A Feast for Vultures [Emryn]

[Finn]

39th of Frost, Year 122 of Steel

The Sceptre of Aværys, the arcane second sun that the royal House Sol'Aværys hung in the sky to combat the magic-dampening effects of the strange, ongoing eclipse did nothing to prevent the shadow creatures from attacking, and so the Silver Sentinels had joined the Golden Legion in a stark uptick in patrols both above the Luxium of Solunarium, the port city of Tertium, various settlements—and even the empty-seeming sea of sands between them. The desert was not bereft of life; rather it was pruned by the harsh light and heat of the sons, natural and magical, or hid underground. Finn could hear the susurration of life's symphony through his Rune of Mesmer, and he had been learning the ways of the desert since he followed his lover Arvine Venasyr to Solunarium for answers about his past. Now Arry was Phædryn Sol'Zalkyrion Arvælyn Princeps Draconus, and Arry's minstrel lover was his bardic amatus. Finn from a nameless hamlet beside Lake Udori was now a black-clad, veiled Silver Sentinel astride a wyvern.

Time changed all things.

The flight of his draconic steed was under her own control. Now he didn't need the full power of his magic and force of will to subdue them; they responded to him with only a bit of his soul's melody to maintain a bond. She knew how to ply the air; he let her do so until such time as he needed something specific of her.

Today, that came in the form of dark spots in the sky. Glass goggles guarded his eyes from the whipping wind, which could carry cutting sand. They also brought faraway things closer in his vision. The narrowing gyre of the vultures bespoke some dead or dying thing, and it was enough of a sign to investigate. It took only a nudge from his knees to direct her toward the vultures.

The mise-en-scène that developed as he neared was dire indeed: a downed form; vultures above; a shadow skulking closer.

The wyvern acceded to his silent orders, then screamed her battle cry before stooping toward the abomination. It froze, eyeless gaze cutting upward.

Finn vaulted through the slipspace, appearing behind it in the shade of a boulder to which it clung, mindful of even the muted sunlight. The Sceptre made them vulnerable to steel, but even so, when on patrol, he was issued a dagger edged in illumite, even better for these coups de grâce. The blade cut deep. It didn't even have time to react before it was crumbling into ash, the which he collected for Hilana's alchemical experiments.

As he rose and walked over to the fallen person, the wyvern caught the air in her wings, slowing down so she could alignt on the boulder, mantling her wings to cast shade upon the fallen person. Finn saw antlers as he approached, strange for the desert, but familiar from back home in northern Karnor. Curious, he spoke as he knelt beside the figure.

"You are safe now," he said, his voice pitched low and comforting, his magic reaching out to soothe any frayed nerves, though he couldn't rightly tell now if the creature was frightened or dreaming. He had suffered from sun stroke himself. At least now he knew what to do. The person was small—perhaps a Rathari or a Fae'ethalan. "I am— My name is Finn. I'm a Subvigil with the Silver Sentinels. The wyvern and I will take you to safety."

With no immediate response, he carefully turned them over so he could see their face. He pulled down his veil so they could see a friendly face, immediately reaching for his waterskin.

"Hello?"

[Emryn]

Emryn's feet trudged through the sand, marking their path through the Atraxian Expanse. The artificial sun that was raised over the Luxium not too long ago did wonders in guiding Emryn toward civilization. Unfortunately, it would still be days before they reached anything living that wasn't trying to eat them. Day or night the "sun" sat high, heating the sands and sapping the moisture right out of Emryn. Their skin was now hot, blistered and raw. The sandy winds that only a day ago was refreshing, now grated on them like the thorns of a Hedera.

Emryn was a Fae'ethalan, which meant they could slow their metabolic rate enough to survive long distances without sustenance. Even so, they could feel their stomach rumble and begin to consume itself in search of energy. They swiped a pale, delicate hand across their brow clearing the long blonde strands that had matted themselves to their angular face. They scanned the horizon once again. The Expanse may have looked barren but it truly teemed with life. There were small critters that skittered through the sand as if swimming through water. Emryn knew enough about Atraxian flora, that most were toxic in some way, but not enough to take a chance and sate their hunger. The seemingly endless, well... Expanse slowly roiled, almost as if breathing. It consumed rock and ruin, only to reveal it anew months, even years later.

Mirages played in the corners of their vision.
They'd see an oasis not too far this way. Rocks.
A figure in the distance that way. Colt? No, more rocks.
The caravan Emryn had been guiding out here mere days before, or was that weeks?
No, only rocks

Emryn sat in the shade of the boulder for a breath, absently petting their tail for comfort. Memories -no- nightmares played again in their mind, for that was what Emryn has been trapped in; a nightmare. The destruction they could not defend against. The screams they could not bring safety to. The twisted abominations they could not protect. "To be a Negator was to feel the pain of those you have failed." At least that is what their master Colt had told them during their Initiation. The pain felt too great this time. Emryn wished for comfort. To be rid of this guilt. They wished to be there for those people and be their bastion.

Calm suffused every thought. Emryn felt the conflux of guilt, shame and sorrow begin to recede.

We did all we could. Emryn thought.
The events that transpiredwere not yours to control. Emryn felt calm at those words. Those words that drifted on the air.
Forgive yourself. But how?! The fault lies with a Negator that couldn't perform its most basic function; stop a threat. The fault lies with them.
Forgive yourself. They were calmed again. It was only now that Emryn realized they had been clutching a gem in their side pouch.
A white-knuckled grasp on the object they had found buried in the sands after the horrid events. Its glow drew them in. Deep into a well of peace. Far, far down until nothing was left but serenity. No pain, no guilt, no suffering. A muted bewilderment came over Emryn. They tried to feel joy in this release. The excitement of being free of burden, but there was none to be had. Only calm. The gem fell from their limp grasp. A rush of hot desert air was sucked into Emryn's lungs as if a vacuum had formed in their chest. Emryn hacked and choked on the mixture of sand and their own spit.

Emryn's eyes fell on the colourful gem of multifaceted light, taking little notice that it was now somehow dusk. They knew they should leave it behind, cast it away. But it just looked so... lonely And they understood lonely. Emryn reached out, picked up the gem and slipped it back into their pocket; safe.
Emryn must have fallen asleep. Their body felt stiff and sore from lying against the large boulder, but otherwise well rested. They stood slowly and scanned for the "sun" in the night sky. As they began to walk toward it their focus fell from the horizon to the sands below their feet as it got darker,and darker...

Emryn woke this time cradled in the armoured arms of some stranger. They spoke but the words were hard to grasp.
"Finn...Silver...Wyvern."
Panic and adrenaline started to rush in to protect Emryn, readying themself to call on their geometry. A wyvern was not a beast they'd want to meet out here. The rising emotions were calmed again. It felt different this time and as they locked eyes for a brief moment Emryn knew why, they felt joy.

[Finn]

Finn smiled down at the weary creature. They could repeat back at least the gist of his words, and that was a good sign. He felt the flutter of their terror, but it was a wave that quickly subsided—those were also good signs. Wyverns were dangerous, of course, but this one was in service to Soluniarum.

"Drink," he urged, holding up his waterskin to their mouth. He held him up on his leather-clad arm. Black was all well and good in the Umbrium, but it certainly wasn't the best in the daylight desert. The wyvernback winds helped, but he hoped he could get this beleaguered creature atop the wyvern's back and headed toward Solunarium quickly.

"Slowly. You can finish it. There will be more when we get back to the city."

His mind was already planning. They would fly back; he would take them to a healer for overnight observation, at least. Heat stroke was one thing, but exposure out on the desert was another. If he couldn't get their story out of them before that, he would return on the morrow to question them—gently—and see what else ought to be done for them. The Silver Sentinels were required to do unsavory things sometimes; he enjoyed when all he had to do was help people in a straightforward manner.

There were wild things in their symphony that Finn associated with the Fae'ethalan he had met.

"Should have glamoured into a camel, hey?" He smiled again, then found himself humming a melody he had learned from a Fae'ethalan back in his Kalzasern busking days. He didn't know if their music transcended continents. Most of them were nomads, after all. Perhaps he ought to introduce them to Æros. Elves were the first-class citizens in Solunarium; humans the second. It might be good to have a half-Fae'ethalan friend in high places.

"When you are ready, could you tell me what happened? How you found yourself out here alone? Are there others we should look for?"

[Emryn]

Emryn looked up at Finn, feeling grateful for the water that had quenched their immense thirst. The man's words were comforting, and they appreciated the care and concern being shown. It was rare for Emryn to open up to strangers, especially those with kind words and charming faces. But something about this one felt different, and they found themselves wanting to trust him. Emryn looked around, taking in the vast expanse of the desert around them. Memories of the events that led them here flashed through their mind, causing an involuntary shudder.

"There is no one else," Emryn finally spoke, their voice hoarse from the dryness of their throat. "I am the only one who survived the... the storm. My master and the traders I travelled with are all gone."

Emryn closed their eyes, trying to push away the haunting memories of the mist that had descended upon them, the way it had twisted and distorted reality. The memory of the screams and the howls of the abominations it created still echoed in their ears.

Emryn opened their eyes and looked up at Finn, their expression one of gratitude. "Thank you for finding me," they said softly. Emryn trailed off, their gaze dropping to the ground. They felt ashamed for their weakness, for needing the help of a stranger. But they couldn't deny the relief that flooded through them at the thought of being rescued from the desert. "I... I know it isn't worth much but... I owe you my life."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

Emryn looked up at Finn, his eyes shining with sincerity. Despite the horrors he had witnessed in the Dread Mist, he felt a glimmer of hope in his heart.

After a few more sips on the canteen, and with no small effort on their part, Emryn finally stood on their own. They were guided by Finn to the beast that provided some shade with its large wingspan. They were hoisted up and joined by their saviour. As soon as Finn sat in front of them Emryn closed their eyes and wrapped their arms around his waist. "For stability," they told themself.
"Emryn" barely a whisper, they spoke into Finn's back as they held tight. "My name is Emryn."

[Finn]

"All in a day's work," he assured him.

While the Fae'ethalan slowly drained his waterskin, he cocked his head, listening for stray symphonies, but it seemed the master and the traders were indeed gone or, at least, too far away, too weak for him to hear. It was a shame Arvælyn wasn't here, his power with Mesmer stronger even than Finn's.

But eventually, he was able to get his rescue onto the wyvern. He would have preferred to have the Fae'ethalan in front of him so he could ensure they were secure, but he wanted them comfortable, as well, and so he held the reins with one hand, his other on the wrist clenched to his chest. The wyvern launched itself skyward, wings beating violently to carry them aloft. Finn was used to it now, used to clenching with his knees until the wyvern found a thermal current to ride lazily upward. They couldn't speak over the rush of wind, but it was at least cooler on high.

Everything looked peaceful below, at least when the wyvern banked so they could see the ground without leaning over. Rather than fly for hours, he vaulted them the majority of the way back to the capital. The wyvern made a noise that was lost to them save for a rumbling of its ribcage between their legs. But soon enough, they were banking once more into a spiral downward, the Luxium all within view.

Everything went smoothly as clockwork once they landed; a handler took the reins of the wyvern, offering the predator a choice treat while Finn supported Emryn as they walked through another portal of his making directly to the infirmary. With assurances that he would be in the next room, he left Emryn in the capable hands of the healers. In the next room, he opened a portal to his immediate superior to make his patrol report, and when he was done and technically off duty, he waited outside the door to Emryn's room until the last healer walked past, assuring him that he could visit them now.

Finn's knock on the door frame was tentative. He had become accustomed to playing the role of the Silver Sentinel, but now he was just Finn in his blacks. He wanted nothing more than to vault down into the suite of rooms he shared with Arvælyn in their palace in the Umbrium, take a bath, play some music... But he was an empathetic soul and he wanted to find out more about Emryn, the better to help them.

"It's Finn. May I come in?"

[Finn]

Review

Experience: 10 xp, available for magic.

Injuries: Anything would be healed by now.

Loot: N/A

Note: Hoping Emryn returns to Solunarium soon!