[The Bronze Wood] The Elk and the Horse (Jikadyn)

by **Aoren** on October 3rd, 2013, 1:44 pm

Aoren kept walking. The weight of his fellow traveler something his muscles noticed quite clearly. After putting himself through such laborious work, digging the hole, burying the mountain lion and not to mention his use of magic, Aoren was tired. He was more than tired but he wasn't about to stop. There were far more dangerous things lurking in the woods than mountain lions. Especially at night.

The pace Aoren set was as swift as it could reasonably be with an injured companion. The white haired man stumbled over roots, had difficulty going any faster than a quickened walk and was certainly in no condition to run. He bore the burden of aiding him without complaint though. What could he do? He wasn't going to leave him. That would have been cruel. Aoren was not a cruel man. He would never have been able to live with himself knowing he'd abandoned a man to die at the mercy of wild beasts when he'd been able to help. When it became obvious that they'd fallen into a steady rhythm Aoren observed his companion more closely.

The white hair was most stunning in contrast with his pale blue eyes and sun tanned skin. He was almost as tall as Aoren from what he could tell. Give or take an inch or two. Though it was far from humorous Aoren enjoyed seeing other tall people. He normally towered over most. Most shied away from him as a result and because few could stare him in the eyes for long without getting a chill up their spine. A friend from days gone past had once said that though Aoren was a gentle giant his gaze was "unsettling".

"It's like you're seeing more than just what's in front of you..."

In some cases that was true. There were times when he did see more than just the world that was immediately in front of him. Such musings were for another time though. He shifted his shoulder adjusting his hold on the injured man so that he didn't drop him.

"Do you have a name?" Aoren glanced at the man doing his best not to sound like their trek was wearing him down.

"My name is Aoren. I'd like to thank you. You saved my life. If you hadn't done what you did I'd probably be dead." As the sight if the Syliran gates Aoren grew hopeful that they just might make it before dark. No doubt the knights there would rush to their aid. They were not a heartless group after all.

"That was very brave of you."

by **Jikadyn** on October 6th, 2013, 8:46 pm

The trek to the gates had begun to take its toll on Jikadyn. the further they went the harder it was for him to focus on the sole thought of getting home. Inspiring himself to move at the same pace. He never thought there would be a time when he enjoy the sight of the large gates leading into the city. He always hated being coped up in the city, but now it was his savoir, and he couldn't wait to enter into the massive castle city.

As they neared the gate the man supporting Jikadyn asked a simple yet complex question. It already being hard to focus one singular thought. Trying to find the answer to this mans question while retaining what he had asked seemed nearly impossible. Just his name that is he wanted, and yet it seemed so hard to grasp at that single word.

Jikadyn started to speak but couldn't muster anything out except air. Again he tried and again. Air was all that graced the small distance between them. It was as though his voice was stolen from him. Disabling his ability to speak. Frustrated and angry at himself he tried one last time. "Ji....dyn" The middle part didn't succeed. It was once again stolen from him. He decided after this moment to give up on the speaking and just focused again on walking.

The man next him introduced himself. 'Aoren what a strong name, and if anyone saved anyone's life it truly was you.' Jikadyn thought to himself as the man spoke to him. Jikadyn didn't save Aoren the mountain lion was there for Jikadyn in the first. Whether Aoren was there, or not didn't matter. The lion still would have attack Jikadyn, and more or less would have killed him on the second attack if it wasn't for Aoren ability.

Aoren complimented Jikadyn mentioning his bravery. It seemed unfair. Here Aoren was complimenting him and praising him, but Jikadyn couldn't even thank the man much less attest to his own bravery. He wanted to tell the man he appreciated all that he did for him. Not just the saving his skin part, but also the time he took to bury the animal. All of it, but he couldn't. The words wouldn't grace Jikadyns lips as he stood.

The pain rang through his body and the gates neared, but still he could not muster a word of thanks. He tried and tried. Time and time again, but was unable to muster the slightest sound. Finally though he managed one word.

"Thank...y...." As he began the second word. He noticed the world suddenly getting much much darker. Then he felt himself falling forward and into a small thud on the ground. He couldn't keep himself standing any longer. Making it to the entrance of the large city Syliras. Jikadyn was spent. Fainted before he could even properly thank the man. Then he suddenly remembered his coat and pants were buried deep within the oak tree out in the woods, but it was far to late to be concerned with that.

by **Aoren** on October 6th, 2013, 9:33 pm

He strained to hear the man speak. It was obvious that the injury was beginning to take its toll on him. The adrenaline of danger had worn off. The ache of having been slashed open, patched up and forced to trek from the midst of the forest to the gates of Syliras no doubt didn't add to the situation. Aoren was exhausted himself. He was amazed he'd been able to keep them both upright for as long as he had. His legs were sore. His arms were sore. His whole body was..well...sore. But he refused to let himself rest just yet.

"Ji...dyn..." He furrowed his brow. He hadn't quite caught the man's name. It didn't matter at the moment. When finally they had reached the main gates of the Fortress City they were met by two armored Knight.

"Fetch a healer! Quickly!" Aoren barely took another step before he, along with his companion, were falling. Two knights were rushing toward the both of them their chainmail jingling under their armored plates. He was caught by the strong arm of one of the Knights. The man was older. The grey of age touching the mustache on his face. His brown eyes were filled with concern. It was apparently him that had shouted for a healer.

"Easy, son. What happened?" The Knight and his younger comrade helped both Aoren and the wounded man to the safety of the gate and under the light of the torches. The Drykas man cast a glance to his injured companion who was being helped into a sitting position by the younger knight. Aoren's attention was brought back to the older of the duo when he gently tapped his face.

"Hey, hey, can you hear me? What happened?" Aoren shook his head. He hadn't realized that he was beginning to fade from exhaustion.

"W-we were in the woods. We were attacked by a mountain lion. Managed to fend it off. He-he..." Aoren gestured to the white haired man. "...wasn't a man. He was an...an elk before. Some sort of magic." The older knight nodded in understanding then placed a hand on Aoren's shoulder.

"It's alright, son. You're safe now." Leaning down the older knight draped one of Aoren's arms over his shoulder and helped him to his feet. "Your friend sounds like a Kelvic. Not to worry though. We'll get the both of you to the infirmary. Everything is going to be just fine."

Aoren barely registered the rest of what the knight was saying. He was already fading in and out, the stress of everything he'd done in the past few hours beginning to set in. He remembers being taken to a well lit room filled with beds. Some were occupied, some were empty. He remembers being helped into one of the beds and being tended to by a woman clad in Opalescent robes who's hands soothed the ache in his head and his body. It wasn't long before Aoren was being ushered to lay down and get some rest. He obeyed but before he nodded off he managed a final tired question.

"My...friend..." That seemed an appropriate word for the time being. "...is he--" He was hushed before he could finish the question.

"Your friend will be fine, young one. You both just need rest."

With that, Aoren let the blackness take him.

---------------------------------------------------

16th of Autumn

10th Bell

Aoren awoke the next morning with a fluttering of his eyes. He was greeted to the sight of a white stone ceiling. The room was lit by the soft light of oil lamps that were not harsh on the eyes. With a soft groan he moved to sit up, the movement making him dizzy. He didn't feel half as bad as he expected he would. He remembered everything that happened the day before. There were no gaps in his memory with the exception of the final parts before arriving in the infirmary.

With a bit more effort he propped himself up in the bed bringing his hands up to rub at his face. He paused. His hands were bandaged. Not surprising given the fact that he had used his bare hands to dig a sizable hole in the ground for several hours the day prior. He looked around the infirmary searching for the man who had saved his life the day before.

"Kelvic, the knight had called him." Aoren made a note to look into who and what a Kelvic was when he got the opportunity. Aside from the obvious fact that they could shape shift. The healers had no doubt done a superb job in treating their injuries. Aoren's were minor at best with the exception of the exhaustion. That would fade in a day or two. The white haired man's however, while note life threatening, were still a little more serious. Aoren's eyes found him without much difficulty. He was laying in the bed immediately next to him.

He had fresh bandages. Tightly wrapped and finely dressed. Undoubtedly poultices from the very shop where Aoren worked day in and day out had been used to stave off infection and stimulate healing. The Drykas man was caught between simply getting up, seeking out the healers so he could be cleared to leave, or waiting to see if the man woke up.

He sighed.

He had to make sure the man was okay. That much, he owed him for saving his life.

by **Jikadyn** on October 6th, 2013, 11:39 pm

16th of Autumn
12th bell

The night had passed by without remission for Jikadyn. He hadn't rose since his collapse outside of the gates of the large castle city Syliras. After all, he had been through it would have been a wonder if he did rise before the next day.

Slowly his eyes opened as he lay on a bed. An unfamiliar ceiling glaring back down at him, and small oil lanterns glowed throughout the room. The pain seemed far worse this morning. It hurt to just simply move his head from right to left.

Jikadyn lay there looking around. Trying to place where he must be. Assuming from the events that occurred he was more than likely in the infirmary, but he wasn't sure. After all, he had never been to a place such as this before. Also, he had never been injured such as this before. He feared how long he would be kept inside in the castle walls.

Looking over at the bed next to him he noticed the man that had been with him the day before. The night before being rather spotty in his memory. Jikadyn was trying to remember the mans name. In fact he was having a hard time remembering everything that happened after the burial of the beast that attacked him. He remember man shooting lighting, and digging the whole to bury the beast. He just couldn't remember his name.

Trying to raise his left arm up to get the mans intention was not a good idea. Just as quickly as his arm rose it feel. Pain shot through his entire back and abdomen. He knew it was the right arm that got cut, but why did the left arm hurt. Was it just a general soreness that came from healing such a large wound. Whatever it was he had to get the mans attention.

"Sir....uh your name again?" He spoke to what he thought was a bit loud, but it came out rather quite. He felt ashamed to have forgotten the mans name after everything they had been through. Then he realized he hadn't even introduced himself yet to the man.

"Jikadyn is my name, but you can just call me Dyn." So long he didn't move much speaking was rather easy. It was the bodily movements that cause him much pain and grief. As he made mention of his name he also remember his coat. It was not here. That meant it must have been in the woods. Jikadyn could not bear to lose it. After all it was the last remaining thing he had from his parents. Turning the man who save him had to ask a favor.

"Thank you... for saving my life, but I must ask a favor of you. My coat is in the woods about one and half bells west of where we meet. It is the last remaining piece of my parents I have. Would you retrieve it for me?" Jikadyn words sounded more like pleas to the man. It was obvious he cared greatly for the coat, and he heards carried a hint of sadness to them.

"Please Sir." He mustered one last time before waiting for a response.

by **Aoren** on October 13th, 2013, 6:43 pm

At some point in time Aoren had nodded off. It was not surprising given all of the hard labor he'd done the previous day. Surviving an attack from a mountain lion, blasting that lion with one of the most powerful techniques that Aoren possessed in his magical arsenal, digging a grave and hobbling little by little toward the gates of Syliras with an injured man in tow. Or rather an injured Kelvic. So he lay there in the bed more exhausted than truly injured. He knew that it would take a day or two before he was back up to full speed. He didn't begrudge that fact. Quite the contrary he was grateful to be alive. Had the other man not been in the clearing with him he could very well be passing on into the next life.

"Sir....uh your name again?" Aoren was startled into full awareness. He jolted slightly turning his attention to the voice that had roused him from his respite. The room was a little blurry from his dozing. He rubbed at his face trying to banish the blur of sleepiness from his eyes. After a few tries everything came into focus.

"Wha-what was that?" He stretched curling his hands into fists as he rolled his shoulders trying to get the ache out of his joints. There were a few cracks and pops as the stiff limbs protested. The palms of his hands stung slightly but they were otherwise fine. The healers had no doubt done a great job of tending to the wounds when he'd lapsed into unconsciousness born of tiredness. After a few more stretches accompanied by a lazy yawn the man's question registered.

"Oh, umm, it's Aoren. You may call me Aoren." He rubbed at the back of his neck focusing on the other man just across from him.

"Jikadyn is my name, but you can just call me Dyn."

Jikadyn. That's a different name. Then again all names are different.

"It's nice to meet you, Dyn. I, uh, owe you my life." He gave the white haired man a smile that was a mix between sheepish and embarrassed. The stupidity of venturing out into the Bronze Woods alone with virtually no survival skills and only a limited understanding of the geography was very apparent to Aoren. That did not stop him from doing it though. There were days when he just needed to get out of the citadel. He had in him an aching desire to feel sunlight on his face. He needed to feel the breeze rippling through his hair and over his skin. So much time spent underground or within the confines of stone walls was maddening. Every waking spare moment he had was spent out doors.

I should probably invest in becoming a better outdoors-man.

He eyed Jikadyn. The man was in obvious discomfort. The garish slash marks on his shoulder would inevitably scar. Until then he would need to take it easy. Aoren was by far no master of medicine but he understood enough to know that the man would not be independent for a good number of days. The debt that Aoren owed the man was becoming more and more apparent the longer the Drykas man stared at him. The wince Jikadyn gave as he moved made Aoren flinch. He hated to see people in distress. If he could he would have done more for the man in the forest but he lacked the skill or the resources.

When a sudden revelation seemed to dawn on Jikadyn, Aoren braced himself for what he knew might be a tongue lashing. If Aoren hadn't been dumb enough to venture into the woods alone that might have saved them both from being caught by surprise. Or if he were perhaps more aware of his surroundings he might have been able to see it coming.

"Thank you... for saving my life, but I must ask a favor of you. My coat is in the woods about one and half bells west of where we meet. It is the last remaining piece of my parents I have. Would you retrieve it for me?"

"A coat?" The request seemed odd to Aoren. At first. Then he reflected on the meaning the coat had for Jikadyn. The last memento he had of his parents. Aoren knew all too well what it was like to cling to bits with a great deal of sentimental value. He carried such an object with him at all times. As he was no survivalist or expert at navigation or tracking Aoren thought long and hard about the directions the man gave him.

He had a solution.

He was just significantly hesitant to use it. The Drykas man looked down at his back of his right hand. It was bandaged so the Godsmark of Avalis was hidden from view. He could try to search the man's past in an attempt to glean the exact location of the coat. He hesitated because with that came visions from the past. Jikadyn's past.

Perhaps this is the Goddess gently reprimanding me for ignoring Her gift? It has been so long since I have actively used it. I have been running from Her. I have been running from myself.

He cast his eyes downward as he thought about that small, albeit highly significant, revelation. For years Aoren had spent his time searching for answers to his origins. To his past. To his heritage and his legacy. He had found those answers. They had cost him dearly. Ever since then he had turned his back on the gift he had once embraced so wholeheartedly. It was time for him to man up and take responsibility for his past actions.

I cannot run from my past.

For indeed it dictated the course of his future. He sighed rubbing his face with his hands ignoring the stinging in his palms.

"I will find it for you." He nodded with a resolute look. Throwing off the light sheet he stepped out of the bed stumbling slightly as the toll from the previous day's trek made itself terribly obvious. His joints popped rather loudly as he rose to his full height stretching to get the stiffness out of his limbs once again. Padding over to the other man he knelt at his bedside and extended his hands.

"Give me your hands." Aoren offered up no explanation as to what he was doing. He seldom did when it involved his otherworldly gifts. He simply acted. His own bandaged hands extended he stared at Jikadyn expectantly.

by **Radiant** on March 12th, 2014, 6:30 pm

Aoren :

Jikadyn :

Notes :

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+3 XP
Socialization	+2 XP
Meditation	+1 XP
Stealth	+1 XP
Persuasion	+1 XP
Glyphing	+1 XP
Drawing	+1 XP
Reimancy	+1 XP
Medicine	+2 XP
Body Building	+2 XP
Endurance	+2 XP

Completed [The Bronze Wood] The Elk and the Horse (Jikadyn)