[X] Ignore the butterfly, dash across the bridge.
-[X] Use timeslow on the butterfly and dash back if the fog gate stops us.
-[X] Remember to inform Oscar what we are doing, poor communication kills
Seeing the big butterfly can heal almost as rapidly as you can, seemingly without needing to burn through magic, you can't help but grumble a bit. Every time you learn more about the magic in this world, you realise it's more and more convenient than anything you got from your Magical Girl contract.
With this in mind, your willingness to deal with this stupidly oversized bug quickly drops. You look between it and the other end of the bridge, contemplating. If this was a video game, the butterfly would be the boss guarding some treasure, and you'd need to kill it before moving on. However, the only place you can see that could hide treasure is the tower at the other end of the bridge, and you see nothing stopping you from just ignoring the butterfly and running into the tower.
You glance back at the butterfly, seeing the wounds in its wings have almost completely healed, and come to a decision. You turn to Oscar and crack him a grin. "Hey, how fast can you run?"
"Run? Well, my armour slows me down somewhat, but I can still manage somewhat. Why?"
"We're making a run for the tower." You say flatly, grabbing his arm and yanking him towards the other end of the bridge. He seems surprised, but quickly starts running along with you, if only so you don't end up dragging him after you.
Behind you, you hear the subtle flaps of the butterfly taking off again, presumably having finished its flower drinking and ready to start throwing magic at you again. You eye the bridge in front of you – still half its length to cross, and Oscar slowing you down – and decide you'd rather spend some of your magic to avoid having to dodge the butterfly's attacks.
Glancing back, you focus your time-slowing magic in a cone, making sure to avoid catching Oscar in the effect. You sense your invisible magic wrap around the butterfly and see its movements slow to a crawl as time itself slows around it. When you fought that blonde with the drills, your magic was enough to let you easily dodge her bullets, so the butterfly's comparatively slower magic bolts will be a breeze.
The giant butterfly seems to realise your destination and lets out a distressed shriek, which comes out as an awkwardly drawn-out sound in the grip of your magic, like a video being played at half speed. A blue glow slowly forms in front of the butterfly's face as it angles to face the other end of the bridge. You chuckle when you see the beam shoot out towards the tower doorway. It speeds up to a pretty threatening speed once it leaves your cone of time-slow, but its actual movement relies on the butterfly itself.
You can't help but chuckle at the butterfly's attempt to stop you. It seems to only be able to shoot the beam directly in front of itself, so its slowed turning means the beam is laughably easy to avoid. Once you slip past, the butterfly lets out another shriek, this one sounding almost frustrated. You don't bother looking back to see, because a moment later you pass through the doorway and enter the tower.
The inside looks like an almost identical copy of the tower you came up to the bridge. A wide staircase spirals up the square tower, with large stone bricks scattered about the floor and steps. You cut your magic now that you're inside, and the butterfly immediately lets out another frustrated shriek. You hear the thumping wingbeats growing louder and then-
CRASH!
You and Oscar jump back from the doorway when the butterfly suddenly rams itself into the tower. Its upper body fits inside the doorway and it waves its big horns about wildly, shrieking loudly as it does so.
You share a look with Oscar and begin hurrying up the stairs. The tower doesn't provide much room to move around, and you'd rather not have to dodge magic bolts at basically point-blank range.
The number of loose bricks increases rapidly as you climb higher, and soon you find the source. The top of the tower has seemingly collapsed, leaving it completely open to the outside and with bricks scattered all over the floor. Amid the bricks are various weapons and tools in different stages of completion, as well as an anvil and stone block table.
You and Oscar both freeze when you see what else is there, squatting in the middle of the mess. Crouched down, with its head down and hands clasped in a prayer-like manner is a husky stone figure that looks almost identical to Andre.
"What on earth…?" Oscar mutters, staring dumbfoundedly at the blacksmith's husk.
You shake yourself of your own shock and step over to the figure and crouch down to investigate. "Maybe he's Andre's long lost twin or something? Hmm? What's this?"
Grasped in the blacksmith's hands are three things: A key, some kind of bone, and a stone bowl-like block with a faintly glowing flicker within. You pry them out, snapping off a few of the figure's fingers in the process, and show them to Oscar.
"You think this was the Divine Blacksmith Andre was talking about?"
Oscar shakes his head at your question and clears his throat. "Uh, well… I'm not sure. He certainly seems to be a blacksmith, and this ember; it has a somewhat… special feel to it."
"Well, we definitely aren't getting any fancy smithing from this guy any time soon." You say, poking the very solid, very not moving blacksmith. "And why was he holding some random bone?"
Oscar takes the bone and inspects it. "This is no normal bone, it's the bone of an Undead. Specifically, it's what's referred to as a Homeward Bone."
"Uh, okay…?" You say, taking it back and eyeing it yourself. "So?"
"Bonfires are fuelled by bones, remember? These Homeward Bones have been taken from a bonfire and still hold a longing to return to the flames. You can tell from the coating of ash infused into it."
Taking a closer look, you can make out areas where the pale white is stained with faint grey patches.
As you're thinking about the implications of a bone wanting to return to a bonfire, a shriek echoes out and the tower shakes with a loud crash! The butterfly, apparently having unwedged itself from the doorway, floats up into the air next to the tower.
------------------
[] Continue the fight
-[] Keep throwing stuff
-[] Write in
[] Run back down the stairs
[] Maybe you have something that can help…?
[] Write in
