Ascending Legends

[Dragongal]

Kalie shrugged. "I wasn't there." Matthias thought for a few moments. "The moment she woke up, a banshee screamed. The nurse who'd been caring for her dropped dead mere moments later - poisoned. Everyone assumed heart attack, so there was no autopsy. The priest and village elder told me they wanted her out, one of them actually suggesting killing her then. We weren't able to look around the village... at all, really. We got there, got our rooms, set up, and... yeah, that's really all I noted. We did try to go back in the morning, but she couldn't get near the place without collapsing. That's about all."

 

[BookWyrm]

"They assumed heart attack? Would there be anyway to tell now if there had been foul play?" Dayn was doing his best to piece the puzzle together. It all pointed back to the church, and to whoever set up the trap, but Dayn knew going back would be a risk. And with the full moon tomorrow night...."Ah, dammit all to Hel! I forgot about tomorrow night, it's the full moon." Dayn stopped, hoping to some power above that what he was thinking wasn't true. "You don't think this O'Rourke knows about me do you?"

 

[Dragongal]

Matthias shook his head. He knows you're here, sure, but nothing about the lycanthropy. What does the full moon have to do with anything?"





"Arryngale, stay awake a bit longer, alright?" "...why...?" "So you can take another potion." "Won't help...." Arryn had never felt such exhaustion in her life. Even with mana drain, this was the worst. her muscles were too tired to even tense up when the pain hit, as it do now. She just adjusted her position and tried to wait for the pain to pass, before Lenza came to her side and gave her another potion to drink.

 

[BookWyrm]

"I can control my shifting at any other time, but full moon still affects me like it did the first time I shifted, or at least that is what I expect. That is why we were going to tell all of you, so that if something happened the four of you should be able to keep me from hurting anyone, or anyone hunting me."

 

[Dragongal]

"Wait wait wait, keep you from hurting anyone? You said you were safe!" "Matthias, calm down, I'm certain he's not really dangerous.... just a bit more aggressive... right...?" "Does Madame Eleran know?"





"If you fall asleep, I'm going to let your blood out." "Don't you... dare... bleed me." "Then stay awake til the potion takes effect." "D'you... d'you think Theodas might... know how to help?" "Perhaps. Elves are good with this kind of thing, I've heard." "Couldn't hurt... to - ah!" A pang of pain radiated through her body, starting from the heart. She whimpered a bit, waiting for the pain to pass again.

 

[BookWyrm]

"I don't know what will happen, I have only ever been through one! Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it so much. Judging from how my shifting has been emotionally triggered I'd say that I might be slightly more aggressive, but I should be in control." Dayn scratched at his stubble as he thought of a way to explain everything. "I'm not just a werewolf. Technically there are two kinds of lycanthrope. There are werewolves and there are Moon-Born, which is what I am. I'm not sure what all of the differences are. I know we have full control but are still affected by the full moon." When asked about Lenza Dayn shook his head. "Not yet."

 

[Dragongal]

Matthias sighed heavily, then shook his head and said, "You have to tell her as soon as possible, then." Kalie had waneded to another room, and said, "Huh, I found marks on the ground, like from equipment. Over by the hearth." Mathias's eyebrows knitted together, and he walked over to the hearth in the next room, kneeling next to the faint marks. "Alchemical equipment. Doesn't tell us what we don't know, but still." He walked back over to Dayn and said, "Look, when you're wolfed, just don't make me have to kill you. Atria'd never forgive us."

 

[BookWyrm]

"If there is one thing I've learned, it's damn near impossible without silver. If you ever are in that situation, well, just make sure it counts." It was a grim statement, but if there was ever something that happened they would need all the help they could get. Dayn smiled though, putting his hand on Matthias shoulder. "Lets just hope it never comes to that. Besides, I'm usually a very personable wolf, which I guess you all will get to see tomorrow night as long as nothing goes astray." Dayn looked around the house. "I guess we should sweep it one more time and then head back."

 

[Dragongal]

"Atria's weaponry is silver, but I don't trust her to make a killing blow against you. She loves you too much, I think." Nothing more was to be found, the house had been cleaned spotless, except for those unfortunately permanent equipment marks near the hearth. Back at Matthias's house, Theodas gave Dayn his sword back and reported that nothing had happened. "

 

[BookWyrm]

"Now is the time if any of you have anything to say or ask.", Dayn said as he strapped his sword back onto his belt. "I'll answer anything you want to know."

 

[Dragongal]

The three looked at each other before looking back at Dayn and shaking their heads. "We'll meet you at Madame Eleran's an hour before sunset tomorrow. I'll bring a few silver - tipped arrows and steel-tipped. Cover all chances." "Wait, you've told Madam Eleran, right?" "He hasn't." "Oh, well... Dayn, you'd really best do that the moment you can."





Lenza sighed, sitting back in the chair in the spare room. Arryn was finally asleep, for the time being. It wouldn't last long, of course, but it was something.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn's brows knitted together as he shook his head slightly. "You guys are so encouraging." He laughed, smiling as he walked towards the door. "Thank you for your help. Have a good night, I guess I'll see all of you tomorrow." Dayn didn't waste much time getting over to the house. He felt at least some peace on Arryn's end and figured she was asleep, so he bypassed the room and found miss Lenza in the spare room. "I'm back Mum. How has she been?"

 

[Dragongal]

Lenza shrugged. "I've seen her better. I almost have to think she was in better condition after the banshees, at least that pain was consistent. It would be easy if it were just a poison, or just something to make her hurt, but no, it's neither. She doesn't want me telling you how bad it is, she doesn't want you getting overprotective and upset. It's going to get worse once night falls."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn sat down in front of her, his whole demeanor crushed momentarily. "We tracked our lead to their house but all we found were markings from alchemical equipment and this." Dayn tossed Lenza the old cloak that he had found in the house.

 

[Dragongal]

Lenza looked at the cloak, unfolding it. She nodded slightly. "I do not know whether to return this to her or burn it. It was her favorite, but she does have a new one of the same color now. Odd, she had many shirts of this color, and even a hair ribbon this same light, charcoal grey, but after the incident, she refused to even look at them. Yet now she returns wearing a charcoal cloak of the same colour? Curious, isn't it. Of course I assume it was your influence."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn could only smile, but it faded shortly there after. "Mum, we need to talk about something. Its not Arryn, its me." Dayn took the next several minutes and explained to Lenza what he had explained to the others earlier. "And with tomorrow night being a full moon they urged me to go ahead and tell you. I figured since Arryn's asleep I would go ahead and get it out of the way."

 

[Dragongal]

Lenza leaned back in her chair, looking at him tiredly. "Well, I suppose you'd best not try to use her blade, the hilt's silver-wrapped." She got up and walked into the room Arryn was laying in, picking up an empty vial and filling it from a kettle over the fire that had been brewing. "Surprised by my nonchalance? Don't be. You've already helped Arryn out this much, way I see it, I don't have a right to hold this against you. Can't be real bad if you're so good to her, right? That's my thinking, at least."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn finally let himself relax and sigh, heavily, in relief. "I feel like a weight has been lifted off of me. This whole time I've been worried about how all of you would react. To be honest I think Matthias and Kalie are still trying to understand it. I even showed them my other form and they still are trying to grasp it." Dayn laughed slightly as he stood leaning up against the doorway, perhaps in a fashion similar to how Arryn would. He smiled as he looked at her. "What happened earlier? I felt a horrid pain in my arm earlier today, I know it had to do with her."

 

[Dragongal]

Lenza sighed, and explained, "Bloodletting. She doesn't want me to tel you, but whoever made this tossed a little extra in. Pure, raw, dark magic. Her body can't get rid of it and her magic can't deal with it, it's completely incompatible. It's not like a mana transfer,t hat's pure energy, this is raw magic, it's different. When her blood touched her skin, it burned her. But i needed to sample her blood to see if we were right, which... we were."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn rubbed his arm where he had felt the burning, grimacing at the thought as his eyes clouded with tears. I can't believe she's enduring all of this. "There has to be a way to get rid of it. Isn't there?"

 

[Dragongal]

Lenza shrugged. "Besides time, I can't do much, I'm not an innate. Her body should eventually adjust, or her magic will destroy it, perhaps we could use some kind of crystal to get it out of her, but that'd require a mage. I really don't know, besides waiting and giving rotating the potions I give her. I was going to talk to Theodas, but I can't leave her. At the moment, I think we should focus on medicine."





Arryn woke with a slight jolt, opening her eyes for a few seconds before groaning and curling up on her side, away from the two she hadn't noticed.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn had never felt so helpless before. His betrothed, the love of his life, lay there in front of him fighting a battle for her life and all he could do was stand there are watch. "I'll fetch Theodas in the morning." Dayn walked over to Lenza and wrapped his arms around her. He shuddered slightly as a few sobs escaped his control, but it felt good to at least have her and the others along side him. He slowly pulled back from the hug and walked over to Arryn, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face before kissing her cheek. "I love you Arryn. Stay strong." He kissed her once more before heading towards his bed and the restless sleep he would find there.


Restless had been the word for the night. He ran through the forest, panting heavily, and broke through the tree line with a leap, landing in the center of Rorich. His body hurt, it almost felt like spears were stabbing into him as he turned to face his pursuers only to see Japhet, Hamish, Geoff, Matthias, Kalie, and Theodas storm out of the woods, all of them armed with silver. He remembered snarling at them before charging, suddenly realizing that he had been a wolf the whole time as he sank his fangs into his brother's throat.


Dayn woke with a jolt, groaning as the sunlight poured down into his face from the window. He eventually forced himself out of bed and pulled his pants and shirt on before walking into the main room and towards the door. He walked across the way, feeling perhaps worse for ware than he did the day before. He didn't recall feeling this foul on the night of his first full moon, then again Arryn hadn't been fighting for her life against tainted poison either. He knocked lightly on Matthias door and asked for Theodas when it was finally answered. "Mum wants him back at the house."

 

[Dragongal]

Kalie looked Dayn over: he seemed raggled, for sure. Probably worried over Arryn. She decided it would be best to just do as he asked, so she called, "Theodas, it's Dayn." She went into a back room as Theodas walked in from the bedroom he'd been borrowing in the back. "How can I help you? Does it have to do with tonight?"


Arryn woke up with a soft groan a few moments after Dayn had left. "Ma...? Where's... where's Dayn? I miss him...." "He'll be back soon, and he's bringing Theodas." "Why?" "They're going to try to help with the dark magic." "Oh... ok... I just want Dayn back, though." Arryn felt like a small child, useless and weak. She just wanted Dayn by her side.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn was rubbing his eyes when Theodas walked up. He looked up at the elf, his usually grey eyes now green. He sighed in relief slightly, thankful for the fact that they had stopped hurting him. "Mum was asking for you actually. She needs your help with Arryn. She wouldn't say what, just that she needed to get you but couldn't leave last night."

 

[Dragongal]

Theodas nodded. "Let's not keep her waiting, then."


When they returned, Arryn paid little attention to Theodas, focusing on Dayn. Her voice was tired, and definitely not accusing, rather filled with concern. "Dayn...? Where... were you? You... hurt?" Theodas moved over to Lenza, talking over what needed to be done. Arryn wasn't going to die, even if they did nothing, but there had to be a way to stop the agony.