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radiant-flutterbun · 3 years

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Mason’s Brightside Part 2

Part 1

“No Mason, weird dreams are not a symptom of the herb I gave you last night,” Alaria sighed “If you had listened to me you would know the opposite is true.”

“No dreams is a symptom?”

“Yes and so are dehydration headaches so make sure you drink lots of water.”

Alaria shooed Mason outside of the healing den and he nearly crashed into Corkscrew, a spiral.

“Watch where you’re going!” Corkscrew snarled.

Mason ignored him and went to get something to drink, his mind however was still thinking about that dream. He’d never been a vivid dreamer. Something about it was so unnatural.

Evan came up to him later in the day and he described the dream to him.

“Weird right?”

“Yeah but sometimes a dream is just a dream. Don’t read too much into it.”

“But it felt so real!”

“You sure it’s not… Ya know your mind playing tricks on you?”

Mason glared at Evan “It wasn’t that.”

“Sorry, sorry I didn’t mean to imply…” Evan coughed “Maybe you’re just not used to a good night’s sleep is all.”

Mason thought about that for a moment “That… Ok yeah that I can believe.”

The next night he was given the same herb from Alaria and he found himself right back at the Emperor’s Wake.

“Good to see you again Mason,” It was the tundra. They were sitting beside him, so close that Mason could feel their fur on him “Are you on your way?”

“I-” Mason began and then he snarled “What are you doing in my head?”

The tundra looked back at him calmly, “You can thank our local dreamwalker for that.”

“Dreamwalker…?”

“You’ll be waking soon. I don’t have time to explain. Please come here to the Emperor’s Wake. I’ll explain everything. It’ll be much easier in person, I promise.”

Mason was about to speak when he found himself awake, sunlight danced across his room.

He began to pack his things. It didn’t take long. Being formerly dead, he didn’t have any personal belongings from his world. All he had were just a few art supplies Flare had been kind enough to give him, a simple dagger, a water canister, a few snacks and a blanket. Everything fit neatly in a bag he wrapped over his shoulder.

He trotted down the stairs from his room and into the clan lobby. He made his way to the main exit when Evan found him.

“Where are you going?” He asked, seeing the bag.

Mason sighed “The Emperor’s Wake.”

“What? Isn’t that where that monster is?”

“Yep.”

“And you want to go there?!”

“Correct.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s where the dragons in my dreams told me to go.”

“So you’re just going to listen to random dream dragons now?”

“See this is why I was trying to avoid you.”

Evan looked hurt “You were planning on leaving without telling me?”

“Because I knew this would happen! I knew you wouldn’t understand! Listen, I've been here before. I know that whoever these dragons are, they're not going to get out of my head until I do what they want me to do.”

“Hey no offense Mason but the last time you listened to some... thing in your mind you ended up hurting a kid.”

Mason snarled “He wasn’t just a kid. Don’t oversimplify what Muerto is.”

“I’m just saying, if you knew that was Match speaking to you, would you still have done the things you did?”

“Yes. Match is just another self centered god, but at least me listening to him, capturing Muerto, weakening him. Getting him to spill his dirty little secrets. At least that did something! You would have rotted away to nothing and we would have all been trapped in that horrible place until we died. I got the gods’ attention. I changed things!”

Evan took a deep breath “Ok. Yeah you’re right. But I also don’t have to like what we had to do to get where we are now. Maybe this time we can take some time to think about what we’re getting into before we have to hurt anyone?”

“We? You want to come with me?”

“I don’t like the idea of being near that monster, but I hate the idea of letting you go alone even more.”

***

Mason waited for Evan to pack his things. Like him, it wasn’t much so they were off on their journey soon enough. Evan felt bad leaving without a word so he took the time to leave a note for Nike.

The two took off and soared over the Sunbeam Ruins in the direction of the area now known as the Emperor’s Wake. Mason had a map with him to help him keep track of their journey. As he flapped his wings he noted how natural flight felt to him. It was strange to him how quickly he picked up the skill. His original body was not one designed for flight and never in a million years would he have guessed he’d eventually become a dragon. Sepulchral had taught him to fly after he had entered the Dragon Planet. Sepulchral was a good teacher, and unlike all of the other Selcouth creatures that were brought to Sornieth, Sepulchral actually had wings back in their world, making him uniquely experienced with flight. But even with such an excellent teacher, Mason felt like he shouldn’t have picked up the skill quite so quickly. It only made it more frustrating that relearning to draw was not as natural to him.

“Sorry about planning to take off without you,” Mason said after a few miles of silence.

“Hey, it's cool. No big deal,” Evan responded.

“What were you going to tell me the other day, by the way? I didn’t mean to brush you off like that. Sorry again.”

“Oh that?” Evan laughed nervously “That was nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Mason glanced at his friend “Alright…” He thought about pushing the subject, but decided to let it go.

The two flew in silence until it got dark. They camped out in a secluded pine forest for the night and took off again when it was morning.

Their flight was uneventful until they flew over a patch of land that was scarred in an unusual way. Most of the Sunbeam Ruins were filled with rolling fields of grass and green pine trees dotted with ruins from a forgotten era. But this patch of land was blackened and dead. It was not burned like a fire found it, rather it looked like a perfect circle of the land just shriveled up and died. Below structures that were not ancient ruins were crushed and destroyed like a tornado ran through the community.

“What do you suppose happened down there?” Evan asked.

Mason shook his head “Nothing good probably. Let's keep moving.”

It wasn’t long before the land began to look more like what Mason saw in his dreams. There were tell-tale signs of destruction, but not quite like the shriveled dead land they had just passed. Mason searched the ground below him and nearly stopped mid flight. There on top of a hill covered in ruins was the same rugged tundra that had spoken to him.

Mason landed beside them with a thud and Evan landed more gracefully beside him.

“You!” Mason snarled.

The tundra smiled and waved “Mason! So good to see you in person. And oh look! You brought a friend.”

“Why were you in my head? How do you know who I am? What do you want with me?”

“Holy shit,” Evan was ignoring the tundra and instead his eyes were fixed on the horizon “It’s real.”

Mason heard a roar and looked up. There in the distance was the rampaging beast, the Emperor Luminax. It was even more horrible than it was in his dreams.

“Terrifying isn’t it?” The tundra asked, following Mason’s gaze.

“It’s just… Hard to believe it’s real.”

“I know. Seeing your first Emperor… It makes you wonder what’s real and what’s fake. But that thing is real alright. It’s destroying lives and the gods are doing nothing about it.”

Mason snorted “Yeah that sounds about right.”

“Ah, don’t like gods do you?” The tiny bug dragon from Mason’s dream landed on top of the tundra’s head “I knew this one would fit in well!”

Mason peeled his eyes away from the undead creature in the distance “Ok, no more talking until you two explain why you were in my head.”

“Ah that would be Karyu’s doing,” The tundra addressed the bug sitting on their head.

“How dare you!” Mason lunged forward to swat the bug, but they quickly flew away. Mason ended up hitting the large tundra’s antlers instead. Mason’s hand stung and the tundra glared at him.

“Maybe instead of threatening my friend, you could sit down and listen.” The tundra shoved Mason to the ground. Mason tried to get back up, but stopped when the tundra gave him another glare.

Karyu flew back onto the tundra’s head and pointed at Mason “That one tortured a kid god, so I guess I shouldn’t really be too surprised. Still, he has use here.”

Mason’s eyes widened “How did you-”

“My name is Perryn,” The tundra cut Mason off and smiled “I’m an Emperor hunter, and my friend Karyu here is a dream walker.”

“And demigod!” Once again Karyu took off from their perch on Perryn’s head. They circled in the air and as they landed they began to transform. Before Mason’s eyes the little bug dragon grew in size. They spun so fast it forced Mason to blink and with that one blink a new creature was standing where the bug disappeared. Its body was unmistakably human to Mason, but it still had some of the bug features of its dragon form. Antennae sprung up from Karyu’s head and insectoid wings from their back. They wore a long robe and their long purple hair touched the ground. They were still small, Perryn towered over them and so would have Mason if he had been standing, but they were no longer squishable.

“My mother is the goddess of dreams for this world, and lucky me, I’ve inherited some of her powers,” Karyu walked up to Mason and poked his snout. He snapped at their fingers “You have the most fascinating dreams out of everyones’ I’ve walked through. So many memories are mixed with yours. Some juicy ones too!”

“No. You didn’t.”

“It’s just a shame that lately you haven't been dreaming much. I’m guessing insomnia? Well that’s no good for me or my pals here at The Guild of Osiris! I was afraid if your sleeping patterns continued I would have lost contact with you! And that would have been a real bummer.”

“Which is why Karyu had to bring me into the picture,” Perryn said “We needed you to come here before they lost contact with you and they thought you would listen to me and not them.”

“And I was fucking right!” Karyu grinned and then leaned close to Mason and whispered “I just thought Perryn would be more your type. I’m gorgeous, I know, but I’m taken.”

Mason just stared at Karyu. He opened his mouth and then closed it like a fish out of water.

“Yes. Karyu was right!” Peryn shouted and then coughed “And now you’re here like we were hoping. Karyu has seen a lot of things about you from their dream walking ,which I know may be awkward and invasive-”

“You don’t think?” Mason found his voice for a moment.

“But Karyu has a knack for finding those who are perfect for helping our cause. Mason, is life uncertain to you? Maybe you’ll make a good Emperor Hunter.”

#tgoo #clan ton theon #tcotg

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kenpaisworkshop · 5 years

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Sinquest: Soul and Sand: Part II

“The Desperate Streets of Chazin”

Subject: @sin-quest Characters: Ken’pai the Mechanist, Tomis the Warlock (owned by @tomis-jb) Warnings: None

[--PREVIOUS--] ========== [--NEXT--]

Dust began to settle across the tiny abode, a sign that the two occupants had been there far longer than anticipated. The passing laughter of children darting between the alleys of Chazin caused just enough of a distraction to keep the two from falling into the pattern of deeper, and perhaps mournful thought.

“The tomb was only used once, as the resting place of Prince Nerid Chazin, 14th in the noble line,” Loch began.

Ken'pai's curiosity was piqued already. He always had a bit of a fascination with old ruins, particularly in that he often heard of wonders unheard of, and matters of construction that should have been too complex for the age they were built in.

“It was about a hundred fifty years ago. Back then...this country, Chazin, wasn't friendly to anybody who didn't have relations with the right kind of people. Nerid...fell in love with a servant-boy. An elf, to be precise.”

Loch's elven ears twitched a little at the mention before he continued.

“One day, the captain of the guard caught the two...cavorting. He moved to strike at the servant for even daring to sully the royal family in such a way. As his sword thrust through the air, Nerid darted in front, just in time for this father to round the corner.”

“You're making it sound like you were there,” Ken mused.

“Well, we elves can live for a long time. I was studying architecture at the time, not quite Chief Engineer. I heard about the tragedy...it became a source of gossip for the townspeople, especially the other elves. We were...afraid of retaliation.”

Loch sighed.

“The king was devastated. He worked so hard to have children, eventually having two, but not before several losses before infancy. They were his most precious treasures. To lose one, you'd think he'd lost his own heart. He jailed the captain for failing to uphold the law properly, and told the servant that he was sorry, and that he, and his kind, would always be safe in the palace.”

The old man pressed a finger on the map sprawled out on front of him, where the marker for the tomb was.

“The king had his son interred at the tomb. It was fairly new, and wasn't complete yet, but he figured it was the least he could do. The servant...disappeared. Some say he wanted the desert, searching for the tomb itself, to die with the man he loved. There was no sign of his corpse anywhere in the sandsea, nor at the tomb. He just...faded away.”

They sat in silence for another moment. Eyes never meeting, resisting the urge in respect for the dead.

“Alright then, it's settled,” Loch stated, rolling up the parchments on the table. “I'll go ahead and send for a regiment of guards to accompany us, and we'll...”

“Wait,” Ken'pai said, waving his gauntleted arm. “No guards.”

“Are you sure?! This thing's taken out a few caravans on its own!”

The lizard-man held his hand out to the small spider-like robot. It chittered a bit as it started crawling up his arm, finally resting on his shoulder.

“The fewer people who know about...this...the better. The Mages Guild is still after Gray, even if they're just chasing after a ghost. I intend to keep it that way as long as possible.”

The old man sighed. “I understand. I'm going with you though. Somebody's got to operate the sand-skiff.”

Ken'pai chuckled. “What, you think I can't handle it?”

Loch raised an eyebrow. “I don't doubt your ability to learn, Scales, but if you've never flown in the desert winds, you'll be shipwrecked and stranded in the Sandsea before even getting halfway to the tomb.”

“Fair enough. I'm guessing that will take some time, then?”

The old man nodded. “A couple of hours to go through the paperwork. That's about as fast as I can push it through, so meet me at the docks, alright?”

The two stood and made for the door, Loch placing a hand on the lizard's shoulder as they stepped out into the blazing Chazin sun. The old man shielded his eyes for a moment, while Ken'pai was unaffected, his goggles keeping most of the light from burning into his pupils.

Loch patted Ken's shoulder. “I'd better get this started then. Should take a couple of hours. We'll probably be able to depart around the beginning of sunset?”

“Sunset?”

From around the corner came a familiar black-robed figure, crossing his arms.

“...is that safe?” Tomis asked.

The bearded elf nodded. “When the air begins to cool, the wind becomes stronger, but it's also a lot more stable and predictable. We'll be able to get out there faster than we would during the afternoon. Plus, it won't be as unpleasant a trip.”

Purple-glowed eyes squinted behind the mask. “...Alright.”

The old man soon disappeared amongst the crowd, traces of the color of his clothing weaving through like wisps in a forest as the two companions turned toward each other, Ken placing his hand on his hip.

“Something's wrong, huh?” The lizard asked.

The warlock pointed his head and brought his voice down to a low whisper. “...that guy.”

Ken'pai knew the signal when he spotted it. He turned around, making it a point to make it appear as if he were gazing up skyward at the buildings in the distance. His eyes, masked by his goggles, shifted to the corners, focusing on one particular subject.

He appeared fairly normal for a citizen of Chazin. Light, airy clothing, a head-wrap for catching sweat, all standard attire. The only standout was a long red scarf, which was also not uncommon, many people enjoyed adding a splash of color to their appearance.

“What about him?” Ken inquired.

“I felt something. Magic. Very trained magic, but I wasn't sure until I noticed the brooch, on his scarf.”

The mechanist focused a bit, but the color gave it away instantly. Gold set inside a deep ruby-red stone.

“Mages Guild.”

“Yeah. I've been watching him while you were chatting. He's been out here the entire time watching the building. I want to say he might've tailed us since the city gate. I dunno if he's watching out for me or you, but...”

“I get'cha,” Ken agreed, placing a hand over the robotic spider on his shoulder. It kept still, as ordered, but he still felt he couldn't take the chance. He pressed his hand down on the construct, flattening it, and calling the essence back into his being. When he lifted his and again, there was only a brown sleeve beneath it.

The warlock stepped up right next to his friend, standing shoulder to shoulder and scanning the same skyline in an attempt of subterfuge. The could both see their target, the mage, start to wrap the scarf around his mouth as he walked down a side street.

The two both sighed at the same time.

“Guess it's me,” Ken rolled his eyes, beginning a slow pursuit, his warlock friend right behind him.

They followed him a ways, keeping a slow walking pace so as to not attract attention. The streets wound around with a sense of whimsy at points, leaving Tomis to wonder what madman had originally thought to design the streets around the buildings, rather than vice-versa. Ken'pai kept his clip a bit faster, his younger days training as a hunter creeping back into his subconscious.

“Red scarf, over the right shoulder. Gray-blue vest,” he whispered.

“Got it.”

“Repeat it.”

Tomis clicked his tongue. “Red scarf, over the right shoulder. Gray-blue vest.”

“Good. Keeps it fresh in the mind...wait, what's he doing?”

From directly behind, Ken could only see the man's arms folding forward, meeting in the middle, he'd guessed. Tomis' angle was slightly to the left, however, and he noticed the man's left arm bracing to keep itself steady.

“He's writing something,” Tomis noted.

“Writing? What, like a message?”

“Yeah, wouldn't be surprised if...”

The two silenced themselves once the mage brought his writing hand out to the side, the feather quill he had beginning to glow. The light expanded into a luminescent ball, before it shattered, sending sparkling magic drifting to the ground like snow.

In the mage's hand was a small white dove, with a metal canister attached to his leg, which he inserted a rolled up piece of parchment.

“Ugh,” Tomis moaned, “that's a bit much. Fuckin' mages.”

The lizard-man didn't say anything, reaching up into the top of his backpack and getting a grip on his most prized possession. He pulled out his signature weapon – a specially modified firearm, specifically a “carbine,” as his master once called it. He never learned where the name came from, but he assumed it was one of Gray's books before the cottage was torched. He slid open the chamber, loading a few slug-shells before snapping it shut.

They both watched as the mage tossed the dove into the air, the bird rapidly flapping its wings to gain the altitude it needed to head toward its destination. Warlock magic flared up in Tomis' hand, as the mechanist at his side braced the butt of his gun against his shoulder, lining a reptilian eye along the sights and taking a deep breath. Before the bird flew above Chazin's unique architecture, a clawed finger squeezed the trigger.

An unbelievably loud crack blasted into the sound-scape, creating a crater of fear in the townspeople around him as they began to scramble for some form of safety. Firearms weren't unheard of, but they certainly were a rarity, especially this particular gun. The target, for what it was worth, had burst into a gruesome mess of blood and feathers as it spiraled toward the ground.

The mage they had been following was, as expected, no fool. Rather than head for cover, he demonstrated that he knew he was being tailed by this point, as he broke into a run, turning at the first street he could. Ken'pai's hunting instincts kicked in, as he grasped his firearm almost like a spear, leaning forward as he sprinted after his prey, his tail sticking straight behind him, sharp as a dagger.

“Ken, wait up!” the warlock commanded.

“Get the bird! I'll catch hi--” Ken's voice trailed off as he turned the corner.

Tomis jogged toward the recently-made cadaver and scooped it up, dangling it by the leg with the canister attached. He yanked on the canister, struggling to get it to let go of the limb, finally pulling it free with a powerful jerk, the force of which caused the bird's corpse to slip out of his hand and whip toward a nearby wall, hitting with an almost satisfying splat, much to the chagrin of the startled woman trying to sweep her porch nearby.

“...sorry!” he called out, chuckling to himself as he dashed to try to catch up to his friend.

For a mage, Ken'pai's quarry was surprisingly quick.

He kept an eye out for the red scarf, as it shifted between townspeople like a dragonfly through the reeds. Ken paced himself rather well, for being out of practice as long as he had. It was a bit easier though, hunting prey in an environment where he didn't have to run silently. The strain always burned into his calves when he had to quiet his footsteps.

Reptilian claws scratched against the sandy cobblestone streets, propelling the lizard-man forward at an impressive pace, keeping up with the mage if not threatening to eventually overtake him. He probably would have, if the mark hadn't pulled over a stack of wooden crates to impede his pursuer's progress.

Ken had to slow a bit in order to leap up on top of one of the crates, bounding off of it into the air. Noting that the street wasn't at all crowded, he took the opportunity and lined up a shot, firing the instant he felt he had a chance.

The slug round sang as it bounced off the groundwork next to the mage's feet, before ricocheting and embedding itself into the wall near his face with enough force to cause him to stagger a bit in recoil. The chase continued, the slight stutter being just enough for Ken to make up for the obstacle.

The mage rounded another corner, his follower skidding a little from having to make such a sudden turn. A flourish of a cold blue magic from his hands told Ken'pai to be wary, proving his instincts to be correct as the mage began to cover the street behind him in a thick sheen of ice. Though he had to hold his hand backward to keep the stream going, the speed he lost wouldn't match what the lizard-man would lose if he continued to stay on ground level.

Glancing upward, Ken noticed a bit of wooden construction scaffolding that was just low enough to reach. Before he got caught up on the ice, he leapt into the air, clasping onto it with one hand. He put his gun back into his backpack before using both hands to pull himself up onto the platform. From there, it was a simple matter to get onto the roof of the building and resume chase from a much higher vantage point.

The buildings themselves were close enough together to not exactly hinder Ken's progress, but being that high up did have a tendency to obscure his sight on the target at points. He kept focusing on the red scarf trailing behind the mage, knowing that as a member of the guild, his vanity wouldn't allow him to discard something that displayed his station, no matter what advantage it would give him.

The sands bit harder up there, stinging the lizard's face a little, while making him thankful that he had goggles on. Taking a moment to gaze ahead, he noticed the buildings were going to come to a sudden end, with large windmills getting closer than he'd realized.

They were almost at The Great Well.

The mage had stopped his icy deluge on the streets, prompting Ken'pai to leap back down to street level in an attempt to force the wizard to choose a path once they had gotten to the inevitable end of the road. It came sooner than the magus had expected, having to take a second to look back at the scaly humanoid making a beeline for his position.

The mage smiled and leapt backward, over the waist-high dividing wall around the Well.

“Wait!” Ken demanded.

He climbed up on the wall and looked down, watching his quarry land on one of the safety nets and begin to roll backward, underneath him.

“Clever...” he said, giving out a slightly frustrated hiss.

He breathed deeply, staring at the netting below him. It didn't really matter just how safe it truly was, below that net was another net, and below that, another net...but below that...

Just water. Hundreds of feet down.

He had to ease his mind from the possibilities.

Ken leaned forward and let gravity do its work, opting to land on his stomach as his backpack was full of very...unsoft things. His feet hit the net first, but its unstable nature caused the lizard-man to collapse to his knees as he caught his upper half with his hands. He shook his head to keep from staring down at the water below and focused on the direction his prey had opted to take instead.

After a bit of struggling, Ken'pai finally stepped off of the safety net into a dimly-lit corridor that ran under the streets of Chazin. He figured they must've been access tunnels of a sort, just in case the foundations of the city began to crack somehow, or at the very least, it was a way for citizens to make it back to the surface if they'd fallen into the Well.

The hallway only had one direction to go, thankfully, and he could just barely make out a crimson scarf billowing in the distance. Falling into the net had given Ken a momentary reprieve, just enough to catch his breath so that he could break into another sprint. Footsteps echoed in front of him, as the scratching of his claws into the stone trailed behind.

The ever-brightening hallway told Ken'pai that he wasn't going to spend much longer down in this tunnel, soon finding himself bounding toward a tall set of stairs that led back up into the blue desert skies. He skipped every other step, every two if he could, falling into a sort of rhythm as the lizard bounced back and forth until he reached the top.

This particular street was rather empty, and it, too, had no other side paths, save for one up ahead. The mage was nearing that particular turn himself, but Ken'pai skidded to a stop, giving a sheepish grin. The man turned back in curiosity. He didn't see what Ken saw.

And what Ken saw was a coalescence of shadows in front of the magus' path, a black-robed figure stepping out, wearing a white mask and folding his arms.

Tomis.

The mage turned back, too late to avoid running into the warlock, who held his ground firmly. The man fell backwards, scooting back on his hands to attempt to stand, but Tomis was all-too-eager to assist him with his endeavor. A small dark spot formed on the ground next to him, as a glowing purple tentacle spewed forth and wrapped itself around their quarry, swinging to one side as he screamed, before flinging him with incredible force down the side street.

The sudden cry of pain already told Ken'pai that the street was a dead-end, and that his target had slammed into the far wall.

Catching up to his friend, Ken'pai grabbed the warlock's shoulder and hunched over, panting heavily.

“How'd...you catch up...so well?”

A violet-glowing eye gave him a wink. “I tend to keep track of the people I like.”

“But...I'm the...only person...you travel around with.”

“What can I say? You’re the only person I like.”

Ken'pai chuckled. “Because you get to rail me whenever you want?”

“Well, that's only a small part of it,” Tomis said, eyeing his friend's posterior for a moment before snapping his gaze toward the end of the alley. “C'mon, let's take care of this.”

The two walked in-step with each other as they approached the mage with the red scarf, who had slumped down against the back of the wall, a large cracked depression above him demonstrating just how much force he was thrown with. A small bit of blood trickled from his mouth, a mouth that seemed to still be muttering to itself.

CRACK!

The sound surprised even Tomis, as he looked sideways to see Ken'pai with his firearm in one outstretched arm.

The round drilled into the wall beside the man's face, spraying bits of rock. The combination of the sudden sound combined by the force of the impact caused the mage to recoil in fear as a small spark of magic flared, then fizzled out.

“Keep your mouth shut and your magics contained,” Ken'pai grimly ordered.

Tomis resumed his march toward the mage, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up, slamming him into the wall again.

“P-please! I w-won't tell anyone, I sw-swear!”

“Begging?” Tomis leered. “How unbecoming of a Guild Mage.”

Ken'pai holstered his weapon again and stepped forward. “What're you going to do? Blast him with that beam?”

Tomis gave a short sigh of exasperation. “I told you this before, it doesn't work like that.”

“What then?”

The warlock held the mage up with one strong arm, glancing at the wall and outstretching his other hand. An inky, purple-tinged darkness began to swirl out from it, forming a round, black window of twisting nether energies.

Tomis turned back to the mage. The others couldn't see it, but Tomis was smiling under the mask.

“I'm going to give you a glimpse. A glimpse into the darker side of this reality, one that you mages will never seem to understand, despite your fears. I'm going to show you the truth.”

He let the mage drop before grabbing the back of his head and forcing it into the vortex, the man bracing himself against the wall with his hands to keep from falling completely in.

Even having his face completely trapped in a portal, it wasn't enough to drown out that level of screaming. His body jerked and pushed with a desperate fervor to escape his captor's grasp, but not only that...to escape from...

Ken'pai turned his gaze and blocked the sight with his hand. As deeply as he cared for Tomis, there was always a strong discomfort of the powers he possessed. He actually felt a little weird at the fact that he wasn't afraid of them anymore, but they still gave him a strong sense of unease.

Tomis finally pulled the man from his creation, throwing him aside and letting his magics dissipate. He was visibly shaking and huddling for warmth, or perhaps, comfort. Comfort that he wouldn't find here.

“It's over, Ken. You can look.”

The lizard-man uncovered his eyes and glanced at his friend sideways in embarrassment. “Sssorry. I just..”

“I know. It's okay.”

The warlock rolled back his hood and took off his mask, prompting Ken'pai to tilt his head in curiosity, before smiling at his friend's gentle face.

“Guards are coming. Follow my lead,” Tomis smiled.

Sure enough, two guards rounded the corner, one male and one female. Golden armor matched with golden spears and large golden shields as they approached the two companions.

Tomis didn't even give them a chance to speak. “Oh thank the gods you're here,” he pleaded, giving a grand performance, “we heard this terrible noise and we found this man just lying here, talking to himself!”

The male guard kept his spear at the ready, watching the two as he motioned to the woman. “Check him,” he said, pointing his head to the mage on the ground.

She rolled him over and looked in his twitching, terrible eyes. The mage grabbed her and held on for dear life.

“There's nothing but eyes! It's nothing but darkness and eyes watching you always watching and nothing can save us or save you or save me or save them we're all being watched. Always watching and waiting to devour and eat and consume and those eyes are upon me and upon my mind and upon my soul and...”

She'd heard enough, backhanding him with a gauntlet with enough force to render him unconscious. “He's gone, sir,” she said, checking the brooch on his chest. “...looks like a Guild Mage?”

The male guard eased his watch and turned toward his partner. “Magic frenzy.”

“What's that?” Tomis asked innocently. He knew the answer already.

The man turned back to them. “I don't know the details, but Guild Mages like to experiment with magic, and if they delve...too far, they can go a bit crazy from the things they experience. They're so unstable when they do that their actions are wildly unpredictable.”

“It's why we don't want the Mages Guild to have a chapter in Chazin,” the woman said, “Mages going through frenzy have been known to attack people, and with the powers they have at their command, that's a very dangerous combination, especially in a city like this, where the streets are so dense.”

“Well, that and we don't really like Guild Mages here anyway,” the man scoffed, “too snobby, to far up their own arses to see or care about the people around them.”

Tomis chuckled. “Yeah...they wanted me to join at one point but man they really don't make a good pitch. They were trying to tell me that my family was worthless and holding me back, they didn't care just how badly they insulted me to my face!”

The man patted Tomis on the shoulder. “Good thing you didn't join up then. Free mages are so much more helpful anyways.”

“What's going to happen to him?” Ken'pai spoke up.

They were both startled a bit as the woman dragged the mage to his feet and braced him up. “You speak common?” Ken averted his gaze.

“...Sorry. Guess it takes all kinds here in Chazin. We'll take him with us and see if we can get him stabilized, but if not...he'll have to spend time in the sanitarium. If what he said is any indication...a lot of time.”

The male guard helped his partner brace the unconscious man as they began to drag him away. “You two going to be alright? Need anything else?”

Tomis smiled. “No, just glad nobody got hurt, that noise was so frightening!”

“Indeed,” the woman said. “Take care.”

“You too!”

The guards nodded and continued to drag their subject away, turning the corner out of sight.

Ken'pai finally gave a few chuckling hisses. “I don't know how you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Just...lie so convincingly. You all but had them eating out of your hand.”

Tomis gave his friend a loving smile. “I know how to get what I want.”

Ken'pai grinned. “Oh, do you now?”

“What's that?” Tomis said, grabbing one of Ken's horns and leaning in as close to the lizard's ear-hole as he could, speaking in a low, sultry whisper. “Is my comrade beginning to doubt my powers of...persuasion?”

Ken shuddered as his grin became an embarrassed smile. “No....” he said, resisting every urge he had to not melt right then and there.

Tomis let his breath hit the lizard's neck before smiling. “Good.”

He pulled back and wrapped his arm around Ken'pai's back and squeezed. “Now, we've got a few hours before sunset, and I'm guessing you need something to eat.”

“And drink,” Ken'pai noted, swallowing hard.

“After all that running, I can't blame you. C'mon, let's get some grub. I'm counting on you to find a good place. Never been here myself.”

Ken'pai gazed skyward for a moment before the inspiration struck. “I know just the place! Has a great view of the Well, also.”

“Sounds good,” Tomis nodded, replacing his mask and hood.

The lizard gazed at his friend, still slightly unbelieving that he'd met him in the first place.

Yet...he could feel his soul was...happy.

“Yeah. It does,” he smiled.

Thanks for reading. Reblogs are appreciated! :D

#Writing #Fantasy #Sinquest #Ken'pai the Mechanist #Tomis the Warlock #Soul and Sand

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