Crossing that meager pool of a lake turned out to be much more hassle than it should have been. He had once again underestimated the toll this curse took on him. Every one of these inconveniences chipped at his patience a bit more each time. But it gave his servant-in-training a chance to shine, so he couldn’t be too mad. To think, even with his flawed technique, the little author was able to cast spells in only two days. Such unprecedented results only reflected well on his teacher.
There was no doubt about it now; he had gotten Wex’s favor. Spreading knowledge was something the god had always encouraged, and here he was managing to enrich even a deathbound. They might not make such obvious appearances anymore, but he’d be a fool not to see it. Everything would be alright in the end, Wex was surely working with Fayten to make it so.
That said, it would be in his best interest to continue as he was. He still needed to make good on his half-given reward, and what better way to do that than with a special lesson?
“Seeing as you weren’t able to enjoy all of the brain yesterday, I’ve decided to give you a different reward.”
With a curious look, Benjamin asked, “What is it?”
Enthusiastically, he answered. “A useful bit of history mortals have all forgotten.”
“Oh,” his pupil replied in a flat tone, “Sure, that’d be great.”
Such a lacking response almost made him want to scold the behavior, but discipline mustn’t be connected with rewards. Besides, he’d likely change his tune when he heard what his gracious teacher had in store.
“Today, I’ll be telling you of how your kind came to be,” he paused for dramatic effect, “and of our feud's origin.”
Instead of that enthralled look he had yesterday, Benjamin didn’t seem very moved. He was paying attention, sure, but it wasn’t nearly the same thing. He was bored. How rude of him.
“My apologies,” Kinsoriel derided with a dose of sarcasm, “it appears you must not care for such a trivial thing as history.”
With a sigh, the little author shook his head. “I don’t mean any offense you know,” he said as he put two fingers on his forehead, “this is just something I managed to keep with me.”
Oh really? The deathbound who forgets how to read and write overnight knows something the rest of his kind doesn’t. Very well, if he knew the material already, it was fine to test for it.
“In that case, consider this an exam. Tell it to me as I would have told it to you.” This ought to quell disruptive tendencies from forming any further. Humiliation for outspoken ignorance would be the cure.
Benjamin, who was seemingly deep in thought as he stared to the side, muttered to himself. “Okay, how to do this…” Once he looked back at his master, he started to do as he was asked.
“So humanity and the other races were created to help ease the dragon's burdens. All was well and good, until envy crept into their hearts. They coveted that which they lacked, the god’s favor.”
Kinsoriel’s skeptical look couldn’t help but be softened as he went on. So far, he’d been repeating the tale faithfully.
“Out of these desires, Macab was born. Death and its consequences spread throughout the land. The rest of the gods, disturbed by this, cut off direct contact with all their creations.”
Before the dragon’s jaw could drop at this unexpectedly accurate retelling, Benjamin capped it off with, “Or so it goes.”
Hold on just a moment, why say that? “Excuse me, just what do you mean by that?”
In a nonchalant manner, Benjamin said, “Did I say something wrong?”
“Do not act oblivious, you know exactly what I ask.” After a few moments stuck with an unsure look, it became clear he did not. Doing his best not to take it as an insult, Kinsoriel made himself clear. “You said ‘Or so it goes’. Why?”
“Oh, that.” He rubbed at his chin with a slightly distressed look. “I was able to keep the mythos of this world with me, but not the real line of events. I have the feeling it’s going to be important for the story though.”
What a unique way to disappoint. Even if half of what he said was complete gibberish, his view was still very apparent. To think, such a lowly being could ever have the audacity to call his history a myth. What could have been a true moment of growth for his kind, befouled by his insanity. It made his claws itch and his teeth grind.
Fearing that he might not be able to control himself at that moment, he decided to go take a breath elsewhere. As he started walking off, he heard Benjamin’s voice from behind him.
“W-what are you doing?”
Not bothering to look back, Kinsoriel called, “Taking a break for your benefit. Do not follow.”
Shhhrash, shhhrash, shhhrash. Tree after tree, all ripped apart in a rage. Even after such brutality against the forest around him, Kinsoriel still had that hot feeling in his head. Despite finding a suitably calm area to vent his frustrations, he found himself having a hard time completely letting it go. It was surprising how much it dug at him to hear someone deny the truth. No, that wasn’t the only thing. He’d seen plenty of mind-choking stupidity from others of his kind and not felt even half as mad. Why was it any different now?
The sounds of approaching footsteps spurned his fury further. Being offensively ignorant was one thing, but disobeying his orders was another.
“Didn’t I say NOT to follow?!” the dragon near shouted, his face gnarled up.
“Oh, but I don’t think you told me that.” came an unfamiliar voice. It was unmistakably that of a human, but something about it felt… off.
Turning about immediately to face this unknown, what he saw was unexpected. It was definitely a male human, but it looked very strange. He had this dark grey two-piece garment that looked unlike anything he’d seen before. There was some striped thing hanging down from his neck, contrasting the spotless white behind it. Actually, every bit of him was obscenely clean for being in the middle of this damn forest. That disgusting facial fur mortals sometimes had was present on this one as well, but seemed completely under his control. Even with his great vision, Kinsoriel could not spot a single hair that strayed out of line. This man had an almost unnatural look to him, aided further by the apparent lack of any weapon.
“Good day to you Mr. Kinsoriel, my name is Stromwell,” the man said with unfitting ease to his voice, “and I believe you’ve met my brother Ben.”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Oh gods above, there’s more of them? He had his answer for this man’s strangeness at the least.
“That I have,” Kinsoriel responded, “he’s to be my servant, once properly trained.” Saying this seemed to elicit a subdued laugh from ‘Stromwell’. His brow furrowed. “Do you find something I have said amusing, deathbound?”
“Oh don’t mind me, it’s just something of an inside joke, so to speak.”
This casual attitude was more than enough from Benjamin. He couldn’t spare any more patience for this from another.
“If that’s all, then make for the horizon and stop pestering me.”
With a folding of his hands, Stromwell disagreed. “My apologies, this isn’t just a recreational visit. I’ve come to check on my brother’s welfare.”
There was something in that sentence that tripped Kinsoriel’s sense for lies, though he couldn’t pick out which part of it. He idly pulled out a black book and thumbed through it, paying the now simmering dragon no mind.
“How considerate,” he said mockingly, “too bad you made this trip for nothing then. I’d expect another from his bloodline to know about that power he has.”
Not even looking up from the book, Stromwell answered. “That’s the problem.”
This caught the dragon’s attention. “What do you mean by that?”
“I really shouldn’t let anyone else know, but you are my brother’s master.” Though minuscule, Stromwell laughed as he said that. “Oh, why not? Alright, I’ll tell you, but only if you can keep it between us. Agreed?"
Shaking his head and agreeing to those terms, Kinsoriel drew closer to hear what he had to say. He closed the book and whispered up to him.
“My brother’s powers, I don’t think they are working.” His eyes widened as he continued, “If he were to be attacked, it might just be the end of him.”
That tickling feeling he got when he saw someone lie… it wasn’t there just now. He was telling the truth.
Clearing his throat slightly, he smiled up at the dragon. “But I’m glad to see him in your hands. I’m certain you’ll take care of him for me.”
There it was again, that twinge of a lie that Kinsoriel couldn’t single out.
Stromwell groaned slightly as he wiped something off his clothing, before looking back to the dragon. “Well, I’ll be off for now. I’ve other business to attend to.” He gave a dignified bow, ending it with, “Ta-ta.”
As the man turned and began to walk away, it occurred to Kinsoriel that he hadn’t gotten all the answers he desired. Luckily for him, he made no such promise for this mortal’s safety.
He crept up closer, eyes set on his target as he leisurely stepped behind a tree. His hand darted out to grab him. All he found between his claws was a fist full of air. He quickly looked behind the tree, only to see that there was nothing there.
This odd interaction opened up multitudes of questions he just didn’t have the means to answer. Those weren’t his primary concern at the moment though; he needed to see for himself if that juicy bit of info held water.
----------------------------------------
Was such an unintentional slip worth storming off for so long? Surely his main character wasn’t that sensitive over little more than a religious misgiving, right? No, that couldn’t be it. He had intentionally made the dragon less pious to better gel with the rest of the cast down the road. What else could it be then? Would omitting the truth more often be better for the both of them?
All these questions and more littered the ex-Author’s mind as he waited like he was told. He thought of going after the big baby, but they weren’t nearly close enough for that to do anything good. It may have even driven more of a wedge between them. World knowledge or not, interpersonal timing was always relevant when getting characters to act the right way.
When he heard the rumbling of the approaching dragon, Benjamin stood up from the grass he was sitting on. Kinsoriel’s face looked far less upset now, replaced instead with a thoughtful expression.
“Feel better?” Ben asked as he came closer.
Kinsoriel shrugged with his wings and walked past. “I can control my anger at this moment, so yes. Come on then, you’ve wasted enough of my time here.”
Unlike other instances of their silent plodding, the dragon kept glancing back at Benjamin. Having those fiery, vertically slitted eyes constantly checking back made him feel like he had done something wrong without knowing it. He didn’t bring it up with the reaction he had earlier in mind though.
The path they were taking was starting to look more traveled as their destination was neared. Grass and vegetation thinned, replaced by compacted dirt. According to the map, they should only be a few days away now.
They made camp as the sun began to set. Well, as much camp as you could make with just a bedroll that is.
“So teacher, what’s on the lesson plan for tonight?”
Kinsoriel, who had up to this point been focused on something else, was brought back into reality. “Hmm? Oh yes, that. I believe we should practice your concentration for tonight.” His neutral expression broke into a toothy grin. “And I know the perfect spell to do this with. Look closely.”
Benjamin looked on eagerly, not wanting to squander any of this potentially life-saving information. Supported by his tail, Kinsoriel clapped both of his hands over his head.
“Flame Arch.” After saying this, the space between his hands lit up with a bright glow. Opening his hands slowly, a thick line of flame was left in their wake, keeping the palms connected. The heat from the shaped fire was far less intense than it looked, though that could be on purpose.
“This requires constant attention to maintain its form. Since you only need to worry about the shape, it is much easier to multitask. Talking as I am right now would be much harder with others.”
He kept up the spell for a few more moments before clapping his hands back together. The flames died the moment his hands touched again, looking as though nothing had happened.
“Since you were able to mimic Ice Ray, you should be able to do this just fine. I want you to use that spell and hold it for as long as you can. Got it?”
Cautious but optimistic, Ben nodded and prepared himself. Replicating the motions of his mentor, he clapped his hands high above his head. A line of static flames emitting from his palms, in the shape of an arch; that’s the image. With respect to his E.K., he started to channel the mana into his hands. It was still an alien feeling to him, and even if he knew what he should do, that didn’t make it any easier.
Once he felt the heat pool, he recited the same words he had heard. “Flame Arch.” With this, he opened In an almost praising motion. The magical fire traced along the path his hands had taken. It wasn’t particularly strong of course, but he was able to maintain it this time.
“Well done, well done indeed!” He smiled a bit at the commendation, not paying much attention as the dragon circled around him. His focus was centered solely on this spell, which had sunk a little in the middle.
Wrangling it back into shape meant keeping the image fresh in his mind. Again, not the area he struggled in. Keeping the spell supplied with a steady flow of mana was the real challenge here.
That is, until he heard a loud snapping of fingers behind him. Yelping in alarm, he jumped back. The flame lingered in the air for a moment before falling, sizzling like thermite as it touched the soil. It petered out shortly after.
Benjamin looked behind, seeing the disappointed mug of his teacher. “What was that for?!” he exclaimed as he felt his heart still thumping in his throat.
“I believe I already told you, didn’t I? Concentration. Magic will be useless to you if your foes can break your focus, and they will certainly try. Along with this, I also wanted-” Kinsoriel paused, seemingly unsure of what he wanted to say. Given his usual self, this stuck out even more. “-to see something from you that I didn’t.”
Something about the vagueness of the sentence combined with the pause made Ben feel wary. That could also be his jumpiness getting the better of him in all fairness.
“Okay then. I guess I’m sorry you didn’t see whatever it is you wanted to see?”
The dragon huffed. “You needn’t be.”
After their training session for the night was done, Kinsoriel went to rustle up some food. Boar was on the menu tonight. They ate and went to bed shortly after.
Benjamin hadn’t had any dreams of note since this whole thing had started. Tonight though, something peculiar popped up in it.
A large shadow hung overhead, looking down at him. He couldn’t move himself to see what had cast it, not even his eyes. Whatever it was got closer, making the shadow grow even larger. He could feel its breath now. But before anything else could happen, it left as suddenly as it appeared.
Outside of that, the night flew by and it was morning in no time. Waking up was about the same as it was in the prior days, with his demanding character ordering him awake. He did as he was asked, and they continued on once more.
A routine of sorts was beginning to take form between the both of them. This could be seen as both positive and negative, depending on how he looked at it.
For now, it would be better to look on the bright side of things. This routine would build trust, and with trust came the dragon’s ear. All he needed to do was get him intertwined with Nela’s group, and the rest would sort itself out; hopefully.