Ascending Legends

[BookWyrm]

The doors swinging open drew Dayn's attention. He slung the shield around and unsheathed his sword in a fluid, trained motion, not that it would do him any good. When the scream pierced the air Dayn felt chills slid down his spine, but by the time Arryn made to yell they were already surrounded. "I'r affwys gyda chi!" All of the sudden Dayn felt the world growing black, the cursed scream having caught him off guard. He dropped his shield and sword as he fell to his knees. Struggling to hold on Dayn tried to force a shift, growling with pure unadulterated stubbornness before finally succumbing to the black. Arryn...

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn's heart stopped when she saw Dayn collapse. Dayn. Have to get to Dayn. Gotta protect him. I'm not fucking this up again. Arryn moved toward Dayn, swinging her sword at any banshees who blocked her path. They hissed and moved away, seemingly remembering what she had done to one of their numbers before. She was just a few yards away when they started moving toward Dayn, with their daggers out. She desperately tried to reason with them. "Leave him alone and I won't kill you all! Come for me, not him, he hasn't done anything!" Arryn was still a few yards away when a banshee moved in front of her path. As she raised her sword to take a swing, she felt a painful sensation in her back, along her spine, and couldn't move any way except collapsing. She watched the banshees descend on Dayn, blocking him from her view, while she was completely unable to move. It didn't take her long to understand: they'd placed a small enchanted dagger in her back.


She wanted to scream in pain, terror, heartache. She wanted to crawl over to Dayn and protect him, hold him close. She wanted it to all be another nightmare... but the pain in her back as they started to etch into her skin like last time and the chill of tears running down her face told her this was all too real. Dayn, gods, don't let him be hurt, please, don't let him be dead. They had killed her other companions.... Their enchanted blades cut easily through clothing and armour, and the cloth and spreading blood didn't hinder them in any way. She tried to get angry, to be blinded with rage, so that she could lose control, but the terror in her heart from this reoccuring experience couldn't be converted. SHe closed her eyes and started to pray to any god who would listen.


Arryn opened her eyes and looked to her sword. Mere inches away, and she could find a way to save Dayn. But she was too weak. She had failed him. Perhaps she should just give up and die... maybe it would be for the best. This was all her fault anyway. A tiny voice inside of her told her it wasn't though, even in the moment of desperation. No, it wasn't her fault. It was O'Rourke's. It was the Black Markets'. It was everyone who had tried to kill her and failed. If only she could - Wait. Their connection. Arryn's fear had blinded her from it, but perhaps....? Arryn closed her eyes and calmed her breathing, ignoring the pain in her body as more markings were etched into her skin. Where was his magic? His calm? There... there it was... he was alive.... They hadn't killed him, not yet! So what were they....?


No. Gods, no. Not him, don't let them etch him like they did me.... Arryn opened her eyes again. Her heart was pounding now, she had to stop them. After a few moments she managed to cast a shield over Dayn. The knife in her back made her magic almost impossible to manage, like shoving boulders through a sieve, but she forced herself to do it, even though it made the world go black for a few moments. She formed another one over herself. This could kill me... but it could free me also. The spell she was preparing to cast was one she had used very few times before - and for good reason. One of the most difficult defensive spells in existence. She closed her eyes, feeling her nose bleeding from the effort as she condensed the magic in the shields, forming hairline cracks.


There was a loud bang, and all of the banshees where thrown back, howling in pain as shards of magically summoned shields shot away from Arryn and Dayn. Aryn lost consciousness for about a minute, and when she opened her eyes again, the banshees had fled. The dagger in Arryn's back had loosened enough the she could move slightly, and after moments of slow, painful movement, she managed to grab the dagger and pull it out. Dayn. Have to get to Dayn. Arryn slowly got to her hands and knees, then shakily stood before grabbing her sword and moving to Dayn's side, sobbing as she dropped to her knees and knelt over him. "My Dayn... I'm so sorry, mo chroi, it's all my fault.... I'm so sorry." She didn't have the mana left to heal him - a shield shatter spell took everything she had and then some. As carefully as she could she pulled him into her arms, holding him close as she waited in fear to see if the banshees would return. Blood slowly dripped from the fresh etchings on her back and the edges of her vision were dim, but she was only looking at Dayn and occasionally glancing at the doors. "I'm so sorry, I failed again, I'm so sorry, I love you, please, forgive me, I'm so sorry," she kept mumbling over and over as she nearly lost it. Once hse was sure they wouldn't return, she forced herself to focus and pulled out her medical kit and began wrapping Dayn up, bandaging his torso and arms completely. Arryn bandaged the new etchings on her wrists and nowhere else - she needed to save the bandaging for Dayn. her final action was to crack a locator, then pull a thick, magicked blanket from her pack and wrap it tightly around Dayn before laying down next to him, still sobbing as exhaustion took her.


Arryn was woken in the early morning by Theodas gently shaking her shoulder - they had ridden horses to get there in time. A thin layer of frost had covered her during the chill night, but she had refused to take any of the blanket from Dayn, as she did now. Even though she knew Theodas was there to help, she refused to let him, or Matthias or Kalie, near Dayn, even when they had returned to the camp Dayn and Arryn had made earlier. Kalie tried to pull Arryn away, to keep her occupied, or convince her to eat. The most she would do was change her shirt, and allow Kalie to wrap bandaging around her torso - and she only allowed it to keep Dayn from seeing she'd been injured. Arryn laid down next to Dayn while she they waited for the horses to get set up. It had taken her days to be able to stay conscious for more than a few minutes at a time, and she'd been extremely weak for almost weeks afterward.... How would Dayn fare? Please, mo chroi, forgive me....

 

[BookWyrm]

Black.


Absolute loss of any coherent concept or grasp on reality. Dayn seemed to be floating in space between spaces, somewhere far darker than any place he had ever seen before. It would have been peaceful, if it weren't for the faces that screamed at him.


Pain.


Dayn lay sprawled on some floor, his body racked with pain as the screaming echoed all around him. Something warm and sticky and pungent gummed up around him on the floor.


Fear.


Dayn felt nothing else besides pain and utter horror. Tears streaked down his face in the dark room filled with screaming bodies that rent his body with horrible, jagged claws. And this went on for what seemed like days.


"Please make it stop...."

 

[Dragongal]

By the time the horses were ready, Arryn had fallen asleep too, if it could be called sleep. It was the same light sleep she did whenever she was tending someone; enough to make her body stop bugging her for it, but not enough for it to actually help her in any way. No dreams, either, lucky her. Arryn was reluctant to leave Dayn's side so her could be put on the stretcher, but she knew it was needed. She hadn't been cleared to move for days when she had been hurt; but she had had to travel by foot. She would have fallen asleep on horseback too, if she could have. The horses kept a good pace, and by nightfall, they had Dayn laying on one of the beds in Lenza's house. Arryn was hesitant even in letting her own mother care for Dayn, and refused to leave his side, except for wash up just a bit so Dayn wouldn't worry over her when he woke. She dozed while laying next to him on the bed, waking up with tears in her eyes each time. When she finally slept solidly at night, she woke with a scream and tears. After that, she just decided to stay up for a while.

 

[BookWyrm]

After the never ending days of the screaming and clawing at his body, Dayn found that things only got worse. Sharp, familiar pain shot through his hands and back. Dayn opened his eyes, realizing what was happening all too late. "Gods please no!" Dayn screamed in pain as he was hoisted into the air again. The hooks and barbed blades digging into his flesh as the banshees made mockery of his screams. But the worst part was the hideous laughter, that all too familiar voice. "Times up wolf."


Dayn looked up to see the hunter standing before him. The banshees were circling him now that he was hung from the hooks again. The hunter slowly reached up and peeled off his own face, revealing a bloody and gnarled skull beneath. "Take him." The banshees began to cut and tear away at Dayn as he hung screaming and crying and begging for it all to end. He could feel the shift happening in response to the terror. It was overtaking him even as he noticed a light breaking through.


The sound that came out of Dayn's mouth was something of a mix between a scream and a howl. Blood and rent flesh spattered about as the forced shift took hold of him, splitting his human skin open to reveal the wolf underneath. Where was he? Dayn managed to get onto all four feet, though he felt almost drunk as he wobbled about, and back into the corner as he snarled and barred his teeth in fear, unaware that he was safe and in Lenza's home.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn was awoken immediately, not even having notice that she had fallen asleep. Arryn got out of the bed on very wobbly feet and slowly approached Dayn, nearly crying just at the sight of him. She looked like enough of a wreck already: it was clear that she'd been crying, hadn't slept, and had suffered from recent bloodloss, with just at a glance to her face. Lenza ran in and stood in the doorway, but quickly assessed the situation as being something for Arryn to deal with. Still about two yards from Dayn, Arryn found she couldn't stay standing and fell to her knees, tears falling as her knees him the floor. She looked up at him and quietly said, "Dayn, please.... I'm so sorry I failed you, but please.... You need to shift back to human... you need to heal. Please, mo chroi. I'm so sorry that I failed and you got hurt, but please, you're safe now, I promise.... My word may not mean much to you after all of this, but... please, you're hurting yourself, mo chroi.... I can't stand to see you hurting yourself...."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn stopped snarling when he noticed Arryn walk over. She seemed so frail, more than usual. It didn't take long to notice that she had been hurt. When she fell to her knees and started to cry and plead Dayn was broken. He slowly wobbled over to Arryn and laid his head on her shoulder, and as he shifted back he wrapped his arms around her as the tears started to fall. "I...l-love you, Arryn." He managed to get those words out before the tears and shock from everything started to pull him back into the dark once more. "I love you. Always."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn wrapped her arms around him, gingerly holding him close. She didn't want him passing out again, if it had been this bad this time.... She wanted to take care of him, but she couldn't if he was asleep. She felt so useless and guilty. This was her fault. Again. Dayn was hurt, because of her. "I love you too, Dayn."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn closed his eyes to accept falling back asleep, but when he continued to feel Arryn's arms around him he opened his eyes again. "It wasn't your fault."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn pulled him closer, lightly kissing his forehead. "Mo chroi... it was...." Somehow, she should have found a way to help him sooner. She should have been able to get him out of time. She should have seen that it was a trap. Arryn pulled him close so he could rest his head on her shoulder. "Please, just rest, don't worry about me."

 

[BookWyrm]

It was a struggle, and it hurt like Hel's fire, but Dayn pulled back enough to look Arryn in the eye as he reached a shaking hand to caress her cheek. "I don't have the.....strength......to argue. But....it was n-n-not your...fault." Dayn managed to lean forward and kiss Arryn on the lips before he finally rested his head against her shoulder. Dayn wasn't upset with Arryn any more about this than he would have been about her burning a pie. She couldn't blame herself for not knowing. Dayn winced, gasping as pain shot across his body like a web work. Tears pooled up in his eyes as he pressed his head against Arryn. "What did they do to me?"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn was really crying now. He seemed so weak... her Dayn wasn't weak; the banshees had hurt him so badly.... She didn't know what to tell him. She just wanted him to rest, not worry. But she wasn't going to lie. She brought her hand up to slowly brush through his hair as he laid his head on her shoulder. After a few moments she quietly said, "They... they cut... you up like me, Dayn." She tried to keep her sobs silent. "You're cut up like me."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn's whole body felt weak as Arryn told him what happened. The tears continued to fall as Dayn wanted to hold Arryn, to wrap her in his arms and keep her warm and safe. But it couldn't happen. Dayn was the one needing care this time. "Arryn....I'm tired. I....hurt." After a few quiet moments Dayn moved his head so he could look up at Arryn. "Are you okay?"

 

[Dragongal]

"I-I'm just fine Dayn, please, don't worry about me. Can you stand? We have to get you back to bed, and I need to wrap your wounds again." Arryn didn't mind lying to him about her condition, not if it meant he'd take better care of himself. She didn't want him looking at his upper arms either, because then he might see the scale design etched from his shoulder to halfway down his upper arm. "Please, Dayn, let me take care of you.... You're bleeding again...."

 

[BookWyrm]

"Yeah...I-I think so." Dayn eased himself to his feet, wobbled a bit, but made it back to the bed without a problem for the most part. He sat down on the bed and patiently waited for Arryn to do what she needed. "Please don't leave me.", he said after a moment. "I....I am....scared." It was a strange feeling to admit to, but it was an honest one. For once in his life, Dayn was scared.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn paused as she wrapped Dayn up. She didn't like seeing him so... broken. Arryn set down the bandaging and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm not leaving you. I never will. I promise. There's no reason to be scared anymore." After a moment she pulled away and finished wrapping him up, covering his whole torso and both of his upper arms.

 

[BookWyrm]

Once Arryn had finished wrapping his wounds, which he still had yet to see, Dayn turned and laid his head in Arryn's lap. "Please don't blame yourself for all of this love.", he whispered as he nuzzled against her.

 

[Dragongal]

"Please just rest, mo chroi." Arryn slowly ran her fingers through his hair and pulled up the blankets up over him.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn closed his eyes as Arryn ran her fingers through his hair. "Thank you for getting me out of there." Dayn couldn't blame her for what happened. Neither of them could have predicted that they were going to be ambushed.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn didn't say anything, instead starting to quietly hum. Please, don't ask me how I did it. I don't want to have to lie to you.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn took one of Arryn's hands and rubbed his thumb along her palm as he slowly dozed off again. Thankfully this time he didn't dream.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn moved so his head could lay on her shoulder instead of her lap, and pulled him close as she laid down next to him, letting herself doze as well. Theodas or Lenza would come in to check on them occasionally, both of them telling Arryn that she needed to eat or change her bandages, but she refused to move and shrugged them off, instead just going back to sleep while protectively holding Dayn.

 

[BookWyrm]

As Dayn and Arryn rested a quiet sound traveled on the wind. Hushed voices joining together in one song of strength and encouragement. The haunting chorus echoed through the hills and trees, though to the ears that heard it the song brought a welcomed peace. A white wolf paced around Lenza's home, occasionally adding his voice to the chorus of howls that covered the valley. To most he was invisible, but to those closest to Dayn and Arryn he was quite real. After another trip around the house he walked towards the door and pawed at it before howling again, this time though he disappeared in the mist.


Inside the house Dayn woke once more. He still felt weary and groggy, but the pain had subsided to some degree. "Arryn," he said quietly as he brushed her cheek. "you need to take care of yourself. I'll be alright for a little while." The howling came with the wind, bringing a smile to Dayn's face.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn opened her eyes and smiled as she looked at Dayn. After a few moments though, she felt the sching in her body and closed her eyes again, moving to nestle her head under his chin. "Don't want to leave you. I was scared when it happened to me," the first time, "I don't want you being scared."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn kissed Arryn's forehead as he gently rubbed her throat. "I don't want you getting any worse off just because you are being stubborn. I'll be okay for a little bit. Please, Arryn, please?"