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Horizon's Truth
The caramel haired mage followed his chosen path in quiet contemplation. Behind him, the hustle and bustle of the city began to change as night fell. Though some might have been afraid to wander by the seaside cliffs, past the forest, at such a time, Ilya wasn't one of them.
At his hip lay a wicked looking blade, sharp edged and shining slightly in the moonlight. The dagger was a symbol of the fact that the man was not mage alone, but warrior as well. Sometimes, kind King Solon would call upon such as he to hunt down those who threatened the royal family, but not tonight. No .. something else was calling him forth to the deserted area away from the capital city of the country. This forest was a strange place, untamed and with a will of its own sometimes. People had learned to leave it alone quite some time ago, and now it was more use to the capital city as a defense against invaders then as lumber or firewood. Rustling branches, the quick snap of a twig, announced the fact that something unknown watched the mage as he settled down by the very edge of the cliff. His dark blue eyes searched the ink black ocean for some sign of a magical creature he'd only ever read of. Sea serpents didn't venture so close to land though, and to see one Ilya would have needed to traverse the ocean upon the unsteady planks of a rocking boat. |
Liris wasn't sure where he was, his body ached all over, his weapons were long since lost to him and his companion. The creature he had trusted more completely than anyone or anything in his life had betrayed him. The back of his shoulder ached terribly, the brand only a few hours old, the mark of a traitor to the crown though Liris had only ever fought for that king. That ache though was nothing compared to the ache in his heart, such a betrayal.
He had attempted to escape his captors, had almost made it when a familiar, large body swooped down and plucked him from the ground with a large claw. The dragon's scales were white and grey, he had brought Liris to this trap. To endure days of torture, and now the dragon, who had once been Liris' friend, carried him high into the sky. Towards the ocean, the large form stood out in the growing darkness, white scales glinting in what bits of light were left in the sky. Wings beat at the air with a heavy noise and once the dragon let out a long low roar. They flew out over the cliffs, ever towards the ocean. Then the beast dropped the man he carried. The dragon circled a few times once Liris was in the water. Sharp blue eyes watching for the reemergence of the man. He was satisfied when the other didn't resurface, assuming the man had drowned and perhaps sank to the bottom, the dragon turned and went back the way it had come. Perhaps a sea serpent would eat Liris, and then the dragon was out of sight. Liris had let out a yell of surprise at being suddenly released, but quickly he inhaled a deep breath of air before splashing into the ocean. If something didn't eat him, the waves would most likely crush him against the cliff face, or into the jagged rocks that lay near the bottom of the cliff. He wriggled and thrashed about under water, trying to get to it's surface, but the current was strong and it pulled him under. He was far from the shore, far from the cliff and rocks but inevitably being carried towards them. Minutes later, the waves deposited an unconscious Liris on a narrow area of shore. Between jagged rocks and feet from the cliff side. He was lucky there were no rocks where the waves had tossed him or they surely would have shattered his bones. He coughed once, water spouting from his mouth, and then he was out again. Breathing and alive, but sore and unconscious. Though the salt water did help to clean the wounds that covered his body, it also made them ache and burn. The waves came over him, threatening to drown him on the shore or drag him back into the ocean. |
A sound upon the wind, wings beating and being uplifted by the intangible element, made the mage lift his head to the sky. Ilya frowned at the sight of a pale form moving through the night sky, carrying a burden in its powerful claws. What was this? Dragons did not usually venture so close to the city unless they had some ties to people. This truly was odd, and probably was exactly the incident which had drawn the warrior mage to the cliffs that night.
The silent observer witnessed the burden being dropped, and heard a voice yell before being cut off sharply as the waves swallowed the person from whose lips the sound had come. After a few moments, spent adjusting his leather arm braces and flowing white tunic, the mage slipped from the cliff top and made his way to a path he knew to be treacherous at the best of times. Now, with night's fall, it was even more so. A few words brought forth a ball of soft light to Ilya's shoulder. With this light for guidance, he scrambled down the path nimbly and jogged to the man's side. He had noticed the body being pushed to the beach by the waves earlier, and now that he was nearer the sight of wounds and a violently red traitor's brand made him pause. The hesitation lasted but a moment. Saving this man was the reason why Ilya had been drawn there, and so he would do exactly that. He began by pulling the misused form far from the waves and lay it down upon his own cloak, removed with one quick movement and laid out carefully upon the beach. Then the mage fumbled different jars from his belt pouch and began to spread the different ointments upon the wounds he could see carefully, and to each he added a jolt of magic to make the healing all the more effective. The brand though would never quite, no matter how much time would pass, disappear. He knew this, because he had helped to spell the rods used to create such markings himself. |
Liris remained motionless, for the most part he seemed unconscious but he was hovering in that inbetween state. Slightly aware that things were happening around him but unaware of how much time was actually passing as events unfolded. A groan did slip from his lips when he felt someone approach. Another groan as he was moved farther from the water's edge. Mumbled words slipped past those lips as well. Mostly incoherent but a few words could be made out clearly. "....Glimmer....how could..." That name, 'Glimmer' was repeated a few times until Liris fell silent.
Ointments and magic, Liris' body seemed to be rather susceptible to such things. The flesh eagerly welcoming the soothing ointments, the increased healing added by the jolt of magic. The wounds seemed to close and vanish almost instantly, but a dull ache remained, and it would for at least a day or two. That brand, it would always be there. It would always mark him as a traitor, though he had done nothing. It was a trick, to frame him for some crime, his captors had an eleborate scheme all worked out that he had mostly ruined by escaping. Or attempting to escape. Even as an injured prisoner he was far too much trouble for them. They could find another patsy easily. So his death was asked for, and perhaps now they would think he was dead. It was hours into the night, hours after he had been pulled from the water's edge and laid on the other's cloak, hours after the ointments had been applied that Liris woke. Eyes wide and he sat up violently with a gasp, hunching over with a hand over his heart. Gasping as if he couldn't quite catch his breath. The pain was immense. That betrayal left him feeling as if a large part of him had been cut off from the rest of himself. It made him feel oddly hollow, empty and it hurt so much. There were almost tears in his eyes, before there had not been time to feel this pain in his chest. His mind had been occupied with other pain, but now that other pain was just a dull ache. He was still connected with his companion, there was still a thin connection, the betrayal had not severed it completely and with a conscious effort Liris reached out to that connection and severed it completely. It filled him with such a sense of loss that he cried out, in agony and despair. Arms wrapping around himself, tears had leaked down his face, unwanted tears that could not be prevented. Though now, with the rest of that connection broken, Glimmer and the others would think him dead. Somewhere, far away, to far to be heard a dragon roared at a sudden feeling of loss in it's heart. A feeling it very quickly recovered from. Liris could not recover so easily from such a thing. For now it seemed Liris was completely unaware of the warrior mage that had tended to him. |
For a while Ilya sat beside the man he'd pulled from a watery grave. He wondered why he bore the mark of a traitor, why a dragon would so casually let someone wounded fall into the waves. Murmured words reached his ears, and most of all one name stuck out, it was the only thing which made sense. Glimmer. It sounded like the name of a dragon, it might have even been the one who had tried to kill the unconscious man.
This was all such a puzzle. Ilya sighed and moved from the man's side. With practiced movements, he slipped a thin line from one of the pouches hanging from his belt and launched it into the water after both baiting it, and tying it securely to a nearby rock. By the time Liris awoke once more, Ilya had gotten a fire going and was in the process of roasting and putting spices upon two large fish. For a few moments, the mage watched the other man's sorrow. Ilya couldn't even begin to comprehend what had wrought such a reaction from him, so he did the only thing he could think of at the time. He lifted one of the fish from it's place above the fire, holding the wood shoved through the ocean dweller carefully, and moved to crouch by the auburn haired stranger's side. "You should eat," said Ilya. It was more of a command then a request, though he'd worded it as a suggestion. |
The bright fire, the scent of cooking fish, the presence of another person were all completely lost to Liris. Until the stranger demanded his attention by crouching near him and telling him to eat. Liris had flinched and jumped, very clearly startled, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It seemed to break through that cloud of absolute loss that had surrounded him. Those eyes were wide as he now stared at the stranger, wondering at his presence before he glanced towards the fire.
Clearly the man had been near him all along. Those eyes darted up to the sky, his head tossed back some as he searched the inky blackness for a shape lingering near. He knew he wouldn't see one. He knew the dragon wouldn't be there. That gaze was brought back to the stranger, and now to the fish. Liris was famished, and he reached out to snatch the fish from the stranger's fingers. As if he thought the man was just going to tease him with the food. His grip on the wood stick was tight and in moments of snatching the fish from the stranger he had brought it to his mouth. Liris ate like a starved savage, and even if he hadn't been his table manners probably wouldn't have been much better anyway. He made very short work of the fish in probably record time, and then he noticed. The tingling across his skin as he looked down at himself, and at his arms. His wounds were gone. The ache still there, but only slight. The tingling let him know magic had been used, but that could be dangerous to Liris. Healing magic wasn't dangerous, but offensive spells could be. His skin, his body was much more sensitive to the effects of magic, more sensitive than a normal human's would be. Liris dropped the stick, where only unedible bits of fish clung to it, and turned his head trying to look, to see if that traitor's mark was there. He knew it would be, he could still feel it, and he knew without a doubt the other had seen it. He would have had to have seen it, it would be impossible to have tended Liris wounds without seeing it. Those eyes went to the stranger. Wondering what this man would do to him. With such a mark, Liris could be either killed or imprisoned and no one would ever question if he truly was guilty or not. That mark was all the proof anyone would need in this country of his guilt, though he had done nothing. That ache and sense of loss in his heart, Liris wished it would go away. Though only time could heal such a wound as that. |
He watched, somewhat bemused, as the fish he'd offered was snatched up and devoured. The man had truly been mistreated to be so wary and watchful of such an innocent offer. Ilya worried at his lower lip with his teeth, nibbling as he thought in an old habit of his. A traitor? This man would have been killed in a far more official manner if he was. Though kind, the king did like to make a point when such people were discovered among his people.
Wary eyes turned his way, and the mage forced himself to relax. "Tell me, why would someone try to kill you? I know that mark, as anyone would, but I also have the benefit of having seen how the king deals with true traitors, and this ... sorry attempt on your life is not it." Ilya shifted, crossing his legs beneath him. He lifted a nearby branch from the beach and slipped his dagger from his belt. With a look of intense concentration, the mage began to carve the bark away from the wood, and scratch elegant swirls into the piece. Perhaps this innocent looking little branch could make quite the formidable wand, if he went about his design right. |
Liris was silent when the other asked his question, thinking. He wasn't sure, he didn't even know where he had been held. Somewhere that was far away, but only short distance on the wings of a dragon. His lips parted, words about to spill out, when the other pulled his dagger free. Liris moved back the slightest bit, eyeing the blade warily and longingly. Half tempted to snatch it from the stranger and use it to cut his own heart out, if only to end that pain in it. Though it seemed the stranger was only interested in whittling wood and not Liris' flesh.
"I am Liris Stormborn," That was how he would start, with his name. It was a name most recognized. He was a warrior for hire, a mercenary, though what most knew about him was the fact that he traveled with a dragon, the two were never far from each other, and the rumors that he wasn't even human. Something bad was coming over horizon, but he couldn't be sure when it would come. "I don't care if you believe me to be a traitor or not. Whoever my captors were, had plans, but my near successful escape attempt convinced them their plans would work better if I were dead and they had a less willful patsy." Those eyes rose to the sky once again. "More importantly, the dragons are gathering, willfully, at the Grey Tower, deep in the valley of the Black Mountains." It was something he had heard from his captors, and something he had seen first hand. Glimmer had been one of the first. Though the Grey Tower was just a myth, it wasn't supposed to really exist. Liris had seen it, but the route to it. He couldn't recall it clearly at all. The Black Mountains were treacherous, filled with horrid beasts of every kind. It was impossible to climb to the top of those mountains, and even more impossible to find the valley in which the Grey Tower allegedly stood. Liris hardly expected this stranger to believe his words, especially those referring to the Grey Tower. It was simply a thing that only existed in stories. Terrible legends, stories of darkness and destruction. "Hearts that are connected to dragons will be shattered, such pain and loss would destroy most humans." Though how many humans were connected to dragons? Liris wasn't sure, but he didn't think there were very many left that could connect so completely with a dragon. "My captors are somehow involved with the Grey Tower." Liris wouldn't be surprised if the stranger didn't believe him, or if the man thought he was delusional from his near death experience. |
Liris Stormborn? The Liris Stormborn? He paused in his whittling and looked at the other man measuringly, silently testing the words with a spell measuring that measured the truth of things. He mulled over the information, and the knowledge that Liris believed in his words, utterly and completely.
He had heard of the mercenary, and even caught glimpses of him. Ilya had even thought of him as beautiful, so sure of himself and always with that large grey white dragon. The same dragon, realized the mage, who had let the human drop from his grasp to a near death in the ocean. Suddenly the sounds of grief, of loss, of sorrow, from mere moments before made complete sense. Such a betrayal would have caused the bond between the pair to break completely. Life had turned sour for the other man, and Ilya couldn't help but be sorry for that fact. "Mages of my order are taught that the Grey Tower is fact, a place made into myth for the masses to try and prevent something exactly like this from taking place." He paused for a moment, and offered a bow to the mercenary he had saved, awkward though it was considering his seated position. "My name is Ilya, of the Moonblade, and I belong to the order of the Lunarites. We are warrior mages, guided by the moon goddess to protect these earthly planes and now I pledge myself to ridding the world of this threat, and to do so I will need your aid." Another break in his speech, so he could let his eyes roam over the mistreated man. He couldn't ask him to accompany him, to return to the place in which he'd suffered so much. The chances of that being the tower only crossed his mind briefly. It could have been anywhere, even so it was the only lead Ilya had. "Once you are ready, I will bring you to my home ... if you wish, where you could show me the routes you can remember traveling over. I have many maps of this realm, and others, you can use to show me the way to follow." He would need to alert the others of his ilk of this threat, as absurd as it might have sounded. Surely at least some of them would believe, so they could band together and stop the destruction of hearts, and a way of life. |
It didn't make sense to him why the dragons would gather, why any of them, especially Glimmer, would betray those they were connected to. He also didn't really understand what plan his captors had wanted to use him for. Maybe to somehow use him to distract the kingdom from the growing threat? That didn't make sense though, no one knew the Grey Tower was real, no one was anticipating a threat of any kind.
He shook his head slightly, his eyes on Ilya. A mage, that he had guessed already but he had not even begun to guess the order. There was so many to keep track of. Relief had flooded Liris when the other admitted that the Grey Tower was fact, he hadn't realized how much he wanted this other to believe his words, until the man had confirmed the Grey Tower was real. Perhaps it was just relief at knowing he wasn't delusional from his near death experience. "My aid? I will do my best, but I am nothing without my Glimmer." It hurt to say that name aloud, and he turned his gaze towards the fire. "I can't even remember the route we took. There's some kind of magic surrounding the place, and the Black Mountains are steeped with it." He was lucky such magic hadn't wiped his entire memory out, only the location, the routes to it. Though it made sense, it was a spell that surrounded the place, not a spell that had been used directly on him. Still the effect was a bit stronger with him than it should have been. Once he was ready? "I am ready.." Liris stood, quickly, and just as quickly he ended up on the ground again. Landing on his butt with a slight noise. He didn't yet have the strength, and there was no dragon to borrow the strength from. Liris was frowning deeply, and his gaze had turned toward Ilya's dagger with that almost longing look. That pain, no one could truly understand it if they hadn't gone through it themselves, and it was almost more than he could stand. |
Ilya shook his head after Liris's attempt to stand. "You are nowhere near well enough to travel anywhere." He caught the man's gaze, and followed it to the dagger in his hand. The mage tucked the blade into his belt once more, and put aside the wand he'd begun to create. Liris's sorrow was almost palpable still, when once looked into his eyes. He'd heard of this, and seen the results once ... A person once bound to a dragon was never the same once that link was broken in some way, and many couldn't live on without it, that link.
That was a problem, one Ilya could only speculate about resolving. Love, perhaps, was the perfect solution, but in all the rumors he'd heard of Liris, there were none of him loving anyone more then his dragon. "So long as I need your aid, I will always stop you from taking your life." |
"Perhaps another fish and some fresh water, and I'll be able to travel." Liris wasn't sure it was true, but he would force himself to go if he had to. Wasting time like this was getting nothing done. He tried to avert his gaze quickly when Ilya caught it, but the mage had caught his lingering, longing gaze. Liris lifted a hand to his heart, his gaze half grateful and half resentful as he looked upon the mage. Grateful and resentful that the other would keep him from taking his own life.
"I am stronger than that. I will not give in, the pain will go away...eventually. Years and years but I will bare it, as I have born other pains." Though there was no other pain he could compare to this. "I am not human, the breaking of a bond, the shattering of my heart, will not destroy me so easily." Others in his predicament probably would have already tried for that dagger to end their own life, to cut out their own heart to get rid of that pain. Liris looked perfectly human, there didn't seem to be anything nonhuman about him. Perhaps he was a little stronger than most muscled men his size, more resilient to physical harm and diseases, but he was far more susceptible to magic. There was nothing obvious about him to suggest wasn't human. He didn't seem to have any magical abilities of his own. A hint of a smile seemed to tug at his lips. "I was sired by storm clouds and lightning." It was hard to tell if he was just teasing or being serious, thought that hint of a smile seemed to confirm that he was teasing. There were rumors though. Some said that Liris was the child of a storm god, others said he was a son of the sea god. There were various rumors each one listing a different god as Liris' father, but those were just rumors. Liris was nothing as spectacular as a half god. If he were, then he wouldn't be in this situation right now. He would have called upon godly powers to shatter the Grey Tower and keep the dragons from gathering. |
At the mention of more fish, Ilya moved automatically to the fire and plucked the other from the embers. He held this out as Liris confessed his origins. There were rumors about this, as there were of so many other things when it came to the mysterious mercenary. Most people found Liris quite enigmatic, all the more so for his bonding a dragon and being in the line of work he was.
Ilya caught the glimmer of a smile, and couldn't help but grin at the sight. It was heartwarming, to see, hope bringing really. Perhaps there was a chance the man would able to recover from his heart wound indeed. These thoughts filled the mage with hope as he used his water skin to pluck water from the ocean and bring it to his companion. There was a permanent spell upon the stopper of the bottle to purify all the water that filled the pouch, a very useful thing when one traveled. "I suppose that's why you are Stormborn. It's rather fitting." He refused to speak of the dragon, to ask questions about Glimmer's betrayal, though Ilya desperately wanted to know what had happened. There was a chance that the dragon's breaking away from Liris held essential clues to stopping such things from happening to others, or at least delaying it. |
This time when the fish was offered to Liris, he took it gratefully. Still he ate like a savage with no table manners, but that was just the way of the mercenary. He visited towns often, looking for work, but he preferred the forests, the mountains, the deserts, the plains and most of all the skies. In those places, one never needed proper table manners, so he never had much practice at using them. The fish was devoured before Ilya returned with the water.
Liris had seen him fill it with sea water, so when he took it, first Liris brought it to his nose to sniff at the contents. They smelled fresh and clean. Magic. He wasn't surprised and it seemed a useful enchantment. He brought it to his lips and drank deeply, stopping long enough to breath, then he resumed drinking. He drained the skin of it's water and handed it back to Ilya. "The commonfolk call me by other titles I'm sure." There was almost a laugh in that voice. He knew some of the names others referred to him by, they were all impressive but not very fitting and most were just exaggerations. Quite honestly, Liris wasn't even sure why his name was so well known or incited so many rumors. Perhaps it was because of that one time when he and Glimmer had destroyed a hydra near one of the coastal towns. Rumors and news did seem to spread like wildfire when those kinds of events happened. The memory brought forth so a sharp pang in his heart that he gasped lightly. He tried to cover it quickly. He was not weak, he couldn't afford to be so distracted by the pain, but it really was hard to ignore. "Glimmer.." The name slipped past his lips, pain and longing in that voice and he shook his head. It didn't make sense at all. Looking at Ilya, Liris could almost tell what the other was thinking behind those eyes. Liris forced himself to his feet. "We should move now." He wasn't ready to travel, but he would do it anyway. He was strong and they couldn't waste time, Ilya wanted to know more about Glimmer, about the betrayal, but those were things Liris wanted to know as well. Perhaps he could tell some of what had happened as they traveled, maybe. He wasn't sure he could bring himself to mention the dragon too much. The wound of his heart was still too fresh. |
Ilya found himself chuckling at the mention of titles. They did tend to be over exaggerated, and tales sung of the people who'd earned them were even more so. Bards tended to do that, their business being the telling of tales, they tended to embellish them a bit as well. The mage was rather glad no one sang of him. He preferred anonymity to recognition. It made life so much easier.
A frown bloomed across the mage's aristocratic features at the mention of the dragon, though he made it seem like worry for the other man's health and nothing more ... Or so he tried. Walking would probably do Liris some good, he supposed, and he was right there to help if anything went wrong. "I suppose you're right, best to be off." With a sigh the mage pushed himself from the ground. Absentmindedly he grabbed his cloak from the ground and shook the sand from it. Then, he wrapped it around the other man. "Wear this. We can't let anyone see that mark. They would jump to all the wrong conclusions, and our quest would end before it has even begun." Ilya waited a few moments, unsure of how his actions might be taken. It didn't matter really ... Shaking his head, he moved to the beginning of the path after shoving sand over the fire, both to snuff it out and hide its presence. .By his shoulder, the globe of pale light he'd summoned before hung once more. |
When Ilya placed the cloak around his shoulders, something seemed to click. Perhaps there was a very simple reason for them branding him as a traitor, also the events surrounding his escape seemed slightly suspicious. Liris was frowning deeply, and Glimmer had dropped him in the sea, instead of outright killing him. "They wanted me to escape." The words were spoken with sudden realization. "No one would ask me questions, no one would believe anything I said. I would be executed as a traitor, but why do all that, when they could have killed me themselves?" It didn't make sense.
Liris grabbed the edges of that cloak and pulled them tighter around his body. It was better to think about these things, even if they didn't make sense, far better to think about them than to concentrate on the pain in his heart. He followed the mage to the beginning of the path. Though Liris supposed it didn't matter what plans his captors had, so long as they were stopped in the first place. But what about the dragons..why were they acting so strange? Liris shoved that thought away, perhaps stopping his captors would stop the dragons, right now though Liris didn't want to think about dragons at all. |
Ilya mulled over that as they began walking up the path. The mage walked behind the other man, because he feared Liris might falter and he wanted to be able to stop the other man from falling off the edge with a quick spell, or a steadying hand. "That is probably precisely what they wanted, to cause people to disbelieve in your words. Later on when rumors about their activities begin to surface, after dismissing your claims so quickly, no one would want to say anything, or do anything, about the whispers they might hear." It was a simple, and yet, quite intelligent ploy.
That still did nothing to explain the way dragons had begun to gather at the tower. It was ominous, a precursor to something akin to the war which had once nearly torn the world asunder. Dragons and the other races had not always been so kind to each other as they were presently, and a return to such a state of affairs could only mean the worst for everyone involved, especially those heart-bonded to the majestic lords and ladies of the skies. |
Liris maneuvered up the path with some difficulty, occasionally he looked as if he were going to slip and take tumble over the edge. Always he caught himself though, somehow managing to keep his feet. He felt foolish, at Ilya's simple explanation, it did make sense and it was simple. He felt foolish for not realizing that sooner. Then again, why should he, he was known for his fighting prowess not intelligence. Still, Liris liked to imagine he had a modicum of intelligence somewhere in that mind of his. "That makes sense..I should've thought of that." The words were spoken softly.
The mercenary might not admit it but he was grateful for that occasional steady hand from Ilya whenever he faltered. Normally a path like this wouldn't be so troublesome for him, but the situation was different, he was exhausted. Still a bit hungry, and his body, though healed, still held a bit of soreness from where his wounds had been. A dull, throbbing ache in the back of his shoulder as well. Although those pains were nothing, it was the pain in his heart that truly made moving so difficult. Liris licked his lips and glanced over his shoulder at Ilya. "We were flying to Issinia. A job, some lord in that country wanted my expertise for something or other. We never made it that far, not even halfway before...Glimmer...turned towards the Black Mountains. The very moment he turned towards that cursed place, our bond began to fray. He was slowly unraveling it, as if I wouldn't notice if he did it slowly." A hand went to his heart. The ache had intensified, but he kept moving up the path and with his story. "He said we were through, our life together meant nothing, because he had just been waiting. Biding his time up until now, and I had proved great entertainment all of these years. He thanked me." A bitter laugh left those lips. "Thanked me for being so entertaining, thanked me for keeping him from suffering from boredom all of these years." They were nearly at the end of the path, and Liris stumbled, falling to his knees. "We were bonded when we were yet babes. Our whole lives we'd been together. Our tears, our triumphs, all of that meant nothing to him. It meant everything to me." Liris couldn't find the strength of his own to stand. "We flew over the Grey Tower, dragons were swarming in from all directions. Then he handed me over to the ones that held me prisoner." He struggled to his feet. "Our bond remained, by a sliver. It remained because of my hope, and I shared with Glimmer all the pain and torture that I endured at their hands through it. His response, was nothing but cruel laughter..as if..he didn't care at all. As if he took great pleasure in what was happening." Gods it hurt so badly. "I was the one, that finished severing our bond. I broke that last strand." He sounded angry now, angry at himself, angry at his dragon. "I hope it hurt him as much, if not more, than it hurt me when I did that." Though Liris was far more angry at himself for wishing such unbearable pain on the dragon, but dragons were more adept at living through a broken bond than their non-dragon counterparts. Usually. Still, there was still hope in Liris that all would be well, that Glimmer was just playing some part to get in the middle of all that was happening so he could stop it. Liris doubted it so much, but he couldn't let go of some of that hope. |
They had spent a lifetime together and yet the bond had been so easy for the dragon to break? It made no sense at all. Somehow, Ilya hoped there was another explanation for the betrayal. Perhaps the answer lay in the tower, in the mountain, itself. The Black Mountain twisted creatures, swaying them into something completely other then what they had once been. Perhaps there was even something about the stone, the earth itself?
"How far were you from the mountain when Glimmer turned? I know this is difficult for you Liris, but any detail might hold the key to solving this puzzle." The mage knelt and extended his hand, but stopped before his palm made contact with the mercenary's shoulder. "There are spells to muffle heart pains, many of them. Perhaps I could cast one upon you, if you allowed it." Pain so great that it brought a man to his knees ... Ilya had never experienced it, and he never wanted to after witnessing Liris's loss. |
Liris reached out and grabbed that hand, his grip was strong, though perhaps not quite as strong as it normally would have been. "I'm not sure, we always flew close to those mountains. Inviting danger. Inviting the air creatures above it to attack us." A fond memory seemed to come to mind, though not so fond now. Now it was just full of pain and Liris shook his head. "I tried to map the area once, but every time we flew near, I could never remember all the details. I don't think I could find the Grey Tower again." He kept his fingers around Ilya's hand, drawing strength from the physical contact. Liris stood suddenly, and pulled the mage up with, with a little bit of effort.
"...Glimmer...said all dragons were born waiting. Waiting for whatever is going to happen, and now it was time for them to gather." There was such a deep frown on his face, and that pain he couldn't hide. He shook his head almost violently at the mention of spells. "No magic..not like that. I'm far to susceptible to the effects of magic, a spell like that could possibly numb all feeling in my heart, instead of just muffling pain." His grip on that hand had tightened slightly, perhaps in fear. Though no fear showed on Liris face. "I will endure..and I will survive and I'll be all the stronger for it." Though the fact that magic had such strong effects on him probably should have been mentioned earlier to a mage. |
A spell to befudle the mind then. Someone had planned this, whatever this was, very well indeed. If only there was a way to find that mountain and the tower hidden upon it! Ilya could think of only one way to do that, and the only companion who could help him was too wounded to undertake such a journey so soon. He concentrated on these thoughts, instead of the warm hand wrapped around his.
The contact was so unexpected, so unusual ... And from someone he had once admired from afar as a legend in the making. "Ah, very well then Liris. I do think we should return to my home as quickly as possible. A warm bed and a good wash will probably do you more good then magic could anyway." Magic, he was that susceptible to it? He shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if he'd used spells different then those he'd cast upon the ointment. Ilya hated to think he could have harmed the already hurting man even more. Firmly taking the lead, Ilya began walking towards the city. He did his best to match Liris's pace, so as not to walk too quickly for the man. It was a fair walk, but at least the road was well kept and easy to follow even with only the stars as light. He had abandoned the bobbing light the moment they had reached safer footing then that of the cliff side path to conserve energy. |
A warm bed, a warm bath, those things did sound good to him. Though they were hardly at the top of his list of important items. "Weapons. I need weapons. A strong, heavy sword. A crossbow, horses..and new clothing." He glanced down at himself. His pants were ragged and torn all the way to the knees and his boots seemed to just be barely holding together. He let the mage take the lead, following him. Liris did his best to set a steady, quick pace but he frowned up at the sky. There would be no weapons gotten tonight, all the shops would be closed at this late hour. So warm bath and bed suddenly made it to the top of his list.
He wasn't sure when he had let of of Ilya's hand, though it didn't seem to matter to much, he pulled the mage's cloak tighter about himself. Liris had fallen into a contemplative silence as they moved towards the city. His body tensing slightly, people shouldn't really be out in the streets at this time of night, but there was always eyes looking out from somewhere in a city. If they saw that mark on him, it would do nothing but hinder their quest. Again he pulled that cloak tighter about him, making sure it hid as much of him as it could. |
When they arrived at the city gates, the mage lifted an emblem which shone once in the moonlit night. He announced his name, and that he was a citizen. It took a few moments, but one of the guards opened a side door and ushered the pair inside. They didn't pay too much attention to Liris. The man was with a mage of some good repute, surely he could pose no threat.
Ilya was grateful for their lenience, though it made him worry that things were not as it should be. Shaking his head, he kept silent about what he wanted to say. The lack of words lasted only until they reached the mage's home. It was a small house, a little rickety, cramped between two others much like itself. Even so, there was some room in the back for a garden, and enough privacy for a mage to do his work. He smiled a little at the familiar sight of the sign announcing who he was, his order and his mage's rank. "We can take care of those things tomorrow. Now you must rest." He only spoke once they were inside. "Follow me. I'll have a bath ready for you in but a few moments. There are some advantages to being a mage." Ilya chuckled softly as he clambered up the stairs of his home and moved to the bathroom. Once inside he turned a toggle about and watched as water filled the tub. He warmed it with magic for his guest, taking some heat from the from other places in the area. |
Liris remained silent as they were let into the city, his head lowered slightly. He didn't want to be recognized, not while he was in this state. Perhaps once he was cleaned up and looking like the proper warrior he was, then he could show his face. He followed Ilya to the home, it seemed small. Though even large houses seemed to small to Liris, when he was used to living under the open sky. No home could ever be as large as nature itself. He nodded slightly when Ilya did finally speak, and he followed the other to the bathroom. Once there, he pulled the cloak from his shoulders and folded it neatly. He set it down out of the way and with care. Care he didn't show his own belongings.
Liris pulled his boots off and tossed them haphazardly out of his way, next to follow were his pants. He was not shy in the least, nor did he have anything to be particularly shy about. He was a well muscled man, from head to toe. Nor did he think the mage might be embarrassed by his sudden disrobing. They were both men after all, so what should there be for either of them to be embarrassed by? He stepped closer to the tub and stuck his finger in the water, it was warm. "Can you make it hotter?" He wanted hot water. Almost scalding hot would be best, but he didn't think Ilya would make it that hot for him, and he didn't ask. Only requested it be hotter. |
The thunking sound of something hitting the floor made Ilya look up just in time to catch a glimpse of the mercenary casually undressing himself. The mage's dark eyes widened, his mouth fell open slightly at the sight. It was hard to make any kind of coherent sentence leave his lips as he admired the other man's attractive physique. He hadn't noticed just how attractive when earlier, but now he couldn't fail to notice, or fail to make a fool of himself.
"O-of course!" Ilya took a deep breath and averted his flaming red face from Liris's direction in favor of staring at the water instead. He put a hand into the still surface, supporting his weight on the edge of the tub with the other. As he made the temperature rise, his hand slipped and all of a sudden the mage found himself half in the very hot tub and flailing to try and find some way out of his embarrassing predicament, quickly. |
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