[closed] wayward son

[Talon]

10th of Frost, 119th Year of Steel

Low City

Talon’s sword cut through the arm of another beast as its claws raked toward his chest. Any second slower and he would have had deep gashes in his flesh. He was already cut, bruised and bloody. This incursion was one of the worst that Kalzasi had seen in many years. It was taking everything that he had to stay alert and to outmaneuver the beasts that were running through the streets. There was something different about this time. The way the creatures moved seemed too...intelligent. Talon had noticed that during his flight away from the Plaza of Jeweled Arches the creatures weren’t necessarily attacking civilians. They were going after the combatants as though they wanted to face them. There was almost the feeling of the creatures trying to test the defenses of the city and how ferociously its people defended it. But that was impossible...wasn’t it?

Talon’s head snapped in the direction of a woman’s scream. The street he was in was dotted with corpses both monstrous and not. It saddened him to see as many dead as he did but incursions were never without losses. Still, he could not linger on that. The woman’s scream echoed out again. Talon didn’t waste any time. He sprinted forward, his chest rising and falling more rapidly due to his exertions but he refused to give up. He jumped into the air and took off, following the sound. As he was gliding over the roof of a house, he heard another scream. Twisting around, Talon spotted the figure of what looked like a woman running down a street.

Her garments were torn, her hair looked wild from behind and her movements seemed panicked. Talon immediately understood why. A pack of shamblers was racing over the rooftops, Talon counted at least a dozen of them. That filled him with dread. He looked around searching for any of his fellow combatants but they were spread so thin. Even from this distance he could still see the Icewing Riders dealing with the flying beasts though it looked as if the tide had turned in the Sky Guard’s favor. With noone nearby to assist him, Talon gripped his sword tighter. How did he get so far away from the others? Why hadn’t he been paying attention. Too consumed with the cold fury that he draped himself in, was his first thought. Still, it did not matter. He folded in his wings and dove toward the woman.

Within moments, Talon angled himself so that he landed on his feet just behind her.

“Miss! Stop! I can fly you to safety! There’s a shelter nearby!” Talon kept his sword at the ready. The pack of shamblers was not far away. The woman stopped and Talon quickly closed the distance between them. He could hear the rumbling growl and shrieks of the shamblers was getting closer. Reaching out Talon grasped the woman’s shoulder.

“Miss, we have to--” Pain. Talon gasped. The shock and biting hurt of it taking him by surprise. He looked down and saw a spiny, jagged appendage jutting out from where the woman’s lower ribcage was. It had pierced him in his side. That was when Talon notice it. Her skin was splotched and patches of it were missing beneath her torn and ragged clothing. Talon regained his sense and shoved away from the woman just as she whirled around revealing a putrid face of bone and teeth. She emit a scream. It wasn’t a scream for help. It was a lure. Talon’s eyes went wide. He placed a hand over the wound in his side, his fingers became wet with blood.

The woman went to lunge. Talon sent a wave of kinetic force rippling out from his body. It slammed into her. The wretched beast was sent flying back and crashing into the face of a building. Turning Talon flapped his wings to get airborne. He ascended...and felt the weight of a beast upon his back. Talon gasped as the claws scratched at his body. He immediately spun in the air, gripping the weight of the creature through the aether flux. With a cry of anger he flung it off of him but the force sent Talon crashing back onto the ground. He landed hard on one of his shoulders. He tucked his wings in and rolled before skidding to a halt. Coughing, Talon scrambled to his feet. He was grateful for having kept a tight grip on his sword. He winced, his side gnawed at him in pain. He looked down. He was bleeding but it was a slow bleed. That meant nothing vital had been stabbed.

Talon had no time to assess further as all around him...the shamblers had formed a circle. They were on the rooftops. They were on the ground. At a glance, Talon again counted at least a doze. He was surrounded. He knew without a doubt then, something was off about this attack. Something was very, very off.

“You want me?” Growls and twisted faces that looked vaguely humanoid gnashed their teeth at him. Talon glared at them. “Come and get me.”

Three of them lunged for him. Talon immediately reached out across the aether and gripped one of them by the skull. He applied every ounce of strength he could to it. There was a sickening crunch as the bone and brain collapsed and splattered everywhere. Bringing up his sword, Talon was too slow to evade the swipe of claws to one of his thighs. He cried out in pain but swung his blade in an arc. He severed the limb that swiped at him next. But though he was fending off the attackers from the front, he missed the attack from the back. He felt a weight pull on his left wing. Instantly, Talon swiped his wing outward, knocking back the monster that had grabbed it. The loss of its grip saw some of Talon’s wing raked making his eyes water in pain. But Talon kept fighting. He whirled around, managing to bring his sword around to slice open the guts of one of the lunging beasts.

But there were more. There were too many. Talon had to act quickly. Reaching inside of himself, Talon took hold of his aether. He reached out to the flux and pulled it tightly to himself. With a shout of cold rage, he sent out a blast of kinetic force in a dome outward from his body. It smashed into the creatures lunging at him. They were sent flying back. Talon dropped to a knee. His chest was heaving. He was covered in sweat and blood. Some of it his own. The silence that hung in the street was deafening. That was when he heard it.

A slow building moan. Talon looked up. The monstrous woman was on its feet. Eyes filled with dark malic glared at him. As her guttural moan began to build, the sound of shuffling reached his ears.

His blast hadn’t taken out all of the shamblers. Talon knew he wasn’t going to be able to muster up the strength for another display like that. Gritting his teeth, Talon rose to his feet. If he was to die, he would not do it kneeling before these horrors. Taking in some deep breaths, he gripped his sword. His grey eyes leveled upon the creature’s wretched face. He glared.

“Come on.”

[Riven]

The horns were blowing. Riven's book just fell of his hands as his eyes were wide open, trying to focus on the distant war song to make sure he wasn't mistaken. Unfortunately, he was not. The horns that the Sky Guard blew only meant one thing: monsters pouring out of the warrens, ready to lay waste to the city and slaughter its inhabitants. Riven dreaded the noise ever since he had gone down to the monsters' lair; after he got back from his own Warren March, he hadn't been the same. He felt the turmoil of the land and heard the first screams cutting the air as he swiftly picked up his twin blades, put on his durable leather armor and left everything else behind to go and defend the city that had finally taken him as one of the Synnekar; everything he loved was within its walls. Taelian lived in the Commons. He knew the Siltori would be perfectly able to fight to save his life, but he just couldn't avoid fearing a terrible fate for either of both. Just as he took off towards the Commons, a cold rage filled his heart. One that was not his own; icy feelings Riven wasn't used to.

Talon. Talon was fighting. He basically was a prince to the whole city, an excellent warrior and a leader to the Guard. And, while he trusted Talon to defend himself... He knew his companion would get into the turmoil, try to destroy as many of the enemy forces as he could. The chances of Talon being attacked skrocketed over any other, and Riven... He couldn't afford to lose him. His terribly complicated feelings, the ones that invaded his mind when he was alone, cleared for a second. He had to make sure Talon got back. He couldn't live without him; he owed him too much, enough to give his life for him if needed. He whistled; Trinket quickly flew towards him as he landed again; it would just be a second. He locked the Minova bat in his little house and flew away, ignoring his desperate chirping. He couldn't let Talon's fluffball get killed either.

His mind called; his desperation and his primordial fear, his fear of losing his loved ones, acted like a beacon for the elements, manifested as a warmth on his opened fiery rune. They would come to his aid that time. He let the wind gather on his feet; he pushed, and an air jet boosted his speed as he flew towards the low city, looking for Talon. The sight of the streets was horrifying; eldritch abominations flew, ran and crawled all over Kalzasi, burning, warping and destroying whatever they touched. He sensed his rune beating harder; the corruption of all elemental spirits made his magic pulse and ache for release, end their suffering. Riven left out a battle cry as he drew his twin blades; they instantly ignited into blue flames at top speed, turning Riven into a bright blue comet crossing the sky. He charged against a dark red eagle abomination, with at least five different wings and a tail turned into sharp, bloody knives. He cleanly cut it in half as he passed right through it, the remains burning up in the air.

He let wind and fire rest as he hovered over the city; the cacophony of monsters and cries didn't let him properly focus on the bond he and Talon shared, and the presence of monsters was starting to become overwhelming. Talon wasn't there. Riven wouldn't be on time. Talon was weak without him. Riven was weak without Talon. Talon was going to die. Talon was dying and Riven had not been there to avoid it. The flurry of thoughts filled Riven's mind, blocking his own and hindering his focus. A blizzard striked him, Riven reflexively forming an air shield to deflect the icy projectiles; still a few cut his wings and his uncovered arms, but no major damage. Terror wraiths; poisoning his thoughts. He had been particularly vulnerable to them in the Warrens in his march; he wouldn't let them win now. Not when there was so much to play. He channeled the fire that burned on the rooftops; the flames were put out with soft hisses as they ascended and gathered, turning blue as Riven claimed and fed them. He unleashed a huge firestorm at the wraith flight, consuming their ethereal tattered cloaks and their corpse-like bodies as the hammering blocking his head stopped.

And then he could see Talon. It was not the bond this time; he could see him with his own eyes standing on the ground, surrounded by a large group of shamblers and corrupted animals. He was in trouble; his shirt was full of blood. And he was surrounded. Riven needed time if he wanted to saving them without later dooming both; he could not create so much fire without overstepping, but he could gather it. All raging wraiths had been sure to provide him plenty of material. He glided in circles around the area Talon was stuck on, always watching the distance between him and the shambler pack as flames ascended when Riven flew over them, turning blue and coating the back feathers of his black wings; he kept flying in circles, stockpiling fire on him as he carefully watched Talon; he had just defeated one more monster... But they were about to attack all together. They were just sounding out his skill; they seemed much more intelligent than usual. And then, all of them stepped back; that couldn't be good at all.

Riven nosedived just before the Shinaegri started to approach Talon, the mutated, partially merged hounds jumping towards the Novalys heir. Talon drew his sword, uncertain... But Riven landed just behind him, violently closing his wings around him to protect him, releasing the fire in devastating rings around both, blue barriers of flame and wind expanding in circles around them and igniting every monstrosity they touched, their rotten flesh quickly bending over itself like parchment before erupting in flames and turning to ash. Riven hugged Talon strongly as his firestorm went on, his wings protecting his companion from the extreme heat as his attack faded, all the stockpiled fire depleted in that cleansing. He grunted; the elements were still willing to work with him; he took a minute to rest and make sure everything was burned before he made two stone walls rise to block the street both were in; they wouldn't stop the monsters, but they would give Riven some time to rest from that effort. He had been extremely conscious of his investment; he couldn't risk overstepping there.

"Please. Please tell me you're okay. You can't face all of them by yourself, Talon. You can't."

[Talon]

Talon’s eyes remained focused on the screeching monstrosity that was now barreling its way toward him. The other beasts around him were poised to jump. The Novalys heir drew in his wings tightly. He brought up his sword. He would not go down without a fight. He refused. He wasn an Avialae, a blessed son of the winds, one of the freed of Naori. He would not go down without taking as many of these wretched things with him. Several things passed through his mind as the world seemed to slow before him. He could see each of the creatures clearly. The shambling woman with her face filled with jagged teeth and bone at odd angles. Her eyes were cataracted and dead. She seemed little more than a puppet being pulled on wicked strings. The hound-like creatures surrounding him held a much more insidious look to them. Mouths dripping with acrid saliva, jaws that opened at strange angles, their eyes were alight not with the ravenous hunger of beasts but with determined malice.

He saw the flesh and sinew stretched taut over warped bones. The claws that jutted out from their paws were cracked and blood caked. Despite the hollowness of their gaze, Talon could swear that he saw something staring back at him out of the darkness of their eyes. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

It was strange. But his thoughts were not on the fact that he was facing death. His thoughts were on other things. The first of them? Riven. There was no sorrow but a peace. In that moment, Talon admitted to himself what he had been struggling with for years. He loved Riven. He loved the man down to his core. His only regret was not being able to confess his feelings to the black winged Avialae. Riven was proud. He was strong. He was insufferable at times with how headstrong he could be but he was tender. There was a wholeness to his beloved companion’s being that made Talon feel stronger, better, more at peace with himself. He could remember the days the two of them had spent so much time together, how Riven had been after his Warren March. It had been the most frightening time of his life. More so than even his own March.

His thoughts went to his mother, his father, all of his siblings. It gave him resolve to fight with everything he had and more. Talon readied himself just as he saw the creatures all spring into action as soon as the broken woman crossed the line of beasts. This was it. This was the moment. He braced himself. There would be pain and chaos from all angles. Talon drew in a breath, moved to bring up his sword…

...and found midnight black wings surrounding him.

Strong arms pulled him against a muscular body. Warmth suffused Talon. Warmth, fear, terror and worry. But the most overwhelming feeling that filled Talon at that moment was a sense of relief. Though it was not his own, not exactly. Talon didn’t even hesitate. He clung tightly to the larger frame of Riven, turning in the circle of his arms to bury his face in his companion’s chest. The firestorm subsided and there was quiet. As Riven’s wings loosened, Talon sagged against him. He let out a shaky breath before looking up into those fiery blue eyes. He heard Riven’s words. He knew how stupid he’d been. In that moment though, all he could think on was how happy he was that Riven was there. Talon reached up. He placed a hand on the side of Riven’s face. He felt the urge to just speak, to confess his feeling, to be done with his stupid oath but…

Talon thought back to what he’d felt across their bond not but a few days ago. The surge of arousal, of romance, of joy that had swelled and built inside his bondmate. Riven was exploring his heart with someone. Talon couldn’t interfere with that. Riven had to make his choice. So he dropped his hand and simply rest his head against Riven’s chest and listened to his heartbeat.

“I am sorry, Riven. I was foolish. Forgive me.”

[Riven]

Riven just blankly stared down at Talon's pale complexion as he breathed heavily. He wanted to slap him for being so heroic and arrogant; he wanted to hug him as tight as possible and make sure he was still there; he wanted to... Damn. He took the second option and, after checking the rock walls worked, hugged him close and solid, closing his eyes. He felt Talon's accelerated heartbeat; their bond overflowed with relief and gratitude for having found each other, just for having stayed alive. He grabbed his upper back tensely, and stayed like that for a moment; the beasts wouldn't take much longer to find them, but Riven was determined to use all the time they had. He pushed Talon out softly to be able to look into his gray eyes, a stern but shaky expression on his face that quickly melted into a mixed display of relief and worry. "You'll never have to apologize to me, Talon... But you can't play hero and expect things to come out well every time. I... I wasn't sure I'd be able to reach you fast enough." He said, sighing. "I mean... I would get furious if something happenned to you. Well, crushed would define that better." He said, blushing a tad bit. "I mean, I need you here with me. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself, okay? You won't be able to do anything for Kalzasi when you're dead. You won't be able to do anything for me, either. Stay alive, for all of us." He said, hugging him again. He still couldn't believe Talon was still in his arms. He had raced against time, and he had won... at least this time.

The grunting and loud screeching behind the rock walls was getting louder and louder; the monsters seemed overeager to find a good fight instead of easy to kill victims for some reason. Riven found it especially suspicious, and it also meant they would target both of them instead of civilians. It wasn't bad, but Riven still needed a couple of minutes before he was sure he could extract aether again without suffering consequences. He stepped back from talon with a serious look and nodded at him; they were used to it. They got ready, drawing both of their weapons as they assumed the stance; one of the walls was starting to crack severely. Suddenly, the rock fully broke down; the wall crumbled and a group of five shamblers rushed in against Riven and Talon. They could take them; alongside one another, they separated to confuse them, and Riven faced the three shamblers he had gotten. He just threw one of his blades at the first one's head, the pointed sword burying inside and killing it until Riven pulled it out, letting the shambler drop dead. He crushed his skull with a boot just in case it wasn't fully dead.. He then faced the remaining two. One of them crawled, so it was considerably slower; the other was walking towards him; he faced the monster with both blades; he couldn't burn it down now, but he'd bring the shambler down.

He stepped forward as he just picked up the blade from the first shambler's skull. Talon seemed to be doing fine; one of his two monsters was already down, and he was facing the other solidly. Riven waited for the creature patiently; he waited for a first, instinctive move, and when he had that shambler clawing at him with multiple arms, he striked. A strong blow close to what used to be their chest, stunning them, and then, a move reminiscent of his assassination training. He carefully put those blades around the monsters' neck and pulled them outside in opposite directions, cleanly separating head and torso and dropping the head on the ground. The last one would clean the street of shamblers; it was a horrid mass of tentacles, laws and legs, and it crawled towards Riven; it was faster than one could expect, but it definitely had a strong build. He jumped upwards, getting a short wing beat to boost him upwards just to go back nosediving on the confused monster and bury his blades on the hardened back. He got through; as son as he was done, the monster died with a horrid scream. Talon seemed to be done as well; and as they smirked at each other, congratulating them, Riven heard a crack.

The rocks that had been the wall were coated by a hardened, cold dry shell... and the ice wasn't seeming to melt, connected to something that produced it. And suddenly, an ice elemental appeared in the back of the street; the temperature dropped as the buildings' walls began to freeze. The black and red floating, winged aurora-like spirit seemed determined to freeze anything and anyone they encountered. Riven rushed back to Talon; they'd have to face it together and protect each other until Riven's fire was safe enough to use again. "Here we go. Ready?" He asked, smirking at Talon; it was just like some of their training.

[Talon]

Talon could have stayed that way for a lifetime. There in that single moment of peace, with just the two of them in each other’s arms, he felt a measure of purpose that he hadn’t in such a long time. But it was not to last. The sound of grunts, the scraping of claws and digging at the walls that Riven had pulled up from the earth was all the warning that Talon needed. He heard Riven’s words, they settled in his mind and heart. His companion was right. Talon was no good to anyone dead. Being a leader meant more than just charging off to face whatever dangers threatened the peace of his city and people. It was knowing where to guide the other defenders, to be able to mentor and lead in the long-term. So he merely nodded, hefted up his sword and stepped back. He was still injured but the bleeding had at least stopped. That was reassuring. It meant that nothing vital had been punctured. He could take a flesh wound.

When the wall cracked, Talon was ready. The monstrosities that came clambering toward them almost seemed drunk with bloodlust. That struck Talon as further proof that something was noticeably off about this particular incursion. These were not uncoordinated attacks. They were targeted. The creatures could have pressed themselves against the doors to homes. They could have gone after the citizens who were simply fleeing and not standing to fight. Instead the creatures seemed intent on going after anyone and anything that stood out as a credible threat. These were things that Talon would bring up to the Council of Elders. If there was some darker power at work here, then they needed to know about it. An investigation into it needed to take place. It was not lost on anyone that there were nefarious things lurking in the Warrens but none of those things had made a move to push out of the depths in recent memory.

Talon moved as swiftly as he was able. He was injured and thus his maneuverability was hampered. Instead of trying to evade the two beasts that charged toward him, he stood his ground. As one of them lunged toward him. Talon side-stepped it, bringing out his sword to slice clean through its side eliciting a howl of pain from the shambler. The second one jumped for him. Talon brought up one of his wings and used it to slam into the beast as hard as he could. It was sent sprawling onto the ground. The impact to his wing made Talon wince but there was no cause for concern. He turned to the wounded monster that was struggling to pick itself back up. Without waiting, Talon moved toward it. The creature swatted at him but he parried it with his sword then moved in close, plunging the blade into its skull.

Talon whirled around and darted up to the second beast dodging a swipe for his shoulder. He lifted his sword, stabbing the monster in its belly. With a grunt, Talon wrenched his sword to the side, gutting it entirely. The creature howled in pain, landing with a heavy thud upon the street. It stumbled a few feet before falling down, blood pooling beneath it. Talon turned to see that Riven had dispatched the creatures that had assailed him. He gave his companion a nod before a hissing crack drew his attention to the second wall that Riven had erected. Ice was gathering along the surface of it. Frost collected on the edges of the street, climbing onto the walls of the houses nearby. There was a definitive shriek in the air as the wall exploded in a shower of frozen rock and stone. Drifting down the street, Talon saw a winged aurora-like spirit. A corrupted ice elemental. When Riven joined him, the Novalys heir stepped closer to his companion.

“It has the advantage. The air is cold. We are best suited to splitting up. Make ourselves hard targets. You take it from the left. I’ll go right.” Reaching out, Talon grasped Riven’s forearm. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t leave me Riven, I need you too.”

With that, Talon moved away from Riven. He extended his wings and took to the air shifting to the right of the elemental. He was in no condition to use any of his magic. So he would have to serve as a distraction and hope he could hold it off long enough for Riven to use his. Talon ascended into the air a few feet above the rooftops of the houses. He then dove toward the ice elemental. The spirit emit a wail and the air grew colder. Shards of ice collected in the air around it that one by one began hurtling toward Talon. The Avialae brought up his sword to deflect the ice, the shard shattering against the metal of his sword. But he couldn’t get all of them. He felt one of the ice shard puncture one of his wings. Talon ignored the pain. He dove toward the ice elemental and when he got near, veered off sending a current of wind in his wake.

It buffeted the ice elemental making the spirit’s icy conjurations fall off course. The spirit whirled and shot toward Talon, bringing up claws that were tipped with razor sharp ice. Talon dove out of the way, heading straight for the ground. He landed, rolling out of the way of the spirit just as it released a torrent of ice. Talon staggered to his feet, pain flaring in his side. He grit his teeth and kept moving. The cold winds were right behind him. He could feel his wings growing cold and the building moan of the ice elemental on his tail was all the warning he needed. That was when Talon saw it. A brazier that was alight. It must have been abandoned by the citizens who were near it when the horns began blaring. Talon rolled to the side, diving into an alley to avoid the blast of icy winds that followed him. He pressed himself against the wall of the building before rolling back out onto the street.

Talon ran up to the brazier, he kicked it with his boot and flipped it over so that the coals went toppling onto the ground. He looked around, spotting a nearby oil lamp. Grabbing it he smashed it on to the ground, spilling the oil and the fire onto the coals creating a line of blazing fire.

“Riven! Now!” He called out to his companion. He only hoped Riven could pull this off.

[Riven]

Riven hated to admit it, but Talon was right. Splitting up was their best option; corrupted elementals were rarely smart enough to focus on two targets at the same time without weakening their firepower. Thing was, he was out of magic for the time being; he didn't have thought the walls would have lasted so little. Cleaning the street had already been a huge effort, and he hadn't even used his own fire. And overstepping there was not a good idea; it was just an elemental, there had to be another way. He wasn't that badly gone either; it was a matter of minutes before he at least recovered enough to be able to keep attacking They just had to use delaying tactics. He squeezed Talon' hand as he let Riven's forearm go, a fleeting pressure to express his care about the Avialae. "Never, Talon." He said with a nod before turning tail and running in the opposite direction. He hoped the monster would target him; Talon's injuries were way bigger than his.

Wishing was more than enough for that not to happen, though. The elemental had turned towards Talon and was ready to attack; Riven jumped to the opposite roof. "Stall him!" He shouted; he felt bad about asking such a thing, but he knew it was the right thing to do. He breathed in and focused on redistributing the aether on his body, of achieving the balance his large pyromantic display had disturbed. He watched as the elemental formed razor-sharp ice projectiles to hurl against Talon; a mix of pride and pain was his reaction to the heir blocking most of them with his longsword, but several had cut his wings; then, using said wings to create a current. Riven was so used to air responding to him that he hadn't even thought about that. A stroke of genius. He focused; he could feel the usual warmth of his fire back, but the amount he needed...

Watching Talon fight without being able to do much about it was painful, but Riven knew it was important. He wanted to jump there so hard, slam one of his swords in that iced black back... But then he would have lost a sword and his chance to end the fight. Talon clutched his his side; a bloody stain on his clothes. He was injured; badly. Riven's jaw tensed; he couldn't take it anymore; Talon might get killed if he kept doing nothing. He grabbed one of his blades, focused and threw it at the beast; it buried slightly in his back with a shriek... But he just turned around as Talon disappeared behind an alley; he faced Riven, in pain but mostly unbothered otherwise, starting to generate his ice crystals...

And Talon did what they both had needed the most. A lit brazier and an oil lamp, both contents dropped on the floor to create a huge flaming puddle; all the fire Riven had wanted and that he could handle now. He swore he would have kissed Talon at right that moment; the rune's influence expanded and the orange flames rose on a torrent, becoming blue and trapping the elemental in a flaming sphere, swirling around it and melting its icy body as its screeches pierced the dark sky. He kept the shape for a while; he wanted to make sure the fireball left nothing in his wake. And he was right; all that remained was a steam cloud that quickly disspated, the elements coursing through Riven's body seemingly thankful that he had eliminated that sort of corruption. He landed next to Talon, smiling and lifting him up with both arms, laughing "That was incredible! Thinking like a master elementalist there!" He said, happy, noticing Talon's pain grimace mixed with his smile. He put him back on the ground with remorse, giving him a gentle hug. "You're hurt, Talon. Maybe we should go back home. Sorry for making you wait that long."

[Talon]

It was always amazing to Talon, seeing Riven perform feats of elemental mastery. There had been more than once occasion where the Novalys heir had considered asking Riven to initiate him into the powers of Elementalism. But memories of his ordeal with both Semblance and Kinetics were enough to give him pause for thought. Those fears aside, Riven had always commanded such an impressive degree of control over the elements. He hobbled out into the street as the steam of the destroyed ice elemental was left to blow away in the wind.

“Ooof!” He found himself swept up in Riven’s arms, being squeezed tightly. It caused pain to flare up in his side, making him grimace at first but he smiled through the pain. It was worth it. Not often did he afford himself the opportunity to just be held and at that moment in time? All Talon wanted was to just lay his head upon Riven’s chest and let the rest of the world fade away.

“It is alright. I am alright.” He let out a breathy chuckle. Talon allowed himself to show his weariness. He leaned upon Riven and was silent. Closing his eyes, he simply breathed and listened to the other man’s heartbeat. It was faster than normal but that was to be expected give their exertions. Still, it was strong and so filled with life. Besides, Riven was warm and Talon, who usually did not feel the cold, was feeling some of the chill left behind by the ice elemental. After just a few silent moments in Riven’s embrace, Talon untangled himself from the falcon winged Avialae. He touched his wounded side. He needed to see a healer. The wound, while not life threatening, was still serious enough to merit attention and care.

“You are right. Come, we should--” In memories to come, Talon wouldn’t quite be able to describe what he felt in that exact moment. The sudden feeling of ice and fire coursing through his body and the absolute weakness that made him drop his sword. The gasp that escaped his throat wasn’t one of wailing agony or screaming pain. It was breathless, it was surprised, it sounded fake to his own ears but it was real and it was coming from him. Looking down, Talon found a strange chain wrapped around his waist. It did not burn despite there being tongues of icy blue flame ringed with black wrapped around it. The chains felt cold. Cold as death.

In a blink, Talon found himself being yanked off of his feet and pulled away from Riven. Weakly he reached for his falcon, his Kurohane, his Nightwing. But all Talon could feel was the cold. And then he stopped, as that icy cold was suddenly wrapped around his neck. He was being lifted. The chill was a clawed hand gripping his throat. And at last, Talon beheld in horror what had thrown it and pulled him away from his beloved Riven.

It had no face. There was nothing there but the dark, icy flames that were wrapped around the chains themselves. It wore tattered robes as though it were a specter of death itself. By its side walked the corpses of people, people who were chained, just like Talon was. Their skin was drawn tight over the bones. All life drained from their bodies. In place of their eyes was just that dark fire. And Talon knew, without any doubt, that he would be next if he did not act. Across their bond, through the bone chilling cold that was gripping him, Talon found Riven. Talon didn’t hide his fear. He was afraid. He was very afraid.

That burning chasm for a face inched closer. And Talon drew warmth from knowing, that in the face of this wretched creature, Riven was by his side. That warmth, was all he needed. He stirred his aether into motion and with a scream of defiance, sent a blast wave of kinetic force outward from his body and slamming into the creature. The chain around Talon was shattered. The hand that gripped his neck was snapped backward and the creature was sent hurling backwards away from Talon. It flew back and slammed into the wall of a nearby shack, the wall caved in, collapsing upon the creature sending rubble raining down on top of it. The walking corpses that had been chained to the creature were pulled back with it, some of them being torn apart in his blast. Talon crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath. Instantly, the deathly chill began to recede. He coughed and shivered.

He picked himself up, pushing himself to his knees.

“R-Riven!?” Talon spoke through chattering teeth.

[Riven]

Riven breathed in. He knew they weren't fully out of danger, and he was worried about Talon's wound; it wasn't deep enough to puncture any vital organ; nothing that the Necromancers at house Ahtivin coudn't fix, but still, he was lightly bleeding. He had already lost a significant amount of blood, and that meant that every minute passing by he would be weaker and less able to fight. He deserved the rest though; Riven smiled at the wounded heir, allowing him the safety and warmth in his arms that he deserved. His cheeks flushed as Talon rested his head on his chest. His already fast heartbeat rushed even more; an echo of a familiar feeling filled his heart. He had wanted that feeling gone, but the heart didn't listen to his mind's reasoning... or his other heart's, apparently. No; they were one and the same, and still... Damn, his feelings had the worst timing ever. He held on tighter onto Talon and allowed his heart to be filled with his Companion's warmth, clear his mind. It was no time for that kind of trouble. Gods, to think he had almost lost him. That kind of sense of relief was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

He was so lost in thought it took him a second to alleviate the pressure of his hug as Talon softly pushed him back with a smile. He grinned back awkwardly, wordlessly apologizing as he stepped back; he let him evaluate the depth of his wound, which seemed to bleed less, but Talon's hand was still stained with blood after he had touched his side. Riven's worries quickly instilled in his mind again. He looked around. Things seemed clear enough in the surrounding alleys, but then, a chill wind blew through the street. Far in the road, Riven suddenly witnessed a macabre spectacle; a floating horrid presence that seemed carried by...

“You are right. Come, we should--”

Riven's face froze as the chain darted towards Talon; he was too far for him to reach him, to hold his hand and pull before the lightning-fast chain pulled him towards the monstrous wraith. The spectral flame took away the color in his face as Riven jumped to try and grab his weakly extended hand and failed miserably. He crashed on the cobblestone, Talon's dropped sword inches away from his face while Riven's Companion was pulled back at breakneck speeds to face the flaming monstrosity that was, apparently, ready to suck the life out of the heir and enslave him. Riven gritted his teeth; how could that happen to him now? He got up as fast as he could, a powerful beat of his wings leading him towards Talon in an extremely low flight, ready to cut that chain open as he flew towards the wraith. He could feel Talon's terror; he wasn't dead, but he would be if Riven didn't do anything soon... or so he thought.

The blast stopped Riven in his tracks, the loud booming sound resounding in his ear as he watched the massive monster crash against the back wall, pulling most of the chains connected to it backwards, both wraith and zombies being buried under the rubble from the crash. Talon had managed to free himself but seemed unconscious, dropping onto the cobblestone road with a loud crash. Riven quicky landed by his side, tears in his eyes that he fought to blink away. If it wasn't for their Bond, he would have thought Talon was dead; even now, his response was very weak. He assumed a wide stance as the undead men and women the wraith had created charged against the lost prize Talon was. Riven sliced one's neck cleanly right after he pulled his twin blades out of their sheaths and kicked it aside; he darted to the other side of the road to tear another's chest right open, crushing his skull with a loud crack. "Talon, I need you to wake up NOW!" He shouted, worried, as he stepped back towards him, standing in front of Talon as he pierced another undead man's heart and kicked him away, and flapped his wings to lift him enough to deliver a crushing downwards axe kick. It wasn't time for games; he needed lethal precision if he wanted to keep Talon alive, and his soul was still recovering from his bright elemental display earlier. Another corpse coming, and another sword cut that threw it down. The piles of corpses surrounding both Avialae were growing after Riven slayed one after another. He heard coughing, and the sound of Talon's hands on the pavement. Thank the gods.

"I'm here, Talon. We're in a very tight spot; they want you for some reason. Step back and warn me if neccesary; I'll keep them distracted!" He said, flashing a fiery smile back at him. He felt his strength slowly returning to him, his hopes up. Talon was disarmed and in no condition to fight for now, but he was alive. Riven had faced worse. Probably. He beheaded two corpses at the same time; their chains kept falling to the ground with loud clanks as they died... again. No blood; their remains leaked a thick, black tar-like substance, as rotten as their master seemed. The archwraith was slowly regaining strenght; it seemed to have recovered from the blast and the rubble was falling to its sides as it flaming head slowly rose. With a loud shriek that sounded like a cacophony of a hundred voices, he shook the rest of the rubble off and shot a couple more chains towards Talon; Riven folded his wings and deflected both with a quick flurry, cutting both chains before they could reach the Novalys heir. His magic was getting back... but so were the Wraith's forces.

"Talon, I think I'll be able to beat it, but I'll need help. Find a way to break that pipe; I'll cover you up in the meanwhile." He said, swiftly pointing to a large water pipe that ran through a wall. The reanimated bodies kept coming, but Riven's strenght and speed was still superior... as long as they kept coming one by one, in couples tops. The wraith's forces seemed to be scattered enough for the standing warrior not to worry... for now. For once in his life, he blessed his assassination training. He tried to encourage Talon. "It's the last effort. Only that... and I'll take you home and make sure you heal as soon as possible, Talon. But we have to do this first. I'll be by your side the whole time." He said, sending his hope and determination to his Companion's heart.

[Talon]

Talon’s head was spinning. Everything hurt. From the tips of his toes to the throbbing in his head. He felt weak and completely out of breath. All of this reminded him of the trials that he had faced down in the Warrens those years ago. It made a shiver go up his spine. The world was out of focus and though he could see, it felt as though he couldn’t concentrate on any one thing before getting dizzy. He coughed as he felt a spasm in his side that made him hiss and want to curl in on himself. Distantly he heard shouting, the rattle of chains and the thud of heavy things falling to the ground. When things finally came into focus, he saw Riven’s mighty form battling with the shuffling corpses of dead people. Dimly he was aware of the words that Riven was shouting at him until the world stopped spinning and he could focus though, it all made no sense to him.

What had that creature been? Talon hadn’t seen anything like it before. He hadn’t heard stories of that kind of monster either. There were stories abound about the things that lurked within the depths of the Warrens but they all followed a common theme. Corrupted elementals and warped fauna, the Gravebound that shuffled in the dark and their stronger versions, those were things that Talon knew. Followed by the curiosities that lurked deeper in the Warrens, this wasn’t something he’d seen or heard of before. It was as he was sifting through his thoughts that he saw the top half of a creature moving toward Riven’s leg. Talon felt a horror build up inside of him. The mere thought of Riven getting hurt filled him with anger and fear. He limply pulled himself to his feet, stumbling slightly before standing in the path of the dessicated corpse. Using his wing he hefted his body weight and smacked it across the abdomen with his wing. The withered torso was sent hurtling back and away. The act had Talon dropping to his knees again, gasping for breath.

In the distance, Talon heard whispers. The world seemed to grow darker and the only light was the fire of the wraith that was slowly making its way out of the rubble. He distantly watched as two more chains shot out from the rubble but were cut down by Riven. More darkness seemed to close around them and all Talon could see was the ghostly fire. A fire that wanted to eat away at every soul it touched, a fire that wanted his soul and most likely, Riven’s too. With a shake of his head he heard Riven’s voice in his ear. He felt his Companion’s strength, his hope, his determination and...something else...flow across their bond. It filled Talon’s limbs with warmth and he shivered as he shook off the cold that wanted to cling to him.

“Keep...keep them busy. Please, Riven.” Talon felt incredibly weak. He knew that what he was about to do was going to cost him. But Riven was by his side. He could do anything with his Companion there. He would do anything. If it was a choice between himself and Riven, well, Talon didn’t feel that there was a choice to be made at all. It was clear what he would do.

Talon took a few calming breaths. He would need all of his concentration in order to achieve what Riven had asked of him. With his Companion offering up his support, small though it was, he felt a little steadier though not by much. He closed his eyes. The rattle of chains and the whoosh of wraith-fire sounded in his ears. The creature was rising up out of the rubble and with it, death would loom over the both of them. He couldn’t let that happen. Opening his eyes, Talon pushed his senses into perceiving the aether flux. He could see its ripples and its flow all around them. It flickered in and out of his sight as he pulled on the reserves of his strength to their absolute limits. He focused on the pipe that Riven had directed him toward.

His perception of the aether flux waxed and waned. He continued to concentrate.

“Come on.” Talon built up his strength. He clenched his jaw, the muscles in his body straining as he willed his aether into motion in order to exert control over the flux and use his kinetic mastery.

“Come on…” Talon could feel the strain he was undergoing. Much like the weight he had endured during his initiation. It was pressing down upon him. The pipe began to wobble and groan as Talon focused on it. The more he focused, the more weight he could feel. But he had to do this. It was this or die. With a roar, Talon gave everything he had and watched as the pipe burst. As soon as it did, he felt his left shoulder pop out of place and he screamed in pain falling to his side gripping his shoulder.

“N-now, Riven! Now!” Even as he was stunned in pain, Talon shouted for his Companion to act. This was their only shot.

[Riven]

Riven grunted; it had been a while since he had sweated like that. He couldn't lose the flow of focus; he couldn't let any of those chains hit him or Talon, and the corpses that had once belonged to citizens of the commons kept crawling, walking and running towards him. The movement of their muscles was spastic, like they had no control over their own motion, and their eyes were devoid of all life, black wells that reflected the dark nature of their master. They were lifeless, and they craved life; all they wanted was new vital sparks to offer their sinister master. Riven kind of felt like them; his movements almost didn't obey his own life but Talon's. If he stoped or misstepped once, Talon was dead. He couldn't do anything by watch the sides and focus on slaying every undead creature that was close enough, and cut the chains that the massive wraith shot at them from time to time. Step forward, slash, roundhouse kick, stab, spin, stab, flying, axe kick. The battle kept going; the number of cadavers Riven had killed (again) was around the three dozens already. He had no time to wipe the sweat on his forehead; the eternal chain of blows had to keep going. Double slash, switch to icepick, stab, crush skull, spin and kick.

Gods, how he wished he could enmesh his blades. A flaming touch and those zombies would combust instantaneously. But he needed to keep going with no magic if he wanted to make sure Talon and him could come out alive of that fucking mess. He had one shot; he didn't even know if it was going to work, but... he was confident enough. He trusted that Talon wouldn't let him do it alone, even in that circumstance. And maybe Riven was being selfish in a way, putting him in that kind of danger, but he really needed to save his Companion. The first friend he ever had. He needed his help, not just there, but in life. He needed Talon there, beside him, fighting with him. He unleashed a flurry of attacks on 5 more zombies; the two most resilient earned two thrusts and a twisting pull back that pulverized their chests. Two more chains; he couldn't jump to avoid them, so he stepped back and managed to block both without flinching; his arms burned like hell though. He clenched his jaw and lunged forward, tossing more corpses aside. They were around fifty already. Fuck; at least they didn't have much of a reaction to his fast style. Far away, the archwraith's fire seemed to dim; the monster was actually powering all those absurd puppets of his. It was weakened, and the attacks were becoming less numerous now.

And then everything happened so quickly. Talon's scream pierced the air and Riven heard the bold sound of his body drop on the hard cobblestone. The pipe burst, the metal tearing open and releasing a thunderous torrent of high pressure water that shot in front of Riven; no time to lose, Riven focused and his Rune of Elementalism ignited; suddenly, the torrent of water was lifted up and channelled into a large, narrow wave that washed the undead away and ended up crashing against the Archwraith; as it screamed, Riven twisted the water up into a large spear, grounded on the rugged cobblestone, that pierced right through the chains and extinguished the ghostly cold fire that formed its core. Impaled from bottom to top, the fire died with a loud hiss and the coldness of the destroyed wraith froze the water, leaving a massive frozen spear impaling the grim remains of its body. The corpses dropped to the ground, lifeless. Riven dropped as well, but to his knees. He couldn't breathe. He didn't have it in him; the more he tried, the more he felt like he would black out. Suddenly, he started coughing violently, and a huge amount of water exited his lungs. He kept coughing liquid until he managed to breathe normally again, and his vision was clear enough again.

He had no time to lose; he grabbed his blades and sheathed them, and rushed back towards Talon. He had blacked out on the floor, his expression one of agonizing pain, and there was still drops of blod under him. Riven cursed himself, his own name, his lack of preparation. Talon was still alive, though; their Bond reminded him that he still had time. He had a clearly dislocated shoulder; Riven could only guess that was a product of Kinetics, since he couldn't have been close enough to the pipe to break it himself. Breathing in, he whishpered calming words to his companion's ear as he grabbed his luxated shoulder and put it back on place, getting a horrible expression of pain in Talon's face and a single tear. He wasn't fully conscious, but not unsconscious either. He lifted him up in his arms; he beat his wings powerfully as he approached Talon's blade and grabbed it, building up strength until he managed to jump with that heavy weight on him; he just had to get to to the Garden of Jade and house Ahtivin would do the job. He flied upwards, pulling Talon against his chest and flapping his black wings stronger than ever; he eventually landed in the Garden, and looked back for a second just to watch the pillars of smoke rising. At least the screams seemed to be gone, for one reason or another. Striding into the Palace of the noble house, he gulped and kicked the door open. The guards were ready to jump on him; he had a single option and he hated that he had to use it, but it was an emergency.

"Novalys!" that was the only word Riven needed to have a flock of healers around Talon, expertly stitching his wounds and filling rolls of paper right on the carpet. At least they were efficient. Beaten up, injured and exhausted, Riven dropped on his rear, sitting back and watching them work. A single healer smiled warmly at him; he knew that juvenile face. Forcefully returning it, Riven allowed him to kneel to assist him; Talon was already out of danger. He leaned back on the wooden pillar as his wounds were expertly stitched with Necromancer tools. They were alive. Talon was breathing well. The nightmare was over. He closed his eyes; he didn't feel the stinging pain of the needle anymore.