The City of Souls… Death’s Door… The Final Rest… The Dragons Nest.
The capital had many names but all conveyed the same meaning. This was the place where life and death circulated.
A giant tower stood in the exact centre of the city that spanned for miles and upon that tower coiled a mighty dragon of pristine scales that changed colours and horns of pure ivory. Most common folk would know what purpose it served as it was a topic of discussion by all from children's idle stories to scholarly research. There wasn’t a corner of the globe that didn’t know of Psychopomps and its influence.
The giant preserved the cycle of life and death for the very world.
Owen was allowed to walk without restraints between the two through the cobbled streets from the entrance of the city. Well, without restraints was a tad bit of an overstatement as both of them stood either side of him and he could feel their gaze burn holes through the back of his head. If he had attempted anything there was no doubt it would have been mere moments before he was pinned to the ground and carried in a tarp yet again.
Alister seemed to want to let Owen know that they were watching by occasionally placing his hand atop his shoulder and squeezing with such force one would think he was trying to break it.
Owen wished his first trip to the capital would have been under better circumstances. He had always wanted to sit at a cosy restaurant in a back alley during the night so he could watch the spectacle that was the dragon over a nice meal with someone that he cared for.
Instead he found himself walking like a criminal towards the giant creature for something that seemed to have been in no way his fault according to Swiss.
In a breath-taking scene, an ethereal panorama unfolded before his eyes. Above, a vast expanse of sky stretched endlessly, its once star speckled canvas transformed into an otherworldly spectacle. Instead of stars, countless souls meandered through the firmament, their forms flickering with an iridescent glow.
Each light represented a soul once living upon this plane of existence, each embodying the hopes and dreams of someone who until recently shared this very land with Owen… Each slowly making its way towards the dragon that coiled the tower, Its scales shimmering with a myriad of colours, reflecting the luminescence of the souls it absorbed.
Entering the dragon's aura the souls underwent what was only considered a divine purification. A glow emanating from the creature that acted as a beacon for the city. Passing through this aura the souls one and all whispered stories into the dragon's ear. Each soul presented a lifetime of experiences in the blink of an eye to the majestic servant of fate.
Once the dragon was done listening to the souls tale it would accept them into its gentile care, cradling them into a soft oblivion that purified the soul of any burden, of any strife. An embrace that Owen would apparently never experience.
Tonight was a night that many would anticipate. The dragon stirred from its perch and spiralled up towards the heavens. It's scales encompassing the same shimmering colours. Blocking the moon, the dragon let out a loud and terrifying roar that caused Owen to pause in his tracks, simply to admire the beauty.
With this roar it flapped its arms downward which created a large gust of wind through the entire city that would have caused Owen to stumble backwards if not for Alister placing his hand on his back.
Raising its head high into the sky and staring to the vast expanses of the stars above the dragons scales began to illuminate brighter, the souls almost shivering in anticipation for when the dragon let out one final roar that shook the foundations of the city and caused the souls to fire off like a beam of light into the nights sky, returning to the vast expanses of the universe in hopes of reaching the embrace of the All-Mother.
“Seems the boss is busy today.” Swiss added, the streets left in a stunned silence for a brief but powerful moment. The sounds of chatter slowly building again when the moment needed to soak in what had just happened ended.
“This won't take much of his time.” Alister assured, and that was the last thing they said for the remnants of the trip.
Approaching the tower through the main street it got even more nerve wracking watching the giant dragon pay them no heed as if they were no more than insects to it. The city seemed to have even been built to accommodate it as the main street approaching the dragon was huge and led from the entrance directly to the tower it called home.
Once they approached the large bulked gates surrounding the courtyard of the tower, Swiss flashed a sigil at a giant that sat with one knee held high to lean on and a leg stretched out to block the entryway. His long and scruffy hair hid most of his face, apart from the long nose that poked out from behind the veil.
Seeing the sigil he nodded and removed his leg from blocking their path and stayed his hand from the giant club that lay next to him. Assumedly to be used if someone tried to force entry. It felt like they were going to some form of business meeting with the head of the alchemists society with all these precautions. “Surely the dragon could easily protect itself?” Owen thought. “Perhaps it was to protect us instead” he continued to mull over. If anyone managed to wander in, who knew what it would do to them.
The grounds of the tower's base was also a sight to behold, a lavish and lush green garden with large amounts of topiaried bushes and plants. Most resembling some form of dragon or wyrm.
A path led directly into the tower below the dragon, its tail covered the door. Where they were going however was off of the beaten path. To the left of the path past the well trimmed hedges there was a large circular area of cut grass with stones lined up around in shrinking circles until the centre had what Owen could only assume to be a podium upon it.
They took him along with them until they stood atop the podium which from the looks of its position sat within eye view of the dragon. Alister however made sure to get its attention by placing his hand into the air and in a swirl of wind caused the podium below to glow.
Owen would be lying if he said that he was not terrified of what was about to happen. This was an ancient deity that has been around since the beginning of the world itself. What in the world could it want with someone like him?
Ready or not, he was about to find out.
The dragon slowly lowered its head from its resting position when it sensed the magic and saw the glow. “Ah, Alister and Swiss,” it began, though its words were clearly not any language Owen had ever heard, he could understand it, as if it was speaking directly into his mind. “Is this the result of the mission?”
“Yes, sir,” Alister responded.
Swiss stepped in to continue the explanation and she seemed to at least be on Owen’s side. “A victim of the real culprit. All evidence we have gathered points towards the fact he was an unwilling participant of this experiment,” she continued to detail the evidence that they had found from speaking with the locals. “Several new recruits had come to the lab in the last months but when we checked the ledgers, and testimony from Owen here show that there are no records of any. Looking at the records there was also no mention of Owen, they most likely planned to scrub all records and get rid of the body if the experiment failed.”
Owen wasn’t sure if it was his place to speak here but the dragon noticed his expression and turned its attention to him “You may speak, immortal,” it stated calmly.
He found it difficult to speak at first, as if a thousand needles had stabbed directly into his throat. Unable to form the words, it leaned its head down towards him and as its giant eye came into view, dwarfing his form, he could feel it prodding within his mind with ease.
It hummed for a moment as a blink of the eye caused his mind to feel as numb as his throat for a moment and leaning back up to its perch the titan slowly rested its head against the tower once more “I have seen enough,” was all it said at first.
It sent a chill down his spine, unsure of what that phrase even meant for the few moments before it spoke once more. “Child of man, what has happened to you is beyond nature. While I cannot offer you a cure, I can offer you a choice.” The two standing either side of Owen stood to attention as he could only imagine the dragon's voice echoed through all of their minds. “Though your body may be immortal, your soul may be removed from it in this early stage. If you desire freedom from your fate then allow me to cleanse you before your soul and body become one, merged for eternity.”
The first choice wasn’t one that he was excited about, who would be? Hardly even a month past 23 and he was being told his first option out of this fate was death. Luckily it continued on to the second option, one he truly wasn’t prepared for. “Secondly,” it stated. “You may choose to stay and put your immortality to use. The cycle of life and death is one that is very important for this world. It ensures that life flourishes and that nature continues to blossom. If the cycle of life and death were to become disrupted then the world would fall into chaos and ultimately, perish.”
Its gaze filled his mind with images of the land desolate and blackened. Only the tower remained with the dragon coiled, the soil falling to ash and decay, it continued “This is the future we wish to avoid. While I may be eternal, as are you, the world is not. It may one day become unsustainable for any life other than our own. So my second offer to you is that you join our cause and use this new found immortality to steer humanity towards a vibrant and prosperous future.”
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It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. The options from here on out were death, or eternal servitude. He struggled to even fathom the idea of either.
The dragon clearly noted the hesitation and most likely expected it as it continued “I know it is a difficult question to answer at once so I shall grant you until morning to come up with an answer. Though I must request you stay within the room provided. Swiss will lead you there.”
Its giant, snake-like tail began to move once it was finished speaking and it eventually revealed a metal door that had no visible form of handle or lock nearby. Swiss grabbed his hand and pulled his head out of the clouds by pulling it down to their level “Come on!”
Once at the door they placed a hand up on it and with a wave of magic, a loud clunking noise was heard from the other side. Owen was expecting the door to open up to another jail cell where he would get to spend a lovely night on the cold floor. To his surprise the door opened to a regular room. Fitted quite well with a bed on the far right corner and a wooden partition in the middle of the room separating the sleeping area from an area that had a small kitchen and a stocked pantry with a dining table near the countertop.
“Well, here we are,” Swiss said as he stepped inside. She stayed by the door and as they began to make an exit stopped and peered back in at Owen. “If you decide to join us and need someone to talk to, come find me. I got mine in a similar way.”
She didn’t give time to react before the door was closed and ultimately locked from the other side. It was a much nicer room, but still a prison cell after all. Right now that didn’t matter. Owen was starving and luckily for him, the pantries were stocked with enough ingredients to make his mothers ‘town wide famous’ meat pies.
As he lay out the ingredients to make the crust he couldn't help but dip a finger into water and then the flour to test how fresh it was. The simple taste was quite surprising as not only was it less than a week old, it had been imported from the third region of Kiln to the east. They always had a very specific type of feed they strew across the wheat that left a somewhat faint but nutty aftertaste.
The meat on the other hand smelled as if it was butchered the morning before, and luckily with a knife cut so fine that there was no nasty lingering metallic stench clinging to the outer layers that often upset his very delicate sense of smell.
Having time to cook again gave him a brief respite from the stress of the last few hours and allowed him to clear his mind so he could tackle the situation at hand. Placing some tinder into the open stone stove and a click of his fingers to ignite a spark that set it alight he was able to place the dishes in on the rack to begin cooking.
While it slowly cooked he moved to the table to take a seat with a tankard of ale that had the distinct smell of the sea. A brand he had before on the celebration party that his father threw when he graduated and got his offer to come to the city. “What a fat load of good that did me,” he thought as he stared into his rippling reflection upon the surface of his ale.
Simply the smell of the pies in the oven was enough to give a sense of security. A feeling of being home once more while his mother prepared a feast for the whole town. Something he wholly missed and wondered if he was ever going to get to experience again.
Distractions aside, he was in a better space at this time to think about the option that was given. Of course he didn’t want to die, who would? On the other hand, did he truly want to live forever? If this was his only chance to resist an eternal life he would need to think carefully about his future.
The more he thought about it, the simpler the answer became.
Surprisingly he slept like a log that night. Amazing what a warm bed and lack of agonising pain would do for your sleep schedule. Cleaning the dishes from the night before and placing them back where he got them he was ready to face Psychopomps once more.
He seemed to sense Owens willingness to give an answer as not long after the last tray was placed away the door to the room opened with a loud clicking noise of the lock sliding away. Swiss opened the door, quite taken aback by the smell before she said “Well, something smells good in here.”
“Thanks, it's probably the fact I haven’t showered,” he tried to joke but his face betrayed the playful nature by being coated in a thick ooze of worry and anxiety.
The ratling hardly gave a chuckle and seemed more confused than anything “Uh… Okay!” She began, waving a hand to usher Owen outside “Boss man will see you now about your answer.”
He decided to not dwell on the failed joke and instead chose to worry about speaking with a dragon that could easily erase him from existence instead. Life was full of choices like that.
Alister was already waiting for the two outside and once upon the podium again the large creature's eyes fixated on Owen and without moving its mouth he heard its voice echo within his mind “I can see across your face what answer you have come to, but I would like to hear you say it.”
He was nervous while standing face to face with the dragon to say the least, but he had already decided on his answer so he opened his mouth to respond but it cut him off at first “You should know, my orders will be absolute,” Its tone sinister and its gaze serious “If I order you to kill something, you kill it. No matter what moral compass you have.”
He had anticipated this already, hard to imagine working as some form of secret service for a deity without having to do some things that he may not agree with. It didn’t change his mind and he finally responded, without being interrupted this time “I can work on alchemy for an eternity?” he began, something that had excited him about the idea “Not only that, I can work with dangerous ingredients to create things that no average alchemist could even dream of.”
It was hard to tell what the expression on the dragon's face was, but from what he thought it was, it was some form of interest in the reasoning. “A man dedicated to your craft?” It asked.
“Alchemy is all I ever wanted to do since I was young.” Owen explained, remembering those few moments as a child when he watched the alchemists wander through town with their carts of mystical ingredients. Standing at the front of the crowd to watch them mix up miracle cures for the ill in the town square. The nights he spent half asleep in his mothers study while she prepared batches of potions that had been ordered from the neighboring towns.
“Then you have accepted your fate.” The dragon responded. Its head moved down from the coiled position it sat in to stare at Owen, in which he could see his own reflection against the gleam of the giant eye.
Uncertainty overwhelmed him as he stared into the creature's eye as it seemed to judge him. Not just physically, but it felt as if it stared right through him. The silence was overwhelming and Owen felt his heart beat faster with each passing moment.
Once again it spoke “Swiss, if you would be so kind,” to which the ratling bowed and reached within her markings to pull out a sheet with various types of magic on it.
Handing it to Owen, the dragon explained “Alchemy may be a passion, but as a group, magic is also very important. Choose one from this list to be trained in as each has a unique purpose to serve.”
Owen was taken aback by such a list, it had the basic magics of course though they were crossed out as he could naturally assume others already covered those areas. What shocked him was ones that he had never heard of before such as magma sorceries which sounds like it was a natural disaster waiting to happen. Some were even downright illegal, such as the practice of blood magic, polymorphism, soul links, and mind magic.
He was sure that every form of magic to ever exist and even those that didn’t exist anymore were written on this sheet. Now the question was what would he choose.
There's no doubt he had a curiosity connected to a type of magic such as necromancy or blood magic. Said curiosity was trumped by the disgusted feeling he felt in the pit of his stomach remembering the feeling of existing within that test tube, just another research specimen for a group of power hungry alchemists. He didn’t want to force that on to anyone else, especially from beyond the grave.
Shaking his head to erase those thoughts as if he were wiping an eraser against his chalkboard he asked “What of these spells, sir?” Unsure how he could point to them.
Psychopomps already had an answer prepared as the large dragon stated “Legality matters little for one of our group. I keep you all in line, not the law. It just so happens that I agree with these little rules the mortals have put in place often.”
Owen wasn’t sure if that was the answer he wanted, but it was the answer he got so he returned his gaze to the sheet and thought once more about what he would want to study. “Necromancy and blood magic I understand, something that is quite forbidden all around the world,” he stated as his eyes glazed the page, ultimately settling on one. “But what does mind magic entail?”
Alister stepped in to explain for the dragon, puffing his chest as if needing to appear like authority when he already was. “Mind magic is quite dangerous in the wrong hands. It is a type of deep seeded magic that allows one to read the inner most thoughts of their victims. You would be able to discern emotions and read someone's true intentions.”
That was enough to perk up Owen's attention, a very interesting type of magic indeed that would allow him to truly understand who he was talking to. Alister noticed the sudden enthusiasm and added “You will also be able to influence others thoughts to a degree. This will be strictly used against people of interest, and not to be used against innocent civilians unless deemed absolutely necessary.”
“Of course, that makes sense.” Owen responded, but it was clear to all that his mind was made up.
Before he could even announce which magic he had chosen, Psychopomps spoke to them once more “I see you have chosen. In doing so, a task shall be given.”
Within an instant a small light flashed in front of Owen, revealing what seemed to be a metal emblem of sorts. It contained an image of the spire with a somewhat cartoonish depiction of the dragon coiling around it. The outer ring of the crest contained runes that Owen had no ability to read in his current state.
“Take this,” Psychopomps began, allowing the crest to fall into Owen’s hand and reveal that it was quite a bit heavier than he expected it to be, causing him to stumble slightly. “This crest will allow you access to information kept from the public. Present it to officials and mages alike to prove your affiliation with the spire.”
Alister waited once more to speak, explaining the more day to day uses that the dragon had no need for. “It also allows you to use public transport free of charge within the seven kingdoms, and often will gain you discounts on magical artefacts.”
The dragon seemed to care not for his explanation and spoke once more to Owen “There are a species of moles that live deep under the earth. They specialise within mind magic to survive. Your task is to go visit them with the information we provide and convince them to come back with you and train you in mind magic. Swiss will accompany you and provide information if you so need it.”
Swiss nodded in response and hopped slightly to attention “You can leave it to me!”
Alister didn’t seem too impressed with the decision, but it seemed the dragon spoke privately with him. Whatever he said caused Alister to gruffly huff and walk off the podium towards the tower's main entrance.
“Alright, let’s get going.” Swiss said as she once again rummaged through those runic marks that were somehow etched into her fur, creating a rippling effect around her arm before she pulled out a small notebook. “All the information we have on the moles is in here.”
Owen looked over the book for a moment, taking it and keeping a hold of it as he found a pocket to keep the crest inside. “Alright, I will find these moles and bring them back,” he stated with his gaze diverted to the dragon.
Though Psychopomps had returned to his position coiled around the spire in a state of what he assumed was rest.
The conversation was over.