T A L O N
14 Frost 122
He walked openly in the streets of Gesindelholm unaccompanied except for those people who were closest to him. The skies were dark, as they had been for weeks now. Evening was beginning to roll around and the darkness that enshrouded the sun was creeping across the heavens.
“It’s…” Mathias hesitated. He chewed on his bottom lip. “...it’s like they forgot we even exist.”
He was staring at a nearby building. It was boarded up and there were panels covering the doors. At least, what was left of them. The doorways had their barricades torn apart. Several of the windows were shattered. He thought he could see what looked like the remains of blood splattered across some of the wooden boards. A glance over the structure of the building revealed that there was nothing and no one living inside of it. He did not have to think hard on what had likely happened to the inhabitants of the building. Aoren came to stand next to Mathias, resting a hand upon the young man’s shoulder. Talon watched Mathias carefully.
In the months since accompanying him to the southern kingdom of Solunarium, the young man had been through a great deal. From fighting giant scorpions in the desert sands of Atraxia, to standing beside him as he devised the mechanisms of his own freedom, to training with monks in the Temple of Fallen Skies, he had grown considerably in just a few short months. He was not quite the shaken thief anymore. He was a budding warrior who had seen and fought against a handful of frightening things and managed to come out alive. There was still a great deal he needed to learn but Talon was proud to see that he had grown.
“Why did we come here?” Mathias looked at him. Talon looked around at the nearly abandoned streets. He did not know why the street was practically abandoned. Perhaps the people had evacuated to a place that was more easily protected. Perhaps there were no people to evacuate. He did not know.
“Hope.” He wanted to continue the work that he had begun before he had left Gel’Grandal. It was the same work that had led him to preventing Mathias from stealing a woman’s coin purse that day. It was the same work that had led him to hiding his presence while doing what good work he could in the secrecy of invisibility. Mathias snorted.
“There’s not much of that around here. If you hadn’t noticed.” The young man gestured around them.
“No. But there can be.” The darkness crept further across the skies as the sun dipped lower on the horizon. It would be nightfall soon. Already Talon’s aura was manifesting. It was both a boon and a burden. On the one hand, it would empower those in need of protection by drawing the shadows into the light and rendering them vulnerable. On the other hand, his mere presence was a beacon to more of the shadow spawn that would inevitably seek him out if he allowed his aura to spread too far.
“How?” Mathias looked up at him. It was Aoren who answered.
“You tell us, Mathias. This is your hometown. Where would people with skills like ours be needed most?” Aoren folded his arms over his chest. He was watching Mathias but Talon could feel that his partner was also keeping his senses attuned to the world around them.
Mathias was quiet for a moment before he looked up with a nod.
“I know where we need to go.” Talon watched him. The young man looked at him and then Aoren. Talon simply nodded his head. Aoren did the same. Together the three of them set off deeper into the Northside. Talon did not know what waited for them there but they would soon find out.
He walked openly in the streets of Gesindelholm unaccompanied except for those people who were closest to him. The skies were dark, as they had been for weeks now. Evening was beginning to roll around and the darkness that enshrouded the sun was creeping across the heavens.
“It’s…” Mathias hesitated. He chewed on his bottom lip. “...it’s like they forgot we even exist.”
He was staring at a nearby building. It was boarded up and there were panels covering the doors. At least, what was left of them. The doorways had their barricades torn apart. Several of the windows were shattered. He thought he could see what looked like the remains of blood splattered across some of the wooden boards. A glance over the structure of the building revealed that there was nothing and no one living inside of it. He did not have to think hard on what had likely happened to the inhabitants of the building. Aoren came to stand next to Mathias, resting a hand upon the young man’s shoulder. Talon watched Mathias carefully.
In the months since accompanying him to the southern kingdom of Solunarium, the young man had been through a great deal. From fighting giant scorpions in the desert sands of Atraxia, to standing beside him as he devised the mechanisms of his own freedom, to training with monks in the Temple of Fallen Skies, he had grown considerably in just a few short months. He was not quite the shaken thief anymore. He was a budding warrior who had seen and fought against a handful of frightening things and managed to come out alive. There was still a great deal he needed to learn but Talon was proud to see that he had grown.
“Why did we come here?” Mathias looked at him. Talon looked around at the nearly abandoned streets. He did not know why the street was practically abandoned. Perhaps the people had evacuated to a place that was more easily protected. Perhaps there were no people to evacuate. He did not know.
“Hope.” He wanted to continue the work that he had begun before he had left Gel’Grandal. It was the same work that had led him to preventing Mathias from stealing a woman’s coin purse that day. It was the same work that had led him to hiding his presence while doing what good work he could in the secrecy of invisibility. Mathias snorted.
“There’s not much of that around here. If you hadn’t noticed.” The young man gestured around them.
“No. But there can be.” The darkness crept further across the skies as the sun dipped lower on the horizon. It would be nightfall soon. Already Talon’s aura was manifesting. It was both a boon and a burden. On the one hand, it would empower those in need of protection by drawing the shadows into the light and rendering them vulnerable. On the other hand, his mere presence was a beacon to more of the shadow spawn that would inevitably seek him out if he allowed his aura to spread too far.
“How?” Mathias looked up at him. It was Aoren who answered.
“You tell us, Mathias. This is your hometown. Where would people with skills like ours be needed most?” Aoren folded his arms over his chest. He was watching Mathias but Talon could feel that his partner was also keeping his senses attuned to the world around them.
Mathias was quiet for a moment before he looked up with a nod.
“I know where we need to go.” Talon watched him. The young man looked at him and then Aoren. Talon simply nodded his head. Aoren did the same. Together the three of them set off deeper into the Northside. Talon did not know what waited for them there but they would soon find out.