You meet your foe

The journey was a largely uneventful two days. Under Alice's careful guidance, the only setback was someone tripping on some tree roots and twisting their ankle. During this time, you spent any spare time you had meditating and channeling your magic. The biggest priority was accessing your inventory. All capable sorcerers back in your day could create their own pocket dimensions to store items of value, and you were no exception. Yours mostly contained weapons you collected throughout the years, but it takes tremendous effort to open, and you needed all the practice you could get. The group arrived at the end of the second day, camping at the edge of the forest, careful not to make too much noise. At the destination was a massive cave entrance, just as was shown to you in those memories. Conveniently, you know exactly when their guard shift changes occur and the fact that the cave is merely a camouflage for the temple inside. The only thing you don't know is where the artifact and the leader are. A quick scan of mana signatures within the area shows you an estimated thirty or so of the regular sorcerers, and a far bigger signature likely representing the artifact, kept deep within. You're a little concerned that you can't detect the leader, but there's nothing you can do about it for now

Finished with your preliminary check, you head back to meet up with the rest. At the forefront, two people welcome your return. Alice, obviously, but also a tall, thin man named Merk, who was apparently the smartest man in the village, possessing the ability to read more than just a few words. As such, he was unofficially the leader of the village Protectors. The two wait patiently for you to give the orders, yet you can sense a certain unease in the air, which you understand. They're peasants, not soldiers, and the passion for **** can only take one so far before the reality of the situation sets in.

"We strike in an hour, tell the men to get themselves ready," you say confidently. It is the hallmark of a good leader to ensure that his subordinates have good morale and are confident of their victory, and confidence is infectious. Many centuries as a ruler as taught you the best practices of kingcraft, and you put them to good use here as everyone gathers around. "Behold," you say, pointing to the cave entrance, "the source of your woes and sorrows! This is where these greedy charlatans sit, pretending to be some so-called divine messengers, when in reality they're nothing more than nothing more than oppressors, taking from you what is rightfully yours!" Your voice is quiet, but strong, and you tell them exactly what they want to hear. "Now is the time, while they sleep drunk on their victories and spoils, to take back what belongs to you and avenge those who have been mercilessly slain!" The men listening shake their weapons in agreement, and you can sense their bloodlust. You reach into your pocket, lifting an ornate locket into the air, allowing everyone to see it. "With this, their foul powers are nullified. It is a powerful artifact I found through my travels, and by staying close to it, you will be entirely protected from their magic." This is technically not a lie. The locket can nullify weaker magic, which is what most of the enemies will be using, but it will most certainly be useless against someone of your caliber, but they don't need to know that. In the event there really is someone that powerful, you have another contingency plan, though you'd prefer not to use it. Your pep talk concluded, you toss the locket to Alice, who barely catches in surprise. "Hold onto it and stick with together with everyone, I'm counting on you."

"What? But what about you?" Alice asks, though she's learned by now that there's usually a method to your madness. Usually. "Will you be fine?"

You tap your armor in response. "I'll be perfectly fine. In fact, I'll lead from the front, since I know the paths to take." You don't say that the real reason for giving the locket to her is so she'll stay near the back, surrounded by more capable melee fighters. You doubt she would be happy to hear that, but the reality is that the risk of someone becoming collateral damage in a true magic duel is simply too high. As much as you hate to admit it, you'd rather not see her get shredded by an errant blade of wind.

With the sun about to rise and the guard shift imminent, you pull out your blade and lead the charge towards the cave.

The next hour was a total blur to Alice. Charging forth with these men whom she knew all her life to be peaceful people, it was not quite the twist she saw her life making. But even as she clutched the locket that Crow so casually tossed to her, she knew that there would be no turning back. After today, everything would change, and there was no possibility of returning to her old life after this. Despite all that, she felt more free than ever. This would mark her first true adventure, just like all those books she read about and heard tales of all her life growing up. She vowed to herself that after this, she would go and pursue her dreams of traveling the world, and leave a tale to inspire others who would follow in similar footsteps. The thought of defeat never even entered her head as she ran headlong into battle, because she instinctively knew that Crow at their side, they could never lose.

Their little army was spotted almost immediately after they ran out of the forest, but true to his world, all forms of magic those masked bastards threw fizzed and dissolved when it got close. With their only advantage nullified, the few sentries were quickly overwhelmed and trampled. Alice never even got the chance to fire a single arrow before they were ran down. The few lucky survivors were de-masked and restrained, and without their aura of mystique, it becomes evident that their mortal just like everyone else. Of course, they'd all seen Crow dispatch the three Messengers, but to do it themselves bolstered their confidence dramatically, and with Crow taking point, everyone rushed inside the cave, their spirits renewed and reinvigorated.

The interior was quite different than what the exterior would suggest. Alice has assumed they would be heading into a dimly lit dungeon of sorts, but the inside was actually quite cozy and well furnished. Along the walls hang a banner she's never heard of in any story, and there are even statues lining the entrance way. Stained glass lined the roof, which should've been entirely stone. How they managed to do that was quite unthinkable. It seemed more like the inside of a chapel than a cave. The caverns above were shaped to form a triangular dome in such a way that it was impossible it wasn't done intentionally, though Alice has never heard of a craftsmen capable of shaping stone like that. Curiously, Crow takes a moment to examine the statues, and seems to recognize them. That certainly wouldn't surprise her, given how worldly he is. Though she does wonder, why did he seem to be laughing?

No doubt about it. This statue is certainly a very...optimistic...depiction of Jervaya's features, though it seemed even the best sculptors couldn't make him handsome. While he definitely isn't the only person you know vain enough to have statues of himself, he most definitely is the only person vain enough to have said statues placed at the entrance of an entire temple dedicated to worshipping himself. To make matters worse, the design of the interior is just a complete ripoff of the Chapel of the Saint of Blades which you built long ago, right down to the decorative sabers on the walls. Stealing your artifacts is one thing, but stealing your architectural designs? Unforgivable. Even if he was dead, you'd revive him just to kill him again.

You've been keeping a careful eye out for abnormal amounts of mana gathering, though so far there's been nothing out of the ordinary. Most of the common cultists could be easily dispatched by the villagers as they flooded in like mice to defend their base, and anyone that seemed to possess more power than the rest were dealt with personally by you. Within the hour, it had seemed like most of the cultists had either been dispatched or fled, and everyone could finally take a breather. Most of the villagers were marveling at their success, patting each on the backs for a job well done. Poor Merk was trying his best to keep everyone alert and ready, but it was clear they still lacked discipline. Alice, ever resourceful, was running around collecting arrows that she could still use, while some particularly vengeful villagers were kicking any surviving cultist prisoners. Everything had gone perfectly according to plan, which is why you weren't surprised in the least when a massive bolt of energy capable of downing a dragon slammed into you. All plans go awry, no exceptions.

Before the bolt landed, you quickly created an arcane barrier to cushion the damage. That, combined with your armor, meant that damage to you was kept to a minimum. Of course, had that hit anyone else, there wouldn't be enough of them left to fit inside a coffin. You narrow your eyes, looking in the direction of your assailant. Appearing in center of the chapel from his teleportation, as ugly as sin, was your second most disliked person ever, your old subordinate Jervaya.

It was immediately obvious to Alice that this new adversary was extremely dangerous, and it wasn't just because he appeared out of nowhere. Her years of experience hunting in the forest had honed her instincts, and they screamed out to her now, telling her to forget everything and flee. She could feel her heartbeat increasing rapidly, and her grip on her bow felt sweaty. It may have only been one man, but it felt like an army. Judging from the looks of those around her, she knew she wasn't the only one. There seemed to be an aura of fear just oozing from him, and she felt a certain sense of pride at the fact that no one has tucked tail and ran yet.

"Well well well, to think I'd have the great honor of seeing you again, my lordship," the man said, sarcasm dripping from his words. Your lordship? Who was he speaking to, Alice thought to herself. Crow? Turning to look at him, she felt that he somehow looked...different. Not physically, but his entire attitude and stance has changed. Previously, though he was the first into battle, he never looked remotely fazed by anything. But now, his face took on a seriousness that she had never seen before.

"I've made many mistakes in my life, but not burying you counts among the greatest," Crow said, stepping forward to meet his new enemy. Alice wanted to run forward as well, to stand by Crow side, and most of all to stick an arrow in this smug bastard's eye for all that he's done to her village and likely many others, but her feet were rooted to the ground by her own fear. Her heart was a battle of contradictions, with her instincts in turmoil against her spirit. Before she could do anything, Crow continued: "As much as I despise you, I'm glad I saw you again Jervaya. I was beginning to feel that this world has changed too much after a thousand years, but after seeing you, I've come to realize that some things never change. It's comforting, really." At this point, Alice has completely lost her grip on this conversation. She understood every individual word being uttered, but the sentences were absolutely non-sensical. A thousand years of change? What?

"Nothing has changed," Jervaya said with a smirk, "history repeats itself. Unlike you, I was around to witness all these years go by. Every century, like clockwork, there's always a new fool who thinks themselves greater than the Gods, only to be bested by their champion, time and time again. Unlike those foolish upstarts, I decided to lay low, pursue my own peace, and carve out a small chunk of this world for myself, far away from attention. And you know what? I outlasted them all! I've long since surpassed you, you relic of a time long past! So if you intend to disturb my peace..." Suddenly, the entire cavern started trembling violently, as though the entire thing is going to collapse. The stained glass above shattered, raining down shards, and chunks of the decorative white ceiling tiles soon followed. There was widespread panic amongst everyone, but before Alice could try and get everyone organized for an escape, she saw a blue glow emanating from chest, and soon the glow expended until it swallowed everything in her vision.

When the light faded, Alice found herself on her hands and knees, struggling to contain her nausea. All around, groans could be heard from the villagers no doubt in a similar predicament. She laid down on her back to try and ease the discomfort, and when the world finally stopped spinning around her, she realized she could see the dawn sky burning orange. Wait, the sky? Wasn't she in the cave? She sit up quickly, and immediately regretted that decision as she was almost immediately assailed by nausea again. Shouts and voices could be heard, but she could hardly focus on them. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on her breathing. In, out, in, out. Finally ready to get up, she opened her eyes again, and this time fully took in the scenery around her: her village.

She had somehow returned.

It was regrettable that it was necessary. There was no explaining yourself out of that one. Even the simplest of minds could figure out how the teleportation happened when they realize that you didn't return with them, but there was no other way. Now there's no doubt they know you possess the arcane arts, and on a far grander scale than they've seen.

"Ho, now that really was unexpected," said Jervaya, standing unharmed above the rubble that was once his base. "You value them that highly? Can't say I see-" he's interrupted by a thin icicle aimed at his neck, which he attempted to melt with a wall of flame. Even through the heat, the icicle manage to make the barest of nicks on his skin before dissolving. The tiny scratch is immediately healed over, but you tell its had a big impact on his composure. His eyes narrow, his calm façade fading as he begins channeling another spell.

"You've always lacked ambition, you know?" You taunt as you dodge his telepathically thrown boulders. "Why do you think I tolerated you? You were incapable of looking at the big picture. Never able to think past your base desires like an animal. But that's okay, you'll never need to think again." With your hands, you reach into your pocket dimension inventory. It had taken you the entire trip to regain mastery over it, but now you had your personal tools at your disposal once more.

The excitement of battle washes over you, just as it always had millennia ago. This day shall mark your first victory in this new world.