Fantasy For my Family

[Twizinator]

Somebody definitely heard the yowl, and that someone had very fortunately prepared for a dire event like this. As she hurried out of the Neutral Grounds, she could only pray she made it in time.


-----


Jaeger's assertion was disturbingly accurate. The man snarled, more in annoyance than anything, as the mana roar slammed into him and made him stumble back a few steps. He shook it off rapidly, however, and flew at Jaeger and Cerys, fully willing to bring his fury down on two opponents at once. "Kill...Beast!" he grunted as he launched his entire body at them in a flying tackle.

 

[Cyrionessa]

Cerys immediately pulled herself out of Jaeger's grasp yet again. The beast eyes looked back at him, displaying a very angry and annoyed look. She then gathered her muscles beneath her, then jumped upwards to meet Ryrax mid-tackle. The cold aura stung her front paws as she slammed them into his abdomen, pushing him backwards. This also, of course, took her with him and she found herself back once again on top of him, also once again trying to pin him. She just needed to slow him down until someone else could get here to help since Cerys and Jaeger apparently couldn't stop him. Of course, they hadn't tried to fight together...Cerys inwardly cursed her inability to actually speak in this form.

 

[Ixidor92]

"Don't look at me like that!"


Jaeger shouted at the demon cat as she wriggled out of his arms yet again. The man spread both of his wings and bolted up into the air. When Ryrax broke free, he would come crashing down on the man-beast

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax twisted and grappled with Cerys, viciously using her fur as grips, tearing out large chunks of fur. He howled as her claws slashed his flesh and responded by headbutting her in the snout and throwing her into a tree while she was momentarily stunned. He smelled Jaeger before he saw him, narrowly dodging back before the red-clad man-monster slammed into him. Now behind Jaeger, he roared as he put one hand to each wing. His left foot he dug into the ground for stability, and his right he planted directly between Jaeger's shoulder blades. Then, he began pulling, fully intent on tearing off the wings he held in his claws.

 

[Ixidor92]

Jaeger could feel the strain on his wings, and he had seconds to act. He let out another mana roar, directly into the ground in front of him. The force threw both combatants back, slamming the two through the trunk of a nearby tree. Jaeger let out a shout and flipped upward, kicking Ryrax away as he did so. Unfortunately, instead of taking to the air, Jaeger skidded along the ground. His wings were battered from the assault, and it would take at least several minutes for them to hold his weight again.

 

[Cyrionessa]

The dying red rays of the sun sent red highlights into the fur of the Demon Cat as she stood up. She saw Ryrax flying away, she saw Jaeger skidding on the ground. Jaeger wasn't going to be able to fight him quite as effectively. The Demon Cat's legs tensed for a moment before she jumped through the air to land on top as Ryrax as he landed. When she did, she did the one thing that her mind could think to do. Her limbs wrapped around his torso, claws digging deep into flesh as she tried to handicap his movements with her own body. Her teeth also dug into his right shoulder, her jaw muscles like a vice.

 

[Twizinator]

"Yes! Hold him still for just a moment!" Mythia shouted, as she arrived on the scene just in time to witness Cerys bind Ryrax. "Keep him still, and I can stop him!"


As she ran towards them, Ryrax struggled and roared against the cat that clung to him. Deep red blood trickled down his chest from where Cerys was keeping her fangs planted. His rage built and his psychokinesis radiated from him dangerously, tearing up the ground. Cerys would feel like her whole body was being assaulted by blunt force, all pushing her away and off of Ryrax.


"Jaeger!" Mythia shouted, "Hit him as hard as you can while Cerys has him immobilized. Do not let up until I give the word!" Immediately she began channeling her mana, one hand outstretched and pointed at Ryrax, the other bracing the arm of the outstretched hand.

 

[Ixidor92]

"Don't--"


Jaeger started to dash forward


"--Tell--"


He leapt into the air, his trajectory headed right for Ryrax


"--me TWICE!"


There was a massive crash as his feet collided with Ryrax's chest. He didn't let up, his tail wrapping around Ryrax's neck as he pulled him back and punched him in the same spot

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax doubled over, gasping as all air in his lungs was kicked out of him. Just as he looked like he was about to keel over from the repeated blows, he grit his teeth and let out the strongest psi wave yet. It crashed into all of them, sending Jaeger flying backwards, and even Cerys was dislodged and hurled against yet another tree. However, this left an opening that someone of similar psionic talents could exploit: Mythia dashed forward, passing through the shockwave as if it didn't exist, and placed her right hand over Ryrax's right eye. Her hand was glowing with a faint white light, such was the mana she'd focused into it. "SEAL!" She commanded with authority as she swiped downwards with her hand. Immediately Ryrax's eyepatch was restored, now with a much stronger suppression rune than before thanks to Mythia's talents. His dark aura disappeared and he collapsed first to his knees, then fell forward onto his face. His long hair splayed out on the ground as he lie motionless.


Mythia took several deep breaths before smiling in relief. "There. That should do it...excellent work, you two." Her expression fell as she looked over to Cerys. She hadn't noticed it, but Ryrax had done more than blast them with a psi wave. Jagged spikes of ice had grown and shot off of his back in the same action, riddling Cerys with frozen daggers. "Cerys!" Mythia exclaimed in shock as she rushed over to the injured woman.

 

[Cyrionessa]

Cerys' black-furred body morphed back into her human form slowly. "....ow...." The pain was much more excruciating than a simple "ow" could explain. She tried to reach down to pull out one of the many ice daggers covering her body but she gave a small whimper when she tried. A wretched cough came from her throat, bringing blood with it and down onto the ground. "....is...Ryrax....okay?" The words were barely more than a whisper but Cerys' eyes were focused on the unmoving form of Ryrax.

 

[Ixidor92]

Jaeger let the crimson sheen fade from his limbs. He resisted the urge to spit on Ryrax as he walked past, instead focusing on Cerys.


"Worry about yourself right now dammit!"


Rather hypocriteical, considering he'd nearly had his wings torn off. The man moved next to Cerys, putting a hand on her


"Listen. These need to come out, and your body needs to warm up. Understand?"

 

[Cyrionessa]

Cerys nodded and tried to speak but instead fell to coughing up blood again. The coughing made her roll over onto her side, showing a single ice dagger that was sticking through her back and dangerously close to her heart. She didn't even seem to notice that ice dagger though as she looked up at Jaeger with eyes that said "get it over with."

 

[Twizinator]

Mythia put an arm in front of Jaeger. "Not yet. If you remove those now, she could very well die of blood loss. Let me handle this." Suddenly a trio of healers arrived, all under Mythia's command. She'd messaged for them as soon as she saw how injured Cerys was. "Can you save her?" She asked the man at the head of the group.


"Of course," he answered with a nod. "We won't be able to move her to a bed the medical building until she's stabilized, but we can accomplish that much in minutes." He knelt down next to Cerys, placing a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. "A bit on the cold side..." he muttered, "not surprising given her opponent and the level of violence that bastard deals in..." He offered Cerys a small but confident smile. "Don't worry miss. You'll be just fine with us here." The other two healers knelt by her, one on her other side and one at her head. They placed their palms over her body and began channeling.


"What about you, Jaeger?" Mythia asked. "You look pretty banged up. You should see a healer, too."

 

[Ixidor92]

"I'll be fine. I heal quick."


Jaeger stood up, taking a good look at the woman standing in front of him


"Who are you? I don't recognize you from the Xevren family, and you seem to know this one--"


Menace creeped into Jaeger's words as he motioned to where Ryrax was lying down


"--Fairly well."

 

[Twizinator]

"My name is Mythia," she responded. "As for my relationship to Ryrax, he would describe me as his mother, but I do not feel qualified to accept that honorable title. I found him at the ruins of the Omeraan estate, his former clan. He is the only known survivor of that family." She paused before deciding to address that tone Jaeger had taken momentarily. "I do not blame you for disliking Ryrax. However, he's far more deserving of your respect than you know. And though I have stated I do not feel qualified to say I am his mother, he is a treasured son to me." She paused, and when she next spoke her words rang with psionic power. "I would appreciate you not referring to him with such a tone again, or I may have you beg on your knees for forgiveness. Am I understood?" To accentuate her point, her mind-influencing words brought Jaeger to a knee before he would have realized he'd moved. She took a breath to calm down, and smiled serenely. "Sorry about that. Protective maternal nature, I guess. I know he can be an ass, but he really is a good man at heart. He's just...had a lot of shit thrown at him, frankly."

 

[Ixidor92]

Jaeger stood up, but the look in his eyes wasn't one of awe or respect. It was a quiet fury


"I don't care if he's 'had a lot of shit thrown at him'. I have too, but I don't go around threatening other people's families because of it."


The young man walked back over to Cerys


"I have been given no reason to believe there is a shred of good in that man."

 

[Twizinator]

Mythia sighed. "I guess I can't dispute that, but I promise you that someday, you will see it. At least, I pray that you do. This...feral-ness of his is something I've been investigating for years. I cannot go into specifics, but I aim to free him of it soon." She was smiling serenely again, not that Jaeger was looking. "If you treat him with respect, I bet he'll do the same to you." She glanced over at the unconscious man. "He's an ass sometimes but-"


She stopped as she noticed that Ryrax was awake. He'd turned his head and his left eye was wide and staring at the form of Cerys on the ground. His eye showed shock and something resembling fear, not something Mythia had ever seen in him. "Ryrax?" she said cautiously. The man didn't respond immediately but forced himself up, standing on weakened legs and pale-faced.


"I...what did I..." he muttered, still staring at Cerys. He glanced around him, at the chaos of destroyed turf and tree, and at the battered Jaeger. "I did all of this..." his eye returned to Cerys. "I did that...to her..."


"Yes, you did," the man who'd spoken earlier chimed in, serious but not bothering to even look at Ryrax. "You certainly make our lives difficult, Mad Wol-"


"Enough!" Mythia snapped, hushing her underling immediately with a glare. She turned a concerned eye to her adopted son. "It's alright, Ryrax, she's going to be just fine. Come on, we should be almost ready to move her to the medical building, I'm sure she'd want you to-"


"No," Rryax interrupted, retreating several steps backwards. "I can't...I can't," he muttered, before turning on his heel and taking a few shaky steps deeper into the forest.


"Ryrax," Mythia began, advancing towards him, "Please, come b-"


"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Ryrax shouted over his shoulder, breathing heavily, and Mythia stopped dead in her tracks, shocked. Ryrax grit his teeth and lifted into the air, flying deep into the forest and disappearing into the trees as night approached.


"Mythia..." the chief healer began softly, "We are ready to move Cerys now."


Mythia swallowed hard as she turned back to the rest of the people here, letting Ryrax go with a heavy heart. "Very well. Let's move." What had struck her most was not his words, or that he'd cut her off, or that he'd shouted at her. It was the look in his eye, and the tone of his voice. She'd heard him sound manic, furious, irritated, lonely, gleeful, condescending...but she'd never heard him so anguished or desperate.


-----


Oliver was relaxing in his assigned bed in the medical building, staring at the ceiling in boredom, when he heard a small group of people enter. On a far bed he saw a young woman he recognized as the Demon Cat placed. Three healers, a winged man he was pretty sure was named Jaeger, and that woman Mythia stood around her. Whatever had happened, that cat girl looked in serious condition. Who could have done that to someone as notoriously ferocious as she?

 

[Ixidor92]

Within the Maveret household, Odom found the head of house sitting down cross-legged in front of a large bronze statue. The figure had twelve arms, each with a different weapon. All around the room were different weapons, from the smallest dagger to the largest pole arm. Oddly enough, the only weapons on the head himself were a pair of kodachi he wore at his waist.


"Please sit Odom."


He spoke without turning around as the young man entered, waiting for him to comply. When he had done so, the head stood up and turned around.


"First of all, my apologies for interrupting your fight, but I needed you in top shape, and this cannot wait."


He pulled out a scroll from the folds of his robe and set it down in front of Odom


"Our holding in the east mountains has not sent a message to us in two days. Thirteen hours have passed since the latest acceptable report, and we have nothing. I need someone to investigate who can go across the land unhindered, and who can report back should things have taken a turn for the worse."

 

[HilgenHoffer]

Odom cocked his head to one side. "I accept, of course . . . but should this duty not fall to the worthy Aatron? The winds favor him above me. He could fly there in two days' time.

 

[Ixidor92]

"Aatron shall accompany you."


The head held his hands in front of him, within the folds of his robe.


"Unfortunately, I was unable to stop his fight before it finished, and he sustained significant trauma. He's received medical attention, and I'll expect the two of you to head out in the morning."

 

[HilgenHoffer]

Odom almost laughed out loud at the thought of riding side-saddle on the back of Aatron's naginata. He managed to stifle it to a thick chortle. "If you think that is wise, Father . . ." He turned on his heel, stepping jauntily now towards the door as the thought of the infinite possibilities of his new quest. "I will accompany the noble Son to the East."

 

[Ixidor92]

"May the ancestors watch your steps Odom."


The head gave a short nod to the young man as he left. They likely wouldn't be flying, but at least the two of them together could cover most any ground.


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


Four more days have passed now. The incident from before seems nearly forgotten, as houses continue to go about their business as usual. The tournament continues, with the heads making appearances once more.


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


Jaeger flexed his wings shortly after waking up and crawling off the mattress. They seemed to have fully healed from the strain that creature had put on them a few days back. He was planning on visiting Cerys again today, to make sure that her recovery was going well. She had certainly suffered more damage than he had.


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


"Odom, we need to get moving."


Aatron was already rolling up his sleeping bag as the sun started to peer its way over the horizon. he wasn't 100% better yet, but the majority of the trauma Aatron had suffered was now healed. If all went well, the two of them would reach the outpost today, and they could find out what was going on.


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


At the Vejta residence, several were surprised by the appearance of a young woman from the Trevastos family appeared first thing in the morning. She was apparently a messenger, asking for Rudd by name.

 

[Twizinator]

An impressively short woman was strolling through the streets, her auburn ponytail bobbing side to side with each step. She was equal parts frustrated and worried, as she'd not seen hide or hair of the Mad Wolf in days. He had not been at the forest he'd said he would, and anyone she asked just raised an eyebrow and wouldn't say anything. As the days passed, she'd managed to get some information out of the commoners' tight lips. Apparently he'd disappeared after a fight with two Xevrens. Nobody else would say anything more but finally one of the Vejta guys let slip that he'd been seen with the Demon Cat of the Xevren.


Unfortunately, this same Demon Cat was currently in the med wing for severe injuries, but as she walked in the direction of the medical wing, she saw a pair of white leathery wings in front of her. She blinked as she realized who their owner was. "Hey! You! Jaeger, right?" Silia shouted, running to catch up to the young man. She looked up at him with her large, deep green eyes, ready to interrogate him. Or at least try to. "You know the Demon Cat, right? Is she conscious yet? Do you think she'd let me talk to her?"

 

[Ninja_Onions]

Gerza turned slowly on his side, then scooted to the edge of his bed before slowly turning himself upright to avoid vertigo. "Bleh, maybe being comatose wasn't the worst thing in the world." He said, shakily standing up while bracing himself on the bed. He was just now barely on his third day awake, and his second where he was allowed to move about. He slowly shuffled over to a large chair before sitting slowly in it. "Ugh, I wonder if Mythia will want to actually 'talk' talk now that I'm awake. He asked one of the attending to fetch his bag, which was much heavier than it looked due to all the large tomes in it. He pulled out a pad and some charcoal, much to his chagrin that he didn't have a pen to write with as his old one broke. "Now, time to see what I still remember from those word, runes, whatever they were." He said, as he wrote down a simple levitation spell, and began carefully writing over the words while making sure not to fully obscure them. "I think...that should...finished." He said, smiling as he put the charcoal back. "Now, time to test it." He read the words on the paper slowly, while thinking about the spell he had written, but also the second subscripts over it. The paper started to float, slowly at first, before rocketing up to the top of the tent and putting a paper sized hole in the fabric. "...Whoa."

 

[Cyrionessa]

Cerys was laying in the medical wing, the very over-protective Coran watching over her dutifully from his desk. As Estelle's friend, he was going to take extra special care of her. He also wanted to see if he could arrange for Cerys to see Estelle in the estate. The Head hadn't said no visitors so he was hopeful.


Cerys stared out the window blankly. The pain was gone but she was still stuck here. She hadn't spent this much time in the medical bay in...well...ever. No one had ever managed to land that many hits on her. Ever. Her inquiries as to where Ryrax was now had been met with sour looks from Coran. She had avoided asking Jaeger but she was pretty sure she couldn't afford to not ask him now.


----


Estelle was staring out a window as well but her eyes were focused on the distant Trevastos estate that she could see faintly in the distance. Her thoughts had been quite focused on a singular thing: how to speed up the Trevastos' Valk's recovery. She knew that his mother was a healer of some good name but no healer could match the healing artes of the Naejor Family. Her inquiries to her father about the possibility had garnered no answer, since it seemed like he had simply ignored the question.