Something Precious

[Ixzo]

34th of Fall, 518AV

“Excuse me, miss?” Ixzo would not have turned for the voice, except the person who it belonged to, stood in front of her. She walked with a string of game; a beaver and two ducks from a ways up the stream. It was not her largest haul, but this request had not been for the meat, but clean kills for the pelts and feathers. She had managed to shoot the beaver clean in the neck, although the ducks were not so lucky and one got an arrow in the belly, the other arrow was large enough to destroy the animal’s face, effectively killing it. This was not so much a problem, as the wound could be plucked around on the ducks, but she had needed the shot to be clean on the beaver, and was satisfied with the results. It would pay, which was important.

So the Kelvic was a little irritated to have stop in her tracks to look at him. She had only been in the city ten days, but she already knew to glance her surroundings quickly. She did this with the mind of a hunter, watching for any strategically placed pick pockets, any signs of stealth that alerted her instincts. Other than the fact that she could trust no one on this street, she didn’t immediately notice anything, and so she turned back to him. Not answering him, Ixzo made eye contact and raised a single eyebrow. It was clear he was trying to get her attention, but what he was saying, she wasn’t so sure.

Before he spoke, her eyes were drawn to the meek child standing just behind him and to the right. She had a collar round her neck, and stood with her head slightly hung and hands clasped in front of her. Had it not been for the rose tattoo that adorned her face, Ixzo might have dismissed this position for a mere weak confidence. But the ex-slave knew the mark of any Kenashians, and her eyes narrowed turning back to the man. She could now see that he was glancing between her eyes and her own brand that rested on her face, and was speaking.

It was so easy for her to tune out the Common Tongue words, that she brushed past him. She could tell by his tone that he was asking something of her, and did not respect her because of the brand worn on her face. He must be familiar with the dynasties in Kenash, and the ones who used to hold her. But in this lawless city, and every city but the cursed swamp where Kenash nested, she was free.

But Ixzo did not push past the man to continue on her way, instead she squared herself in front of the small girl. One hand holding the wrap of her game, the other reached out to wait for the girls. As her large palm entered the girl’s view, open and obviously waiting to be taken, the girl looked up. She recognized the brand on Ixzo’s face as well, and the Kelvic didn’t need to speak, nodding to her and offering a closed lip smile.

With instinct, the girl looked up to her lock-holder, and Ixzo pulled her hand up to the child’s chin, gently guiding her face back towards herself. “You don’t need his permission to talk to me, I don’t recognize his authority.” She spoke clearly in her deep Myrian tongue, not expecting this girl to understand her. And she didn’t, but her tone must have said enough, because the girl turned back, grabbing Ixzo’s hand from her face and gently holding it between the two of them, as Ixzo had wanted.

Within ticks, the place where their palms meant began to glow. A soft light at first seeped from the seams between their fingers, and then as the Kelvic spoke, the glow grew until it would draw the attention of anyone whose sight it settled in the corners of. “You are not his property. You will never be anyone’s property. You are merely being challenged, so look to the world around you and see what you can do. If you do nothing then you will remain in this place over and over, but if you do anything, you will revel the desperation in their hearts when they find they cannot hold you.”

Again, the Myrian words were clearly being understood for what they were by this child. But she knew that the child could hear the tone of her voice, and understand the look in her eyes. Besides that, the Kelvic could see the dejected acceptance of her position leaving her face. Priskil’s light filled the girl with enough courage that Ixzo could have told her to stand on her hands and eat grapes with her toes, and the child would have felt the encouragement of hope. As far as the Kelvic was concerned, there was always room for hope, and those who put in the effort to see that hope through, were protected by Priskil.

A hand fell on her shoulder, and in an instant, Priskil’s genuine smile vanished. She stood, stepping into the man, and allowing her full height to tower over the mere human. Whatever he was about to say, he lost, and she could smell the fear that mingled in his breathe. Any illusion of power that he thought he had over her had shriveled and shrunk away, when she leveled his gaze. If he hadn’t noticed before he could see the slit feline pupils, and recognize the face of a predator.

“If you so much as look at me wrong again, I will have your throat.” She whispered to him in Myrian. Her hands still glowed with the confidence of Priskil, and now rested on the hilt of her knife. The coin on which she was able to flip from warm an encouraging to the child to suddenly cold and threatening towards the human who thought he owned her, was substantial enough to create the intimidation that she needed, and the human stepped back over the weight of her stare. The hands that he had put up to block her approach quickly found their way into his pockets, and he took three large steps back, taking himself out of the range of her reach. The Kelvic did not follow him, but instead shifted her gaze to the child. As she did so, the intensity of her stare softened, and Ixzo nodded to the child, before turning back in the direction she was heading.

If these stupid humans were not careful, she would find herself killing one of them. It wasn’t that she had any qualms with the prospect, not one of her Gods would fault her for such a move. But she had greater plans, and at the moment she needed people to want to buy her game, which typically did not go over well if she murdered every human that had coin to his name, because he had put a collar on another and claimed ownership.

What the Kelvic didn’t notice, was that when he had put his hands up to ward off her attack, and then had quickly dropped them to his pockets as he retreated, he had pawned off one of the most precious things to the Kelvic, a horse amulet carved into the natural off-white agate found in the Sea of Grass, and her only remaining connection to her beloved Drykas people. Yet the Kelvic was too irritated by the stares that that scene had just gotten her. Clearly people had expected a fight, but that weak willed human had not stood up to her, and she had no interest in attacking an unarmed man. So now they watched her, the one who brought the scene to its peak, and did not lash out to satisfy their voyeuristic needs.

Word Count: 1,313

[Kynier]

They had told him that he should stay at home and recover more from his injuries before heading out again. But two days of rest had been more than enough time given all the resources they had for accelerating one’s ability to heal from wounds. It was one thing to rest and relax for enjoyment, it was another entirely when it was forced upon a person. Kynier appreciated all the support that the others had given him over the last few days. But it had started to feel as though he were an invalid and that was very bothersome. The wound that had caused him to limp was already fully healed, and the rest of his lingering wounds were hidden under his crimson shirt.

Even his employer refused to give him work, though he suspected that was not due to his injuries. Wanting to be out of the Midnight Gem, Kynier decided to pursue one of his other interests that had fallen on the wayside for some time. For the better part of that day, he had been watching The Quay in hopes of seeing something that would grant him further insight into the Vino’s influence on the slave trade. A man had gone in alone and came out with a young girl in tow. For nearly a bell, the mage had been following the man and waiting for an opportunity to question him in private.

Djed was flowing to his eyes to empower his Sight with Auristics. The man’s aura was putrid in color and gave Kynier the distinct impression that he was a despicable person in general. His unique sensitivity with the magic discipline informed him that the man was smug. Because Kynier could feel his own chest swell and the urge to hold his chin higher and look down at everyone. Superiority. The man’s aura was filled to the rim with the unjustified viewpoint of himself. The longer Kynier kept his focus on the man’s aura the more he wanted to bath in the Mudway. For he was certain that those filthy waters would still allow him to feel cleaner after staring and sensing the man’s essence for so long.

When the man stopped in the street, he was addressing a woman that had been walking in the other direction. Kynier did not stop following but veered off to observe from across the street. The mage felt a desire to question, curiosity, and… distaste… from the man he was following. Why was he addressing the dark-skinned woman? She was imposing in size and was obviously a hunter of some sort. From what Kynier could tell, she did not seem that interested in engaging in conversation with the man. Her expression towards him was rather blank.

Kynier took a deep breath as he looked at her aura as well and focused upon it. It was then that he noticed that she was Kelvic. The woman’s aura was scarred and there were tendril type limbs, which were unique to Kelvics, wrapped around her form in a protective manner. The tendrils themselves looked frayed to indicate that she had been bonded before. Kynier knew this because of Ebon’s aura demonstrating the same signs. But Ebon’s never looked as damaged as her’s. Her aura was greyed with only a few bright colors at the fringes from traumas that he could only imagine.

The Kelvic was ignoring the man and paying more attention to the girl that he had brought with him from The Quay. From where he was, Kynier could not see that the two females bore the same rose tattoos on their faces. He was too involved with sensing the feelings and emotions that were involved with the woman. The man was simple frustration, which Kynier brushed aside. But it was difficult getting a solid understanding of what the dark skinned Kelvic felt towards the girl. Sympathy maybe. But when the girl took the Kelvic’s hand the light began to form.

With his Auristics, Kynier was able to see that it was divine magic. The light was brilliant and drew his attention so much he nearly missed the sensations of what the Kelvic was experiencing. It felt like… encouragement and kindness. But at the touch of the stranger, it instantly flipped to anger. Kynier felt the desire to growl within his own throat as the woman rose to her full height above him. It was then that Kynier felt something strange. It wasn’t from the woman this time, but from the man. He felt an unusual texture in the palm of his hand.

Kynier stepped around to be more behind the Kelvic to be able to see the man’s hands more clearly. They were fidgeting on something. From the man Kynier felt a sense of satisfaction behind the unease of being stared down. What had the man just done? There was nothing on the woman’s back or shoulder that was of an unusual nature. And when she started to walk away, there was a sense of… glee. Kynier watched the man watch the Kelvic walk away. After a few ticks he looked at something in his hand and smiled. Satisfaction and curiosity welled up within Kynier, though they were not his own.

A point behind his eyes the size of a needle’s tip began to burn. Kynier cut off the flow of Djed that was powering his Auristics and the Sight closed. The auras of the world faded from his view as the man began walking again, half dragging the little girl behind him. Kynier watched the two of them walk by then looked down the street at the Kelvic walking away. It wasn’t truly his concern, but he was feeling a strong sense of empathy. It would be easy to recover the Kelvic’s possession, but then how would he find her again to give it back?

Kynier reached into his soulcore again and took hold of his Djed. Hastily, and painfully, he detached his right astral arm from his body. The nerves of his right arm flared as though he had just thrust his arm into a fire, causing him to wince aloud. Kynier reached out and stretched the astral limb towards the Kelvic. The invisible hand touched her shoulder and pinched one of her dreadlocks in hopes to get her attention. Kynier’s astral form was still too weak to pull hard enough to cause pain. But he gave the Kelvic a moment to turn to see what would’ve just touched her. He would lock eyes with her before tilting his head in the direction of the man with the young slave and giving a short, high pitched whistle to indicate she should follow him.

Then he turned and followed the man who had picked up his pace. The man’s direction was north and slightly west. Already, Kynier knew where he was going. The Fence was in the Riverside district, and there anyone could pawn off stolen goods. Kynier had made use of the establishment a time or two himself. He needed to do something to slow the man down. His right arm was hanging uselessly by his side while his astral limb was still detached. Kynier stretched out the limb towards the young girl and grasped her by the arm. The distance his astral limb covered was uncomfortable and the furthest he had pushed a limb yet. Incorporeal fingers squeezed on the girl’s arm.

Kynier watched as she looked down to see nothing but felt him. With another squeeze, her eyes widened, and she let out a shrill scream. That should be enough. Kynier released her and pulled the astral limb back. The man stopped and glared at the girl. What he started to scream at her Kynier could not quite make out. When he finished expressing his displeasure towards the girl he glanced up and his eyes fell on Kynier. The mage paused for half a tick and betrayed the intensity of his interest in the man. The fellow grabbed the girl by the arm and started to run.

“Shyke,” Kynier muttered as he began to give chase.



NaNo Post: 1,351

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!

[Ixzo]

Something tweaked her locks just over her shoulder, and Ixzo bristled. It was rare that people were able to sneak up on the hunter without her noticing. And she was confident that the man was not brave enough to confront her face on. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and glanced behind her, expecting to see someone getting her attention, but saw no limb immediately beside her. Instead her silver gaze turned up towards the man who seemed to be staring her down. Her eyes narrowed, but he didn’t shy away, merely nodded his head back in the direction she had just come from and whistled to her like an animal. She frowned; glanced back to where he was looking, and found the man and the girl had already disappeared.

Without waiting for the Kelvic to react, the human was off. So he had likely just witnessed her use luminance to give the girl some hope, but what did he have to do with it? Coming from Endrykas, Ixzo had the assumption that her divine magic was acceptable, and had even been looked forward to by some. But she had quickly learned Sunberth may not have the same view. Personal magics were obviously shunned, but divine magics? Her hand flew up to her charm, to rub it with the familiar motion she always did when the Drykas people crossed her mind, but her searching fingers found nothing. Patting her chest twice, the hunter’s eyes narrowed, now understanding why the man with the girl had taken off so quickly. Slippery stupid humans.

Without thinking, Ixzo dropped her haul. Someone would make use of it, and she could easily get more furs for the person who hired her. But this wasn’t what crossed her mind at the moment. All the lion cared about was that this man had stolen something important to her, and she was going to get it back. The man who signaled her seemed to have seen where they had gone, and the Kelvic fell in line with his stride. He was nearly as tall as her, so she could keep up easily, but he knew these maze-like streets better than she. She watched him for a tick, wondering why he had bothered to signal her. She wasn’t obviously going to get an answer, not at the moment, at least. But her attention snapped forward once again, when the girl shrieked. Not of horror, but as if something had spooked her, one quick chirp of noise. It was enough to piss the man off, and Ixzo recognized the false ego of those who thought they owned people. Clenching her fist, she no longer kept stride with the man. The stranger seemed to pause, watching the man chastise the girl, and Ixzo began taking careful steps away from him.

For a chime, her intent on retrieving the amulet was forgotten, and her hunter’s mind was already scoping the possible exits that her prey had to escape her. They were in an open street, so the possibilities where endless, but her prey had cargo, and she did not. Her silver gaze flicked to the man, who still watched their prey, and she assessed that he may help her if necessary. Now it was two on one. Whoever this stranger was, he had an interest in these people, and his stare lasted just a little too long. When the slavemaster’s gaze flitted up to catch the kind stranger staring at him, Ixzo began stepping forward, coming at him from an angle. It didn’t take much to spook prey, and humans were intelligent, if he thought he was being tracked he would run. The stranger who had alerted her could play it safe if he wanted, she was going to take the direct approach.

When the man grabbed the child and began to run, Ixzo’s predatory instinct kicked into action. An almost amused grin lit her face, and she burst forward as well. He was trying to drag an unwilling girl, and much smaller than the lion, bearing almost no match for her. With five short bounds, she passed him, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she knew where he was, more importantly where his ribs were. Curving her elbow out, she stopped short, ducked, and rammed her elbow back into the man’s ribs. She could hear the sharp exhale of breathe as he obviously was not anticipating this.

It did not knock him over though, and Ixzo straightened up, her first instinct was to lunge for him and complete her kill, but the frightened girl was in her field of vision. She hesitated, not wanting to get the girl stuck in the following skirmish, and the hesitation was enough to feel the grip of hands on her throat. Ixzo’s eyes widened in shock, not expecting him to recover so quickly, let alone counter her with an attack, and her hands fell on his, attempting to peel his fingers from her neck. Anger surged through her, and she managed to pull one of his fingers back in a position that wasn’t natural. She could feel the crack of bone and ligament under her own fingers, and the violence sent a pulse of adrenaline through her. This wasn’t going to work. Instead she brought her arm up through the center of his arms, yanking it outwards so her elbow caught in the crook of his, which yanked the hand from her neck. She could feel the burn of his finger nails on the skin of her neck, but she didn’t register it as pain in the moment. He only had her by one hand now, and that she could work with better. Sticking the other arm up on the outside of his remaining arm, she brought her elbow into her chest, catching his arm in the crook of hers, yanking it free of her neck as well. A slightly mad giggle fell from her mouth as she realized the effectiveness of this move. It was not often she got to fight in this form. With a fluid motion, she let him go, sticking one leg out and landing it squarely on his chest, throwing him off his own feet, and back onto the ground.

With the acute feline grace, she stalked over his prone body, one foot landing square between his legs, uncomfortably close to the family jewels. She balanced her weight onto that foot, and then placed the other boot on his chest, slowly leaning into it. She had forgotten about her amulet, she had forgotten about the girl, and the kind stranger. At the moment she had managed to snag her prey, and she was enjoying the thrill of playing with her food for just a few more ticks before she ate it.

Word Count: 1,133

[Kynier]

Kynier had a long stride, longer than that of the man they were chasing. Rather than focusing on taking as many steps as possible in order to cover more distance, he made his steps as long as possible to be able to move further with less effort. Nighttime runs that he had been taking with his bondmate had given him insights into the different styles of running. Ways to run further with less effort, run faster, run longer, and the balances of trying to accomplish all the combinations. The man was trying to drag the girl along with him. Unless he swept her up in his arms, he was never going to outrun the mage. Though that was less of a worry it seemed.

The Kelvic woman bounded past him and even beyond the stranger in a few strides. Her speed was unsettling mainly because of how effortless it appeared to be. When she stopped the man ran straight into her braced elbow. Kynier winced at the sight of the collision and slowed his pace. The girl that had been dragged behind the man was backing away silently. Kynier came up behind her and set a hand against her back to stop her. The girl looked up at him with a gasp. “It’s alright,” he said with as much assurance as he could manage.

The two of them watched the Kelvic and the man struggle with each other’s grasp. Kynier took the time to reconnect his astral form with his physical one in a way that would not incite even more pain. The match appeared very one-sided as the man was kicked off his feet. The Kelvic planted herself above the man and set a heel to his chest. The man groaned and cried out from the weight of her on his sternum. An expression of sadistic joy spread across her face. While Kynier could not tell what sort of creature she was, he could see that it had to have been some sort of predator. Not one that made clean kills either. Death was not what he wanted for the man. Not yet at least. So, he stepped forward and drew one of his cold iron short swords. The blue tinted metal of the blade hung down at his side in an unthreatening manner.

“Stop!” he demanded. Hazel eyes stared hard at the woman, expressing his desire for what she was doing to end. He walked around to the side of the man and knelt beside him. The unnaturally cold metal edge rested at the man’s throat. “Don’t move, or I’ll do it myself.” With his free hand, Kynier searched the man’s pockets. In one he felt an oval stone with unusual etchings in its surface connected to a chain. The texture was familiar thanks to his use of Auristics earlier. When he pulled it out, he realized it was an agate that had been carved to have unusual shapes. With a quick rotation of it in his hand, he thought he saw the shape of a horse in its design.

Kynier stood up and held out the strange item to the Kelvic. The design was a bit crude and the material was not very precious looking in its condition. The man wore fine quality wools with embroidered designs in the clothes. The stone clearly was not his and seemed more like something the Kelvic would keep. He held out the amulet for the Kelvic to take back. “I need him alive,” he stated. “There are some questions that I’d like him to answer.” The pinned man groaned and spat at Kynier’s feet.

“Take a walk down a mineshaft,” he spat. Kynier gave a bemused sigh as he knelt again by the man’s side. With a rotation of his wrist, the cold iron blade came around and slapped the man’s cheek with its flat edge.

“It’s remarks like that that won’t help your current predicament.”



NaNo Post: 656

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!

[Ixzo]

She heard the yell, and some part of her brain recognized the common word, but since her grasp of the language was poor, it took her a few seconds to register what it meant. He wanted her to stop. After two ticks, she swiveled her head towards the man, without letting her shoulder’s shift as well, narrowed feline eyes caught his expression, which was not angry, rather… disappointed. He didn’t drop her gaze, but she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and her silver gaze flitted to his hand which pulled his sword from the hilt. Alarms for another attack rang through her brain, and her body began to tense for an appropriate reaction, but when her eyes met his again, there was still no aggression, just displeasure.

She frowned, and leaned back onto the foot that was still on the ground, eyes flitting to the girl, who cowered from the scene. Whatever hope and strength her gnosis had given the small child had vanished in wake of the recent events. She returned her gaze towards the man below her, curling her lip and spitting on him. The liquid glob fell on his chest, and the lioness stepped off him. She stepped to the side, bowed slightly, and spread her arm towards him, as if presenting the prize to the human. Whoever he was, he cared more about keeping this thing alive than she cared to kill it, and his actions still confused her to no end. He stepped over to the man, setting his sword on the prone man’s throat, which gave the lioness some satisfaction to watch. Perhaps this man’s intentions were good, it was hard to tell.

Almost as if he had known exactly what she was missing and where it was, his hand disappeared into the man’s pocket and pulled her amulet out. He held it out to her, without a second glance towards its value. Clearly it was nothing that a person who wore clothes like his would look twice at, but it wasn’t the expense of the jewelry that she cared about, it was those who made it for her. She took it from him, examining the leather strap that held it to her neck. The knot had been loosened, which was how she somehow did not feel it leave her neck. Refastening the knot, she slipped the amulet back on, stepping back from the man. He had told her he needed the man alive, which she had understood, although not the rest of his common words.

Shuffling back, she watched him carefully to see what he was doing with the slaver. She had half the mind to come back in the night and hunt him as a lion, where this stranger could not place blame on her for its death. She felt a hand flutter on her forearm, and the Kelvic turned to look down at the child.

“What is he going to do to him?”

“Not kill.” She muttered a reply to the child in Common, thick displeasure mixing in with her Myrian accent. She instinctually made the Pavi sign for Coward. Her predator brain couldn’t comprehend a slow or stealthy game. Stealth was needed to buy time to attack, but it was strength that won. At least that was how the Kelvic understood it, and so she viewed this human as weak. But he had gotten her necklace back, and he was not taking advantage of her lack of familiarity with the city, as far as she could tell. Both were rarities in Sunberth, which she had quickly learned, and she would not let a human like that slip from her attention so easily.

Crouching beside the girl, Ixzo held out one large palm in an offer. It was thickly calloused and Priskil’s vortex shimmered on her palm, and she shifted her silvery gaze up to the girl, asking the question with her eyes. Hesitancy covered the child’s face for a second before she took the lioness’s hand. She grasped it, letting it rest on her knee as she crouched. The offer was more than just comfort from the frightful events in this moment. With her other hand, she rubbed her agate carving with a familiar motion. Together the child and the woman watched what he would do to the man next. The child watched with a fearful hope, and the woman with a vivid curiosity. She did not care really what he did with the slaver, but more who he was. Why had he returned something precious to her, without realizing its impact? Why had he notified her of the theft in the first place? Did he detest these slavers as much as she did? Then why did he not want this poor excuse for sentience dead?

The Kelvic was unsure of how she was able to say this in Common, but while she waited she began to attempt to form sentences that could communicate some semblance of her questions.

Word Count: 833

[Kynier]

When the Kelvic looked up at him with silver eyes, he could see that her mind was actively processing something. From the hatred that he could see in them, it was clear that she had a strong interest in ending the man’s life. No one would have stopped her from doing so. Gods knew, that he did not really care enough to stop her from doing it either. But he had questions that he wanted to ask the man while he still drew breath. Had she killed him, Kynier would have been frustrated but ultimately the left with the same amount of knowledge as what he had started with that day.

The woman was taller than him, but not my much. Well defined muscles covered her figure in addition to the scars and tattoos. Kynier had no familiarity with the race, but his first inclination was that she had Myrian blood in her veins. While she had an imposing figure, Kynier was not deterred by it. A couple of years of living in Sunberth had hardened him enough to know that the size of a person did not matter. A blade was a blade and could kill as efficiently as ever regardless of how big the person wielding it was. And he had too much blood on his hands to be timid from a stranger’s gaze.

He watched as she spat on him and stepped away. The slight bow and opening of the arms were a clear enough message. Was the Kelvic mute? It was strange that she didn’t say anything. No expression of disappointment or even asking why he had an interest. Even when he handed her the amulet, she said nothing. And her expression was just as communicative. Kynier had not known many Kelvics, but each of them were very social. Except Ebon. Ebon was melancholier due to the death of his bondmate. Was this Kelvic the same way? Her aura made it look that way. Kelski was immediately present to save their night lion from depression and anger. Perhaps this woman did not have anyone when she needed it.

Kynier heard the young girl’s question, as well as the Kelvic’s answer. So, she wasn’t mute, though her words were heavily accented. The strange gesture she gave in his direction had no meaning to him. The only other person he had seen make gestures similar to it was the Ghost Hunter that lived in the Dust Bed. Kynier did not even have a name to associate with the language. Thusly, he ignored it and turned his gave back on the man. The fellow was trying to get to his feet. Kynier slid his foot across the ground to take one of them man’s feet out from under him, dropping him back down on the ground.

“What do you want?” the man cried out in a mixture of fear and frustration. Kynier circled around the man to stand in front of him. He tapped the cold iron blade against the side of his leg as he did.

“Nothing other than some answers.” Upon closer inspection of the man, Kynier could see that he was human with dark eyes. A mixed blood with some chaktawe most likely. He was not well dressed but certainly wore finer apparel than the common citizen. What was strange, Kynier could not see a weapon on him. That made him furrow his brow suspiciously and tighten his grip on his weapon. People with slaves obviously were not wanting for food or money. But to walk around with a young girl, unarmed as well, was a picture that did not make sense.

Kynier raised the tip of the weapon and took a step forward to have it closer to the man. “What’s your relationship with the Vino?” The man scoffed before spitting to the side in defiance. His dark eyes glared up at Kynier as silence followed. Kynier turned his gaze to the young girl that the Kelvic was embracing. Her eyes were young and impressionable. The mage did not want her to see what he would do to the man for answers. “What’s your name?” he asked the young girl with the rose tattoo on her face. Her eyes betrayed the nervousness he imbued in her with his presence. But after a small pause, she meekly answered him.

“Lolan.”

“Do you have any family, Lolan?” The young girl shook her head. Shyke. Then there was likely no place they could take her. They could not stay here for the questioning. But he could not take risks either. Bending forward slightly, he stabbed the man in the bicep, driving the blade in until it lanced off the bone. The slave owner cried out as he curled around the blade.

As abruptly as he sent it in, Kynier took the blade out. The man whimpered and groaned as he cradled his arm to his chest. The mage then reached down and grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Come on, we’re going on a walk now,” he said as he hauled the man to his feet. Keeping a grip on the man to be aware of his movement, Kynier turned to face the Kelvic. “You do not have to follow,” he said only a little slower than he normally would have.

“Where are you taking him?” Lolan asked. There was a nervousness in her voice that Kynier didn’t understand. Was the girl attached to his man? As he looked in her eyes, he did not think he saw worry for him. But there was something there he could not grasp.

“Taking him someplace less crowded, where we can have a conversation.”

“If you take him away… then where am I supposed to go?” she asked quietly. Kynier stared at the girl for a moment in sympathy. She had no family and most likely no one to turn to. A situation he was all too familiar with. The only difference was, they were in Sunberth and not in the Wilderlands.

“I… don’t know,” he admitted. Then he sighed and looked to the Kelvic. Whatever she was thinking for the entire encounter was locked behind her eyes. He could not question this slave owner and care for the slave girl at the same time. Where he could possibly take her, he did not know either. Perhaps the only choice was to take her in. He did not know what the right permanent solution was, or even the temporary. Making a split-second decision on the girl’s life did not seem fair either. “Bring her along,” he said to the Kelvic. Then he gave the man a push to get him moving.

He led them north towards a few abandoned structures that he knew they could use.



NaNo Post: 1,125

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!

[Ixzo]

Ixzo watched carefully, she had always had trouble understanding human expressions of emotion, ever since Jodoc at least. It had been easier during her time with Rufio, but once again the Kelvic could not comprehend what the strange man was doing or the motivations for his confusing actions. Did he want to keep the man alive? He seemed to want answers, and the slaver did not want to give them. The slick entrance of the blade into the man’s arm was interrupted but the clang of metal on bone, which her ears picked up just too easy. Something in her grew protective over the child whose hand she held, and the lioness placed one large hand gently on the girl’s cheek, guiding her head away from the scene. It did not disturb the Kelvic so much, as she knew the reason behind the move. But this girl was strangely attached to this man. She could assume, since the girl wore a Kenashian brand, Ixzo could guess that she had spent her life in slavery, thus knew nothing of freedom or that one did not need to belong to another to survive.

It might explain why her gnosis did not work so well on the child, but something seemed off. The predator looked around herself, offering a hearty glare to any who dared connect with her gaze. Intimidating those around her was not her goal though; something had the hair on the back of her neck raised, and the Kelvic found her hands itching for a familiar weapon. A bow, an axe, even a knife would make her feel more comfortable. She had her hunting knife, but it was utility, and it had little use in an attack. But why was she suddenly thinking of an attack? The thread before them was almost ceased. He was injured and now under the strange human’s control. Ixzo stood protectively beside the girl, and that simply would have been it. She listened to the conflicting directions, one telling her she could go her own way, and the other intending her to follow.

Still, the Kelvic said nothing, turning her gaze back towards the man. She didn’t trust him entirely, but he didn’t seem outright hostile, and had done confusingly compassionate things, which had peeked her interest in him. But the Kelvic’s instincts were screaming at her, and she didn’t feel like the predator at the moment. Having been able to step back from the adrenaline of the scene and watch, she wondered if the man was able to feel the same sense she was, or if his human senses were too dull to comprehend that instinct.

Normally she would have bristled at the command, but the Kelvic found herself gripping the hand of the girl and following. The child did not react with the bravery and courage that her mark gave to those she used it on. The man had cowered, that was acceptable, but the girl cowering as well? It was then that she remembered the man had strangled her. He did not use a metal weapon that these Sunberthian barbarians loved so dearly, which was odd. Who didn’t carry a weapon, especially in this city? Ixzo had stashed her bow in the woods, but that was because it was an expensive thing, and useless within the city. Long bows were no good in close combat, and she had not the experience or possession of a shortbow for it to be useful to her in the city. Anyway, she was a lion, at any moment she could become a lion once again and be the most threatening creature on the block. Something in the back of her mind suggested now was the time to do so.

It was only once they reached less inhabited streets, that Ixzo realized she should have spoken sooner. The man would be able to tell at this point that something was off, she didn’t doubt his observation was as good as hers. Still, he had a struggling companion to drag along, and Ixzo had a willing little girl who seemed more than compliant to follow two strangers down a dark alley with her former (or current) slaver….

The lioness caught sight of the two figures in the ally to their right. The street was not empty, there were a few meandering about. Some man was drunk at this hour in the morning, muttering a bar song to himself and hopelessly attempting to walk in a straight line, he was of no worry. A figure on the far end that did not move, either it was asleep or dead. Another woman, wrinkled and stooped with age, hobbled opposite them, a massive guard dog as her companion. She had the street smarts of someone who had lived her a long time, not making eye contact, holding her shopping basket close, and a fist of white knuckles on her cane, which seemed a bit heavier than just a walking cane, which made the Kelvic doubt it was just for that use. The dog barely noticed her presence, seemingly trained for a specific purpose, which was likely a form of protection for the woman.

The other two figures were suspicious. Once had a tobacco pipe out, but it was not lit, and he did not puff it. Still, he held it as if he were to be doing that, eyes a little too focused on his companion. The woman that was his companion was inspecting something on her boot, but also didn’t seem wholly focused on the action. Her hand rested just too close to the sword at her hip.

Ixzo immediately widened her stride. Her grip on the girl’s hand transformed from comforting and secure to an iron clamp. Getting uncomfortable close to the man, she tapped his bicep with her elbow, nodding a head towards the couple, but keeping her eyes flitting between the old woman, the lying figure, and the drunkard. They didn’t seem immediately suspicious, but he might have noticed they were being watched, he might not have.

“Close?” She turned to him, asking the question with thick Myrian tones, the hand that held the girl was stiff, and the other was already working on the buttons on the front of her dress. If it was going to be a fight, she was not going to attempt it with a hunting knife, she had more effective weapons.

Word Count: 1,069

[Kynier]

The general population of Sunberth tended to turn a blind eye towards acts of violence and larceny. Which made their largest concern the possibility to being seen by someone that the slaver had a favorable association with. Who this man was, Kynier had no idea. He did not have any brands or tattoos that he could see. That did not exclude him from being part of one of the three largest gangs, the Night Eyes. Unless the man admitted it, there was no way they were going to be able to tell. For the best possibility of avoiding a run-in with friends of his, Kynier led them towards Stumble Alley.

There were plenty of structures in the Sunset Quarters that they could have utilized. However, Kynier’s sense of paranoia was beginning to set him on edge. He was walking behind the slaver, with a short sword’s tip just inches behind the man’s back. The slaver had already tried to stop a few times and felt the unwelcoming pressure from the cold iron blade for doing so. Kynier was steering him with a hand on the shoulder, but the mage himself was looking around at their surroundings as well. There was the sense that they were being watched intently. Some glanced their way to note a man being escorted at the tip of a blade, but they were not what was causing him to feel unease. Crossing the river by ferry would help deter, or at least impede, any followers they had.

He was not able to glance behind to check for any potential followers as he led them through an alley unnecessarily. Coming out the other end, Kynier noted the drunk as well as the old woman with the dog. At first the other couple appeared to be just that. Another couple standing in the street. Their slave rotated his head to peer at Kynier from over the shoulder as he continued to walk forward. “You’re making a big mistake,” he snarled. “After this is done I’m…”

Kynier shoved him forward enough to disbalance the man. “Be quiet,” he said in a threatening way, one which made it half of an ultimatum. That’s when the Kelvic came up closer to him and touched him with her elbow. His eyes followed her subtle indication to the couple standing in the street. With a moment’s analysis he was able to see that they were being ignored by the couple a little too much. She only said one word to him. “Across the river,” he said with a nod of his head to indicate the Mudway just ahead of them. With another glance to the silver eyed Kelvic, Kynier noticed that she was unfastening her dress. He arched an eyebrow at her curiously? “Danger?” he asked.

From his time with his bondmate, the mage knew that Kelvics stripped themselves of clothing before changing forms. Kynier suspected that the woman was some type of predator, and she was preparing for the possibility that she’d need to shift to her other form. His time in Sunberth had hardened his spirit, he realized. For he found that he was not opposed to fights anymore. The first thought he had at the possibility was how his bondmate and the others at the Midnight Gem may get displeased with him if he left and got injured again, when they had wanted him in bed resting. But that was life in Sunberth. Hard, and a constant battle.

The river known as the Mudway was just in sight. A moment ago they had walked past the man that wasn’t smoking his pipe and the woman that was with him. While Kynier did not turn to look behind them, he was sure that they were now being followed. In response, he increased the pace and pushed on their slaver’s shoulder more to keep him moving. Once they were at the river, Kynier payed the Svefra for the service to ferry all of them across. The Svefra did not seem to pay any particular attention to Kynier’s weapon since it was constantly held towards the slaver. So the ferryman silently took them across the water and into Stumble Alley.

Kynier looked back at the shore that they departed from. The man and woman were turning to walk down the river’s length, presumably to find another ferry to take across and follow them. The place he intended to take them was not far from the shoreline. And it would be unlikely for those two to discover them. Unlikely, but not impossible. When they stepped ashore on the other side, Kynier took them a quarter mile through the labyrinth layout of Stumble Alley to stop at the entrance of a decrepit building. The door was not secured, so Kynier opened it and forced their new acquaintance inside first.

There was some furnishing inside the place though it was all thickly covered in dust and webs. The air was a bit stale and dust unsettled as a breeze came in through the open door. Kynier led the man inside and forced him to take a seat in one of the few remaining chairs. The room itself was dimly lit, with the only available light coming in through the windows. It did not bother Kynier due to his Nightstalker vision. He made sure that the door was closed before standing in front of the slaver, cold iron blade resting at his side.

“First things first. What’s your name?” He asked. The slaver was still cradling his arm to his chest. The sleeve of his coat was wet and tinted red with blood. The man answered with a glare before snorting loudly to conjure a glob of phlegm to spit at Kynier’s feet. The mage looked down at the answer and sighed. Then he took a step forward and struck the man across the face with the pommel of his weapon. The loud thunk of cold iron impacting flesh and bone nearly reverberated through the abandoned building. The slaver groaned loudly in pain as his head was wiped to the side. “If you intend to be this difficult on the easy questions, then this is going to be a long day.”

The slaver sat back up. Blood running down from the corner of his mouth where he had been hit. “Kithias,” he grumbled. Kynier turned around and grabbed another chair to sit down in. As he situated himself he looked to the Kelvic and the young girl, Lolan.

“Well, Kithias, what I want to know, is what your involvement with the Vino is.” Then he nodded at Lolan. “As well as what her importance to you is. Most slaves are not very fond of their owners. So, why is it that she seems to have a fondness for you?” The slaver shrugged.

“I simply am a scout. I search for people in Sunberth that are suffering on hard times. Lots of people are not able to feed themselves. So,” Kithias grew a wicked smile, “I offer them a choice. They can die with their pride, or they can sell themselves to slavery. With slavery they are fed… they receive shelter… and they get to live.” The man’s tone as he spoke made it sound like he was describing a profession more than a harsh lifestyle. “And to a lot of people, living is more important than their pride. Hunger tends to increase the desperation past that point.” Then the man looked at Lolan. “As for the girl, she’s just another slave. One the Vino gave me as a thank you. ‘Thank you for finding so many slaves to sell’.”

Kynier looked at the man for a moment. What he had said about Lolan he did not entirely believe. There was something different about their dynamic than the standard Master and Slave scenario. “Do you work for the Vino? Or are you just freelance?”



NaNo Post: 1,316

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!

[Ixzo]

The dim light that filtered through the window did not dampen her night lion sight, and it occurred to her at the humans in the room would have liked light to see by. She had half the mind to create some, but as the strange man forced the slaver into a chair, the Kelvic realized he didn’t seem to notice the lack of light. Curious.

The fragrance of fear was strong in this room, and the Kelvic got the sense it was not all from the slaver. The girl was standing by the door, horror in her eyes, and the Kelvic still did not trust whatever swirled behind the young woman’s face. There was distrust there, and she didn’t like it. So the Kelvic ignored the girl, she was inside now, safe, so she would be fine. She circled to the window, peering out of it to assess the street. She saw no sign of the couple that was watching them earlier, and so she let her gaze drift back into the room, just in time for the stranger to start talking. She recognized the question for a name and the slaver stared down the stranger without answering, and then worked up a glob of spit that he hurled at the Sunberthian. Her eyes fastened on the stranger’s watching his mind roil in reaction, and something nagged her about the look in his eye.

The hit was not a shock to the Kelvic. She understood that this human wanted questions, but she didn’t care for that. She didn’t care why a slaver had slaves, she only cared that they were emancipated. Her fingers reached up to massage her necklace, and she looked out the window again with boredom, still listening to the words. The man finally gave his name, Kithias, and the Kelvic looked back to see the stranger sitting down. Gods, she hoped she wouldn’t have to be here too long. Could they not just kill the man and return this girl to the orphanage? Ixzo hadn’t understood the earlier conversation, but she knew the Kenashian mark, and knew that this girl had no family in Sunberth, at least it was unlikely that she did. Although Ixzo normally had a bleeding heart, and would have taken the girl in, she no longer trusted the girl. Something was off about this whole situation, and the suspicion made her nervous. She wanted to leave, she really did. But she had answers of her own to get and that required patience.

She heard the name “Vino” a few times, and did not recognize it. She had heard of the Sun’s Something, the Dagger hands, and the Night Eyes, and she had decided to avoid all of them. Was she aiding one of these lawless gangsters now? Did this stranger belong to a different gang, or was he a loner meddling in business that wasn’t his?

The common that was being spoken was too rapid for the Kelvic to understand, so she let her attention fall back onto the outside, grazing the cluster of resting skeletons. The buildings her showed signs of having once been built with intention and care, but any and all remains of had disappeared, time had attacked the stone, crumbling the exposed corners, yellowing any glass that remained, and molding the doors that withstood the onslaught of time and abandonment. The street was strangely quiet. There were no laws in this place, but Ixzo was beginning to realize there were territories. Had they wandered into another place they shouldn’t be? The sun was high above, gracing the street with visibility, which should comfort most into approaching, but they did not for some reason. She could see the bustling shoreline from her post, but even her eyesight was not far enough to recognize any faces. Every figure that departed from a Svefran boat set her hair standing, until they too avoided this street.

It was then that Ixzo began to wonder where the stranger had taken them, and how easy they would be able to find? Again she began to feel uncomfortably vulnerable in this form, and she decided not to be in it anymore. It wasn’t as if she was conversing much anyhow. Ixzo abandoned the window then. There was a single other door inside the building, and the Kelvic strode to it, letting her feet roll into the wood and adopting the silent stride of hunting. It wasn’t as if the other two men were being quiet, but she felt like she was being watched and it made her nervous. The rusted handle did not give when she attempted, instead the door made a loud creek. She paused, listening to the men not pay attention to her. They definitely heard, but no one stopped her. So she put more weight into the handle, the strength that surged through her human form seemed unnaturally much, more like that of a lion, and the Kelvic ended up slamming the door open, metal screeching as the rusted lock gave way to her shove.

She glanced behind her, making eye contact with the man after her noise had distracted him. The Kelvic glanced at the girl, who was still cowering by the door, looked back at the man, and shrugged. She slipped into the other room, and was met with a mere desk, and chair toppled over. The dust here was so thick that where she stepped left marks as if in the sand. She didn’t like it, but she supposed it din’t matter, they were here now. She had come to give herself room to shift without scaring the child or disrupting the man’s work, but was now curious about the desk. She strode over to it, running a finger alone the smooth grain. There were two drawers, and she hooked a finger in one handle. She expected this to be as hard to open as the door and gave it a hard yank, which ended up pulling the drawer out of the desk with ease. Wood did not rust.

An empty inkwell, a few quills, and crumbled piece of parchment flew from inside the drawer, clattering on the empty wooden floor. Ixzo paused, waiting for the assault of noise to settle before setting the drawer on top of the desk and trying the other one, slower this time. When she opened it there was simply a pair of felt gloves inside. Somehow the dust had found them too, and she picked them up, examining the soft material that did not seem to feel the effects of age this room had. That was fine, she needed a good pair of gloves.

Having discovered all that there was to discover in this forgotten room, Ixzo slipped her knife and belt off of herself, kicking off her boots and stuffing them, along with her gloves inside. She tugged her dress off, carelessly folding it over her arm and placing it on her boots. A quick chill ran up the scarring on her chest and back, and she focused on pulling her form into herself, trading it for an equally familiar form. In ticks, a large night lion stood where she once did, and the Kelvic flicked her tail twice to adjust her balance, pulling a thick pink tongue over her whiskers. Glad to be in this form again, she stretched back on her haunches, digging her massive claws into the wooden floorboard and stretching out her back for a quick tick.

She realized she had not warned any in the other room of her transformation, but Kelvics were a fairly common companion to the humans, and she doubted even the girl would not be able to piece together what she had done. Although her dress had covered most of her scars and tattoos, her scarring was evident still in her Kelvic form. The deliberately decorative scars accented her shoulders, giving gaps in the fur where they were, allowing for the intended shape to embed into her glossy coat.

Nonchalantly the lion padded out of the other room, setting her steely gaze on the slaver before shifting it to the man who questioned him. Of course he wasn’t surprised. As far as the Kelvic knew, he could not have guessed, but he seemed to have some extra sense that she did not know of, and was not shocked by her new form. The girl, on the other hand, was terrified. As Ixzo padded to the window again, setting her haunches down and curling her tail over her feet, she heard the shuffling of small feet away from her. She didn’t mind, she could see through the window from here, and she was infinitely more comfortable now that she was the largest creature in the room, and probably the block.

Word Count: 1,465

[Kynier]

The building itself was nothing of note. Late in the last Spring, Kynier had discovered that it was abandoned despite being partially furnished. As part of what he needed to do for his employer, he had done some research into why it had been. The answer was that it was actually owned by the infamous Goldfinger. A place that the loan giver kept just for the sake of selling to people later. The last person that had attempted to use it was unable to make his payments and the loan was defaulted. The business they had intended to start had only been half established, and the loan shark did not care for the pieces that had been left when he reclaimed his ownership.

“I’m my own man,” Kithias said in an off-handed manner. Kynier stared at him in the dim light, trying to piece together an image of what Kithias was. He worked with the slavers, based his entire income off of it from the sound of it, yet did not claim affiliation. The Vino were a young organization, but well-funded and equipped. They also considered their fellow members to be like family and worked harder than the other gangs to protect each other. So, this man did not even try to feign an illusion of being under their protection. That was strange to the mage.

Kithias cleared his throat twice, pulling Kynier out from his path of thought to look at him. The slaver was staring at him intently. “You should let me go now,” the man suggested. It wasn’t a plea, or a demand, which was also curious. He gave no explanation or veiled threats as to why Kynier should do such a thing. Kynier stared at the man for a moment expectedly for some reasoning that people normally gave afterwards. No promise of money, forgiveness, or reciprocity of any form to be given. Just the suggestion. For a moment, Kynier considered what would happen if he did. Kithias did not know his name, only the look of his face. A difficult thing to find someone by in Sunberth. There was little chance of retaliation to be suffered.

The Kelvic was walking across the room to a door. She had been quietly staring out the window, seemingly bored. With the loud snap of her breaking the door, she just gave him a look and a casual shrug when indicating that Lolan wasn’t going to do anything. Then she vanished through the doorway. Kynier turned his eyes onto the young girl, she had also been quiet. Her eyes were staring at nothing in the room, but there was a look of worry on her face. Should he though? Kynier could let them go, but what would the Kelvic do? He suspected that she would have killed the man for stealing from her. That was the impression he had received out in the street when she stood over Kithias.

The soft sounds of nails scraping on wood drew his attention, as a night lion came out from the room the Kelvic had gone in. There were gaps in the fur that appeared to form a pattern. The creature came out casually and looked him directly in the eye with it’s silver gaze. To see her in her animal form was more enlightening than shocking. Kynier would not have guessed that she was a night lion. The other night lion Kelvic he knew was not aggressive, though he was a healer of Rak’keli. Kithias did not notice the change, the man’s gaze too firmly set on Kynier. And Lolan gave a small yelp and withdrew herself from the Kelvic. Kynier watched the predator set herself at the window again.

She would definitely hunt him and kill him. That was the impression that he had. While she was an imposing woman with her height and build, she did not have the claws or maw to be truly deadly in her human skin. Kynier suspected she had changed in preparation for something. Though the idea of letting Kithias go pushed harder in his mind. Kynier gave his head a shake as though it could dislodge the thought from his mind. No. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t let the man go just yet.

He turned his head away from the slaver and back to the slave. Lolan had placed herself in a corner with both hands balled up below her lip. The girl was scared. “Lolan,” he called gently to get her attention. He waved her over with a hand, “come here please,” he said while resting his short sword across his lap. She hesitated but eventually went to his side with slow steps. Kithias had given away a little knowledge but then closed himself with his words and his body language. Perhaps the girl would be more forthcoming. But the mage could not leave the slaver unchecked. He had no rope to bind the man down, and the Kelvic was keeping watch of the street. When the slave girl was at his side, he tenderly placed a hand on her shoulder to try and ease her fear.

“Lolan, why is it that…”

“Please!” she pleaded, “Let us go!” There was more than desperation in her tone, but terror as well. The girl’s eyes did not dart to the night lion but stared directly into his hazel eyes for an instant before appearing vacant again. Kynier furrowed his brown in confusion and started to reach for his Djed. The girl snapped from her vacant expression and set both her hands on his shoulder, the dread growing in her expression. “Don’t do that!” she warned. “Please! Just let us go!” The confusion was apparent in his expression. Had she just sensed that he was going to use magic the moment he started? Kithias was staring at her curiously too at this point. “They’ll be here soon! Just let us go!” Before Kynier could ask the question on his mind, Kithias started to chuckle aloud.

“Then it’s too late already. You should have let us leave when I suggested it.” The man was smiling in a way that would indicate that he had been expecting something that was about to happen. Kynier’s gaze turned hard with concern. Their ominous words had made his hairs stand on end. The Djed came to his call and empowered his Auristics again. Before he had ignored Lolan’s aura, because his curiosity had been more on the Kelvic and Kithias. Now, as the Sight opened, and auras became visible to him, Kynier was more interested in the girl. Her aura was bright with the innocence of youth, though there was a tint of rust to it and… a pulse of gold from divine magic.

Kynier focused on her aura as he stood up abruptly from his chair, taking his hand away from the girl. Her hands returned to her chin as she looked up at him, shaking her head fearfully. Kynier’s skin crawled as he felt the reflection of her terror. The dread of thinking… knowing… something terrible was about to happen. The urge to run was strong in his feet. Just as strong as the desire to shrink himself as small as he could and hide. But he felt the thrum of divine power in the girl’s aura, and that it was centered on her back. Abruptly, he grabbed the girl’s shoulder with one hand and lifted the back of her shirt with the other to look upon her flesh.

A tattoo was placed on her back. The image of two stylistic lilies side by side radiated gold in his Auristic vision, though the pedals were ice blue and shifted slightly upon her skin as though they were caught in a breeze. It was a gnosis mark. One that indicated that the girl was favored by one of the divine, but Kynier did not recognize which deity the symbol belonged to. But its power was active and the reflection of what the girl was feeling from it was nothing that he had experienced before. A sense of anticipation was the closest that he could associate with it. Lolan pulled away from him and brought her shirt down. “It’s too late now,” she said with a sob. Kynier withdrew his Auristic focus from her as she ran to the back room that the Kelvic had been in chimes ago.

Kithias was still chuckling but paused as he looked up at Kynier again. “If you let me walk out the door first, the perhaps…” The pommel of Kynier’s short sword struck down on the man’s temple, silencing Kithias’ words as it rendered the man unconscious before he slipped out of the chair and onto the floor. Kynier hurried a window and drew his other blade. From down the street he saw them. The same man and woman that had been following them from before. The woman’s aura was active and even from a distance, Kynier could see power flowing… from her eyes? A mage? Kynier had seen others using Auristics at the same time he did. DJed flowed to their eyes and made them glow white in his vision, but that’s not what the woman was doing. She was using another discipline, one that he wasn’t familiar with.

Whoever, or whatever they were, the man was following the woman as she was making a straight line for the door to their structure. “Shyke,” he said as he stepped away and drew his other cold iron weapon. He turned to the Kelvic who more than likely also saw their approach. “Mages,” he warned her as he slid against the wall to stand by the entrance. His heart was racing, he never had been in a fight against other mages before. He settled his gaze on the Kelvic, unsure of what to do. “Fight or run?” he asked her, and waited to see what she did.



NaNo Post: 1,654

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!