The Fire Knight of Iota

[Riley Oran]

It was often considered foolish for any traveler to cross the wilds of Iota by his lonesome. The creatures out here were known to devour and defeat entire parties of well-prepared travelers with nothing left behind but bones, and blood stains. They vanished never to be seen again, leaving family and friends behind to mourn, or in rare cases nothing at all. Some were men and women with nothing to leave behind, with no trace they'd ever existed at all once they'd vanished. No warriors would be so fool hardy or stupid to trek the wilderness alone, right?

So why then did this man, crimson hair and violet eyes both shining bright and the latter brimming with confidence travel alone in a simple cloak covering his body? He clearly had two swords strapped to his back, and was fairly short compared to most of the bipedal creatures that one could encounter. He stood a little over five feat and by wearing the cloak obscured his facial features from site, completely evading identification. The only discernible features were his hair and his eyes, one bobbing from underneath the cloak and the other reflecting the little light it caught.

Around him and leering over the path he traveled were dense trees forming a ceiling of leaves, blotting out all but the most dedicated rays of sun that pried through the cracks and settled upon the leaves that lay scattered on the floor, crunching beneath the man's feet. This individual was not a normal man, imbued with incredible potential and called by his mysterious cult one of their warriors... a Fire Knight. A warrior of freedom and rebellion, imbued by his ancestors with the power to defend those oppressed by unfair laws.

He strode forth in the woods, carrying reckoning upon his shoulders for this day he headed to Draconis, intent and divining information from it's people. Apparently a dragon had taken over a village hidden within this lands depths- or so his Elders had said. He intended to find this village. He intended to slay or otherwise remove this dragon from power. It was not destiny, merely duty to all living things. Everything deserved to live in freedom, but that freedom should not be abused to hurt another. In a case such as this, he himself would bear the sin of oppression by infringing upon the dragon, and freeing those beneath it.

[Kate]

Astral lay in a tree dying of boredom. She didn't know what to do. Pillaging some travelers didn't seem to interest the female half dragon. She'd been doing that for the past month and was down right sick of it. Other than that though she didn't know what to do. She didn't feel like popping that cloak on and walking around with some bipeds. Not only did they disgust Astral but that stupid cloak kept her from balancing properly. How the heck did those bipeds walk around so nimbly without tails. She couldn't fathom how it could be possible despite not having a tail herself in the past, but those days were all but forgotten to the want a be dragoness. Mingling with the Megalo races was out of the question as was terrorizing daring travelers. What is there left to do though. Sit around in a tree and wallow in self boredom was the only thing Astral could come up with. Dragons pride themselves in their intelligence but with all her wit she could not even entertain herself.

Thankfully a rather unwelcome guest came boldly strolling through the woods and as disgusted with the mans scent as Astral was she still found the intrusion amusing. Astral could not tell much of the man other than his scent was distinctly male had red hair and violet eyes. Not to mention he was tiny for a human male. Certainly not what Astral would have ever expected. Astral waited till her reptilian like body was in clear view of the man. "If I was not so sick of killing travelers you would be dead right now. Though I'm curious what fool would wonder around these woods alone. Perhaps your brain cells are few in number. This seems more likely and isn't nearly as rare as you might think. So tell me if you can why do you intrude upon our land?" Astral asked angrily dropping from her tree rather lazily and landing on her rump. Sitting herself self up right with her legs crossed Astral stared at the man and awaited his answer. What she actually planned on doing with him she had no idea herself. Though her mind was beginning to stir up some ideas.

[Riley Oran]

The man stopped as he observed a reptilian form speaking towards him with some rather venomous words, seeming to threaten him indirectly with what she would do if she hadn't already done it too much. It seemed rather odd that such being would exist here, sentient enough to lay claim to land but not with enough conscious to exist as anything other than a predator. He himself was not opposed to eating meat provided the game was killed fairly, as in a way the natural order was among the purest displays of freedom. It represented survival of the fittest, and while he didn't inherently condone the strong abusing the weak for personal profit he didn't despise natural competition.

He examined the being up and down, a slender form covered in dark scales. She didn't seem to be wearing any clothing, but did she need to? He cleared his throat to speak towards this individual, as despite her insult and seemingly unjust claim to the surrounding area he didn't inherently believe she was so bad. He was certain that even though she seemed to prey upon travelers, she could probably be reasoned with. As she sat cross-legged on the ground before him he mimicked her, sitting down in himself with his legs crossed.

"I am travelling to Draconis," he explained. "Ancestral duty compels me to seek out a dragon who is trespassing upon the rights of others. I am to attempt to reason with this being, and if it will not heed to call of personal freedom and responsibility that all individuals must bear then I am to challenge it to combat and defeat it. However, I do not know the location of the village, and I seek out the knowledgeable citizens of Draconis in order to help me find such a place. My elders did not even give me so much as a name, as we had only received this tale as a rumor." He titled his head slightly. "What do you mean, 'our land'? Does the earth and grass not belong to everyone? I can see you having a personal boundary of space, but laying claim to nature itself seems fairly obtuse in my mind."

[Kate]

This filth both amused her and angered her. To have the nerve to mimic her pose. She truly could not figure out if he was incredibly foolish or stupid. Did he realize what he stood before or rather more literal sat before. Normally the wings, scales, and eyes gave it away. Everybody on this world knew what a description of a dragon was. Perhaps this man was confused as to why this one closely resembled a humanoid. For that reason Astral couldn't blame him too much. She was horrified of her own human resemblance.

As soon as the person who Astral had now identified as a very foolish boy spoke of his plans to find and possibly but she knew more indefinitely try and kill a dragon. She burst out laughing at the absurdness. "I still can not tell if you are incredibly foolish or incredibly ignorant. Though I am leaning towards ignorant and stupid. You took the most dangerous way possible to Draconis. What did you do sail yourself and take a route other than the most travel on. Did they stick a toll on simply sailing their with your own vessel. Wouldn't surprise me and would help us out though little it may be. As for your question you Megalo people invaded into our land chopped down our scared environment to build your own constructs and populate it with people and steal our resources. I don't remember any of our kind making a great migration into your land well with the exception of those dragons in the north, but are they razing your villages? You are lucky we don't out right extinguish your from our land and believe me such a thing would be easy to do. If you think you can take down a dragon then why don't your try your luck with me. I needed a toy to entertain me." Astral said standing up her reptilian tail flicking back and forth in excitement and her wings flexing to loosen them up. She didn't plan on killing this guy at least not yet. She would play with him for a good while before doing that.

[Riley Oran]

Wow, he thought to himself with a smirk laying across his face, she is a presumptuous one. He chuckled lightly at her remarks, completely unfazed by her taunts and threats. "You assume very much for one that knows so little of my origin," he replied to her calmly. "Weird that anybody from Megalo would be able to raze anything here without them being horrifically maimed by the natives or wildlife first." He had traveled through Megalo once with the rest of the Illumni. Everything there was tragically not up to par, though his elders had determined they had as much right as anybody else to be free. "Honestly, were I able to at the time? I have at the very least made an attempt to halt their advance. Who knows; I may have suc-."

He coughed, and quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth. "Apologies, I seem to have gotten a hair stuck in my throat. I didn't mean to interrupt myself. Anyway, I may have succeeded in stopping them." He did raised an eyebrow at her as she stood up and proclaimed herself a dragon. She certainly has the traits for it- the wings, the tail, the scales, and from he understood the nasty disposition the creatures seemed to possess. He stood up as well, dusting his cloak off from the front and back. He looked into her eyes, two predatory orbs staring into him. "No thanks," he replied to her offer. "Although, I probably should. The elders would be upset if they discovered that I had let a bandit go unpunished for infringing upon others." He sighed. 

"You could just not prey upon hapless travelers and we call it 'even-stevens' as the saying goes." He shrugged. "But I'm going to guess you aren't going to do that. The elders have told me stories of your kind. They have not been flattering, to speak the least of them." He drew both of his swords with a smooth motion, a trained reflex as he now stood before the dragon-girl in front of him. "Provided I've never actually met a Dragon before today, if you are one. You very well could be, though I thought you'd be bigger given the tales I've heard." Another motion, and he was encased in fire from the tip of his swords down to his feet, his cloak burning away completely.

A ferocious-looking individual with sharp features now stood fully revealed, short and with light-brown skin. His whole form was encased in the tell-tale phoenix fire that he could wield, his eyes gleaming in the flickering flames. "I mean, if you want to I'm actually down to fight. I guess it would be a good way to test my mettle in case the worse happens and my negotiations fail."

[Kate]

It infuriated Astral that any Human would dare oppose her with such composure. She actually considered sparring him all together after teaching him to fear what is rightfully to be feared. Maybe she would even place a curse on him making him see illusionary dragons where ever he goes. Sparing Megalo natives and leaving them with a curse was more of a Dafurai thing. Astral could see why they enjoyed it though. It did make for some nice entertainment. 

Despite Astral's superiority she remained ever watchfully of the little details. Astral hesitated to attack for something this ignorant boy had done did not make sense to her. No that wasn't right that fire was not created with magic. It was a natural fire and the only beings in this world with the natural ability to set their body on fire where Phoenixs. Astral's tail suddenly halted its movement and her wings stayed tucked in. Astral walked closer to the man in a non threatening way so she may get a better wiff of his scent. She was immune to his fire. Her nose was not as strong as a true dragons but it was still very powerful. Paying close attention to his scent Astral sensed he had blood of all three of the major Iota races running strongly though his veins. This realization utterly shocked Astral. She couldn't even fathom how he could possibly have all three of the big kahunas running in his blood. The realization sparked a conflict within Astral. She would never hurt one of her own kind but did he really count as one of her own kind? If someone just like herself came up to her would she consider them one of her kind, absolutely. This man though didn't contain nearly as much Iota blood as Astral did though, but he still had strong ancestry with the Iota natives. "Gah" Astral put her scaled hands to her head as if to try and calm her mind and contain her thoughts. "Do you even know what you are?" Astral asked the man. She didn't really know how anyone could not know they had such strong Iota ties but the boy had shown quite a bit of ignorance thus far.

[Riley Oran]

What next happened threw Oberon off. The dragon seemed to drop all pretense of being threatening- at least, she became far less so. Her stance became much more... relaxed? He didn't want to call it that, but it was the only way to describe it. She changed how she carried herself and moved closer to him, and he could make out her nose sniffing him as she did so. He didn't relax his stance just yet, instead looking quizzically at the female dragon. She smashed her scaled hands against her face in apparent frustration, and Oberon finally felt able to relax. "So, are we not gonna fi-"

She cut him off, expressing disbelief that he apparently... didn't know what he was? No, the elders told him. He was pretty well aware why he was how he was. He didn't return his sword to his sheathes, but he did lower them, and the phoenix fire around his body let up. It apparently wouldn't have an effect on this individual, seeing as she got close to him without even flinching. If it come to blows, he'd have to rely on his other magical skill-set. "Implicitly," he replied. "I'm an Iota Human. An Illumni, if you would call me such. I have a strange bloodline that was brought to the surface with magics that manipulated my genetic composure when I was in the womb. I am not exactly a half or even a forth anything, but instead a composite of Human, Dragon, Dafurai, and Pheonix."

He stated this without missing a beat or stuttering, demonstrating a complete awareness of himself as well as having a strange composure about it.

[Kate]

Astral had no idea what to think about what she heard. She did know one thing though. Not even the strongest dragons in history could truly manipulate the gene structure of the Iota races. If they so chose turning anything into a dragon would be easy. However said dragon would not gain any new found magic. Astral could tell this guy had magic that was of Iota origin. She didn't really understand what this manipulated genetic crap was but he knew who he was and the fact that he spoke of his willingness to help the Iota Natives keep their land only increased his standing in Astral's eyes. She came to a decision she considered him one of her own kind and would not possibly even could not bring herself to consciously kill him.

"Why then would you actively seek out the demise of a Dragon, a creature you share blood ties with? We are not like the Megalo filth we have a strong bond with all of our own kind. Course I guess you wouldn't share that since you were raised by humans. You should get to learn more about your heritage. The Megalo races know nothing of us you can't trust anything they have to say about us. I remember I was mingling in this one settlement and the people there were trying to convince me that Wyverns were dragons. Not just that settlement too I found that most people think Wyverns are Dragons. I still think it hilarious anyone could mistake the two for being the same. Anyways I'm pretty sure I know of what dragon you speak and I can grantee you nobody that knows is going to tell you. Not that you even know where to look for those that know. I'm surprised this was leaked out though. Mind telling me who you got this information from so I may uh talk with them?"

[Riley Oran]

"Because I am not so bound by blood, that I would compromise my values. I wasn't raised by normal humans, but by more Illumni. And as I have said, I do not actively seek it's death. I seek reason with it first and foremost, that it may leave those people in peace. If it will not, then I will bear it's sins as thought they are my own. I have a duty to those weaker than myself. I must ensure that they are able to live in freedom."

He looked at Astral with the most sincere look he could muster. "I will not hold grudges. I am human, I am dragon, and I am more. If I hate either, then the cycle of violence continues. There is no merit in this senseless distrust and bloodshed. Beings that can demand worship and tribute based on their own power waste it to inflict sadness and misery upon others. No matter who or what they are this is undeserved, and they must be defended."

Now, he had heard that she knew of what dragon he spoke of, and this made him much more relaxed. "I am not sure who relayed this information to my elders. I only know that it was a man of what my elders described as 'fluid appearance'. Despite what I have heard about dragons being negative, I don't think it proper to vilify them. Despite my own views, I have to set them aside for the greater progression of everybody involved. Death and war need not be caused, and seeking vengeance for past transgression doesn't serve to make any one better than another. Now, can you direct me to this dragon? Can you tell me his name too?"

[Kate]

Astral was not happy with the mans response. Though what did she expect from someone raised by the native of Megalo. Though at least his was better than most. She just wished he wasn't to closed off to the other factors of the world. His only concern seemed to be freedom. "I'll stop killing the intruders as soon as they get off our land. And there is no point in telling you where he is. He is not going to listen to you and you wouldn't even pose the slightest threat to him even with your hereditary advantage. You might not even survive the journey there. Besides with your intent I wouldn't tell you where he is or who his name is anyways. You might as well just accept the fact that you can't do this. I don't even know your name. Not that i care you should go back to where you came from. These woods are not safe for you. If you want to go to Draconis you should have done it the way everyone else does. Though I wouldn't advise going there at all."

[Riley Oran]

At this point, Oberon could do nothing but shrug. "We're not from Megalo," he declared openly. With this, he was largely done speaking with her, as she seemed as uncooperative as he had expected she might be. Typical dragon response he reasoned, why expect something more than negativity? He just started to walk towards her, clearly aiming to move past with his swords still lowered. He would like to have an exciting battle with her, but if Dragons were as powerful as she seemed to think then Draconis was exactly where he wanted to go.

According to his elders, the stranger with the 'fluid appearance' might be found there. By conversing with him, he could unlock the dormant abilities within Oberon's blood. While some strange being had the means to draw out some of Oberon's potential not all of it had been tapped. His human heritage was stronger than the other three and it inhibited the full mastery of his skills. Journeying to Draconis could see him discovering true strength, and allowing him to stand against the powerful adversary.

In fact, while he didn't tell Astral this that was the primary reason he traveled to Draconis this way in particular. It was said by his elders that this being only valued the strong and mighty. Such a dangerous road would surely show his potential to the fluid one. It had been an uneventful walk thus far, but strength was not limited to external might alone. Internal restraint and dedication to a cause almost certainly counted. At least, he believed it should. He seemed to sigh as he walked.

"Unfortunately, if you are as strong as you believe you are then I must air upon caution's path and come back to confront you later. There is something waiting for me in Draconis that I had not believed I would need, as it would almost certainly result in my victory. But if my chances are as slim as you seem to think, I must retrieve. Then I will have to come back and deal with you before going to confront the oppressive despot. Tis a shame; such a beautiful creature must be so malicious and thus must be smote to ensure safety for the weak." He seemed legitimately sad at saying this.

[Kate]

"Well I was going to let you be due to our relations but if you plan on attacking me then I guess I don't have much of a choice. I've always been one for efficiency." Astral said before using telekinesis to send the swords in his hands to go flying to his left and right along with a telekinetic force opposite of that to keep his hand in place so he didn't try and hold on possibly getting is arms ripped off. Even though he had plans to kill her she did not want to kill him. Simultaneously she hit him the chest with a powerful telekinetic force. Hopefully his armor would prevent any broken bones from the impact. All the while Astral hadn't moved an inch. She also put up a number of magic barriers to protect her from magic attacks and weapons. Her scales were strong but they weren't so strong as to protect any weapon from piercing them.

Pillars of steel hard rock would emerge from under each of his limbs to attach and restrain him. "I don't want to hurt you believe it or not but you aren't giving me a whole lot of choice. I'm going to say it again but this time not as nicely. Go home or else!" Astral said sternly.

[Riley Oran]

He felt a strong force hit his hands and his weapons fling outward, but in the same instant was hit with a massive force that propelled him backwards and towards a tree. He smacked into it with great impact, but was actually pretty fine. He was already pretty tough- if it would have hurt a normal human, it would barely even scratch him. He hit the ground flat on his back when he found himself restrained by pillars of stone arching over his body, holding his wrists and ankles in place. He could hear the girl shouting over everything, "Go home!" Apparently she didn't want to kill him.

Weird. She easily attacked other strangers, but upon hearing he had potential blood ties was reluctant to inflict the same damage. Or perhaps was incapable. He was young but he could recognize the hesitation inherent from harming a family member. It was unfortunate for her that his test of freedom was to kill his parents- a pair of nobles that owned Lamia slaves. He did so without hesitation. His body began to burn with great heat and the earth around his arms became dry and fragile, breaking away as he forced his hands through the stone, melting it as he pressed through the things. He stood up from the ground, turning to face the girl.

"If you are so hesitant to kill me then, why inflict such pain on others? How many have you killed? How many mothers? How many fathers? How many children? How many people have lost their families because of your actions? I am not here to condemn you," he stated calmly, a blue light seeming to encase his body. he extended his hands and yanked his swords back to him, leaping into a battle stance as he moved forward just a few feet. "I might not have to kill you after all. Clearly you have a semblance of conscience. Maybe I can reason with you." He tightened his grip on his swords. "If you will hear it."

He had placed around him a kinetic barrier, derived from his Divine powers. He knew she had used telekinesis, and not being a fool decided that he would use his own specialized variant would counter. He couldn't actually use his powers on a living being, as it was a way of infringing upon free will. His own divinity prevented it. However, he could protect himself from it. "This aura of mine will not let your mental control work. Such things are an affront to personal freedom."

[Kate]

"I stopped caring about those I've been killing after they stopped caring about me. The races of Megalo and humans in particular care for nothing but themselves. The slightest difference and they'll treat you like a parasite"

Astral was surprised he was able to break from his bonds. She accurately gauged his power did she not? There is no way he should be able to make flames that hot. On that note he didn't need to tell her about his barrier to know it was there and too powerful for her to break through. This confused Astral to know end. There was no way he could make a barrier she couldn't break how did he have this power. He couldn't be getting it from an outside source? Any explanation from that line of thinking would be absurd. Everything about this guy was absurd like his thoughts of freedom. "Any force is an an affront to freedom, singling out telekensis is crazy. I'm beginning to think that you can't be reasoned with." As Astral said this she set up an illusion. She appeared to stay in one place in a defensive position though the real her was invisible and moving behind him. Her sound and scent were kept from registering to his brain. Upon running up behind him she kicked him in the back with a magically enhanced kick much more powerful than the earlier kinetic blast. Sending him flying much further than last time like a human throwing a good sized rock as far as he could. Astral canceled her illusion to conserve energy not that she was in danger of running low any time in the next month. Was just a habit of hers. 

Astral flew over and landed near by his landing spot. "While I will admit your are far stronger than the average joe I still don't see what compels you to think you are any match for a dragon. Is it really so hard to give up and admit you failed? Go home before you get really hurt."

[Riley Oran]

"How can you expect strangers to care for somebody they don't know? You slaughter them, and harm them, and in your own way treat them all like inferior and lesser creatures. How can they care for their death? How can they care for a stranger holding them at knife point? Are you so self-absorbed that you can't distinguish few from many? We are all individuals, and judging a group for a few is horrendously ignorant. And while everything can be used to infringe upon freedom, it is up to the individual to restrain themselves from doing so. My reasoning is sound. Yours is based on malice, hatred, and distru-."

A moment later, he felt an impact to the back of his head. he stumbled forward and fell to the ground, not being sent forward and instead being left unconscious. He didn't even finish speaking before he hit the ground from the impact. Such was the drawback of a Kinetic Barrier. He wouldn't fly forward, and when in use it relied on his natural toughness to mitigate the redirected force. Usually it would have been fine, but in this case? A blow to the head that strong rendered him inert, and he fell limp to the earth.

[Kate]

"You know nothing about me and have no right to judge!" Astral's illusion version of her yelled right before the real Astral made her attack. The results were nothing that Astral had expected though. For starts it was her barrier she it. She didn't realize it was a multi purposed barrier. Perhaps its was structured so differently she hadn't payed it much thought. The other thing she didn't see coming was him passing out. She was probably most upset he didn't get to process what she last said for very long before she knocked him out cold. She hadn't meant to knock him out. She was hopping he gave up long before that happened. She had no idea what to do with him now though. She couldn't just leave him here the other beasts of the forest would eat him.

Grabbing the man Astral took to the air and brought him to her den which was hidden in a cliff side behind a waterfall. She made sure nobody was around to see her take the guy in. Astral would never hear then end of it. 'like mother like daughter' they would say. Astral set the man down in one of the empty rooms witch was lit with glowing gems on the ceiling. She sat a ways away resting against the cavern's wall waiting for him to wake up.

[Riley Oran]

He wasn't unconscious for very long. not a day, or an hour. Just a few minutes was all, and he faded into consciousness pretty quickly at that. He came to in a cave, looking around it with his violet eyes still dazed, confusion washing over him. Where was he...? A cave obviously, but where was he? The gems on the ceiling gave the place an eerie, beautiful glow. He must have sat with his eyes open and staring at the ceiling for hours, but that was probably the head injury distorting time and making an incredible moment last an eternity.

"Wow..." he said quietly. "They're beautiful." Even in this foriegn place he was unafraid, and he was tempted to just keep staring at the gems. Yet, his purpose came back to him. There were some people far away, and they needed his help. With this, he stirred from his sitting position, instinctively feeling for his swords, only to discover his heirlooms missing. He hadn't looked up from his person- he seemed relatively undamaged. So, nothing bad had happened to him while he slept yet, clearly.

It was in this moment he woke up, truly, and looked to the far wall. He could see the dragon girl from earlier peering at him from predatory eyes, sitting down and seemingly weary over something. He looked at her for a few moments in silence, and smiled. "Thank you," came from him at first. It occurred to him that he had never given his name to her. Or at least, he didn't recall doing such. He placed a hand to his chest. "I am Oberon Vaerus." Once more, despite his sharp features he was able to convey his gentleness.

[Kate]

Astral appreciated the compliment on her home even though the boy didn't realize he was complimenting Astral's home which only made it all the more appreciable. The boy now realizing he was in her presence and thanked her before offering his name. "I have to knock you out to get your name? Suppose I shouldn't be surprised you do seem remarkably stubborn. My names Astral. Now will you go home or do you still feel like being stubborn? The next dragon you plan on fighting isn't going to spare you no matter what power you think you'll find in Draconis. I'm not nearly as strong as he is or any of the other dragons for that matter, a fact that haunts me every day. I wasn't even going all out on you. So do yourself a favor and don't be stubborn about this. The exits to the left keep following the tunnel to the pool of water, dive in a follow it out and don't you dare speak of this location to anyone."

[Riley Oran]

The boy stood up (hardly a man to be honest) and dusted himself off, a knowing smirk upon his face. "You're right, I may be in way over my head," he told her bluntly. "But then, if it's worth believing in it's worth dying for." He was honest about his smile, but maybe now in a less intense situation, Astral might notice that the smile was concealing a profound sense of sadness.

He headed towards the tunnel and walked past her, placing a hand on the tunnel wall. "I'll tell you the secret that lies in Draconis. Supposedly, a new type of magic might exist there. Something only I can use. That's what the elders say." There was something different about his voice. It seemed much less calm and more riddled with uncertainty. "They say that if I can gain access to it, I can render anybody powerless if I pay a high-enough price." His face was not visible to her at this angle, but his voice shook lightly. "And to be honest, I'm terrified Astral."

He stood a moment longer. "I look and I see beings repressing themselves for the rich, the proper," he seemed to spit these words, "or unleashing themselves without restraint on the weak and forcing them to bow to their whims. I'm angry at them. I hate them like you hate humans, and I'm scared out of my mind because I'm convinced that I'm not much better. But maybe I'm not supposed to be. Change never comes without somebody willing to bathe in the blood."

He let his hand slide off of the wall. "And maybe, if I do it all right, you'll wake up one day in a different world. A better one for all of us, where we can all be free." He let himself walk down the tunnel, in silence.

[Kate]

This man was surprising Astral at every turn. With this change of face she found herself feeling sympathetic of the man. Something she would no doubt beat herself over later. Being told he was terrified really erked her feelings. This news about a new magic only he could use was also concerning. Looking into it was something she was going to have to do. 

Oberon began moving towards the exit and Astral grabbed her cloak in her arms and followed him. "Well as someone who know much more about the world then you do I feel its my duty to teach you about your heritage. I will follow you to where ever it is exactly you plan on going. And you need not worry about me being spotted I'm very adept at avoiding unwanted attention."

The two exited Astral's Den Oberon far more wet then she was. She had scales while he had clothing which sucked it all up. "It is not smart to throw away your life for something you believe in so strongly. After all if you die how will you continue your work. Dying only means those opposite of your belief win and things will carry on as they have. Only by living can things be changed and so only by living can you fight for what you believe in." Astral was just trying to make sure he didn't throw his life away. She didn't give a crap about his beliefs.

[Riley Oran]

He was somewhat pleased Astral had decided to follow him. It meant a lot, believe it or not, that somebody who had one posed a threat now didn't pose as much of one. Besides, were she with him there would be no travelers being harassed should they happen down this way. So he not only gained a companion, but in an unexpected and somewhat more delightful manner he achieved one of his objectives, This brought a smile to his face somewhat. Although, he was wet, and his body naturally heated up to dry itself off. Steam rose from his form after but a few seconds, and a few minutes of walking later saw him completely dried out.

He stopped walking for a moment, recalling something. "Silly. I almost forgot!" He held out both of his hands and bowed his head, seeming to focus. Only a few seconds passed when his sword whipped through the air and actually severed trees on their way to him, not cutting any down but leaving paper-thin gashes in their trunks. They snapped into his hands and a moment later he slid them into his sheathes, letting his body relax. "Alright, now I'm ready to continue."

He continued walking, conversing with Astral. Her point was valid, but somewhat narrow minded too. He had no guarantee that anything would come of his sacrifice. "Oh come now," he replied to her. "Do you stop eating just because you'll hunger again a few hours later? If we want to be nihilistic about it: everything dies. Life is pointless except for survival. We're an accident, or something close to that. We happened though. We have to pick our own meaning for what we do," he seemed refreshed at what he had spoken.

"And I've decided that if I am the one to step up and try to change things, then maybe I can inspire another to do the same. If not, then maybe I was wrong and it won't really matter. If so, then I was right and other feel the same. Either way, the truth is revealed. To avoid death is to stagnant until it finally finds us. But to embrace it and apply meaning to such an endeavor?" He smiled again. "There is beauty in it."

[Kate]

Oberon suddenly stopped and looked like he was bowing before something in a seemingly over dramatic and rather awkward way. He swords then came flying to his hands. She ended up chuckling over his need for a weapon. Astral had her claws which were far better than any weapon. Not to mention she didn't have to worry about accidentally leaving them behind.

Oberon responded to her not too previous lecture but didn't pay much mind to his nonsense. She really was starting to give up reasoning with him at least when it came to his belief. Hopefully he didn't end up throwing his life away in the near future. It would mean she'd have wasted her breath. Why bother with a man who plans to die. He might as well be dead now.

As the two continued their annoying journey of walking on foot Astral couldn't help but wish the stupid guy had wings so they wouldn't have to walk. She could of course carry him if she wanted to, but she planned on doing no such thing while he was conscious. Still the thought had brought up another thought a much more curious one. The guy didn't have a substantial amount of Iota blood running through him not even an 8th. However it still ran strong enough through him that he should be showing some trait of some sort from his heritage. Yet he appeared mostly human even his scent. Maybe it was in a strange spot like a few feathers on his toes. An idea occurred to her. An idea of doing something that you don't just do to any dragon, but he was not a dragon. Nor did he really have any knowledge of dragons. "I wonder?" Astral said out loud before extending an arm at him and scratching the underside of his chin as if trying to tickle him. If she was wrong and she probably was she could just say she wanted to see if humans really were as ticklish as the rumors made them out to be. If she by the rare chance happen to be right though well then she would get to embarras herself with an explanation. If she was right she had to wonder if he even knew about this part of himself. It would be most entertaining to see his reaction after the initial typical strong dragon response to the seemingly innocent gesture.

[Riley Oran]

They walked in silence for quite a while after his lecture. It was odd. He had expected some kind of retort or counter argument from her, but was instead met with silence. He worried if he had offended her accidentally with his lecture of sorts. It certainly wasn't impossible. His beliefs were quite strong, he admitted to even himself. Of course, that was the point of having beliefs. If you half-assed it, why have them at all? It seemed pointless if a person had a set of core values and beliefs that they didn't really follow. But what if THAT was their foundation: to possess but to not be bound by? Genius!

As he contemplated this, he could have sworn he heard a voice come from Astral that he was much slow to respond to. His mouth open to speak, and as he tried to focus his mind felt an intense tickling sensation underneath his chin, like nothing that he'd felt since he was a child. Yet, it wasn't making him laugh. It was... heavenly. Oberon stopped mid-stride and started to feel an immense sensation of utter bliss. His knees buckled beneath him as his limbs became sturdy as fresh jelly, unable to even keep him upright. Not that he particularly cared. This feeling was amazing! He couldn't purr like a dragon, but damn... he made a long "ah" noise, quiet and steady.

[Kate]

"Wow" Astral exclaimed grabbing him and keeping him from buckling. She had actually been hoping to be wrong. Now she was going to have to embarrass herself with a proper explanation. She wouldn't be surprised if this was his first time experiencing it. It was kinda like tickling but only in the sense that you can't do it to yourself. She had a number of questions for him now. "What other traits do you have? Do you have better senses? I have found the noses of the Megalo races to be especially dysfunctional." Astral stopped herself before going on further. She was going to be getting a reaction to what had just happened to his other reaction long before she got an answer to those questions and with it she was probably going to have to start explaining herself.

[Riley Oran]

The fact that he actually had to be caught to keep from falling down was more than a little embarrassing for him, but he was able to recover pretty quickly. He looked into Astral's predatory eyes, his own violet orbs shimmering into slits for but a moment, returning to normal without much provocation. A fleeting glimpse to those who saw it, but he himself was ignorant. Astral immediately asked him if he had any other "traits", a question that confused him. He didn't have time to ask her to clarify as she elaborated towards his senses. "Uhm, uh... maybe? I've never really compared them against anything."

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