Reincarnated (REMAKE)

[pudding]

James sighed as he helped Tom down onto a rock nearby to sit. He hadn't said a word to any of them since leaving the stables and had lifted his hood up again to cover his face. He had kept a hand pressed against the left side of his face but it did relatively little to actually stay the flow of purple blood. Although he was slightly curious about why his blood was such a strange color when most living creatures bled red, those thoughts were pushed aside. Looking over at Lucida, he frowned slightly but nodded. Viziel meant him. Right. "I can go gather some sticks," He replied, looking around at the forest. There were plenty of trees so there was bound to be a lot of sticks on the ground that would do well for making a fire. Pulling them off the tree wouldn't do since they were alive and filled with water, meaning they wouldn't burn all that well. "I'll be right back," He said, smiling as he walked between some of the trees into the dense forest to grab sticks.

 

As the group faded from sight, James set about collecting sticks. Kneeling down and grabbing a few smaller twigs off the ground, he tucked them under his arm and carried on, keeping his eyes towards the ground. Maybe it was because he was so used to forests at home that he didn't really expect anything bad to happen. But the next thing he knew there was a rustle of leaves over head and suddenly a weight on his back drove him face first into the ground. His head struck a stone and a sudden, sharp pain at the back of his head was the last thing he remembered before everything went black.

 

 

-----

 

Since the attack, Tom had retreated slightly, taking to confront Larrsin inside his mind. While the initial fight had mostly just been him screaming at the alien, the long walk to the forest had settled him down slightly to a more sombre tone.

"Look," He said, trying to reach out to the alien and understand him a bit better. He couldn't just make enemies with someone who inhabited his head. He didn't want a repeat of this fight. "You can't attack my friends. Clarence and James are off limits. Don't ever hurt them."

"I don't think you get this, kid," Larrsin responded, making Tom's body impulsively shiver. "We are at war. You're fighting against them. If you want them to be safe, you'll either need to continue with your plan of taking them in, although that will only work temporarily. As long as there is a leader higher than both of us, you can't save them. Because they will kill them both."

"Then what can I do? Kill the leader?"

"Isn't that an idea..." was the whispered response, as if Larrsin was pondering that over.

[shadow_claw]

Sighing, Clarence knelt down beside the stream. Clean off his face. Okay. Okay. He could do this. When he peeled away the bandage, he was surprised to feel...nothing. The initial pain from the injury was no longer there. But that likely wasn't good news. Third degree burns killed nerves. He felt his face, wincing as he felt liquid. When he looked down, he nearly vomited. In with the blood from his eyes, shimmering gold was mixed in. His iris was leaking. Oh god.

 

He would never see from that eye again. That was for sure. But he had to be sure it wouldn't get infected. He tore more bandages from his shirt and dipped them into the stream. Careful dabbing on the wound revealed the extent of the damage. The cut itself was dry and shriveled. Definitely a third degree burn. His eye hurt the most. The eyelid and eye itself had been sliced. At this rate, his eye would need to be downright removed.

 

"I can't keep this eye, Lucy." He finally admitted. The girl turned and walked to Clarence, sitting down beside him. "It's going to kill me if I keep it."

She was silent for a while as she thought. Once she came upon a solution, she looked up at Clarence.

 

"One of the mages can help. They can remove it." She leaned upwards, trying to reach one of his large ears. "My sister has a Mage tailing us. She thought we wouldn't notice, but I recognized them. I'll comfort them as soon as a can to help you."

 

[pudding]

Tom looked up, finally coming back to reality. His good eye narrowed as he slowly stood upright, lowering his hand away from his face and staring at the blood steadily dripping down his face onto his cloak. He could still feel a dull, aching pain from his face but he clenched his jaw, trying to bite back the sensation by force. Okay. Right. New plan. He could do this. He was going to save his friends and send them back home if it was the last thing he did. These Tiadorians couldn't be trusted. Not since they were trying to send his friends marching off to their deaths. He would stop this vicious cycle by ending it himself.

 

Lowering the hood of his cloak, he walked over to the creek and knelt down by the water a few feet upstream from Clarence and Lucida. Sticking his hands in the water, he scrubbed off as much of the purple blood as he could. It mixed easily into the water so a good portion of it came off, save for a bit under his nails. Raising his hands to his face, he paused before trying to wipe off the blood from there as well using his hands. The entire process was carried out silently without so much as looking at Clarence or Lucida.

[shadow_claw]

A rustle in the trees nearby had Lucida whipping around, her eyes narrowed. There they were. "I can see you; get out here!" She growled. The princess stood, her one hand on her hip. For someone so small, she was rather fierce.

 

Soon, a cloaked figure slunk sheepishly from their hiding place. Soon they stood beside Lucida, their head hung in shame.

"I'm sorry my lady...your sister demanded one was to keep an eye on you."

"Yeah yeah, can it. I'm not angry." She shrugged as she spoke and clucked her tongue. Surprised, the Mage straightened up.

"Are...you sure, my lady? It was incredibly deceitful..."

"You can repay your debt to be in two ways. One, I must see your face and know your name. And two, you must travel with us from now on. No hiding." It was surprising how easily she shifted from a young adult to a princess. Her voice and stature changed so fluidly, it was hard to tell she was such a ruffian.

 

The Mage hesitated, gloved hands gripping either side of their hood. Slowly, they peeled it back. A reptilian face and long snout was revealed. Clearly ashamed with their appearance, they shied away.

"I...am Phineas, the Nicor Mage of the castle." Although surprised, Lucida was quiet. Nicor were not only reclusive, but were generally shunned. Everyone was afraid of being converted into one of the timeless beasts. She inhaled deeply, and extended a hand towards Clarence.

"You know transmutation and healing, no?"

"I...yes! Of course!"

"Fantastic. His eye has been injured and needs removed. This will be your first assignment within the group."

 

Eager to please, Phineas rushed over to Clarence and knelt down. Although he had been covering his left eye with a hand, the man pulled his hand away for the Mage.

"...Indeed. This is a grevious injury. What has struck you, noble hero?"

Clarence hesitated in replying. He wouldn't blame Tom. It wasn't Tom's fault.

"I was attacked by a stranger. I'm afraid I don't know who."

"No matter. It will be easy to transmute your eye into something more useful. Hold still, and this should be swift."

 

Phineas removed their gloves carefully, revealing webbed hands. A warm, white glow soon enveloped both their hands and Clarence's eye. The young man cried out, but as soon as he had, the procedure had stopped. An object sat in Phineas's hands. It was an eyepatch; the protective garment shone the same golden color of his eye. Smiling, they

handed it to Clarence.

"Thank you. I can't imagine what would have happened if it wasn't removed." Clarence sighed with relief, accepting the gift gratefully. The young man tied a bandage around his injury, and then adorned the eyepatch. That relieved almost all his anxieties. "I'm Clarence. Welcome to the group."

[pudding]

Tom looked up from where he was sitting, staring at the cloaked figure. His hand unconsciously moved to his side, resting on the knives holstered there for a few seconds before he seemed to realize what he was doing. Shaking his head firmly, he moved his hand away from the knives and stuck his hands back in the creek, although keeping his one eye trained on the cloaked person. Lucida and Clarence seemed to have this issue covered but the fact someone had trailed them was frustrating to say the least. Had Larrsin noticed? Who else could be sneaking around that he hadn't seen?

 

Lifting the edge of his cloak, he dipped it into the stream before carefully wiping the area around his eye to clear the blood away. He'd have to patch it up with something eventually. His cloak was too dirty at this point and would probably only give his eye an infection. While Larrsin seemed to insist this wasn't an issue, they clearly had different ideas about this. After all, Larrsin had wanted to replace one of his arms with a robotic one. Trusting him in regards to health issues seemed like a generally poor idea.

"You wound me," Came the sarcastic response almost immediately, as well as a like tingling sensation around his cheeks as his eyes were forced to look past the three. Blinking carefully, he squinted into the brush past them, trying to see what Larrsin was looking at.

"What are you doing?" He whispered softly, slowly rising up to stand so he could see better instead of trying to stare between the legs of the three. His head slowly turned, apparently watching something that was slowly circling the group.

"Quiet," Larrsin hissed. "Something is out there."

 

As if on cue, a bush was silently parted and a man stepped slowly into the clearing. Or at least, his general shape was of a man. It was hard to see his face since he seemed to be wearing a hood made out of the head of a bear, but his general body shape was at least indicative of a human. He had several red tattoos, especially around his face. Or maybe it was actually blood, given the two markings that extended down from his lips. Giving the man a quick once-over again, Tom frowned before his eyes settled on something he had missed before. The man's right hand was wrapped around an ankle. And while he was still partially stuck in the bushes, it was immediately obvious who he was holding onto.

It was James.

A low, warning growl came from the man, sending a shiver down Tom's spine. But his eyes remained locked on James. He was just laying there. Was he still alive? Was he alright? The vision in his good eye blurred as, by his own movement this time, he grabbed the gun at his side and flicked it on. With a faint whirring noise it powered on and he quickly aimed it at the strange bear man, flinching only slightly when the man's body shifted to look at him. The growling noise grew louder as the man too a small step forward, dragging James out of the bush entirely.

 

[shadow_claw]

While he and Phineas spoke, Clarence was unaware of an approaching figure. Suulis, however, worked as an internal watchman. As his head suddenly turned, the young student let out a soft gasp. A massive man, wearing some sort of stuffed bear head dragged their friend by the ankle. His heart caught in his throat. Was he dead? No? No! That couldn't be. He'd only been gone a few minutes!

 

Before he could do anything, Lucida had already moved. She stepped forward, raising both arms out to either side. The message was clear: she didn't want a fight to erupt. Her sharp gaze burned into Tom as she did so, a scowl creasing on her face.

"Stop this at once. You will no longer be taking charge within the group. I've seen what your leadership does. It leaves a path of destruction." The edge to her voice was unmistakable. She was angry with Tom for Larrsin's actions. Clarence had gotten hurt. Tom himself had gotten hurt. That was enough for her to step forward. Her eyes then settled on the stranger, where she took a gentle expression.

"Sir, the man you are in possession of is under the protection of the royal family. I peacefully request his release."

[pudding]

Pausing slightly as Lucida came between them, the stranger cocked his head slightly to the side, studying the person in front of him as she spoke down to the other one. So this group was going under some kind of change in power? Well, it didn't concern him at all. What did concern him was the unmistakable smell. Not only of the one he was dragging along, but two others. They had crossed paths before and it was not good that they had returned. Well, not good for them anyway.

 

"Oh, I'm sorry," Larrsin said, his finger sliding onto the trigger of the gun as he switched his aim from the stranger to Lucida. "Since when was leadership your choice?" In his emotional state over seeing his friend injured, if not possibly dead, it had been easy for him to yank control from the panicking man. The screen over his chest had changed into a solid yellow color yet again. He could hear Tom panicking again but it was much easier to smash him down with a bit of reassurance. Relax. He was just reasserting his position over the group and getting James back. A two for one deal, really. He wasn't going to hurt any of them again.

"I think you are forgetting the nature of this game. Understandable since Tom has been fairly relaxed about the rules. But you are prisoners of war. You have no rights and the only reason you are alive is because I want you to be. Don't try to fight me. The last time you did you lost your arm."

 

"Leave."

 

Pausing slightly, Larrsin looked past Lucida at the man. His teeth were bared in a snarl, revealing absolutely massive sharp teeth. Wow, those looked dangerous. The growling from before was back, almost like some kind of rabid dog. The man's grip on James' ankle tightened as his amber eyes scanned over the group before locking on Lucida.

 

"This forest is under Ranaghar's protection. Leave now and have your petty fights outside of his home." He made little indication of returning the man he was holding onto, and instead seemed fairly set on just having the rest of them leave.

[shadow_claw]

Lucida bristled, struggling to quash her anger. A sneer curled across her lips as she did so. "You threats don't scare me. I do not fear death and I most certainly do not fear you. Go ahead, end my life. I know you won't. I'm no use to you dead." She stopped o glance about at the group before continuing. "You know little to nothing about managing prisoners, then. You want us alive, no? Your actions have proven otherwise. If not for Suulis and Phineas, two of us would already be on our death-"

"Shut up."

Although the words came from Clarence's mouth, there was no doubting it was Suulis. When angry, Suulis had a habit of baring those sharp teeth of his. And that accent was one Clarence's didn't speak with. The winged man stalked forward, his single eye scathing over the two arguing.

"Shut up or I will not hesitate to drown you in this stream." For emphasis, the ground beneath both Ludica and Larrsin shifted towards the body of water. Larrsin might be strong, but Suulis was faster and had the advantage of his magic.

 

"As for you, spirit." Suulis rounded on the hooded stranger, baring his teeth in return. His wings flared out as he turned. "Today has not been an agreeable one. Return Viziel at once or expect a forceful retrieval."

[pudding]

Larrsin glanced at the stream pointedly for a few seconds before his lips twisted up in smile. Doubling over in laughter, he held his stomach before eventually his laughter changed into a fit of coughing. Wiping his single good eye to try to clear the tears gathering there, he straightened upright and looked at Suulis with a wide grin. "Oh, that's cute," He replied. "But you overestimate your strength if you think a scrawny little bird like you could actually kill me. Especially when I already had your under my thumb from the very beginning." Gesturing to his wrists to indicate the purple bands there, he smiled before looking away. "If you want a fight, I'll give you one later. I'd be too worried about killing you on accident. Again."

 

"Enough talking," Ranaghar replied with a snarl, turning his gaze on Suulis. "Leave immediately. This forest is protected. None of you are welcome here." He did not seem intent on returning James, even as the man started to stir on the ground. Raising a hand to his head, James felt out his temple where a large gash cut through the skin. Lifting his head slightly, he squinted up at the person holding his feet before suddenly twisting to the side and throwing up. Pausing, Ranaghar stopped growling and looked down at the owner of the ankle he was holding. His vision narrowed further before he sighed and looked back at Suulis again. "This one is not permitted to leave. He must pay for his crimes first and foremost."

 

[shadow_claw]

Suulis looked ready to kill someone, but before he could talk, he faltered. The anger in his eyes melted away as Clarence forced himself forward once more. Blinking rapidly, he placed a hand on his head. Suulis had really resisted that one, and it left him feeling rather dizzy.

 

Looking at the stranger immediately turned the man's ears bright red. Said ears angled backwards, and his cheeks flushed hot. He glanced away from the bear man, suddenly shy.

"I-I..." Oh god, this guy was cute. He was cute even when angry. And it made him all tongue tied.

He used to be like that with James. Everyone thought it was because he was shy. Clarence wasn't shy; he was gay.

 

I-Is this something um, about Viziel? He...he isn't Viziel. I-I don't know what, um, what happened but uh, this is James. We aren't from Tiadora. I-It's...it's hard to explain..." He coughed, clearing his throat in. An effort to steel himself. "Could we work...could we come to some, uh...agreement?"

[pudding]

Ranaghar's stance dropped slightly as the more aggressive one of the group suddenly stopped short. While he was ready for some kind of a fight, the man instead seemed to completely turn around and suddenly turn remarkably civil. Looking a bit surprised for a few seconds, he blinked before squinting at the man as he tried to strike a bargain with him. Looking down at his prisoner, he lifted the leg up, dragging James up until he was hanging upside down. Sniffing his leg, he frowned slightly then looked up at Suulis with a frown.

 

Looking between the barely conscious man he was now holding upside down and the winged man, he frowned, his eyes narrowing again. However, he seemed to yield as he released the ankle he was holding, causing James to fall to the ground in an unorganized heap. "Very well," He replied, his voice still surprisingly gravelly despite the fact he was no longer being as aggressive. The growl was just a natural part of his voice, then. "Explain yourselves. If your terms are pleasing, you may stay. If not, you will leave."

On the ground, James stirred slightly. Working himself up onto his elbows, he held his head again, pressing his head against the gash there. Ranaghar didn't seem bothered by this action, but instead gently placed one foot on James' back to keep him down.

[shadow_claw]

Clarence observed the stranger for a few moments before nodding. Turning to Phineas, he whispered into the beast's ear. The Mage nodded as well, and plucked a few golden feathers from Clarence's wings. White light enveloped their hands once again, but this time, the gold was turned into something entirely different. Phineas handed the newly transmuted object back to Clarence, and the winged man stepped forward.

 

"H-here." Carefully did Clarence approach, extending the object he held in both hands. He carefully secured the gift on the stranger's face, and stepped back.

"They're called glasses. They'll help you see better. You can do...whatever you do, much um, easier than before."

 

He stepped further back and scratched the back of his head. "We aren't the people you think we are. We are...from Earth. Except for Lucy. It's a planet far from here, where our original bodies are. They...the mages at the castle moved our souls. So...we're stuck sharing a body. With our past versions of ourself. We look the same, but...we aren't. I'm not a hero. Suulis and I are...we're really different. James and I...we're just trying to fulfill our quest and go home."

[pudding]

Ranaghar's eyes narrowed significantly when the man approached but he held his ground, growling out a warning and taking the object in his hands and refusing to allow them to come any closer to his face. Staring at the strange device Clarence had been holding, he held the glasses up by one of the edges, looking them over carefully. Sniffing the glasses, he frowned then set them on the ground, unsure of what to do with them but not actually having any place to put them.

 

"Earth?" Ranaghar echoed, but didn't seem offset either way by the declaration that they were not from Tiadoria. Closing his eyes, he mused over the information briefly before nodding, apparently understanding the explanation. Removing his foot from James' back, he leaned down and grabbed James again by the back of his collar, lifting him up and easily tossing him over his shoulder. "It does not matter where you are from," He declared with a frown. "People are not welcome in Ranaghar's home. If you are injured you may rest here for a short time. But you must leave this place by morning." Keeping James' over his shoulder, he turned and started to walk back into the forest, apparently intent on bringing James with him without any kind of explanation whatsoever. "If you hurt the forest, I will find you," He added with a stare.

[shadow_claw]

Stunned by the lack of compassion, Clarence fell silent. But the tension in the air was palpable. Lucida made a noise similar to a growl and immediately began to pace. The air soon became thick with energy, so much so that it was dizzying. It made Clarence feel ill. He knew nothing of magic, but he could feel this energy searing through his body. Suulis once again fought for control, and clawed himself out of their shared mind.

 

The magic was hot. Burning hot in his veins. He had never had so much magic in his body at once, and he wanted it out. The best way to do that was, well, to get James back.

 

The Spira raced after Ranagar, a murderous expression in his eye. The earth rose in violent spikes to either side of him, creating a rather violent wall. By the time he caught up to the spirit, he was ready to fight. A slam on the ground, and the two were boxed in by four walls of stone.

"I do not believe you understood what I said. Return Viziel." The metal that adorned his right arm slid down his hand to his fingers, where they extended themselves as metallic claws. He was furious. This entire day had been nothing but a personal attack against him.

[pudding]

Ranaghar stopped short when a stone wall suddenly rose up in front of him. Immediately widening his stance so his center of gravity was closer to the ground, he looked over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he squinted at the winged man who had chased after him. Turning around to face him, he adjusted the limp body on his shoulder slightly. Growling slightly, his eyes looked briefly at the metallic claws extending from Suulis' fingers. In the forest, fighting was not exactly common. For one, Ranaghar himself enforced the rules very well and prevented aggression from most of the animals towards one another. However, that did not mean that displays of dominance or aggressive behavior was limited. It was a forest and there were going to be squabbles here or there. But it didn't matter now. He was fighting to protect his home and if this man wanted to fight, he would reassert himself as the alpha and drive him out or make him submit.

 

"Remove these walls," Ranaghar replied with a low growl. A piece of fern that had been caught in the mess fell down, landing on his head. Gently picking up the fern in his hands, he looked at the uprooted plant silently before turning back to Suulis. Grinding his teeth together slightly, he slowly stepped forward, moving towards Suulis. His entire demeanor had shifted significantly, becoming significantly more aggressive now. With the bear hood hiding his features from sight and his general demeanor changed, it looked almost like an actual bear was now staring Suulis down, slowly moving towards him.

[shadow_claw]

Suulis's eyes narrowed as Ranaghar hunkered down. He knew fighting stances when he saw one. If he wouldn't give up Viziel, then Suulis was more than eager to fight. " I see. Then you will face my wrath!"

 

Immediately did he leap up into the air, his wings carrying him a significant height. With one particular heavy beat of his wings, metal feathers rained down on his opponent. He dropped down once up rather high, claws extended to slash at Ranaghar. Landing on the ground, he crouched and leaped once more. It was hard to believe this was the same body that harbored gentle and kind Clarence, for Suulis was nothing but burning, uncontrollable hatred.

Edited April 27, 2016 by shadow_claw

[pudding]

Ranaghar snarled as the bird took to the sky, squinting up at the blurred figure above. His eyes widened seconds before the feathers rained down upon him but, instead of using that time to dodge the attack, he instead grabbed James with both hands, flipping him off his shoulder and onto the ground. Standing over him, he refused to move, even as several sharp feathers sunk into the fur cloak covering his back and then some. However, Ranaghar was not so easily put down. If an attack like that would keep him down, there was no way he would be able to defend anything. He was strong. He had to be strong.

 

Meeting the sharp claws with the leather bands that covered his forearms, Ranaghar winced slightly before pushing back. Standing over James still and refusing to move, he held out both hands, aiming to catch Suulis' hands with his own. His feet sunk deep into the ground as he steadied himself, refusing to move or give up any ground to the bird. Instead, he continued to meet the attacks head on, his teeth bared at the challenge. "He must pay for his crimes," He hissed, even as glowing red blood stained the fur and leather he wore and began to drip to the ground beneath him.

 

 

James finally came to as a strange, warm liquid hit his cheek. Opening his eyes and squinting up at the seemingly harsh light, he shivered slightly but raised a hand to his cheek and wiped away at whatever had landed on him. Looking at the strange glowing liquid, he stared at it for a moment before finally noticing the fight going on just above him. Stiffening up immediately, he managed to righten himself up remarkably quickly and scramble backwards along the ground until his back hit against a stone wall. Jesus Christ, what was going on? Why did his head hurt so much and who on Earth was Clarence fighting against?

[shadow_claw]

Suulis immediately jerked backwards as his hands were grabbed. He struggled to pull them free, but couldn't. The bear man was much stronger than he. Unable to think clearly, he fought wildly against his chains, all six wings beating fiercely.

Stop it! James is awake! Just grab him and go!

Clarence was rather insistent on this idea, but Suulis shoved the notion away. The magic was still there. It scoured rage through his body and tore away all peaceful thoughts. He needed it gone; keeping it within his body made it feel as if he was aflame.

 

The ground beneath's Suulis's feet began to change, going from soft earth to stone. Black, glassy rock soon spread outwards from his feet and readily devoured any life around. Although usually able to control his abilities, upon letting loose, he'd discovered he couldn't. Everything was being leeched from him and poured into his magic. It wasn't long until Suulis's rage melted into panic. This had never happened before. He...felt as if he was dying. Like his very life was being sapped out with it. In a burst of panic, he shoved Clarence forward. Clarence couldn't tap into their magic. That should stop it, right?

 

Luckily, it did. Clarence immediately fell limp in Ranaghar's grasp, suddenly pale and sweaty. He was shivering. All the heat had been sucked out of him at once.

[pudding]

Ranaghar winced as the man started to struggle but held strong, clamping his fingers down and keeping the trashing man in place. As magic began to radiate outwards from him, he snarled, losing some ground as the dirt turned into solid, black stone. His boots slid across the stone and he snarled, trying to push back. This eventually seemed to work since gradually the glassy rock stopped spreading and the man collapsed, his wings no longer beating wildly. Slowly releasing his hands, Ranaghar curled his own fingers into fists. The man's claws had dug into the back of his hand slightly but the pain from that was hardly unbearable. The feathers still sticking out of his back, however, were an entirely separate issue.

 

His breath hung in the air as he wheezed slightly, his attention turned away from both Clarence and James. Looking at the stone wall, he ran his fingers over it before pulling back his hand and aiming a punch at it. His fist collided with the stone and immediately fractured the stone, sending it tumbling down with his next attack. Staggering over to James, he hissed softly as he lifted him up by the front of his shirt before walking over to Clarence. The shivering, limp man couldn't fight him any more. Reaching down, he grabbed him by the back of his shirt as well before dragging them both off towards his home. The winged man had knocked out a good portion of the life in a part of his forest. Now they both had tabs to settle, although Viziel's was still significantly higher.

 

 

"Well, that was interesting," Larrsin commented. His gun was long holstered again and he had taken to silently toying with the yellow orb on his chest, fiddling with it with a small tool that appeared attached to the wrist portion of his jumpsuit. "Who would have thought that grumpy bear was still alive? I thought he died a long time ago." Looking around at the forest around them, he frowned slightly, one leg crossed over the other. He didn't seem all that concerned about Ranaghar running off with James or Clarence chasing after the both of them. Instead, he looked rather disinterested by the entire thing. "In fact, I'm surprised this place still exists at all. I could have sworn Viziel torched it all to ashes."

[shadow_claw]

Lucida, who had been anxiously waiting both Clarence and James's return, was understandably dismayed when the only body returning was Larrsin. Her eyes narrowed, before she looked away entirely.

"If you wanted this to be over with, you would go after them." she remarked sourly.

Truth was, she knew she couldn't take on the spirit alone. And certainly not after such a horrid day this was. Still obviously angry, she settled down beside the dragon with a heavy sigh. It was already getting dark; there was no way they could start a fire now. They would have to rest in the dark.

 

---

 

Everything around him moved in a blur, as if time itself was slowing. Unable to keep his eyes open, soon, all became blackness.

Dreams. No, nightmares. It was nightmares that plagued him.

The past few days had taken their toll on Clarence. Although he was a generally calm person, that didn't mean he wasn't affected. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was just skilled at hiding things.

"Can't...tell." He muttered this a few times, his forehead creased in unconscious agony. "James..."

There was more than a little heartbreak over James. James clearly wasn't interested and Tom...it was clear he and Tom were dating. And it broke his heart. With the recent actions from Tom, well...he was beginning to like the man less and less.

 

His skin was hot. Burning hot, and yet, Clarence shivered violently. Pain remained etched into his face, even now. Internally, this was due to several things.

 

The primary one was Suulis and Clarence actually stopping to commune.

 

Although everything was dark, the two could see one another clearly. It was everything and nothing all at once.

"You know what must be done. One of us has to die." Suulis didn't look upset about this. In fact, he was oddly at peace with the notion.

Silence. The very head space hummed with differing energies.

"You are everything I have always wanted to be. Patient, kind...restrained. I cannot and will not take this from you. You must kill me."

 

"I...can't."

[pudding]

Larrsin glanced up briefly before pointing up at the sky. "It's dark," He replied, almost like he was speaking to a child. "I can't very well leave you two alone here. You're missing your arm and you don't look like you've seen an ounce of combat before." He nodded in turn to Lucida and then Phineas before shrugging slightly. Managing to crack open the disk on his chest, he looked over the wires with a small frown. "Besides, even if I get them back now, we wouldn't have anywhere to go." He squinted at the wires slightly in the orb of the jumpsuit before nodding and closing the cover again. The suit made a small whirring noise before the yellow orb turned purple, along with several other highlighted areas of the jumpsuit. Looking up at Lucida again, he shrugged, looking around at the rapidly darkening forest. "In the morning, we can all go to get them back. They're still wearing those bands so we can track them down very easily. Until then, I highly doubt Ranaghar will actually kill them. He might seem aggressive but when we last met, he cared too much about life to actually go through with something like that." Honestly, it was pretty stupid. He could be so much more powerful if he didn't have restraints like that. In his attempts not to actually hurt others, he ended up just getting injured himself. It was so stupid, really.

 

 

 

Ranaghar sighed slightly as he finally reached his home. The roles had reversed between the two as now, instead of the winged one being conscious and the other one unconscious, the alien was now conscious and the winged one seemed....well, off at least. Something was clearly wrong with him. The cave was hardly even that, more like an opening between the roots of a large tree. Sliding down himself and then dragging the two in after him, he landed on the dirt below the tree. The cavity under the tree was hardly big enough for him to stand all the way upright but he didn't seem to have any problems with this and simply hunched over slightly. Lifting the conscious one up first, he sniffed his hair before frowning and dropping him. James landed unceremoniously on a large bed of leaves that had been gathered in the cavity beneath the tree. A pointed look from the man seemed to say miles about what would happen if he tried to move, so James remained still as Ranaghar turned his attention to Clarence. Sniffing him next, he snorted slightly before gently laying him down on the bed next to James, although being slightly more careful.

"What's wrong with him?" James risked asking, looking up at the strange man wearing the head of a bear for a hood. Jesus that was hardcore. Did he kill it himself? Did Tiadoria even have bears?

"It is...uncertain," Ranaghar replied with a frown before giving James a careful look. "Stay here," He ordered, a slight growl creeping into his voice before he climbed out of the hole, leaving James alone with Clarence. Staring at the entrance to the tunnel for a few more moments, James frowned but turned his gaze back to Clarence. It's not as if he could actually leave, not if it meant leaving his friend behind. Frowning, he pressed a hand against Clarence's forehead, trying to feel his temperature. He couldn't tell without a thermometer but he was almost certain he was burning up with a fever.

"It's okay," He whispered, hoping his words could somehow reach Clarence. "It's all going to be fine."

 

What seemed like an eternity later, Ranaghar finally returned. Dropping into the underground den, he slipped across the ground over to Clarence, carefully holding a piece of carved, dead wood close to his chest. Water splashed around inside the carved bowl as he sat down next to Clarence. Looking up at James, he frowned slightly and gestured his head towards one of the far corners of the den. "Go to sleep," he growled, causing James to stiffen. Turning his focus to Clarence, he gathered a bit of the water in his hand and gently pressed his cold hand against Clarence's forehead, trying to cool him off slightly. Glancing up at James, he frowned when he realized that the alien had not moved.

"He's my friend," James replied with a tight-lipped frown. "I can't go to sleep now." Ranaghar growled slightly but eventually relented, instead dipping his hand back into the water and trying to cool Clarence's forehead more.

[shadow_claw]

"Either you kill me, or I kill us both."

Clarence knew this wasn't a threat. Suulis was at the end of his rope. He didn't want to live and was determined to stop doing so. He didn't deserve to live again. Not if living meant Clarence would die. Clarence was everything he wanted to be: he was happy.

Clarence hesitated, backing as much as he could in a room that didn't exist. He didn't want to die, but he didn't want to kill Suulis. He deserved redemption and happiness too.

"What am I supposed to do?" He whispered. And yet, he already knew what to do. He pushed against the other mind, wincing internally as he felt Suulis give. He was tearing. He was letting himself be torn wide open.

 

Memories, memories that weren't his own soon flooded his thoughts, overwhelming the young man instantly. All of them came at once, assaulting him with another, horrid past.

A child screamed as he was torn from his family. The desert village went up in smoke as the small boy was hauled away.

Endless work, left on display for days on end. He wasn't a son; he was a pet.

His tormentor's neck around his hands, hot rage fueling the murders. A manor turned to stone, nothing but shimmering black rock.

A bloody fight with a strange man, intent on ending his life. Instead, the victor spared the unconscious alien.

A begrudging truce as he nursed his assailant back to health.

 

A soft kiss, shared in the darkness to quiet their nightmares.

Holding hands, facing an endless battlefield against a faceless evil. They knew they were going to die.

 

Suulis had truly loved Viziel. More than anything else in his life. And Clarence had just killed him. Killed the man desperate to be loved, whose heart has shattered when Viziel never returned. He was angry and bitter, but mostly, Suulis was scared and alone.

 

Tears streamed down Clarence's face as he slept, his body shaking with weak, unconscious sobs. He felt so guilty. He had hated Suulis's anger, but never realized why he was so angry. He was hiding agony with hostility.

 

[pudding]

By the time morning came, James had accidentally fallen asleep. Curled up with his back pressed against Clarence's side, he laid resting peacefully in the bedding within the den that seemingly belonged to the forest spirit. But while he remained asleep, the forest spirit was still awake. Having gone back to the stream that ran through the forest several times during the course of the night, he kept refilling the small, carved bowl so he could try to cool Clarence off. By the time light streamed through the tops of the trees and morning had come, bags had appeared under the spirit's eyes. Rubbing his eyes against the back of his hand, Ranaghar frowned but continued to work well into the morning, trying to cool him off from his fever.

 

As soon as first light appeared, Larrsin woke up. Climbing to his feet, he popped open the display on his arm, quickly scrolling through the data until a pair of coordinates appeared on his arm. Nodding in satisfaction, he walked over to Lucida and the mage, tearing his eyes away from the coordinates to gently nudge them with his foot. "Hey," He declared, looking in the direction the coordinates were indicating. "It's morning. Get it together, we need to go find those three." Looking over at the dragon, he frowned as he rubbed his shoulder before looking out towards the trees. "Just get the dragon ready. I'll be back in a few minutes." With that, he started into the bushes, ready to seek out wherever the spirit had taken his two prisoners.

[shadow_claw]

When Clarence awoke, he stared up blankly up at Ranaghar. His face was wet, from both tears and water. And although he felt awful, his expression didn't betray this. He felt...empty. All his thoughts were soft and restrained. Like they were muted. All he could think about was what he did. He was a killer. A murderer.

The thought made him retch. Literally. He turned away from both James and Ranaghar, holding his mouth closed with a hand as he gagged. Killer, killer, killer. He was nothing but a criminal. It was a real struggle to keep his food down.

When settled down, he lay on his side. The wings on his hips remained tightly folded, but he draped one wing over himself and one around James. He had to keep James safe. For Suulis. He couldn't bear to let the only thing the man had cared about get hurt. As he thought about it again, tears welled in his eyes. Suulis didn't deserve to die. It wasn't fair.

 

---

 

Lucida stared sourly up at Larrsin as she was awoken, but said nothing. She climbed to her feet with a soft groan. Sleeping in the dirt had been dreadful. The dragon had curled herself around the girl during the night and, with a gentle nudge, the beast awoke as well.

"Do...any of you have provisions?" Phineas asked this softly, reaching for the own small satchel. They didn't have enough food for everyone. Lucida, however, had food leftover from Suulis's hunt the previous morning. She left a hunk for the dragon, and are some herself.

This journey would not be a fun one.

[pudding]

Powering on his gun again, Larrsin clicked his tongue slightly as he made his way through the forest, sparing no thought for the plants he crushed under his boots. The game had been fun before. Show up, make a scene, snatch away the heroes and dangle them in front of the helpless citizens of this world. It was fun listening to them scream and cry. It was interesting to see the few strong ones try to stand up against him. Now it was just boring. Boring all across the board. He was stuck in a stupid forest with two heroes that weren't even heroic. Viziel had yet to make an actual appearance and Suulis was too pacified for his own good. Sure he came across as aggressive, but he hadn't taken an opportunity to kill him. And now he was stuck with a stupid bird lizard, a prissy girl who tried to talk down to him and some kind of weird lizard reptile mage he didn't even want in the first place.

 

As he walked, his mind calculated the options. A bit more of a nudge and Tom would commit to his side. The kid was sometimes a hassle to deal with but he relented with his friends on the line. All he needed was complete control from him. Or an alternative method. His consciousness was still uploaded to the file. If he could acquire another body somehow...non organic, obviously. Shelving that idea for now, he moved on to the topic of leadership. The leader was honestly too soft at this point. The original banishment and now this was ridiculous. Where were the fires raining from the sky? Where were the people screaming? They were meant to be at war and yet this world was disgustingly....peaceful.

 

Grunting slightly to himself, he tracked down the coordinates to a larger tree. From the looks of it, it had to be one of the few that survived the original burning. Could nobody honestly do their jobs around here? Even Viziel was failing him, it seemed. Sighing, he adjusted the settings on his gun briefly before jumping down into the hole. Time to get moving.

 

 

Ranaghar recoiled slightly when Clarence awoke suddenly, nearly throwing up. Frowning at the blurred figure, he sighed and pushed forward the water bowl he had closer to the man. "Drink," He insisted with a tight-lipped frown. Suddenly hearing something (which was a wonder considering his ears were hidden by his hood), Ranaghar stiffened and turned around, just in time to see a familiar jump-suited man land on the ground. Snarling, the spirit quickly shifted, covering both James and Clarence by placing himself strategically between them and Larrsin. However, while this would have worked if they had been the targets, Larrsin instead aimed his gun directly at the spirit. A purple dot appeared on Ranaghar's head before a loud shot rang out and the spirit sagged to the ground.

"Disgusting," Larrsin mumbled, standing upright. While the den was small, he was short enough he could still stand freely. Walking over to Ranaghar, he kicked his limp body away from Clarence and James, cocking his head slightly as he stared down at Clarence. "Can you walk? We're moving."