwhelming wonder she felt. "Did you see that? That was amazing!" she cried, turning her emphatic grin to Valerian, who remained on the floor staring up with a blank face of astonishment.

Sigismund and Artmond leaned in through the door.

Evangeline bounced in place, giddily. "Did you guys see that?"

"Yes!" Artmond shouted, reflecting back the joy she felt. Sigismund took a few steps into the space, staring after with a more awed expression like she had experienced something more religious. And in fact, she had.

"We need to hurry back to camp!" Evangeline grabbed for Valerian's arm to help leverage him back to his feet. He accepted it, more because he was too shocked to resist or be indignant.

"But is it safe now?" Artmond asked.

"Yes, but we gotta hurry. We're too weak to get into any more trouble," she explained, only realizing that Valerian hadn't followed her to the exit. He still stood staring up at the ceiling.

"Hey! Come on!" she shouted, his hesitation not dimming her excitement.

"Are you absolutely sure we're safe now? What about all those skeletons?" Sigismund asked, clearly not convinced.

Evangeline was glad her last Meta point spent covered this information. "The phoenix will go to our camp and destroy the necromancer with their holy fire. Once the necromancer goes down, the skeletons fall apart. Then, we can save Hagor."

"Save Hagor?" Artmond wrinkled his nose at that idea.

"It is a true phoenix?" Sigismund asked, understanding what Evangeline was saying.

Evangeline laughed. "Come on. I'll let them explain themselves."

To be continued...

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