"We hardly knew her, but she was one of us. With her loss, we are diminished. May she find the next world better than this one."
Friend Dolphin, it was a pleasure to swim with you, but I must bid you farewell. I have need of a spirit to see our fallen off into the next world. You are freed of your obligations to me with my thanks. Swim strong. The water spirit "swam" near the little shaman with a playful smirk, made a gesture that Ohanzee assumed was a nod, and then with joyous sounding whistles and clicks, turned and swam off, fading back to the watery realm from which it came.
Quietly, the dwarf focused on summoning a new spirit, a warrior to see off a fellow. On the astral, he began a chant and shortly it was joined by the beating of war drums. Though only seconds passed, the build up to the crescendo seemed to take minutes, but finally the drum and the chanting stopped, and silence reigned. The arrival of the spirit was completely unnoticed by the shaman and he wondered if the summoning had failed. But the low voice of the spirit broke the silence.
Shaman, I hear your words and believe your need honorable. The spirit stepped forward as if emerging from shadow, the colored auras of the Astral forming a fuzzy outline that morphed into the spirit's final form. The spirit appeared as a male of muscular but lean build, wearing a loincloth, jewelry, and headdress of feathers and beads and nothing more. Paint of vibrant and shifting colors covered the exposed flesh from face to toe, symbols Ohanzee recognized from the tribal elders he knew ... the memory was lost, though the recognition of the symbols remained. They indicated the wearer's great prowess not just in battle, but in crafting and building. A true warrior could survive off of the land, crafting their teepee, their clothing and weapons, and preparing the food they would catch on the hunt. Changing, and thus controlling, your surroundings was the way of Man, and his power over nature.
Honored warrior, my Sister in Arms has fallen this night, and we would be grateful if you would help us to give her a Warrior's send off. We wish to burn her body so that her spirit might leave it and travel to the next world. Please gently carry her to the bottom of this ravine and ensure her corpse is burned to bones. Our enemies will be denied her soul and we can continue our fight knowing she is forever beyond their reach.
The spirit looked past the dwarf to the corpse, a grey form in the colorful Astral world, and nodded.
It is noble indeed to show such deference to one's fallen comrades. I shall grant your request.
Materializing into the snowy night, the spirit's ghostly form walked solemnly to the body of APB and gently lifted her as if she weighed nothing. Facing the dwarf, back to the precipice, the spirit's face showed a small bit of effort as he lifted her over his head and her body continued up, leaving his hands, carried by the spirit's magic. At about ten feet, the body stopped rising, turned to face the precipice head first facing up, then began to slowly move out over the yawning chasm. At about 40 meters, the spirit turned to face the body and it's form shifted slightly as it concentrated on another spell. A light streaked from the spirit out to the floating body and exploded in a shower of fire, harmlessly above the treetops, the streamers of fire winking out long before touching the trees. At first, it seemed that the body was merely charred from the explosion, but a few seconds later the flames began to show, licking hungrily at the cold flesh. Soon, the body was in full conflagaration, and the spirit moved towards it as it began to descend into the gaping maw of the valley below. After about a minute, the body and the spirit both were lost below the tree line, only the orange glow if the fire peeking through the snowdrifts, showing where they had gone.
The task is done, Shaman. The spirit appeared before the dwarf in the Astral. All that remains is bone and ash, scattered across the treetops.
Thank you, brave warrior. You have served well, and I release you to rejoin your tribe. Perhaps we will meet again under more joyous circumstances.
The spirit held its fist to its chest, then took a single step backwards, vanishing into the Astral just as it had appeared.
After taking a moment to clean up the auras left behind by the spirit's summoning and magic, Ohanzee turned and trudged back to the vehicle, dimly acknowledging Chino's message about the fuel. Once in the car, he received the message from the Crumpled man that Gloria was missing. Three days ago. What was it about that day? Did we go dark? Oh spirits, did we kill her to keep her quiet? Or have our enemies done something to her? He stopped heading down that path of thought - these were thoughts for later. For now they needed to get somewhere they could set up shop for a bit without the immediate danger of their pursuers.
>> To: Crumpled Man
>> Thanks.
The rest of the team finished filing into the vehicle and it again began to move.
>> To: Team
>> Next stop, Aspen. We have to get there before the fuel runs out. We'll ditch the car on the outskirts, maybe have it drive itself off the mountain.
Or home - what a horrible surprise for the family to wake up to, but maybe they'd be better off knowing their loved ones were dead. But no, the longer it took for the Star to get involved, the better.
He closed his eyes and thought about calling to Raven again. He doubted the spirit he had called earlier would answer his call twice in one night, but he didn't need such a powerful spirit. Well, perhaps he did, but not badly enough to risk the harm its summoning would almost certainly bring. He began his call, seeking a lesser aspect of the Raven, and soon the call was answered. The spirit seemed to know what he was going to ask - or perhaps his desire had affected the summoning - as the spirit appeared as a White Raven, blending in with the snow that covered the world outside. But, just as the previous Raven, the bird was difficult, and fought against the shaman's call.
Your will is strong, Shaman. Most who seek me come up empty handed. You have my respect, but do not think that entitles you to my services. Ask well, and perhaps I will grant your request.
Wise Raven, please hide my friends and I from detection so that we may find safe shelter in the nearby town without interference from those who seek us. He put an effort of will into the request, hoping to impress the spirit and thus earn the favor.
Very well. Your world is intriguing, and this task provides reason enough to stay awhile.
The spirit cocked its head, looking at the auras of each of the passengers in turn, then with a squawk, the spell was cast, and the dull sheen of a veil fell over the metahumans. The bird nodded its head at the shaman, and flew off, presumably to entertain itself elsewhere, not needing proximity to maintain the concealment.
Now, one more order of business.
The dwarf fished around for the crowbar that he had seen earlier and sidled up to the crate. He looked around the car, pausing to see if anyone had any objections.