@Razor-D-Belphe
Ancient Serenian ruins may not seem like the
safest place to stay the night, or at least that's what most people would assume. Which was exactly why Kiara thought it was the perfect place to make camp.
"No one else will want to come near this place," she said blithely to Kit as she slid down the dragon's shoulder to land lightly on the balls of her feet. She glanced around, arching her back and twisting over her hips to stretch out muscles that had been cramped from long hours of flying dragonback.
Her oldest friend huffed and rolled his eyes, but didn't argue with her. He paced a few more steps into the ruins, glancing around briefly before settling himself in the nexus between five crumbling pillars. He shuffled his wings, veins of gold shimmering as they caught the dying light, and laid his head down on his crossed front paws with a heavy sigh.
Kiara smiled as she moved to follow him, settling herself into the curve of his side. She reached up to pat his foreleg. "Sorry, big guy," she murmured. "I know it was a long day." Kit rumbled in agreement and she let her head flop back against his scales. "I'll get a campfire started in a minute," she murmured. "I'm just gonna close my eyes...for a second..."
A figure materialized out of the darkness, his long robes trailing behind him. His ruined eyes fell on the girl and her pet - even after three years of blindness, he still 'looked' where he sensed presences.
"Now this is a curiousity." he mused, sensing the seemingly sleeping girl.
He wondered limply if she had any idea where she was, or what kinds of dangerous secrets lay beneath. Perhaps he should ignore her and continue on his quest? It was none of his business where she chose to sleep, after all. His obsession with destroying the artifacts often overshadowed the noble intentions that had begun that obsession.
What he ultimately did though was 'watch'. Watch and wait.
A dragon is no pet, and Kittsareyn was not so quick to sleep as his rider. The dragon raised his head when he caught the sudden scent of a stranger and curled his lip back in a warning snarl. Jet wings unfurled, the great creature rising into a half-crouch as his eyes searched the darkness.
Startled awake, Kiara rolled to the side and popped quickly up to her feet, looking around. She had a dagger in hand before she was even full conscious, mumbling, "Wassit?"
"Show yourself," Kit growled.
Orcus threw his scimitar to the ground and raised his hands.
"I mean you no harm. I simply have business at these ruins. I didn't expect to find anyone else here."
Kiara and Kit exchanged a glance. The dragon did not relax his stance, but the young woman slowly lowered her blade.
"Well. You did." She squinted at the stranger. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"I'm under no obligation to give my name nor state my business to a stranger. Perhaps when asking such questions, the speaker should volunteer their information first?" Orcus replied calmly.
There was no malice in his voice, but nor did his voice betray any indication of fear. He was resolute.
"Oh, uhhhg." Kiara let her dagger drop completely, sheathing it at her thigh. "Great. What are you, a priest? A monk? Only cryptic spiritualists talk like that."
Kit huffed in amusement, allowing his wings to fold back against his sides and settling down on his haunches.
His rider leaned back on her heels, folding her arms as she looked the stranger up and down. The cloak was annoying, she couldn't really get a good look at his face-- or any weapons he might be carrying. "Kiara," she said bluntly. "I'm Kiara, and I'm here sleeping. Now who the hells are you?"
"Kiara. Well met. I am Orcus. I'm just a poor wandering philosopher seeking out certain ancient artifacts. I have reason to believe one such artifact is entombed in the ruin beneath you. If you are agreeable, I seek only to go about my quest unimpeded. May I pass?"
Ah, philosopher. Fantastic.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever, mister." Kiara sat down again and leaned back against Kit's side, closing her eyes-- or seeming to. She watched the stranger-- Orcus-- through her lashes. Waving a hand lazily, she sighed, "Do whatever you want. I'm not the guardian of this place."
"My thanks." Orcus said before retrieving his scimitar and moving about the ruin, feeling for an entrance.
He stretched out his senses, collecting information about the structure and layout of the ruin.
"Your dragon appears to be sitting on the hidden entrance to the ruin." he said. "Could you ask him to move, perhaps?"
"Uhg. Ask him yourself," Kiara grumped. "He's sitting right there, y'know."
Kit huffed quietly and dipped his head to nuzzle her. "Fine, fine." With another grumble Kiara got to her feet and climbed up onto the dragon's back. "Alright, move your big scaly butt," she muttered at her companion.
Rumbling low in his chest, the dragon heaved to his feet and shuffled several paces to the left. Kiara didn't see an entrance, but she assumed this traveler knew something she didn't.
Orcus traced his hand across the stone along a groove, then pressed with his fingers. A circle of stone slid in, and the ground unraveled into a stone staircase.
"No ordinary door. It required an application of magic focused into one point to activate. The artifact surely lies within."
"Hmm." Kiara quirked an eyebrow, trying not to look impressed-- even if she was, a tiny bit. "Neat. On your way then, Mister Mysterious Stranger." She waved a hand at him vaguely, leaning out over Kit's neck and yawning.
Gods, she was tired.
Orcus descended into the ruin and felt the temperature drop. There was wind blowing from somewhere inside. The ruin seemed to be built into a system of caverns - dank, dreary. Orcus stretched out his senses again, mapping the layout of the ruin. Going down a twisting corridor, he stopped - he felt something - something coming closer.
Orcus felt the golem's immense size and power. If he could still see, perhaps he would have been intimidated by the sight of it lumbering toward him, menacing glare carved into its stone features. As it was, Orcus only measured the closing distance, felt the 'pressure' exerted by the rock beast, and waited.
The golem clumsily slammed an arm into the ground as Orcus tumbled out of the way, drawing his scimitar. He ran up the arm and jumped onto the golem's head, then jumped down, slashing its back. He didn't leave a scratch.
*This thing is tough, whatever it is.* he thought.
The golem spun and slammed a backfist into Orcus's side, knocking him into a wall of the tunnel. He gasped in pain. His ribs were broken.
Fighting through the fog, he tried to connect his mind to the girl's. He could not read minds persay, but he could give and receive emotional impressions. What he gave was a warning.
Kit heard the stone creature moving beneath them before Kiara winced and gave an instinctive cry, clutching at her head. What in all hells was that?
"He's in trouble." The voice was more of a rumble that vibrated through her body from where she was connected to Kit.
She scowled. "So? He knows what he's doing, let 'im--"
Kit growled and she huffed. It was bluster and they both knew it. "Alright, alright, fine. I'm going in after him." She slid down from Kit's side with a grumble and cautiously approached the entrance to the tunnel. It wasn't quite big enough for Kit to follow, and the dragon crouched anxiously at the entrance as she descended into the darkness.
"Fuck, how does he even see the path down here?" Kiara hissed, snapping her fingers to summon a ball of flame to her hand, lighting the way.
And drawing the attention of the lumbering rock giant that was currently looming over Orcus. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Oh you have got to be kidding me!"
The golem roared and charged, and Kiara quickly rolled between its legs, drawing her daggers as she jumped to her feet. "Fetch, Rocky!" she shouted, hurling her fireball against a far wall of the cavern and causing a shower of sparks and red-hot pebbles. In the brief moment of distraction that afforded her, she ran toward Orcus and tried to get an arm around his middle, hauling him upright. "Shit, you alright? Can you stand?"
Orcus reluctantly accepted her help.
"I can stand. But you shouldn't be here. You should have felt my message and gotten as far away from here as possible."
The golem ignored the shower of burning pebbles once it had processed them. It didn't seem to register pain. It roared and descended on them, now swinging an arm at Kiara.
"Oh, shut up." Kiara ducked the swing and threw her daggers up in a crossed defense. Ordinary blades would have shattered under the onslaught, but these were gifts from her father. The daggers began to glow with heat as she channeled her magic through them, bracing her feet and shoving back against the golem.
The rock giant staggered back and she panted, skittering back a few steps while still trying to keep herself between the monster and Orcus. "I'm trying to save your life here, asshole. Maybe complain less and help more. How badly hurt are you?"
Orcus coughed up blood. "About that badly."
He held his blade at the ready. "I can't penetrate its hide. What are we fighting, exactly?"
"What are we fighting--?!"
She whirled to glare at him, sure he was screwing around with her-- and in the glow of her blades, she got her first good look at his face. "Oh." She blinked. "Oh. I didn't realize you were..."
She trailed off, and before she could think of something else to say the golem roared and charged again. Kiara dove to the side, shouting at Orcus, "Go left, just get out of its path!"
Orcus dodged left as the golem tried to ram him. It grazed his shoulder, and he screamed as his shoulder dislocated and sent him tumbling.
The golem crashed into a wall of the corridor. The tunnel shook, and pebbles fell. Orcus's ears twitched. He sat up, clutching his shoulder, his scimitar at his feet.
"That's it..." he said.
He turned to Kiara. "We have to collapse the tunnel on it! There's wind in this place, so there has to be another exit!"
"Are you crazy?!"
She knew he wasn't, that his plan seemed to be there only option, but she was terrified. She looked back up the tunnel, toward fresh air and moonlight and Kit.
Kit...
"Oh, fuck this!" With a sharp scream that was equal parts fury and fear, Kiara raced back across the cavern to Orcus's side and started herding him down the tunnel, blades crossed in front of her body again. She was muttering under her breath all the while, an ancient language that even she didn't know the name of, but had heard since the cradle in her father's voice.
With a final shout, a word that sounded like fire and falling stones, she thrust her blades out and sparked fire from their tips, twin balls of flame that imploded against the rocky walls, sending debris tumbling down around the golem.
She hoped that would be enough. Turning back to Orcus, she grabbed his good arm and hoisted him to his feet, dragging him after her down the tunnel. "Come on, run!"
Orcus ran with her until they were deep into the caverns, the buried golem left behind. Whether it had perished or not was unknown.
Orcus broke away from Kiara and lined his bad arm up with a wall, then rammed it, slamming his shoulder back into place with a sickening pop. He grunted, then spoke.
"I don't sense its presence anymore. What was that?"
"Oi!" Kiara moved to stop him, but by then it was too late. She sighed and shook her head. "I could've don that, y'know."
With a shake of her hand and a glance back down the way they had come, she added irritably, "A golem. A construct made of stone. Pretty big sucker too." She looked back to Orcus, glowering. "What the hells were you thinking? I thought you could handle yourself down here!"
But clearly he couldn't, and now she was stuck with him. Perfect.
"A golem? Fascinating. Under ordinary circumstances I can handle myself just fine. Most ruins, to my knowledge, don't have giant rock monsters in them. Perhaps it was defending the relic?"
Orcus mused over the implications. Until now, he had found only cleared out vaults in his search for the volumes of the Infernal Compendium, and all his leads went to dead ends. He had learned that one volume was in a ruin, and had cause to believe it was this very one. It was on that tip that he had descended. The presence of a guardian confirmed that, at the very least, something was down here. Had he finally made headway in his quest to rid the world of the cursed eldritch texts?
Orcus sighed. "Perhaps I'm not as able as I thought. It may be that the written words that blinded me are slowly sapping my strength. Once upon a time, I could shatter rock with my blade, with effort. Hmmm... Very well. After I leave this place, I will continue my studies of the magics to compensate for this loss. For now, there is no choice but to press on. My apologies for involving you."
"Whoa whoa, hang on." Kiara scurried around in front of him and held her hands up, hoping that would get him to stop. "It wasn't just your shoulder that got fucked up, right? Where else are you hurt? We need to take care of that before we can get any further."
She ignored his apology. Whatever his intention, they were stuck together now, and they'd just have to deal with it. At least until they could get out of this place.
She hoped Kit wasn't worrying too much...
Orcus sighed. "My ribs are broken, and I'm bleeding internally." he said.
He let his guard down, sensing her genuine intent. He hated feeling weak like this, but she was right. They needed to address his injuries. What good was finding the relic if it got him killed?
Oh great. Fantastic. Frickin' perfect.
"Shit." Kiara sighed and dragged a hand down her face, then moved toward him again. She set her hands on his shoulders and tried to guide him to sit. "Alright, I'm not a healer, but I've broken my share of ribs in my time. Lemme see?"
Orcus lifted his arm and exposed his injured side with another pained grunt.
"...gentle..." he muttered.
Kiara rolled her eyes. "I'm not a complete asshole," she muttered. "I know how to play nice."
Despite her harsh tone, her fingers were incredibly gentle as she moved them over his side, using just the slightest amount of pressure to find the breaks. "Alright. Looks like you've got two fractures and about three cracks. Not great, but we can work with that."
She sat back, looking him over, thinking. After a moment, she held her hand out to him-- then hesitated, changed direction, and instead placed her hand over his. It was clear by now that he could get around alright on his own, but was still...
"I didn't realize," she muttered, pursing her lips. "Er, before. That you're..."
"Blind?" he asked. He laughed bitterly. "Have You ever heard the phrase, 'knowledge is power'?"
Without waiting for her to answer, he went on. "It's true. But there is some power not meant for mortals. I explored a ruin like this one in search of a book, a very dangerous book. I found it, and what I read blinded me and destroyed my sanity. I only regained the latter over time, but my sight is gone forever. Not only that, but the memory of those words, even a subconscious memory, is slowly killing me. I destroyed the book. And before the curse finishes me, I must destroy the rest."
Oh.
"Um...wow." Kiara blinked, sitting back on her heel. Her hand still rested over his; she'd been intending to pull him to his feet, but now found herself frozen. "I'm-- I'm so sorry."
She cleared her throat and glanced away awkwardly. "So...you think another piece of this book is here? In these ruins?"
"Another volume, yes. I obtained the information from the knowledge broker, Madame Charlotte. She neglected to mention the possibility of golems. This woman is supposedly a powerful witch, and she gives nothing freely. I'm bound to return the favor through whatever means she deems fit. The longer this contract goes unfulfilled, the more bad karma I will accumulate. I fear it may hasten my curse, and I've already felt evidence of it."
Orcus shifted.
"In any case, I believe her. I must destroy the relic before I return. I will not allow these abominations to exist and destroy more lives."
"Well. Alright then." Kiara exhaled sharply and got to her feet. Her hand resting over Orcus's flexed slightly, and she wrapped her fingers around his, pulling him up after her.
"C'mon. The quicker we get moving, the quicker we can find this thing and-- and get out of here."
"Alright." Orcus nodded. "I need to reserve energy to suppress my pain. While I'm doing that, my ability to sense the environment will be lessened. Can I rely on you to navigate?"
"Um...sure." She looked down at their linked hands, then sighed and shrugged before lifting his hand to rest on her shoulder. "Okay just...follow me, I guess."
She turned and started cautiously off back down the tunnel, clicking her fingers to summon another small fireball to light the path.
"I suppose I'm in your debt for your assistance. Seems I owe a lot of people lately." Orcus said as he followed her. "Thank you. I... wish I knew what you looked like."
Kiara's steps faltered and she glanced back over her shoulder at him. She didn't really know what to say to that.
With a small sigh, she turned and moved his hand from her shoulder to hover his fingers against her cheeks. Carefully, she guided his touch over her face, over the sharp cheekbones, harsh blade of a nose, soft, full mouth... And she let her hand drop, allowing him to continue if he wished.
Orcus was spellbound for a few moments.
"You're beautiful. I can see it in my mind's eye so clearly..."
Then he snapped his hand back suddenly.
"Uh, I'm sorry!" he apologized in an uncharacteristic break in composure. His bluish cheeks were blushing pink. "Well... shall we continue on?"
"O-oh!" It was more of a squeak than an exclamation, and Kiara felt her face heating. She tried to pretend it was just the fire she held in her free hand. "Um...thanks..."
Clearing her throat, she added brusquely, "C'mon, we should...keep moving." She took his hand in hers again and guided it to her shoulder before she started walking.
"Right... before the golem attacked me, I felt a fork in the path ahead. Do you see it?" Orcus asked, regaining his composure.
"Yeah, I see it." She lifted her hand that held the fireball, looking from side to side. "Okay, which way? Left or right?"
Her instincts were saying left; she could feel a breeze from that direction, maybe a way out. But she would defer to him in this, at least for now.
Orcus felt the wind too, but couldn't be sure that the book would be in the same direction as an exit. He divulged this to Kiara.
"I can't focus my ability right now, and even if I could, the book may be out of my range. We could split up. What do you want to do?"
"No way in hells am I leaving you down here by yourself," Kiara sighed after a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay, fine. Which way do you think it is?"
"...If the purpose of the ruin is to protect the book, then it would be hidden in the deepest part, far from the exits. Right seems like the logical choice. But this isn't your quest. You really should go left." Orcus said. "Your dragon must be worried about you."
"Kit's a big boy. He can handle it." She sort of hated saying it, but she knew she had to see this through. She didn't really know why, she just knew she had to.
That happened sometimes, feelings she got, flashes of intuition. Maybe it was the fey heritage, she didn't really know. But somewhere between the golem and this tunnel, she realized she needed to help this man find his stupid book.
"Okay. Right it is." She started down the path.
Orcus sighed. "Fine, suit yourself." he shrugged.
They turned right at the fork and moved on. The corridor seemed to slope down deeper into the earth. After a few minutes traveling in silence, Orcus spoke again.
"I think I feel a bit better. You don't have to hold my hand."
He was a poor liar.
Kiara glanced back over her shoulder and snorted. "Yeah, sure, buddy." She kept her grip on his hand as they continued slowly down the tunnel.
Without his "sensing" or whatever, they were going pretty much by the dim light of the fire in her hand. And she honestly wasn't sure exactly how long she could keep that up.
They came to an open chamber. Glowing crystals grew out of the walls, bathing an altar in bluish light. And on that altar was a single thin book, bound by a strap.
Well great.
That was probably it.
Kiara took a step back, keeping her grip on Orcus's hand. "There's a pedestal kinda thing," she told him. "About ten feet ahead. A book is sitting on it."
Orcus nodded. He stepped forward and tossed his scimitar within a few feet of the altar. A hail of arrows fell from above onto that spot.
"Was that a trap? That sounded like a trap." Orcus said.
Eyes wide, Kiara grabbed Orcus's shoulder and dragged him back a few steps. "Um, yeah. Definitely a trap."
She peered carefully into the room, raising her flame-lit hand to see if a little light might offer a different view.
The light showed that the book sat om some manner of mechanism built into the altar.
"Yeah, so..." Kiara rocked back on her heels. "Looks like there's some sorta...contraption built into the altar or whatever? But I am not interested in going near that thing."
She tilted her head to the side, judging the distance, and glanced at the fire in her hand. "Whaddya think my odds are of torching it from over here?"
"Fair. Be my guest." Orcus invited.
Alright then. With a short breath, Kiara threw her hand out, index finger pointed toward the altar. The ball of fire in her palm turned to a thin spindle of flame that jetted from her finger to strike her target with a rather understated fwump.
The book was engulfed in an instant, and released a bloodcurdling cry as it burned, writhing like a living thing. Thick black smoke poured out as it was incinerated, and took on the form of a face twisted in pain before dissipating. All that was left were ashes.
The mechanism the book had rested on raised itself. The entire ruin started rumbling.
"Oh dear." Orcus said wearily.
"Oh, fuck!"
Kiara dove back into the tunnel, grabbing Orcus by the shoulder and dragging him along behind her as she ran back the way they'd came.
She didn't know what was happening, but she was getting out of here.
As they raced through the corridor, pieces of stone began falling from above, and chunks of floor began sinking beneath their feet. They sped down the other path at the fork in the road, felt it slope up, came to a stone staircase, and eventually came to a stone door above their heads. Wind was blowing in from behind it.
"The exit?" Orcus asked.
"I sure as shit hope so!" Kiara shoved him in front of her, glancing back over her shoulder as the tunnel collapsed behind them. "Go go go!"
Orcus raised his arms above to push on the door and apply a burst of magic to unseal it.
"The seal's undone, but the mechanism is broken. I'm not strong enough to open the door by myself. Help me." Orcus said, straining hard.
Oh gods all damnit!
"Okay, move over!" She shouldered her way in beside him, heaving against the stone.
It wouldn't budge.
"Shit!" In an explosion of frustration, she threw another fireball at the door. It didn't really do anything, but it made her feel better. At least for a moment.
Then the stone grated loudly and her eyes widened. What the--?
A familiar snarl echoed down the collapsing tunnel and a broad smile stretched across her face. "Kit!"
Another heave, and the dragon tore the stone door open, looking down at the two humans. He jerked his head and raised one brow ridge as if to say, Well, what are you waiting for?
Orcus hoisted Kiara up to Kit as the stones fell out from under his feet.
Kiara yelped, surprised, but she quickly scrambled up onto Kit's back-- not as graceful as she normally may have been, but still efficient.
Then she saw the ground go out underneath Orcus and gave a wordless shout, reaching out a hand. Kit responded automatically, his left foreleg snapping out and curving his talons around the man's chest.
Kiara winced. That probably didn't feel great on broken ribs. But it was better than falling to your death.
Kit hopped backward awkwardly, curling the paw that held Orcus in toward his chest as he tried to get clear of the cave-in.
Orcus winced, but blocked out the pain in an instant, focusing on salvation as the ruin crumbled below him. He stepped off onto the ground, panting. He fell to his knees and massaged the grass, ecstatic to feel natural ground.
"Thank you." Orcus said after a minute had passed.
As her dragon rumbled an affirmative, Kiara slid down to kneel beside the scholar, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You doing okay there?"
Kit dipped his head to sniff at the now collapsed entrance to the tunnel, then looked back at the two humans. "What just happened?" he asked in a voice that seemed to echo the falling rocks.
"I'll be fine. I'm just a bit winded. What about you?" Orcus asked as he climbed to his feet.
She shrugged. "I'm alright, but I'm not the one sporting broken ribs."
Kit huffed and rolled his eyes, lowering his head to get a better look at the semi-stranger. "Does he need a healer?"
"I may. But I need to return to the witch and pay off my debt soon. Do you know of any healers in the area?" Orcus said. "I can't afford to go looking for one far away."
"There's a little village not to far from here," Kiara noted, glancing westward. "We could get you there in an hour or so if we flew?"
The question was more directed at Kit than Orcus; the dragon had already flown a hard day after all, and she didn't want to ask too much of him. But the scholar clearly needed help, sooner rather than later.
"Can he handle it? You've essentially carried my burden this far already." Orcus said. "I don't want to weigh you down."
"I can handle it, pipsqueak," Kit growled. It wasn't threatening so much as bravado. Kiara rolled her eyes.
"He should be fine, but we really will need to rest once we get you there. We've been traveling all day, and it hasn't exactly been a restful evening."
Orcus nodded.
"Very well then. I accept your generous offer."
"Alright then, climb up."
Kiara boosted herself up onto Kit's back and held a hand down to Orcus, ready to pull him up behind her.
Orcus took her hand and let himself be pulled onto the dragon's back.
"One thing you should know - I'm afraid of heights." he joked.
Kiara snorted. "Alright, that was kinda funny," she allowed, settling herself more comfortably on Kit's back.
"You'd better hold on," she added over her shoulder as Kit fanned his wings, preparing to take off.
Not knowing exactly where to hold on, Orcus reluctantly hooked his arms around Kiara's waist.
The young woman tensed slightly, though she'd known what was about to happen. Where else was he supposed to hold on? She shook herself and leaned low over her dragon's neck.
"Alright, Kit. Take us up."
Kittsareyn snorted and ran forward several steps, wings fanned wide and flapping. They took of gradually, Kit banking in a shallow turn that spiraled them slowly into the air until they were at a magnificent height, the air cold and crisp as it whirled around them.
"This feels amazing! It's - Dammit, I wish I could see!" Orcus interrupted himself.
After minutes of flying, Orcus hesitantly asked, "Kiara... where are you going after I'm healed?"
Kiara didn't really know what to say to that. That she was sorry? That the view wasn't that great anyway?
She decided to just keep quiet-- at least until he asked her a direct question. "Well...that depends, I guess. We have a few contacts lined up in the Highlands, I suppose we'll just...go to whichever is closest."
"And I have to return to Madame Charlotte... Let's meet up again after we complete our goals." Orcus invited.
"Huh-- why?"
Kiara actually twisted around fully to look at him, befuddled. Then she seemed to realize what she'd said and flushed, added quickly, "Not like-- it's not that I don't want to or anything, you-- I just meant... Well, why would you even want to?"
"I've traveled the last three years alone on my quest. It's consumed me. It's all I think about. Thoughts of what I would do after never crossed my mind. Likewise, I never entertained the idea of friendship. In truth, I don't think that's any way to live one's life. I don't like isolation. I just never considered that there was ever an alternative. Perhaps it's time I found a companion."
"Oh. Well..."
She cleared her throat a little awkwardly and looked ahead again. "I guess that depends on what you mean by companion," she tried to joke, "but, yeah. I don't think I'd mind seeing you again."
"Huh... Oh! I didn't mean - I - uh -" he uncharacteristically struggled for words. "Friend. I meant 'friend'." he clarified. Awkward silence passed between them. "It's windy up here." Orcus said to fill the silence.
Kiara smirked to herself, just a bit. She couldn't help it. "Yeah," she replied easily, sitting back and closing her eyes with a small, happy sigh. "It is."
She loved flying. Feeling the wind over her face and tangling in her hair, the giddy swooping in her stomach when they took a sharp turn or banked into a dive.
"Shouldn't be too much longer," she told Orcus easily.
"Wonderful." Orcus said. "I prefer my ribcage intact. This healer, do you know them personally?"
"Not really. I've met them once or twice, but mostly in passing. Had a broken bone or two fixed, nothing major."
She shrugged, starting to eye the ground below them for a place to land. "Don't really put down roots, me and Kit. Know lots of people in lots of places, but none of them well."
"I see." Orcus nodded. "Well, in any case, I trust they are competent."
He felt the ground approaching and prepared for the landing.
"Yeah, they'll get ya fixed alright," Kiara assured as Kit began a slow descent. She settled herself more comfortably on his back, stretching her arms up over her head with a small sigh.
"Thank you, again." Orcus said. "I don't think I would have survived tonight had I been alone."
"Damn straight you wouldn't have," Kiara snorted. There was silence for a moment, then she added, "...And you're welcome."
Kit touched down and she swayed with his movement, keeping her seat easily, though she wasn't really thinking about how their second passenger might fare.
Orcus tumbled from the dragon's back and face-planted into the ground. Standing up after a few moments, he brushed himself off, trying to hold onto the tattered remains of his pride.
"I see we've landed." he said.
"Oh, shit!" Kiara tried to grab for him, but too late. She couldn't stop herself from laughing, short and sharp, but not really malicious, as she swung down from Kit's back and leaned against his side.
"Yeah, we're on the ground," she chuckled. "You alright there?"
"I'll be fine once I'm healed. It's my dignity that's been dealt a heavy blow." Orcus said, straightening his robes. "I appreciate your concern."
She chuckled again and moved forward to take his arm. "Alright, you, c'mon. I'll get you into town." Glancing back over her shoulder, she added to the dragon, "Wait out here for me, yeah? Be back soon?"
Kit rumbled and affirmative and hunkered down with his tail wrapped tight around his body. He was frankly exhausted, and Kiara winced a little guiltily. At least he was finally getting to sleep.
Orcus leaned into her, thankful she was there to support his injured body. As they walked, he seized suddenly. A cold chill ran down his spine. He "looked" back over the horizon. For a moment, he was certain something was following them. But then it was gone.
"Hey." Kiara paused, tilting her head at him. "You okay?"
"I'm not sure. I thought... well... did you feel that?" Orcus asked, somewhat rattled.
The dragonrider shook her head slowly. "Uh...no. No, I didn't feel anything. You sure you're okay from that fall?" She took his good arm again, trying to guide him into the village.
Orcus nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine." he said at last.
He let Kiara take his arm and guide him into the village, anxious to be healed and resume his mission.
"Do you think it would be possible to get access to quill, ink, and parchment?" he asked tentatively as they made their way. "I really should send a letter to Madame Charlotte. I'd need you to write it for me, though."
"Um, yeah. Sure, I can do that."
They were in the village proper by now, and drawing a bit of attention from the locals. Ushering Orcas through the clusters of houses toward the healer was easy enough, and Kiara managed to explain the situation to the robed elder as concisely as she could.
"I thank you in advance for your service." Orcus bowed his head to who he could only presume was the healer.
"We've travelled a decent way by dragon to see you. Kiara was kind enough to bring me here. She spoke highly of you and your talent. I put myself in your care."
The healer wasn't much for conversation, but they set to work easily enough, shooing Kiara out of the hut to give them space.
With no other real objective-- she needed to let Kit sleep a while longer-- Kiara started looking for a general store or something where she could get ink and parchment.
Orcus was motioned to sit on some facsimile to a hospital table and remove his robes, revealing a white cloth shirt and pants. He removed his shirt as well, throwing it on the crumpled robes and exposing his toned body where a massive purple bruise was blooming on his side.
The healer nodded at this, as if answering a question, then held her palms out a few inches from Orcus's injury. The air around her hands seemed to shimmer and glow a faint white. Orcus could not see this, but he could feel a pressure being exuded. That pressure pushed down on him and rapidly intensified. There was no pain, not exactly, but the pressure felt strange and intrusive. Orcus could feel his broken ribs rearranging into formation and weaving themselves back together, his bleeding organs closing up and the swelling fading. His bruise shrank and then disappeared altogether.
When it was over, Orcus slumped over, suddenly winded and panting. His whole body ached now.
"What is this? My injuries are gone, but I'm still sore?"
At last, the healer spoke. "Of course. I used my energy to accelerate your natural healing process. The effectiveness of the treatment relies on the patient's stamina. After rapidly mending itself, your body is suffering immense exertion. It Will take a full day for you to truly recover."
"I see. Nonetheless, I can't wait any longer. I'm delayed as it is."
The healer had sensed something else, but it was not in her nature to tell her patients when the shadow of death was upon them. It was better not to know.
Kiara spent a bit of time finding what she needed-- and haggling down the price, since it had been a few weeks since she'd had a real, paying job-- but once she had she made her way back to the healer's cottage.
She nudged the door open just in time to see Orcus double over. Her eyes widened, but she hung back until the healer seemed to be finished before hurrying forward. She laid a hand carefully on his shoulder, clearing her throat just before she did to alert him to her presence.
"I've got pen and parchment," she told him, sitting carefully at his side. "How're you feeling?"
"Ugh, like I've been run over by a mammoth, but I'll endure. You brought my supplies?"
"Charlotte will want this update. I -"
Orcus went silent as his body stiffened. Then, he snatched the quill. His hand went flying across the paper so quickly as to be a blur. His arm jerked around hard enough to pull the rest of his body in whatever direction it went.
When at last the letter was completed, Orcus tumbled off of the table, unconscious.
The contents of the letter read as followed:
"The Crescent Moon will rise on the night of harvest.
The bonds will become as chains
The deep red will corrode
At last the chains will break come harvest
When the reaper has his due
Then the wheat will rest in peace eternal"
"Holy--!"
Kiara leaped for him, catching him before his head hit the floor. The letter fluttered to the ground and she looked it over quickly, her eyes going wider.
What in all hells?!
"Orcus? Hey, Orcus!" She shook him slightly, pressing two fingers against his pulse.
Orcus slowly stirred.
"Huh... What happened?"
He had a splitting headache now, in addition to the aches all over his body.
"Kiara? What's going? Did something happen to me just now?"
"What happened?" She shook her head, trying to help him into an upright position. "You tell me. You just sorta...had this fit or something, and you-- you wrote...this thing."
Kiara grabbed up the letter and read it to him.
"I... wrote this...?" Orcus asked. "I... can't have... I'm blind, how could I have written anything? Never mind. More importantly, what's it supposed to mean?"
Orcus recited the prophecy.
"The Crescent Moon. So, something will happen come the Crescent Moon. The bonds become chains- binding people together. I don't know what the 'deep red' means. The chains break under the Crescent Moon, and the reaper - I'd assume Death - claims someone, and they rest forever." Orcus paused.
"Could this prophecy refer to us? If so, is it changeable?"
He looked over his shoulder again, his unseeing eyes lined up with the distance outside where he and Kiara had been when he had sensed that presence.
He spoke again to Kiara. "What do you make of this? Does this mean it's dangerous for us to meet?"
Kiara shook her head helplessly. "I have no idea," she sighed. "Really, I don't. I've seen my share of strange shit in my lifetime, but..."
She huffed and leaned back on her heels, shrugging. "I dunno. What-- what do we do about it?"
"Hmm" Orcus held his chin in deep thought. "In any case, I need to return to Charlotte now that I've healed, and repay my debt. She may know what to do about the prophecy. There is another witch, supposedly, an acquaintance of Charlotte's, who is said to have the power to see people's fates directly. If Charlotte cannot help me, I will seek her associate out."
Orcus turned to Kiara. "Since you may be involved, perhaps you should come as well. Otherwise, I will meet you at a designated time and place of your choosing with an update. It's up to you."
"Oh fuck that, I'm coming with you," Kiara responded bluntly. If he hadn't suggested it, she certainly would have.
"Fucking curses and prophecies and magic bullshit," she grumbled to herself as she got to her feet, then reached down to help him up. "C'mon, let's...I dunno, get something to eat. Kit still needs a few more hours of rest but then we can be on our way."
"Very well." Orcus accepted the hand Kiara offered. "Your pick of eatery then. I'm not overly familiar with this region."
In the light of the healer's lanterns, Orcus's face seemed slightly haggard, drawn thin. Whether it was the curse, his karmic debt to Charlotte, exertion from his automatic writing, or all three was impossible to tell.
"Well I dunno the town that well, but I'm sure we'll find something," Kiara murmured as she drew Orcus's arm around her shoulder and set off, giving a nod toward the healer as she did.
Out on the main street through the village, she glanced around, hoping something might jump out at her as a destination.
A small inn popped into view, a menu of items posted to its side.
"I sense a great many people congregating to out left. Are we in range of food at the moment?" Orcus asked.
Kiara chuckled a bit. "Yeah, just off this main street. C'mon, what are you in the mood for?"
"Food." Orcus said, chuckling. "In all seriousness, I'm fine with whatever they specialize in here."
They entered the crowded restaurant and were ushered into a booth. Orcus deferred to Kiara to decide, opting not to have her read each menu item to him.
"We have to get to Northoak. That's where Charlotte's Shop is. Do you know the way?"
"I'm sure we'll manage," Kiara responded with a shrug, catching a serving lad's attention and holding up two fingers, indicating they'd take whatever was hot. "Traveling dragonback has quite a few advantages-- namely, we can go as the crow flies."