Pyrite

Take heed the wise words of old
"All that glitters is not gold"
Only a fool's fortune lies within reach
Along the shores of Pyrite Beach




04/06/19 From Decaffeinated for 250 words
04/06/19 Old name Rugan (I renamed)
Exalt Breeder
Offspring will be Fortune
Letters from hatchlings accepted! Send to Slugoon or Horus.
Find an Ancient Radiance Accent for8/27/20 I found one for 150g! I only have 9g left, but yay!!!!
12/20/21 Made it on the front page!






Rugan had been blinded by his father's brilliance like everyone else. From the golden silks that adorned him to his perceived heart of gold, everything about Horus shined -- as it should. He was devoted to the Lightweaver, his 'Lady of Light', and was of the noble Imperial lineage.

It was when Zeriel tried articulating something about Horus during one of his rare appearances above ground that Rugan thought something was odd. The spiral had seen his father recently? When asked where, Zeriel led him to an unkempt tunnel. A bent branch and some trampled grass showed someone had passed through there, but was it really his father? Horus said he'd been at the Temple most days, but an opportunity to follow him elsewhere came soon after.


Rugan continued to tiptoe quietly down the tunnel with barely any light escaping past his father's form to guide him. He'd been walking with his tail raised in order to not accidentally flick rocks with it, but the tunnel was longer than he expected and it was a tiring position. The depth of the tunnel alone was enough evidence that his father was up to something, but he needed to know what.

Horus stopped moving and Rugan almost misstepped. He held his foot in the air until his father started muttering to himself. Still barely illuminated by the orb of light he'd summoned, Horus stood still and faced a sturdy looking door.

Rugan held his breath and strained to hear his father's words, but the sound of metal clinking together caught his attention instead. Chains? Horus suddenly summoned another orb of light forcing Rugan to take a step back into the shadows. After a few more orbs were out, his father opened the door.

The chain sounds grew louder as whoever it was thrashed about. Rugan tried reasoning through the situation. Maybe Horus was asked by the Temple to interrogate a prisoner? But the Temple revered him so much that they'd practically deified Horus; there was no way they'd make such a request of him. Even if it was an unofficial interrogation, there were plenty of secluded spots where it could have been conducted above ground.

His thoughts were disrupted by a guttural moan coming from further in the room. The unearthly sound crescendoed into a jarring wail of synchronized voices. Rugan froze. He knew that sound as well as the terrifying destructive force of the abomination that made it - an Emperor.

Rugan ran. What else could he do? Even his talented sister, Hecate, and several experienced fighters didn't come away unscathed from a three-headed Emperor; Rugan had heard four voices just now.

The never-ending tunnel had more turns than he remembered. Rugan bruised his legs on boulders he couldn't see and seemed to stumble over every loose stone. Though every step should take him closer to the exit, he wouldn't be free of the situation. Who would he tell? Who could he trust? Did his father really manage to capture an Emperor on his own and without anyone noticing? There must be someone aiding him - even gold can't glitter in the darkness on its own.

Written with heavy inspiration from Horus and Zeriel (owned by Slugoon) and a bit from Hecate (owned by PricklyGoose). I have their permission to include their dragons :)
Rugan's subtle attempts at revealing his father's secret to the Temple failed. Surely they wouldn't turn a blind eye if they knew an Emperor dwelled beneath them, but he'd missed his opportunity to be direct about the situation by trying not to implicate himself as the main witness.

Some part of him was still scared of disappointing Horus, still yearned for the fatherly affection that he'd never receive. Rugan should have set all that aside for the safety of his clan. He was a fool.

The Temple highly suggested that Rugan study abroad for the time being; somewhere like the Southern Icefields. Rugan decided he would leave. There was too much he didn't know about Emperors and to start digging around for information now would be too suspicious. Besides, he needed to extract himself from the situation in order to see it more clearly.

Rugan left during daylight hours, but it still felt as though he was sneaking away. He set off in the direction of the Southern Icefields, in case anyone was observing him, with the intention of looping back around once The Sea of a Thousand Currents was in sight. The Viridian Labrynith was his true destination. While out of the way of the usual traffick that visited the Sunbeam Ruins, there was still a good chance he'd be able to hear of any important news from his clan from the random traveller.

Rugan had even come up with his alias the night before -- Pyrite. What else would one call a golden fool?