Completed Fallen Treasure Part 2

[Kynier]

66th of Fall, 518 A.V. 5th Bell

It was very late that night, or very early in the day. It was difficult to make the distinction with the overcast concealing Leth’s position in the sky. While there was not much light for a normal person to safely traverse the streets, it posed no problems to a Nightstalker. It also helped him in avoiding further attention. Blood had dried around the protrusions and stopped flowing into his eyes. The desire to scratch at the scabs was extreme and it was only when his nails touched the crusty surface around his deformity that he remembered to not scratch at it.

Kynier took the exterior stairs that led to the balcony just outside the living quarters of the Midnight Gem. There was no one that should be awake at this time. Ebon was a nocturnal creature by nature but had slowly been adjusting to operate during Syna’s domain more than Leth’s. As for Kelski, she had been leaving for a few days at a time on several occasions. Whether tonight was one of those nights or not, he would not know until he got to the master suite. Kynier paused at the top of the stairs of the Midnight Gem. If she was here, and awake, then she’d probably be waiting in the Great Room by the fire. Kynier reached up and felt one of his protrusions with a hand.

While he had never been too concerned about his general attractiveness and appearance, Kynier did find himself being filled with doubt. Concern about how Kelski would view him now. How others would view him. In a way, he had been blessed with a lack of distinguishing features or being noticeably handsome or ugly. It allowed him to be unseen in public. Now… he had… horns. Kynier’s nose wrinkled at the admission. They were a very distinguishing characteristic. The one attempt he made at concealing them had failed. They felt hard. Harder than bone to the touch. Even if they were to be broken off, is it possible that they would just regrow?


Kynier sighed and continued on his way inside. Stepping through the doorway to the Great Room he quickly closed the door behind him. It was no longer raining but it was impossible to say if that would last. When he turned to look at the couch in front of the hearth, it was empty, and the heart was not lit. “Hello Gem,” he said softly to the room. While the building was not able to communicate directly to him, Kynier felt that greeting it was a courteous and necessary gesture. It was home after all.

Not wanting to disturb anyone, Kynier went into one of the vacant bedroom’s bath chamber. He flicked his fingers to create a small fire to have a better look at himself in the mirror. To finally see what had happened to him. Two protrusions came out from the top ridge of his forehead. Both were about four inches in length and curved only so slightly towards his hairline. While there were plenty of creatures, and humanoids, with horns in Mizahar, these looked much more alien. At their base they were a deep purple and the color faded along its length until it was a solid gray at the tips. The contrast to his skin made it look so unnatural.

Kynier stared and turned his head from side to side, trying to see them from every angle that he could. After several chimes he took a step back and stared at himself. “This is what I look like now.” It was something he did not want to accept, but there was nothing he could really do to change it. Somehow, the sky rock had changed him. Kynier went back out into the Great Room where he took off his cloak and boots. Then he set a fire in the hearth to help dry his boots and rid the room of the chill that it had. Once the fire was burning healthily, he sat down on the couch and started rummaging through his backpack of voiding. Thinking of the sky rock, his hand touched a cold stone surface and he pulled it out. The strange silvery stone was an interesting shape. Like a warped sphere that was partially melted. The surface was smooth to the touch as Kynier ran his fingers across the grooves.

It was mesmerizing the way the light glinted off its surface. The firelight reflected with a silvery hue that was strangely calming. Kynier’s eyes began to feel heavy as the warmth of the fire settled over him. Chimes ago he did not realize how tired he was. He had been running and fighting for most of the night. Kynier set the stone down on the table and laid down on the couch. His body sank into the soft cushions, and for a time, he forgot about his aches and injuries. Before he knew it, sleep had swept over him.




NaNo Post: 828

Boxcode credit goes to Nellie!

[Kynier]

It was only a few bells later when Kynier woke up. Utter exhaustion was still settled deep in his bones, but something compelled him to return form Nysel’s domain. Opening his eyes, he saw the ceiling of the Midnight Gem. A sliver of Syna’s light streaked across. The first ray of light of a new day. Kynier groaned and stretched on the couch, arching his back as far as it would go until the wound on his shoulder flared up in pain. Kynier sucked a breath through his teeth as his back collapsed back down. A hand rose to rub at the soreness of his forehead. When his fingers touched the base of the horns he paused with wide eyes.

For a moment, it had not seemed real. As though it were only a dream that he had. But at the touch of his deformity it all came back. A depressed sigh flowed from his nose as his fingers ran up the length of the protrusion. Before he reached its end, Kynier noticed something different about it. It was… loose. Gently he pressed against the side of the purple and gray horn and felt it shift. The night before it was sturdy and immovable. There was also no sensation from it. Fingers felt the bone-like material, but the protrusion no longer gave any tactile sensation. So, he pressed a little harder on the side to see how far it would shift.

What was unnerving was how much he was pressing on it and how far it was bending. Then he heard the cracking sound and froze. His other hand came up and felt along the length of the protrusion as the other kept it bent. There was a crack at the very base of it, just about where the scabs met it. In his curiosity, Kynier slid his fingers around the horn and grasped it tightly before pulling on it to the side. A sound similar to that of splitting wood when a tree fell echoed in the Great Room as the protrusion broke off. As the one hand held the horn the other felt along the surface of where it had been. It was nearly smooth except for a few bumps, but Kynier felt the surface break down as his fingers ran over what had managed to stay attached to his head.

Setting the one horn on the table by the couch, Kynier reached up and grasped the other. Like before, he gradually forced the protrusion to bend to the side. Then he gave it a hard tug and snapped if off from his head. All of it left him confused. Slowly, he set the second horn down by the first. No thoughts crossed his mind as he tried to come to terms with what was going on. A glimmer of silver light broke him from his fugue state. As Kynier’s attention turned to the sky rock he leapt up to his feet suddenly. It was… breaking down. An unseen wind was blowing at it and peeling the surface away in flakes that disintegrated immediately in the air.

Perplexed, Kynier stood there and watched it. Unable to think of anything to do, if he should do anything at all. The sky rock diminished until it became apparent that it was actually hallow. Inside was a silver material engulfed in silver fire. Though Syna’s light crept into the Gem, the silver fire was bright and caused Kynier to squint and hold up a hand to shield his eyes. After a moment, his eyes adjusted, and though the silver fire did not lose its intensity it no longer bothered his eyes. As Kynier stared he felt a presence unfamiliar to him in his mind. A voice he never heard before spoke.

“As the rays of my beloved Syna reach across the horizon, I wish to give you this bit of insight. The changes you’ve experienced were not without a purpose. They were meant to serve as a source of reflection. Change is an important force that drives all life. How you dealt with the changes you were faced with; changes in body, mind and even in the minds of others, speaks greatly to who you are as a person. As you continue to live your life, take time to reflect on what you experienced and ponder your reactions to the change. Did you hide them or hide from them? Did you embrace them? Did you exploit them or use them for the betterment of others? As you search for the deeper meaning of change and how you deal with it, know that I, Leth, God of Thought and Change have gifted you that opportunity. Also, as a gift and a reminder, I offer a piece of my light. The stone you discovered contains a piece of starfire. In your hands, it will undergo its own change. Take it with my blessing.”


The presence of the voice exited his mind. Kynier was awestricken as he stared at a god’s gift before him. Kynier reached for that strange substance on the table. Though it was surrounded by silver fire, it did not burn his hand. Instead, it was very cool to the touch. Kynier grasped it and felt the material change. A viscous gel hardened in his hand as its shape twisted and changed. It grew in length to form a long narrow tube that widened at one end. As the details of the form began to appear Kynier could see what it was changing into. A silver oboe that was so light and cool to the touch. It was the most beautiful instrument he had ever seen. Though there were not many to view in Sunberth.

For several chimes, he simply marveled at Leth’s gift. Rotating it around in his hands to view it from every angle. What was peculiar, was that there was a reed attached that wasn’t made of wood, but the same silvery substance of the sky rock. Kynier gripped the instrument with both hands and set the reed to his lips. He wet it with his saliva and then blew a B-Flat. The note rang more beautifully than he had ever managed before. Not just throughout the room but through his being as well. Kynier felt his mind empty and retreat into himself. No conscious thought was given to the movement of his fingers as they simply formulated notes. A song formed, one from his past. A gentle song his mother would play that would always make him feel better. It was short, even as he held the last note for longer than what he remembered it being.




NaNo Post: 1,110

Boxcode credit goes to Nellie!

[Kynier]

During the final note’s echo, Kynier’s mind began to fill with thought once more. They were slow to form, as though he had awoken from a deep, peaceful slumber. He also noticed that he body was no longer filled with aches from the night before. Gratitude was the first sensation that he felt as he sat back down on the couch. During the night he had regretted going to investigate the sky rock’s fall. Mostly for the unnecessary danger Kynier had subjected himself to when the thugs had come to claim it. There was also the deformity that Leth had set upon him.

Both of the broken off horns were still on the table’s surface and caught the mage’s eye. The words of the divine were repeated in his memory as he picked up on of the horns and spun it around between his fingers. At the first opportunity he had to examine their appearance, Kynier remembered being fearful. That somehow, he had been permanently changed to reflect how he felt about himself with his appearance. Yes, he did try to hide them. But he argued with himself to the reason behind the attempt. Three men were chasing him and Kynier wished to use a crowd to hide. The horns were too distinguishing of a feature and he needed to disguise them.

But after that? After that, his vanity felt threatened. While he had formed excuses to say that it would make him a distinguishable character, in truth, he had not wanted to have them. They were noticeably alien and had made him feel… different. Different in a way he did not want. In this city, possessing magic had made him different enough. Trying to establish connections with others was difficult and he was slow enough to trust others. Kynier was human, but the protrusions did not allow him to look human. He would have been something else, something completely unique in a way that scared him.

Kynier set the horn back down on the table and looked at the starfire oboe again. He gave a silent prayer to Leth. Thank you. At the time, I did not understand what was happening. Though I was fearful of the change, I think that I was able to come to terms with it. Kynier paused in his prayer as a realization came to him. I suppose that I’ve always been like that with drastic changes. Scared. I don’t know why I’m so driven by fear. Yet others look to me as a source of strength. Perhaps, I need more strength to be able to embrace change more readily.

He set the starfire oboe to his lips again and blew a few notes through it. They were the beginning of a slightly livelier tune that Little Rhaus had been teaching him. This time he did not close his eyes as he played and noticed things he failed to before. The embers in the hearth changed from smoldering red to silver fire as he played. There was also a light emanating… from him! Silver light like the moon’s only intense enough to still be seen through Syna’s light. As he played, he physically felt better as well. The wounds itched less, and his muscles were less sore. Not long into the song, Kynier stopped playing and set the starfire oboe down.

He took off his shirt and looked at the cut over his clavicle. The cut had reduced in size significantly. More than what half a night’s rest should have provided for sure. Kynier picked up the silver instrument again and began to play a few notes with no rhythm in mind. Silver light traced over his body in waves. At each pass over the cut, it grew smaller and smaller until it was gone entirely. The skin knitted together seamlessly without leaving a scar. Kynier stopped and ran a finger over the place the wound had been. Healthy skin folded under his touch and without extra sensitivity.

It was then that Kynier decided that he would do what he could to learn more about Leth. In a way, it seemed absurd that he had not done so before then. Akajia was the goddess of the night, but at the same time, it belonged to Leth as well. Kynier wondered about if the two divine beings had any interaction with each other. For Leth provided just as many shadows as Syna. Those were thoughts for later though. He was tired but too awake to sleep. Setting the reed to his lips again, Kynier let music flow without conscious effort and allowed his mind to reflect inward as starfire engulfed his body.



NaNo Post: 777

Boxcode credit goes to Nellie!

[Kynier]

Grades!

Skill Rewards

• Meditation +1
• Musical Instrument: Oboe +2
• Philosophy +1

Lores Learned

• Leth: God of Change and Relfection
• Self: Feels fortunate to not have very distinguishing features
• Starfire: Leth’s radiant light
• Starfire Oboe: Heals his injuries when played