“Are you planning on sleeping the morning away?” A warm voice cooed as Merlynn felt a strong but gentle presence wrap around her waist. A twisted toothy grin cracked on her face as she lazily stretched her feet against hairy legs spooned against her own. She giggled a little as she pulled the white linen sheet around her snuggling into it with an audible huff. She silently swooned as rugged fingers slid up the contour of her shoulder then slowed as they moved up her exposed collar and neck pulling away her amber hair. After a brief tender kiss on the neck she felt pressure on her hip and was turned to face a man with short black hair and bookshelf abs. Her eyes drifted down his chest longingly. “My eyes are up here!” The man chuckled as Merlynn’s gaze snapped up to meet his honeyed eyes. Merlynn lost herself in those golden eyes momentarily breaking into a warm smile as she snuggled into him closer. A small tear dripped out of her eye as she felt herself gain a semblance of consciousness. Rarely when she dreamt, did she ever have control. She was always envious of those that spoke of dreaming and being in control of their dreams. She knew she was dreaming now. She knew how this one ended as well. Despite what she may change it always ended the same, as a nightmare.
“Lynn are you okay?” the man asked pulling back slightly. “I’m fine Bo. I just want you to hold me right now.” Merlynn smiled wiping her tears away. Bo smiled warmly as he held her tighter lifting her closer to his chest. Merlynn’s dream blurred as memory played with her dream state adding something that had happened before, but not now. Merlynn remembered what really happened today, how they had passionate love, how they discussed what they were going to eat before checking out of the inn, and the guttural scream of the man she loved, echoing in her ears. “Lynn your looking pale…stay here and I’ll ask the keeper if the kitchens still serving.” Bo shot from the bed leaping into his trousers and pulled on his tunic. Merlynn tried convincing him to stay but he wouldn’t have it. He didn’t know what she knew but truthfully at the time it all happened she hadn’t known either. How was she supposed to know that was the last time she was going to see him alive. How was she supposed to know that a twisted monster would walk in and take everything away from her in one fell moment.
Merlynn pulled herself tight as she began to shake muttering seconds aloud as she counted. She nervously looked out the window recalling how the sun beamed in cheerfully as birds sang, belying the cruelty that had arrived just outside. Horses and tamed boar bickered in boredom as their riders entered the inn roaring in macabre laughter. Merlynn shook harder rocking back and forth on the bed pleading to the goddess of dreams to let her wake. “Please!!” She begged silently screaming. “Cyrus! Fyri! Gloria! Anyone please!!” She screamed as hard as she could for someone to wake her before it was too late. She stopped shaking suddenly as the smell hit her. That foul odor of death that had crept up and dragged her off the bed crumbling her in the floor. She began weeping harder as she flung herself from the floor scrambling for the door. No longer in control Merlynn was forced to watch again as she wrenched open the door slamming it into the wall falling onto a banister overlooking the lower floor of the inn after tripping over her favorite satchel.
She felt weak as she clung to the banister, yet her eyes would not draw away from the sight of her fiancé covered in the blood of two other men and a long thin jet of water piercing through him. “Perfect.” Eerily chuckled a man of pale skin and dark purple eyes. As he moved Bo effortlessly by the jet of water he maintained from his left hand, He eyed Merlynn up and down pulling his green hair away from his face. He blinked once, then again with a second eyelid. “Wait right there. Any foolish ideas may end up regrettable, least for you that is.” The man dispelled the effect dropping Bo on a toppled table then slung a splash of water at Merlynn that coiled around her wrists binding her arms to the railing. “My employer wished for you both to be taken care of quickly, however I like things a bit, slower.” The man gushed cooing as he flexed his hand constricting Merlynn’s binding tighter. She wailed in pain as the waters grip locked into her skin like jagged blades. Her pain intensified as she felt pressure flood into her body.
Bo screamed in immense pain as he clung to the table desperately trying to get up. “Ah that’s more like it. Wait right here little mouse, I’ll finish you after I slowly fill your woman up, till she’s absolutely busting at the seams!” The man cackled as Merlynn struggled to free herself. The binding was too strong; however she thanked the gods for making her so tall and was able to hook her satchel with her foot wrenching it closer. She called out to Bo screaming as she kicked the Nova Flare from her satchel down onto Bo’s chest. Bo smiled wickedly weak as he wrapped a bloody finger around the trigger of the gun. The inn rocked as Bo pulled the trigger blasting the front of the inn into shambles now roaring in a screaming boom of fire.
“Merlynn!” Cyrus called out as he tried stabilizing her. Merlynn flailed awake her eyes glowing green and began willing visible and audible energy into an open hand. Cyrus fell into a defensive stance calling her name once more. “Mom?” Gloria asked hazily as she shot up in a yawn. Hearing Gloria Merlynn returned to normal, dissipating the collected energy and was left feeling a little woozy. “You okay?” Cyrus asked, easing his stance. “Yeah why?” Merlynn asked abruptly unaware of what just happened. “I thought you were going to attack me at first, but you weren’t even looking at me. Your eyes were glowing!” Cyrus spoke concerned as he offered her a hand, out of her hammock. She rose then walked closer to the fire. She looked over the fire to see that Gloria had rolled over and went back to sleep. “Geez must be nice.” Merlynn muttered. “Seriously, are you okay?” Cyrus asked again, pouring more worry into his voice.
“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, sorry about that; I really don’t know what came over me. That’s never happened before.” Merlynn admitted turning to Cyrus. “Honestly though I feel fine so maybe it was an influx.” Merlynn suggested. “What’s that?” Cyrus asked then lit a match. Merlynn turned to him in shock as Cyrus lit a hand rolled cigarette that smelled of honeyed hints of vanilla and tobacco. “Suprises of all kinds on this trip. I always wanted to try this world’s tobacco since I smelled it. Bo wouldn’t let me though since at the time I was trying to quit. Could I trouble you for one of those I can roll it myself.” Merlynn asked leaning in with succulent pouty lips making sure to avoid his question. Cyrus blushed, nodding, then handed her a small, cinched pouch.
She withdrew a few pinches after getting a deep inhale of its aroma. The pouch was old and well taken care of but still the linger of leather could be smelled within the robust scent of the tobacco. After rolling her own cigarette Merlynn lit it and returned the pouch to Cyrus. “Wow this is amazing I'm going to have to pick some up before returning home.” Merlynn thanked him, taking a long draw. “This was grown on my mother's farm. I’ll see to it that you get a discount.” Cyrus smiled blowing a billow of smoke. “Tell me about your world, Merlynn.” Cyrus asked, blowing more smoke. “Shouldn’t you try and get some rest? I did say I’ll take the next watch.” Merlynn asked. “Once I finish this I will, but until then I wanna hear about where you come from.” Cyrus snickered motioning at the remaining amount of his smoke.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Fair enough. There’s a lot of similarities between our two worlds. Technology is more prevalent in mine than yours, however, our races of sentient people are nowhere as diverse as your world is. Humans are the largest race in my world and have populated a vast majority of it, mind you our world is smaller than yours as well but still our population far outweighs the human count of your world. While there are plenty of other sentient beings on my world most stay hidden for better or worse.” Merlynn informed him ignoring the fact he was rolling another smoke. “What about gods?” Cyrus asked, lighting his newly rolled smoke.
“You seem a little heated about that question. Does something about gods bother you? Odd coming from a paladin.” Merlynn asked, finishing her own smoke and retrieving one of her own from a pocket on her coat. She lit it waiting for Cyrus’s response. “I didn’t choose this to be honest. All I wanted to know was who I was and where I came from and maybe have an adventure or two. What I ended up finding out seems too much to bear sometimes.” Cyrus answered as Merlynn fished a small flask from her coat, taking a deep swig. She then handed it to Cyrus who wanted to know more before speaking further.
“Well it depends on your belief really. To some there are beings out there plenty powerful that most see as gods. Most of the religions are right to a point. Like your world ours has more than one god however they are most definitely not as involved as your gods.” Merlynn answered. “Not my gods, god, I'm a paladin of Bahamut remember?” Cyrus grinned, thumbing his chest. “Not my president, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are.” Merlynn replied. Cyrus looked confused at her comment but didn’t press the issue.
“I have issues with the gods because I found out that my grandfather is one, my ‘patron’ god no less. He sent me messages, visions I guess, in my dreams calling me to find him. When I did, it wasn’t him, not fully at least. The breadcrumbs led me to one of his shrines, a little after Fyri and I started traveling together, and we were greeted by his spirit. A fragment of it that is.” Cyrus paused as he investigated the flask sloshing the liquid.
“Basically, it was just another message, he wasn’t even there spiritually. Nothing had changed, that is until the last message finished with him declaring me his paladin and giving me the remaining power lingering in the shrine. The shrine no longer housed his essence and since then I haven’t seen him in my dreams either.” Cyrus revealed stretching in place. “Why does it bother you that your gramps is a god?” Merlynn asked. “Honestly, I just wanted to be a normal adventurer, it was a dream really, growing up with ridiculous strength and literally out-growing most everyone in the village I didn’t have too many friends. So, finding out that not only am I not even close to normal, being the grandson of a god was the mortar that stuck it all in stone.” Cyrus paused again staring intently at the flask.
“Careful it’s poison!” Merlynn snickered prodding Cyrus with an elbow. He seemed to be bothered by the flask more than the elbow as his look intensified on the contents. “Cyrus, I’m teasing you, it’s just booze. Seriously though, if it were poison, your mantle would keep you safe anyways. You could always purify it too, but that would purify out the alcohol too.” Merlynn added in a scholarly tone.
“Wait I can do that?” Cyrus asked, snapping his curiosity into an uncomfortable distance between him and Merlynn. For a moment Merlynn lost herself in his eyes noticing the flecks of gold and blue that swam in his green irises. Not in a romantic sense but of pure nostalgia as she felt his eagerness pouring out of him.
“Easy there big guy, throw it in reverse a bit and I’d be happy to tell ya about it, unless your planning on planting one on me. Highly advise against that though, it might piss off a wicked hot vampire and that would be bad for the both of us. You more so than me.” Merlynn grinned mischievously pressing her nose briefly to his.
As the implications settled on Cyrus, he visibly seemed to exude steam as his features quickly blushed bright red. Merlynn snorted a bit backing up a pace as she struggled to contain her laughter. “I muh muh meant nothing of the sort! Forgive me.” Cyrus nervously answered visibly trembling. For all his stature and appearance Cyrus was quite bothered as a teenager would. “I’m sorry Cyrus, I didn’t expect it to razzle you that bad. Let me make up for it by fully answering your question.” Merlynn apologized with a giggle then fished an empty cup from her gear and poured water into it from a waterskin. She then handed the cup to Cyrus. “Thanks, but I’m not thirsty. What do you want me to do with it?” He asked as Merlynn scooped a fistful of dirt and dropped it into the water to Cyrus bewilderment. “Focus on the cup. Focus on the liquid in the cup. Know it and see it in its purest state.” Merlynn instructed which Cyrus caught on quick to as he closed his eyes sensing the water in the cup. As his focus intensified, he began noticing the impurities in the water beyond just sight. He could determine each mineral intermingled in the soggy soil. “Now will it to become its pure state, pushing your mana into the water and pulling it back out taking the impurities with it.” Merlynn continued in a steady voice.
Cyrus concentrated, feeling the holy mana within him, then slowly pushed it into the cup. Within seconds the water audibly hissed, and flash boiled then as quickly as it started the water settled glistening clear in the flickering firelight. “That…was… awesome!!! Can I do that with any liquid? Is it still hot? Doesn’t feel like it…You sure it’s safe to drink?” Cyrus asked in rapid succession prattling on about the cup.
“I’m not exactly sure on the limitations. A good friend of mine was in fact this world’s first paladin, so a lot of what I know comes from witnessed experience and my prodding questions. I do know that he could purify any liquid he tried it on and any kind of toxin or ill affliction that was attempted on him his mantle shrugged it off like it was never there. He could extend it to others as well, if he could touch them mind you, which came in real handy when our whole team was poisoned before the finals during the Caprica Tournament.” Merlynn finished reaching for the flask.
Cyrus apologized after noticing then quickly supped a hard gulp from the flask. Which he immediately tossed in the air as everything from his mouth down to his stomach was set ablaze. Merlynn shot forward snatching the flask from the air then chuckled as she watched Cyrus continue to reel from the alcohol. “I have swallowed and breathed out literal fire but never have I ever felt a burn like that!” Cyrus gasped as he scrambled for the cup of water. Merlynn smirked behind the mouth of the flask as she flicked a bit of will from her finger towards the cup murmuring muffled words.
As Cyrus began chugging the water, he noticed that it’s temperature dropped significantly to his delight. “I hoped that helped.” Merlynn giggled after swallowing a hard slosh of flask. After regaining his composure, he felt warmth bubble up from his stomach flooding him with an odd sense of euphoria. “Heyyyy you didn’t answer all my questionss.” Cyrus hiccupped as he swayed. “And your smoke was gone three smokes ago.” Merlynn chided him. Go get some rest there will be plenty of time for stories later.” Merlynn continued urging Cyrus to rest until he threw his head back and audibly sighed in defeat. He then slumped his way over to his hammock which he seemed to all but glide into and was soon fast asleep.