|
Post by Behax on Mar 23, 2015 21:06:44 GMT
In the last ten years, multiple incidents occurred surrounding an elf said to posses incredible power. Elemental ice magic of a level rarely seen. People some occasionally in hushed whispers, but more often than not in audible gossiping tones of the "Bane of Lavine." A town just bordering on the north, Lavine was where most of the stories originated from, though few there would talk about it now. Most would deny a "Stark Januor" ever lived there, though there was certainly a Januor family.
Most stories about this rouge mage persisted in the north, with few stories in the south. Most of the accounts were exaggerated, some of them tall tales, spun either for intrigue, or simply in most cases circumstance. It was easy to blame an elemental for a spell of worse than normal weather, or to blame someone with an already bad reputation for just about anything to go wrong. Sometimes doing so was easier than swallowing the truth.
Now Stark was almost as far north as one could get, before crossing the border. The nearest town to where he currently walked, a good three days at least away. In the taverns they spoke of a young man, whom had seemed pleasant enough but had a strange...Even cold air about him...Physically cold. He'd kept mostly to himself, and not stayed long. People gossiped, and wondered who he was, made up their own stories as people often did about reclusive travellers.
He walked with ease through the snow covered mountain paths, he was used to the terrain, and the blizzard bothered him not. Sometimes he liked to think he could here a voice on the wind, something to comfort a person who could count all their friends on a single hand. It made the loneliness a little more bearable. He walked bow in hand. He wasn't hunting, getting dark for that, but having the bow already in his hand was useful should an opportunity present itself....Or an ambush await. He hadn't dealt with bounty hunters in a good long while, but bandits were always a threat, especially in secluded places. Though maybe this was a bit too secluded.
Either way, he was starting to feel paranoid, and the wind around him picked up. The markings littering his skin starting to glow faintly. Fortunately his travelling clothes kept there well covered, even his face was slightly obscured by his hood. It was almost like he could feel someone else was up here....Though there shouldn't be.
|
|
|
Post by kaidashade on Mar 23, 2015 21:19:32 GMT
"Swear ta Ena, why can't they ever hide on a nice fuckin' tropical beach?" Dynas grumbled, as if to himself, as he trudged through the snow. His long coat kept most of his body toasty, the warmth runes in the lining of the cuffs and hem lending a faint glow, but his face and hands felt like they were going to drop off. He hated snow, hated tracking in this weather even more, but this was where his quarry had gone and this was where he had to go. A good fifty feet behind him, he felt his dragon roll his eyes in exasperation. He was cold too, but he was less likely to complain about it aloud.
The sandy beige of his coat and the rich, dark brown of his skin stood out starkly against the snow, the massive sword slung across his back adding menace to an already intimidating sillhouette amid the blinding flakes, and he cut an almost nightmarish figure as he crested a ridge and looked down, spotting a shape making its way through the snow below. There was no reason for anyone else to be out here, except for him and the man he sought. He crouched in the snow, watching for a moment with eyes narrowed against the icy gusts of wind. He'd heard rumours about this one's powers; could it be he knew he was being followed and was making it deliberately difficult to do so? Unlikely, Dynas thought, or he wouldn't have gotten so close so easily.
"Don't try to sneak up on him." Bane suggested, the dragon's voice echoing soundlessly in his mind. "It'll make things worse if he thinks you're out to hurt him." "Yer probably right. But if I just walk right up there he's gonna put an arrow through my dick." He pointed out, carefully starting down the hill. He didn't make much effort to be subtle. Sure, he'd lose the element of surprise for himself, but the dragon was always a pretty amazing trump card if talking it out didn't work.
|
|
|
Post by Behax on Mar 23, 2015 21:42:02 GMT
Stark carried on walking, the snow providing little hindrance. He knew how to walk in it so that it wasn't too exhausting. The beginnings of the blizzard were a bit more of an obstacle, but less so for him than it was for others. He was getting increasingly weary that someone, or something was following him. It wouldn't be the first time a person had tracked him from a town...It also wouldn't be the first time a hungry bare had picked up his sent either. He preferred animals to people, animals were easier. Sure they were out to get you, but their motivation was easier to understand, usually hunger.
Occasionally he would stop and look around, paranoia starting to nag at him. It wasn't that he knew he was being followed, he was just naturally weary of it. Not noticing that there actually was a presence, possibly because of the storm. When he was satisfied he turned his eyes back to the snow in front of him. The darkness was drawing in. He'd need to set up camp soon, he'd need some half decent helter for that, so he kept his eyes out for a cave, or ridge.
It was another half an hour before he came upon anything suitable. A shallow cave, and about time too. Almost all the daylight was gone. He lit a torch first, just to make sure the cave was unoccupied. He didn't need to be set upon by a bear in the night...Or worse. It was shallow enough for him to see the back off. 'it'll do,' he thought as he shrugged off his cloak, and set about making a fire. Still unaware that he was being followed, though also tired enough for some tell tale signs and sounds to start escaping him. He'd been walking non-stop most of the day after all. He lent against the cave wall, his hand not far from his bow.
|
|
|
Post by kaidashade on Mar 23, 2015 21:49:22 GMT
Dynas was surprised he didn't get spotted, but he supposed he had the snow to thank for that. He wasn't thanking the snow for how soaked and exhausted he ended up, not even the magic of his coat managing to prevent that. By the time night fell, the idea of taking up a cave with a dangerous rogue mage was actually starting to appeal. Bane, of course, advised him against it, but when he spotted the faint flicker of firelight from within the side of a rock wall ahead he reasoned that if he was ever going to catch him now was the time.
He battled the rising wind to get towards the cave, leaving his sword sheathed even when all common sense told him to go armed. But no, he'd learned the hard way that people didn't like negotiating when you looked set to chop them in half. The soft swish of his coat betrayed him as he leaned against the wall outside the cave, debating the best way to go about it. Just striding on in there was likely to get him shot, he knew, but there was no way to be sneaky about it. He heard Bane approach from behind him, startlingly quiet for such a huge animal and visible mostly as a black outline against the snow, his amber eyes reflecting firelight and glowing like a cat's. Maybe if they were lucky their target wouldn't have noticed him.
He stooped, picked up a rock, and tossed it into the cave. There, alert him to at least one presence, so they wouldn't scare him into attacking without warning.
|
|
|
Post by Behax on Mar 23, 2015 22:00:31 GMT
Fortunately for his peruser, Stark was also tired. He was more accustomed to this terrain, but a whole day out in it had taken it's toll. He was tired, his clothes soaked right through. The cold didn't bother him as much as it did most, but it could still kill him, and the snow and ice still make his cloak heavy. He thought maybe he chosen a bad time to go north...But he didn't think he could have stayed in that town much longer. He'd felt like someone had been stalking him for a couple of towns. No way to tell if it was always the same guy, or several different people...Sometimes it wasn't anyone at all.
He was beginning to drift off, when he thought he heard something and sat up to full attention, but then all he could hear was the crackling of his fire. Still he got suspicious, his hand going for his bow, and the other to his quiver, to draw a single arrow. He could feel something out there, something big. Though he didn't start to draw his bow, not until he saw the rock being thrown into his temporary shelter.
His eyes narrowed, and he began to draw. Immediately he started to feel agitated...So he hadn't been imagining it after all? Be more careful next time. The markings on his skin lit up faintly, the temperature dropped, and his fire flickered and wane slightly. "Whose there?" He demanded, his voice sure, even though he himself wasn't.
|
|
|
Post by kaidashade on Mar 23, 2015 22:10:07 GMT
Dynas wasn't sure if he imagined the temperature drop, or if it was real. Still, better not to take too many chances with this brand of scary. He didn't step into the firing line, but he did call out over the wind. "Take it easy kid. I ain't here ta hurt ya. Yer not an easy person ta find, y'know." He said, making his presence clear. He knew what it was like not to be trusted by other people- generally they found the giant firebreathing hell-lizard kind of off-putting, no matter how many times he insisted that Bane was an absolute sweetheart.
"Just don't shoot me, okay? 'M gonna come out, nice 'n' slow." Carefully he stepped out around the rock wall, putting his head around the edge of the cave door cautiously before stepping out into the pool of light cast by the fire. He kept his hands visible, as nonthreatening as a huge, heavily scarred guy like him could be. Still pretty threatening, but in the same way a dark alleyway was threatening; no imminent danger but the sense was still there.
|
|
|
Post by Behax on Mar 23, 2015 22:53:09 GMT
Stark listened as the wind howled, then quite clearly, he heard a man shouting over the noise. He must have been just outside for his voice to be that clear. His grip tightened on his bow, as he took a step back, and a little too the side. Drawing the string back. He was certainly ready to shoot at the first sign of trouble. "Kind of the point!" He shouted back, when told he wasn't easy to find. No one who wanted to be found came out this far, or this high. Especially not in a storm. While Stark couldn't see the dragon, he could feel it was there...Or rather he could feel this massive presence, too much to just be a man.
Stark's eyes were on the other man, the moment his head came into view, and so was his arrow. He didn't let it fly, but he was certainly ready to. The man may have been trying to appear non-threatening, but Stark was used to people using that as a ploy to try and get the jump on him. His bow stayed armed and raised. "What do you want with me?" He asked, straight to the point. He'd get to mentioning that other presence he could feel in a moment, for now he wanted to ascertain why he was being pursued.
|
|
|
Post by kaidashade on Mar 24, 2015 7:22:04 GMT
For a moment, Dynas thought that he'd misjudged badly and saw his life flash before his eyes. He wished there was a lot more of it that he could actually remember, but there you go. It was what it was. And when he found himself not actually dead, he relaxed a bit, his hands still in plain view as he cocked his head. "Dunno if ya noticed the uniform yet. I'm a Rider. We help people, 'n' you look like someone who could use a little help with their magic." Magic was very much not his strong suit, but he'd been assigned to do this thanks to a combination of being in the right area and having a fire dragon. What better to deal with ice than a good searing blast of flame?
"Think the idea when they sent me was fer me to take you down, but I'd rather not do that. Yer young, it ain't too late ta fix this." He offered, slowly extending a hand in an offering gesture, palm up. He seemed a lot calmer than he was, but then he was somewhat used to being held at weaponpoint by potentially unstable individuals. It was practically his job at this point.
|
|
|
Post by Behax on Mar 24, 2015 7:47:51 GMT
Stark didn't budge an inch, his bow remaining raised. He was clearly very mistrustful, but then who could blame him really. He wasn't having a very good time of it. He frowned when the man said he wanted to 'help' to 'fix' things. Part of the reason he was in this mess was because of people wanting to 'fix' things. " To help me? Or control me? All anyone trying to 'fix' this has done is made it worse," he said still not backing down. Even stark didn't know how magical binding was supposed to work, but he did know the marks...The spell in his very skin impeded him at every opportunity. It didn't give him control, it tried to shut him down instead. It wasn't supposed to work that way, others like him with more power than they could control had similar binding. But it was supposed to work with you, never against you. Whoever had tried to bind Stark hadn't known what they were doing, or more likely hadn't cared about what it could or would do to him.
Actions spoke louder than words with Stark, and when the other offered him a simple gesture he hesitated. He shuffled a little further back, but the fact he hadn't taken the shot yet was a good sign. It was just a matter of convincing him, that he was safe enough to put the bow down. "You say you want to help me, but who else is out there?" He didn't know it was a dragon, he just knew it was big...Too big to just be one man.
|
|
|
Post by kaidashade on Mar 24, 2015 21:36:02 GMT
"Ta help you control yerself." He offered, pronouncing each word slowly and staying very still with his hand still outstretched, inviting. Shame he had a bit of a thick accent, but it was understandable enough. "I know a bit about what's been done to ya in the past, but it ain't that. I know people who can wipe that away, re-do the marks so you can control what you do, use it rather'n just havin' it smacked outta ya. Or even teach ya how ta control it yerself."
He felt pretty sorry for the guy, to be honest. Magic could be rough in a world that feared it, and there weren't many with elemental powers that strong and dangerous. "'S just me 'n' my dragon here. He doesn't wanna hurt ya either. Says hi by the way." Bane snorted at him from outside, hot breath condensing into mist.
|
|
|
Post by Behax on Mar 24, 2015 21:50:29 GMT
There was a slight hesitation, before Stark relaxed his bow arm. Almost like he was doing it against his better judgement, lowering the bow slightly so it was no longer aimed at the man that addressed him. But still one hand remained on the bow, and the other on the string, he might have lowered his weapon, but he could still fire at a moments notice if given a reason too. He wasn't stupid or trusting enough to put it down completely. Ice had started to form on the grip, and he still wasn't calm enough for is powers to stop affecting the temperature.
There was a split second of surprise when the dragon was mentioned, but Stark almost rolled his eyes at himself. 'Rider' as in 'Dragon Rider,' of course there was a dragon outside, it followed, explained that massive presence as well. What got his attention really was the mention that the marks on his skin could be undone. "Is that true? Someone can...Undo this?" The offer was tempting, but it wasn't just the people around Stark that feared him and his power...He did too. What could happen in the time the seals were broken, before they could be replaced scared him.
|
|
|
Post by kaidashade on Mar 24, 2015 22:03:52 GMT
Dynas relaxed, lowering his hands slowly and carefully approaching the young man he'd spent all this time following. The fire was starting to flicker from the chill coming off him, and Dynas lowered himself to the floor a good few feet away, well out of attack range. Sure, Stark could probably still kill him if he wanted, but he'd have to really go for it to even touch him. He even crossed his legs so it would be a pain to get up. "I think I know a guy. 'Nother Rider like me, but I was closer and they figured I'd have a better chance if things went south." Hey, at least he was honest.
"He's a healer," He elaborated, "'n' a fire-wielder. If anyone can help I'd say it'd be him. If you'll come with me, we can go ta him 'n' get ya sorted out. That's all I'm offerin'." Of course, if he refused they'd have a problem, but he didn't want to make that explicit. He just really hoped it wouldn't come to that. "Free dragon ride included 'n' everythin'."
|
|
|
Post by Behax on Mar 24, 2015 22:21:05 GMT
Stark was the kind of person who only attacked when he felt threatened...And depending on just how threatened he felt, it might not even necessarily be deliberate. The marks on his skin made his powers even more unstable, if he was distressed enough he could break them. He had yet to actually kill any of the people that pursued him, most just got injured...Though some died by their own accord. He'd only ended one life in the course of his own, and it had been a horrible accident. He didn't actually like violence very much, he just for the most part wanted to be left alone.
He stayed standing as the other man sat. He was suspicious of what wasn't being said, he noticed how there was no mention of what happened if he said 'no' to this offer. He could probably take the man....But the dragon outside? Unlikely even if he could control his power, a dragon was beyond most to take down on their own. "How do I know you wouldn't be walking me into a trap?" Clearly he was open to the idea of being helped, but trust was a big issue. Trust in the wrong people got him hurt, it could also get him killed.
|
|
|
Post by kaidashade on Mar 24, 2015 22:26:43 GMT
"What do I gain from hurtin' you?" He asked, cocking his head up at him and shrugging, apparently unconcerned. "I don't know you, 'n' hurtin' innocent people ain't exactly my thing. Doesn't look good fer the Riders if we let that kinda shit go on, y'know? If I wanted you dead I'd just have had the dragon roast ya from a hundred feet away. But neither of us want that." Perhaps not the most reassuring thing to say, but again at least he was honest.
Said dragon stuck his head over the lip of the rock, peering at them upside down. On a less terrifying creature it might almost be comical and endearing, but sadly Bane was huge, lizardy and heavily scarred, his eyes gleaming like fire. "See, he's fine. We both wanna help ya, 'n' you can ask him yerself if ya don't believe what I'm tellin' you. Look him in the eye 'n' he can talk to ya."
|
|
|
Post by Behax on Mar 24, 2015 23:05:55 GMT
It was a fair point to make, but it wasn't like there weren't dragon riders who went rouge. All Stark had out here was the man's word....And possibly his dragon's, that their intentions were honourable. He sighed heavily, and finally sat down, putting his bow and arrow on the floor next to him. "You know that kind of conflicts with your earlier statement, how you think you were....What was it...'sent to take me down,' " he said as he rose a questioning brow. "Gives the impression that whoever sent you, meant very well for you to get me out of the picture." Well whatever...He was used to people doing that by now. "But I suppose it is something, that you haven't already attacked me." The cold temperature was finally starting to ease.
When the dragon peered into the shallow cave, he didn't startle Stark as much as he probably would have most. Stark hadn't encountered any dragons up close, but he'd seen some from far away. They were like any large creature really, give them a wide birth and a lot of respect and you'll probably be fine. It was however daunting to think about looking a great lizard like that in the eyes though...If not a little difficult when it was looking at you upside down.
|
|