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[center][color=#BBBABF][size=1][b]PREV.[/b][/size] [size=2][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/38#post_38481918]Dragon[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_2323941]Contents[/url] • Characters [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507351]A-M[/url] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507353]N-Z[/url] • [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941#post_30507364]Stories Pt. 4[/url] | [/size][size=1][b]NEXT[/b][/size] [size=2][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/40#post_40040050]Dragon[/url][/color][/size][/center] ----- [right][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=49449251][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/494493/49449251.png[/img][/url] [size=2][color=#9494A9][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=49449251]profile[/url] • back to[/color] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/38#post_38481928]main post[/url][/right] [columns][center][item=moonstone][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]..[/color][nextcol][color=#C18E1B][font=garamond][size=7][size=4][b]the faces of the moon[/b][/size][/size][/font][/color] [size=2]written by Disillusionist [color=#9494A9]4,744 words[/color][/size][/columns] [color=#556979]It was fitting that one of Khonsu's earliest memories was of adding a layer to his pearl. He remembered the orb, still black and sticky beneath his paws, the lacquer slowly brightening to opalescent white. His mother guided his paws, helping him smoothen the surface. "Now relax," she coached him, "and your father will strengthen it with his magic." Like her son, she was a Pearlcatcher — his father, however, was something altogether different, almost alien to this world.... [i]Ophion, the Lunar Serpent. [/i]Khonsu remembered him, huge and sinuous, a rainbow glow shimmering over his translucent green scales. The Lunar Serpent breathed onto the pearl, a cloud of pure magic that clung, sparkling brightly, to the glaucous surface. Thetis clapped her paws in delight. "Now let the magic sit," she cooed to her son. "Let it join with your own magic already in the pearl....Over time it will grow stronger, just as you do." The Lunar Serpent moved nearer. His voice was audible, not as a movement of the air, but of thoughts, deep inside Khonsu's mind: [i]"When you come into your true power, then you will be the protector of this land."[/i] His coils moved, gently stroking the hatchling. The eyes that looked down at Khonsu, luminous green like his own, were warm and calm. The Lunar Serpent had not always looked kindly upon dragons. In the long-ago past, like many of his ilk, he had preyed upon them, consuming them for their magic and, later, their life-force. As Ophion's original shape had worn out, he had sought out dragons, and he had charmed them so that they let down their guard and were more easily taken over. As time passed and his powers had weakened, it had become difficult to steal the bodies of grown dragons. Their shapes and souls were too deeply bound to each other, and the Lunar Serpent had been hard pressed to separate them. And so he had learned to sire children upon mortal dragons. He passed a little bit of his magic on to them, but that was a small price to pay, for it made the transition easier, and when they were of age, he could acquire their bodies more easily... And this he did, for many long centuries. But something peculiar happened: Over time, the Lunar Serpent learned to care about the creatures he preyed on. Centuries of learning their ways so that he could charm them...The more he learned about them, the more he understood. Until at last he realized he could love and respect them. By then, it had been decades since he'd consumed a mortal soul. Ophion swore it would be his last. He instead pledged his vast magic to the protection of dragonkind, and under his care, the land around him flourished. It wasn't long before dragons flocked to this safe haven and discovered the Lunar Serpent. They knew him only as a caretaker of the land, and they accepted him as such. The Ashfall Waste was aptly named, for most of it was barren, volcanic fields where nothing would grow. But here in Ophion's domain, golden grass covered the ground, the trees bore jeweled fruits, and the waters ran quick and clear. Surrounded by a loving clan, he was content. He would never steal another life from the dragons — even if it meant his would eventually come to an end.[/color] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/2177898][img] https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/9q5s4lc62tqvsmr/beastclanmid.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#556979]The story of Ophion's life, comforting as it was, hung over Khonsu like a shadow. For he was the Lunar Serpent's son, and Ophion had left him a great and terrible legacy — his magic. "Your father was a mighty spirit," Thetis reminded her son. "His life-force has returned to the heavens, but his power still flows through you." The young Pearlcatcher managed a wan smile. He'd grown up hearing stories of his father's might, seeing the Lunar Serpent's power, so that it was hard to believe he was now gone. But as all elementals do when they fail to secure a new body, Ophion had grown too weak to hold on to the world. He had slipped away a few days ago, falling up into the heavens, his scales dissolving like rainbows. The wind had borne him gently skywards, and the clouds had closed over his bright green eyes. Now Khonsu's own eyes shone as he beheld the regalia left to him. As the Lunar Serpent's son, he was now both priest and king — some dragons would have even considered him a god. He ran his claws lightly over the tomes detailing his father's exploits, the treatises written by spiritologists. His pearl sat close by, gleaming with a light of its own. Khonsu had read all the manuscripts, and the magic Ophion had woven into the pearl had given him a deeper understanding of the Lunar Serpent's life. He had given much to protect and raise the dragons who'd formed his clan, and now that duty fell to Khonsu. "The Lunar Serpent's Son has come into his power!" intoned the priests of the clan, on the day Khonsu was crowned. He truly was the Lunar Serpent's Son, and for many years, the clan again knew peace....[/color] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/2177898][img] https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/9q5s4lc62tqvsmr/beastclanmid.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#556979]"Lord Khonsu, fighting has erupted in the west," the messenger reported. "The leaders of the Blacksky and Zanfirico lairs have set their warriors against each other." [i]Fighting again. The third conflict in nearly as many months. [/i]Khonsu sucked in a deep breath as he turned to the wall, where hung a great map of his clan's territory. The Clan of the Lunar Serpent was located on the western peninsula of the Ashfall Waste. It was composed of a handful of lairs, all of them working in harmony for the good of the entire clan. This they had done for nearly a thousand years — but recently the different lairs had come into conflict with one another. The last two disputes had been brought before Khonsu for arbitration, and he had settled them. He'd thought that would be the end of it...but then this new disagreement had arisen. He listened, his frown deepening as the messenger stated claims cheating and slander. "My people have lived and worked harmoniously for centuries," Khonsu protested in consternation. "Only a few moons ago, they were fair and kind towards one another. Why such strife and disagreement now? Were there any prior problems not brought to my attention, something that could have triggered this?" "The leaders have stated their grievances in the reports, milord." "Any changes?" Khonsu pressed. "I've noticed that the unquiet lairs are on the edges of our land. I'm aware that there are other clans beyond — could they perhaps be influencing our vassals?" The messenger considered it carefully. He reported, "We have granted passage to the usual parties of merchants from other lands. It is possible that they are carrying some unrest with them. The lord of Blacksky has also recently welcomed a noble from another clan—" "A noble?" The Snapper nodded. "I am told that she has Flame-touched eyes. I have been unable to ascertain which clan she hails from, however, or what her purpose here is." Khonsu was puzzled: Normally, nobles came here for political or commercial reasons, and so they were required to make their presence known to him. Even if they didn't, as a matter of courtesy, they always let it be known they were coming. The Snapper took his leave of the clan leader, stomping heavily away. Khonsu was left alone to pore over the reports, letters, and schedules that make up much of a leader's life. But when the darkness deepened and the shadows grew long, he set all that aside. The lantern flames seemed to shrink as he took his pearl and held it up to the skylight, through which shone the brilliant moon. [i]"Focus," [/i]boomed Ophion's voice, from deep within the vaults of memory. [i]"Let the magic flow into you. For I fell out of the heavens, freshly hatched from the great white moon, and so moonlight empowers me, as now it will strengthen you. Open your eyes, child of the moon — for nothing the moonlight touches will be invisible to you." [/i] And so it was: Between Khonsu's paws, the pearl shone, and strange magics moved in the air, concentrating themselves upon him. Light flickered from beneath his closed eyelids as images flitted before him. He saw swirling smoke, a glint of gold, bright eyes in a night-dark [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=52783531]face[/url]. They gleamed like a tiger's, warm but predatory, through filigreed markings like an intricate mask. Any mortal would have been hopelessly enraptured by that face. Indeed, the leaders of Blacksky, Zanfirico, and many others had already been enthralled by that beauty. But Khonsu was not wholly mortal, and never had been. He was the son of the Lunar Serpent, who had spent centuries charming and preying on other beings, and as he looked past the beauty and into the darkness, he began to see her for what she really was.[/color] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/2177898][img] https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/9q5s4lc62tqvsmr/beastclanmid.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#556979]The strange visitor had come to Blacksky Lair, and so that was where Khonsu went. Unlike many of his official visits, he traveled with little fanfare this time, and the dragons of Blacksky were more than a little surprised to see him. Khonsu wasn’t there to meet them, though — he was there to meet the stranger he’d heard of. In form, she was a Pearlcatcher like himself, though her scales gleamed like iron and were as black as the night. The face he had seen, delicately filigreed, was beautiful, as he had known it would be. It was a beauty that was meant to dazzle — to draw attention away from the hunger in her eyes. “Which clan do you hail from, fair lady?” he asked her, for he’d been unable to ascertain her name. The Pearlcatcher tossed her scarlet mane. “The name of my clan is unimportant, for it no longer exists. I now make my living as a traveling merchant, a purveyor of magical treasures.” [i]“If you’re a merchant, why have you no wares?”[/i] Khonsu wanted to ask. But he also had no doubt that if he did, the purported merchant had a sensible-sounding answer ready. And he was not here to antagonize her: His vassals were all mortals, and if she used her allure on them, they would turn against him. He also had to ensure she would not pit more of them against each other, as she had already done with Blacksky and Zanfirico. So he invited her back to his palace, and let her know that she could stay if she wished. "Only for a few days, perhaps?" he suggested. "I am sure you know that the Ashfall Waste is not a comfortable place to travel, but there, you would have everything you needed." She laughed, her delicate touch lingering on his arm. "Perhaps a week," she conceded. She smiled back mischievously. "For I am Leannan, and I go where I please." [i]Leannan.[/i] The name did not mean anything to Khonsu. He would pretend it did, though, as the days went past. As he had known it would, Leannan's stay extended into weeks. She and Khonsu spent much time together, regaling each other with stories. And Khonsu did listen to her stories. [i]"It's important to listen,"[/i] he remembered his father telling him. [i]"Always listen carefully — but don't lose yourself..."[/i] “Might you tell me of your travels abroad? I have never been beyond my clan’s borders and would love to hear about other lands.” “Why, certainly, Your Majesty. You have not been to other lands, you say? Then you will not have heard of these places,” Leannan murmured quietly, almost to herself. She tapped her chin reflectively and then straightened up, as if she’d come to a decision. “Still, I hope you will enjoy my tales. One of the lands I recently visited was called [i]Heliotrope[/i]...” [i]Heliotrope.[/i] Khonsu remembered that name, and the names of other places and beings she’d visited. He asked his scholars to research these, and while many of the names were dead ends, some were not. Tribes in the Scarred Wasteland, castles in Dragonhome, troupes in the Tangled Wood or ships on the Sea of a Thousand Currents... All gone, all destroyed — largely from within, amid accusations of dishonor and treachery. The same accusations his vassals had hurled at each other. Looking at these reports now, Khonsu felt a sudden chill. If he did not act, the same fate would befall his kingdom. He considered what he knew now of Leannan’s nature, and how to best deal with the threat to his clan. Khonsu could not be wholly proud of what he did next. It wasn’t just that he let Leannan think he was in her thrall — he actively worked to charm her as well. He drew on the magic and wiles he’d inherited from his father — the long-buried, predatory side of him. And he charmed Leannan. He let her believe he was no threat, that he was just a sheltered noble who was hopelessly enamored of this exotic stranger. Khonsu told no one of his plan: There were places the moonlight didn’t fall, after all, and he couldn’t take the chance that Leannan had entranced his servants. He waited patiently as the days swept past and the nights grew longer. Finally, on the longest night of the year, he tucked an iron dagger among his robes. There was nothing special about it, for even the crudest iron would incapacitate a fairy. He planned to invite Leannan on a night flight, to view the moonrise from a nearby hill... And if all went as he had planned, she would never be seen again.[/color] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/2177898][img] https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/9q5s4lc62tqvsmr/beastclanmid.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#556979]It was some hours later. The moon shone on the hilltop, which was scarred by fire and magic. As it retreated behind the clouds, Khonsu groaned and struggled to stand. He had lain a trap, a binding spell, upon this hilltop, and he had taken Leannan by surprise. Not even her declaration of love had fazed him; he had been expecting it, and by now he knew that declarations of love came easily to fairies of her ilk. What he had [i]not[/i] expected was how powerful she was. Khonsu’s pearl could shrug off most spells, but Leannan’s magic had damaged it badly. With the strength drawn of desperation, she had built up a mighty spell: a screaming fireball blazing straight for Khonsu. He’d leaped safely out of the way — only for the spell to engulf his pearl, which he’d set upon a nearby rock. Immediately a wave of pain had blasted through Khonsu. He’d collapsed, screaming in agony as flames burned upon him — and his pearl. For Pearlcatchers, a pearl is a representation of the soul, but for Khonsu, who was half-spirit, it [i]was[/i] a part of him, both body [i]and[/i] soul. And as it had burned, so had he. It would have taken too long to extinguish the flames, and in any case, he could achieve the same result by binding Leannan, as he had planned. Summoning all his willpower, he had pushed back the pain and begun chanting the words of the spell — and suddenly the hilltop had burst into light. Enchanted diagrams, whirls and loops of magic, had appeared, gliding across the ground, to center themselves upon Leannan. The fairy, who had been struggling to fly away, suddenly sank down as though a great weight had dropped onto her shoulders. And then the earth had swallowed her whole.... Still, something of her remained. Khonsu shivered, remembering how her terrified gaze had changed to one of pure hatred. Her eyes shone like hot coals in the darkness of his memory as he recalled her words— “Even this spell will fade, but you will never be rid of me! I [i]will[/i] find you, half-breed, and I will be your doom—” He’d never bound another spirit before. Had he done it correctly? He couldn’t be sure: Although Leannan’s spell had been extinguished, the burning pain remained, and he could barely see. He groped blindly through the darkness, searching for his pearl. By the merciful light of the moon, he found it. Its once-smooth surface had run, become bumpy and uneven, but it was still in one piece. He scooped it up, and weakly he struggled into the air. The journey back to the palace was a confusing, painful blur, but he made it. His physicians and magicians flocked to his bedside, and when he was well enough to speak, they asked him what had happened. “A spirit...” he whispered. “We were being threatened by a spirit.” He turned to look at a nearby mirror. The smoky skin of his face had darkened to dull orange, and it had been stretched and twisted by the fire. The damage was not horrific, but he knew it would not fade. Leannan had marked him — and her words still throbbed in his mind. [i]“She’s right,”[/i] he realized with a sudden chill. [i]“I[/i] will [i]weaken — whether through age or infirmity — and when that happens, the spell will break. She will come for me, or for those who happen to be near me. Such a dangerous creature...I should have attempted to slay her instead.”[/i] When he was well enough to fly, he returned to the hilltop. The lines of the spell were completely invisible, but Khonsu could feel it; it was like closing his eyes and pressing his paws against a taut chain. Or a rope, perhaps — strong, but doomed to decay and snap. His heart heavy, he returned to his palace. He rallied his advisers again. The Clan of the Lunar Serpent would endure, but Khonsu could no longer be its king. He was beholden to a sterner duty now.[/color] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/2177898][img] https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/9q5s4lc62tqvsmr/beastclanmid.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#556979]Khonsu abdicated his throne. Leadership of the clan was ceded to his advisers, and once the transfer of power was complete, he left his palace behind. For the last time, he climbed the hilltop where he had cast the spell of binding. He cast one upon himself this time, and it was a spell of release. He discarded his physical body and donned the ethereal guise all spirits have. In this form, he was less susceptible to damage and ailments, and he would be able to live longer. And while he lived, the spell would continue to hold Leannan as well. When she burst loose, he would bind her again — or eliminate her for good. Long years passed. Khonsu kept watch from just beyond the world. He didn’t stray far from his kingdom, and as time crept by, the Clan of the Lunar Serpent waxed in power, waned, waxed and waned again....It fractured into its component lairs as dragons came and went. At last there came the day when the name of the Lunar Serpent was spoken for the last time. The clan, finally, was no more. It was a good ending, Khonsu decided. Better to pass into obscurity than fall into infamy. The clan’s final days had been entirely peaceful, and he approved of the work his successors had done. He also had other concerns: His power was waning. This wasn’t unheard-of for spirits, but it seemed that he was losing strength faster than he should have. He searched his long memory for a possible explanation. The only one that came was discomfiting: Perhaps he was nearing the end of his lifespan. He had been alive for nearly a thousand years now; half-breeds like him did not live as long as full spirits. [i]“There is a way,”[/i] he realized with a shudder: He had to acquire a new body. Its magic would renew him, and he would be able to extend his lifespan. He could charm a grown dragon and then steal their body later on...or he could sire a child and take over them once they came into their full power. He would need some time to consider this. He decided to retreat into dormancy: It would drain his strength more slowly, and that meant the binding spell on Leannan would be extended as well. And he would have time. Time to consider things, to decide... But Khonsu’s magic was not the only thing that could affect Leannan, and while he rested, more magic raged in the world outside. Dragons waged their battles, and the Shade continued its insidious onslaught on Sornieth....All those forces wore away at the binding spell on the hill. The spell was strong, but over many years, it began to break down. Finally, during a battle for dominance, Khonsu felt the spell break. Leannan was free. He snapped awake and flew back into the physical world — but the dragons continued their battle, and their magic raged like a storm. The once-mighty Khonsu was thrown through the sky by the gale. Unseen and nearly imperceptible, he dodged dueling dragons, ducking beneath their wings and claws. He fought to return to the hilltop where he had bound Leannan. By the time he got there, the spell was quiescent, and the air around the hill felt hollow and empty. Leannan had flown away. She could be anywhere out in the world, continuing to wreak havoc....It could take [i]centuries[/i] to find her. Though it wounded him, Khonsu made his choice: He would have to seek out a new body and add its life to its own. Only once Leannan was destroyed could he rest in peace.[/color] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/2177898][img] https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/9q5s4lc62tqvsmr/beastclanmid.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#556979]Khonsu’s quest was difficult. He was loath to deceive other dragons, so he decided that he would not. Sometimes spiritologists and thaumaturges came in search of spirits to bind, and they summoned him to parley. They presented their objectives to him; Khonsu in turn did the same. When it seemed that discussions were proceeding well, he would ask them, “Will you pledge your life to me?” When he had been a king, there’d been no shortage of dragons eager to become his vassals. Now, however, there was no shortage of spiritologists refusing him. He did not blame them. And when they attempted to entrap him, he was still wily enough to charm them — only enough to ensure he escaped. Khonsu began to despair of finding someone who would agree to aid him. He understood he was asking much — but surely there was someone who would be willing to commit their life to stopping this spirit? Dragons pledged their lives to leaders and causes all the time, so surely... One night, a young [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=48720638]witch[/url] came to the hilltop. She was no spiritologist, but she knew the right spells, words that drew Khonsu back to the Ashfall Waste. Her spells fed power into the air and allowed him to take on a visible form, and he settled upon the earth, his fiery pearl in his grasp. “I greet you, Traveler of the Night,” said the Nocturne. She wore a voluminous red cloak, and just outside her protective circle, Khonsu spied two more dragons. They didn’t speak, but they remained alert, watching the scene with interest. “And I bid you welcome, witch. I am Khonsu, spirit of moonlight, the Lunar Serpent’s son. How are you called?” “I am Netanya, daughter of Zelievna and descendant of the Witchborne.” Khonsu had heard of the Witchborne. They were great magic-users, equally feared and revered for their power. In the past, many of their lines had been purged, but they were recently regaining their footholds among the rest of dragonkind. With this in mind, he asked her, “And what does a scion of the Witchborne require of me? Do you need my magic to strengthen your spells, or to hinder rivals to your power?” The witch scoffed at this. That surprised Khonsu more than just a little bit. He had never been [i]scoffed[/i] at before. “Our struggle has nothing to do with politics. One of my clanmates is partially possessed by a hostile spirit, a Shade fragment. It torments her in her dreams....Recently, it has begun to extend its influence to others.” The words struck a chord in Khonsu, and his ears quivered. He leaned forward, genuinely interested this time. “Pray, tell me more.” “The clan I hail from lives in the lands of Light. If you deign to travel with us, we would have to carry you far from here.” Netanya tapped her chest with one claw. “You would be tethered to me, for I am the only one of the Oneironauts with the ability to bind spirits. Your powers of moonlight would be welcome, for our foe appears only at night. You would be well provided with the offerings you desire, be they wine, burnt meat, or even the magic of lesser spirits.” That was enticing. Some spiritologists offered nothing except eternal servitude. Still, Khonsu asked, “How long will I be required to serve you?” This time, Netanya hesitated. Even her companions seemed just a bit uneasy. “It is difficult to say,” she said at last. “The Shade fragment is deeply ingrained into our clanmate...” And then she let out a short, sharp sigh. “We do not believe it can be extracted from her. Perhaps it will remain with her until she dies — or it might even use its foul magic to extend her lifespan indefinitely. Such things aren’t unheard of.” “Then what is the use of fighting it?” Netanya’s eyes blazed. In irritation, she stamped the butt of her staff upon the ground. “As I’ve said, this fragment has grown strong enough to invade other dragons’ minds. Currently it can only attack their dreams — but if it’s left unchecked, it might become powerful enough to influence them even when they are awake. We can’t allow this to happen. As this fragment is tied to our clan, we have a duty to mitigate its influence — and ensure that others are protected from it.” At last, Khonsu was satisfied — or [i]nearly[/i] satisfied. There was one more agreement to make, after all. “I require no offerings,” he said, “except what I need to maintain my power. Power is neither lightly lent nor asked for, however. There is a boon I would ask of you.” Netanya nodded curtly. “You seek aid against an evil spirit who escaped you once — it is written in the old summoners’ records.” Her smile was rather wry. She couldn’t resist admitting, “It’s why we sought you out. We thought it would help if we had common ground.” “Then let us see if you understand what I require: What would you offer me in return?” For the first time, Netanya’s companions showed unease. “What’s this about?” growled the [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=44293151]Tundra[/url]. The brightly-colored [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45531649]Pearlcatcher[/url] shushed him. Netanya showed no fear, however. She held out her right paw and intoned, “Let us aid one another. If you will lend your magic to aid us, then I will be prepared to give my life, too, should your quest require it.” The Tundra let out a brief roar, his fur bristling alarmingly. His companion shushed him again. But her eyes, pinned on Khonsu, were wary and sharp, and he got the strong impression that while she knew what was about to happen, she thoroughly disapproved of it as well. Khonsu ignored them, however — for at last, here was the long-awaited offer and opportunity; a chance to be free from this place, to destroy the spirit who had escaped him long ago...and to draw on a willing companion’s life, in case he needed more time, more power. He grasped Netanya’s paw, and the protective circle shattered, disintegrating into arcs and lines of light. One line wrapped around their interlocked claws, seeming to meld them together...and then it faded, and Khonsu stood before his new master. “Now, where are we headed?” “To the Sunbeam Ruins, my clan’s home.” Netanya pointed, and her companions, still casting distrustful looks at Khonsu, turned to lead the way. Khonsu glided beside her, musing, “I have never been there. Still, I look forward to it....” Somewhere out in the world were two dark spirits. One of them slumbered in his mistress’ clan, and the other, he hoped, was not causing too much trouble. Leannan’s words still lingered in a foreboding echo— [i]“This spell will fade, but you will never be rid of me!” “Indeed, the spell has faded, Leannan,”[/i] Khonsu thought, [i]“but there will be others for you to contend with — and I am still here.”[/i] All that was left now was to see which of them would be slain first.[/color] [right][font=Copperplate Gothic Light][color=#C18E1B][size=5][b]continued[/b][/color][/size][/font] [b][size=5][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/63#post_43786081]»[/url][/b] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/58#post_40895342][font=garamond][b]Leannan's story [size=4]»[/size][/b][/font][/url][/right] ----- [center][color=#BBBABF][size=1][b]PREV.[/b][/size] [size=2][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/38#post_38481918]Dragon[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_2323941]Contents[/url] • Characters [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507351]A-M[/url] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507353]N-Z[/url] • [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941#post_30507364]Stories Pt. 4[/url] | [/size][size=1][b]NEXT[/b][/size] [size=2][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/40#post_40040050]Dragon[/url][/color][/size][/center]

[center][color=#BBBABF][size=1][b]PREV.[/b][/size] [size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/36#post_38105779]Dragon[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_2323941]Contents[/url] • Characters [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507351]A-M[/url] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507353]N-Z[/url] • [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941#post_30507364]Stories Pt. 4[/url] | [/size][size=1][b]NEXT[/b][/size] [size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/36#post_38105788]Dragon[/url][/color][/size][/center] ----- [right][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=48720638][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/487207/48720638.png[/img][/url] [size=2][color=#9494A9][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=27291021]profile[/url] • back to[/color] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/36#post_38105785]main post[/url][/right] [columns][center][item=carved harpy mask][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]..[/color][nextcol][color=#C1272D][font=garamond][size=7][size=4][b][i]dramatis personae[/i][/b][/size][/size][/font][/color] [size=2]written by Disillusionist special thanks to awaicu, GlitterDCMarvel, LaSilva007, and BelialsWrath [color=#9494A9]2,670 words[/color][/size][/columns] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45531649][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/455317/45531649.png[/img][/url] [font=garamond][size=5][color=#3B2F45][i][b]I. The Mentor[/b][/i][/color][/size][/font][/center] [color=#724D79]Only impressions remained to Netanya of her first visit to the [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2084754]Cathedral of Eyes[/url]. An envelope glittering in her father’s claws, whispers about “the coordinates” and “the [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13929292]doorkeeper[/url]”...She remembered wisps of cloud tumbling past and then being carried through a doorway, light and colors blazing on the other side. It was the applause that awoke her. She blinked herself out of sleep. Her parents had been ushered into special box seats set high up in the Cathedral’s theater walls—and what a theater it was! Netanya’s claws clutched the railing as she peered down at the sea of spectators. Dragons ([i]were[/i] they just dragons?) in all the colors of the rainbow, each aglow with their own brand of magic. “Look ahead,” [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=46554321]Etrix[/url] whispered, and Netanya snapped obediently to attention. Upon the stage, a [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=33195609]Pearlcatcher magician[/url] flourished grandly, and images of pure light wheeled around him. He was a dapper figure wreathed in purple smoke, yet Netanya’s gaze was instead drawn to his [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=45531649]assistant[/url], who was strutting off the stage just then. Another Pearlcatcher, but this one was a riot of candy colors, bright yellow and pink and blue. Something about her was familiar. Had Netanya seen her before? ...Ah, yes—in a dream. The intermission was soon over, but Netanya didn’t see the end of it. Her parents were already ushering her down the stairs. Through the side passages, dragons whispering and beckoning, and suddenly they were backstage. The magician was seated off to one side, and up close, he didn’t look as haughty and debonair as he’d been earlier. He was older than he’d seemed, and he slouched comfortably in his seat. He smiled at Netanya with kind golden eyes. Again, however, it was his assistant who commanded attention. She had been loitering by the stage wings, watching the main act outside. Now she turned in a rustle of cloth. She was pretty and young, with a soft, plump face—but there was steel beneath the softness, within those deep violet eyes. She exchanged greetings with Netanya’s parents....Netanya couldn’t really remember. But then the Pearlcatcher was crouching before her, asking, “Did you enjoy the show?” Netanya couldn’t recall what she’d answered. Funny how the oddest things stuck in the mind—instead, she remembered the music swelling, though the Pearlcatcher’s voice remained clear. A sistrum rattled, and its hiss rang through the theater, whispering against the walls. “This is what we do in the daytime. Well, figuratively speaking. It’s our day job.” Her smile was fleeting. “It’s a different kind of magic, different from your parents’ work. Might need your help in the daytime too, hey? It helps fight the monsters at night. So—what d’you say?” Beyond her, trumpets blared and acrobats leaped into the air. Netanya was dimly conscious of them soaring upwards, twisting and turning, trailing sashes of crimson silk...yet it was the Pearlcatcher’s violet eyes that held her. Brass bells jangled and the crowd roared, but the Mentor was silent, awaiting her reply.[/color] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31129731][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/311298/31129731.png[/img][/url] [font=garamond][size=5][color=#3B2F45][i][b]II. The Sleeper[/b][/i][/color][/size][/font][/center] [color=#724D79]“One of them speaks only lies,” said Mana, “and the other speaks only the truth. So you’ll have to excuse them if they write instead; it’s the only way they get around their personal jinxes.” She placed a forepaw, one after the other, on the shoulder of a Bogsneak as she spoke. The one on the left grinned at Netanya from beneath a smart-looking hat. The other one smoothed down his bright shawl and smiled at her with anxious eyes. Simultaneously, they whipped out their slates and they wrote— [i]I’m [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31015705]Vritra[/url]![/i] [i]I’m [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31015704]Indra[/url].[/i] [i]I speak only lies...[/i] [i]...and I only tell the truth.[/i] [i]You’ll always believe me when I say even the craziest whoppers![/i] [i]And you won’t believe me at all.[/i] Indra’s face was sad. Vritra placed a hand on the door handle. [i]Would you like to meet our friend?[/i] At a signal from Mana, Netanya nodded [i]yes[/i]. The door clicked as it opened. Down into the darkness they went, following a corridor that curved around many rooms. There were creatures behind the doors, Netanya knew, within their own comfortable chambers. A [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=28748526]Bogsneak[/url] with glittering green paws...an [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30114429]Imperial[/url] who glowed with cloudy white light.... Indra opened the door of one room. It was cool and dim inside, with plush-lined walls and floor. Drapes and cushions were piled at one end, and among them sprawled a [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31129731]Skydancer[/url]. [i]She sleeps,[/i] Indra said with a shrug, [i]but not today,[/i] Vritra chimed in. “We told her that you’d be by to visit,” Mana explained. Netanya drew cautiously nearer. The Skydancer was indeed awake, nervously smoothing her clothing and mane with her paws. She kept her face turned away, and Netanya glimpsed why—she had the tufted end of her tail in her mouth and was chewing it in uncontrollable anxiety. Mana’s voice softened. “Hey, Lini, it’s OK. Tanya’s here to help you out with your nightmares. Let’s make sure that pesky fragment doesn’t get enough to eat, hey?” The Skydancer shuddered and then, with great effort, she released her tail. Netanya tried not to stare at how bloody it was. She spoke in a soft, rasping whisper: “The Shade infected me as a child. A fragment of it is inside me, and in the daytime it sleeps in my mind. At night, it awakens, and it soars into the shadows. It steals into other dragons’ dreams.” The Bogsneak brothers bustled around her. Indra took down the drapes and hung up new ones, and Vritra tossed some cushions into a hamper. They were marred with dried bloodstains and scratches from short, sharp claws. “What does it do?” Netanya asked. “The dreams become nightmares. She changes them into horrors. She feeds on the sleepers’ fears.” The Skydancer shivered again. “In the morning, when she comes back, our memories merge. The terrors of other dragons become my own. She does not go out every night—but she never goes hungry either.” “Until a cure is found,” Mana explained, “we want to follow this fragment into other dragons’ minds. Keep her from turning them into nightmares so that she doesn’t feed—and Kundalini gets enough sleep.” Her smile was wry, but the eyes with which she gazed upon the Skydancer were sympathetic and sad. “I’ve seen this fragment,” Netanya admitted, “in dreams before. I know you. There was another...” “Yes. We have a friend who’s very good at sniffing out fear. When a dream becomes a nightmare, he can smell it, and he can try to help. But he’s not very good at this whole dream-changing thing. That’s where you come in.”[/color] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=44293151][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/442932/44293151.png[/img][/url] [font=garamond][size=5][color=#3B2F45][i][b]III. The Seeker[/b][/i][/color][/size][/font][/center] [color=#724D79]It was like trying to clutch sand; the dream slipped through Netanya’s claws so frequently that she could almost [i]feel[/i] it. She was looking for something, fluttering through curtains of unused dreamscapes. A mat of willow leaves. A sheet of staring owls’ eyes. Behind her, the darkness snaked through the phantasmal undergrowth, silent and ominous. The [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=44293151]Tundra[/url] erupted into the dream in a blaze of color. Orange lines chased across his fur, and he roared like a lion as he brought down a single heavy paw. It smashed into the inky serpent. With a screech, the serpent contorted; it fractured crazily, like a lightning bolt jetting through clouds. Netanya was afraid the cracks would grow wider, letting more of the shadows in.... And then it pooled back into its smaller size and bounded away. A rustle of feathers told her that it had taken flight, back into its owner’s mind...or some other unfortunate dream. The Tundra turned. Beneath the brim of his hat, his orange eyes blazed. Smoke wreathed up from his nostrils, drifted around his gleaming canine teeth. “Be more careful!” he growled at her. “The reek of your fear was so strong that I smelled it even before I fell asleep. Small wonder it was able to sniff you out.” “I’m still practicing. I’ll do better next time, I promise,” the young witch protested mulishly. The Tundra wasn’t having it. “Then [i]get[/i] better!” he bellowed. Sparks fountained up from his mouth, and suddenly the dream was lit by his fury as paper is lit by a fire. The blackness was seared away, replaced by jagged shapes of red and orange—and weirdly, birdsong just beyond the trees. The Tundra sat down. He huffed and he puffed, but his temper was cooling, and above them, the orange light faded to the blue of an early-morning sky. “She’ll try again,” he fretted, “but dawn is breaking now. Get some sleep while you can—then we’ll try again, too, before she infiltrates some other poor sod’s mind.” “All right.” Netanya gestured, and a door opened rather unceremoniously. The Tundra arched an eyeridge at her, but didn’t comment. He bounded towards the exit instead. Netanya didn’t watch him leave. Still pouting, she wrapped her wings around herself. The dream folded obediently around her, too, tucking her into shadows, and she fell into a blank and soothing sleep.[/color] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31129731][img]https://i.imgur.com/OJ9LOuK.png[/img][/url] [font=garamond][size=5][color=#3B2F45][i][b]IV. The Dreamdancer[/b][/i][/color][/size][/font][/center] [color=#724D79]Sometimes the serpent fought back. As Netanya grew older, it got to know her better. It examined her dreams from a safe distance; she could feel its stare even as she slept, that malevolent, calculating coldness. For a long time, it didn’t attack. Netanya allowed herself to relax and become complacent. She and her comrades had already disrupted so many of its schemes. So many nightmares detonated into surreal scrambles, things that confused rather than intimidated. Sometimes they even got lucky, managed to flip a nightmare completely into a sweet and amazing dream. Surely this Shade fragment had grown wary of them? Surely it had learned to fear them? Then one night, it struck. In her dream, Netanya soared past the moon. It shone bravely in the darkness, and all was well...and then suddenly her wings weren’t working. They beat frantically, but she was falling, falling, and nothing she did helped her; the moon receded quickly into the sky. She was being torn away from the light. She didn’t splash into the sea. Instead, it closed languorously over her. She felt the coldness of it creep up over her scales, close slowly and inexorably over her jaws. When she opened her mouth to scream, only pathetic wheezes escaped her. The darkness smothered her mind. Darkness...panic...For the moment, her Witchborne powers were forgotten. She stared into the darkness, fearing what she would see. And her heart froze when an enormous eye snapped open under her. [i]Enormous[/i]...She was shaking, trying to break free of the fear. [i]Such enormity[/i]...Not just the size but the [i]evil[/i] of it, radiating up from the depths. A colossal creature, big enough to fill the sky; its evil would swallow up the world! Liquid, blacker even than the surrounding darkness, oozed up at the edges of the blazing iris. It drifted upwards in thick, clinging blobs that pressed Netanya’s wings against her back. Her ribcage was being crushed, her heart fluttered madly; [i]she would die here, in the darkness, stolen away by a fever dream...[/i] “Who is she?” she asked Kundalini much, much later. It was Legrasse who had saved her, following the stink of her fear again. He’d blundered into the darkness like a meteorite, and the nightmare had exploded into a coruscation of birds-of-paradise. The fragment had fled from that confusion, and had stayed away for the rest of the night. But it could strike again. Just as they rested, so it, too, regained its strength. Sleeping and planning and calculating... “She is [i]the Dreamdancer[/i],” whispered Kundalini, “but when she is not dancing, I see her in my mind. She is a serpent large enough to swallow the world, just like her progenitor, the Shade.” The Serpent of Eternity. [i]Ouroboros[/i].[/color] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=49449251][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/494493/49449251.png[/img][/url] [font=garamond][size=5][color=#3B2F45][i][b]V. The Traveler[/b][/i][/color][/size][/font][/center] [color=#724D79]“My girl, you need an assistant,” the [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43097083]spirit-wrangler[/url] drawled. She clicked her talons, and her own [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=48252261]helper[/url] lumbered forward, delicately setting a cup of tea before Netanya. The witch took it and drank greedily. Another nightmare. She was grown now, a young adult, and she’d hoped that the nightmares would disappear. That adulthood would chase her fears away. Instead, knowledge and understanding had brought new things to fear. The world was so wide and so complicated, and many things could go wrong. An accident...inauspicious weather...stray magic...illness... “An assistant?” she asked at last. She looked beyond the Bogsneak at the jars lining the walls. Three of them were enormous and transparent, and from within, eyes gleamed. Bright, intelligent, and curious. Naddaha waved her paw. “Like one of my spirits here. Spirits are very useful beings, you know. If you can draw on their power, they can magnify your own abilities—or they can shield you from inimical magic.Would you like me to loan you one? [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=47059431]Rime[/url] enjoys freezing others in their tracks—perhaps she’ll be able to tangle with your Dreamdancer.” “No, that isn’t what I need,” Netanya quickly objected. Rime, who had popped her head out of the jar, hissed in distaste. Spikes of ice erupted around her scowling face before she retreated into her vessel. Naddaha’s expression was thoughtful now, however. “You might be right. You need someone who can not only brave the night, but [i]bend[/i] it. To weaken the darkness or enhance your own fiery powers...or both.” She slithered over to a cabinet and jerked open the door. Scrolls and codices tumbled down, but she caught all of them with a single practiced motion, and then she dumped them onto the table with a grunt. Netanya looked at them, and she remembered the darkness, the shine of the brilliant moon.[/color] [center][color=#CC6F6F]————————————————————————————————————[/color][/center] [columns][color=transparent]_________[/color][nextcol][font=Garamond][size=5][color=#3B2F45]“... and so brave is the moon, confronting so great a darkness with so small a face, that a man who does not count himself her willing slave is a born fool.”[/color][/size][/font][/columns] [right][color=#863290]— [font=Garamond][size=4][i]from [b]The Little White Horse[/b][/i][/size][/font][/color][color=transparent]_______[/color] [color=#8F7D8B][font=Garamond][size=4][i]by Elizabeth Goudge[/i][/size][/font][/color][color=transparent]_______[/color][/right] [center][color=#CC6F6F]————————————————————————————————————[/color][/center] [color=#724D79]They found the spirit in the remote reaches of the Ashfall Waste. Mana, for once looking like the apprentice, carried the things Netanya needed, for the Nocturne needed to save her strength for the ritual. Legrasse guided them. They wove around pillars of rock, picked their way past lava flows, and flew over scalding geysers, going ever higher, above the clouds of smoke.... The moon shone down onto the mountaintop. Netanya’s friends helped her set things up, but the magic came from her alone. She paced outside the circle, murmuring words in the language of spirits. Round and round she went, and with each revolution, brighter the circle shone. The moon answered by increasing its own brilliant light, till it seemed the sun was about to rise. In the center of the circle, amidst the light, something took shape. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=49449251]He[/url] was somewhat larger than Netanya, and he rather resembled a Pearlcatcher. His skin, however, was incredibly smooth and shed a spectral glow. There was no pearl—instead, the orb clutched in his paws radiated brilliant light. It was coppery, almost like a forge and its fire. Netanya thought his face was reflecting that light at first, but no; it glowed with its own internal fire. He lacked a Pearlcatcher’s refined features, for his skin had been marred and stretched as if burned. But it was not unpleasant to look at, for his expression was one of steady serenity. His eyes were startlingly green, bright against his twisted face. “I greet you...Traveler of the Night,” Netanya welcomed him. She knew the spirit’s name, but until an agreement was reached, it was bad form to wave their names around. Summoned though they were, it was politer to wait for them to state their names of their own accord...if one wanted to build a good relationship with them. “Witch,” whispered the spirit, and his voice was the wind soughing across a field of grass, “I greet you in turn. The marks of Fire gleam within your eyes; I see that you have struggled long with the darkness.” “Yes, Great Traveler. I would ask you to aid me in my struggle.” The spirit lifted his head. His green eyes moved over Netanya’s belongings, over her companions standing warily by. “Power is neither lightly lent nor asked for. What would you offer me in return?” And the witch responded... The agreement that passed between them went unrecorded, and Mana and Legrasse promised their silence on the matter. But the spirit accepted that offer, and he descended with them from the mountaintop. And from that night on, [i]Khonsu[/i], the spirit of moonlight, was Netanya’s to command.[/color] [right][font=Copperplate Gothic Light][color=#C1272D][size=5][b]~ The End[/b][/color][/size][/font][/right] [size=2][color=#9494A9][b]Credits:[/b] Special thanks to [i]awaicu, GlitterDCMarvel, LaSilva007,[/i] and [i]BelialsWrath[/i] for additional headcanon and/or for allowing their characters to be included.[/color][/size] ----- [center][color=#BBBABF][size=1][b]PREV.[/b][/size] [size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/36#post_38105779]Dragon[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_2323941]Contents[/url] • Characters [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507351]A-M[/url] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507353]N-Z[/url] • [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941#post_30507364]Stories Pt. 4[/url] | [/size][size=1][b]NEXT[/b][/size] [size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/36#post_38105788]Dragon[/url][/color][/size][/center]

[center][color=#BBBABF][size=1][b]PREV.[/b][/size] [size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/35#post_38105730]Dragon[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_2323941]Contents[/url] • Characters [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507351]A-M[/url] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507353]N-Z[/url] • [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941#post_30507364]Stories Pt. 4[/url] | [/size][size=1][b]NEXT[/b][/size] [size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/36#post_38105753]Dragon[/url][/color][/size][/center] ----- [right][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=47183700][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/471838/47183700.png[/img][/url] [size=2][color=#9494A9][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=47183700]profile[/url] • back to[/color] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/35#post_38105750]main post[/url] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/35#post_38105751][b]« Previously...[/b][/url][/right] [columns][center][item=traveler's runestone][/center][nextcol][color=transparent]..[/color][nextcol][color=#2B768F][font=garamond][size=7][size=4][b]i am dispatch:[/b] definition 2[/size][/size][/font][/color] [size=2]written by Disillusionist special thanks to KallyPaige [color=#9494A9]3,358 words[/color][/size][nextcol][color=transparent].......[/color][nextcol] [center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE3MoTwkiEI][img]http://66.media.tumblr.com/cea1bcfac96be116481fa07af89dc53e/tumblr_ocwecyWf0Z1uqbnpto6_100.gif[/img] [size=2][b][i]False God[/i][/b] by [i]Taishi[/i][/url][/center][/columns] [color=#6D675B]Dawn had come to Dragonhome, or at least [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32181477]Origenes[/url] [i]supposed[/i] that it had. The sky was covered by clouds as gray and matted as a muddy cat’s fur. It was hard for him not to feel [i]a little[/i] intimidated as he and his companions moved in among the trees. Zubeida knocked on a trunk with clenched claws. She winced. “Eesh, this is as tough as steel. It’s almost like crystal, even!” Origenes nodded. “I’m iffy on the explanation myself, but from what I understand, the matter that made up the trees is completely gone—they’ve been filled up with sediments instead.” “Did the Earthshaker do this?” “Who knows?” The going was fairly easy for them, but not for [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31549106]Ashes[/url]. The Guardian soon began grunting and growling as the trees grew closer and closer together. She had to squeeze past them, and soon her scales were covered in stinging abrasions. She also needed to be careful: If she knocked a tree over, it could create a domino effect. Origenes had a bad mental image of a tree smashing apart like glass upon the ground, sending deadly splinters flying everywhere. Splinters as long and as sharp as daggers... “Ashes, perhaps you should stay out here.” “No,” she growled back, “you are my Charge.” Her face was stonier than the surrounding trees and her jaw was stubbornly clenched, but the eyes with which she looked at Origenes were soft and concerned. Origenes smiled back. He reached out, and he pressed his paws against Ashes’ face, nuzzling her comfortingly. His pearl lay on the dirt, briefly forgotten, and Zubeida made a “yecch!” face and looked away. “Now, dear heart, I won’t be gone long. Zubeida will protect me, won’t you, Zubeida?” “You’re paying me in full as soon as we step out of this crummy forest,” Zubedia hissed back. Origenes laughed. He patted Ashes’ cheek again. “The temple can’t be far. Zubeida and I will both fly, and once we’ve made a note of its location, we’ll come back to you. Wait for us—and give a roar if any trouble comes.” “Aye. Origenes...please be careful.” And the great Guardian closed her eyes, pressed her cheek to his. Origenes and Zubeida were soon lost among the trees. They flitted ahead, moving speedily now that they didn’t need to wait for Ashes. They were also considerably warier. “It’s so quiet,” Zubeida rasped. The words, plus the way she said them, made Origenes realize she was speaking just to fill up the silence. “Well, the forest [i]is[/i] absolutely dead. Have you noticed there aren’t even any fungi? So it would follow that animals wouldn’t come here, either.” Origenes couldn’t help looking back over his shoulder. But by then, Ashes was no longer visible; there was only drab gray earth and walls of petrified trees. He briefly considered asking Zubeida to reconnoiter from the air, but vetoed that: A quick upward glance showed him that the trees had interlocked branches. They were as solid and unyielding as the trunks and formed a thick lattice that all but blocked out the sky. Origenes and Zubeida wove through the forest, and after many minutes, perhaps close to an hour, a shape loomed dimly ahead. It stood out, for unlike the trees spearing up towards the heavens, it was squat and blocky. The old temple. It sprawled amidst the trees like a gigantic gray spider. “Is that it?” Zubeida asked. She sounded wary rather than disappointed, however, and Origenes heard the click of her bolas as she readied them. He, on the other hand, was moving forward cautiously. He could see that the stones were carved; perhaps he would be able to read them.... The temple was convoluted rather than tall. It stretched deep into the forest, its myriad passages winding back through the trees. They ran in zigzags or coils that, to the explorers, made little sense....As Origenes drew closer, he saw that the rock was heavily pitted; it reminded him of hardened lava. He couldn’t quite make out the carvings: pictures, words, or maybe a combination of the two. Whatever they were, they were so worn, and the rock was so pitted, that he doubted he’d be able to decipher them. Maybe if he brought back an archaeologist... He’d gotten out his map and was now making a note of the place’s location. [i]“The place is so rough and unadorned, plus instead of being just one big building, it’s passages, an absolute labyrinth winding in among the trees. No wonder we didn’t spot it from the air. It’s effectively camouflaged. What made the ancients decide to build it like this?”[/i] “Origenes. [i]Hsst![/i]” The moment Zubeida spoke, Origenes’ mane stood on end. This could not be good. He started scooping his supplies back into his satchel even as the Talonok whispered, “[i]There’s something in there.[/i]” Origenes turned. Sure enough, there was a dim orange glow deep inside the nearest open passage. It bobbed and flickered, and the first thing that came to mind was: “It’s a torch. Someone else is inside!” Zubeida clicked her beak in agitation. “Someone else is exploring?” “Could be. Look, see, there’s a dragon.” Origenes could see them now: a small [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=44763387]Tundra[/url] bearing a smoky orange lantern. He waved tentatively. “Hallo? Pardon me, um...we’re lost.” Sometimes it paid to lie. People were inclined to be kinder to lost, bumbling travelers.... [i]“Or if they take advantage of that...well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”[/i] “I see now that we’ve taken a wrong turn. Um, we’ll just...[size=2]go...[/size][size=1]back...[/size]” And here Origenes’ voice trailed off as he realized two things. To begin with, while the Tundra was carrying a lantern, it wasn’t the only thing that was glowing—it was her [i]fur[/i]. Her paws were white-hot, leaving smoking pits upon the stone. And her face... It smoldered like a hot coal. Red eyes pierced the darkness, glaring straight at him. Zubedia cursed. “Origenes, that’s not—!” The flaming Tundra loosed a terrible sound—not a full-throated roar but the raw, deep scream of a fire ripping through a forest, destroying everything with its heat alone. It expanded visibly, its shoulders suddenly bulking wide, flames wreathing around its wings and tail. But its eyes remained the same: smoldering red, focused with pinpoint precision on the intruders. The stone glowed beneath it as it charged straight for them. And then, with the horrid sound of stone tearing apart, the entire passageway exploded.[/color] [center][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/515b3114f1bad4a607fb7ea5af2b4531/tumblr_inline_o25fvvo1fd1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#6D675B]The noise within the Commercial Wing was a quiet, bustling murmur, the sound of many dragons discussing business, striking deals, and exchanging currency. It was even quieter inside the panopticon, where the Commercial Director and the Dispatch Officer worked. Up on the panopticon’s highest level, Rilivi kept up a constant stream of reports and replies. Her voice was clear and tinny—it would have sounded almost robotic, if not for the sing-song way she spoke. “Please pre[i]pare[/i] to receive [i]car[/i]go—six [i]bo[/i]xes of assor[i]ted her[/i]bal products, as [i]or[/i]dered by [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=47957929]To[i]bi[/i]as[/url] and [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=35793310]Hes[i]pe[/i]ri[i]des[/url]. In[/i]coming [i]mes[/i]sage. Please [i]hold[/i].” Rilivi turned away from the mic, flicking a button so that soft, peppy music filled the hall. Outside, dragons smiled appreciatively and snapped their claws, but the Dispatch Officer’s face had gone blank, almost cold. She turned towards a comm crystal hanging under a panel that read “Field”. A smaller panel directly above the crystal had the face and name of a Pearlcatcher etched upon it. The crystal was pulsing with red light. Red was never good—it showed that an operative was in trouble. Rilivi had seen that before: when one of their guides had gotten ambushed in Thunderhead Savanna...when the light courier had been overtaken by a thunderstorm...when one of their clanmates had fallen gravely ill on the way home... And even further back, a memory: red light flashing in the darkness, on and off, on and off. Sparks fountaining from damaged circuitboards, and her [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=46086367]father[/url], smiling bravely, trying to stay calm and organize the evacuation. The ship had groaned ominously all around them and freezing saltwater had sprayed in through the cracks.... Rilivi did not smile in emergencies, but she did stay calm. She spoke, her voice now low and flat, into the crystal: “Dispatch here. What is your emergency?” And she listened, her mind whirring, analyzing everything that was being reported to her. Only her bioluminescent markings, flickering upon her skin, betrayed her agitation. “[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=43634405]Rhaplanca[/url].” “Yes, Livi?” Down in her office, the Commercial Director was engrossed—she was processing paperwork for some new tenants. She didn’t turn around as Rilivi continued, “Do we have anybody else we can send out?” “Mm, I don’t think so. Did you check the Field crystals?” “Yes.” All fully occupied, and none under “Idle”. The clan was planning to expand its territory, and everyone had been busy lately. “I shall have to go myself.” “Oh?” And now Rhaplanca turned. “Will it take very long?” “No, it shouldn’t take long at all.” “Excellent. Well, be off, and I’ll hold the fort till you get back. Err, what exactly is it you’ll be doing?” But Rilivi had already gone. Rhaplanca shrugged and turned back to the next dragon with a bright smile. “Welcome to the Disillusionists’ Commercial Wing! How can I help you today?”[/color] [center][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/515b3114f1bad4a607fb7ea5af2b4531/tumblr_inline_o25fvvo1fd1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#6D675B]The Dispatch Officer had her own locker. It was special, programmed to open only to her touch. She brushed a claw over it, and it sprang open. Inside, things glittered and gleamed. She donned them, strapping them to her torso and limbs. She had already opened the panopticon hatch, and immediately after girding herself, she rocketed up into the sky. Origenes’ comm crystal was strapped to one wrist. It continued pulsing red. An arrow had appeared within it, and it showed Rilivi the way. She waited until it was aimed in one direction and stayed that way for several minutes. And then she extended her other paw. Another device was strapped to her wrist, and after a series of muttered commands, lights rippled upon it. Then— [i]CRACK![/i] Rilivi [i]jumped[/i], clearing dozens of miles in a single instant. A flight that should have taken hours had only taken her a second. She glided through the clouds, focusing on the orange arrow. Another jump— [i]CRACK![/i] And this time, the clouds around her were murky gray. Lightning flickered in their swirling depths. The vapors closed in on Rilivi, but still the crystal shone true. The arrow was pointing down. She thrust her wings backwards and [i]dove[/i]...and the landscape opened up beneath her with frightening clarity. [i]Fire.[/i] It tore through a forest of dead, charred-looking trees. Rilivi struggled to process the destruction she was seeing: nothing but spindly shapes stabbing heavenward, no fruits or leaves at all....It was only when she glided lower that she remembered: This was a petrified forest, the trees having been fossilized in eons past. Her eyes focused on something ahead. There—a geometric shape, dimly glimpsed through the chaos. She looked at the comm crystal, and sure enough...[/color] [center][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/515b3114f1bad4a607fb7ea5af2b4531/tumblr_inline_o25fvvo1fd1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#6D675B]Zubeida took flight in a single panicked motion, leaping several feet straight into the air. Her weapons were forgotten as the fiery dragon thundered closer and closer; her only thought was to get away— [i]FWOOM![/i] The explosion was [i]deafening[/i]. The Talonok found herself torn out of the sky and flung end over end back into the trees. Branches splintered beneath her, and then she tumbled across the loam, battered and winded. Across the smoking crater, Origenes groaned. His innate magic had deflected most of the heat and flame, and he was more concerned about his friend than himself. That—and the fact that the strange Tundra was stalking closer and closer. [i]“If it [/i]is[i] a Tundra,”[/i] he thought, and promptly dismissed that. His magical senses were going haywire; whatever this thing was, it was neither draconic nor mortal. And now he doubted that it could be reasoned with. “S-Stop, you...” His voice came out as a croak; the intense heat had dried his mouth instantly. “Leave her alone!” The fire-being hissed like a geyser opening up in the ground. It was a sound that, despite the terrible heat, chilled Origenes to the bone. He groaned inwardly and readied himself: He would make a mad dash for it and scoop Zubeida up, and then they would run like hell, back to where Ashes was. He could fly up, try to get through the branches interlocking overhead... [i]“Too late!”[/i] he thought in despair, as the flaming beast took a step towards him. He bolted, and it took him all his power not to look back at the wave of flame he was sure was closing in on him. It crept over his skin; the sensation of it was hideous, and he heard the [i]crack! crack![/i] of trees as they exploded in the flames. There was no outrunning it. [i]It was over.[/i] And then he felt rather than heard the [i]thud[/i] of something driving into the ground behind him. The heat lessened noticeably. Origenes glanced over one shoulder, and he did a double-take when he saw the shield of translucent, crystal-blue light. It had sprung up seemingly out of nowhere and was now protecting him from the fire. A gleaming form swooped overhead. And suddenly Origenes was startled by the [i]rat-tat-tat![/i] of projectiles being fired from above. The bolts of blue light zeroed in on the flaming beast, which leaped away, spraying up clods of dirt. Origenes stared up in surprise. His rescuer was an Skydancer in copper armor. Blue lights flickered up and down her body, and as he watched, she aimed her wrist at the flaming creature again. The creature was glowing brighter, obviously intending to launch another attack, but it darted back in among the trees as blue bolts exploded into the ground before it. And the Skydancer looked back at Origenes. “Huzzah! Are you well, clanmate? Where is your friend?” The shout went through Origenes like a lightning bolt. He turned and ran to where Zubeida was slumped against a tree trunk. By the time he reached her, she was groggily trying to rise. “Mmgh, leamme alone, Ori; we’ll get that flamin’ lump of—” “Might not be a good idea, Zubeida,” Origenes gasped with a hysterical laugh. He slung her onto his back, between his wings. “Hold on! We’re running back to Ashes!” The Skydancer heard. She waved them on with a great sweep of one arm, and Origenes was only too glad to oblige. He plunged blindly ahead, through the smoke and the trees, following the inner magic that guided him back to his Guardian. The branches locked together above his head. For the umpteenth time he wished they weren’t there; they hadn’t helped earlier, and they weren’t helping now. He could take to the air, but he was certain that, in maneuvering through the branches, he’d lose precious speed—or dislodge Zubeida entirely. He pressed grimly on. A shadow fell over him. He heard the hum of strange energies and knew that the Skydancer was keeping pace, obviously protecting them. [i]“Did we leave that thing behind?”[/i] he wondered, and was about to grin in relief—when he saw a flash of orange out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t need to turn to see that the creature was following them, keeping pace with them. It was obviously trying to get in front of Origenes and drive him back towards the labyrinth. As it launched more streams of flames towards him, he flinched—only for them to arc harmlessly above him as the Skydancer projected her shield again. More whirs and cracks rang through the air as she launched a new barrage at their pursuer. Origenes gritted his teeth. His vision had been reduced to a pinpoint of brightness that lay just up ahead. [i]“Almost...there...”[/i] And suddenly they were clear of the trees. All too conscious of the flaming beast still beside them, Origenes put on a new burst of speed. He dashed forward frantically, his legs actually blurring, to collapse in a heap by one of Ashes’ front feet. The Guardian had known they were coming—she had seen the explosions, heard all the noise and shouts. Now that her Charge was safe, she called upon her own fearsome magic, turning her attention to the beast that had pursued them. Suddenly the air turned cold. Huge spikes of ice erupted from the ground, forming a razor-sharp mat that rolled towards the trees. The Skydancer immediately pumped her wings, gaining height, and while the flaming creature was briefly stymied by the ice, it wasn’t halted. It darkened noticeably, flames shrinking back into its body—and then it screeched again and ice turned into waves, melted instantly by the unbelievable heat. But not all of Ashes’ magic had been concentrated on the monster. Spikes of ice erupted deep within the nearby tree trunks, and with thunderous cracks and groans they came apart, toppling ponderously towards the ground. The flame creature hissed in consternation and leaped back to safety. Even before the dust settled, it charged again—but Ashes had already retrieved Origenes and Zubeida and was bearing them away. The Skydancer gave another mighty flap of her wings and followed them, the blue lights on her body winking out one by one.[/color] [center][url=https://msb-lair.tumblr.com/post/138956636979/and-more-flight-dividers][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/515b3114f1bad4a607fb7ea5af2b4531/tumblr_inline_o25fvvo1fd1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#6D675B]When the petrified forest was far behind them, Ashes descended to the earth again. She held Origenes and Zubeida in one massive paw, and they stirred, coughing and gasping from their wild flight. “I’m all right, I’m all right...” Origenes choked out. “Hmm. What about Zubeida?” Ashes asked, after she’d examined him carefully. It was then that the Skydancer dropped out of the sky. Her strange shield of light was gone, and the devices upon her wrists had gone dark. The blue lights on her body still glowed faintly, however. “I can examine your companion if necessary,” she offered. Origenes instinctively held up Zubeida, but the Talonok flattened her ears and backpedaled, her talons scraping against his arm. “[i]Eeeesh[/i]. You’re a strange one, you are!” “Zubeida is right. Um, you are a stranger.” Origenes felt that they really shouldn’t be curt with her—she [i]had[/i] saved them, after all. “Have we met before?” The Skydancer snorted. Bolts of orange briefly flashed across her face. “Don’t be ridiculous. I talk to you every day.” Origenes [i]did[/i] make an effort to remember people—after all, it paid to have friends everywhere. He looked more closely at her, trying to place her copper armor, the devices on her wrists...and then he noticed the comm crystal and his eyes widened. “[i]You’re[/i] Dispatch?!” “Indeed,” sniffed the Skydancer. She now seemed very snippy about the whole thing, not that Origenes blamed her; it [i]did[/i] seem weird to not recognize someone he talked to every day, even if he’d never seen her in the flesh before.... Something was still strange, though: “But I thought...well, you’re a Dispatch Officer. You take and send messages, right? You send us where we need to go? I never thought...Well, that is...” He gestured helplessly at, well, [i]everything[/i]. The Skydancer turned away. She seemed bored by the whole affair. “I have successfully performed my duties as a Dispatch Officer. I believe the best course would be for all of us to proceed home.” “Aye,” croaked Zubeida. She gave Origenes a reproachful look. Ashes nodded stoically back, and Origenes conceded defeat. “Thank you,” he said to the Skydancer. “Think nothing of it. Well, then, shall we depart?” “Won’t that thing follow us? I mean, it was pretty persistent...” Origenes shuddered. He remembered seeing the thing out of the corner of his eye, keeping pace with them. “You [i]did[/i] kill it, didn’t you?” The Dispatch Officer blinked slowly, thoughtfully. Blue lights flickered upon her skin, in a soft, pulsing rhythm this time, and Origenes, fascinated, realized that they were reflecting her thoughts. “I am not certain. But,” and she shrugged, “I would not be surprised if I did. It is, after all, part of the duty of a Dispatch Officer.” “It is?” “Look it up,” she said, and she spread her wings. Origenes decided to save his breath for the long flight home. He was just glad he and his friends were alive, and there’d be time enough to look at a dictionary later on anyway.[/color] [center][url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dispatch][font=garamond][size=6][b]dispatch[/b] (verb, tr.)[/font][/url] [size=4][font=cambria]2. to kill someone[/font][/size][/center] [right][font=Copperplate Gothic Light][color=#2B768F][size=5][b]~ The End[/b][/color][/size][/font][/right] [size=2][color=#9494A9][b]Credits:[/b] The [i]Aletebri[/i] subspecies was created by KallyPaige. Special thanks to her for the additional info as well![/color][/size] ----- [center][color=#BBBABF][size=1][b]PREV.[/b][/size] [size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/35#post_38105730]Dragon[/url] | [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_2323941]Contents[/url] • Characters [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507351]A-M[/url] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/1#post_30507353]N-Z[/url] • [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941#post_30507364]Stories Pt. 4[/url] | [/size][size=1][b]NEXT[/b][/size] [size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2323941/36#post_38105753]Dragon[/url][/color][/size][/center]