Open Chronicles Levels of Light

[Naghi]

Kellen didn't drink. Why the fuck would he? It was like walking up and asking to be poisoned. He glanced at the cup that was brought to him for a moment, though that was all he did.

Then he turned his gaze towards the other man.

He still felt the odd tugging, but ignored it as best he could. Right now was not the time to explore any sort of strange magic, not when there was something at stake. Best to focus on the problem at hand. His fingers tightened for a moment, and then he began to speak. "I have a business proposition, from Alliria."

"My employer." Whom did not exist. "Needs someone to run goods into Elbion for him."

Mainly the sort those who ran the city did not want. "Access has proven...difficult."

 

[Finn]

Bossman ran the back of his hand across his mouth, setting the mug o'ale down.

"For help with this, we'd obviously want a cut. One you'd think is fair, I'm sure. And if we can help you with Elbion perhaps you can help us with Alliria."

Alliria wasn't an access problem. That city was a real craphole. He just needed more protection so the goods they wanted to smuggle in wouldn't keep getting picked off by the rival gangs.

Finn stood, rolling up her scrolls and edged out the back door. The open air on the roof called to her. And she wanted to test something.

 

[Naghi]

"Of course." A cut was only fair.

Criminals were liars, generally untrustworthy, and mostly terrible people, but they weren't fools. Everyone had to get paid otherwise the whole system would fall apart.

Then people would die.

Kellen glanced around for a moment, frowning as he felt that odd tugging feeling suddenly disappear. Was there a mage present? Had to be...though they just left the room.

"I can make a deal." He told the other man. "My employer trusts me with that."

 

[Finn]

The bearded boss-man stroked his salty beard and nodded slowly. "We'll work out a deal. Just know if you ever double-cross me or this gang in this city it won't end well. I'll have one of my members write up the particulars in an agreement and deliver it to you. Where should they meet you?"

He shifted in his seat, eyeing the door an a lawkeeper walked by outside.

"Probably be ready by noon, tomorrow."

 

[Naghi]

He waved his hand dismissively. "The Sideways unicorn."

It was the Inn that Kellen had taken lodging at.

The place was nice enough, if a bit dingy. A great benefit of the spot was the innkeeper. Kellen had always been good at reading people, and the woman who owned the Sideways Unicorn was perhaps the most protective of her clients that he had ever met. Pay her, treat her well, and that woman would die for you.

It was nice in a way.

"About your crew." Might as well be straightforward. 'Any mages? I know they're common enough here."

In Elbion failed apprentices were all over.

 

[Finn]

Surprise, then suspicion crossed the bearded man's face. It wasn't exactly an uncommon question. Though, the families tended to scoop up anyone with magic potential. And those that didn't want to be scooped up tended to disappear real quick. The Marauder's Gang had some lent to them from time-to-time by their benefactor but it wasn't like the average gang member was one. And the bossman preferred it that way. Too much of a wild card and too hard to control.

Finn didn't even cross his mind, though, he knew the benefactor was extremely interested in the girl - for whatever reason. Magic should've crossed his mind with the interest level but it didn't. But that was neither here nor there.

"None that I know of," he half lied. "Why you interested?"

 

[Naghi]

"It's Elbion." Kellen lied casually.

There were of course rumors that criminal gangs in this city had the benefit of mages at their behest. Kellen wasn't entirely sure if such a thing was true, but the odd pulling of his own abilities told him it was.

Even if this man didn't know it.

"One has to wonder." He explained. "I've heard the College has an awful lot of apprentices who..."

The Underlord lulled his head as though he were thinking, though in truth he was panning his gaze over those in the bar, searching for anyone that was missing. "Find the disciplines tough to learn."

He chuckled.

 

[Finn]

Finn was on the roof strapping a contraption on her back. They were a set of wings made out of molded leather. She was calling it a glider. Boots stepped up to the edge, fingers clenching the straps around her shoulders.

She’d done enough theoretical tests.

So. In theory, she wouldn’t go splat when she stepped off the roof.

In theory.

The boss gave a halfhearted chuckle at Kellen. “One does have to wonder,” was his response with no further explanation or pontification. Standing, the criminal extended a hand to Kellen, clearly signaling the end of the meeting.

“Tomorrow. Sideways Unicorn.”

Finn inched closer to the ledge....just....about to....step.......off.

 

[Naghi]

Kellen shook the mans hand, and then nodded.

There was nothing else to really say. He had come here to make a deal and expand the business, it now appeared that he'd done just that.

Really nothing to complain about. "See you there."

Kellen doubted he would. A boss generally didn't do anything themselves unless they absolutely had to. For him it was different of course, but only because of his abilities.

Going to Elbion was a pain, but it was also a learning experience. He would learn more control here, forcing himself into a situation where his powers put him at risk. It was a dumb thing to do, but it was what was necessary so that he could survive.

Stepping outside the cold breeze struck him, Kellen pulling his cloak tighter was he was unaware of the woman on the roof above.

 

[Finn]

A yelping EEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep left her mouth as her boots hit air and instead of plummeting, her small form caught an up-draft. Finn felt the tug and pull along where the contraption was strapped on her back and shoulders. The leather and hodge-podge of forged parts held.

If the boss caught her doing this, he probably wouldn't be too happy. Neither would the authorities. But all Finn could think about was the wind and flying. And not hitting Kellen as she sailed over him.

Feet dangled over the heads of a few folk in the street below, heads turned her way. All was going great until it didn't. With a slight shift in the wind, the left wing smacked against one of the buildings lining the street. She bounced off the building one more time before spiraling down to the street in a tangled pile of limbs, equipment, and hay.

 

[Naghi]

The moons weren't too bright here, not like they were in Alliria, but they were bright enough that when Finn sailed over him a shadow was cast.

Almost immediately Kellen's head jerked up, glancing just in time to see some sort of...wing? Dragon?

The underlord wasn't quite sure why his mind immediately jumped to that. Dragons were rare, even where there was no one. Why would one risk going to a city. More likely it was a bird or an owl...but it had been too big to be anything normal. Some sort of magical beast?

He cursed.

Perhaps the mages here used them as a form of surveillance.

Lips thinned and then his head shook as he began to jog in the direction of where the wing had flown too. He had to find out what the hell it was.

 

[Finn]

"Ermoowww," Finn groaned. Blonde hair tangled with straw. Head lifted slowly. Luckily where she fell, it wasn't too crowded. And that time of night.

Blues squinted in the twin moon's light.

Laying on her back, she glanced over, noting the right wing was clipped. Fingers scrambled to the straps that wove over her shoulders. She had to get this thing off and get moving. Authorities might be close by. Still, couldn't help the slightly dopey grin of relief on her face.

"Rusty bolts, it actually worked."

Kind of. Sort of. Mostly.

 

[Naghi]

Kellen came before the authorities. "Wings, huh?"

His voice rang out through the dark, a song within the moonlight. Amusement floated through his tone of voice, but even more than that...curiosity.

What the hell had she been doing.

"That's new." For him anyway. "Interesting though."

Slowly the Underlord stepped from the darkness and towards the girl.

 

[Finn]

Skinny, curved shoulders tensed. Head swiveled, pale-blue eyes finding the man behind the voice. She squinted, then realized who it was. Mixed feelings at it being the same man from the square but not the authorities stirred in her chest.

One hand finally managed to free herself from one wing. She teetered up into a kneeling position, facing Kellen but clearly still encumbered by her contraption.

“Figured you’d be long gone by now. Got what you wanted.”

It was a statement and not a question. It was clear the young woman already had a fairly strong opinion of the man who’d been rather demanding.

 

[Naghi]

"Did I?" He seemed amused by those words.

Kellen had come to Elbion for more than one reason, but of course there was no reason for the girl to know that. Not ever, really. Still, he noted that odd tugging beginning once more.

A frown touched his lips, quickly replaced by the same old common smirk.

"I got part of it." He admitted with that cocky grin. "But not the half of what I actually want."

Cryptic, but that's half of everything he said.

 

[Finn]

Finn eyed him suspiciously, scrambling to get off the last strap. Then she harumphed at his response. "Seems like you're a difficult man to please, Kellen."

That's right. She knew his name from the whole set-up the meeting to talk to the boss thing.

Snap-pop.

The strap finally came undone and she tugged her second arm free, rocking back on her heels. Kellen would certainly feel something but what exactly was hard to say. It wouldn't be like anything he'd ever felt with magic before. It would be different enough to wonder.

Finn knew she was different but Gristle warned her not to tell anyone.

There was a shout down the street. "HEY YOU!" Authorities. And not just any authorities. Mage authorities.

Finn scrambled to pack up the pieces of her wings.

"As much as I'd love to talk more...," she really wouldn't love that.

 

[Naghi]

There was an instant pull.

He could feel it, like a pulse almost. It was subtle at first as they approached, but as they came rushing forward and his own blood pressure began to spike the effects became so much more obvious. Kellen half turned, the mages rushing towards him and the girl.

A frown touched his lips, and then he took a breath. His palm folded open for a moment, then drew to a close.

In an instant power flooded into him. He ignored the usual barriers, didn't try to fight or do anything to get away from his own abilities. The powers held by the two Mage Guards sapped away, and Kellen could see the confusion dawn on them.

A mixture of strength filled him, elements.

Earth and...something else he did not know. Lips thinned, but his body twisted and then suddenly two stone pillars rose from the earth and struck the two guards before they could even flinch.

 

[Finn]

Finn tensed, scrambling to get her wings back into the pack.

“What,” she breathed as the stone struck the guards. Kellen said he wasn’t a mage. She saw him use air. And now earth? There was a shout behind her. Turning, blues widened as a fire mage came from the other direction. His yell and aggression were directed at Kellen, only, she was in the way.

The girl ducked, hands coming up instinctively as the flame built, fire screaming through the air toward them.

Then nothing.

As quickly as it came, nothing.

It dispersed around Finn, as if she had some sort of invisible shield. Or like she was a dead zone to magic. It was very unusual.

The guard stumbled in surprise but didn’t stop. He was reaching a hand out to grab her.

 

[Naghi]

A rock came flying to the air.

This time it wasn't magic though, nope, just a man who'd developed a killer arm in his time on the streets of Alliria. The rock knocked against the guards head, a loud crack ringing out as bone broke and the firemage collapsed onto the ground with a loud thunk.

Kellen stood staring for a moment, watching Finn before he spoke. "This way."

He pointed not towards the bar that they had came from, but instead towards and alleyway that was just to the left of where they were standing.

Elbion was not his home, but before coming here he'd made sure that he had a safe house...or two. He knew that if they went back to the bar the Guards would likely find them, and at this point Kellen couldn't afford the girl to get captured.

Plus, that wasn't even mentioning what he'd just seen.

 

[Finn]

The young woman stared at the...bodies. Adrenaline was still pumping through her system. But she felt...frozen. Kellen’s voice seemed a long ways off.

She found herself nodding to the words she barely grasped. Fingers came up to her neck as if she could feel the hanging noose around it already.

“We’re going to hang,” she murmured, frozen, wanting to move but unable. Shock was a nasty business. More harmful than magic. For the moment.

 

[Naghi]

"Go!" Kellen snapped.

The men on the floor groaned loudly, catching an eye from him for a few seconds before he assessed that none of them would be standing soon. One of them might have been dead.

In the moment he didn't particularly care about that though. No one on the streets had been watching them, and the lit houses around them would make identifying them impossible. They were just a man and a woman in a city of thousands. Finding them would be impossible.

If they got out of there now.

Grabbing the girl by the arm Kellen yanked her forward, pulling her towards the alleyway.

 

[Finn]

Feet were moving. That tug on her inked arm. The girl blinked as she was numbly lead forward. Unconscious bodies turned into the grime and grit of an alleyway turned into a new street with quiet storefronts. Broken wing hung awkwardly out the back of her pack.

She wanted to get back to Gristle. He'd know what to do.

The numbness and shock began to fade, like a curtain dropping. Fingers balled into a fist and she tried to pull her arm free from Kellen's grasp.

"Where are we going? What are you?"

 

[Naghi]

"I could say the same to you." Kellen commented as he motioned to the left and moved quickly down another alleyway.

He allowed her to shake his grasp, though only because there was no reason to hang on to her.

Not like she was his prisoner or anything.

"Those Guards are going to be looking for us." He told her, not really wanting to get into the specifics of...well pretty much anything. A frown touched his lips as he noticed that odd magical...what was it? He couldn't really tell. Too off, too odd. "We need to get out of the city."

Otherwise they'd end up in a prison cell. "At least for the night."

 

[Finn]

He could say the same to her.

She too, didn't offer any explanation. There wasn't time. Nor was this the place. Nor did she actually have any answers. She was an orphan with an unknown past of origin. She only remembered growing up on the streets. The gang. Nothing before.

"Okay," she agreed quietly, following Kellen closely. She couldn't help the glance or two behind her shoulder. Only for a night.

Hopefully, that would be long enough with no wanted posters with their faces showing up.

"How far out of the city?"

 

[Naghi]

Kellen slowed his jog down to a walk, knowing full well that running through the city streets was about as suspicious as murdering a group of guards.

Never wanted to run at night. Not if you wanted to get away. "How far do the Guards patrol?"

That was really what would decide all of this. If the guards patrolled even the slums outside Elbion then they would have to go to the nearest village. It would only be for a few days...hopefully, but long enough that the Guards at least wouldn't be looking for a pair like them.

Too much time for them to hunt.

Kellen suddenly came to a stop, sticking out his arm and stopping Finn from leaving the alleyway they were in. A second later a guard patrol walked by.