Yog'Moi continues his dirt nap.
You quickly surround and take down the final remaining creature! Professor Ayuwari uses his magic to heal Yog'Moi, then rouses the other unconscious members of his team.
"Thank you for your timely intervention, friends," Ayuwari says. "We tried to use a modified teleportation ritual to cross the Flying Mountains, However, despite our meticulous calculations, the spatial distortions in the region caused us to materialize off-target and right beside those dangerous leydroths! With their ability to disrupt our magic, we were unable to fight them effectively, and they pursued us for over two days before finally cornering us here. We must rest and recover our strength. You push on ahead!"
Hotcha bows to the professor. “Our pleasure! I’m just relieved you all survived. You got a great group of students!”
Hotcha will gladly take a rest too, though that can happen on the airship.
The hobgoblin pulls himself together and then, through magic, starts putting himself back together. He offers Ayuwari a nod of acknowledgment for his aid.
After resting for a few minutes, you press on. At the edge of the forest of gingko trees lies the vast crater floor which serves as Toraloa and Alru’s battlefield. Beyond the barren plain, in the distance, lies a solitary hill covered in green and silver foliage, perceivable even through the devastating battle of the kaiju. Shockwaves ripple across the plain.
Monstrous Footstep: At the end of the first round, Alru charges toward Toraloa. All creatures in the area must succeed at a DC 37 Reflex save or take 12d6 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. This occurs only once.
Lava Waterfall: Here, Alru fires a massive blast of green lightning at the caldera wall that slags it instantly into a torrent of magma. The entire area turns to lava, which deals 16d6 fire damage on immersion and immobilizes creatures who come into contact with it unless they succeed at a DC 39 Athletics check to free themselves.
Dead Air: The alien lichen that covers Toraloa’s trees grow precipitously as it consumes Alru’s lightning as fuel. The rapid growth depletes all the oxygen in the air, exposing air-breathing creatures to suffocation. The foul stench of lichen also causes creatures to be sickened 1 unless they succeed at a DC 39 Fortitude save (sickened 2 on a critical failure); retching to remove the sickened condition expels the rest of the creature’s air.
Dispelling Clash: The two kaiju launch ranged attacks at each other that warp and clash the air where they meet. Something about the primordial interaction is inimical to magic; each creature in the area is affected by 9th-level dispel magic. This occurs only once.
E5g. Steep Ridge: This ridge of shifting ash becomes a cascade of ash each time the kaiju’s impacts jostle it. A player character who succeeds at a DC 35 Acrobatics check to Balance can move safely across the ledge. A character who critically fails the check slides into the caldera below, and must spend 2 rounds climbing back up to the ridge before proceeding.
E5h. Ground Zero: A blast detonates as soon as a player character enters the area, dealing 16d6 bludgeoning damage (DC 38 basic Reflex save). On a critical failure, the target is stunned 1. This occurs only once.
Hotcha’s wings and monk training prepare her for any obstacle!
Xin frowns. "The gods do not welcome mortals to their realms. But it is time to shake the Pillars of Heaven. Follow me!"
Shrapnel Fields: Xin flies nimbly over the shrapnel, glad he isn't forced to walk!
Monstrous Footsteps:
Lava Waterfall:
Dead Air:
Dispelling Clash:
Steep Ridge: If I'm still flying, it won't matter. But if not:
Ground Zero Blast:
Hotcha and Xin successfully run the gauntlet, avoiding the hazards caused by the clashing kaiju! In the center of the volcanic plain, a lone tree stands on a hill, its white flowers unmoved by the shock waves and blasts of the battling kaiju. The air around it is muted and serene. Dozens of silversword plants, spearlike flower stalks reaching six feet from their glittering leaves, cover the hill where the lone tree stands.
The last boundary cypress tree lives here, where its magic protects it from the kaiju’s rampage. Though Alru and Toraloa continue their battle, their attacks break harmlessly in a transparent hemispheric magical shield centered on the tree. No matter how chaotic the fight becomes, the grove remains unaffected.
You reach out to the tree, beseeching it for a branch, and one falls off into your hands. The branch protects any creatures within a 20-foot-radius aura centered on it from kaiju effects, allowing you to simply walk or fly out of the Blasted Lands.
Several relics are scattered about the hill, resting near a series of burial mounds. An elaborate plaque nearby states that anyone who has managed to brave the Blasted Lands can take these treasures without upsetting the spirits, as long as they’re used for a good cause. The treasures include a dispelling sliver, a suit of impenetrable scale, a staff of power, and a 7th-level wand of manifold missiles.
Yog'Moi grows silent when the tree blesses the party with a branch. Irreverent as he might, this moment manages to shut him - and his thoughts - up. It's only when Xin starts digging through the gifts left behind by only the spirits know who that Yog returns to his more normal self. "Ha! Sorcerous implements! I could use the staff, I think."
You retreat from the Blasted Lands with your prize safely in hand. You board the Solar Jian II and fly away, leaving the kaiju to their eternal battle. You are able to rest aboard the airship as it makes the return journey to Iron Mounta.
As the Solar Jian II descends once more upon the peak of Iron Mountain, you can see that a large crowd has gathered around the summit. Golarion’s mightiest warriors stand ready to enact a miracle. The monks of the Arms of Balance offer a deep bow, while the vikings of Winter's Roar clash their weapons against their shields in salute. The Steps of the Sun and the Speakers to the Winds have recovered from their ordeals, while the Biting Roses double-check their ritual implements. "We stand ready to aid you in calling the Celestial Dragon," Yarrika says.
• A Lock of Hair: Cutting off enough hair to significantly change the donor’s appearance (or an analogous offering from an ancestry that doesn’t have hair) and burning it before the ritual automatically adds 2 Soul Offering Points to the ritual’s total.
• A Splash of Wine: Scattering any form of alcohol around the dais that has been blessed automatically adds 2 Soul Offering Points to the ritual’s total.
Accompaniment: If the party remains in good standing with the Steps of the Sun, the team of musicians comes together to accompany the player character designated as intercessor. Halspin the Stung and Joon‑Seo’s musical accompaniment helps the intercessor keep time, and Amihan and Malaya dance a pattern around the dais that accentuates the intercessor’s movements without disrupting focus. These measures grant the intercessor a +2 circumstance bonus to their Performance checks during the invocation.
First Movement: The intercessor begins their dance by slowly turning to the four corners of the dais and gesturing with the sacred cypress branch. A strange tension washes over the mountaintop as it is clear the ritual has begun to push at the barrier separating the Material Plane from the world beyond. The intercessor must attempt a DC 36 Performance check to dance.
Second Movement: As the intercessor tears a leaf from the offered boundary cypress and places it in their mouth, the branch’s shape ripples into that of a wooden fan, and winds howl about the peak of the mountain. The intercessor performs a series of complex circular motions with the implement. The intercessor must attempt a DC 37 Performance check to dance.
Third Movement: The sacred branch transforms once more from a fan to a small wooden stick that holds 12 flower-shaped bells, letting out a ring as the intercessor charts a wandering path around the dais. With each ring of the bells, the sky grows darker and the bells glow brighter, until they become a harsh sun and the sky shifts to a black void. The intercessor must attempt a DC 38 Performance check to dance.
Final Movement: The bells from the intercessor’s staff become streaks of light that shoot to the sky above the lake, spinning in a great wheel until the afterimages form a great circular gate wide enough for two warships to pass through. The intercessor must attempt a DC 39 Performance check to dance.
"Would you look at that? I'd almost start believing they actually respect us, Hotch ...", Yog'Moi says with a wicked grin. With remarkable grace to his step, he hops off the plank and welcomes the sensation of standing on solid ground once again.
Foresight reaction:
Trigger: The target of foresight defends against a hostile creature or other danger.
Effect: If the hostile creature or danger forces the target to roll dice (a saving throw, for example), the target rolls twice and uses the higher result, and this spell gains the fortune trait. But if the hostile creature or danger is rolling against the target (an attack roll or skill check, for example), that hostile creature or danger rolls twice and uses the lower result, and this spell gains the misfortune trait.
Hotcha had already given a lock of hair to the empress. Now, she has her entire pineapple-top cut off. What’s left in total is just enough to form a respectable ballerina bun. Her hair and a splash of Fire Nectar are sacrificed on the dias.
Hotcha takes the sacred branch. It is several times longer than she is tall, yet, as she turns to each corner, she wields the branch with the ease of a titan slayer brandishing her blade…
…and the grace of a dancer!
Hotcha takes a tiny leaf and touches it to her lips. She twirl, and as the leaf disappears into her mouth…
…the branch becomes a fan—large enough to hide her body when fully open, but very easy for her tiny hand to operate!
She soars through the air, making circular motions with the fan, letting the wind push her around, while her wings keep her in the dance!
As Hotcha lands, she whips the fan shut—and it once more transforms!—now into a long staff with a dozen flowers!
As Hotcha dances, each flower rings like a bell and glows… and the sky darkens!
The fairy has been literally carrying her weight throughout the entire dance! She does not let fatigue show, but as she makes her final move, hovering, pointing the glowing floral staff into the air…
…the accompanying music and back-up dancers from Steps of the Sun keep the fairy afloat.
A beam of light shoots from the staff—
The other teams assist in the ritual. When the barrier between worlds begins to thin, the Biting Roses create a barrier around the dais using Artus’s arrows and Lantondo’s cards as mediums, keeping wandering spirits from interfering. When the wind howls around the mountain's peak, it dislodges a large boulder that rolls towards the dais, but the vikings of Winter's Roar immediately deflect the stone off the path with a wall of shields, before Troff Frostknuckles shatters it in a single punch! When the sky grows darker, the darkness swallows up the ritual braziers, but the Arms of Balance are there to relight them using their unique elemental ki as a focus. Finally, when the gate opens and begins to crackle unstably, Professor Ayuwari leads the Speakers to the Wind in a collaborative halcyon working that shores the gate with a treelike lattice of arcane and primal magic.
With the gate open, Usvani of the Arms of Balance steps forward and bows, one hand clasped over the other. “We thought that by gaining entry to the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, we had already completed our training. But I see now that we have much left to learn. It falls to you now to conclude this tournament.” The Arms of Balance each place a hand to their chests and begin to shine with the color of their respective elements.
Yarrika Mulandez’s phantom, now bearing a human face, phases into existence and stands by her side. “You’ve shown us glimpses of a land beyond—one I did not think I’d ever have the fortune to see, and you’ve brought me closer to my grandfather. May fortune carry you further.” The Biting Roses each place a hand to their chests and begin to shine with an ethereal light, transparent and gentle as a spirit at rest.
The sisters Amihan and Malaya move forward with deliberate steps. “We see now that we were far out of our depth, and we thank you for rescuing us from the Blasted Lands. We hope you dance ever further.” The Steps of the Sun each place a hand to their chests and begin to shine with a clear, rippling light that rings with harmonizing chimes and tones.
Professor Ayuwari calls his students to fall in line, and each gathers themselves. “You saved us in the caldera when the strength of our magic alone was insufficient. We stand on the strength of thousands, and we now pledge that strength to you.” The Speakers to the Wind each place a hand to their chests and begin to shine with a soft light like the sun’s rays dappling through leaves.
Urnak Lostwind throws his axe into the ground, where it embeds itself to the haft as Winter’s Roar lets out a howl befitting their namesake. The warrior intones, “The Tournament was only ever a way for us to test ourselves. By helping me slay a linnorm, you have brought us one step closer to our true goal, a kingdom of our own. You will always be welcome among us.” The members of Winter’s Roar each place a hand to their chests and begin to shine with a scintillating light like the aurora seen through a glacier’s side.
My Greatest Ability: Offering the talent one has honed is a sacrifice worth 4 Soul Offering Points. The player character takes a –1 status penalty to the two skills with their highest modifier. On a tie, the player character chooses which skills are affected. They can attempt a DC 38 Will save each day during their daily preparations; on a success, they lose this penalty.
My Health and Body: Voluntarily weakening oneself is a sacrifice worth 6 Soul Offering Points. A character who gives up the defenses that they’ve trained for permanently gains weakness 7 against three energy types of the GM’s choosing. They can attempt a DC 38 Fortitude save each day during their daily preparations; on a success, they lose this penalty.
My Dearest One: The memories of a friend, parent, or lover are a sacrifice worth 8 Soul Offering Points. The sacrificer recalls only a gnawing feeling where these memories once were, causing them to instinctively reject aid from others. After making this sacrifice, whenever the sacrificer would be the recipient of a beneficial ability from an ally (such as a heal spell), the sacrificer must roll a flat check; on a roll of 17 or higher, the spell fails. Each morning, the sacrificer can attempt a DC 38 Will to make peace with their lost memories; on a success, this effect is removed, though the memories remain lost.
My Life and Soul: Placing one’s life on the line is worth 12 Soul Offering Points. A wispy sphere floats from the character’s mouth, and they slump over. The character is immediately reduced to 0 Hit Points and becomes dying 2. For 3 rounds, no other characters can attempt to offer aid. If the character dies from this damage, they can be resurrected only with powerful magic such as miracle.
Hotcha insists, ”I am the intercessor. Let the ultimate sacrifice be mine!”
She flies over the center of the dias… ”My life and soul!” …and drops face down, exhaling a wispy sphere as she falls.
"Hotcha, no!" Xin shouts, anguished.
Growling, Xin kneels and follows Hotcha. If she dies, he doesn't want to live.
"Life and Soul," he whispers, touching the dais.
Dying 2
Dying 3
"My greatest ... ability, and my health and body," Yog'Moi states with utter confidence. He's not about to sacrifice his life and soul to this 'thing' when there are other options.
Hotcha sees Xin slumped beside her. She focuses her own ki to heal herself, then she rises slowly.
”I’m fine, Xin. Let’s step back, and… Xin? XIN?!”
As soon as the wisp returns to Xin, Hotcha dives onto his body.
“C’mon, Xin! Don’t give up the ghost for me—I’m not worth your life!” Her eyes start to tear up as she massages him, trying to get the blood to flow. “I’m not worth your life, Xin! There’s a girl who is and you’re wasting your heart on me, and I hate it!”
Her words get choked by tears, and with Xin unconscious the words may be wasted, but she says them anyway. ”I’m not mad at you. Who gets mad over being loved? I’m mad at the waste. You could find love, get married, raise children …but not if you’re stuck on me.
“A lesbian fairy!”
She repeats the phrase.
”—no more capable of returning a man’s love than you are. It’s beautiful, the way you treat me… but you have to let go.” She whispers, “You have to let go,” and repeats that and the lesbian-fairy phrase.
And eventually she’s crying and saying let-go or something unintelligible. By the end of her ten minute healing session, she’s cried enough tears and said enough unheard words.
"Hotcha," Xin says weakly. "What you are doesn't matter to me." Then he closes his eyes and rests.
”Godsdamnit” I curse under my breath. Dramatic children. I have never felt as old as I do now.
”My health and body,” I practically snarl, and I know that fire is dripping from my mouth as I speak.
To her relief, Hotcha sees Xin is going to survive… and also sees he’s not going to seek other women, but he has to survive the day in order to seek a wife tomorrow. Esh’s thinly-veiled groan is Hotcha’s cue to move on. She summons her Ki to strengthen her body.
She’ll gladly meditate if time permits, but the ritual is meant to summon a dragon. She expects that, after Esh’s sacrifice, a dragon could appear any second.
She stands as tall as a fairy can, a few feet away from the dias.
With a clap of thunder, the impossible darkness of the sky and the impossible light of the gate atop Iron Mountain intertwine, deepest black and brightest white intersecting and spiraling, but never totally mixing. The colors recede from the sky, and a coiling shape massive enough to encircle the mountain’s peak manifests, the form covered in black and white scales wider than most dragons are tall. Two eyes, each a serene gray bright as the moon, loom from the being’s head. As the titanic dragon opens their whiskered jaws to reveal black and white teeth the size of towers, they speak in a voice that is at once old and young, ringing in the ears and resounding in the chest.
“Children, you have called us. And yet, it has been only eleven years since we were last called to Iron Mountain. We see not just one intercessor, but a legion of warriors. But somehow, enough magic and ceremony has been shed here to call us. What is it you desire? Speak now.”
The other teams look on in awe as the Celestial Dragon descends upon Iron Mountain. The divine being encompasses the duality of heaven and earth, the material and beyond.
You beseech the Celestial Dragon to allow you access to the demiplane floating in the sky above. The mighty being considers the request, then inclines their head. Spiritual energy flows out from you, the sacrifices you have offered fueling the power. The wispy energy gathers in the space between the Celestial Dragon's talons.
The Celestial Dragon speaks, and the air trembles. “Children, you have come far and sacrificed much. It is done.” The energy coalesces into single half-black, half-white pearl, microscopic against the colossal deity. With a crack of thunder, the Celestial Dragon taps the pearl, which flies like a bullet toward each of you, passing through your bodies with a trail of energy before striking the Solar Jian II. A dragon-headed lance appears at the tip of either prow, shining with divine light.
“I have granted your wish. It now falls to you to see it through.” The Celestial Dragon’s last words echo as they split again into light and dark, vanishing for another zodiac cycle.
CONCENTRATE EMOTION MAGICAL
Frequency once per day
There are few bonds like those between fighters who have shared blows in an arena, and in so doing, come to understand each other. You focus on your emotional connection to one of the other tournament teams, and their power roars along it to you like a string set alight. You use one of the following abilities, which you must have gained access to from the original team.
• Arms of Balance: Walking the Cardinal Paths [free-action] The ki within you surges to coat your attacks in energy matter. For 1 minute, one of your weapons or your unarmed Strikes deal an additional 2d6 fire, cold, acid, or electricity damage. The Strikes gain the appropriate energy trait as well.
• Biting Roses: Glimpses to Beyond [one-action] You gain a sense for the supernatural and the flow of fate. For 1 hour, you gain spiritsense as a precise sense with a range of 60 feet. Spiritsense enables you to sense the spirits of creatures, including living creatures, most non‑mindless undead, and haunts within the listed range. As with your hearing and other imprecise senses, you still need to Seek to locate an undetected creature. As spiritsense detects spiritual essence, not physical bodies, it can detect spirits projected by spells such as project image or possessing otherwise soulless objects. It can’t detect soulless bodies, constructs, or objects. Once during the spell’s duration, when you roll a failure or critical failure on a saving throw or skill check, you get a success instead.
• Steps of the Sun: Grand Harmony [two-actions] Your heart harmonizes with those of your comrades before pounding once in a devastating shock wave. You deal 18d4 sonic damage in a 60-foot cone. Enemies can attempt a basic Fortitude save with a DC equal to your class DC or spell DC, whichever is higher. If you are adjacent to at least 1 ally, this deals d6s, if you are adjacent to at least 2 allies, this deals d8s.
• Speakers to the Winds: All is One, One is All [three-actions] Borrowing the magic of the Magaambya, you use a legendary spell from Old-Mage Jatembe himself. You cast all is one, one is all (Lost Omens Legends 64) as a 9th-level arcane or primal innate spell.
• Winter’s Roar: Rampaging Glacier Charge [three-actions] You emulate the inexorable movement of a glacier. You Stride up to your Speed and make a melee Strike. Regardless of whether your attack hits, the path of your Stride is filled by a 9th-level wall of ice.
Hotcha bows.
She isn’t sure what else to do, at first. But she knows who she wants to see before setting off on the dangerous mission. “Xin, I still owe you and Esh over a hundred gold each. How about we sell what we don’t need, sort my debt, and… shop?”
She decides it best to be fully candid about her intent. “I want to see Yan Fei, too, while we’re in Goka.”
Xin bows before the Celestial Dragon, as awestruck as anyone else.
Dragging his attention back to Hotcha, he says "Of course. I have no idea what to look for, but I'll look. I feel certain we will not see Goka again until this adventure is in our past."
"And you and I need to talk. In private."
Later, in the cabin of the Solar Jian II, Xin sits across from the little fairy and tries to order his thoughts.
"Look," he begins. "You seem to think I do not understand. I assure you that I very much do understand. You're small. You like girls. I understand."
"That does not mean that I will simply find someone else, like ordering a different entree from the menu. The heart doesn't work that way. I've never asked you for anything, but I'm asking this: stop trying to get me not to feel what I feel."
"That's me as your friend asking. Now me as your team leader, that's something else entirely. What were you thinking, risking your very life and soul like that? What if you'd failed? Esh, Yog'Moi and I, we need you, Hotcha. Quite aside from being your friends, we are your teammates. If you die, we fail."
"I admit that I was fully as stupid. And I use that word intentionally. What we did was stupid. There were lesser risks to take that would have gotten us where we needed to be. Like it or not, though, I do love you. I always will. And seeing you take that risk made me do something I regret. I regret putting my teammates chances of victory on the line when I didn't have to."
"As your teammate, I'm asking you never to do something so unnecessarily risky again. As your friend, I'm asking you to understand me and let me have my feelings, just as I am willing to accept you for who you are. I guess it's a bit of a struggle for both of us."
Yog'Moi can't help but wonder how Hei Feng would fare against this majestic being. Would the winged bastard stand a chance? Sure, if he's angry enough alright. With eyes as big as saucers he watches the scene unfold and, once the being withdraws back to wherever it exists, the hobgoblin flashes his companions a toothy smile. "This is going to be fun!"
---
The sprite's request doesn't shock Yog'Moi. For him, gold is like water: it's supposed to flow, and you only fill your belly with as much as you need at any given point in time. "Go for it, big one. You can use my share to help pay off whatever it is you need to repay. Well, that, and I'd appreciate it if you brought back some alcohol for me. I ain't picky when it comes to that, but do try to find me something peculiar. Something tells me we might need it once we go ... across."
Hotcha lowers her head. “You can’t help how you feel. I understand. But… I also know what it’s like to pine for a girl whose heart seeks another. I couldn’t let go when we were in the same convent. I cheered her on as she became the principal dancer, but… it was hurtful at times. If anyone had interest in me, I didn’t notice.
“Of course, I had the excuse of being the only fairy—even the halflings and gnomes are giants to me.” She looks up to meet his eyes. “I want to go to your wedding. I want to sing and dance for your children.
“If you really love me, don’t close your mind to this future.”
Thinking a bit about the proposition of marriage, she adds, “You’re right that I was reckless. I did it so we would more likely succeed, but… you’re right. Even with wings, I can’t survive every leap of faith.”
* * *
She says to Yog’Moi, “I’ll see what I can do.”
"I'm not stuck on you," Xin says. "But that doesn't mean I don't care deeply for you. I promise I'll keep my eyes open."
___________________________________________________________________
"Now. What are we shopping for?"
Hotcha replies to Xin, ”And I promise not to point your eyes anywhere… though my wedding will have a lot of young single ladies as guests, and they will most certainly know who led Three Men and a Fairy to victory.”
She gives Xin a warm smile.
Xin raises an eyebrow. "Is that a theoretical wedding? Or did I miss something important?"
“Oh, theoretical. Hopeful… tonight will only be my third date with Yan Fei. Also, my third date ever.” She admits, “I shouldn’t be so presumptuous.”
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With a clap of thunder, the impossible darkness of the sky and the impossible light of the gate atop Iron Mountain intertwine, deepest black and brightest white intersecting and spiraling, but never totally mixing. The colors recede from the sky, and a coiling shape massive enough to encircle the mountain’s peak manifests, the form covered in black and white scales wider than most dragons are tall. Two eyes, each a serene gray bright as the moon, loom from the being’s head. As the titanic dragon opens their whiskered jaws to reveal black and white teeth the size of towers, they speak in a voice that is at once old and young, ringing in the ears and resounding in the chest.
My whole life, I've had... difficulties... with dragons. I worship Shizuru, who is often served by various dragons, and is known to take the form of a golden dragon. The honorable nation of Xa Hoi has been well ruled by Sovereign dragons for many thousands of years. There are a great many stories, both historical and fictional, espousing the goodness of dragons.
And yet...
I have had almost no personal positive interactions with them. I have been lied to, manipulated by, or attacked by nearly every single dragon I have ever met*. I have a great deal of traumatic associations with dragons, and it's always made it hard to see them in anything other than a negative light. My fire always gets wilder, harder to control when I'm around a dragon, pushing me to fight them. It's... frustrating.
So the emotion that filled me when I saw the celestial dragon took me somewhat off guard. I've never felt reverence towards a dragon like this before. Where normally there is a blazing urge to fight, to dominate, now I feel calm, if a little in awe. While it seems just as powerful as the manifestation of Dahak, it is majestic and wise-seeming, as opposed to malevolent and blood-thirsty.
Maybe I've just been meeting the wrong dragons.
The dragon grants us our wish and vanishes, but the feeling it inspired did not disappear with it. I had been going to... lecture Hotcha and Xin, my duty as friend, as teammate, and as elder, but my feelings are distracting, and Hotcha and Xin sequester themselves almost immediately upon our return to the airship anyway. I'm sure they'll work it out amongst themselves. I just stand at the railing, looking back towards where the dragon was as we speed back to Goka to make our final preparations.
“Oh, theoretical. Hopeful… tonight will only be my third date with Yan Fei. Also, my third date ever.” She admits, “I shouldn’t be so presumptuous.”
"Well before you become too important, take me shopping. Your Highness."
_____________________________________________________________
* - I ran this character through Jade Regent, Giantslayer, and Ironfang invasion in 1e (he was a Rage Prophet) and Age of Ashes in 2e (works much better in this edition). Esh has faced a significant amount of dragons in his life.
You spend the night in Goka, then the next day, you return to the floating island above the Flying Mountains. "Everybody ready? Alright, here goes nothing," Yoh says as he steers the Solar Jian II towards the strange manifestation. This time, as you near the island, the two draconic lances on the ship strike something imperceptible around the island, grinding against it in a shower of sparks. The air shudders, then shatters, and with a sound like the tinkling of glass, the airship disappears into the demiplane before space knits shut behind it.
As you pierce through the boundary surrounding the island, you find yourselves in a bizarre extraplanar void. Lights blur and stars warp as the view of the Material Plane grows dimmer. Nine of the stars detach from the heavens and begin chasing the Solar Jian II, clearly intent on its destruction! As they draw near, they resolve themselves into the shapes of enormous birds made of flame!
"Hang on! I'm going to try to lose them!" Yoh shouts. In this strange space between dimensions, the chase is on!
INVERTED THUNDERHEADS
As the Solar Jian II first breaks into the demiplane, the sky is below the craft and the land is above it. Sparks arc between black thunderheads as trees of lightning erupt from beneath the ship to bloom above.
“Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place. A myth, but it’s still way more likely to strike elsewhere so…”
Yog'Moi does what Yog thinks he does best: predict where lightning is going to strike. After all, surely that's the domain of a mighty priest of Hei Feng?! Sadly, the hobgoblin's (alleged) mastery is worth nothing in this alternate reality. "Ahhh! The lightning here ain't like the lightning back home, I swear!!!"
Hotcha points out a fine bottle of wine near her bunk (which is actually a shelf). ”From the empress. It was meant for us, but she ended up opening the drink I brought instead… which is why our departure was delayed a couple hours.”
Hotcha blushes but provides no details.
Hotcha checks in with Lady Qiu, knowing Yan Fei likes to prepare for her visits. Once a time has been established Hotcha flutters into the window as usual.
”Yan Fei! We’re very close to completing our mission. I’m… the Intercessor! I had to dance and make sacrifices for a dragon.” She points to the thin layer of hair on her head, wrapped in a tiny bun.
She had already cropped off her bangs for Yan Fei’s fairy potion. The next time she needs hair for magic, she’ll be completely bald! “With the support of every team but Tino’s Toughest and the Lightbringers, we summoned a mighty dragon spirit who granted us passage.
“We came for supplies and… I wanted to see you before I…” She thinks of how Xin scolded her for risking her life. Had Yan Fei lost me like that…
Yan Fei gently gathers Hotcha into a warm embrace. "I am glad you returned to pay me a visit. My heart soars whenever you are near."
She then sets the sprite down on the table and gives her an appraising look. "I like the haircut. It is very...daring."
”It’ll grow back,” Hotcha replies, ”long as I don’t need my hair for whatever battle lies ahead.”
Thinking of the kaiju attack, she asks, “How are you holding up? I know we fighters aren’t the only ones who have it rough.”
"The city will endure. But I grieve for those who were injured or killed during the attack," Yan Fei says sadly.
”I was afraid there were deaths,” Hotcha replies. Her eyes lower to the table for a moment.
She places a hand on one of Yan Fei’s fingers. “I want to do more for them—the people of Goku… and for you too, once our current mission is complete.
“But for now, how about we give the Empress and the Intercessor a break, and just be Yan Fei and Hotcha?”
Yan Fei nods. "Yes. I think that is a lovely idea. One final chance to just be ourselves before you venture off into the unknown."
Hotcha doesn’t mind if Yan Fei saves the potion for her return. But she’s curious.
“Last time, we kissed… you eventually grew back… we didn’t stop.
“You don’t have to alter your body for my sake. But if you want to spend some time as a sprite… part of my ‘daring’ haircut went to a potion.
“It lasts at least twice as long as the shrinking potion, possibly an entire day.”
And Hotcha has to admit, “I’m curious! Will you have wings that fly? You should wear something backless if you do drink the potion!”
"I will admit I am curious, as well. I suppose there is but one way to find out," Yan Fei says with a smile.
She removes her outer robes, so she is clad in just her strapless inner gown. Then, she produces the potion and drinks it down. Like when she drank the shrinking potion, her body dwindles in size until she is no taller than Hotcha. This time, though, she goes through a few additional changes. Her hair becomes a bright purple color, while her eyes become larger and her ears slightly pointed. A pair of colorful butterfly's wings sprouts from between her shoulder blades. Yan Fei has become a sprite!
Hotcha falls just short of actually saying ‘squee.’ ”Yan Fei! We gotta go straight to a mirror—you’re a beautiful and elegant human, but as a sprite, you’re so cute and colorful!”
Yan Fei blushes. "Okay," she says, her voice a few octaves higher now. She tentatively flaps her wings, lifting off the ground awkwardly, and flutters over to the nearby mirror. She touches her face as she looks at her reflection. "How marvelous!"
Hotcha giggles with anticipation of what this night could be,
”You’ll be like this for hours… but you know how this size-altering magic works. Once you remove clothing, it grows back.
“So… I was kinda hoping you might enjoy a bath, especially if you have a fancy outdoor one with lotus blossoms we can sit on.” Her glow pinkens and becomes brighter than usual.
”But before we do anything intimate… if you want to, that is… would you like to spend the next hour getting used to a sprite body? We can fly over your palace!”
"I would like that very much," Yan Fei says.
Hotcha takes Yan Fei by the hand, flying high over Goku. “No one will know it’s you, and if we suppress our luminosity, no one will notice us at all!”
Hand in hand, Hotcha and Yan Fei soar over the palace and the surrounding parts of Goka. The lights far below are dazzling, though the beauty is marred somewhat by the scars left by King Mogaru's attack.
Not wanting to sadden Yan Fei with the harsh realities, Hotcha takes Yan Fei by both hands, craving her kiss—
—but hesitating as they hover face to face, to make sure this is what Yan Fei wants.
Yan Fei gazes lovingly into Hotcha's eyes, then leans forward to press her lips against the monk's.
Hotcha places one hand on Yan Fei’s cheek, the other along the small of her back—a gentle embrace that won’t impede her wings.
She doesn’t want the kiss to end as the two slow dance among the clouds, Hotcha’s wings buzzing to keep the pair afloat.
She passionately kisses the empress along her neck, and wants so much more…!
“Shall we go back to your place, Yan Fei?”
"A most excellent suggestion," Yan Fei says breathily. Her pupils are dilated, and her body glows a bright pink like Hotcha's does when she's feeling...in the mood...
• • •
After several hours of wild passion, and another and a half in the bath, Hotcha and Yan Fei spend the night snuggling on the empress’ pillow.
An hour before dawn, Yan Fei is still too tiny for her clothes. Hotcha is pleased to have an excuse to remain with her before she grows back.
There are plenty of fruits left over from last night—a morsel to a human is a feast for a fairy—so the two enjoy a hearty breakfast! Neither has a stitch on, but that doesn’t deter Hothca from bringing up the serious topic that’s been on her mind since the last time she shared an outdoor bath—
—the time she talked with Esh.
”Esh was married to a human once. It’s a heartbreaking tale, which I’ll spare you from… but he gave me some advice about falling in love with a human.
“And so… here we are. I’m a fairy madly in love with a human, and if you feel the same way…”
"It is a feeling I share, Hotcha, and a predicament that I would care not to dwell on. There will be time enough to figure out the logistics of such a relationship. For now, just being with you is enough for me."
Hotcha takes the Empress’ hand. “Feeling the same is enough for me.” She smiles warmly, confident that wedding plans are in her future… as long as she doesn’t go and get herself killed.
It's then that he takes his time to inspect the bottle. It's wine, alright, and it will be drinkable, alright. It won't put his gullet on fire, sadly, but alas, this is the wine he has and not the fire wine he craves.
Xin can't see through the colossal lightning.
Yoh steers the Solar Jian II through the thunderclouds, with Hotcha and Esh providing guidance. You are almost clear of the hazard as the fiery birds reach where you began from!
Yog'Moi opens his eyes wide and tries to keep track of the lightning, but he gets lost in the beauty of it. It's only when a torrent of lightning zaps past the ship's bow that he snaps out of it. "Ah, c'mon!"
Hotcha says, ”Again, lightning is unpredictable except when it’s already struck—THERE!
“It won’t strike there again, most likely. That’s your best way out of the storm.” She explains apologetically to the team’s apparently-befuddled lightning expert: ”Fairy’s intuition.”
With Hotcha's guidance, Yoh steers the airship past the thunderheads!
TOXIC CLOUDS
To shake the pursuing creatures, Yoh takes the Solar Jian II closer to a bank of nearby clouds, only to find that they are made of a corrosive fog that the gale-force winds blow at the ship! "Gah! Hang on!" he shouts.
Yog'Moi mixes his medicinal knowledge with his voracious appetite to quickly figure out what can be done against the corrosive fog. The answer, as usual for the hobgoblin, is found in alcohol. "Use light-weight drinks to counteract the corrosive fog! Put some on a cloth that you can wrap around your face, and eh, if it gets in your eyes, rub it with a beer-stained napkin or such!"