On the Run III

[Rickter]

On the Run III
Glade 3rd, 122nd Year

Though they had little time to rest and prepare for the remainder of the trip, Rickter managed to revert back into his Zoan form and dress into his Skyforged Raiment. Out here in the wilderness it would be essential to keeping him and his partner safe, particularly, if they were pressed to face any other immediate dangers on their way down the Circle of Wandering. While they'd likely spend more than half their day navigating the southern outskirts near the city, Rickter planned to cut that time in half with however many jumps were left in the Atinoran. And so, after he checked to make sure all his gear was secure, the wolf slipped on the black surcoat before turning to face the warrior approaching him.

Patrick had found a large fallen branch, and held it out for the wolf to take, since he clearly appeared unable to walk fast right away. HIs lower and upper leg muscles all burned, and felt sorely exhausted from the amount of strain he'd pushed them through. His upper arms were no better, having used those to propel him harder early on in their run. The wolf sighed but accepted the branch as a walking stick nonetheless, able to use it as he worked the gelatinous feeling out of his legs. "How long before you can jump us toward the forest?"

"Uh..." Patrick started with a lost in thought gaze to the wolf, his attention shifting toward the city that remained to the north of them, before he looked further out northwest where the woods were. "It'll be a couple shakes but I can make it." A couple of shakes he said, which in turn, led Rickter to huff worriedly over the amount of time that could take. Too long in his opinion, far too long to be away from his beloved and their children. He needed to be there now, ready to protect them at all cost. "Right now though, I think the more distance we put between us and this mountain the better."

"Agreed," the wolf remarked as he started to walk wearingly down the mountain slope, "it's likely that the last couple of jumps threw them off." Considering he literally ran off a fucking mountain, and barely had time to generate a lift beneath his feet in the process. Though the application of Kinetics did help with their relocating on the Circle somewhat, the wolf had to commend Patrick's capacity to Spatial Map the entire route they took. And the level of aetheric density felt in the man's aura too, it didn't just feel warm as a campfire to Rickter, there was a charge to it that led him to ponder what other talents the man had hidden away.

"Yeah, I'll be honest, didn't see that coming at all." He admitted as he followed Rickter down the path, giving the Circle a one look over before continuing down after the wolf. "But that was intense! What you and me did, back there, I feel like we get along pretty well."

"We'll get along swimmingly if you just don't kick me or pull my fur out again." The wolf remarked bluntly as he slowly sauntered down, occasionally wincing when he felt the nerves in his muscle strain from movement. Patrick stopped in his tracks with a look of utter surprise for a moment, maybe even dumbfounded, before he shook it off and caught up to walk down alongside the wolf.

"Okay, my apologies there." He remarked as the wolf groaned lowly, before pushing into his next steps with a bit more pain in his muscles. "But hey, at least we lost them right?"

"They're not lost," the wolf remarked with a finger directed straight for the city, "soon as they pick up our aetheric signatures again they'll come. Which is why the sooner we reach the wood the better!"

"Right, the wood, got it." The Atinoran reminded himself as he looked out past the city, trying to gaze at the part of the woods that the wolf hoped to reach before. "Just gimme a bit to catch my breath, and I'll jump us over there. Alright?"

"That's what walking is for," the wolf huffed as they'd made it halfway down the slope already, "do what you need... but Telion and Hannah will be waiting for us there." And that Refractive anchor could lose charge before they reached them. Though that was his main concern, he knew Hannah and Telion were capable individuals, even if they were both left with the twins also. Damn this wasn't good... He'd hoped the masked presence wouldn't have tripped an alarm, nonetheless, it was over with now and they only needed to regroup with the Dawnmartyrs...

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

[Rickter]

On the Run III
Glade 3rd, 122nd Year

By the time they made it to the base of the summit and walked the slope's path, they were on the Black Road again headed in a direction between North and Northwest. Before too long they broke away from the path, if only to avoid the chance of any rangers coming along on patrols. The last thing they needed was being tailed again, especially when they almost didn't lose their pursuers the last time. "So how did you know Talon?" The bartender next to him inquired, as the two men marched down another slope carefully with one another.

"I met him a couple of times, he paid me well, and that was the start of our partnership." The wolf summarized since he didn't really feel like diving into the subject, even though he knew his companion wasn't going to let it drop from there.

"Really? Sounds like him at least," The Atinoran spoke with his own familiar take, the wolf slowing down to eye him curiously when the man trailed off a second, "Oh me? He stayed at the inn I work at. Silver Lion Inn. Ever heard of it?" The wolf raised an eyebrow but did nothing beyond frown a bit, a simple word given as he continued to press forward, finding it somewhat easier to walk even with his muscles aching.

"No."

"Eh, so I figured." Patrick remarked as he followed along, mindful of his feet when he made a new step down into the snow-covered rocks. "My folks have owned it for as long as I can remember, and Ma was always keeping us in check when we'd play in the lobby." As he seemed to reminisce on his time there, Patrick's voice stalled as he looked curiously toward Rickter, to more or less gauge his expression. "You alright? Didn't pull any muscles or joints back there?"

"I'll be fine once I know the rest of the pack is safe." Rickter assured him as they reached the top of another ridge, able to see the rest of the Wildking's Forge from the lower mountains they still stood on. "How about you? Feeling better enough to try and make one more jump?" The Atinoran looked eager for a moment, having forgotten the 'much-needed breath' he mentioned before.

"Yeah! Actually, yeah, hold on. Lemme just..." The bartender's cheeky grin fell firm for a moment as he eyed the woods in the distance, as the wolf himself checked the sky to see the position the sun had reached. Still plenty of daylight left to burn, although, the peaks of the Astralar Mountains would soon blot out the warm rays within the valley. Which meant in several hours nighttime would roll around quickly, leaving them to fend for themselves in the dark if they didn't find Telion and Hannah on time. Patrick focused hard on the destination he had in mind, with a few breaths taken slow and steady as he did.

Before too long, a small pressure built in the air around him, and the Atinoran's eyes started to glimmer from the aether coursing through his form. "Okay, ready?" The bartender checked with an arm offered out to Rickter, the wolf eyeing it before he looked to Patrick with hopeful interest. With a firm nod he accepted the hand and, with a reluctant gulp, breathed in tight for that clench he needed to do. Yellow aether flashed and cracked like sparks around them then, as Rickter felt the world in motion when they traveled through Slipspace. His gut felt slammed into a wall the moment they stopped, and when he felt only the ground beneath their feet, the wolf allowed his own body to resume motion again as he near fell over.

When he used a tree to help support him up, Patrick came to check on him, the wolf nearly retching a couple times as he kept everything down. He was not going to get sick now, not when he still needed to find out where his loved ones had gone. "You gonna make it?"

The wolf sighed after the last heave welled back down, his insides settled now that he was no longer warping. "...Yeah." He finally answered before looking through the foliage of the woods. "Telion and Hannah are likely somewhere in this forest. If I can pick up their scent, then we can follow them."

"Good plan," the bartender commended as he looked about curiously, "hopefully they made it to the Dawnmartyr though."

"Hopefully..." the wolf murmured as he started to walk westward into the woods. "Let's find out and see." Sure enough, Patrick started to follow as Rickter cautiously walked further onward, his ears open to the sounds of life all around, hopeful that he may pick up a sound of his pack along the way; in the event his nose failed to discern where their path had led.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

[Paragon]

Stepping into the forest, the sounds of wildlife grew quieter. As Rickter stepped forward, a gathering of birds leapt up from the ground only to freeze in mid-flight. The world came to a standstill around Rickter. Patrick froze mid-step. The winds ceased blowing. The trees no longer swayed in the breeze. The whole of the world had been brought to a stop just as it seemed Rickter was on the verge of reaching the Dawnmartyr settlement. The walls of the settlement and the sounds of life grew silent.

Then Rickter blinked and standing just a few feet in front of him, barring his path to the settlement was a tall Avialae man. Two silver wings were spread out behind his back. He wore fine clothing and possessed the strong build of a trained warrior. The cloak he wore was a velvet black that concealed his features. For a moment, it might have been Talon but when the figure raised his head, it was very clear that it was not. He appeared to be a man in his mid-forties. His skin was pale, the same pale that both Talon and his mother Sahfri possessed. Snow white hair fell down around his face. The eyes that stared back at Rickter were a winter grey.

“Hello, Rickter.” His lips did not move but his voice was heard all the same.

[Rickter]

On the Run III
Glade 3rd, 122nd Year

They walked further within as the creatures of the forest echoed throughout the underbrush. Rickter occasionally groaned softly through his nostrils, as he had to keep pushing himself despite the exhaustion in his muscles. Patrick of course filled the silence of their walk with his minor commentary, but then there came a time when that changed in just one quick step. The flap of wings from a flock echoed in the air before him, before their stop in midflight led the wolf to look above curiously.

His weary eyes widened at the fact he heard no noise at all, and that even his partner had wound up stilled by this sudden phenomenon. Had time stopped for everything but him? What could that have meant? The wolf looked to Patrick with considerable concern, having felt a sudden preference to the Atinoran's unnecessary prattle. "Pat?..." The wolf's eyes near rolled into a blink before he looked toward the Atinoran, his attention yet unaware of the man who'd appeared at the corner of his vision. "Oh for fuck's sake."

The smell of sandalwood near a hearth warmed his nostrils, before a nose tingling scent of pure aether stunned his senses. Just as the whiff of this Avialae's scent caught his attention, Rickter's dull gaze shifted quickly toward the Synnekar with familiar wings. Immediately, the wolf's heart lept for moment, only to sink when he realized that the one before him wasn't who he thought of. Rather, who he hoped to have seen out of the blue, ready to alleviate this awful nightmare the wolf had awoken in. A Synnekar stood before him resembling the very prince the wolf swore to protect once, which he could only surmise this Avialae, in particular, was a member to the family. The silver wings... Rickter only ever saw Talon bear such plumage.

"Hello, Rickter." The stranger greeted as the wolf shifted his shoulders forward, a little more alert of his visitor now that he'd been addressed by name. The resemblances were subtle but uncanny, as the wolf could easily pick out the white hair and eyes grey as winter. Right away his gut told him to draw out his weapon, even if he knew he was already at his limit for the day. The stunts he'd pulled, the effort it took just to lose their pursuers... He knew very well just how exhausted he was. To engage in combat with this man, if forced, was certainly not an ideal position in the wolf's favor.

Pushing that aside he couldn't help but wonder, as he realized his emblem hadn't reacted to this man's presence either. He wasn't... Arcas. No, that one possessed a different scent, Rickter was positive he'd be able to pick it out again if he needed to. "If you're here to talk about destiny... I've hardly the time to worry about that right now." He muttered with a stern frown toward the Synnekar, clearly clueless as to who this man was, but also pressed to find his loved ones safe as well. Then again... If Patrick and the rest of the animals around them were all stopped by this unusual time magic, then would that not mean his pack would be as well? Did it affect an area that wide?

"That said... Who the hell are you? And how do you know my name?" Truthfully the fact that not even this man's lips moved perplexed him too, but the wolf's disposition led him to grasp for the plain and simple in this context. He'd had enough of grand quests and epic failures for one lifetime, enough to merely rely on what his instincts told him about this man.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

[Paragon]

P A R A G O N

A soft smile tugged at the corner of the man’s lips. He regarded Rickter calmly, unphased by the wolf’s apparent aggression. Those silver wings shifted slightly, stirring as they moved as if to catch the very breeze that was ghosting through the trees. The eyes that regarded Rickter, while grey, contained a measure of kindness.

“I think you have proven destiny ought to be wary of you.” Again, the man’s mouth did not move but his words were heard all the same. He stepped to the side, extending a hand to Rickter.

“Walk with me, will you? We have much to discuss.” The man turned his gaze southward. Sadness crept into his expression before it cleared. A flicker of violet-blue fire passed over his eyes. Along the plumage of his wings, a shimmer of the same flames brushed over the silver feathers giving them a sapphire appearance before they returned to normal.

“My grandson does not have much time.” Grandson. There was clearly only one person to whom the man must have been speaking; Talon. Standing before Rickter was none other than the elusive Daizoku of House Briathos, Briathor IV. Talon’s grandfather. The Magelord of Kalzasi.

[Rickter]

Rickter's eyes remained wary upon the familiar stranger, unable to even fathom the overwhelming power his aura gave off. The wolf could feel aether almost radiating off of him sensually, giving that fiery smell in the air a wicked itch in his nose. From what he could sense alone this Synnekar possessed immense power, and for whatever reason, he still found a way to lightly smile at the wolf's remarks. It warranted a hint of alarm when he noted the sway in the man's wings, but he found the look in this man far from intimidating for his stature. Not a single parting of the lips when this man spoke, and yet, Rickter could hear the kindness in his tone all the same. A kindness that resonated with the familiarity he so greatly possessed, nearly letting the wolf drop his guard in ponderance to the suggestion.

Destiny? Damn straight. The wolf had been fed enough of this grand fate bullshit, that even just the mere thought wanted to arouse anger within him. What kind of Gods allow horrible tragedies such as the ones scattered throughout the end of Frost? No. He definitely planned to give destiny a good run, if only to reclaim that which had been taken from him. Yet it was this man's invitation that kept Rickter from losing himself to anger. His movements were as graceful as this speech, clearly a remarkably wiser sort than the wolf first began to consider. He wasn't just a high-powered battlemage in accordance to the wolf's senses, but not quite also a God or Demigod in his own right.

It puzzled the wolf as he tried to grasp just what this man had planned for him. Nevertheless, he felt no threat from this man from the moment of their approach. So he gently nodded to agree and follow, with a steady stride to match the pace this mysterious Avialae might've chosen. For Rickter to witness the flash of fire, in that damned same color as the beloved he once treasured, the wolf almost felt a need for his spirit to retreat for a moment. Though he missed the heat of his bones, the wolf still ached too much from simple reminders. All the same, it was a strangely surreal moment for the wolf, one that led to the discovery of just who this man was he had accompanied.

"Grandson?..." The wolf's eyes narrowed ahead as he took a moment, with a look of revelation after he considered that thought. "Oh... shit." Now he finally understood it all, even so much as felt entirely dumb over the entire matter. How could he have not known who this man was! Talon had talked of him a few times before, though, given his memory haze of the man recently... "My apologies, sire." He lowered his town quickly in expressing his plight, having felt somewhat ashamed that he failed to determine who this man was. Daizoku Briathor IV. A man of this stature would've surely wanted the wolf for other reasons, wouldn't he?

He was an exile after all, and, given his circumstances, the kindness was nearly suspicious. As if the Barnell clan hadn't helped him out enough, now, Briathor IV was here as well. "...You said, time. Time for what, if I may ask?" The wolf's eyes lifted up to the man a near hopeful look in his eyes, a hope he didn't feel he was ready to find much less deserve.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

[Paragon]

P A R A G O N

Briathor chuckled before waving off Rickter’s apology.

“Let us dispense with pleasantries, Rickter. Time is of the essence and I have much to tell you.” Briathor stepped forward, guiding the both of them toward the Dawnmartyr settlement. As his eyes roamed over the walls, there was a flash of some emotion on his face before it passed.

“Talon will be broken.” He said it flatly. There was no hint of emotion in his voice as he said this. It echoed with a hollowness that perhaps said more than anything else could. He looked at Rickter. “His captors will succeed in their endeavor to chain him to their will. He will become a prisoner not just in body but in mind as well.”

Again, he spoke without emotion which perhaps made his words cut that much deeper.

“When he rescued you from the dark depths of the turmoil that clawed its way into your soul…” Briathor’s winter grey eyes became an aethereal fiery blue for a moment before settling. “He sacrificed the last vestiges of his mortality in order to cross the divide and become more god than mortal. This moment, this rippling effect, caused a disturbance in the aether all across the Northlands. It is the moment that allowed our attackers to slip through Kalzasi’s defenses and wreak such havok.”

Briathor looked southward once more. His expression softened and sadness crept into his gaze.

“His mind and soul are confused. Unmoored. Cut off from everything that has grounded him before. Under other circumstances, he would have had more than enough power by himself to break free but…his captors have capitalized on his confusion and turmoil, trapping his soul in that moment of discord. Talon’s soul has realized its true potential but his captors have inserted just enough chaos to prevent that truth from being realized on this plane of existence.” Briathor sighed heavily, shaking his head.

“I would save my grandson myself but…” His expression darkened. “There is a greater evil at play here. One that I must contend with.”

The world around them seemed to tremble for a moment as the Magelord of Kalzasi’s anger surfaced for just a brief second before calming.

“So it falls to you. Finish what you must here in the realm of Kalzasi. But you must not linger. Travel to Zaichaer.” Briathor stepped forward and extended to Rickter a key that was decorated with clockwork accents. He placed it in Rickter’s palm.

“Seek the door locked between moments. There you will find the Sunsingers and in their grasp, the last hope for the Hopebringer.” Briathor stepped back and spread his wings. The air billowed out from him and winds picked up about his form.

“Be swift, Rickter. Destiny may not be on our side in this but perhaps…perhaps Time will be.” Leaping into the air, Briathor gave a great downbeat of his wings and soared away as aethereal blue flames encircled his form. He grew brighter until he was blinding.

When the light cleared…Rickter was standing beside Patrick.

But in his hand was the clockwork key.

[Rickter]

At least his insufferable mood hadn't soured the noble before him, yet it seemed that Briathor had much to cover with this visit. Rickter deferred to silence when they walked together, his eyes attentive but not fully observant of the Synnekar next to him. There was a tension in the silence that loomed between them, a notice of the nobleman's hint of disquiet before he finally broke his silence. What he heard felt just as heavy on his heart as it was in his shoulders, Rickter already clenching his jaw as he averted his gaze to the ground. Talon... Rickter did not want to hear these things, nor did he want to believe that it was true. It was as that damned Vampyre had stated though...

This was the reality. Already the threat of it made the wolf feel choked, ready to lash out against those who had dared crossed him. There was a noticeable sense of responsibility on his part, for Rickter was the victim against that black aether the dark mage cast against him. He took a risk that went too far, and when his beloved Bondmates came to save the day... He wanted to apologize, profusely even, knowing that he'd failed to protect his charge. Perhaps deep down he'd started to believe that he'd really was an outcast, unfit to live and serve his countrymen as a warrior and a guardian. Yet Briathor looked southward beyond the wood, drawing Rickter's firm gaze as well as he listened further to what had to be shared.

Hearing the lengths his captors had went through just to detain Talon, Rickter breathed deeper now with a firm gaze averted once again. Those bastards... Briathor admitted he'd attempt a rescue himself, yet it seemed something of greater concern rose within the man's grim expression. The wolf noted that privately, uncertain as to what greater threat loomed beneath the city other than the Warrens. A look of wariness flared in the wolf's gaze as he noticed a shudder within the world, before a mindful gaze returned to the Magelord once more with minor suspicion. This was a man of real power. His very emotions capable of swaying even the world around them on a whim, and yet, Rickter hadn't forgotten the uprising his own turbulent emotions have caused lately.

"Me..." He sounded so disappointed with himself. Even at his lowest point Rickter was still the one to do it, to push himself ever harder and reassert himself by Talon's side. Things would be different though, no doubt, and the consequences of those changes honestly scared him. But Rickter reluctantly acknowledged the instruction he'd been given, understanding that time was literally of this essence at this point. Noticing the Magelord brushing out his hand, there was a moment when a key was presented to the wolf. It was with a sigh that Rickter accepted this key, appraising the detail of it's clockwork design more than anything, before he slipped it into his pocket and gave Briathor an uneasy look.

"I will do... everything I can. To freeing Talon and to delivering justice on his enemies." He hadn't forgotten his inner ambitions to pay the Dornkirks a visit, and knowing what he had now, there was all the more a reason to hurry to Zaichaer. In due time, he had his immediate familial affairs to handle first. Watching as the wings of soulmate's grandfather lift before he raced into the sky, Rickter could only hope that the words last shared were true to their meaning. Would time really be on their side in this endeavor? How long before he would actually find them? When the light flashed above Rickter blinked firmly to shield his eyes, before noticing that the world returned to vibrancy once more. Birdwings flapped into the air as animals and insects echoed into the forest.

"Well look at that, I think we actually made it." Patrick remarked as he started to walk ahead of Rickter, the wolf noticing the key still in his possession before he eyed the Atinoran.

"Well, thank the fuckin' gods." The wolf muttered to himself as they moved along, soon to be greeted by Telion and Hannah not long after.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

[Chronicle]

Name: Rickter

Knowledge:

• 6 Lores

Points: 10
Magic: These points cannot be used for magic.


Injuries: Nothing to report!
Loot: Nothing lost, nothing gained!

Comment: Well that developed into an interesting turn of events!

Welp, that's everything I'm sure! If you have any questions, or feel that something actually was missed; please do pm me so we can talk!