Legend of Ransera

Posted: **Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:04 pm**

23rd SEARING, 115 AOS

Florian Albrecht was an angry boy. He had always been an angry boy, something that both deeply contrasted the soothing countenance of his mother and that she had subtly fed. She would soothe his passions, but she had always taught him that sometimes it was best to follow them through. To mean what you said, and to keep your fist where you kept your words.

Florian Albrecht was also an anxious, nervous boy. Still, it was not difficult for the anger to win out. He kept his mother's words to heart, and he was not the best brawler, but he was not one to take an insult lightly. It was his first mistake.

Florian Albrecht had two horns. They were almost fully grown, long and graceful and extending from the top of his forehead and back, with a little twist at the end. Something from his father, he imagined. He was on the cusp of adulthood - seventeen, almost eighteen, with little in his life ahead of him. He could find a job, sure, but he did not simply want to sustain himself. He wanted more. The Lysanrin had always felt that he was destined for more, and he was certain that whatever happened in his life, he would take it.

As hated as they may have been, as much as wariness took hold in the eyes of others...for the most part, the Lysanrin in the Knob rarely needed to worry about physical altercations or outright bullying. Staring, maybe, but most people didn't even bother with the staring. Their money was as good as anyone else's, and didn't that matter the most? But Florian could not stand the staring. Hytori did not receive the staring, Dratori, Hobgoblins, Siltori...at least here, where the nonhumans pervaded and the humans were too poor to care, they were not feared. The Lysanrin could not escape their fate, because their magic was born with them, and that - that was something everyone knew. And their magic was evil, even evil-er than anyone else's, because even some magic was licensed and used in Zaichaer. It may have been magic that was used to stop other's magic, but it was still a rune, carved into the flesh of its users.

Florian Albrecht had never had a chance to use his inborn curse, yet, he assured himself, but he knew it would take him far if he could. And it was this ruminating that led to his lack of awareness, and suddenly he had run into a man among a group of men - human, of course, loitering in an alley. Florian was much smaller than the man he'd run into and had landed, ass-first, on the ground. After his infiltration into his personal space, the human man stared at him, his eyes full of hate but his mouth contorted into a smile. "You lost?"

"No." Florian stood up and brushed himself off, getting ready to walk past the men - until a hand stopped him.

"You sure?"

"Wh— get out of my way?" Replied the teenaged Florian, much to the amusement of the other men. They acted like it was a game, and didn't move. Florian, on the other hand, was like a buzzing little hornet. He had the unfortunate quality of always looking for a fight. He knew this didn't have to be a fight - they teased, and there was malice, but it was not for him to be hurt. But the boy didn't care. He pushed past the man, with much force. The rest of the alley was deserted, and he'd interrupted them - whatever it was they'd been doing.

And then his collar was grabbed and he was pulled back, like a kitten by its scruff. He faced the man, who bent over just a bit to look into his face. "That's not polite, you know." The man laughed, and Florian, the violent little hornet, brought his knee between the man's legs. That man doubled over, but the tone of the scene changed.

It was barely a fight. Another man grabbed the reed of a boy and threw him against the wall, where Florian fell and laid in the shadows of the alley. It was over as quickly as it started, and with a sickening crack, the largest of the group stepped on his horn, and Florian was almost as blinded by pain as he was by rage. They laughed among themselves and said nothing to the boy who lay on the ground.

And then they left, and Florian was left to wonder why in world he'd started that.

Posted: **Fri Aug 06, 2021 3:34 pm**

Large, empty eyes stared into the void of the cold basement as a group of women assisted Santhia in dressing herself. They helped her slip into a white dress made of scratchy fabric that laced up in the back. Next would come to an apron that both looked and felt like a brown paper bag as it was wrapped around her waist. It felt so delicate. Santhia would slip on her shoes, a pair of boots her feet had grown out of by now, while the women finished her look by wrapping a piece of fabric around her face and small horns at the time so that her black eyes could only be viewed. The women would take a step back to take a good look at her, most likely imagining themselves as a human as they looked her over.

“Good.” The eldest woman sighed. “No one will know you’re stormborne.” The woman had no emotion in her voice whatsoever, but she sounded exhausted.

“Remember, the lord times how long you’re out. So do not spend too much time lollygagging. Do you remember the routes I showed you to each shop? Do you remember how to slip in and out of areas unnoticed?”

Santhia gave the woman no more than a solemn nod, which was enough for them to sigh relief. As if nothing had happened, the women would disappear in the darkness--returning to their beds, which were nothing more than hollowed-out stone stacked atop another. Santhia watched for a moment before quietly heading up spiral stairs. Eventually, she would reach another dark room that she’s navigated so many times before as well, reaching for a door that would lead her out the back of the house and into an alley.

The moment she stepped out, the young Lysanrin would look to the skies and let out a small cry. She was one of the few permitted to leave the house, which took a lot of dedicated time to her lord, but was truly worth it each time she could see the sky. The sky here in the city wasn’t as beautiful as the troubling desert’s own, she admits, yet it was much better than the cold basement. Santhia’s pause for appreciation didn’t take too long like always; she immediately got herself together. Sticking to the walls, she swept through the city. There was much unknown about this strange place, including her disposition, but every single time she left the lord’s home, the other Lysanrin made it clear that the city is for humans and nobody else. So she should avoid as many as possible. She wouldn’t stop until she saw fewer and fewer of them.

Which usually isn’t until she reached the Knob. Santhia had recently learned the name of this area, a place that appeared to be a safe place for all non-humans save for the Lysanrin. Who was unfortunately hated by all? She often harped on that whenever crossing through the city. It’s just so unusual that the other races would hate her considering their issues. She just could not imagine putting so much time and effort into something so silly when someone is facing the same issue as another.

Still, she felt so comfortable in the knob that she no longer stuck to the walls. Santhia strolled through the knob, avoiding any sort of eye contact with people. She grabbed what was needed--fresh fruits and vegetables, bread and she even stole an extra loaf for herself and the other Lysanrin to share. Nobody noticed either. She was fairly quick, it did not take her long to grab everything that was needed. The Lysanrin were usually timed whenever they went out. Santhia was good at beating that time and whenever she did beat it, instead of going back early, she would roam the Knob instead.

“Woof!”

While eating a piece of the bread she had stolen and roaming the streets, Santhia nearly tripped over a scruffy-looking pup, a malnourished one with dreaded hairs throughout its entire body. She crouched to touch the puppy then it began making a game of it. Each time she would reach for the dog, it would move further and further away from her until a chase was in pursuit. Being youthful herself, Santhia began chasing after the dog until she reached a sketchy alley. Voices could be heard coming from it, she couldn’t see much, but there was some movement by the sound of it. Before she knew it, a group of men was cackling as they exited the alley, hardly noticing the girl hiding outside of it.

Santhia was always curious. She should’ve minded her own business and went back.

No.

She approached the alleyway instead, creeping into it before letting out, “hello?”

Posted: **Fri Aug 06, 2021 4:55 pm**

Florian lay curled on the ground. He knew he hadn't screamed, but the pain of the lost horn must have been the most excruciating thing he had felt in his entire life. So easily had the man seen him prone on the ground and stepped, just the right angle and force for it to crack. He may not have screamed, but he groaned.

And then, a voice. It sounded like a girl - had she watched the exchange? - but he knew he had to get home before anyone else saw him like this. He pulled himself up, his head at a tilt from the weight of the single horn left. It was far worse than the fight that left him scarred in the face. Blood dripped from the stub and into his hair. Florian searched the ground for the broken piece, regret in every stream of blood that rolled down his cheek. He called back at the voice. "Hello?"

And then, with a bit of effort, "Can you help me? I need...do you...bandages?" Florian walked towards the voice, already lightheaded, and nearly tripped over his own horn. He kneeled down to pick it up and continued. The girl hid in the shadows, but even so, he could see her. He leaned on the wall next to her. She was odd, covered from head to toe in fabric. Only her eyes were visible, and Florian could not imagine a reason for this. It was the middle of Searing, it was still too warm to be dressed like this. Yet, he banished the questions from his mind, even as a distraction from the pain, as paltry a distraction it was. He had to get home. "I need — agh — need to stop the bleeding. Please."

The girl wasn't much smaller than him, all things considered. Perhaps she was only a few years younger. Perhaps she could spare a hem or a sleeve or anything and he could staunch the break and get home and his mother could fix it. She could fix anything. She always did. His eyes were solid black in pain. He could manage - he always managed - but he needed help. He needed her to know that he needed help. "Please."

Posted: **Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:20 am**

The young girl, barely a teen, did not expect an immediate answer from the boy. She called out to him, sure, but Santhia instantly regretted her decision. She thought of her friends back at the house, how they warned her about what’ll happen if she spoke to any outsiders. Their lord seemed merciful. He seemed kind as if he cared for them. However, their lord wasn’t kind nor did he care so much for others. He will know. The thought whispered in her head sounding similar to a snake or a ghost or maybe both if that made sense. The boy approached her and she couldn’t make out how he looked at first. Every time he inched closer, she moved back and shook her head. “No.” She blurted out after he repeated her question. The answer was odd given the thought that Santhia called out to him.

The thought of her lord was just too much now. It caused her to take back her calls previously. She began to breathe heavily and looked around as if he were watching her.

“Don’t--” She put out a hand, pausing once she got a good look at the boy.

Like a drop of a hat, she would change her mind again. The boy required immediate attention, he was bloodied and looked like he would pass out at any time now. That isn’t what made her change her mind though. She could see the boy now. He was no random boy, but a Lysanrin too. His eyes and hair matched her own yet his skin indicated that he was different in some way. These features alone were the deciding factor in why she changed her mind. If he were anyone else, Santhia would let the fear of her lord overcome her. The Lysanrin girl would leave this young boy who looked no older than her for dead if he weren’t of her kind.

Her people have to stick together. This she believed. So she had to be an example of this idea and help him out.

She was slightly smaller than him, but once they were close enough Santhia did her best to wrap her hands around the boy and pulled him down so that she could hold him for just a moment. They would sit on the floor, the boy’s head on her lap as she examined him. “You need to relax for just a moment, I think you are a bit too weak to stand on your own.” Santhia didn’t care if he wanted to relax or not, the young girl thought it was best for him. “If you don’t I won’t help you.”

The Lysanrin would soon reveal herself, unwrapping the fabric around her face. She would tear some of it up. Before wrapping his wounds, she used a piece of the fabric to wipe some of the blood away, dipping it into a nearby puddle that seemed somewhat clean.

“You idiot.” She said to him softly while focusing on his gash and missing horn. “You should’ve avoided them. Escaped. You’re a tiny boy. What could you have possibly done?”

After wrapping his wounds herself, she handed him a piece of the bread she stole.

“You know how people feel about us. You should keep to the walls of this city. Remain in hiding.”

Posted: **Tue Aug 10, 2021 12:42 pm**

She had changed her mind once she had seen him, which baffled Florian for a moment. Usually, he expected quite the opposite reaction. He allowed her to tug him down onto the ground. He hoped blood from the broken horn wouldn't spill onto her clothing, but he didn't have much of a choice. She revealed herself to be Lysanrin, too, blue-skinned and white-haired. Stormborne. Florian knew the different kinds of them, but he did not ascribe much significance beyond appearance, even if he was the odd, scrappy, angry one for an Ashborne.

He didn't say anything as she took off the fabric that had once been wrapped around her face and wrapped it around the stub of a horn that was left. She was young, younger than him, but not by much. A few years at most. At least the bandage would...help, somehow. He didn't actually know how bandaging a wound worked, just that it helped. He would have to ask his mother to teach him later.

Florian still lay in her lap as he ate the bread with one hand and clutched the broken horn with the other. It felt so cold, so fragile in his fingers. He pulled it up so he could see it at angles he had never been able to see the horn before. In a rare instance of gratitude, Florian did not even care that the younger girl had chided him.

"I won't let myself get bullied, even if it makes me an idiot." He replied. Even if it means I get hurt. remained unspoken, but he wondered if she would be able to finish the sentence. "I don't hide. I don't see why I should have to." He sat up and leaned against the wall behind them. "But why do you hide? I never see anyone hide like that. Doesn't it draw more attention to yourself?" The pain was distinct and throbbing, and his eyes were pools of black. He had broken a bone, but this managed to be worse. Covering it helped somewhat, but the pain made it hard to see. Still, Florian couldn't help but speak.

"What's your name?" He took a bite of bread and continued speaking with his mouth full. "I'm Florian."

Posted: **Thu Aug 12, 2021 8:13 pm**

She too examined his horn as it was held in his hands. She had mixed feelings about what she believed to be their people’s pride--the horns that no one else possessed. While wrapping the particular area that used to have a horn, Santhia winced as if it were her own that was missing. The thought of someone painfully tearing hers apart was like the death of her. Every horn atop a Lysanrin’s head was important and should be cherished. But the group of hated people was all so different that she’s sure not every person felt the same way. Including the young boy, she was taking care of this instant.

“No one can bully you when you learn to escape.” She used two fingers to poke him in the chest. Santhia allowed him to get up and lean against the wall. The girl was too young to know any medical advice and her knowledge of anatomy was little to nothing considering she’s never gone to school. What she does know is that abnormal breathing usually means there’s something wrong and so without her acquaintance knowing, she listened to his breathing. Living with her lord, that man, there were certain things she just had to pick up on when it came to the new family she gained. When they were in pain, agonizing pain even worse than this boy’s own, she could tell if they were going to make it based on their breathing pattern.

“You idiot. How can hiding draw attention if no one knows you’re hiding?” She gave him a smug face before leaning more on the wall herself. “When you learn to blend into the shadows, move without anyone hearing you, how the hell will anyone know you’re hiding?” Santhia watched him. It wasn’t hard to tell what the Lysanrin boy was feeling. Based on what he’s gone through and the amount of pain he’s in, she could tell that his current eye color must represent pain or sadness. “Your tactics are terrible for someone of your kind. Of our kind. The objective is to draw less attention, not more.” She said to him, noting that he wasn’t getting any better and it was very stressful to watch.

“The names Santhia Valkhaene. Remember it.” She sighed afterward, grabbing her long white hair so that she could make a messy braid out of it. “Florian, right. Nice to meet you.” She held off on saying anything else until she finished her braid. After finishing, she would stand up and look at the Lysanrin, or Florian, as she thought of what to do next. There was some blood on her apron, but the young girl didn’t notice.

“You can’t just sit here like this. You need help and I’m no doctor. Do you have a family? Friends? Someone that takes care or looks after you? Because something tells me you can’t do that yourself.” She placed her hands on her hip while scolding him. It would only last a short while. Santhia would remember that he too was Lysanrin. She would grow hopeful and excited, collapsing to the floor and crawling closer to Florian. “Are there others? Do we function like normal people here? We have to live in some sort of community where we have each other’s backs, right?” She would later grab the hand without the horn and squeeze it tight as she awaited an answer.

Posted: **Fri Aug 13, 2021 1:46 am**

Florian used the wall to help himself up. Again, he let the girl chide him without argument. Maybe she was right, but Florian refused to hide. Maybe he wasn't proud of who or what he was, but he wasn't afraid. More, he was afraid - but he refused to let such fear control him. He could learn lessons from fear, but he couldn't live his life as if it were the most important thing.

"I don't want to hide who I am, Santhia." Was all he had to stay on the matter. He still sat on the ground. She moved around fretfully like a mother, but she couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen. Even in his pained state, Florian surmised she held much more responsibility than she should have for that age. He stayed on the ground for a bit.

She wasn't from around here after all. Her questions were odd, but he tried to answer them the best he could while he rested for the moment. "Well, yes, there are others. Normal is a loaded word...where do you live, if you're not from around here?" He moved his head a bit to face her, his brow furrowed. He was confused. "There's no community for us."

Finally, he used the wall to stand himself up. "I need to see my mom. She doesn't live far, she knows what to do. She always knows what to do." He started his walk in a direction, and then looked around, paused, and turned around. The pain disoriented him a bit, but he could find his home blindfolded. He had made sure of it, and they had lived in the same spot since he was born.

"This way. This way." He looked and felt a painful mess, but he kept up pace anyway. "My mom can give you something for your help. She makes good cookies." He was babbling, but he hoped Santhia would follow. All things considered, they really weren't far from home, but he still would've had trouble making it home without her help.

Posted: **Tue Aug 17, 2021 5:41 am**

He was surely a stubborn boy that wasn’t so easily convinced. Florian reminded her of her youngest brother back home, who refused to see anyone’s point of view but his own. Santhia always summed it up to him being nothing more than a brat, but her eldest sisters would blame it on him being the baby; the youngest child. They told her the youngest child is never opposed, never forced out of their comfort zone so that they can understand the other person. She wondered if that applied to Florian.

Then again, the boy was mutilated just minutes ago, and yet he was still stubborn. Maybe her sisters were wrong and the stubbornness of someone had nothing to do with when they were born.

“If you’re not going to hide then you better stand big and tall. You better hold your ground in a fight and show some sort of power. Otherwise, you’re a dead man walking.” She rolled her eyes. This was her first time meeting him and even she could tell that Florian was no tank. It didn’t take much to notice that he wasn’t the kind of person to exactly win a brawl and take names. He was no more or less a child than she was herself. “Also, I’m not hiding who I am.” She said taking offense. She hid all the time and it wasn’t because she wanted to hide the fact that she’s a Lysanrin. The idea of hiding and walking in the shadows is far from that. If anyone is proud, it’s her.

“Predators,” she started, “do not hit their prey full on. Have you ever seen a cat pounce? They hide in the shadows then BOOM! They catch their prey. I’m just waiting to catch my own.” There was a smile on her face as she described herself as a prowling feline.

She was disappointed to hear that there was no community for them in the area. Granted, Santhia was no fool and knew that was most likely the truth. She held out anyway, longing that he would state the opposite of what is most common for their people. If there was a community, Santhia believed there was some hope for her new friends. A possibility that they could escape and be backed up by their kind if anything were to happen.

Those were just silly little girl dreams though.

“You have a mother?” She paused to look at him in shock. That meant there were at least two of them in the same city as herself. “And you’re giving her so much trouble! What kind of son are you?” Santhia began muttering in disappointment and raised her hand as if she were going to hit him. Only to lower it and put her body under his arm for assistance. “You’re lucky I have so much respect for her already. Otherwise, I’d dump you in a can already.”

Santhia followed his lead, moving whenever he moved so that he wasn’t only carrying himself. She had done enough labor to have some sort of strength by now. Carrying a boy slightly bigger than her wasn’t so much an issue as it should be for a girl her age.

“I don’t need anything, so it’s all good. Your mother shouldn’t be making cookies if she has to look after a child like you. But I appreciate your kindness.”

Posted: **Tue Aug 17, 2021 5:47 pm**

Florian couldn't help himself but laugh. Santhia was, perhaps, more strict than his own mother. And she certainly had opinions she was not afraid to share. He was a bit disappointed she didn't seem to want to come meet her, though her questions led him to have some of his own.

"Do you not know about others? What about your own mother? Where are you from?" He asked, even as the smaller girl was helping him on his way. He felt like he could walk just fine, but she seemed to have other ideas. Maybe she was right. He thought he was stubborn, but she was a hearth to his candle. "Don't you have your own family, Santhia?"

"Also, a lot of predators face their prey full on. They can't all be sneaky." She had some truth to her words, though. He was not a big predator that did not need to hide. He was small and skinny and it seemed like he barely knew a thing about anything sometimes.

Finally, they were close enough to his mother's apartment, and Florian stopped leaning so much on the girl. Though he was small enough himself, he didn't want to be rude. "You can come in, if you want. Or not, it's okay." For some reason, he didn't take the girl's comments personally. He knew his mother loved him, and he also knew that he was going to receive his own punishment for his actions. Still, Santhia's words didn't hold the same sting as they might've if she hadn't just helped him so much.

He thought about inviting her over when he wasn't bleeding from the gash in his head, but he wasn't sure if she was from around here. He wondered how many more questions he could ask. He sat on the step to his mother's apartment. "Well, if you need any help, this is where I am. I owe you, and if you don't collect now, come back later." He smiled, though he still looked quite worse for wear. "I'll try not to get into anymore fights, Santhia. Just for you."

Posted: **Fri Aug 20, 2021 5:43 pm**

“Hey, who’s asking the questions around here?” Santhia scowled at Florian as she tried to dodge his questions with one of her own. He was kind and seemed trustworthy, but she didn’t want to tell him about her past. She did not want to think about her family either since she misses them so much and still doesn’t have a clue on what happened or why her brother handed her over to the lord. Despite what he did too, she missed him dearly as well. “We’re not friends, so I won’t tell you a thing. I’m only asking you about your family cause...I wanted to make sure you have somewhere safe to go.”

“That’s true, but those predators are usually bigger and stronger. When you’re huge, there’s no way you can sneak up on prey.” She did not comment on his appearance anymore but looked him over hoping it was obvious that he couldn’t take on prey or even another predator head-on if he were in such a position. Florian was exceptionally beautiful, like an exotic bird if you wanted to compare him to something else petite yet eye-grabbing. “I better see you bulk up. Strong enough to fight back. Otherwise, you’ll lose that other horn.” A wicked grin crossed her face. She wasn't always so bold or rude, Florian just didn’t seem to care much about what she said and so Santhia felt comfortable spewing nonsense at the boy.

They reached his home and all the young girl could do is gawk at it. To others, it wasn’t anything extraordinary. To her, the house meant so much more. It meant that her people could be happy, that they could live normal lives and do as they please. It meant that her family lived in hiding, eating whatever they could find and barely getting by for no reason. Lastly, it meant there was a fighting chance for her and the other Lysanrin in the basement. Their lord did not control the world and he couldn’t possibly control them forever. “I’ve got people waiting for me, so I can’t come in and meet your wonderful mother. Maybe next time.”

She shoved her hands behind her apron after he was safe and dug her feet in the floor a little.

“I need you to do me a favor. If we meet again, I want you to remember me and if I'm distraught, do what I did for you. Okay?” She let go of him to face him properly. Santhia gave him a more genuine smile before touching his curls and patting him gently. “If not me then maybe another Lysanrin.” She laughed as she could hardly believe he would get into any more fights. She was sure it would happen again. “You better not get into any more fights until you’re the height of a giant and capable of breathing fire like a dragon.”

Placing a kiss on his cheeks and one last pat on the head, Santhia looked into Florian’s eyes warmly.

“See ya later, Idiot.” She waved to him, walking away as she covered her face up. Santhia was sure she wouldn’t see him again, but she prayed Florian would remember her.

The future is so fickle.

Legend of Ransera

Lopsided [Santhia]

Lopsided [Santhia]

Re: Lopsided [Santhia]

Re: Lopsided [Santhia]

Re: Lopsided [Santhia]

Re: Lopsided [Santhia]

Re: Lopsided [Santhia]

Re: Lopsided [Santhia]

Re: Lopsided [Santhia]

Re: Lopsided [Santhia]

Re: Lopsided [Santhia]