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Searching for a fable [Cherryflare!] [M]

Started by Medievarad, August 08, 2016, 10:57:27 AM

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Medievarad


@CherryFlare
M for I'm the Heretic King - Rather be safe than sorry. Probably blood and gore to start off with.
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Reginald rested his hands on the pommel of his longsword. He glanced up at the Adelan sky, it was late noon and he was told to meet another character here.

He breathed softly as he adjusted the straps of his backpack. A mission had come in. A quest to search some kind of artifact deep in the Draconi forest, somewhere inside the ruins. He was told he'd be partnering up with a dragonrider, yet he didn't recieve any further information.

As for the artifact? No information to be had. They were kept in the dark. He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance and sighed softly. He didn't like this, but he as a young knight was in no position to argue or decline such a mission.

He lowered his hand to the pommel of his sword again, waiting.

CherryFlare

Imai tucked a strand of curly golden locks behind one ear as she bent down to pick up her pack. She then turned and handed it somewhat not so daintily to a dark-haired boy that looked only slightly older than her own 15 years.

"Why are we even here in this deadbeat town in the middle of nowhere?" complained her companion as he swung the large pack unto his back without a single sweat of effort. "Why can't we go somewhere more... lively?... populated?... interesting? I hear Arca is quite the tourist spot this year. Just say the word and we could be there in just a few wing flaps." he said with a self-assured grin at her.

"You're welcome to go there by yourself, Cor, as long as you remember to put down my pack before you fly off." she said half dismissingly, hastening her pace up the beaten path towards an old windmill. Imai didn't really want him to go. Afterall, she was not a dragonrider without her dragon-- even if he was just a dragon shifter-- and the very purpose of her being there in that middle-of-nowhere town was to meet up with a senior officer who was assigned to be her mentor-- part of her dragonrider training.

Imai was already a good few meters away yet she could still feel nothing but thin air between herself and where she had left Cor. This worried her a bit but she stifled the urge to look back. After a few more seconds of sheer stubbornness, she finally heard her partner's footsteps behind her. Now she turned her head and smiled. "This mission will turn out to be fun, I promise." she beamed.

"If you mean more marching and commands, sure. If that's what fun means to you now." he sulkily replied but trudged on to her side anyways.

***

It took them quite a while to reach the windmill. It was farther than Imai thought so she was quite out of breath by the time she was near enough to notice a golden-haired man standing near the mill, one hand on the pommel of the sword on his side. She elbowed Cor; to which he protested at the sudden assault on his soft side.

"Watch it! Human flesh is quite tender you know!" he protested.

Imai rolled her eyes at that. "As if humanity is a foreign concept to me..." she thought to herself. "Straighten up, Cor. That guy with the sword just ahead... he's probably my mentor." she scolded him.

One hand flew to his heart and his mouth fell open in mock indignation. "But I'm all charm and you know that."

Imai ignored him, rolled her eyes, and walked on. She dusted her clothes a bit and fumbled with her hair to see to it that everything was in order before her senior officer can notice their presence. Finally satisfied that she had done what she could with her appearance given the circumstances, she turned to check that Cor was right behind her (which he was), and hailed up a hand and called out. "Sir!" she jogged closer and saluted. "Imai Arran, dragonrider recruit. Ser Athlestan, I was sent to report to you, sir." she eagerly said with a nod. "and this, " gesturing to Cor, "Is Corianth. He is a dragonshifter. He is my dragon."

Medievarad

Reginald turned around as he heard a title being called, two people, children by the looks of it, walking up to him. One with long blond hairs, brilliant green eyes, looking quite excited. And a character with raven hairs and sharp facial features, who seemed less happy.

"Ah," Reginald answered, accompanied by a soft nod. "A pleasure to meet you, Arran, Corianth. I'd make introductions but it seems like you two already have heard of me." The man smiled gently, hands still resting on the pommel. "It seems we'll be working together for the next weeks," he answered as he stepped forward, extending one of his hands to offer a handshake to Imai, then to Corianth.

"And, my apologies if I sound rude," he started. "But, you seem awfully young to be a dragonrider," he gave another smile. "So, you're most likely a child prodigy, which is admirable," he concluded. It was true, she was young and all child prodigies missed one vital thing. The experience of battle. Yet Reginald was more than sure the ensuing weeks would arrange more than enough experience for the young dragonrider.

CherryFlare

"ch-child prodigy!" Imai stammared. "Oh no! I'm nothing of the sort!" she vehemently denied, shaking her head and both her hands in-case words were not enough of a denial. "It is true though that most of my age are but hatchlings in the training ground however I have to admit that my pact with my dragon..." at this she glanced at Cor with a somewhat endearing look. "... is somewhat unconventional with him being firstly a shifter and secondly... err... not a hatchling." she twiddled her thumbs a bit at that. " I am no prodigy but what I lack in talent and inexperience, I assure you, I'll make up with heart." a determined look glazed her eyes. "I will work hard sir. I look forward to working with you."

At this exchange, Corianth yawned only half-glancing at the knight. He didn't like the insinuation that he and his partner were mere children. If it were just him taking on that insult, the issuer would be faced with a face full of flame. However, Imai didn't seem to take too much offense so he just let it go and focused instead on the man and the relevance of his presence to his life.

Medievarad

"Oh?" Reginald shook his head. "My apologies, Arran. I didn't mean to offend," he nodded slowly. "You and Corianth were both issued to this mission alongside me. The officials wouldn't send you if they didn't believe in your capabilities," a soft smile followed his words. "So, it isn't my place to say such things. Once again, my apologies."

Reginald nodded. "I do not doubt you will. And I look forward to the same, Arran, Corianth."

CherryFlare

"Sir" Imai began. "If you could, perhaps you could brief us on our mission since hq simply told us to meet you here."

Medievarad

"Oh," Reginal actually looked surprised at that, before shaking his head. "I didn't realise," he answered.

"We're to recover an artifact in the Draconi forest," he snorted slowly. "It's in an old set of ruins. And that's.. Roughly about anything we have about it."

CherryFlare

"Pfft... So we're to get some old junk in some old smelly place. That's it?" Corianth imperiously said, twirling a blade of grass between his fingers as he sat on his haunches a little ways behind Imai.

"Cor!" Imai scolded but Corianth went on as if Imai had not spoken at all. He turned to his partner and implored her to reconsider in his usual snobbish way. "Arca is this way." thrusting a thumb at the direction.

Now the color in Imai's cheeks slowly flowered into nearly the color of a very ripe tomato. She stormed towards her partner and grabbed the back of his head and forcefully made him bow down towards the direction of the senior officer. "Hey!" was all Cor could say for though he was a mighty dragon, he was not of a mind to hurt Imai in anyway. Imai herself also bowed at Reginald. "Sir, please forgive my dragon's impertinence. He is young as I am and he grew up in the wild instead of in the company of his rider. If it please you, let us be off so we can have a chance to reconcile ourselves to your good graces."

Medievarad

Reginald couldn't help but chuckle softly at Corianth's initial remark, watching the following scene with a soft smirk.

He rested both his hands on the pommel of the longsword and smiled softly. "No worries, he is correct in his assumption," Reginald answered, shaking his head. "I don't like the assignment either, truth be told. We barely have any proper knowledge. But, this is what our superiors requested. So we have to comply. Am I clear, Corianth, Arran?"

CherryFlare

"Yes, sir". Imai replied with an amateur salute.

"Yeah yeah..." Cor answered with a wave of one hand, gaze not even on the man.

"So how exactly are we getting there?" Imai asked.

"We fly there, ofcourse." Cor answered as a matter of factly. "Though ofcourse we refers to you and me" gesturing to himself and Imai, totally ignoring the man.

Imai's brows furrowed in frustration.

Medievarad

Reginald smirked slightly at Imai's salute. "Straight shoulders, a deep breath and head held high. You're a soldier, you're proud to be one," he explained. "The salute itself is your compliance to your superior."

Reginald looked at Corianth, sighing slowly. "It seems you don't want to take me along, which is fine," he answered, smirking. "Though, you have no idea where to start looking."

CherryFlare

Corianth crossed his arms and thought for a moment, quirking his head to one side a little as he did so. "Damn it, he's right." he thought to himself. But he really did not want to admit his weakness to this man. No, not to him. Luckily, Imai gave him a better excuse.

"If you won't carry him, I won't ride either."

He exaggerated a sigh and turned to the man. "I'm strong enough to carry both of you but it doesn't mean I'll like it." then he walked a little ways of all the while muttering, "Why does a dragonrider have to be subordinate to a guy with no dragon?".

Imai hoped Reginald did not hear that.

Cor gave it a running start, leapt into the air and exploded into his full draconic magnificence.

Medievarad

Reginald wasn't too offended by any of Corianth's words. However, the instant Corianth made the notion of Reginald not possessing a dragon, his face screwed up slightly as he was reminded of more painful days. The grimace passed as soon as it appeared as Reginald trailed behind Imai, glancing up at Corianth.

CherryFlare

Corianth stretched his wings wide, partially covering the sun like dark ominous clouds. If dragons could smirk, you could sense him doing it. He bent one knee both to bring himself closer to the ground as well as to give Imai a step up. Seeing her settled comfortably on his back, he turned to Reginald. If he had eyebrows, he was definitely raising one at him.

Medievarad

Reginald glanced back at Corianth, "if I may," he said with a soft smirk, before walking over.

CherryFlare

Corinath just looked at him. Imai decided to keep to herself what the onyx dragon had been thinking. Instead she gave a warm smile towards Reginald. "He means you to come up after me, sir." she said, stretching out her hand to help him up. "And perhaps you can provide us with directions. If I recall correctly, there are a bunch of ruins just a bit North of here. Could those be the ruins, sir?"

Medievarad

Reginald nodded. While he knew Corianth wasn't thinking too fondly of him, he decided to just ignore it for the time being and follow an ever more approachable Imais advice.

"I see," he answered as he walked up to Imai and took her hand to mount Corianth. He shook his head. "Way further than that are the first ruins marked to be a possible location for the artifact," he answered with a soft smile. "It's.. Northeast of here," Reginald answered, before pulling a compass from his belt, opening it and examining it. "That way," he said as he pointed over Corianth's west flank.

CherryFlare

Cor lifted off with ease and flew towards the direction which Reginald directed. The flight started off without incident. Not even a single bird dared to cross the path of the large ominous beast. But things got a little bit more interesting as soon as they neared the ruins.

Corianth flinched mid-flight and both passengers were almost toppled from their seats.

"What's wrong?" Imai asked her dragon, concerned.

"Something..." the dragon tried to explain. "pierced my head like a hot poker."

Imai concentrated and looked around as if doing so could somehow reveal to her what had caused it.

Then Corianth felt another jolt of pain and this time it was so intense that he lost control and started to plummet to the ground.

Medievarad

Reginald, who seemed rather at home on Corianth's back, didn't get shakrn from his seat. It was as if he had rode a dragon before. He did frown however as Cor explained the pain he felt

Reginald followed her example, frowning as he couldn't find what was hurting the dragon. Nor was he magically attuned to sense anything.

"Corianth!" Reginald shouted, concern clear in his voice.

CherryFlare

The three got separated in the fall and visibility suddenly turned zero as they fell right into fog.