Completed Misty Trails, A Peaceful Disturbance.

[Lapis The Hidden Dragon]

After a long and almost fruitless journey, Lapis returns to Elbion from solo training, bruised and tattered. Since being attuned with the elements, he's also had a great connection with animals(seeing as he is one). A pack of wolves helped guide him to the lake where he often goes to scry or recover.
"Thank you so much for your help *cough* I may not have made it with you"
He gives a sheepish grin as the wolves whine and lick him like a pet dog does to it's owner.
"Oh, don't be sad! I won't go down that easily! Ha! That was nothing. Now, let me scry..."
As night falls, in the light of the moon, the wolves howl along with the flowing magic surrounding the man. This howl was low and concentrated as if it was a chant. The pool glows a bewitching Sky blue as a sigil appears on its surface. He then steps onto the sigil, and sinks into the glowing pool of mana where only his head shows. He sighs as his wounds begin to heal, his armor restored, mana regenerated. He exits the water as if it hadn't touched him and gives the area one more look through to make sure there weren't any wandering eyes.
"-OK, you can do this-"
He shakes himself before removing his clothes. The last garment was a jewel around his neck that seemed to contain the moon's light within it. His eyes close and the bright light grows brighter and the wolves' collective howl becomes louder as his body is no longer visible and a scaly gentle beast replaces it. A jewel of the same cut now longer visible. The pack surrounds the beast and all lay down around the beast and take turns taking watch. As the large dragon slumbers, a dense fog begins to spread throughtout the surrounding area. The wolves return to their dens, the lad all alone again. . .

 

[Lapis The Hidden Dragon]

As dawn breaks through, the fog thickens as the dragon continues to slumber by the small lake. Beginning just moments after leaving Elbion and, if you are able to find your way out, ends 30 meters northwest. This new phenomenon has caught the attention of several folks throughout the city and trickled down to the general public making them feel a little uneasy about the situation. Few have entered the fog and none have comeback unharmed. The only thing that can be heard is a bone chilling roar of pain and agony that shifts from a beast to a humanoid and back. The young lad at the center of this occurance screams as he hears the cries of innocent lives being taken.
"No! get *ngh* back! *cough* ROAR!"
"Let us help you!"
"NOOOO! AAHHH!"
Screams of terror fill the air is the man within the fog cries as he continues to shift back and forth between human and dragon. The air surrounding the dense fog is so crisp that it could slice through brick with ease.
"What's wrong with me? I'm sure I did the spell right. I've haven't lost control in so long. It's. . . so cold. . ."
Lapis is slowly losing consciousness, unable to thorughly rationalize his predicament making him uneasy. He can't succumb to the festering dragon within him, what can he do subdue the beasts rage and what triggered it to begin with? His draconic half seeking nothing but bloodlust is unnatural and foreign to him. In the midst of his mental battle, he begins to remember the only time he lost control of his dragon form around his birth which led to his imprisonment in the tower and his slumber.

 

[Hieronymus Pangloss]

Hieron stared at the fog. Thick and dense as a finely woven veil. The winds that whipped and sliced any adventurer fool enough to move toward it.

Not the smartest thing to involve yourself with, Hieron old friend, the hat, named Harold, said from atop his head. Its wide brim shading the old wizard, who held firmly onto his white birch staff. The Feather of Ignition, and the Feather of Mitigation polar to each other as they hung suspended and parallel to the staff's run.

Red robed, the wizard puffed on his long cherry wood pipe. The sticky green herb inside crackled and hissed, and he let out a "Yes, perhaps you are right in that," he muttered from behind the curtain of smoke that plumed before his lips.

Guards were mustering behind him, and it would only be a matter of time till more official means were enacted. Monster Hunters, Knights, whoever wanted to glory of taking down such a violent entity.

The old wizard tamped his pipe against his palm, and held the ash there upon a small pile upon his left hand. His staff rested against his right shoulder as his right hand put away the pipe, and pulled a vial of magicked blue ink from his belt. Poured it into his palm, and whispered sweet knocking words to the ink and the ash. It stirred and bubbled and reacted, turned to a small dragon shaped sprite.

"Hieron," the little thing crackled with toothy delight.

"Arkimydos,"

The sprite dragon turned its blue head to see the carnage unfolding. "In need of some assistance I see,"

The old wizard arched a brow. "That is a way to put it,"

"He has a death wish," his hat croaked.

Hieron smirked, wistful, and stepped toward the maelstrom of rampant magic. The small dragon sprite dissipated into a cloud of shimmering silvery blue dust, near impossible to see, save for a ripple here and a pulse there as the winds buffeted its field.

---

Lapis The Hidden Dragon

 

[Lapis The Hidden Dragon]

As the old wizard entered the fog, Lapis' eyes flashed brightly for just a moment. His thoughts raced and his mind cleared.
"Wait, I know that scent. Is it really you or one of your descendents? If it's really you, then please help me like you did back then."
He releases a four small, weak bolts of frost in cardinal directions from him hoping that the person with the scent of familiarity will sense his location. Suddenly, he hears a small crackling noise. The air around him begins to whip and whirr as the fog condenses swirling around the young man. Lapis looks down at his stone surging with so much power that it begins to break.
"Oh no. OH NO NO NO NO! This can't be happening!"
Panic begins to set in as the realization of his predicament's revealed to him. He's forms have only split once before. His eyes glow again. The lingering scent of remembrance wafts through the air growing stronger, then weaker. -Where are they?- he thought to himself unsure of any specifics of the individual who entered the fog. It grows restless once more as he starts losing control again. The spirit inside of him speaks as he shifts again. The dragon's voice was boomed like raging thunder and twisted like lifeless trees as it spoke.
"Why do resist me, boy? You never let me out to play anymore."
Lapis knew that this wasn't himself talking. His Humanoid and draconic forms have never felt separate before. It has always felt like himself, but this was different. His draconic half felt like it's own consciousness. It's own being. Was dragon stone corrupted? Were his two forms becoming separate entities? Who was responsible for this? Inside the beast, he tried to access his memories and find out what he could've possibly missed. It laughed as cruel and demented as the Wicked Witch of the West.
"Oooh, I know what you're trying to do. You won't be able to rid yourself of this impurity that easily huehuehuehuehue""-Shit! How'd he lock me out of my own head?-" He thought to himself feeling around their combined consciousness. Luckily, Lapis was able to locate an exit in order to regain control of his body and shift back. At this point, Lapis is unable to access his powers via dragon stone. Instead, he must rely solely on his intermediary magical skill. Lapis tried using a sealing spell to force the separate consciousness into their body. If he succeeds, this will send the dragon body into "Sleep Mode", rendering it unresponsive which will prevent anymore injuries or deaths.
"Get out of my head! Get away from those innocent people. Don't be such a coward and hide behind my larger form! Get in here and fight me!"
It laughs again even more twisted than the last " Oooh, you're soo convincing. haha I don't have time to entertain you. If I wanted you dead, I would've killed you already." The dragon opens its jaws wide and gnashes its teeth before letting loose another terrifying roar; this one sounded ferocious and enraged instead of out of fear or terror.

 

[Hieronymus Pangloss]

What wicked energies surged ahead of him. A thing that felt not of this world. Ice and wind howled and spat. Bolts of frost magic crashed against the shimmering shield.

"Hieron, probably best to turn back, don't you think?" Herold mumbled from atop the wizard's head.

Hieron just smushed down the wide brimmed cap, more to shut it up, than anything to do with the wild winds howling. Inside his negation field, he felt not their push, nor the ice's pull. Powerful as the magic was, it was a wild thing, easy to direct, and guide across the spherical run of his spellwork.

Runework glyphs spun and clocked in rapid bands of glittering signs. When one blew out, the shimmering ink swirled and scribed upon the aetheric surface a new. Refreshed the code. Reworked the cypher.

Through the mist came the howling form. What madness it spout, Hieron could not truly understand. A thing like a dragon, but not in the next moment. Dead lay all around. But Hieron could not think on that.

"You!" he called out to the figure swirled in chaotic mist and energies, his own spellweave still knit tight. Still at work redirecting and rebuffing what madness came his way. "Are attracting quite a lot of attention for yourself!" Hieron's eyes could see the cold trails of ice magic that frosted across the ground. Eeach seemed to point in a different direction, the cardinal flows.

Hieron let out long breath, and stabbed his staff into the earth. The red feather and the blue feather, one up, one down, fanned out as he struck a hand out, with fingers clawed and grasping at the arcane surge. He let out long breath, and swept his hand from left to right in wide sweep. Flicked his wrist as if to conduct the discordant music of the creature's magic.

Guided its flow to steadier streams. Let it out in a way that made more music, and less dissonance. His own shield of magic ate in the energy, grew stronger. For negation, truly, cost more than redirection, and he was wise enough to know the ways of syphoning.

"Bring peace to your heart, strange one! Less you wish doom find us both!" the old wizard in red robes called out.

 

[Lapis The Hidden Dragon]

Lapis used a spell to scry and peer through his invader's eyes. The wizard finally caught up to him. The older figure that stood before him wasn't a decendent, however he did smell almost identical. The strong scent that wafted in the air allowed Lapis to reminisce. It was at this point that, through the power of magic, a visage of the one trapped inside was able to stand before the beast. Teeth gnashing hysterically. Just then, everything seemed to halt. The visage looked at the old wizard as the draconic form was immobilized.
"You carry the scent a familiarity, yet you are a stranger to me. I'll have to make this quick, I'm not sure who you are, but I need your help. There is a stone located on his tail, I can regain control if you can fix the crack. If you have something up your sleeve it has to be fast. I'm only able to counter myself for so long."
The dragon speaks once more in a malicous tone."I'm a monster a vicious beast who has murdered innocent people I can still hear their screams. Begging for mercy from their false gods! HA! Let them grovel! You will all become my statues, frozen in time with those pathetic looks of terror, lest I ever forget."
The man speaks directly to the creature in a tone that can only be described as a marshmallow. "You are not a monster. Accidents happen and people die. However, the stunt you're pulling right now is no accident. Now, sleep and let us reconcile and repent for our crimes."
He looks the old wizard directly in the eyes and gives but a genntle nod before dissipating like smoke. The storm is briefly softened to a more controllable state. Inside, the boy is fighting within himself to keep his outer body asleep. The stone in question is a large crystalline gem, about the size of a size 13 bowling ball, in the shape of a teardrop that bursts with powerful magic is affixed to a bracer-like object placed on the dragon's tail. When approached, a gash seems to be growing through the middle of it and branches throughout it. It seems to continue to grow slowly.
Inside, Lapis's consciousness is slowly fading as he is just barely keeping himself at bay. The power within the stone is being released dramatically, he knows he won't be able to control it for much longer. He hopes the wizard is able to return him to normal. He may be able to finally reach his goals with someone who is exceptionally adept all many types of magic. He starts to slip again. . .

Hieronymus Pangloss

 

[Hieronymus Pangloss]

The scent of familiarity. Not a phrase he was partial to. Did it hold some secret meaning? An arcane link to something more?

The creature went on, spoke of a stone upon its tale. Of countering themselves. How odd.

Come a new voice. A harsh tone that grated the senses. It knew what it had done. Had ripped people apart. Yet the smaller voice tries to sooth them.

Most curious indeed.

The storm dissipates, and the stone upon its tail revealed. It glows with great power, and Hieron can feel the two spirits inside, vying for control of the beast's body.

"Well," with staff in hand, Hieron strokes his beard.

"Well?" Harold, his hat, replies.

"Suppose it would be best to seal this then,"

"Less you want the Templars dealing with this,"

Hieron huffed. "No, certainly not,"

"Or the Foard?"

A grim smile. Hieron flicked his hand out, held firm in his right his staff the feathers of ignition and mitigation spun upon their own vertical axis as magic wove about the old wizard.

With three quick gestures, Hieron sent three motes of blue light. Glyphs that were traced silver and blue. Redirection. Binding. Limitation. They formed a triangle about the large crystal. He felt its power near shatter their weave, and the binding they formed. His fingers trembled, but he pinched them tight. Like birds beak. His hand flicked up, saw a forth mote of blue form there above the crystal.

Nullification.

The strain on his mind mounted. He let out a breath.

"Easy now," Harold warned. "You aren't dealing with a typical rogue mage here,"

Hieron smirked. "Come now," he said with rumble and growl. His fingers still pinched, his hand still raised to that point where he had set the fourth glyph.

His hand dashed down. The fifth seal sparked into being

Containment.

The four glyphs burned bright. Beams of blue spread to each point. The edges of magical facets. A prism was formed. The walls of which shrunk down. Applied pressure to the crystal. Saw to its currents of magic, wild and unstable. Gave them structure. Redirection. If they were properly aligned. They would heal alone.

If, his spell worked.

Lapis The Hidden Dragon

 

[Lapis The Hidden Dragon]

As the old wizard finished his spell, the storm whipped for but a moment before the surrounding area was restored, as if the clocked reversed. Inside, the boy nearly froze, being consumed by his own inablity to overcome his fear, now realized and manifested, infecting his psyche and the outside world. Thoughts and words from terrified voices filled his area; "Monstrous, Destructive, Hellish, Beastial, Insatiable"."I did that" He repeated to himself as his mind wandered and the vision of when he was but a child flashed before his eyes again. As Lapis relives these memories, the fear he felt when he turned for the first time without any warning came rushing back. "No, Stop!" he screamed as the tears rolled down his face as he watched his large form destroy and freeze an entire village. "I can't do it, why can't I control it?" The scene that he is surrounded by shifts between his past and the present outside. Showing him the parallels between the two. He sees the dead bodies as the blizzard rages, he sees the old man who he doesn't recognize, but notices how he smells. All of this has already passed. The glyphs combine and take and take form from Lapis' subconscious. It speaks ruggedly as it mirrors his current image and shifts between his child and current form while talking."You can control it. You aren't some scared little boy anymore, so quit acting like it!" It's snarky response seems too a little out of character and quite a shock to him. "You need to come to terms with what you've or you are destined to repeat it. Back then, you had no idea what was going on or what you were. It wasn't your fault."
"I was all alone. . . they called me a monster, a terrible beast.""You were never alone. You just felt like you were. Now, go. Bring peace to your heart" It echoes the words of the wizard assiting him.
With waterfalls still rolling down his face, Lapis slowly walks, and then run towards the scene from his past and hold the small boy that's laying down in the middle of a desolated city, holding him tight and comforting him.
"Hey, it's OK. I've got you now. I know it hurts now, but I promise it wasn't your fault. You'll learn that those horrible things that people said to you weren't true. You're brave, strong and full of charisma. You're a real charmer. *tearing up again* The fact that you feel bad for what you did shows how much you care for others."
Healing his inner anguish, the boy then fades in a cloud of snow. Lapis takes a deep breath and focuses once more as the glyphs surround him. a Sigil forms at his feet(as well as around the sleeping dragon outside). He repeats the words he's heard: "You can control it; You were never alone; It wasn't your fault; Bring peace to your heart. The glyphs form a translucent body that mirrors him and he smiles. Finally undestanding what he means as now he sees his whole self, instead of two separate beings. There's a sudden flash as the dragon's form crystalizes and shatters. As a fully clothed Lapis falls from about the middle of where the large form used to be. . . and falls face first into the ground.
"Damnit. . . Guess I'll never do that again. . ." He holds his head as the mental strain and the sudden light fill his eyes. He notices the old man that has the same scent as the glyphs that he he saw. He looks down as his teardrop shaped necklace and realizes that it's fully restored and even clearer than before. He sniffs the air again and aproaches the old guy slowly.
"Um. . . hi there. I'm not sure who you are, but you smell like someone I used to know. Thank you for your help by the way. Oh, am I in trouble? I'm sorry I didn't mean cause any trouble, honest!" *whispers* -Oh, wait maybe I should start with an introduction- "I'm known as Lapis. I'm a dragon,kinda. What's your name?"


Hieronymus Pangloss

 

[Hieronymus Pangloss]

There was a violent swirl of emotions as the crystal came together. Memories and voices flashed before his mind's eye, raced through the waters of his thoughts.

The two halves came together, and the being settled its turmoil. A boy appeared from a field of white. Fell to the ground.

"Well, that's... different," Harold, Hieron's hat, said with a croak.

The blue field of negation still shimmered about the old wizard. The glyphs and runes that made up the weave of its shell shimmered and shone as the field went on.

"Yes, quite different," the old mage said, smooshing down the steeple cone of his hat.

Harold muttered and mumbled.

The boy spoke, normal enough. Hieron's eyes glanced around. There were still dead laying about. Done in by the rampant surges of magic that had broke from this... being.

"Lapis," the old wizard repeated. His eyes contemplative, discerning. What was it this boy thought had happened. "You are in a great deal of trouble, yes," the red robed maester assured.

"You fuckin killed people kid, what are we talking about here?" Harold interjected.

Hieron cleared his throat. "Yes, you are responsible for... a number of deaths," he bowed his head in respect to those who had fallen. "Adventurers who put themselves at knowing risk, to be sure, but, deaths all the same," he shook his head. "I would advise you turn yourself in," he stated. "But, you'll likely be executed," he couldn't imagine a tribunal going many other ways. He stroked his beard. "Or the Foard will have you for dissection and studying," he ran his fingers through his beard.

"Get the hell out of here kid," his hat croaked, flopping about his head again. "This place got blown up by a dragon not too long ago, don't imagine they'll take too kind to one causin a ruckus and killin adventurers roamin about the wilds just beyond the city,"

But Hieron was curios. "Yes," he added with a nod. "Hide away, and take this," he slipped a pebble from his pocket, imbued a bit of his own spell work into it, and offered it to the boy. "I shall be able to find you, so long as you keep this with you,"

"Not that its very smart to go finding a murderous monster," Harold added.

Hieron laughed. "No, but, here we are, aren't we."

Lapis The Hidden Dragon

 

[Lapis The Hidden Dragon]

Lapis had a baffled look on his face as he looked around again, the deceased bodies about.
"Oh shit! I almost forgot." He then chuckled and turned his head "Do you happen to see any blood? They aren't dead. Not yet anyway. The mist that surrounded us put them all into a dream-like state if they were hit. I almost died, consumed by my own thoughts that I can't even control. All I wanted to do was get into the College of Elbion to get stronger. I've done so much of my own training just to catch up I ended up over exhausting myself. The gem that contains my power was damaged, so instead of trying to find another vessel, I attempted a high-level restoration spell. I kind of overdid it though. However, after this second time, I don't think I'll have to worry about going beserk like that again."
After attempting to explain himself, he takes the stone and sniffs it briefly. Afterwards, he briefly touches each individual and sighs in relief each time before returning to the old wizard. "The good news is that I didn't take any lives this time, they'll awake shortly and they won't remember anything after entering a strange fog. They will have a few bruises, but that should be it. A voice spoke to me. It told me not to worry, that it protected the lives of those who entered. I went through something tragic in my past that I haven't fully come to terms with, even now. Anyway, I guess now harm, no foul? I'll have to find another way to improve. I must be leaving now."
As he turns to leave, he looks at the old wizard once more blinking his eyes and flashing his yellow draconic slits once before blinking again and wearing humanoid pupils again. He waves his send-off and casts a minor invisibility spell on himself while placing the stone in a pocket close to his chest. The presumably dead people arose as if they had taken a midday nap. While his dreams of becoming a student at Elbion had all but been shattered like glass, Lapis seems hopeful for whatever trial befalls him next.

Hieronymus Pangloss

 

[Hieronymus Pangloss]

Hieron quirked a brow.

"My," he sounded. Perplexed by all that was shared. Powerful as the young man clearly was, a dragon, Hieron had to remind himself, despite the beings innocent and seemingly young form. "That is a lot," he added.

Then, the boy moved on to lay his hand upon each adventurer that had been downed.

"Yes," the old wizard agreed. "Quite the good fortune,"

Harold, Hieron's hat, croaked a laugh from atop the old wizard's head, tall flopped steeple bouncing with the sound. "No harm no foul he says, kid!" the hat said pointedly. "You got too much power to be goin around all, rogue and uncontrollable!"

"Hush, Harold," Hieron corrected.

Harold grumbled.

The boy turned to leave, gave himself a cloak, and Hieron laughed small at that.

"Clever," he said, and watched the wind where the dragon had disappeared to. Those around him stirred slowly back to life, and Hieron moved to help them.

"You think he'll be alright?" Harold asked the old wizard.

Hieron gave a small hmm in response. "We can only hope now, can't we, Harold?"

The hat muttered. "Yeah well, best of luck to him,"

Hieron helped one man up and helped dust him off. "Yes," he agreed. "Best of luck,"

Lapis The Hidden Dragon

 

[Lapis The Hidden Dragon]

Lapis breathed a sigh of relief "No harm, no foul. Next time, they may not be so lucky."
Lapis holds the pebble close, hoping that he can find some other person to help him develop this unstable power of his. but first, Lapis may find himself seeking closure from his past.

~FIN~