Arvium

49: Fear

Month 1, Day 4, 23:35:06; Arvium, Legend Castle

Garron frowned as his eyes opened to darkness. Intense heat surrounded his body, and he heard flames crackling in the distance. Wolf howls filled the air, and he turned his body, his eyes widening at the weightlessness.

He jerked, pulling his arms together in front of him and deactivating the spell.

The teleport spell activated, and he coughed as he landed on the ground. His breath left his lungs with a whump sound as he landed on his side, and he coughed as he inhaled smoke. He shivered as cold rain pelted him from the downpour, and he pushed himself up off of the ground, his vision blurring as he stood.

He stared up at the castle, his shoulders falling as he saw the hollowed sections where explosions had ripped apart walls, and the white smoke pouring out of the roof. The barrier's gone. Holes in the ground marked the entry of five death wolves, and the death of a team. He glanced down at the map on his menu, feeling a spasm of cold move through his limbs as he saw Aella's caret was missing. He had several notifications to his chat box, and he felt a weight settle on his chest.

He glanced up as Noir flew overhead, angling low over the tops of the trees, her wings breaking the tips as she crashed. The dragon skidding to a halt on the other side of the castle, and he ran forward.

He paused as he turned the corner, seeing the ice blue body of Cicle, Ender's dragon, laying in a fetal position. Black ribbons cut across her scales, blood dripping into puddles from the wounds.

Noir had landed near them, her wings drooped across the ground. She roared softly, the sound low and soft, and moved her head toward him as he ran to the dragons. Ender lay against Cicle's stomach, his armor bent and dirty. His sword was broken into two pieces next to him, and his skin was pale.

He scrambled over the rubble, calling out spells as he ran to Ender and Cicle, stopping next to Ender's limp body. Three death wolves appeared next to him, waiting for his commands. "Find Aella," he said, pointing to the forest. The wolves growled, then took off toward the forest, their hides turning into smoke as they teleported.

Garron knelt next to Ender, placing his fingers on the man's neck, feeling a shallow heartbeat. "You're too grouchy to die, aren't you?" he said softly.

He pulled a white crystal from the pouch at his side, crushing it and closing his eyes. He opened them, seeing the fragments glow with a white light and he opened Ender's mouth, placing some of the fragment's on his tongue, then sprinkling them on the gashes in his armor.

He laid one hand on Ender's shoulder, and another on Cicle's body. "Healing spell, Magic Restoration Spell," he whispered. Green light came from his hands, and he blinked as his stomach turned. He coughed, keeping the nausea at bay.

Slowly, the bruises on Ender's face disappeared, bringing his skin back to a healthy tan color. Several of the deepest gashes on Cicle's body started to close, leaving faint pink lines where the wounds had been.

He lifted his hands and sighed, his stomach growling behind his armor. "Noir," he said. "Where's Aella?"

He closed his eyes as the dragon let him access the memories.

Noir had flown over the forest, tracing the outline of the ravine. A red barrier had surrounded Aella and a team of mercenaries.

Garron's hand tightened into fists as he watched the battle ensue between Noir and the mercenaries, until only Noir was left, badly wounded. He groaned as he felt pain sting his arms, legs, and back in accordance to where the gashes and burns on Noir body were.