Norgunn (Gunner) Oddeson

Trauma:
When roughly 16, Norgunn was trudging alone near a deserted pavilion. Ancient and crumbling, it seemed to be nearing its real end, not just the end of its use but to decay into a pile of rocks. Mists drifted in from the steady beating of water on the icy white shores and the sky was a clear deep blue. It wasn’t his turn to make this trip however he took every opportunity to get out and see the world. Even just to deliver a pack of seal meat and blubber to a nearby town. There was so much out there to learn and do. The world had so much to offer and yet duty kept him from the world that he hoped to be a part of.

He had been hauling the load for about 2 hours and it was getting close to midday. A sharp metallic scream hit him from a distance. A smooth pillar of white hot brightness shot up into the heavens far off to his left. Staring at the glare, reflexively he felt plates of ice harden around his body and he began tromping towards the pillar of yellowed brightness. His load deserted, he moved fairly swiftly now with the Armor now sealing his entire body in thick sheets. With an awkward jumping lope, he bounced along the top of the snow springing about as high as his head with each step.

The distance was not far but through snow and caution for safety it still took about 10 minutes as he dodged more precarious terrain. Open crags and ice sheeted pitfalls scattered the area. Normally he would move without worry, ice armor and all, but when new things happen, slowing down seemed to increase the chances of not getting hurt. Arriving at the beam, he peered through the brightness to find a scattering of semi charred bodies and a single cross legged figure on a high ledge staring at the wall of light. Laughing and peering down at the pillar the figure zipped across to the opposing ledge as a wave of melting heat landed where it had just rested. Still sitting cross-legged on the opposing side the figure noticed him. Just as another wave would have connected with its face suddenly it was an inch away from gunner’s own face cocked to one side. “Well aren’t you a special one?” then he disappeared as a third mass of destruction came through smashing into the ice plating and launching Norgunn back and up into the air, his chest on fire as he forced mechanically and desperately as much ice around himself as he could. He crashed through the pavilions ancient walls with a rumbling shudder.

He lay struggling to breath and crying out tears, he used the moisture to sooth his charred heart. It was a methodical motion separating the salt and pulling it down and soothing inch by inch the inflamed and cracked flesh. Body bare now.  His shirt no longer existed in this world. His ice was scattered and splintered around the room. A chilling circle of defeat surrounding the boy's now very battered and fleshy body.

“That looks like that hurts.” The figure whispered gleefully while picking up some ice and tossing it on his chest. Norgunn shivered. It floated in the air for a moment then its smile disappeared, “Damn.” Then he disappeared. A woman walked into the room all dressed in blues and shrouded in thick cloth. “Oh child,” she mutters. “you have simply destroyed my walls.” Looking around the room with ponderous steps, she observed all of the holes and shards. He just stared through waves of tears. She lumbered as though something very heavy was on her back holding her down.  In her hand was a thick chain and a deep blue lantern floating in the air next to her.  “I suppose it’s back though… been a long time since we have had something that big happen.” Pointing towards the light. She acted very energetic about the light even after seeing the state it had left him in. More than energetic, she was excited about it. “I wonder how it did this one? Are you a healer?” She inquired to herself and him. Then glancing back. “Are you a healer?” she repeated. He shook his head. Then he heaved out “you … aren’t … old, but you are old.” She cackled. “Well that is a compliment. Would you like to fix this problem for me?” Gesturing back towards the light. “I think you could probably do it… probably.” Then she stared directly into his soul. “Creepy” he thought.

From somewhere behind his eyes he could feel that she wasn’t going to wait for a response. The lantern split into 4 and floated into a diamond shape around him, a thick chain for each now held in a clenched death grip in the woman's hands.  As she turned around and stared at the light, they stopped in the air all around him. “So that ice thing where did that come from? Have you always had it?” He tries to push out a response but realized she wasn’t speaking to him. She was talking to him some other way. Thoughts moved to memories of how he got his abilities instead. “Quick learner… I like that. So you don’t really know what you can do, do you boy.”  That riled him a little. He started sharing memories of when he had explored his abilities. Successes and failures. “Interesting why didn’t you use any of that at the light?” He remembered what he saw when he stepped inside. “Oh God, that’s a person. Such a foul one… well we have got to save her I suppose.” He thought about the word “Who” and she giggled. “Nice try, well you have to save her. I don’t believe you can do it just as you are since she has more in her than you do though."
"Angels and demons could be interesting. Alright here you go.” Blue fog oozed down from each of the lanterns and pulled him into the earth. He tried to yell but nothing came out still. Then darkness.

The darkness started pulling inside him, he could feel it like water streaming into his eyes and mouth.  The voice of the woman giggling echoed around him. “Don’t fight so hard boy” and he opened his eyes. She was staring at him again. “Listen very closely. There will be one goal. Place this over her neck.” A silver locket with white shimmering wings attached to a pendent at the center was slid into his hand. Then she leaned up and he felt her lips on the top of his head and a black waterfall started streaming all over his body. It felt like the ice but without the weight. “Careful you might not like what this does” she smileed and then jumps into the air and swirls into her clothing and was gone. "Creepy."

He starts hardening the ice around himself but it couldn’t get through the shadows, they were suspended plates right above the shadow. Suddenly he starts feeling a bubbling inside himself and his thoughts simplify to "chain on her neck". His body moved on its own through the pavilion.  He started moving faster than he thought could be possible and is flying across the ice toward the pillar. “Here we go.” He slowed as he got closer looking around for the figure again.  He sighed and moved into the light.

The pillar was in front of him and he rushed straight towards the brightness shielding his eyes with the darkness when a wave pushed out striking his chest just as it had before. Reacting when launched back he molded ice from his hands into the ground and pulled himself down to the ground from the force. Looking into the pillar he could see the shape of someone. “I guess I do need this shadowy thing.” He began pulling on the shadow.  Shadows started filling in all the gaps in the ice and his mind shifted him into the copilot seat and he couldn’t control his body as it dashed back and forth towards the pillar in a zigzag fashion. Like a possession, he had to focus really hard to do anything as the shadows pulled him farther towards a repeated idea. Chain, neck, chain, neck. Molten waves flew out at him but he slid to the side and moved forward faster and faster.
The pillar suddenly blipped out and became just an aura resting around a girl whose eyes were pure white light. Fire wrapped itself behind her shoulder blades in tendril wings suspended her in the air about 3 feat high. There was no emotion on her face as she pushed light out from each hand like 30 foot long swords. She began sweeping to slice him in half. The possession pulled him to the side but his mind screamed through the darkness “SWIM!” and he dove down into the snow swimming through it like water. Passing the figure from below he popped back up and let out a roar rushing toward her back. The wings propelled her forward and away from him faster than he could believe if it hadn’t been for the strange figure’s movement from earlier. “Now what…” He stopped and watched as she began creating orbs of light.  Probably fire and lava considering the luck of this day. An orb whipped out toward him, dashing backwards it obliterated the ground and melted all of the snow and ice creating a pit at least 2 people tall and equally wide right where he had been standing. The force of the small explosion whipped him end over end backwards until he got bearings and slam the ground with ice made claws. “That was cool” wondering to himself he started molding shadows and ice into orbs just like she had. The shadows start moving him again toward the angel of devastation ripe to turn him into another one of the bodies strewn about the ravine. Another orb flew toward him and the shadows pushed him to fling his orb back. As he tried to propel it the orb just sat in place only moving as he did.  The orb arrived and Norgunn had to jump straight up as a second hole below him arrived. He fell to his side as he landed about 10 feet lower than he jumped from.  A large sigh pulling himself up again.  Giving up on the orb catapult he just moved out beelining at the angel. Orbs flying all around Norgunn hopped around like a rabbit in a mecha ice suit. “This is not the best way to spend a weekday.”
An idea starts forming out of the chaos of not dying. These orbs are a lot like snowballs. Before the thought finished, his orb snatched out of the air with his claws and hurled it toward the angel. She moved to the side but a wing was hit by the orb and hissed away a third of the tendril-like wing. The figure looked back at her impaired wing and seems to flex out a wave of tendrils to recover the missing ones almost immediately.

During the moment of distraction Norgunn dove back into the snow and sped underneath her. Forming another orb he pounced out of the snow and shoved it at into other wing. Solidly connected, the orb dropped her down and put him in range to place the necklace on her. He pulled her body close to him and rake the necklace down over her head. As he did a searing pain in his chest sucked his energy as a light sword pushed through his armor, skin, heart, and out the other side of his back. The women’s eyes were turquoise. The light faded from them.  She stared at everything around her in horror.  The fire and light disappeared from her back and hands.  Norgunn's armor began sliding off of his body and he sagged down. She grabbed at him and held him up frantically trying to look in his eyes and not let him close them.  She looked around for something, someone, anything to not let his light disappear.
The figure stares down again from the ledge frowning at the two of them. “You never were much fun Magdril.” A red hole with metallic flecks appeared below him and he dropped off the cliff through it. The woman in cloth slowly shuffled toward the pair. Carrying her unseen load on her back, lantern and chain. “Silly boy, Jajonshim almost killed you.” she muttered as she lumbers closer. She takes the final step and looks directly into the girls eyes. Placing her finger on the necklace she slid one of the wings off. It fluttered away but she snatched it and places it in the hole in the boys chest. It shot out connections  in the hole and the skin reformed snow white. “Meet your husband Addi.” His heart beat and reformed as Magdril pulled him back to his feet. “A little young still but you two are a wonderful pair.” She cackled and starts dragging the two of them back to the pavilion. "She only moves quickly when she's laughing" Norgunn thought as he also wondered if his shipment was still doing okay on its own.