[The Golden Dragon] Welcome Home (Grom, Kam)

[Gromhir]

Why Gromhir had stopped, he did not know. Maybe it was some form of human honour in him that let the man speak his piece? Perhaps he was simply taking his time to size up his opponent? Or was it that what the man spoke bore truth? In all truth, Gromhir was deciding whether this man was worth the effort of fighting or not. Gromhir was a predator; within an instant of meeting someone he had already judged how threatening he or she would be based on his or her appearance. But there was something more about the man that stood before him. He could partly sense it through the arcane link between him and his bondmate. But also his abused body warned him that there was something else at play. It was not immediately obvious unless someone had their gaze fixed intently on Stitch. He muscles twitched, almost as though there was some other force affecting them. He listened to Stitch’s words and he remained confused. His anger an every present force in his mind. Why was this human offering to take another’s place? Did he not realise that it would not stop Gromhir from ripping him apart? What did he gain from stepping in his place? It was too confusing for Gromhir. His growl deepened and he howled. It shook the very foundations of the establishment. For a moment, even the snow of Morwen’s winter seemed to slow at the strength of the Kelvic’s might. Eyes locked on to Stitch’s. The man could feel the murderous intent that swam in the Kelvic. Fangs barred, the massive Wolf lunged forward, ignorant of anyone or thing that got in his way.

[Kamalia Timandre]

Clarity gripped the Konti’s mind when the massive ivaski lunged towards the drunkard. Surely such attack could have brought any human down easily flat on the floor with their bones crushed under the canine’s considerable weight. The Konti knew that injury would be inevitable now. Suddenly, the blind man stepped forward, just in time for Gromhir’s pounce. Everything moved so fast, and the Konti took all of it in one deep breath that she let out in a terrified gasp. As if by a miracle, the sightless human managed to survive the force of the ivaski’s leap. Kamalia felt the beginnings of an odd sort of relief. Whoever this was, he was strong enough to defend himself from the merciless ferocity of her bondmate.

Even in such a nerve-racing situation, the Konti could not help but be curious how the man managed to endure the attack. The Konti cast a long measuring glance at Stitch, collecting djed in her eyeballs to attune her sight to the aura of the man and scrutinize magical activity. His aura failed to tell the Konti how the blind man’s magic worked, but she observed faint, telltale signs of djed usage. “My sisters have suffered under filthy human hands, enslaved and abused for no better reason than the power they wield and the pulchritude they possess. It is enough that you can stand there in ignorance in the misdeeds done us. You may not see the world beyond your high walls, but that does not mean they mark its boundaries,” the Konti’s voice was not loud, but it overwhelmed any other around. She held herself with a grace and an air of command that made the drunkard feel awkward and stumble-footed.

When Stitch offered to take the place of the drunkard, Kamalia’s heart was suddenly filled with shame. Her anger did fade in her eyes then, slowly, as if something had been recalled to her. The Konti realized how cruel and foolish she might have sounded. She wanted to bring it to a close and leave graciously, yet she also knew that it would be difficult to appease the Kelvic with his anger deeply roused. Before she could calm him down and ask him to leave Stitch alone, the ivaski lunged once again, eliciting a startled gasp from the Konti maiden.

[Stitch]

Stitch barely heard any of the Konti's words, for he wasn't paying her a shred of attention. Even the fact that she wielded a bit of his own magical art managed to slip by him, so deeply focused was he. The wold was a huge threat, and he refused to take his eyes off of him. He had angered the male of the pack, and now the male was defending his woman. As a man himself, he could somewhat understand, and did not fault the Kelvic a single bit. Stitch had said he would stand in the place of the drunkard, so here he was, facing down a raging wolf. A very big raging wolf, with a body that far outmatched his own. Stitch would have to use his other skills to keep on top of this fight, and keep from getting killed. He wasn't even thinking about winning. This wasn't that kind of fight. He was just thinking about surviving.

Shivering. His body was shivering. Was he trembling out of fear?

Yes. Fear.

His Auristics was the first skill that would help him survive. He focused on using the art, trying to keep his mind off the horror of his plight. He melded his mind with that primal Aura of the raging wolf, trying to link himself to it, trying to peer into it in the deepest way imaginable. The rage was the first and foremost thing, and he kept an eye on it. He would use it to his advantage, watching for giant swells of it, combined with ruthless aggression. He also kept an eye on the body of the Kelvic, watching the muscles, waiting for a moment when they would flex. When the rage spiked, and the legs flexed, the Kelvic would be readying himself for a leap. Those were the two things he would have to watch out for, and those would be the two things that allowed him to get out of the way. Would he be able to keep it up until the Kelvic grew tired? Would the Kelvic ever grow tired? Stitch didn't know.

His Flux was the second skill he would have to use. Taking a deep breath, keeping his attention focused on the task at hand, he slowly began to draw on the Djed flowing through his veins. He could sense confusion and hesistation in the Aura of the Kelvic, and he used the lengthy pause to try and prepare himself. If he was to fully dodge the deadly lunges of the massive wolf, he would have to be fast. To accomplish this, he would use the Flux. Breathing deeply once more, he slowly began to trickle Djed to his legs, swirling them down to the muscles in his feet and the lower back side of his legs. Both Kamalia and Gromhir would notice the subtle shift in the flexing of his muscles. It was as if a ripple traveled down to his legs, like a small wave in a large ocean.

The rage of the Kelvic spiked, and Stitch tried to stay loose, realizing that the wolf had decided to lunge. This was it. This was the first move in what was to be an extremely long game of cat and mouse. Where was Tyras, anyways?

"Stitch? Are you hanging out here again?" Out of the blue, a twelve year-old girl entered the Golden Dragon, an irritated look to her eye, a somewhat frustrated tone to her voice. She was covered in snow, her hair everywhere, a giant woolen cloak apparently being the only thing that had offered her protection against the elements outside.

Fentya.

Only Kamalia would see the sudden change to his features. Where he had once been scared, yet had stood there out of some moral code... now he was focused, his face incredibly serious. The blind man actually looked dangerous, in a way. He felt dangerous.

The Kelvic lunged, and Stitch moved, the Flux in his legs causing his muscles to react quickly. He scooted to the side, turning at the hip, barely sidestepping out of the wild lunge, and turning to face the passing beast. Even as Stitch was turning at the hip, he was redirecting all of his Flux to his arms, praying that the strike would be as perfect as possible. All at once, his skills were combining. His Flux was rushing to his fingertips, something to be expelled into the Kelvic's body, something to forcefully redirect a part of the Kelvic's own Djed flow. His Auristics were allowing him to suddenly see the point he needed to strike at, a long highway of various Flux pathways that could be found at the bottom of the Kelvic stomach. His Martial Arts, to slam a single bladed hand home, smashing into into the stomach of the Kelvic as he passed.

Even though Stitch struck hard hard, the Kelvic would likely only feel the sensation of something in his stomach getting... twisted. Something would go wrong. Stitch's own Djed expelled forcefully into the Kelvic's body, pushing in the opposite direction of the Kelvic's own Flux flow... and for a moment, stopping the flow entirely, or even completely redirecting it.

Meanwhile, Fenyta had frozen, a look of shock and worry crossing her face. After a moment, she would collect herself, running forward with a small cry. "Stitch!"

The huge wolf landed, spinning immediately to keep his opponent in his sights, confusion written across his snarling muzzle. What had just happened? He had jumped at the man, the man had somehow moved... and why was his stomach...?

The Ivaski beast tried to jump for the blind man once more, but all at once, something went wrong with his body. His legs folded underneath him, and his throat coughed up bile, the wolf yelping out as he collapsed onto the floor. He tried to struggle to his feet, but once more threw up, and once again simply collapsed. If Kamalia glanced at his Aura, she would instantly notice that something was all wrong. There was foreign Djed in it, and it was aggressively attacking Gromhir's Aura around it.

The blind man was already sliding to Gromhir's side, showing a sudden and surprising concern for his opponent. "Milord! What happened!? Are you okay?! This one didn't mean to... this one didn't... milady?" The blind man had been reaching out to touch the quivering wolf, but turned his head to look to Kamalia, wherever she might be. He looked hurt and confused, generally scared that he had actually done some major damage to the wolf. Gromhir, meanwhile, simply mixed up a combination of snarls and gags, attempting to appear intimidating while losing all of his lunch. His opponent's concern for him was humiliating, to say the least. Instead of looking angry at the man, like he did before, he now simply looked annoyed and frustrated.

[Kamalia Timandre]

Everything happened too fast—way too fast—yet she felt rather than saw the actual gravity of the situation. Through the oneness that the bondmates shared, Kamalia felt fear and deadly rage. Gromhir’s heart blazed with wrath and the longing to avenge his mistress, amplified by the great bond they shared. The emotions overwhelmed the young Konti that she was not sure whether these feelings of fear and anger were hers or her guardian’s. They threatened to consume her, ready to set her own heart ablaze. Kamalia’s legs shook beneath her and only with sheer force of will did she pull herself erect.

Patiently she kept her djed-sensing gaze on Stitch, commanding her own magic to course through her skull before willing the sorcerous energies to flow towards her eyeballs. It took all her concentration to make out the subtle nuances and ebbs around the man. Soon enough, the Konti attuned her vision to the auric field of the blind fighter. There it was again, the faint purple ripple of magical activity surrounded the sightless man. She could not help but wonder what magic he called upon.

Her auristics somewhat revealed that he was distributing rivers of djed through his legs and feet. Was this Flux? She had never met anyone who employed Flux before, certainly not the mages of Timandre family. Konti bones were too light and frail for the discipline after all.

And then came a youthful voice that shattered Kamalia’s concentration. Pain erupted behind her eyelids. She swore in Kontinese and rubbed at her eyes furiously with her fists. If she had been attempting to channel all her djed toward her eyes, they might well have been rendered blind by the magical backlash.

Her eyes swept the entrance of the inn. The voice came from a girl wrapped in a giant woolen cloak. Stitch? Did she call him Stitch?

Kamalia did not fail to see how the girl’s sudden arrival instantly changed the blind man’s countenance. This man called “Stitch” suddenly appeared so menacing. Something had changed, and he looked so deadly. He felt deadly. But before Kamalia could warn Gromhir, the great ivaski leapt at the human.

Stitch dove a single bladed hand in response to Gromhir’s attack. His hand struck the canine’s stomach true, knocking the wolf back. As Gromhir prepared himself for another lunge, the Konti instantly knew that something was wrong—very wrong. The ivaski collapsed onto the floor, yet even as he did, he tried to block the path between Stitch and Kamalia.

“Gromhir!” Kamalia gathered up the skirts of her white robes and came running to him, her eyes frantic and her hair flying. Her keen eyes swept over him, noting the sluggish movements and the quivering he could not control. She knelt beside him, running her hand through his thick mane as he snarled and growled in pain. He felt scared and confused, this she knew much, yet he put up a courageous façade. He wanted to protect her. “It is done; it is enough,” Kamalia pleaded. “Please, stand away from us.”

Once again, she melded her mind with the aura of the canine to detect what was wrong. “There is foreign djed inside him. What have you done?" she demanded, turning her head to look at Stitch. Her voice was firm, her violet eyes commanding. "Tell me everything!"

[Stitch]

"It is done? It is enough?" Stitch was astounded, and his words reflected that. "The minute your companion falls in the fight he started, and would have been happy to finish, then it is over?" He shook his head, the surprise still written plainly across his face. "This one doesn't not even begin to understand how your rules work, milady. But as for the wolf, and what this one did..." He was interrupted by the shriek of a young girl, who ran up and shoved her figure between both Stitch and Kamalia. Shooting Stitch a dirty look, she wrapped an arm around Kamalia's shoulder, as if to comfort her. The girl looked to be around thirteen, just now developing into the figure of a woman. She had long stringy brown hair that fell down around her shoulder, and bright blue eyes that matched the beauty of Kamalia's own. Keeping that dirty eye on the blind man, she gave the Konti a soft squeeze, comforting her. "It'll be okay. Stitch may be a ruffian who can't control himself in a spar-" The dirty look got even dirtier, and Stitch's jaw dropped. "A... a spar?! Can't control himself?!" The blind man sputtered out indignantly, but the girl wasn't having any of it. "Be quiet! You need to learn to be more gentle!" She snorted as Stitch turned red, still sputtering and babbling some kind of nonsense. He was obviously one of those men that had no chance in standing up to women. Fentya turned back to Kamalia, regarding her with a kind smile. "But trust me, Stitch wouldn't ever hurt a soul. Whatever is happening, I am sure it isn't bad at all. People get bruises, cuts, and scrapes, and sometimes people lose their lunch. It is just what happens when people get violent." She eyeballed the wolf, now blessing him with the stink eye. "And since you got violent as well, you are partly to blame. You shouldn't be complaining." She rolled her eyes, glancing back at Kamalia. "It is a man thing." Stitch finally spoke up, the indignance plain in his voice. "For starters, Fentya is right. This one did not hurt him. This one merely redirected his Djed flow for a bit. This one was just testing out the extent of such attacks, which appear to be fairly effective. Everything is quite fine with the Kelvic. His flow has already returned to normal, his body was just responding to the sudden oddity within himself. Like if one was suddenly struck with a coughing and sneezing sickness, and then the disease just went away." Fentya cut in, standing, placing her hands on her hips. "So, in short, he just needs rest and food. Would you like to come to the Orphanage?" Stitch interrupted, yelping out. "That is my orphanage! You can't just-" Fentya turned, her eyes flashing. "You are denying them?" In perhaps the most hilarious response of the afternoon, Stitch instantly dropped his head, mumbling. "No ma'am. You are welcome to come to the Orphanage that this one owns. You are welcome to a meal, and a bed." Fentya blossomed a smile, turning to Kamalia. "I insist."

[Chevalier]

Kamalia

LORE

• Seeing Flux Redirect Djed Flow

EXPERIENCE

Skill	XP Earned
Auristics	4
Rhetoric	2

Gromhir

LORE

• How it Feels to Get Fluxed
• Showing No Mercy

EXPERIENCE

Skill	XP Earned
Intimidation	3
Kelvic Combat	2

Storyteller Notes

Secret :

I understand Stitch isn't coming back, but I wasn't sure about Grom so I gave him some XP. I'm not sure what skill he uses for Kelvic Combative reasons, so those Xps are somewhat generic.