FSE

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Copyright Denver Demchuk 2007

Furanin: Storming out of the observation chamber, I was followed by the rest of the Council, everyone trying to speak at once and gain my attention as I made my way to the main Prayer Hall.

"It impossible to refuse what we've just seen-"

"But it was only a vision-"

"-doesn't matter. If even a tenth of what-"

"Should send messengers to the other temples and to Ryodan. If we can-"

"SILENCE!"

Everyone immediately shut up as I moved to stand behind the Council table, looking first at the Deity symbols inscribed upon the wall, then turning to look at each of them in turn.

"We know that one side can never overpower the other," I told them, placing my hands on the back of my seat and gripping the wood lightly. "Darkness and Light, both must be in balance, just as some of us pray to the darker sides of the Gods, and others those with the Light sides. Always there have been seven of us, the Seer having the Neutral stance due to their abilities. Iridell has provided us with only a fragment of information, a large one, yet...still a fragment. We must decide what to do, and quickly..."

No one spoke, their minds going over the hasty panicked words they had spoken upon leaving the Observation chamber, as well as the images Dragoness and human had shown us. Even I shivered as I thought about the images shown, the things of nightmares that one easily tried to forget as soon as they entered the mind. "Now, should we send messengers to the other temples as well as any outposts?" They all nodded, in firm agreement with each other. "As well as Ryodan and King Quel'thalsed?" Now there was some hesitation in their expressions.

"With all respect to His Majesty, I don't think he will heed our warnings or those of the temple in Ryodan," Balkus commented, touching his breast, beak and forehead swiftly, a gesture of his deity to show the connection of heart words and mind together. "Not unless he has some kind of...'evidence' as well. He respects the different Orders and Gods as readily as anyone, even more so since part of his childhood was spend in the acolytes care at Ryodan. If it wasn't for His lineage, He could have become a member of their Council."

"Even so," Orion added, crossing his bovine arms and snorting slightly, "He has to look at it from the position that He is in. If a King listened to every comment or rumor of war that his guards, mages, and priests whispered to him and sought to crush the beginnings of such...There wouldn't be any free realms or peaceful relationships with the other Lords and Ladies of the lands. Not to mention King Sevran of the Naga's city Ku'tarass would be on a constant state of alert against us or destroyed if we ever managed to figure out how to breath underwater as they do."

"What proof should we send King Quel'thalsed that may be believed then?" I asked, inwardly smiling as their wits sorted themselves out and another thought entered my mind.

"The only proof we currently have. Denver and his companion Arosha Moonflow may just be enough to persuade Him to be prepared at least in such an event," Jess replied, looking around at the others as they nodded again.

"I suggest that Seer Iridell also go with them," I added, stroking the whiskers on my chin a little and looking from one Council member to another to see what their reaction would be. Some of them looked shocked while the rest simply regarded me uncertainly. "If the only way to convince His Majesty is to show Denver's dreams again, then I would rather have a Seer that has already been with Denver once to be with him again. Besides, the Dragoness has been acknowledged as the most skilled Seer we've in a hundred years by all of the other temples. We already know that she can handle the visions. Do we know that Ryodan's Seer can?" Again, silence fell as everyone nodded in agreement. "Are we decided on what must be done then?" They looked at each other for a brief moment then bowed before leaving the room, each of them preparing to send messages to the other temples and outposts between the three kingdoms. I was left with the responsibility of writing to the Ryodan Temple as well as His Majesty, explaining part of the situation and the presence of those that were being sent to Him.

As I left for my own chambers finally, I thought about the last comment in regards to the Naga people. It had been a long time since I had seen one of them, and the memory was still fresh in my mind of that day.

It was my twenty-third season and I had been on a journey to Carbourough, a small outpost between Ryodan and Sevran's empire, a mutual trading place as well as a relay station for messengers. Three rivers ran by and around the small town, providing numerous resources for all beasts that set up shop there as well as those that traveled. It had been nighttime and I was camping by one of the rivers, the fire burning brightly beside me as I meditated, trying to reach an inner peace. Yet, something kept pulling me just out of reach of it, something that was soon revealed as I finally stood up in frustration and started walking along the bank. Up ahead a loud thrashing sound broke the silence intermittently, starting up for a few moments with such fierceness that I thought some Feral creature would leap out at me any moment. What I saw though frightened and amazed me at the same time, my eyes had gone to the size of saucers and my breathing quickened.

A Naga, one of the serpent people had somehow become the victim of a hunters trap placed at the waters edge, the left arm smeared with black soil and blood, each time the creature thrashed, the wound gushed a fresh fountain of blood on the ground and scales alike. The iron jaws of the trap only biting deeper with each moment, pushing the light green rainbow accented scales farther apart around the wound. My gaze wandered to the face and instead of the hideous serpentine expression I was expecting, I found myself looking into a face that nearly matched that of Iridell, though the snout was shorter and more rectangular in shape, the azure eyes filled with fear and anger. A hood spread from her neck as she rose up into the air as high as she could go and hissed threateningly. I took a step forward...

What passed that night, I had never told anyone besides Iridell, and she had promised not to speak of it ever, not even after Death had claimed her. Memories brought shivers of mixed emotions as I opened the door to my chambers to find my personal servant asleep on my bed, apparently the night had been too persuasive for her to resist. Smiling, I shook the Does shoulder to wake her up and send her on one last task before she turned in for the night. As she left, I felt a little better at having sent her to post more guards at Iridell's tower, in hopes that the coming darkness didn't sense what had taken place here this night...

***

Assassin: Ahh the night...so beautiful, so helpful when death approached the living. When we crept up upon those we sought to claim, to caress, to drain them of their essences. Chuckling, the sound like a light breeze rustling through leafs; I melted into the shadows of the Temple wall. I nearly vomited once inside, all the peaceful emotions and positive energy making me sick, just like the others that had come with me. I sent to them, our mind link allowing us the chance to talk together without making any noise. They shuddered and swirled around me, whispering their understanding before taking off in search of him. Whirling away and around the twisting corridor, the nausea finally taking its toll and forcing me to find a discrete shadow from which to puke. Stone melted and the garden plants twisted beneath the yellow sludge that erupted from my circular mouth, the plants touched by it rotting almost instantly. Wiping the ring of ebony teeth that sufficed as my mouth with one taloned hand, I slid over to a different shadow and vanished into darkness...

...The guards at the door leading into the room where the human was located chanted their vigil prayers, the sound irritating but far from effective against my kind. The others were on their ways back to our Master, though they took their time in hopes of catching an unwary beast wandering the halls at night. This one...He was mine.

Sliding up to the ceiling shadows, I watched them with amber eyes hidden by a cloud of darkness that constantly surrounded me, writhing slowly as if in a light breeze. NOW!

Spiked tail tore through the chest of the left sentry, lupine blood gushing across the immaculately clean stone floor as my bony hands wrapped around the others throat, keeping the stallion from shouting for help. Ripping my tail out of the first body, I kissed the Equines neck lightly as I wiped my tail upon the back of his uniform. I could smell his fear, the shit and piss that ran down the legs of his robes and chuckled a little, savoring the moment before sliding my tail under his outer coat. His muffled scream was joyous to hear as I rammed my tail into his anus and worked it deeper, the whites of his eyes showing as his body was racked with fear and pain as I started to plant the core of my consciousness deep within his bowels. Like a weed, I took root and flourished, my other body dying as it fell to the ground, my thoughts raping the mind and soul of the former occupant of this walking meat sack. Devouring everything that was left of his mind and energy, I slumped slightly in this body, hand shooting out to brace myself against the wall as I got used to it. Standing up and looking around, I turned my gaze to the body of the slain guard and gave a wry smile.

"Baby's first meal. Still warm and bloody," I chuckled, kneeling beside the fallen form as I felt my teeth changing, becoming predatory and lethal within moments as I started to feast upon flesh again...

Denver: I woke with a start, feeling a cool breeze brush my chest and face lightly as I lay upon the bed, whatever dream I had experienced before quickly fading as I sat up. Arosha still lay fast asleep on the bed beside me, her body covered by a light blanket that rose and fell slightly with each breath. Standing up, my eyes settled upon Iridell as she slept upon a make shift pallet behind her desk, a look of bliss on her face combined with a slight grin. A smile crossed my own lips but that soon faded as I turned towards the window to look out at the night sky, a sense of foreboding filling my mind unexpectedly. "What the hell?" I murmured, looking around the room very carefully as I walked over to my belongings and unsheathed my sword. It was once said that fear was only meant to warn us of danger, not make us afraid of it. Yet in a world such as this, an unnamed fear was creeping over my heart, warning me, confusing me...

CRASH!

The door was literally blown off its hinges and shattered in mid air before even reaching the ground, the shards, 'parting' around me to hit the desk and tables as I looked to find the cause of what had happened. I grimaced at the stench of soiled clothing and at the twisted equine face that appeared as the figure walked into the room, clothing fouled by the black sludge that oozed from mouth, nostrils and eyes, it's expression grisly.

"Pity you've woken up," it said, voice deep and hollow of all expression except hatred. "I was hoping to get close enough to feel your heart still beating when I ripped it out of your chest."

Roaring a challenge, Iridell rose into the air and charged, only to be backhanded into a shelf full of books with a bone jarring crash. Arosha wasn't far behind and didn't fare any better than her friend, her landing crushing one of the tables in a far corner. My guts twisted and everything suddenly turned ice cold as I looked at the motionless forms of lupine and dragoness, heart racing as blood thundered through my veins. "Seems I've broken your friends. Pathetic guards that they were."

I stayed motionless for a moment then screamed, the sound something that human vocals shouldn't have been able to reach or create. Tremors shook the room as the floor directly beneath my cracked then shattered, the pieces of stone rising up into the air around me and crumbling as I slowly turned my head towards the demonic equine, breathing hard. It's eyes widened in fear and the stench became stronger as I ran forward, howling, sword trailing behind me a moment before I brought it around, up then down again, white flames trailing it a moment before vanishing. Nothing happened for a moment, but then again, I had only needed a moment. Blood fountained from the wounds as the head slid off the body, then the remains fell and split in half again as I panted for breathe. Shrieks came from the hallway and the sense of dread started approaching again, but this time, it was no more than an irritant as I turned to look down the hallway. Four eight feet tall twisted skeletons skittered towards me, their black twisted bodies partially cloaked in a writhing darkness. Skulls were vaguely reptilian, though eyes were different on each of one, their circular mouths open in haunting wails of rage. Tails of jagged spines whipped wildly behind them as they slowed, then stopped, regarding me with uncertainty and hatred. Raising my sword in a mocking salute, I charged, not caring what happened to me in the process as I danced their deaths, each motion calculated and acted upon smoothly to the tormented cries of my assailants. Blood and gore rained down around me, that which would have touched my body, turning to dust instantly as the body parts bounced and slid across the floor. My eyes wandered over the corpses and I suddenly dropped the sword, feelings rushing in to fill the emptiness of my mind as I fell to the ground, shaking violently and gasping for air.

"Denver? Denver where are you?" Something whined behind me and I turned weakly to look up at Arosha and Iridell as they came towards me, the dragoness hovering, her body nude, while the lupine limped slightly, slowly moving to kneel beside me. As soon as I felt them touch me, what remaining strength I had vanished, leaving me sagging against Arosha as every limb of my body started quivering uncontrollably. Then...darkness...

***

Chanting voices and a solemn hymn approached and faded and approached again, the sound eventually getting to the point where it was too annoying to allow me to stay asleep. Waking up, I myself in a different room from Iridell's chambers, walls covered with tapestries and the furniture was delicately carved from rich oaks and darker woods that I couldn't identify. Pushing myself up I groaned, wincing as I regretted the action, the room spinning as pain lanced through my chest and head. Someone grabbed my shoulder and helped me lay back down as my muscles lost their strength suddenly and I fell back without warning.

"Easy Denver," a soft voice to my right told me, hands moving to my breast to make sure that I didn't try to rise again. Looking to my right, I found Arallen seated on the bed next to me, golden eyes staring intently at my face as her hand rubbed my chest lightly. "You've been out for quite a while..."

"How long?" I asked, voice cracking slightly, painfully. It felt incredibly dry and my stomach knotted in upon itself.

"A day and a half," she replied, noting my discomfort and helping me to lift my head to accept a drink from a chalice of water, the liquid cool and soothing. "We feared that the Unclean Ones had somehow torn your mind to shreds."

"Arosha? And Iridell?"

"Alive. They had a few broken bones and some bruises, but we've managed to mend them thanks to the powers of our healers," the lemur continued. "Both were anxious to see you but Furanin has asked that you not be disturbed until we knew if you were going to be alright. As soon as you came around I was to send for them." Nodding, I closed my eyes again for a moment. A day and a half...what the hell had I done? I remembered killing those creatures and the rush of energy that accompanied the moment of rage and hatred. There had been something else as well though...someone else...beside me...no...within me. Arallen rose and left the room after a moment of silence, giving me a chance to think everything over and sit up carefully, piling the pillows behind me.

A few moments later, she returned with Arosha, Iridell, Furanin, and also a few of the council members from the day before. Lupine and Dragoness nearly tackled me, the former of the two succeeding and making me bite my lip to stop a grunt of pain, wincing again. All of my muscles were extremely sore, the sensation not helped any by Arosha half laying upon me and hugging me tightly, forcing all air from my lungs.

"Arosha-please-let-go," I gasped, wincing again in pain. Letting me go carefully, she sat back on the bed, eyes moist with tears as was her face, smiling sadly as she regarded me, taking my hand in her own.

"I'm sorry...I-I'm just...so happy to see that you're all right," she said, voice quivering slightly.

"We've been worried about you," Iridell commented, piling pillows behind my shoulders and head so that I could sit up without being in as much pain before caressing my cheek gently. "How do you feel?"

"Like someone that's had a couple porcupines or more as companions in bed and tried rolling over them in the night," I replied, giving a wry smile as I flexed my right arm a little.

"Glad to hear that no serious harm was done to you last night," Furanin said, stepping forward to stand at the foot of my bed. "You remember what happened I take it..."

"Yes. My only question at the moment is what attacked us? Arallen called them the 'Unclean Ones'."

"Greevus," the otter said, crossing his arms and sighing slightly. "They're foul demonic creatures that our legends say were left here after the creation of the world. Even if their bodies are killed, they can infest another creature just before they die and take control of them. Four acolytes and three guards were killed last night, what was left of them...we could only determine who they were from the few personal belongings we found."

"I'm sorry for your loss," I said, closing my eyes slightly and looking at him. "It also means that I must leave as soon as possible."

"You will be," Furanin said, nodding slightly. "An escort will take you and Arosha to Ryoden where you'll be safe."

"What makes you think I'll be any safer there in that city than I was here? Or that I'll be so willing to go with this escort of yours?" I replied coldly.

"I thought what happened to you the other night would have made it clear as to why?"

"Only that I suddenly appear to be a magnet for these Greevus creatures which have already cost the lives of seven people in this temple. Other than that, everyone else seems too bloody frightened or surprised to say what has happened to me or if they know anything at all," I replied, frustration rising within me again. I was so fucking tired of this and having no explanation to explain their actions or being attacked by creatures I didn't know existed for no apparent reason at all. "I was brought before your council without explanation as to why, and questions as to my beliefs. Then I make love to Iridell and some how help her conjure the dreams and events that have been happening to me since I arrived in this world. After that, I get attacked by creatures that seem to be only interested in and no one else, willing to kill or harm anything that gets in their way."

Silence reigned for the longest moment as I sat up despite the soreness I felt and looked at each of the people in the room with me. "I will not do anything that you tell me to without some kind of reason, and even then, the final decision will be up to me, not you." They looked at each other, then to Furanin as he stared at me, face grave but filled with understanding.

"An explanation..." He said, thoughtfully stroking his whiskers as he looked at me. "We have a prophecy of one who will come from another world just before the beginning of a war. A Harbinger of the Light to stand against the coming Darkness. It's said that the one to come would be marked in such a way that we could identify him and prepare ourselves. 'A hand to shape the world around him, eyes to see the truth and the Path that must be walked, the mark of death which will mean life for him eternal'. From everything that has been presented to us, two of the three marks have been placed upon you already. The last one...who can say what it will be..."

***

I was on my feet by the end of the day thanks to the healers and Arosha, both of which helped work out my muscles from the constant soreness, turning it to a dull ache that I could ignore. I spent dinner alone as I thought on what was said earlier, so many things coming together only to present newer pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that was far from complete to my eyes. I heard the sound of claws on stone behind me as I stood looking over the small city before me and the stars above, the latter brighter than the former.

"Do you often gaze at the stars, Denver?" Furanin asked, coming to stand beside me, no taller than my chin, small hands resting on the stone rail of the balcony.

"No," I replied, letting silence settle once more for a brief moment. "Where I come from, the city lights are too bright at night to see them in such number. Or so bright."

"Must be a wonder to see a place like that from great heights or tall hills," he commented, I could feel his gaze shifting to the streets of the city below us, then to me.

"Not really. You get used to it, like so many other things in the present one comes from..." Again silence, uneasy, as if the otter was gathering his thoughts to say something. As for myself, I wasn't really in the talkative mood for any subject.

"I can't imagine what you must be feeling, with all of this happening to you in such a short time. Nor do I feel I have the right to tell you what to do. Each of us has their own Paths to walk and we know somehow what they are," he said at last, turning to look at me with his dark brown/black eyes. "However...I can't think or concentrate on what the events mean to me. My first thoughts and duties are to the people of the kingdom and the High King Quel'thalsed. There are too many of them for me to think about the feelings of one beast or another. I will not force you to go to Ryodan with the others I am sending. I do ask though that you consider this when making your choice though..." I said nothing as I felt him leave after a while, the only sound being the laughter of a nearby tavern...

***

A day passed by before I was informed that the envoy was ready to leave for Ryodan and the High king, Quel'thalsed, Arosha and Iridell already prepared to leave with the others. Already dressed for the road and with the few gifts I had received from Furanin and a few other Council Members, I entered the temple courtyard and moved to the only free Raptor left, swinging myself into the saddle after a moment to caress my mount. Horns sounded from the wall above the gate as the doors opened and the first riders nudged their mounts forward in to a slow jog. Once clear of the town, the pace quickened to a run that would have challenged the wind, all twenty-five of the raptors moving as fast as they could go with their separate burdens...

***

A week of travel through plains and thin forest areas brought us to a small town where it seemed that the High Kings presence and that of the temple alike were in very little evidence. No temple or town guard that I could see and what shops there were had taverns and inns placed ever third or fourth building, and in the afternoon sun, more than a few beasts were heading for the taverns, as if to get an early start on the evening to come.

"Where are we?" I asked Arosha after a moment, staying in the saddle a moment longer as I looked around.

"Carbourough," she replied, leading the raptor round the side of the Slumbering Serpent to the stables where the rest of the envoy had gone, handing off their mounts to the stable hands. "Just a border town and travelers stop for supplies and such. Its on the edge of the Ryodan domain, near the Naga Empire."

"Naga Empire?"

"Yes," Arosha said, turning to me. "The serpent people fought a war with the Ryodan Kingdom hundreds of years ago. It lasted through three High kings and when the fourth was coroneted the Kingdom spies learned that the Naga's weren't that much better off. Most of the ruling family had been slain in an accident, leaving only one daughter and son as heirs to the Jade throne. All three were at the beginnings of adult lives, their counselors asking for a way to stop the War taking place. In the end, Quel'thalsed married the Naga Princess, Esterin, which became his first mate among the other two promised to him. It's the only thing that's kept the two great kingdoms at peace..."

Nodding slowly, I looked down the street towards a break in the buildings, at what seemed to be the foundations for a bridge crossing the nearby river. All manner of beasts passed by, across and waited near it, under the watchful eyes of the two guard towers set up beside it...

***

The rooms were arranged by the escort, taking up the two up stair levels of rooms. I was assigned a room overlooking the street that held two beds, a small dresser beside the window, with a pitcher and basin upon it. Iridell and Arosha were also in the same room with me considering the limited choices of Inns in this border town. Keeping to the room for the remainder of the day, I continued writing in my journal for a long time, stopping every now and then to look into the streets before returning to writing again...

Arosha: ...Leaving the common room as the majority of patrons headed home for the night, I touched Iridell's shoulder, startling her slightly from where she had dozed off against the wall. Smiling, I kept silent and helped her stand up, leading her up the stairs and to our room, opening the door slowly. Denver was already asleep upon one of the beds, a book lying upon his chest with a lit lamp to his left on the wall, bare chest with only his breeches covering his lower body. Smiling a little, I felt Iridell shift her stance slightly as she also took in Denver's appearance, the scents in the air thickening slightly as our bodies reacted. Closing the door I locked it as my dragoness friend glided over to the bed and removed the book from the young humans chest and placed it upon the small table, lightly running a hand over his chest. Removing the only clothing I had on, I went to the other side of the bed and sat down next to him, almost mimicking Iridell in actions. He shifted slightly, head turning to the left slightly and his arms coming up to wrap around Iridell and myself slowly, pulling us closer. I yawned slightly, feeling incredibly tired from traveling and not wanting to do anything more at the moment than fall asleep. I breathed in his scent, so reassuring, comforting...I tried to keep awake for a few moments longer to watch him sleep...but eventually, my body surrendered itself to sleep...