Private Tales The Mountains Ahead

[Aviana Sabel]

The tension that hung in the air crackled with intensity, streaks of lightning darting across a dark cloud on the horizon. Aviana's breath caught in her throat when she met Sarkus' gaze for a brief moment from her perch on the dragonness' head. Dread twisted into tight knots in her stomach.

As the Dreadlords approached , the dragon's demeanor shifted. The expression would be impossible too notice, a snarling dragon looked the same to mortals; but Aviana could feel the change. There was anger brewing within the creature's chest. An sense of protectiveness from the dragon, as if she was defending one of her young.

Something horrible was about to happen.

Aviana's heart raced in her chest, pushing herself up into a slightly seated position.

With a dissatisfied huff, the dragon pulled back from the Blackfort, her long body undulating beneath the waves as she turned to towards shore.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The moment the dragon turned magic filled the air.

Each of the Three Dreadlord struck so quickly that it was apparent they'd made themselves ready even before the Dragon had risen from the sea. Each of them wove threads of magic, all as deadly as the other.

Almost as one the mage sof Vel Anir lashed out. Fire wove its way into being from the hands of one. A great stream of flame lashing through the air and burning in a bright white beam that scoured the ozone between the dragon and the ship. At the same time flows of air grappled and lashed towards the massive beast.

They attempted to seize the creature, stop it in its tracks and pull it towards the flame.

Last came a spike of the mind.

An unseen press of thought as the Last dreadlord focused his powers not on the Dragons mind, but it's thought. Like a pike driven by the hands of a madman the dreadlord jabbed at the Great dragons mind over and over again.

As the three Mages struck the beast, Sarkus only stood and watched in silence.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

As the assault began, the dragon loose a horrendous bellow of rage and agony. Her throat blossomed with golden light that swiftly rose towards her maw. The incredible creature twisted about and opened her mouth, the golden light erupted forth and arced through the air towards the ship.

Instead of fire, this dragon seemed to breath light itself.

It struck the bow of the ship and streamed towards the stern, carving a vicious wound into the side of the Blackfort.

Aviana was nearly thrown from the dragon as she thrashed about in the churning sea. She managed to catch herself on one of the horns to keep from tumbling below.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The Dreadlords did not even seem to realize that the Blackfort was under attack.

Their focus was honed directly on the great beast in front of them. Thin slivers of wind, fire, and the water itself cut through the Dragon's flesh.

The assault was relentless. Each of the mages giving their all to bring the Dragon low. Sarkus stood in front of them, half turning as the Blackfort rocked within the seas. "FOOLS!"

He shouted at them, but his words were lost on the torrents of the sea.

"THAT THING WI-" The ancient Vampire found his words cut off as the beam of light sliced through the ship, his feet kicking out from underneath him as the black wood of the ship seemed to buckle and bend.

The Dreadlords ignored their lord.

One closed his fist, driving spikes of madness into the great Dragons mind.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

The dragon screamed, another streak of lightning cut through the ship, this time sundering the massive nearly in two. Blood spilled from the deep wounds that were left in the wake of the dreadlord's magic.

It was a brutal thing to watch, a creature of the ancients, cut asunder by mages keen on only inflicting death.

The dragon wrenched herself away, diving back down into the waves.

Water slammed into Aviana, knocking the air from her lungs and ripping her from her perch on the dragon's face. She tumbled uncontrollably into the depths, spinning end over end.

Light swarmed around her, blinding her. She could feel it pulling her forward, propelling her through the water.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The Ship shuttered and shook, the mast of the ship crashing into the deck of the ship. Sarkus saw it at the last moment, the beam falling as he let out a curse.

He aimed to move, but one of the sailors stepped into his way.

Even his reaction speeds could not keep up with the chaos, and as the mast fell he found himself thrown off the edge of the ship and into the sea. As he fell he caught the Dreadlord still standing, one reached out cutting through the water.

They reached towards the dragon, and as the ship around them fell apart attempted their final strike.

Fire and a bolt of odd pink energy struck down through the water, piercing towards the scaled beast as the Blackfort began to take on water.

For the Dreadlords however their lives were not important, the Blackfort was not important. The threat to Vel Anir was. They knew who Aviana was, they know what she meant, and someone like that with a Dragon?

That could not be allowed.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

The dragon's bellowing screams traveled through the water in series of powerful shockwaves, slamming into the strange golden bubble that surrounded Aviana before continuing on to collide with the Blackfort beyond. Streaks of light from the Dreadlord's magic, crimson blood, and golden sprites filled the water around her.

In the very depths of her soul, the Princess knew that she was witnessing the dying moments of a titan. Magic surged through her and she could sense that something had weakened the avatar of the Depths. The only reason the dragon was here was because of her.

The wild currents flung Aviana towards Sarkus. Had he been anyone else, she would have recoiled from him. But the vampire, terrifying as he was, still keenly resembled Kasim. It was like watching her lover fall into the water, it was only instinctual to reach out to him.

Her hand latched onto the man's sleeve, passing through the shimmering golden barrier around her, and she pulled him through. Just as she got hold of him, the dragon's enormous tail cut through the water and sent them both reeling away from the collapsing Blackfort.

Aviana felt a familiar sensation, it was the same as when Kiovec saved her from the hunter and his hound. The leviathan was drawing on her.

Suddenly, the currents shifted, violently pushing them further and further away from the battle. Aviana was left drained and exhausted, as if she'd just expended an enormous amount of energy in an instant.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Sarkus found his head bashing against a beam of wood as Aviana caught him.

The blow was not enough to kill, but even the old vampire was knocked unconscious just as the Princess of Minaris grasped and pulled him into the odd bubble.

It was the seas that saved them, or perhaps doomed them.

The powerful current left in the wake of the falling dragon pulled what remained of the Blackfort into the depths, but it also dragged Sarkus and Aviana away from the battle and propelled them to a nearby set of islands.

There was no possible way of knowing how much time had passed, but when Sarkus woke he found himself half buried in sand.

Muck and mud clung to him, and in one hand he found himself clutching Aviana's body. His head spun, and up above he could see the clouds slowly shifting. Distant rays of light touched the ocean afar. "Fuck."

That was the only thought that came to him, the swear leaving his lips as he dragged himself and Aviana from the water.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana woke to the sensation of being dragged through shallow water and sand. Licking her lips, she tasted salt and copper -- blood and sea water. "Mngh..."

It took a few tries for her to get her legs underneath herself to help Sarkus pull her properly to shore. Sand coated her soaked clothes and skin, soaked hair clinging to her face and back. Exhaustion pulled at her, beckoning her to succumb to the darkness once more. What could a few more minutes hurt?

Once they reached the tree line, she sank down onto the ground and leaned against a trunk for a few moments of rest. Her head was spinning, trying to reorient itself and figure out exactly what'd happened.

She glanced to the vampire at her side, noting the subtle differences between him and his nephew. Why had she saved him? He was the entire reason she was in this mess.

"I think that just about sums it up..." She managed to say.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Sarkus glanced at Aviana, and then the shore.

In the distance he could still see the small rays of light slowly encroaching upon the beach. Cloudy Skies helped, but he knew that he only had a little while before his death sentence arrived. "I need to get to that mountain."

The Vampire said as he pointed towards a nearby cliff-face.

If they left now they could make it there well before the sun struck whatever piece of land they now found themselves upon.

He did not mean to ignore the situation, but before he could relax even an ounce he needed to get himself out of the path of the Sun. Otherwise Aviana would end up on the island alone.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Pulling herself onto her feet took every ounce of will power and strength she had left, but she managed. If her mind wasn't so shellshocked, she might have noticed how pristine the beach they'd washed up on was. White sands and crystal clear water lapping against the shoreline, tall palm trees lining the perimeter of the island.

As it stood, however, Aviana didn't notice any of the beauty around her.

She walked in silence alongside Sarkus, watching their feet leave little impressions in the damp sand -- it was easier to walk on than the looser sand closer to the trees.

"I... wasn't trying to escape." She murmured softly, at last realizing that all of this was her fault.

"I had a nightmare and... the room was on fire when I woke up. I didn't mean for..." Her words trailed off and she covered her face with her hands as she kept trudging forward. She knew that they needed to keep walking, but she couldn't shake the sense of loss that weighed on her.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Magic." He cursed. "So very troublesome."

If Sarkus had not known before he was most certainly aware of Aviana's ability now. By her own words that was really the possibility. The Blackfort could not have caught fire, but the things in her room? Well most certainly.

Not that it mattered much now. "It was a Dreadlord, my dear."

Sarkus offered her a glance, noting the fear that she held in her tone. Did she think he would punish her? He supposed the logic of that was clear, but he was not a monster.

Despite what they all thought.

"The Dreameater they call him." He frowned. "He was told not to touch you."

Troubling.

It was clear that Sarkus held no blame for Aviana, or rather, that he had absolutely no intent to harm her.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Her hands lowered slightly from her face, just enough so that her eyes, red with tears, were visible. She glanced out over the water, staring off in the horizon as she followed alongside Sarkus. The ship was still out there... somewhere. Was it still intact? Would they come looking?

"The... dreameater?" She murmured softly, confusing in her voice.

After a few more moments to collect herself, she managed another few words. "I guess... it doesn't matter now.."

 

[Kasim Areth]

Sarkus shook his head. "I would not be too sure of that, darling."

There was an anger to his tone, but not towards her. The Dreadlord had done what he had been strictly ordered not to do, and now because of him he was stuck on this damned island.

For Sarkus that fate might as well have been death. Unlike others he could not just craft a raft and sail his way off the island. Not when the day time would see him burnt into a crisp. No, he was stuck here. Unless he found another way off.

"Dreadlords are obnoxiously difficult to kill." He spoke from experience. "Especially ones like him."

His fingers drummed against his stomach. "Watch your dreams."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She briefly glanced to Sarkus. "If they come for us... I will try to kill them." She told him matter-of-factly.

While she'd been docile on the Blackfort, the game had now changed. She was on land again and there was no ship to whisk her away across the ocean.

Either she would find a way off the island, and back to Kasim, or she would die trying.

"Just because I'm part elf doesn't mean your men can toy with my mind as they wish." She added, her voice quiet.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"I doubt they see it that way." Sarkus replied, though his voice was tinged with amusement more than anything else.

Vel Anir was a city with roots, and whether or not some wanted to admit it those roots were steeped in Xenophobia. Some tried to crawl past that, but his own family had taken a unique spin on it. Didn't matter what species you were, everyone was just a tool.

His niece especially held that view of things.

She was depressingly forthright about it too.

"Don't kill the redhead." He stated plainly. "She can get me off this island."

The others he didn't particularly care about.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"They killed her..." Aviana murmured in a faint whisper, still in shock from how the events unfolded.

She dropped her eyes back to the sand and expelled a sharp breath. None of what had happened to her over the past several weeks, hell the past year, had been fair. It was a stupid and childish thought, but it was there nevertheless.

Life wasn't fair, she knew that; but she desperately wished it was capable of some sort of kindness. Kasim had been that spark of happiness, her sanctuary from the cruelty of the world... And she'd been taken from him.

And now, she'd been the reason for the death of an creature known only in legends to Minaris.

It was quickly becoming too much for the woman to bear alone. She fell into a withdrawn silence, wrapping her arms around her figure.

Sarkus may have looked like her love, but he certainly wasn't him. The man's mind was so disjointed that she wondered if he could even empathise at all anymore.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Sarkus glanced towards the young woman with a slight frown.

He understood her pain, but he did not feel it. Death was a natural part of life. Whether it was a Dragon or a man, it didn't particularly matter. Sure there were fewer of one than the other, but did it really matter in the end?

Not to him. "I've seen Dragons before."

The Vampire decided at the very least he could speak. Silence had never been his friend, and with his mind the way it was now he found it often best to speak.

"High Dragons, we call them." He mused. "Not the same as that, but Dragons still."

His tongue clicked. "It seemed to know you."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana walked in silence for a short time, trudging up a hill that gradually slopped up the mountainside. There was a large outcropping of rock up ahead that looked as though it could potentially be the mouth of a cave.

While she ambled up the hill, slipping on the loose rocks, she tried to come to some sort of understanding of what happened. There was no doubt in her mind that the dragon knew her, and she'd felt an inexplicable connection to the creature. Her presence had reminded Aviana of her mother's embrace and words of advice.

Gears turned and her eyes narrowed. If she had a connection to Kiovec, perhaps her Mother had some sort of bond with the Dragonness that saved her?

She grimaced at the thought. If that was the case, she'd just gotten a piece of her mother's soul killed.

"Because she did." Aviana said softly, glancing to Sarkus once more before she made her way into the narrow opening that led into the mountain.

"I used to dream about her." She said as she recalled the childhood memories.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Interesting." He mused quietly.

Dragons were powerful creatures. Some were strong enough to destroy entire cities. Not all were so lucky, and most that weren't had been hunted to extinction.

That was the way of things. Even a minor Dragons blood could be used for magic and rituals far beyond what they had been capable in life. Sarkus knew that better than most. Blood Magic stood at the core of his family and how they did things.

His own father would have jumped at the chance to seize the Dragon Aviana was talking about.

"I haven't dreamed in centuries." Sarkus commented absently as they crested onto a plateau.

"There are worse fates than death." He said as he half turned to her. "At least she must not suffer them."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

It was dark inside the cave and the air was cool, but humid. She wondered if there was a spring further inside; but she didn't think it was wise to go exploring just yet.

"Is this good enough?" She asked him, maneuvering the conversation away from the death of the dragon.

Her eyes were quickly adjusting to the darkness, and she was realizing how far the cavern extended into the mountain.

"Sorry... I don't know much about what you need." She added, biting her bottom lip as she folded her arms over her chest.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He shrugged. "It isn't what I would like but it will do."

Beggars couldn't be choosers after all.

"Direct sunlight." He told her. "It is the only symptom of this disease that I inherited. At least of the ones that most commoners whisper of."

Sarkus had learned since his infection that there were dozens upon dozens of different kinds of vampirism. His own unique strain seemed to stem from something deep within the Falwood. Information on it had been scarce, and even over two centuries he had learned very little.

Much to his frustration.

"I learned that lessons quickly." He mused quietly.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"That's easy enough for us to avoid." Aviana said with a quiet sigh, sitting down on the stone floor.

She quite suddenly realized that she was only wearing her night garments, a good portion of which were either burned away or torn from the chaos of the battle. A blush colored her cheeks and she cleared her throat.

It was unfortunate her clothes were useless and in tatters, but thankfully Sarkus had made no mention of her state of dress.

"What... Happens now?" She asked the man in a soft whisper.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The Vampire did not even seem to realize that Aviana stood nearly naked. To him, she was hardly an object of desire, in fact the very possibility seemed to be completely ruled out.
Odd, by any account. "We wait for nightfall."

That answer would likely not be satisfactory, something that Sarkus knew as soon as he said it. It would have been enough for almost anyone else, but he doubted that anyone Kasim chose as his beloved would simply take such a response.

"We explore where we are." The Vampire continued. "Island, Continent, Whatever it is."

Lips thinned. "Only then can we determine how we are to leave."

There was no doubt in his mind that they would leave. He had lived far too long to die in a place like this.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

A few more minutes of silence passed between them as Aviana collected her composure. The easiest thing for her to do in this situation was to pull the mask firmly into place -- hide emotions from both herself and the world in a pleasant smile.

"Of course. You stay here then. I'll get us some firewood and see if I can find something for us to eat." Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself onto her bare feet.

Maybe she could find something to fashion an improvised shoe with... And something else to preserve her modesty better.

"I won't go far."