Fantasy For my Family

[Ixidor92]

Jaeger shook his head softly


"I can't make that judgement."


Physically, she certainly appeared sober. However . . . as far as bloodlust went he could never tell. It was why he had been content to let her leave after she said she was going to let off some steam. It was only after Ryrax had gone after her that he panicked and flew after the two.


"Hold on."


He picked her up gently, letting both of his wings spread out fully before blasting into the sky


"If anyone asks, you went on a hunt for the evening, which is why we're late."

 

[Cyrionessa]

"Of course." Cerys sighed. "Just...get me home...." She was hurting now. And why was that? It was because she had felt something connect with the one known as Ryrax. But he had brushed it off as if it were nothing! A tear fell down her face, which she brushed away and stared off into the distance blankly afterwards. Tomorrow would be a new day and Ryrax was going to find out that she hadn't been intoxicated at all during their moment together.

 

[Ninja_Onions]

Gerza got up shortly after Estelle left, gathering all his books and stuffing them back in his backpack. 'I'm only so fortunate that she was too distracted to take notice of me. The last thing I need after wracking my brain with this Fell One stuff is another /oh you can't go out without someone with you, you'll break every bone in your body./ lecture.' He sighed quietly. "And so true that it should be the Sun who chases the Moon, and finds envy in the soft light that radiates from her, while the scorching rays only burn and blister." He mumbled softly. "May it also be that the Sun goes unnoticed, it's place in the sky ever normal and expected, while the Moon yet changes her phases and ebbs as she goes." Another sigh. "But of them much can be accomplished, should they ever ascend the sky together. Such is the way that the heavens were built." Gerza finished mumbling the proverb, all the while staring down at the ground. He looked up to notice that he had lost Estelle due to his ramblings, and panicked. "Ohnoohnoohnoohno." He whispered as he ran through alley ways and ducked behind walls. "She was probably just going back to the hall. Yeah, that's it. It has to be! Right? Right! But what if she got lost, or something happened?" Gerza continued his panicked whispering. "But more importantly...what if...I've gotten...lost?" He stated, his pace slowing to a walk and then a halt. 'I've hardly been outside the hall before, and even then, no where near the Vejta hall.' He thought as the situation slowly crept up on him. 'And the only person I could ask for help is...is...' He swallowed hard. 'That man with the eyepatch.'

 

[Ixidor92]

(Apparently it is snowing on rpnation)


Jaeger landed on top of the Xevren homestead. Unlike the other homes, the roof was built flat and with a large entry point, considering how many of their family members were capable of flying. The tears falling from Cerys' face had not gone unnoticed by Jaeger, and he gently set her down on her own two feet.


"That man . . . did he do anything to you?"

 

[Cyrionessa]

"No....I did more than he did...." Cerys smiled softly. She never had thought that she would find another who enjoyed the taste of blood as much as she did. "I....enjoyed that...." She was more talking to herself than answering Jaeger as she started to absent-mindedly make her way down the hallway towards her own room.

 

[Twizinator]

Just before he was able to drift off Rryax felt something soft land on him, He opened his eye slowly and confirmed his suspicion that yes, it was a blanket. He brought it to his nose and took a deep breath through his nostrils.


Smells of Vejta, he thought. Wait...there's another small scent...a scent of light? No, light artes. Mana...from a mana riser. I know this scent...Estelle.


He dragged the blanket off of him as he realized he was being watched. He glared down at the frail-looking man. "What do you want," he growled. "I am in a fowl mood, so either speak your piece or f*** off."

 

[Ixidor92]

Jaeger narrowed his eyes


"I don't know what happened, but that man is dangerous. And not just physically . . . "


He shuddered a little as he remembered that afternoon


"Regardless, I am returning to my quarters for the evening. I imagine the head will wish to speak with you before the night is over."

 

[Ninja_Onions]

"Uh, e-er well, y-you see, I was uh, I had been, er, I mean..." Gerza stammered. 'You have two options and both involve him. Only one needs to involve him and you being absolutely destroyed. You can do this, just concentrate on the fact that you are completely lost and that talking to a stranger is your best option. Great.' He realized that he had been holding his breath the entire time he was thinking, probably due to the fact that he was almost too scared to breathe right. "IwasfollowingEstellebackbecauseIwasworriedaboutherwellbeingandalsobecauseIdon'tknowhowtogetbacktotheNaejorhousebecauseIhardlyleavesoI'mlostandIneedyourhelp." He said as he exhaled his long overdue breath. 'That wasn't so hard, maybe I have a knack for this whole /interacting/ thing after all.' Gerza thought as he caught his breath.

 

[Cyrionessa]

"My father may speak with me if he so wishes." Cerys rolled her eyes. "He can't keep me cooped up here and nothing bad happened tonight. I wouldn't take back a thing about it." She sauntered away, not really caring at this point. "Good night, babysitter." As she opened the door to her room, she realize that someone was in there already.


Estelle sat innocently on Cerys' bed. On the way back, she had decided that it would be a good idea to check in on her friend. "You disappeared with the wild man? I knew that the stars were buzzing for some reason."


"....a lot happened tonight....." Cerys collapsed on the bed next to her. "I don't even know where to begin telling you."


"You're covered in blood and you have hints of his aura on you." Estelle raised her eyebrows. "Particularly on your face, neck, shoulders, lips...is there something you want to tell me?"


"Ummm...." Cerys stalled for a second. "IkindasortamayhavebeenkissedbyRyraxandhemahavepossiblybeencleaningthebloodoffofmyfacebylickingitoffofmyface."


Estelle sat there for a minute. "Well....unexpected....but good." She smiled. "Haven't you been alone long enough?"


"Maybe...." Cerys sighed. "But he thinks I was just drunk!"


Estelle smiled again. "Oh....does he?" Her hands, which were crossed behind her back, flicked a bit. Little light beams grabbed a piece of paper and pen, writing something down. After a few flourishes, the note took off out her window towards Ryrax's location. It arrived and slapped his face a couple of times before coming to rest in his lap.


"....what did you just do?" Cerys saw the light and knew it was Estelle.


"Oh, nothing...." Estelle grinned innocently. "Nothing at all."

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax groaned and stood up. He scanned the area to get his bearings before pointing off into the distance. "Head that way, keeping on the main path. You should find the Naejor estate within minutes."


He sat back down and covered himself with the blanket again, but his slumber was delayed again when what appeared to be a note smacked him about. He angrily snatched it up when it landed in his lap, unfolding it. "What's this...?" he mused under his breath and read it.

 

[Cyrionessa]

The note simply read. She meant every word she said and she would not take back anything she did. Don't think that another creature is incapable of showing affection to you and don't think that she was intoxicated. She was completely sober. -E.


----


Estelle stayed a little longer with Cerys then headed home. Another smile lit her face in amusement as she wondered how Ryrax would react to the simple note that she had sent. There was a lonely look that came into her eyes. Estelle knew that love wasn't something that she was allowed to even think about at the moment. She was going to be the head of her family and that meant focusing on the benefit of her family. Helping out Cerys, in a way, helped her gain some joy out of a love that she couldn't dream of having right now. She floated up to her tower window using light beams then collapsed in bed asleep.

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax read the note three times over to make sure his eyes weren't lying to him. He sighed and let his ice artes flow through his arm, out his fingertips, and covering the note with frost. Soon it was brittle and he dashed it into the air where it scattered into frost, disappearing into the night. With a relieved grin he fell back onto the rooftop, adjusted the blanket somewhat, whispered a word of thanks to Estelle, and fell into a deep slumber until morning broke.

 

[Ixidor92]

The morning sun rose up over the estates, and with it came a bustle of activity. The majority of the Vejta house's early activity seemed to be centered around the massive spire of barrels coming out of their estate. After a couple of hours, the family head decided it would be best to just leave the spire and focus on the tournament instead. Many of the different families left and staked out different areas around and in the arena, ready to show off their skills in combat. The family heads had gone to meet with each other before the tournament officially began, leaving many of the fighters fidgeting with extra energy.


"Dammit . . . this is going to be a waste of my time."


Valk sat within the Arena, waiting for the preliminary fights. His father had selected him to show the full might of their house in the first matches, but Valk himself didn't hold much confidence for the strength of his opponents.


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


Aatron stood at attention, waiting for the return of their head. He did not know what challenges awaited him on this day, but he would face the day with all he had


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


Jaeger cracked his knuckled nervously, being greeted by a laugh behind him.


"You're so nervous brother, lighten up!"


"That obvious am I?"


Jaeger wasn't necessarily nervous about the fights . . . but rather one man in particular that he might have to fight . . .

 

[MControl]

At the peak of the ever growing tower, Jyterra sat on an edge, watching over the bustling estates. After creating a dozen automatons to patrol the interior of the tower, he had collapsed in a drunken heap, sleeping deeply. Having just awoken, he had inspected the new construction, and reinforced some more structurally important barrels. Standing up, he stepped away from the edge, and stepped inside the Tower of Barrel. Desiring a quick descent, that would still leave him alive, he stepped into a barrel hanging from a rope. Closing himself in, the barrel promptly dropped like a drunken rock. Jerking to a stop just above the ground, Jyterra stumbled out, and began to make his way out of the fort. He was temporarily stymied by the drunken architecture, but eventually made his way out.


Walking forth with purpose, Jyterra made his way to the arena, ready for great battle, and Jolly Co-operation!

 

[Twizinator]

The wolf's eye cracked open as the sun beat down on his rooftop. He rose to his feet and folded the blanket so that was long and thin, and then proceeded to tie it around his waist like a sash. He leapt off the roof to the street below and began wandering through the Neutral Grounds.


It didn't take long before he found some company: he suddenly found himself surrounded by a group of five young men all bearing insignias of the Trevastos family. Ryrax didn't speak, so the one in front of him, a confident lad with braided black hair, took a step forward. "Ryrax! We aren't afraid of you. We challenge you to a duel in the ring for everyone to see. We'll each fight you mano-a-mano, of course," he said with a smirk.


Rryax yawned. "A bunch of fledglings want to fight ME? What makes you think I'll accept?"


A shorter man with hair the color of an almond and eyes to match spoke up. "We know you'll accept. You love to fight. Besides, how would it look for a veteran like yourself to back out of a fight with a bunch of newbies like us?"


"Pathetic and cowardly," the black-braided man answered for Ryrax, still smirking. "If you win, you'll have defeated five opponents in a row. If we win-"


"You'll gain glory and honor among everyone, especially the first-timers, for besting the Mad Wolf that makes others quake in their boots. You'll be famous," Ryrax inturrupted, boredom in his voice. "I know."


Black-braid seemed a bit taken aback. "You know? What do you mean?"


Ryrax's wild grinning expression appeared. "I know because this isn't the first time some pups fresh off their mother's milk got cocky and tried to take on the scariest wolf they could find to prove themselves. Lead the way. I'll take you all out before breakfast."


The five Trevastos lads led the way to the nearest ring. News of this challenge travelled quickly: as they arrived and a judge was summoned, the stands began to become stocked with spectators. It was not a full house, not even close, but the mere mention that someone(s) had challenged Ryrax was enough to garner fair amounts of attention.


"Well, Ryrax?" Black-braid began as the judge arrived and the spectators got situated, "Who do want to fight first?" He clearly wanted to begin the fight himself. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.


"Hah! First?" Ryrax scoffed, and beckoned with both hands. He adopted a somewhat hunched posture, like a coiled spring. The wolf was getting ready to hunt. "I'll fight you all at once!"


-----


"What? Pelan and his friends challenged Ryrax?"


Oliver strapped on his armor and rushed to the ring. He had to be there, both to see the fight, and also to make sure that those young men didn't get seriously hurt. He'd never had the pleasure of fighting Ryrax himself, but whenever he saw or heard of his fights, they never ended well for his opponent...or opponents.

 

[Cyrionessa]

Estelle rose in silence, trying to smile as she greeted the sun. Her dreams told her that something was wrong and so did the red sun that she saw. What was going to happen this day that the cosmos themselves seemed to be trying to tell her, to warn her? She prepared herself, slipping into loose-fitting white pants and a white button-up blouse. Her bare feet pattered on the floor and put on her family ring, the only piece of jewelry that she would wear today. Her eyes flashed for a second with worry before walking down the stairs to grab something to eat. It was then that she heard a few of her house people whispering.


"There are rumors that the Wolf of Vejta is fighting some men of Trevastos. Five at once."


"They'll need more than that to take down that guy."


Estelle blinked rapidly before walking out the door. She sensed that some people were about to get seriously hurt.


----


Cerys awoke and immediately got into the shower. Her body was washed from all of the remaining blood and she spun around singing in the shower. This was a regular occurrence in her house and her voice echoed throughout the building. She slipped into her black leather armor, fastening all of the random buckles that held the armor to her body. It covered her from her neck down to her toes in black. Before her father could come harass her about last night, she was out the door, heading for the arena.

 

[HilgenHoffer]

Rudd was in a panic.


He had been having the strangest dream. He had been dancing with an exquisite young beauty, and when he had finished, Evynne wouldn't talk to him properly. He was trying to figure it out when he woke up on a table in the dining hall, fiddle in hand, to the sight of sunlight piercing the windows.


Sunlight meant dawn. Dawn meant the tournament.


And he was late.


He panicked harder as he dashed out the door.


-----


Odom was crouched on the mast of the flag flying on the highest tower of the arena, watching from above as the wolf man toyed with a ring of children. It was rather unsporting, he thought, for an animal of such pride to busy himself with such small prey, but then again, the experience would lead the young ones to a grander future. After all, only the bold could ever be strong. If they survived, of course. Twirling gently around the length of the flagpole, he began his decent to find a closer seat from which to watch the slaughter.

 

[Twizinator]

The judge took a step forward and addressed the six men. "You understand the tournament has not yet begun? I am willing to preside over this battle to prevent serious harm, as is the duty of a judge. However, the results will not reflect upon your respective houses and will not be recorded officially."


The black-braided lad named Pelan nodded. "That's not an issue." As long as they beat Ryrax it didn't matter. Their personal fame would rise even if their family's fame did not.


"Very well," the judge said, and stepped back. "You may begin."


-----


Oliver full-on sprinted through the streets, such was his haste to reach the ring in time. In his rush he nearly bowled over a woman clothed entirely in white; he jumped into the air and over her without losing any momentum. "Beg pardon!" he bellowed over his shoulder to her with an apologetic grimace before returning his attention to what lay ahead of him.


He made it into the spectator stands and to the edge of the ring when one of the men was foolish enough to charge Ryrax. That unfortunate soul was sent reeling with a spinning kick, slamming into the wall just under where Oliver stood. "Ah, Ivor. Never had much patience...or good judgement," Oliver muttered.


-----


Pelan blinked as Ryrax dealt with Ivor. What struck him was how Ryrax didn't take his gaze off of him; he didn't seem to acknowledge Ivor's existence at all. He and the three remaining men closed on Ryrax. "Quit messing around and draw your sword!" he taunted.


Ryrax scoffed. "Why bother? I'm giving you all a handicap by fighting bare-handed, as is your style. You should be thanking me."


They charged, throwing kicks, elbows, knees, punches, headbutts...all of them either dodged, deflected, or blocked. Part of the problem for them was that Ryrax was not restricted in his movement by gravity. He twisted and flipped in mid-air, not needing a center of gravity or balance because of his telekinesis. While upside-down Ryrax then saw an opening, and kicked his legs apart, introducing two men on opposite sides to one of his heels. One of them took the blow to his forehead, but the other was taller and received it to his windpipe. The judge called for a pause, and the fight ceased momentarily as he was rushed off on a stretcher, healers working their white magic on his neck as they scurried out of the ring.


"Three down," Ryrax taunted with a wild and hungry smile. "Not too late to back out, kids."


Pelan was visibly shaken but to his credit he held his ground. "You haven't won yet, bastard."


Ryrax's smile widened. "Good spirit," he growled, "but it won't be enough."

 

[Ixidor92]

"Pelan, back out while you can."


Valk's voice rang out from behind the remaining members of the Trevastos family


"It's either that or you leave on a stretcher."


His arms were crossed as he leaned back lazily against the side. One with observant eyes would notice the occasional sparks that flew off of the ends of his hair and loose bits of clothing


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


Jaeger blinked in surprise as a rather large man bowled past him and directly over a young woman in white. He shook his head and walked up to the young lady, offering his hand


"Hey, are you all right?"

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax narrowed his eye. He knew he'd seen this guy before. Once he saw the sparks, his face lit up in recognition and malicious glee.


"Valk. How nice of you to grace us with your presence," Ryrax said sarcastically. "Did you come to take their place?"


Pelan adjusted his stance while his last remaining partner turned tail and sprinted out of the arena. "Shut it, Valk. This guy is so full of himself I'd be pissed if I didn't at least land a punch!" His body pulsed with mana as he focused his artes, sending strength coursing through his muscles. With a roar he charged and threw a rising hook to Ryrax's gut, who could have easily dodged...but didn't. Instead he took the punch, not even flinching, and without breaking his stare at Valk.


"Happy now?" Ryrax said, and turned his gaze to Pelan. Suddenly his expression was irritated, as if he was addressing a rather persistent horsefly. "You landed the blow. Was it worth it?" Before Pelan could answer Ryrax slammed his hand to his face, covering it completely, and smashed his head against the ground, which buckled with the impact. Pelan was unconscious instantly.


"Some people are so rude, interrupting a chat like that," Ryrax mused as Pelan was rushed out by healers. He beckoned Valk with two fingers, grinning madly. "I hope you're more entertaining."


"Valk!" Oliver shouted, "Do not fight him!"


His left hand was shaking and he gripped the edge of the low wall that separated spectators from the combatants to steady himself. Ryrax honestly scared him a bit, especially after what he saw when they fought the A-class.

 

[Ixidor92]

Valk cracked his neck from side to side, slowly walking towards the ring


"I was going to be put against another three or four people for the preliminaries . . . but they were all going to be boring anyway."


There was a flash and an explosion as Valk was suddenly on the opposite side of the arena, lightning crackling off of one of his arms. Smoke was rising around Ryrax from where the impact had occurred


"Let's see if you take your own advice. I'd hate for this to be boring."

 

[Twizinator]

The smoke was blown away by Ryrax's PK, who stood slightly bent from the blow. He turned to face Valk, his manic grin the widest he'd worn in quite a while. "Glad we agree!" he exclaimed and flew at Valk. As he closed the gap he spun, scything his right heel at the man's temple.


Oliver pounded his left fist down on the wall. "Idiot!" he hissed under his breath. Whether he was referring to Ryrax or Valk was a mystery.

 

[Ixidor92]

Ryrax's foot seemed to connect where it had intended, but ended up flying through thin air as the figure of Valk disappeared. The man had instead dashed behind ryrax, throwing a dozen punches in the span of a few seconds.

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax stumbled forward from the flurry of blows, or at least appeared to stumble: he actually did a front-flip, hoping to hit Valk in the chin with his heel as he spun. Unfortunately, the man dodged it easily. The next few exchanges were more of the same: Ryrax would viciously and (due to his unmatched mobility in air) fairly unpredictably attack, Valk would dodge as if Ryrax was in slow-motion, and counter-attack tenfold in the time it took Ryrax threw one punch.


Ryrax stood battered and bruised, but apparently unfazed. "Haaaaahh....You're even faster than I heard," he said, clearly overjoyed. "By the time I've tracked your movements with my eyes, it's too late to dodge." He drew his blade and held it reverse-grip. "Today's my lucky day. I never thought I'd get to try out this technique!"


"...Technique?" Oliver said, a bit surprised. Ryrax hadn't struck him as the kind of person to give a damn about disciplined and organized styles of combat that use techniques, stances, or what have you.


"I hope you can ice skate," Ryrax taunted, and plunged his sword into the center of the ring. It immediately became encased in a jagged crystal of ice roughly three feet high. Ice rushed from the point of impact and covered the ground of the entire dueling arena, climbing halfway up the walls before stopping. The air grew chill, and Ryrax laughed: he'd covered the area in ice, practically eliminating traction. The faster you tried to push off of the ice, the more likely you were to slip. Ryrax, of course, was totally unaffected. In fact, he kicked off his wooden sandals and threw them to the edge of the ring.


Ryrax punched a fist into the other hand's open palm, popped his neck, and charged at Valk. As he drew nearer, Oliver noticed another peculiar thing about what the Mad Wolf was up to.


"...What the...he's closed his eyes?!" Oliver muttered in shock.

 

[Ixidor92]

Valk narrowed his eyes as the fight progressed. The man's attacks were not difficult to dodge in theory, but he refused to stick to a conventional attack pattern, or even the same unconventional one. Without Being able to predict where his opponent would strike, he was reduced to relying on reflexes. If he was any slower, he would likely have lost his head by this point. To top it off, this prevented him from moving into such a position that he could land a definitive blow. Try as he might, simply wearing down this man did not seem to have the effect that was needed. Then the ice pillar. The man had discarded his sword, but Valk only saw that as a minor reprieve when faced with the ice-covered floor. If he tried to utilize his usual speed, he would just end up falling flat on his face or crashing into a wall . . . As the man charged, Valk pondered what options he had in mere seconds and charged his entire body with lightning in a single shout. The ice around his feet melted, just briefly, but enough that he could leap in a direction. Directly to the opposite wall. Another bolt of lightning at the landing spot gave a brief foothold before he launched himself at the mad wolf. His entire form was coated with lighting, and a crack was heard as he shot off the wall, breaking the sound barrier. He was going to have to face this monster with the sheer might of his mana.