Ascending Legends

[BookWyrm]

The hunter gasped as the knife plunged into his body. He didn't scream or cry, he simply sat there, startled look on his face as Arryn stabbed him again before wrapping the chain around his neck. "So....this is what it feels like.....amazing." The hunter died with a look of amazement on his face.


Dayn hung there, blood dripping from his mouth and many wounds when Arryn finally came to him. His body burned all over, inside and out because of the silver flecks. He didn't even have the strength to register that Arryn was trying to help him until she began removing the hooks. He cried and howled with every hook that was removed until he finally fell on to the ground. When Arryn approached Dayn had been so out of it that he had even snarled and growled at her, probably would have even attacked if he could have. When Arryn began to coax the silver towards his wounds Dayn's body began to spasm as he howled and snarled, slinging bloody spit around the barn as his body screamed for mercy. Finally, though, his body had reached it's point and he slowly began to fade.

 

[Dragongal]

Half an hour later Arryn woke up, terribly confused. She remembered Dayn getting tortured, the hooks cutting into his back, and then... nothing at all. She was cover in blood, Dayn's and the hunter's. She looked around, seeing the hunter hanging by a chain, wounded terribly, a few of his fingers on the ground. Not again.... She looked back to Dayn, and slowly ran her hand over his head. I used magic? Despite her low mana, she worked on removing some of the remaining silver from his blood, but she was having trouble doing more than that. She pet him, trying to wake him gently. She couldn't move him, especially not in his wolf form, she was still half-out of it after losing it. "Dayn? Love?"

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn's eyes opened, but he didn't have much in him to respond with. When he finally came to more he whined and coughed, spitting up more blood. He looked around, almost unaware of where he was or what was around him. Finally he laid eyes on Arryn, and the recognition came across his face at the same time the tears slid down his muzzle, which had gunked over with blood, mucus, and tears from earlier. <Arryn....I hurt.....so bad.> All he seemed capable of doing was laying there and trembling in pain and whatever residual shock was left in his system.

 

[Dragongal]

"Shhh, it's going to be okay," she said quietly, petting him gently, easing his pain using her magic as much as she could. She wished that the hunter hadn't gotten rid of her pack at some point, then she would have been able to crack a locator for Matthias, Theodas, and Kalie. "I'm right here, and I'm not leaving you." Arryn continued to pet him, trying her best to ease his pain. "Give me a moment," she said before getting up and taking some hay that had been scattered about the barn and laying it around him to keep him warm. "I'm going to scavenge a bit, I'll be right back, I swear." She moved around the barn until she found her pack. She stumbled as she walked over to it, but hoped Dayn hadn't seen and kept going. She reached in and pulled out one of the locators for the team, smashing it against the ground. She moved to Dayn's side again, and pulled out a cloth and a potion to ease pain, wetting the cloth before going over his wounds. They needed to be cleaned, but at the moment, she was more concerned about his pain. "I'm right here, help is coming, it's all going to be okay. I'm not leaving, alright?"

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn groaned in pain as he slowly, and painfully, shifted into his human form. After it was finished his wounds began to seep and he was racked by a coughing fit, spitting blood with each cough. He curled up, trying his best to stay warm now that he was exposed. He looked up at Arryn and reached out a shaky hand, his fingers brushing against hers as he tried to grasp her hand. "Arryn....I-I'm c-c-c-cold."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn held his hand with one hand and searched through her pack with another. She normally kept a blanket for emergencies with shock, did she have it this time, though? She thought the'd used it....Luckily she found a blanket and laid it over him, finding more straw to lay around him and over the blanket, now that it wouldn't get into his wounds. She continued wiping his wounds with the wet rag to ease his pain, and bouund some of his larger wounds. Yes, the silver needed to get out, but if he bled out then it wouldn't matter anyway.Once there was nothing left to do but wait, she slid under the blanket an curled up with him, trying to give him some of her body heat.


Soon after, Theodas, Matthias and Kalie arrived on horseback, like last time. They dismounted and looked into the barn. "Gods, not again,"Matthias said as he looked at the blood that was everywhere and the man hanging from the rafters by a chain, and Arryn with a thick slive across her cheek laying curled around Dayn, both covered in blood. "She lost it again." Arryn looked up at him and nodded, then carefully wrapped the blanket around Dayn, and assisted the boys in getting Dayn on the stretcher again like last time. She rode behind Kalie again, and soon they were back at Lenza's, with Dayn in a bed and Arryn curled up next to him, the three others watching the house from across the street again.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn was stable but still in excruciating pain. He lay there next to Arryn trying his best not to move. It seemed like the flecks had rent him inside and out. When he did sleep it was only for short periods of time before he was woken by the stabbing, burning sensation of the flecks tearing through him, causing his wounds to weep ever so often.


The skinchanger stood in the barn, looking at the carnage laid out before his eyes. "Well it would seem you've finally found your peace." He looked down at the copious amounts of silver weapons, as well as what looked like silver streaked blood. "Ah, the flecks worked perfectly though. Well, I'll take my leave for now. I'm sure we will meet again Moon-Born." The skinchanger disappeared into the woods heading away from Rorich.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn didn't let herself doze more than very lightly, and only when Dayn slept, wiping off Dayn's wounds when they reopened, taking care of him as she could. Though she made a few potions, they couldn't have much effect at all against something like this. Arryn hadn't completely shaken off the berserk episode, she was exhausted and worried, and became protective over Dayn. The gash on her cheek stung, but for the most part, she forgot about it. Two years hiding in the woods came back, only with the aggression and lack of reserve as the current Arryn. At one point she even glared and bared her teeth at Lenza when it seemed she might try to ban her from watching over Dayn. It wasn't that Arryn didn't recognize her, it was that at the moment, reflexes and instinct were really all she was going on. Lenza got the hint, surprisingly unsurprised by this. Arryn let her help to take care of Dayn, but nothing else. When Lenza tried to help with the wound on Arryn's cheek or tried to convince Arryn to do it, Arryn glared at her, recoiling away from her reach or just ignoring her suggestions. Whenever it seemed like there wasn't anything else to be done, Arryn would pull up the covers again and curl up against Dayn. She needed to sleep, that would snap her out of it, but it just didn't seem possible, she was too worried over her Dayn.

 

[BookWyrm]

Moments of respite between bouts of pain and sleep were few and far between, but as Dayn woke up again he found one of these rare times when he wasn't in sharp pain. He could breath easily and without pain, and even if he still hurt the flecks were not actively antagonizing him. He looked around the room before finding Arryn resting against his chest. He smiled before reaching over and gently rubbing her cheek. She hadn't left his side for very long since they had returned. He knew he probably shouldn't wake her but the desire to have a simple conversation that wasn't hindered by pain was alluring. "Love? You awake?"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn looked up at him with tired eyes and nodded. She’d allowed herself to doze a bit, but she hadn’t been fully asleep. She smiled a bit, glad to see him awake and not in agony. She pulled up the blankets a bit to keep off the chill air. Everything had happened in morning, and it was already late into the night. She was exhausted, but she hid it to the best of her abilities. She was still pale from yesterday and there were rings around her eyes from the last few days overall, not to mention the blood stains on her clothing and the dried blood around the gash on her cheek, but she hoped Dayn wouldn’t worry. Then he might ask her to stop taking care of him, and she didn’t want to do that, but she couldn’t deny a request by him. “How are you doing? Do you want food or water?”

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn shook his head. "I don't think I could eat right now if I wanted to. I think Mum left a cup somewhere." He looked over to the table and found the cup of water on the stand next to the bed. He took it carefully and drank a few sips before sitting it back down and cuddling up against Arryn, even though it elicited a grunt and some pain. "How are you since the...incident?" He knew her blacking out could be bad, and if she had been that upset he knew she was probably still bothered by what happened. Despite his own injuries he wanted to make sure she was okay.

 

[Dragongal]

“I’m fine,” she said. She just didn’t let herself think about what had happened. She could worry once Dayn was okay. After she’d gotten some sleep. She didn't even know what she felt at the moment besides protective over Dayn, she was too tired and still on edge. She took his hand and gently ran her thumb over his palm, avoiding the wounds from the bolts that had gone through his hands. She’d healed it so there wouldn’t be any permanent nerve or tendon damage earlier. “I don’t remember some of it, but it’s alright.” She nuzzled lightly against his neck, glad to see he could move even if it did hurt him. ”I just want to take care of you right now.”

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn smiled and chuckled lightly as she nuzzled against his neck. He loved that feeling, it just never got old. "I am your's to care for then." He kissed her head before laying back against the pillow. He watched Arryn run her thumb over his palm. She was so delicate and gentle, making sure to avoid the wound where the bolt had stuck through his hand. She truly was an amazing healer. Because of her he would still be able to use his hands once they healed completely, though there would always be a scar there. He closed his eyes, blocking the memories out. Just recalling those moments caused him to hurt as if the silver had branded the memory of pain into his flesh. Dayn had wrapped his free hand around Arryn when they had snuggled up. He gently pulled her hair aside and lightly traced his finger around her ear.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled as she rested against Dayn, a slight chill running through her spine when he traced around her ear, but she’d noticed when he closed his eyes and seemed upset by something. She continued running her thumb over his palm, and slowly reached up with her free hand and gently brushed back his hair. This reminded her too much of how she’d been after the banshees had carved her up. Movement seemed impossible, and when attempted caused pain, constant exhaustion, bad memories right in the front of the mind. She didn’t want him going through anything remotely like that. Her concern was quite evident on her face, she didn’t bother trying to hide it.

 

[BookWyrm]

As the memories faded Dayn wearily opened his eyes, noticing the concern that creased Arryn's face. "I'm okay dear. Its just all too fresh in my mind still. But having you here with me is helping." Dayn hadn't realized until now just how much Arryn actually meant to him. Her presence alone was comforting, but adding in the small things like snuggling up against him and nuzzling his neck made it all the more personal and intimate. Her being there snuggled against him had taken his mind off of his pain. The feeling of her rubbing her thumb against the palm of his hand was a constant reminder of them being together and the love that bound them to each other. He rested his head against hers on as he felt the tension leaving his body. He hadn't realized just how stiff and tight he had suddenly become until he'd noticed her looking at him. He lay there against her head, still gently tracing his finger around her ear as he took a shallow breath. "I guess I didn't realize it was still bothering my so bad."

 

[Dragongal]

“M-hm, that’s how it gets you. It’s okay though, I’ll make sure it’s okay. I promise.” She smiled slightly. “Now you know how it was for me all those nights where it started getting bad. But I had you. Now you have me. And it’ll all be alright now,” She could feel her exhaustion getting to her as she snuggled closer to him, holding his hand in both of hers, but she hid her exhaustion, focusing on Dayn.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn let her have his hand as he adjusted to her snuggling closer. He had been around her long enough to learn when she was tired, but he wasn't going to point it out to her. That is, unless he ever felt like getting cuffed across the nose. Sometimes he need reminding that he didn't need to put up a front around her. He wanted her to feel comfortable and safe with him, even if it meant hiding his own pain. But with all that they had been through already it felt wrong trying to hide it. He trusted her, and it was time to fully drop his guard and let her care for him.


He allowed his body to fully relax, which caused some pain as his muscles released their tension around his injuries, but once they had relaxed the pain melted away. Although he wanted to ask about how they would remove the remaining flecks he pushed the thought aside. Now was the time to rest and recover. They couldn't risk trying to heal him completely until he had regained his strength some. He had lost a lot of blood along with massive internal injuries from the swarm of flecks that had been turned lose in him. Thanks to Arryn though the healing process had been jump started, and no doubt had saved his life. "I'll stop worrying then." Dayn kissed Arryn's lips before resting his head against his pillow and dozing off.

 

[Dragongal]

"Good." Arryn smiled slightly as he fell asleep, glad to see that he was in a somewhat better condition than before. She could sleep now, right? She was tempted to wake him just a bit so she could ask if she was allowed to rest, but decided against it. After some hesitation, and most of it herself telling her not to, she curled against Dayn and let herself fall asleep.


A few hours before dawn, Arryn woke very confused, and tried to move but ended up just groaning quietly. Her shoulder hurt terribly, all of her muscles were sore, her mana was terribly low, and there was a burning pain on her cheek. She looked at her hands, suddenly noting the blisters and tears, not quite realizing it had been from breaking the chains and using them as whips before stringing a man up by his neck. She looked at Dayn for a few moments before remembering most of what happened.

 

[BookWyrm]

His vision was blurred with red as he felt his arms being forcefully spread out to his sides. The sudden feeling of the barbed hooks shooting through his back and hoisting him into the air shot pain through his body. Dayn woke up screaming, his wounds reopened and weeping blood as the flecks wrecked havoc internally. Blood seeped out from the corners of his mouth as his whole body ceased up, the veins in his arms and neck bulging out as he groaned in pain. And then as quickly as the episode came it left, leaving Dayn curling up against himself as his body shook.

 

[Dragongal]

I shouldn't have slept. Arryn's heart nearly broke when Dayn woke screaming. She'd done this recently - she'd done this many times. She didn't want her Dayn going through anything like this. It reminded her too much of how she woke after the banshees had hurt her. She took Dayn's hand in one hand and wiped his wounds with the other, using the rag steeped in pain reliever, being as gentle as possible. She used her dwindling magic to check on the internal damage and fix it as needed. Arryn wiped the blood away from his mouth before putting the rag on the table again, still holding Dayn's hand with one hand and with the other she slowly, gently brushed his hair back with her fingers, slowly repeating the motion. She wasn't sure if embracing him might make him feel crowded and make it worse, so this seemed like a perfect compromise. "Shh, love, I'm right here. It's alright. We'll have you all fixed up soon."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn squeezed her hand tightly, his breath coming in shallow spurts as he stared off into nothing. He felt like the hooks were slowly being pulled out of his back. Despite the slowly declining pain his body would still spasm as the barbs were still pulling and tearing their way from his skin. When he felt Arryn brushing his hair back he looked up at her, not recognizing her face for a few seconds. When his mind finally came out of it's fog Dayn slowly sat up and laid his head against Arryn's shoulder, his body shaking as the tears started to fall. Even if he could speak he chose not to. There wasn't much to say anyway...

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn held Dayn close, being very careful not to touch any of his wounds. "It's okay, just breathe love. Take your time and breathe." She gently pressed her lips against his neck then just held him close. She began to very quietly sing, though the words were in old Northern. She couldn't actually translate the words herself, but she knew it was generally about time passing and seasons changing and love, and she also knew it was pretty and slow. She just wanted to let him know she was still there, to distract him from the pain.

 

[BookWyrm]

It seemed like forever for the tears to finally come under control and for Dayn to stop feeling pain, but he refused to move. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back gently as he rocked back and forth. "I was at the barn again, right before the hooks...." Dayn stifled the tears that threatened to overtake him again. "It felt so real."

 

[Dragongal]

"It's okay, I know it does, love. It feels real, but I swear it's not. I'm right here, there's nothing to hurt you, nothing to hurt either of us. She gently pulled back and looked him in the eyes, putting one hand over his cheek. "I know it hurts, but I'm right here and I'm not leaving you." She leaned into their embrace again, nuzzling slightly against his neck.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn's body shook under a few more sobs before he leveled out and began to relax. He held onto Arryn tightly. In the midst of his storm she was the one thing that kept him from losing it. As he relaxed his grip loosened up some before he finally leaned against Arryn, his strength spent and his body rent. "I feel so weak. So helpless."