Chosen [Part 12]
Nov. 12th, 2011 11:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonFandom: Original
Summary: Ras has just been chosen by the Gods to protect humans from geists, beings that prey on people's souls. Sent by Them to aid her is Aldran, a psyven; through the bond forged on their first meeting, Aldran can pass his magic to Ras for her to use against the geists. Only those bonded with psyvens can fight the geists, as a psyven's magic is the one magic that is truly effective against them.
But stories are told to children to placate fears and soothe nightmares. Ras has to learn that Aldran and living as a khertan are not what she expected and that the danger is very real.
While she adjusts to her new life, she and Aldran begin to discover all is not as it seems; however, realising and accepting the truth is not easy and ultimately, in the end, is it worth it?
Rating: PG
Notes: Commentary for this part can be found here.
Genre: Fantasy/Friendship
Word count: 1,677
Total word count: 30,531
Status: Work in progress
Two days later, when Ras was finally able to move for longer distances without getting tired and her sleeping and waking hours were approaching normal, she and Aldran started to explore Winolock.
They had barely started, however, when Ras' pendant started to glow green. Ras stared at it uneasily before she glanced up at Aldran, whose expression mirrored hers.
Ceilha and Dracer had come to visit them while Ras and Aldran were resting, to tell them that she and Aldran had three days off to recover from everything that had happened; it was also an opportunity for Ceilha and Dracer to tell them that how many days they were given to rest depended on what had transpired during their time away. The usual amount of rest they were given was a day. If they used magic during that time, Ceilha had continued on to say, since Ras wasn't fully rested, that would mean she would tire out even faster in a fight with a geist and since she had barely been able to cast off three blasts of magic…
"They know what they're doing," Ras said, still gazing at the pendant before letting it fall from her grasp. "We'll be with another khertan and psyven, so it should be all right."
Aldran didn't say anything, still looking worriedly at it, his tail waving is slow arcs.
One part of Ras couldn't help but agree, because since they had been told last time that it should have been easy for them, and that there had been only one geist… But it wasn't the mages' fault, or the people of Jonset's fault either, because they couldn't have known what could have happened, or how many geists there were.
Ras followed Aldran through the corridors, recognising the route more than the last time they had walked it; Aldran seemed more confident finding his way there as well, though Ras may have guessed that he had been exploring while she slept, she also had an inkling that Aldran had stayed in their room the entire time, still needing rest himself, though not as much as Ras.
Ras knew they were nearing the right place when her skin started to thrum with energy, and she used that to direct her, knowing they would come across the door very soon.
It was only around one more corner before they found the doors; the doors looked the same as the last time Ras had seen them, the golden lines shining brightly.
On the other side of the doors were three mages that Ras didn't recognise. The closest one to the door was frowning over what seemed to be a list of names that was hovering in front of him. There wasn't anyone else in the room, and Ras glanced behind her, wondering where the other khertan and psyven were – while she and Aldran hadn't rushed over, making sure they weren't becoming lost in the maze that Winolock seemed to naturally be, they hadn't taken their time either, so where were the other khertan and psyven?
"Ras and Aldran," the mage with the list said, his voice ringing clear, "you two arrived back here two days ago, correct?"
Ras nodded, feeling uneasy at the way the mage continued to frown. "We were only chosen last week," Ras felt compelled to add.
The mage sighed, dismissing the list with a wave of his hand, his other hand coming up to rub the bridge of his nose. "We know," the mage said tiredly, "The Gods take us, we know, but there is no-one else – the other khertan and psyvens are either already away or have had less time to recover than you have." The mage shook his head. "It would be too dangerous to send them out."
With each word the mage said, dread grew in Ras' stomach. The way he was saying that… "We're going by ourselves?" The words hung in the air, the uncertainty far too evident in her voice.
Slowly, the mage nodded.
Ras expelled the air in her lungs, the dread becoming a solid weight. "I…" If there truly was no-one else that they could send, she couldn't refuse. Other people could be hurt while they waited for a more experienced khertan and psyven to arrive, and the only way she and Aldran would gain more experience would be to do it. Not only that, but then what was the point in Ras being chosen as a khertan if she didn't carry out her duty?
She glanced at Aldran to see what he thought, and his face was a mask of worry, his entire body still. He didn't give her his opinion though (which Ras made sure to remember for the next time they were alone, because she didn't want him to let her make all the decisions without his input), merely waited for her to speak.
But there really wasn't much else that Ras could do.
"We'll..." Ras cleared her throat, shaking her head. "We'll do it."
The mage nodded, watching her and Aldran carefully. "Are you sure?"
"No," Ras said, hidden behind a huff. "But we-" No, that was unfair saying that, when she didn't know Aldran's thoughts. And when had she become used to referring to herself as 'Aldran and I', rather than just 'I'? "I can't stay here, knowing that there could be people being hurt while I do nothing." The pessimistic part of her mind told her that if she was dead, she was of no use to anyone, but she tried to quell its voice as best as she could.
Aldran had gone over to one of the mages and was picking up another small purse of coins from her.
Together, they made their way to the centre of the circle. Once they were there, Ras turned to the mage she had originally been talking to, who looked at them with a heavy gaze.
"Be careful."
There was no need of him saying that to them, but Ras was, for once, able to silence her tongue before the words slipped out, and she nodded instead.
The thrum increased in intensity, and Ras and Aldran were once again thrown into the churning rapids of the teleportation magic for a few brief heartbeats before coming to a sudden stop, the room still spinning on regardless.
Ras wavered on her feet, taking a sucking breath, and nearly ended up leaning on Aldran, but she stopped at the sight of the woman waiting at the edge of the circle, her expression hesitant and waiting, while her hands played briefly with the hem of her tunic.
Right. She couldn't look like she didn't know what she was doing, so Ras took a deep breath and took a step forward, hoping she would be able to appear confident. And that her rash act of protectiveness wouldn't lead to other people being hurt or her and Aldran's death because of her incompetence.
"I'm Ras," she said, nodding her head towards the woman, glad that her voice didn't seem that much higher than it usually was, keeping steady and unhurried.
"And I'm Aldran," Aldran introduced himself, his tail flicking out behind him as he nodded as well.
"Ah," the woman said, her eyes going a little wide before she did a short bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you two. I'm the leader of Mawasan -as I'm sure you know- and I go by Quiss."
And Ras had been too distracted by the fact that she and Aldran would be coming alone that she hadn't asked where they were going. Mawson…was somewhere to the west, if Ras knew the land well. Which she didn't really, only knowing a few of the larger cities and the villages and towns near her homevillage.
"All right, Quiss," Ras said, trying to make sure she remembered her name. "If you could...take us to where the..." Dammit, she didn't know how to refer to the individuals who had been fed on!
"Olsak's body was found?" Quiss gently suggested.
No, that hadn't been what had happened first. "Do they have any family members or friends that we could talk to before that?" They had gone to where the Ula's body had been found to see if there was a place that the geist could have come from, that much Ras recalled.
Quiss' eyes shadowed as she bowed her head. "No. No, his family died some time ago, and his friends... There had been an accident in the fields last month." She took a deep breath, shaking her head. "He has acquaintances, but as far as I'm aware, he has been keeping to himself when he can." She looked at Ras, a small curiosity in her eyes. "But, why do you ask?"
At that question, Ras' mind floundered. What had Ceilha asked the couple? "To see where the geist may have come from." It had only been a week since it had happened, but it may as well have been the year before, Ras' memory feeling sluggish to respond to her.
"Oh." Quiss' gaze turned inward, before she sighed. "Olsak was found in his home, when we realised that no-one had seen him for all of the day. "
"All right," Ras said, glancing at Aldran, who nodded. "If you could take us to his house, then?"
Quiss nodded, leading the way.
* * *
Ras didn't feel so exposed this time around, compared to their time in Jonset, but there were still the looks that she had to become used to, especially now that Ceilha and Dracer weren't there to take away some of the attention. She threw a glance back at Aldran, who was trailing behind them again. When he realised what had happened, he ducked his head briefly and quickened his pace to walk by her side. Ras was beginning to see when Aldran would do that: it seemed like when he was preoccupied by something that wasn't finding the geist, or was feeling guilty, that was when his pace slowed down and he began to walk behind Ras.
Summary: Ras has just been chosen by the Gods to protect humans from geists, beings that prey on people's souls. Sent by Them to aid her is Aldran, a psyven; through the bond forged on their first meeting, Aldran can pass his magic to Ras for her to use against the geists. Only those bonded with psyvens can fight the geists, as a psyven's magic is the one magic that is truly effective against them.
But stories are told to children to placate fears and soothe nightmares. Ras has to learn that Aldran and living as a khertan are not what she expected and that the danger is very real.
While she adjusts to her new life, she and Aldran begin to discover all is not as it seems; however, realising and accepting the truth is not easy and ultimately, in the end, is it worth it?
Rating: PG
Notes: Commentary for this part can be found here.
Genre: Fantasy/Friendship
Word count: 1,677
Total word count: 30,531
Status: Work in progress
Two days later, when Ras was finally able to move for longer distances without getting tired and her sleeping and waking hours were approaching normal, she and Aldran started to explore Winolock.
They had barely started, however, when Ras' pendant started to glow green. Ras stared at it uneasily before she glanced up at Aldran, whose expression mirrored hers.
Ceilha and Dracer had come to visit them while Ras and Aldran were resting, to tell them that she and Aldran had three days off to recover from everything that had happened; it was also an opportunity for Ceilha and Dracer to tell them that how many days they were given to rest depended on what had transpired during their time away. The usual amount of rest they were given was a day. If they used magic during that time, Ceilha had continued on to say, since Ras wasn't fully rested, that would mean she would tire out even faster in a fight with a geist and since she had barely been able to cast off three blasts of magic…
"They know what they're doing," Ras said, still gazing at the pendant before letting it fall from her grasp. "We'll be with another khertan and psyven, so it should be all right."
Aldran didn't say anything, still looking worriedly at it, his tail waving is slow arcs.
One part of Ras couldn't help but agree, because since they had been told last time that it should have been easy for them, and that there had been only one geist… But it wasn't the mages' fault, or the people of Jonset's fault either, because they couldn't have known what could have happened, or how many geists there were.
Ras followed Aldran through the corridors, recognising the route more than the last time they had walked it; Aldran seemed more confident finding his way there as well, though Ras may have guessed that he had been exploring while she slept, she also had an inkling that Aldran had stayed in their room the entire time, still needing rest himself, though not as much as Ras.
Ras knew they were nearing the right place when her skin started to thrum with energy, and she used that to direct her, knowing they would come across the door very soon.
It was only around one more corner before they found the doors; the doors looked the same as the last time Ras had seen them, the golden lines shining brightly.
On the other side of the doors were three mages that Ras didn't recognise. The closest one to the door was frowning over what seemed to be a list of names that was hovering in front of him. There wasn't anyone else in the room, and Ras glanced behind her, wondering where the other khertan and psyven were – while she and Aldran hadn't rushed over, making sure they weren't becoming lost in the maze that Winolock seemed to naturally be, they hadn't taken their time either, so where were the other khertan and psyven?
"Ras and Aldran," the mage with the list said, his voice ringing clear, "you two arrived back here two days ago, correct?"
Ras nodded, feeling uneasy at the way the mage continued to frown. "We were only chosen last week," Ras felt compelled to add.
The mage sighed, dismissing the list with a wave of his hand, his other hand coming up to rub the bridge of his nose. "We know," the mage said tiredly, "The Gods take us, we know, but there is no-one else – the other khertan and psyvens are either already away or have had less time to recover than you have." The mage shook his head. "It would be too dangerous to send them out."
With each word the mage said, dread grew in Ras' stomach. The way he was saying that… "We're going by ourselves?" The words hung in the air, the uncertainty far too evident in her voice.
Slowly, the mage nodded.
Ras expelled the air in her lungs, the dread becoming a solid weight. "I…" If there truly was no-one else that they could send, she couldn't refuse. Other people could be hurt while they waited for a more experienced khertan and psyven to arrive, and the only way she and Aldran would gain more experience would be to do it. Not only that, but then what was the point in Ras being chosen as a khertan if she didn't carry out her duty?
She glanced at Aldran to see what he thought, and his face was a mask of worry, his entire body still. He didn't give her his opinion though (which Ras made sure to remember for the next time they were alone, because she didn't want him to let her make all the decisions without his input), merely waited for her to speak.
But there really wasn't much else that Ras could do.
"We'll..." Ras cleared her throat, shaking her head. "We'll do it."
The mage nodded, watching her and Aldran carefully. "Are you sure?"
"No," Ras said, hidden behind a huff. "But we-" No, that was unfair saying that, when she didn't know Aldran's thoughts. And when had she become used to referring to herself as 'Aldran and I', rather than just 'I'? "I can't stay here, knowing that there could be people being hurt while I do nothing." The pessimistic part of her mind told her that if she was dead, she was of no use to anyone, but she tried to quell its voice as best as she could.
Aldran had gone over to one of the mages and was picking up another small purse of coins from her.
Together, they made their way to the centre of the circle. Once they were there, Ras turned to the mage she had originally been talking to, who looked at them with a heavy gaze.
"Be careful."
There was no need of him saying that to them, but Ras was, for once, able to silence her tongue before the words slipped out, and she nodded instead.
The thrum increased in intensity, and Ras and Aldran were once again thrown into the churning rapids of the teleportation magic for a few brief heartbeats before coming to a sudden stop, the room still spinning on regardless.
Ras wavered on her feet, taking a sucking breath, and nearly ended up leaning on Aldran, but she stopped at the sight of the woman waiting at the edge of the circle, her expression hesitant and waiting, while her hands played briefly with the hem of her tunic.
Right. She couldn't look like she didn't know what she was doing, so Ras took a deep breath and took a step forward, hoping she would be able to appear confident. And that her rash act of protectiveness wouldn't lead to other people being hurt or her and Aldran's death because of her incompetence.
"I'm Ras," she said, nodding her head towards the woman, glad that her voice didn't seem that much higher than it usually was, keeping steady and unhurried.
"And I'm Aldran," Aldran introduced himself, his tail flicking out behind him as he nodded as well.
"Ah," the woman said, her eyes going a little wide before she did a short bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you two. I'm the leader of Mawasan -as I'm sure you know- and I go by Quiss."
And Ras had been too distracted by the fact that she and Aldran would be coming alone that she hadn't asked where they were going. Mawson…was somewhere to the west, if Ras knew the land well. Which she didn't really, only knowing a few of the larger cities and the villages and towns near her homevillage.
"All right, Quiss," Ras said, trying to make sure she remembered her name. "If you could...take us to where the..." Dammit, she didn't know how to refer to the individuals who had been fed on!
"Olsak's body was found?" Quiss gently suggested.
No, that hadn't been what had happened first. "Do they have any family members or friends that we could talk to before that?" They had gone to where the Ula's body had been found to see if there was a place that the geist could have come from, that much Ras recalled.
Quiss' eyes shadowed as she bowed her head. "No. No, his family died some time ago, and his friends... There had been an accident in the fields last month." She took a deep breath, shaking her head. "He has acquaintances, but as far as I'm aware, he has been keeping to himself when he can." She looked at Ras, a small curiosity in her eyes. "But, why do you ask?"
At that question, Ras' mind floundered. What had Ceilha asked the couple? "To see where the geist may have come from." It had only been a week since it had happened, but it may as well have been the year before, Ras' memory feeling sluggish to respond to her.
"Oh." Quiss' gaze turned inward, before she sighed. "Olsak was found in his home, when we realised that no-one had seen him for all of the day. "
"All right," Ras said, glancing at Aldran, who nodded. "If you could take us to his house, then?"
Quiss nodded, leading the way.
Ras didn't feel so exposed this time around, compared to their time in Jonset, but there were still the looks that she had to become used to, especially now that Ceilha and Dracer weren't there to take away some of the attention. She threw a glance back at Aldran, who was trailing behind them again. When he realised what had happened, he ducked his head briefly and quickened his pace to walk by her side. Ras was beginning to see when Aldran would do that: it seemed like when he was preoccupied by something that wasn't finding the geist, or was feeling guilty, that was when his pace slowed down and he began to walk behind Ras.
no subject
Date: Nov. 13th, 2011 10:46 pm (UTC)There are healers, so the physical side of things, they should be all right (I was going to write a healer being there to throw an energy boost spell at them, but decided against it, since I thought they'd be all right physically by this point. XD;; Hmm)
"Wow. Please tell me they don't usually do that to new recruits."
Haha, let me get back to you on that one... (Let's go with the numbers are tighter than usual. Um.)
"Well, what with all the pressure she's under, I'm not surprised."
*laughs* Yeeeep.
"Aww Aldran. You need to be more confident D:"
laksjdaf He dooooes. ;___;
no subject
Date: Nov. 14th, 2011 06:49 pm (UTC)Lucky you. I don't think I'll be able to do this next year for the same reason.
"There are healers, so the physical side of things, they should be all right (I was going to write a healer being there to throw an energy boost spell at them, but decided against it, since I thought they'd be all right physically by this point. XD;; Hmm)"
That explains it then. Still, I guess that's kind of mentally exhausting as well.
no subject
Date: Nov. 15th, 2011 12:55 am (UTC)Oh, definitely. *nods* Just...there's really not that many khertan and psyven... D: