To Pluck A Secret, Pluck A Feather -[Ell]-

[Amur]

As happy as Aimé was right now, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of building dread as he approached the hiding place Solomon was at. This happened every year, Solomon’s “Birthday”, Aimé was already scared of the reaction he knew he was going to get after giving the Wingless-Hunter the message and gift from Aeon. But he couldn’t just drop the message and leave the gift, no, Aeon would know, and he would make every effort to punish Aimé for not carrying out his duties, and that was wrath Aimé didn’t want to face.

Then again, neither was the inevitable tantrum that was going to come from Solomon once he had Aeon’s message... Which placed Aimé in a rough predicament, which was trying to decide whom he was more scared of, Aeon or Solomon?

.... The answer was most definitely Aeon, at least with Solomon he could fly out of the Wingless-Hunter’s reach before having to fly away from him... With Aeon, the Winged-Hunter just followed him into the skies.

The worst part of what was to come, however, was that both Aimé and Solomon knew what was coming. Which just made the end result worse, no matter how many times Solomon told Aimé that he wouldn’t take out his frustrations on him, he always did.

Sometimes he hated talking to Solomon, even more so when Aeon managed to enrage him. At that point Solomon ceased being reasonable and just lashed out at anything within his reach... His grip around the Aeon’s gift to Solomon tightened –he refused to thread his talons through the circular piece of metal, he still had vivid nightmares about the last time it happened.- He would keep himself out of Solomon’s reach, that much he had already adapted to... It was when The Wingless-Hunter started throwing things at him that he got scared.

He found Solomon with ease, he had been going between Empire Nirvana and this land for so long now that he knew where Solomon’s hidden encampments were just by looking at the lay of the land... Not that such an accomplishment was difficult; it was easy to commit things to memory, especially where Aimé was concerned.

He circled the small cluster of trees that Solomon was hiding in, taking a brief moment to locate him exactly before tilting himself into a shallow dive.

Solomon was easy to spot as he was sat out in the open –which was unusual- on a small formation of rocks and... Aimé blinked as he flared his wings in order to allow a safer landing, Solomon was surrounded by the corpses of other wingless. Not a large number of them, but enough to make Aimé realise that his given aid to the Wingless that were looking for Solomon was a waste of effort, he was still angry at The Wingless-Hunter for placing him in potential danger, but his plan to strike-back at Solomon had clearly failed.

He landed awkwardly at first, placing the gift from Aeon on the rock formation and then immediately launching himself into the branches of a nearby tree.
---

Solomon looked down at the item Aimé had left before him, and very slowly picked it up. A plain gold ring with various symbols engraved into it. The symbols Solomon was able to identify as Mentor Aeon’s native language... Which could only mean one thing, it was THAT time of year again. Solomon allowed himself a silent growl as he closed his hand around the ring. After he had made the mistake of wearing the last ring Mentor Aeon had sent him Solomon just KNEW that this one would have some kind of nasty trick to it.

“...Aimé”
He managed.

“What. Do you have for me?”
---

Aimé was on edge the second he saw Solomon’s reaction to Aeon’s gift. He knew what was coming as well as Aimé did, and already he was strongly considering just flying away... But, Aeon... He shivered slowly working his way toward telling Solomon what he had to tell him.

Very carefully Aimé worked his way through what Alastor had, had to say to him, to what the other Wingless-Huntress had, had to say and then onto general goings-on and findings-out within Empire Nirvana. And then took what he thought to be the tactful approach and not tell Solomon what Aeon had said... But, of course, almost as if he was simply trying to confirm it.

“And Mentor Aeon?”
Aimé remained silent and shifted around on his perch uncomfortably, already scared of what was coming.

“I... I don’t want to-”
Aimé began.

“Aimé!”
The Wingless-Hunter demanded hotly, Aimé was already shaking, tensing himself for the inevitable flight he was about to take. His breathing quickened as he prepared himself.

“Happy Birthday, Valkenhayn.”
Immediately Aimé launched himself from his perch as Solomon became a blur of frenzied motion. His reaction was rewarded with his continued life as whatever it was Solomon had thrown at him hit the tree with a metallic “thunk” sound. He cawed at The Wingless-Hunter as he got to his feet, Aimé frantically beating his wings to try and present as difficult a target as possible.

“NonotagainSolomon!”
He blurted.

“My. Name. Is. SOLOMON!”
The Wingless-Hunter screamed at him, at Aimé!

“JustthemessengerSolomon! Justthemessenger!”
He tried –and failed- to say calmly. That, however, only caused Solomon to launch himself into a long-winded rant of such rage that Aimé found impossible to make any sense of. He looked around frantically for a long moment before flying above the tree tops.

“Ican’ttalktoyoulikethis!”
He blurted, his words somehow managing to meld into each other. He cawed, immediately flying off in any random direction just to get away from The Wingless-Hunter. He didn’t care where his wings carried him; he just wanted to get away from Solomon.
---

Aimé was breathing heavily; he has no idea how he got to be perched on this half-dead tree on the edge of some desert-looking place. But he doesn’t care, in his panic his only aim had been to get away from Solomon... Well, at least he had accomplished that much.

He was still scared, but the warmth of the sun felt good enough to gradually allow him to relax himself. He ruffled his feathers, closing his eyes gently for a brief moment... He would have to give The Wingless-Hunter several days to calm down before he could even consider going back to talk to Solomon, and he was fine with that. He took stock of his appearance and the state of his feathers and narrowed his eyes in frustration before falling to preening them.

Solomon had NO, idea how long it took Aimé to get his feathers to look their best.

[Elloria]

The sun feels good on their backs as they fly high above the earth – high enough to seem like a slightly larger-than-average eagle, but still well within mental range to conduct their search. It has been two years – two long, vexatious, mind-numbing years since they have lasted encountered the vile Solomon. It has been trying, but they have certainly learned much in those two years. They have zoomed through their studies, focusing all their energy on gaining as much strength and knowledge as they possibly can. They have humbled themselves before their masters and proven that they can be trusted with freedom once more. They have melded their thoughts into a single, voracious hunting mind.

They have prepared themselves for Solomon’s annihilation. And no one but small-body-Niko’s brood mate has any idea of these plans and these thoughts. And that suits them just fine.

As they revel in their freedom – in stretching their wings in a place that is far from Ilirea – their mind scours the earth. But they remain unobtrusive. They have learned from their mistakes. They will not simply announce their presence to their prey this time around. Not before they have had a chance to assess the situation. So seek without touching. That is the way to go.

The search goes on for several hours before they are rewarded with both a familiar, hated energy and an intriguing outburst of aggressive emotion. They turn towards this emotion, honing in on the area surrounding it without intruding upon it.

NonotagainSolomon!

“My. Name. Is. SOLOMON!”

JustthemessengerSolomon! Justthemessenger!

Well, isn’t that interesting? What is this strange mind that is near Solomon? They dive a bit closer – just enough for the large-body-Arashi’s eyes to see the details more clearly. There appears to be a large carrion crow winging rapidly away from what is obviously one of Solomon’s hideouts. Now that creature could prove very, very useful – especially since it possessed humanoid sentience. Forget Solomon for the moment – that creature probably possesses a wealth of information. And they are going to take advantage of it.

Banking sharply, they follow the crow at a distance until its mindless flight takes it to the edge of the Hadarac desert. They gain altitude as it perches on a half-dead tree and begin circling high above it – too high to cast anything but a minimal shadow. Considering how frightened it was, they know that time will be taken for it to calm down. It is highly possible that the creature will not move until Solomon is safe to approach once more. So how do they go about capturing it, then? It is sure to be a wily and observant being. Caution must be taken.

They break from their circling and head a ways into the desert, masking their presence as they go. They land silently behind a large sand dune a mile away from where the bird is perched and upwind of it, taking care to kick up as little sand as possible. The small-body-Niko climbs down from the large-body-Arashi and begins the trek back to where the thing is perched. Small-body-Niko pauses about twenty feet from the tree, ducking behind another small sand dune. Small-body-Niko peers over the dune and watches the crow for a few moments as it preens. When it appears that the preening will take some time, they strike hard and fast at its relatively defenseless mind. They slip in easily and brush against the foreign, vain mind. It possesses no magic and is currently panicking again, so they immediately cast their spell.

“Malthinae du fethrblaka!”

[Amur]

The act of preening was as much to help Aimé calm himself down as it was to soothe the concerns he now held about his dishevelled feathers. In his panicked flight to get away from Solomon, he found his appearance certainly had slipped, his feathers were unacceptably messy and he hated that. On the plus side, he could use the time he knew it would take The Wingless-Hunter to calm down to plot out ways to get back at him. For all his intelligence Solomon could sometimes be clueless, after all, he had yet to figure out that it was Aimé sending the greedy-wingless in his direction...

He paused for a moment, looking around cautiously... He couldn’t quite figure out what, but there was something about this situation he didn’t like... He dismissed the feeling; his appearance came first, he had put more than enough distance between himself and Solomon to be confident that he was safe.

So for the time being, he focused his attention on his feathers, he may have been fond of Solomon, but he did not appreciate having to displace his feathers for a pitiable wingless, no matter what its reputation was. He allowed his frustration to sit for a while longer as he continued to groom himself, paying little-to-no mind to the world around him. The wingless of this foreign land only ever based their judgements on appearance, he would be overlooked.

... At least, he tried to assure himself as much.

He paused once more... No, something wasn’t right, Aimé knew when to trust his instinct, years of being around Solomon had seen to that. He shook himself and prepared to take flight when he felt another mind invade his. And at once panic gripped him, immediately he tensed himself to move, but then he felt something set over him and he found himself completely unable to move. He cawed in alarm, his panic-stricken mind struggling to make sense of what was happening.

“No!Pleasedon’thurtme!”
He pleaded, still trying to launch himself into flight. Each and every attempt to do so, however, failed. His panic gave way to fear as he continued trying to struggle away from whatever force kept him in place. At once he began vocalising his fear, cawing as often as he could as he continued to struggle against his restraints.

What was worse was that he couldn’t see whatever it was using this force to keep him where he was.

“Wh-what... Whatdoyouwantfromme?”
It took whatever self control Aimé had left to actually say those words... Most of them melding together as his fear intensified. His cawing continued, however his struggling weakened as he realised the futility of his actions... Maybe his vocalisation would attract the attention of someone. Of anyone that would help him.

He began shaking.

“Nono!Idon’twanttodie.”
Was all he could manage at this point, his mind to overcome with fear to manage anything else coherent. He looked around, and tried to frantically find something that would help him out of his predicament... When nothing presented itself to him, he stopped cawing, and just sat trembling silently.

“Please... I’m scared...”

[Elloria]

Small-body-Niko cannot help but quietly – and crazily – laugh at the crow’s frantic cawing. The fear that is rolling off of it in waves is delicious and intoxicating. He can only imagine how much terror interrogation will inspire. The thought brings forth a question – is this what Josk finds so thrilling about being in the Hive…this fear that one can practically taste? If that is the case, perhaps they should ask for Josk’s help. The brood mate is a master of interrogation, after all. He will enjoy the task even more than either of them will. Large-body-Arashi is not quite as amused by the winged one’s fear or the thoughts flitting through small-body. The winged one was hardly worth the hunt and is therefore hardly worth their time. But he lets small-body enjoy this as he takes flight to rejoin small-body. It has been so long since small-body-Niko has felt anything but anger, humiliation, and a thirst for vengeance.

Once large-body reaches the tree where the small wings is currently shivering and bound, he circles twice overhead – casting a large shadow over the area – before diving and landing with a buffeting gust of wind. He tucks his wings in snugly against his body, looms over the shriveled tree and looks down at the tiny wings still shivering on one of the branches. There is something familiar about it, but large-body cannot place where he might have seen it before. Perhaps it does not matter. The fact that it is associated with the vile Solomon-two-legs is reason enough to gaze at it with the fullness of their hatred and disdain.

When the dust settles, small-body-Niko lopes out of the desert. He slows to a walk and calmly circles around the tree upon which the crow is magically bound. He stops in front of the bird and looks up at it. The grin that splits his lips is hungry and feral, making him seem even more like the dragon he is bonded with than the elf-kind he is or the humanity he somewhat resembles. “You look familiar to us, little bird. Are you going to sing for us, I wonder?”

[Amur]

Aimé was lost with his incoherent thoughts, the longer the one holding using this force to hold him place kept themselves out-of-sight the more frightened of them he became. If they were going to kill him why were they drawing it out? Were they getting some kind of twisted sense of pleasure just making him squirm? That would rule out Solomon, Aimé may not have always seen eye-to-eye with The Wingless-Hunter, but he knew that Solomon would never do anything like this to him... Would he? The uncertainty was starting to cause his fear to further intensify.

He wanted to see Alastor.

He kept trying to look for the source of his fear, down at the ground, as far as his head could turn. But, the only thing he was able to see was the large shadow of something circling him overhead, which could mean only one thing. His panic further increased –it was a wonder he hadn’t passed out in terror yet- and begrudgingly Aimé fearfully looked up.

And his fleeting moment of very minor bravery is met by the sight of a giant-wings, his shivering renewed as he broke eye contact and lowered his head fearfully, once more casting his gaze back to the ground.

“Bu-but, you’re.”
He was still too panic-stricken to form the full thought coherently, but he recognised the giant-wings and knew at once that he had undoubtedly been caught in the cross-fire of Solomon’s petty feud. He immediately begins blaming The Wingless-Hunter, for it is his fault, but there may be some hope for Aimé yet, if he could just find the wingless borrowing the wings of the giant-wings. Perhaps he could reason with it, convince it to let him go, he wouldn’t tell Solomon that it was onto him and knew where he was... He wouldn’t.

He wanted to see Alastor.

When he saw it he immediately closed his eyes, he didn’t like the look on the beakless-face of the wingless... It scared him. Nevertheless, he had to try and calm himself down enough to speak; if he could just form a coherent thought he could try to convince the wingless that he wouldn’t warn Solomon of its approach.

And then, it spoke, and Aimé didn’t understand a word it said. The confusion was good; it gave him something else to focus on other than his overwhelming sense of fear. Using that he very slowly managed to begin speak to this wingless.

“Wh- what? I... I don’t understand...”
He began, keeping his eyes closed. He didn’t want to look at the Wingless’ beakless head; the expression it had been wearing was still gnawing at him.

“Nono! ... No. I know you. I can tell you where Solomon is, and I won’t warn him of your approach... Just, just letmego... And I will turn a blind eye to whatever you’ll do to him.”
He didn’t want to betray Solomon like this, but The Wingless-Hunter was more than capable, he had beaten this wingless more than once, hadn’t he? No matter what Aimé did, he knew Solomon would be fine.

...
He wanted to see Alastor.

[Elloria]

It seemed that the small-winged one could not understand the Language. The grin slowly slips from small-body-Niko’s face and they just contemplate the creature for a moment. It is trying to make a deal with them. Apparently the vile Solomon-two-legs only holds so much of its loyalty. Fascinating. It is rather nice to know that they are not the only ones that would sell the vile Solomon-two-legs out, but really the asking price is so laughably low. Unfortunately, its silence is not going to be enough. Silence does much less damage than silence AND information. They briefly wonder if perhaps it thinks they will kill it. Certainly an option to threaten it with, but not their primary goal.

Small-body moves to the tree and starts climbing it until he is crouched on the limb beside the small-winged one. It is trembling on the limb, its eyes closed tightly against the world – as if not seeing things will make this all not real. Both bodies nearly laugh at the thought. Small-body smirks as he leans in and murmurs in Common, “I am afraid that your silence is not what I require, fethrblaka.” Before the creature can react, his hand snaps out and seizes it tightly. It begins frantically cawing immediately, which small-body ignores for the time being. Prey in hand, he jumps down from the tree branch and moves back over towards large-body-Arashi. Large-body lets his concern about the screeching flow over into small-body, focusing particularly on how it will draw attention to them.

I highly doubt it can go the entire two-day trip cawing at the top of its lungs. Besides, we will be among the clouds for most of it. Surely our only company will be other birds and the occasional dragon.

Large-body-Arashi rolls his eyes as small-body-Niko climbs into the animal-skin-seat, never loosening his grip on the small-winged one. With a snort, large-body leaps into the air and with several powerful wing beats gains altitude before turning north towards the elven forest. They both sincerely hope that small-body’s assessment is correct.

[Amur]

The lack of an answer only cause Aimé to feel further fear, no, surely the wingless and giant-wings wouldn’t refuse his offer to find Solomon. Surely they wanted to get to him badly enough that they would listen to what Aimé would tell them, but, the longer the silence stretched on for, the more Aimé found himself trembling... They were going to refuse his offer; he could already feel the hard knot forming in his stomach, even as he felt-

He felt the branch he was perched on shake, and at once knew that the wingless was next to him. His trembling continued as the silence continued to stretch on. Aimé now on longer able to keep his breathing steady, he waited, almost on the verge of trying to get the answer from this wingless just a moment faster.

However, the answer he did get merely confirmed his fears and caused his chest to tighten... His whole body to tighten, no! He began cawing again as he realised that the wingless had picked him up. No, it was hurting him, he continued to caw, trying to get the attention of anything that might be sympathetic to him... He was fooling himself, there and he knew it. But he still had other offers for the wingless and giant-wings, he could still get away from this.

He opened his eyes, his vision now taking on a greyish-white blur in his panic, his anxiety building rapidly.

“Nononono! I... I can show you where he hides!”
He said frantically, in his panicked state, however, it took him a moment to realise that was exactly the same as his first offer. He had to pull it together; he had other offers to make.

“Ican... Ican...... I can show you his other hiding-places. Icanfailtowarnhimofyourknowledge.”
He pleaded desperately, he ignored his pain, he was sure by this point that the wingless didn’t care, since it was holding him with its vile wingless appendages tightly enough.

... The wingless was ignoring his offers, and was already beginning to fly on the wings it was borrowing. No! Aimé wasn’t going to give up, he had more he could offer the wingless. He was sure of it.

“Icantellyou.”
He tried –and failed- to make the offer more coherent.

“ICANtellyouhow. How... How. Hemovesbetweenthem.”
He offered; the desperation of his offers increasing as his words began haphazardly melding into each other. This was Solomon’s fault, all Solomon’s fault. He wanted to see Alastor.

“Nono. Please... Letmego... Ididn’tknowwhathewasgoingtodo... I swear!”
He was of course now referring to the incident that had taken place in that human-nest. Where Solomon had knowingly killed a wingless-chick, he had nothing else coherent to say at this point, he was far too scared to say much else since the wingless was ignoring every offer he was making... Why was he singling out Aimé? He hadn’t done anything, Solomon’s petty feud with this other wingless meant nothing to Aimé, so why was it targeting him?

He wanted to see Alastor.

[Elloria]

(OOC: Italicized thoughts/dialogue are all in the Ancient Language.)

Apparently small-body-Niko is wrong in his assessment of how long the small-winged one can be an irritant. The small-winged one continues to both caw and attempt to make offers of knowledge to the pair. It even offers to keep the vile Solomon-two-legs in the dark about their plans. Small-body ignores the small-winged one just fine by simply concentrating on something else – namely brood-mate-Josk. While this was more than enough to occupy small-body for the first few hours of their flight, large-body-Arashi is infinitely less entertained by it. And while large-body manages the first six hours without turning his head around and turning the small-winged one into a feathery snack, his patience was gone after that. His frustration snapped out towards the small-winged one in a single psychic lash of emotion. It certainly silenced the small-winged one. Small-body sighs.

Was it really necessary to knock the creature out like that?

Large-body huffs and continues flying with a self-satisfied air about him while small-body chuckles at his limited patience.

++++++++++
Five days later:

It had taken a lot longer to reach Ellesmera than Niko might have liked, but there had been a greater need for caution and an air of nonchalance than either of them had really anticipated. It was as if the entire world had decided to send Riders out in force to plague Niko and Arashi. They were probably still trying to keep tabs on Niko, in spite of all the evidence had provided to get them off his ass. At least the ride had been nothing if not interesting between keeping the creature quietly out of sight when they ran across other older Riders and keeping Arashi from outright destroying its brain with his frustration. The creature – safely stashed in one of Arashi’s saddlebags sometime around the third day of travel – had been mostly unconscious throughout the trip, thanks to Arashi’s minimal patience for its pleas and fear. That had been rather amusing, actually, to have the creature come to and immediately panic before launching into further pleas for its release only to have Arashi give the mental equivalent of a smack down to silence it.

But it was with great relief that they finally entered Ellesmera, even if the looks they received were hostile at best. Oddly enough, that reminded Niko of something Melatoth had mentioned before Niko had departed from Ilirea. Niko’s training was almost at an end now – which meant that he would soon need to visit the famous swordsmith Rhunon. Perhaps he could even speak with her during this visit. He would definitely want to do it before going off in search of Solomon again, now that he was thinking about it.

The logistics of that train of thought carried him and Arashi through Ellesmera proper, through the nobles’ quarter and right to the gates of Danta Manor. Arashi looked up at the tree and thought it might be a good place for a smaller dragon – like him – to perch. But Niko insists that Arashi not nest in the tree. Partly because it’s the Danta home, for crying out loud, but mostly because the tree’s not reinforced for the weight of a dragon or protected against the damage that could be caused by wings, claws, and fangs. Arashi huffed and took flight to find a place at the back of the estate – somewhere he wouldn’t offend the poor, prissy elves. The guards at the gate saluted respectfully, though Niko could tell they held great disdain for him now that he was a Rider. There was nothing he could do for that, though, so he smiled warmly at them and made his way through the gates to the massive cypress that housed Danta Manor. Niko was about halfway to the house when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him. Turning, he was greeted by the sight of Tathar making his way over.

“Atra esterní ono thelduin, Niko-finiarel.”

“Mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr, Tathar-vor.”

“Un du evarínya ono varda. I must say, it is a surprise to see you here. I suspect you are seeking Danta-ebrithil.” Niko smiled and nodded. “Unfortunately, he has left the estate and will likely not return until sometime tomorrow morning.”

Niko frowned. His business could not wait any longer. “I am afraid I cannot wait that long. I have something I must discuss with him. Do you know where he may have disappeared to, then?”

“He usually walks through the forest for a few hours before going to work – out beyond the estate and Ellesmera.”

Niko sighed and thanked Tathar for his help before continuing to the manor, cutting through it to the kitchens and out the back door. There was a small group of servants gathered near Arashi, discussing among themselves what to do to perhaps get the dragon to leave before Lord Danta returned. Arashi was sitting just outside of the orchard, looking down imperiously at the elves. He made no move to send them running but he was clearly not helping them by explaining his presence there. Niko gave a mental laugh that resonated in the dragon’s mind, causing Arashi to look up and at Niko. Niko coughed, causing the assembled elves to spin around and then bow in greeting. “I will thank you kindly to leave Arashi where he is.” His voice was polite but firm as he followed the path past the group. “He is not particularly talkative and will not cause any damage to the orchard or grounds. Please return to your duties and let him rest. Our flight was long and with little time to rest.” With that, he continued up the path – trusting that the servants would still obey him, despite the fact he was now a hated Rider – and wound his way through the relatively untamed woods behind the estate until he reached the back gates. With a murmured command, the gates opened and Niko slipped through them out into the truly wild woods beyond the estate. Ensuring the gates were securely closed, he sent out feelers through the woods trying to find his brother. His search did not take long. The older twin was a few miles out in the thick of the woods in an area that few, if any elves visited. And by the feel of things, Josk was in a towering temper. With all haste Niko ran towards his brother, wondering at what could cause his normally placid twin to be so thoroughly infuriated.

“HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE NOT TO ATTEMPT COMPLEX MAGIC WHEN I AM NOT AROUND, YOU CHURLISH SPUR-GALLED BUFFOON? YOUR CONTROL IS PATHETIC TO THE POINT OF LAUGHABLE AND EVEN THE SLIGHTEST LAPSE IN CONCENTRATION CAN SEND THIS ENTIRE GLEN UP IN FLAMES!”

Oh, how Niko had missed the dulcet tones of his brother’s tirades. You knew Josk cared when he was willing to scream at you at the top of his lungs long enough to lose his voice for the next two or three days. The thought made him grin as he entered the large clearing to see his twin practically flailing at the object of his fury – the little pyromancer his brother had taken on as an apprentice two years ago, who was currently doing some very standard and low-level concentration exercises. Apparently things had not improved greatly in the past two years, if the half-burned trunks of a few trees and the scorched earth were anything to go by. It really was a testament to Josk that he was still bothering with this farce.

“WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD I NOT ARRIVED? ONE PLANT POSSESSES A THOUSAND TIMES MORE WORTH THAN YOU COULD EVER DREAM OF! HOW DARE YOU TREAT THIS GLEN WITH SUCH CALLOUS DISRESPECT! WERE YOU DROPPED ON YOUR SOFT HUMAN SKULL AS AN INFANT? IS THAT WHY YOU ARE SO ABYSMALLY FOOLISH?”

Niko snorted and called out to his brother. “Now Josk, surely you cannot think he is like our dear cousin Salorux. I do not think Aunty Jeada and Uncle Birtol would appreciate the comparison.”

Josk whirled around to face the intruder he had not noticed arriving, an indignant shriek dying before it could escape his lips. It was just his brother. Nothing to be upset or worried about in the slightest. He leveled a quivering finger at Niko, not sure what he was going to say, when Ace conveniently interrupted him.

“GRAH! Anyone ever tell ya' that you talk too much, ya' complete and utter so- ... er... Mentor Josk.”

There was a moment – the barest span of a few heartbeats – in which silence reigned over the glen. And then Niko’s protective instincts kicked in. One thing people had learned very quickly in Ilirea’s underground was that no one insulted or hurt Josk when Niko was around – or even if the younger twin was absent. And Ace was about to find out why.

He crossed the glen to tower over Ace briefly before grabbing the boy’s shirt and lifting him into the air so that their eyes were level. In a very quiet voice that nevertheless spoke volumes of his fury, he asked, “What were you about to call my twin, boy?”

[Amur]

Aimé was starting to run out of offers, short of offering to tell the wingless and giant-wings anything they wanted to know. But would that work? In his panicked state, however, he dismissed the idea as too far-fetched to work and continued trying to offer the locations of all of Solomon’s hiding-places to the wingless as well as how he moved between them and how the wingless-hunter sometimes deviated from his normal route just to make sure he wasn’t being followed. But no matter how much he offered it, the wingless continued to ignore him.

Aimé began hyperventilating and was on the verge of just giving up altogether. But, he had information that the wingless undoubtedly wanted, why was it ignoring him? This had to be some kind of misunderstanding, why else would it ignore what Aimé was offering to it, there was nothing else for it. Clacking his beak nervously he managed to calm himself down enough to at least form a coherent thought and as about to tell the wingless that he would tell it anything it wanted to know before something hit him.

The attack was mental, and overwhelming to the point where Aimé had no idea what it was. In fact, it was strong enough to put Aimé to sleep. It was during his last fleeting moments of consciousness that he felt his fear renew... Why him?

After that Aimé remembers waking in a dark place, with his perceptions skewed it takes him several long moments to remember exactly what had happened. And once he gets his bearings immediately begins to panic once more, he tries once more to let the wingless and giant-wings know that he will tell them anything they want to know about Solomon. But, before he even has the chance to form the thoughts he is once again hit by the overwhelming mental attack, which, much like the last time put him to sleep.

The only difference is, this time Aimé is able to keep his wits about him long enough to know that the mental lashings are coming from giant-wings... But why? He didn’t do anything.

He completely lost track of time after the third... Or fourth time he was forcefully put to sleep... he can’t accurately recall.

When he next wakes Aimé can immediately tell that the movement has stopped, and that he’s still in a dark-place. But other than that he has no other idea what’s going on. He’s still terrified, however, now it’s more than he’s felt ever before, in fact, he’s now so scared that he’s actually in a state where he can no longer feel the effects of his fear and is almost paradoxically calm.

He can already feel another mind connected to his, showing him images, and feelings. At first Aimé doesn’t understand the meaning behind them, however, he stops himself from cawing, and remains still just long enough for the meaning being made to him to become apparent. He is made to understand the importance that keeping himself quiet will now have on how much longer he lives for.

Aimé shudders, but manages to keep himself quiet. The thought that he is now in more trouble than he’s ever been in before terrifies him, but he manages, instead to form coherent enough thoughts to try and converse with giant-wings.

“Nono. Please, don’t put me back to sleep again. I’ll keep quiet.”
He blurted at first. Wanting to try and make giant-wings at least see sense. Aimé was sure that he could, what was the use in keeping him around when he already had the information they had grabbed him for?

“Please, I knew nothing of your feud with Solomon until recently. I’ll... I’ll tell you anything you want to know if you’ll just let me go.”
He pleaded... Almost immediately thinking of a way to somehow sweeten the deal he was offering.

“I... I’ve even been sending the greedy-wingless, after the shiny being offered for Solomon in his direction.”
He continued, trying to convey how disgusted he was surrounding Solomon’s killing of the wingless-chick to the giant-wings. How he couldn’t change what Solomon had done, but how he had been trying to make the wingless-hunter regret it.
---

Well, Ace was in deep shit. He knew that much the second Mentor Josk had arrived and started screaming at him. In his defence Ace had known what he was doing when he had started his attempt at a slightly more complex-than-usual spell. And when it had gone awry he had initially had the fire under control.... But then Mentor Josk had shown up and Ace had panicked and then lost control, which had left the remaining cleanup for Mentor Josk.

And now, Ace sat going through the motions of low-end concentration and control exercises while Mentor Josk screamed at him in The Ancient language. It was frustrating, Mentor Josk clearly had no idea just how difficult these exercises could be when there was someone deliberately making said concentration difficult. However, despite his frustration he kept himself in check and continued going through the motions in silence.

If he was honest, he could only pick up the bare minimum of Mentor Josks tirades, he still didn’t understand very much of the language. And what little he did understand he had –ironically- learned from Mentor Josks past tirades. He could pick up words like “pathetic”, “flames”, “human” and “foolish”, the rest was just so much gibberish to Ace that he had to actively try to zone it out. A task that seemed to only grow more and more difficult each and every time Mentor Josk went on one of his rage-fuelled tirades.

Finally Ace’s –very limited- patience broke and he vocalised his frustration, had Mentor Josk NOT started screaming then Ace would have had the fire under control much sooner and there wouldn’t have been any visible evidence of his test... Though, had his brother, Baldur been around, Ace probably wouldn’t have tried it in the first place.

“GRAH! Anyone ever tell ya’ that you talk too much, ya’ complete and utter so-”
He cut himself off before he finished that sentence, no, no. He wasn’t about to make that mistake again he still remembered what happened the last time he had talked back to Mentor Josk... Using that insult...

“... Er... Mentor Josk.”
He corrected himself very slowly. There was a brief silence and then found himself being lifted from his feet. He blinked as he was raised to be eye-level with Mentor Josks brother... It took Ace a moment to remember the name, Niko! Ace rolled his eyes at the question, what did it matter if he hadn’t finished his statement?

Ace smiled warmly. And instead of immediately answering Nikos question opted to speak in his native language.

“Warum HALLO oh, der über-besessen Bruder von meinem Mentor, was führt Sie zu diesem Teil des Waldes?”
He said calmly, making sure that Niko could hear every word. Remembering how violent the reaction had been during his first meeting with The Elf. He didn’t let his question hang for too long and cast a half a sideways glance over at Mentor Josk before answering.

“What, does it matter? I ain’t stupid enough to finish that sentence, not again at least. So does it really matter what I was gonna say if I didn’t actually say it, gramps?”

[Elloria]

Arashi is glad that the small-winged one is not as dull as he had expected, based on its repeated stupidity over the course of the flight here. Not only does it not immediately start making a racket when it returns to consciousness, it quickly understands him when he impresses upon it the importance of its silence to its life at this moment. Most creatures of humanoid intelligence didn’t readily understand impressions and images – the language of dragons, in other words. Now if only it would translate its physical silence into a mental one. He begins retreating from the creature’s mind, not interested in what it has to say…until it mentions sending “greedy-wingless after the shiny being offered” in vile-Solomon-two-legs’ direction. That gives Arashi pause and he focuses in on the creature. The greedy-wingless…did it mean the bounty hunters? The bounty hunters whose deaths had only enraged his Rider further, making Niko even more determined to wipe vile-Solomon-two-legs off the face of the earth? The bounty hunters who had systematically been killed one by one in their quest for gold and glory? The bounty hunters who were clearly not skilled enough to take on the vile-Solomon-two-legs? Those greedy-wingless? Images of those bounty hunters – courtesy of the other Riders and dragons who had found them – flashed through Arashi’s mind and into the creature’s, colored by an indescribable anger and disgust. You sent these people to their deaths, you pathetic feathered fleshling? You are the reason my bond-mate can hardly sleep at night, so infuriated is he by the vile-Solomon-two-legs’ actions? You are not worthy of the wings you have been graced with, filth, if you would so callously sacrifice the two-legs-fleshlings when you know the skill the vile-Solomon-two-legs possesses.

++++++
Meanwhile…

“Warum HALLO oh, der über-besessen Bruder von meinem Mentor, was führt Sie zu diesem Teil des Waldes?” Niko’s grip tightened on the boy’s shirt, but nothing else betrayed just how much he hated that language. “What, does it matter? I ain’t stupid enough to finish that sentence, not again at least. So does it really matter what I was gonna say if I didn’t actually say it, gramps?”

The silence stretched on for several moments as those words sunk into Niko’s mind. But when they did, an inhumanely icy and malicious smile twisted the younger twin’s face. Josk winced at it.

“Niko –”

The Rider flicked his eyes briefly over at his older brother, causing the mage to sigh in resignation. There was a reason he hadn’t told Niko about Ace’s insolence. Aside from having realized early on that the boy was always insolent, even to Baldur, Josk was perfectly capable of dealing with it on his own. But he supposed it just wouldn’t be fair to deny his twin the chance to be the protector again. So he just crossed his arms as Niko turned his gaze back towards the boy’s mismatched eyes.

The Rider’s smile only widened with the knowledge that he was essentially being given free rein by his twin. One hand released its hold on the boy’s shirt and snaked up higher until it wrapped almost lovingly around the still-developing neck. His thumb stroked gently over the carotid artery that thrummed with the youthful energy of his brother’s apprentice. “Finish that sentence…again?” Niko’s hand slowly tightened around the boy’s throat, his other hand releasing its grip on the shirt so that only his hold on the throat kept the boy aloft. His voice was soft and velvety as he said, “You should not have finished it the first time. Little boys have no business disrespecting their elders.”

[Amur]

Once he started seeing the memories of the dead greedy-wingless and the feelings of anger and disgust Aimé knew that he had done something wrong. But, he didn’t understand, the wingless he was seeing from these memories, he didn’t recognise them, no, he had been careful. He had made sure that he only picked those whom had travelled in flocks, and even then he had been careful to only point the flocks of those bragging of their abilities in the right direction... How had so many other wingless managed to find Solomon when Aimé had not been the one to point them in his direction?

He froze as the giant-wings said his piece and at first bristled when he was told he was unworthy of his wings. However, he didn’t dare answer in anger. No, he wanted to get away from this with his life. So he simply allowed his displeasure at the insult to become apparent before he pushed it aside and desperately struggled to find a way to explain himself. He hadn’t done any of this without reason; it had been an impossible situation for Aimé. But how was he going to get that across to the giant-wings when he was already so clearly disgusted with Aimé just because he knew Solomon? He continued desperately searching for his words.

He allowed his regret for the deaths of the greedy-wingless to become obvious as he struggled for an explanation. None of it had been an easy decision on Aimé’s part, at all. He couldn’t very well allow Solomon to target other wingless-nests, not after what he had seen Solomon do the first time. He still struggled to cope with the guilt he felt having helped Solomon with it.

“Nonono. That was not the intention.”
He found his words. He tried to also convey to the giant-wings how he had not intended his actions to have caused such wide-spread death. As well as his confusion at seeing many wingless that he did not recognise.

“And I... I didn’t just pick randomly. I made sure I was careful; I only picked the greedy-wingless that were travelling in flocks. And even then, I made sure I only picked the flocks that were bragging of their abilities and accomplishments. I don’t understand how wingless I didn’t point in Solomon’s direction managed to find him. But many of these wingless are not the ones I gave direction to, I swear it.”
He said quickly, if the greedy-wingless were bragging surely they must have had something on Solomon if they were actively bragging about what they had accomplished and what else they could accomplish. Surely this wasn’t such an easy land to live in that the wingless could brag about skills, abilities and accomplishments they did not have. He began trembling again as he moved onwards, still trying to explain himself.

“What was I to do!? When Solomon began considering striking at another wingless-nest I couldn’t simply let that happen. I panicked, I had no idea what to do and I can’t stop The Wingless-Hunter myself. I... I wasn’t about to let him potentially harm any more wingless-chicks, I didn’t make any of my decisions lightly... I didn’t... I wasn’t... If Solomon ever...”
He suddenly lost his words, becoming too scared to talk any further.
---

Suddenly Ace was aware that he had made a bad decision, he didn’t need much of a hint, but the smile that had twisted its way across Niko’s face really did more than enough to drive that point home. Mentor Josk calling Niko’s name served to only further solidify that point, and soon enough found a hand wrapping around his throat.

His hands immediately moved to grasp at the wrist of the hand around his throat. He didn’t bother saying anything about his brother, Baldur taking a disliking to this situation for Ace was almost certain that Niko was already aware of it. He kept his silence as Niko seemed to run Ace’s last statement about not being stupid enough to finish “that” sentence again through his mind, and then, he felt the pressure around his throat increase as Niko moved his other hand away from his shirt. Leaving Ace held in the air by his throat, he managed to keep his breathing steady and held the gaze of his Mentor’s brother well.

“Yeah, an’ Mentor Josk already beat me for it the first time around.”
He said through clenched teeth, the discomfort of his current position beginning to get to him. He moved his eyes briefly, if only to look at Mentor Josk, Ace wasn’t about to let himself be harmed further for what was basically no reason. He had stopped himself before he had spoken out-of-line, so he would defend himself if he needed to.

He flicked his eyes back to meet Niko’s and remained where he was in silence for a moment longer. What else was he hoping for Ace to say? Was he still hoping for Ace to say something out-of-line? He wasn’t that stupid, he had already told The Elf as much, he kept himself in check, not yet reaching for his magic. He would save that for a last resort.

“An’ I even stopped myself before sayin’ it again... So I dun’ see what the problem is.”

[Elloria]

Arashi’s anger and disgust only grew as the feathered one attempted to explain itself. Was it really so stupid as to believe what a two-legs said without even looking for solid proof of those claims? His deep voice boomed across his connection to the feathered one, echoing loudly in his outrage. If you truly believed them without proof, then you are not only filth but an ignorant fool as well. Did it not occur to you, you miniscule cretin, that a two-legs-round-ears like the ones you sent after the vile-Solomon-two-legs would boast about themselves to try and impress others of their kind? That their boasting might be false and exaggerated?! Any two-legs-round-ears can lie about themselves and their intentions! The vile-Solomon-two-legs is proof of this! And yet you did not even bother to use the pebble in your soft skull that passes for your brain to put those facts together. You panicked? You did not make these decisions lightly? You did not even think before you sent them to their deaths! They are ignorant, weak creatures – especially compared to the vile-Solomon-two-legs! And you think yourself superior to them? Your actions disgrace you, your kind, and all beings graced with wings. Had you truly wished to stop him, you would have contacted the Riders and told them of what he had done instead of allowing my Rider to shoulder the full weight of the responsibility for the vile-Solomon-two-legs’ actions, you miserable wretch. I pray that Niko’s brood-mate-Josk treats you as he does the enemies of his masters.

++++++
Meanwhile…

Niko chuckled softly as Ace insisted there was no problem, since he hadn’t finished his damning sentence. But of course there was a problem. There was always a problem with this boy. Baldur had turned out half-decent and was tolerable company – even if he was a Nirvanian. No, the problem laid squarely with this boy. Niko sighed and shook his head. “The problem is that you clearly have not learned the lesson despite my brother’s best attempts to teach you otherwise. Pity. I would have thought Baldur’s brother would possess more sense than that.” He gave the boy’s throat one final squeeze – completely cutting off Ace’s airways – before tossing the boy aside like a rag doll. The sound of Ace hitting the ground with a thud and a quiet oof was more satisfying than it probably should have been. But frankly, Ace was rapidly approaching human adulthood. The brat should have learned these lessons on civility and manners and respect years ago. Niko gestured vaguely at Ace as the boy laid on the ground, gasping to regain his breath. “If…this is the best Baldur could do, then he had no business raising you. You would have been better off being raised by a pack of wolves.”

Niko turned back to Josk, who was just shaking his head in quiet mirth. Switching to the Ancient Language, Niko said, “Brother, I have a request for you. I’ve encountered a rather…compelling source of information and thought you might enjoy helping me acquire that information.”

Josk raised a slender eyebrow. “Help you acquire the information? You mean torture it out of whatever sorry wretch you’ve capture? That’s most unlike you, brother.”

Niko simply shrugged in reply. “You are better suited for it than I.”

Josk simply laughed at that.

[Amur]

Aimé quailed as the giant-wings grew more furious at Aimé after his explanation. Did he not understand the predicament that Aimé had been put in? He couldn’t have gone to anyone, they would have all judged him based on his relationship to Solomon; everyone did it.

“Idon’tunderstand! Is... Is this really such an easy land to live in that the wingless can brag about abilities they do not possess and about things they have not accomplished? Ionlydidit... I only did it to keep Solomon away from other wingless-nests.”
Aimé struggled to explain, if the giant-wings would just not let his hatred for Solomon cloud his perception of Aimé then he might have actually been able to explain in more detail as opposed to fearful ramblings.

“What!? Go to the wingless that borrow the wings of your kind? Nonono! I couldn’t have done that, I’d have only been judged for my relationship to The Wingless-Hunter! And don’t even attempt to say otherwise!”
Aimé blurted in exacerbation.

“This whole ordeal is so far doing nothing to prove otherwise!”
He finished off, still far too terrified to answer the giant-wings in anything other than erratic exacerbation...

“As many deaths as there have been, it would have been much worse had I allowed Solomon freedom to enter any wingless-nest he chose. Could the wingless that borrows your wings have lived with that!?”
He tried to reason.

“And I already offered to tell you anything you wanted to know... I’ll-”
He froze as he searched desperately for anything personal against Solomon that the giant-wings might find appealing... There was Solomon’s birth name... But... Or there was...

Aimé stopped himself from cawing as the idea came to him.

“I’ll even show you Solomon getting humiliated by another wingless!”
He offered. His sense of building dread now on a level so far beyond that which he was used to that he had to make a conscious effort not to try and caw.
---

Ace couldn’t help but be somewhat amused by Niko’s words despite the situation. It must have hurt Niko –Sir Pride-issues in Ace’s eyes- to say something along those lines. And then he was completely unable to breathe. He was about to do anything to defend himself when he was falling... And then hitting the ground, Ace remained where he was for several seconds, allowing himself to recover at least slightly from the impact before shakily raising himself into a kneeling position.

He felt rage sweep through him as Niko commented on Baldur. NO-ONE spoke about Ace’s brother like that. He was already building the energy to strike as he got back to his feet, forming several orbs of fire in his palm...

And then he caught sight of the expression on Mentor Josk’s face and paused.

“If I were you, I would not anger my brother further.”
Mentor Josk said. Ace allowed his frustration to show and reluctantly dispersed the flames in his palms.

“...Tch...”
Was all he had to say on the matter. And he stalked off to a nearby tree and hoisted himself onto the first branch he could reach in order to sit and fume in silence... He hated feeling so utterly useless.

When he was sat somewhat comfortably, with his back resting against the trunk of the tree, one leg resting on the branch and the other dangling freely he conjured several small orbs of fire into existence and simply started juggling them.

“Whatever... Ain’t my problem if ya’ let the hunter get to ya’ so much. Kinda’ sad really, one day ya’ll realise that ya’ ain’t the only guy to hate a Hunter that ever existed... In fact, ya’d probably get on famously with jus’ about every Nirvanian with Nemmy Morona with the way ya’ act...”
Ace scoffed loudly, as he continued juggling the orbs of fire he had created.

“Give my regards to The Fire-Breather, won’t ya’?”
Ace spat bitterly, falling silent as he focused on his self appointed task.

[Elloria]

Arashi’s tone became cold and distant. Be still, you blubbering nitwit. I have no use for your pathetic offers. We captured you because you clearly are close to the vile-Solomon-two-legs, yes, but our treatment of you stems solely from our hatred of the vile-Solomon-two-legs. The others in our Order do not possess that same hatred. Now silence your thoughts and keep your loud-beak shut or I will rip one of your wings off.

++++++
Meanwhile…

Niko did not even bother turning back to look at what the boy was or had been doing. He assumed from his brother’s expression and statement that it was something undoubtedly foolish that would have caused some irritation and harm to all involved. “So what say you, Brother Eternal?”

Josk shrugged. “For you, Brother Eternal, I will aid you as best as I can. It would not do to have you fail in your goal, now would it?” The mage turned to address Ace, frowning when he saw the boy juggling orbs of fire while sitting on one of the lower branches of a tree. Hadn’t the boy just risked burning down the entire glen? Did his impudence know no bounds?

“Whatever… Ain’t my problem if ya’ let the hunter get to ya’ so much. Kinda’ sad really, one day ya’ll realise that ya’ ain’t the only guy to hate a Hunter that ever existed... In fact, ya’d probably get on famously with jus’ about every Nirvanian with Nemmy Morona with the way ya’ act… Give my regards to The Fire-Breather, won’t ya’?”

No, it really did not know any bounds at all. Niko faced the boy, his entire stance screaming a desire to break every bone in the boy’s body. But one look at his older brother’s rigid spine as the mage walked over to the tree made the Rider think twice about reacting. It had been decades since he had seen that stiff stance and it made a shiver run up his spine. Niko’s rage was fiery and violent. It lashed out at the source of offense without thought or planning. It was instinctual and primal. And that was why he was ultimately the weaker, less dangerous twin. No matter his strength or his ability to think on his feet, Niko did not possess Josk’s coldness – that singular heartlessness that allowed the older twin to move easily through the Hive’s less-than-friendly female members and become one of its top interrogators. The pain of others was not a drug to Niko. That was part of why the younger twin had always striven to bring joy to his brother’s eyes. The darkness in them was frightening when it was directed at you.

“I believe you can give your regards to the…Fire-Breather yourself, young Ace,” Josk said silkily as he looked up at Ace. His expression was neutral, but his silver eyes had darkened so considerably that the iris was almost indistinguishable from the pupil. This was absolutely the last straw. Two years was more than enough time for this boy to have learned some sense, but clearly his skull was thicker than Josk had anticipated. It was time to make perfectly clear to Ace just how dangerous of a game he was trying to play with the twins. “After all, you will be accompanying us back to the manor so that I may handle my brother’s request without having to worry that you will destroy the glen in my absence. Think of it as a little vacation.”

[Amur]

Why weren’t they listening to him!?

Aimé had information they were clearly after, that much he had been able to gather, yet they were completely ignoring his attempts to actually give them that information... But at least the giant-wings was actually admitting that their treating towards Aimé was based solely off of their hatred for Solomon.

Not that being proved right was doing anything to help Aimé calm down in the current situation. In fact, the giant-wings had completely misunderstood just what Solomon was to Aimé, he was fond of The Wingless-Hunter, but other than that Solomon meant nothing to Aimé, why else would he be trying to give them the information they wanted for nothing more than his own freedom?

He was silenced before he could form the thought, the giant-wings making it very clear to Aimé that he was not interested in anything that Aimé had to say. Even going far enough to threaten to rip one of his wings off if he did not keep quiet. The thought of that alone was enough to cause Aimé to shrink back in terror, he didn’t want to lose any of his wings.

...

Why weren’t they listening to him?

...

He wanted to see Alastor.
---

Ace had barely had any time to really lose himself to the motions involved with simply juggling orbs of fire –a task he still personally never tired of- before Mentor Josk was speaking to him again. However, what he said actually unnerved Ace... And the tone of voice he had said it in... He didn’t like that tone of voice, it was not a tone that he had heard Mentor Josk use before, so immediately Ace was wary of it.

He paused in his juggling and simply held the orbs of fire in his hands, looking absently into the distance as he ran what Mentor Josk had just said through his mind. Back to the manor? Wouldn’t that mean possibly running into other Elves? Ace already knew what that would mean for him, why would Mentor Josk even consider saying such a thing?

“And... Why would I wanna do that?”
Ace asked cautiously, trying to avoid riling the ire of Mentor Josk further. He may not have recognised the tone of voice, but, he knew without having to look that Mentor Josk was in a bad mood. And that was in the very least... His gaze shifted down to the orbs of fire he held in his hands and still Ace managed to keep a straight face.

“Since, ya’ know. I’ve actually become quite fond of livin’, Mentor Josk. Woudn’t doin’ that be dangerous for me?”
He asked, still cautiously. Right now, keeping a straight face was the only real way he had of trying to deal with these moments where he knew that he needed to be difficult to read... He cursed himself mentally, he really needed to learn his brother’s trick. How did Baldur manage to keep himself so calm that he became near impossible to read?

[Elloria]

“And... Why would I wanna do that? Since, ya’ know. I’ve actually become quite fond of livin’, Mentor Josk. Woudn’t doin’ that be dangerous for me?”

Josk smiled softly. He could almost taste the worry Ace was feeling right now. The mage had slipped into a tone that he knew the boy would not recognize. That wasn’t entirely intentional – and had the opposite effect of what he wanted – but the reaction…oh, the reaction was so delicious. He was going to teach this boy once and for all just what his mentor was capable of. And it was going to be one of the sweetest moments in the world when the understanding would finally click on the child’s face and Ace would know – really and truly know – that if Josk put his mind to it, there was nothing in the world that could save Ace from the elf’s wrath. The mage resisted the urge to lick his lips at the thought, but only just. “Now, Ace. Do you honestly think I would take you somewhere where you would be at risk of discovery? Baldur would find that utterly unacceptable and I respect your brother too much to risk your life in such a fashion. My manor is as safe from outside influence as this clearing. The only reason I have you stay here is because I have no desire to see you burn down a two-thousand-five-hundred-year-old house, not to mention all the priceless artifacts contained within it.” Josk crossed his arms and shifted his weight to his right foot. The stance was no longer rigid, but it was still clearly angry and at odds with his almost sweet words. And then his tone shifted from soothing to commanding instantaneously. “Put out your orbs and get down here. Do not make me repeat myself.”

Niko shivered again. He remembered that tone all too well. While the Rider didn’t like the idea of the brat tagging along, he knew better than to argue with the mage right now. He had tried that tactic only once in his life and he had no desire to ever repeat the experience.

[Amur]

And what Mentor Josk said next did nothing to put Ace at ease. He had explained it to Ace far too well, and had even gone far enough to tell Ace of his respect for Baldur and how he wouldn’t dare put Ace at risk because of it... There was something about this that was just too damned perfect for Ace to feel comfortable with. He continued to stare at the orbs of fire he held in his hands, making the odd movement to simply spin one of the orbs around the back of his hand before catching it again.

Then, he gave Ace the instruction to dismiss his fire and get to get down from the branch he was sat on. The tone of voice actually making Ace flinch as he heard it. Once more it was a tone of voice that he didn’t recognise and that alone was enough to cause Ace to be fearful of it. He sat in his continued silence, his gaze not shifting from the orbs of fire he held in his hands... Still slowly turning what Mentor Josk had just said through his mind.

“But-”
He immediately cut himself off, no, he had clearly pushed his luck too far already. He didn’t particularly want to get beaten today. So, slowly, he allowed the orbs of fire in his palms to dissipate and then held his hands into the air in defeat. He wasn’t going to win this one and he knew it, better to keep Mentor Josk calmer and slightly-less psychopathic than for Ace to further push his luck and potentially get beaten.

“Ok, ok... I got nuthin’.”
Ace signed in resignation and simply allowed himself to fall to the ground from the branch he was sat on. Heck, if worst came to worst then Ace simply had something to tell his brother when he got back... It wasn’t like Mentor Josk was going to let anything bad happen to him, after all... Was it? He allowed himself a small shrug.

“I clearly ain’t gettin’ outta this, so, lead the way.”

[Elloria]

“I clearly ain’t gettin’ outta this, so, lead the way.”

Josk clapped Ace on the shoulder in an almost jovial manner. “It is good to see that you have begun to gain some sense. I thought I might have to switch tactics if you did not learn soon.” The mage chuckled as he guided Ace towards Niko and the edge of the clearing with a firm grip on the boy’s shoulder. As the trio reached the edge of the trees Josk paused, as if suddenly recalling something. “Oh yes. Before we go, there is something I need you to say Ace. In the Ancient Language, of course. Otherwise it will not work. It is an oath of sorts.” There was a brief pause as Ace appeared to turn this sudden twist over in his mind.

“An' why would I swear this oath when I have no idea what I'm swearin' to?”

Josk looked down at the boy with a remarkably calm expression, an eyebrow quirked as if to silently ask if Ace really wanted to go down the path he was attempting to take – because Josk would certainly be happy to oblige the boy. There was another pause, followed by a resigned sigh. “Fine.” It was mumbled, but unmistakable.

“Excellent. Now repeat after me.” Going very slowly and pausing occasionally so that Ace would be able to pronounce the words well enough to make them binding, the mage said, “I swear upon the core of my being that what I witness in the Danta manor today shall never be revealed without the explicit permission of my mentor Josk Danta. What I witness in the Danta manor can neither be willingly given to another nor forcibly taken from me, remaining locked away within my mind where only I or Josk Danta may see it and it shall go with me to my grave.”

As the final words left Ace’s lips, Josk felt the magical rush that signaled a successful binding contract. He glanced at Niko and smiled, not only because he had succeeded but because Ace seemed utterly unaware of what had just happened. “Thank you, Ace. It will be much easier to take you to the manor now.” Gently squeezing the boy’s shoulder, Josk guided the boy and his brother out of the clearing and on the sometimes-meandering path he usually took to reach the clearing. He couldn’t go at his usual pace, otherwise Ace would be left in the dust and completely lost. And they just couldn’t have that when there were so many lovely things in store for the boy.

Niko walked on the opposite side of Josk, as far from the brat as he could get while still staying beside his twin. The last thing the Rider wanted was to deal with a teenaged human with an ego the size of a dragon’s – and lacking the power to back up that same ego – but Josk had obviously gotten it in his head to do something devious. Niko tentatively nudged at his twin’s mind, briefly relishing the contact when Josk melded their minds together. I hope you know what you are doing, Brother.

When have I ever led us astray, Brother?
++++++++++
1.5 hours later

It took far longer than Josk or Niko were used to, but the little trio eventually arrived at the rear gate in the towering, thorny brambles that encircled the Danta estate. Off in the distance, visible even over the brambles, was the magnificent light brown trunk topped with a beautiful silvery-green crown that marked the manor itself.

With a minimal amount of fuss, they passed through the rear gate and stepped onto the packed dirt path that was the only truly safe route through the sprawling “backyard” of the estate. Through the towering trees and underbrush, one could see the glimmering edges of three of the estates six sinkholes. As Ace looked in danger of wandering off the path, so seemingly smitten by the many different trees and shrubs that made up the backyard, Josk gently pulled the boy back. “I suggest sticking to the path. Not even a Danta dares to stray from it. And stay out of the sinkholes that we will be passing soon. We would not want you getting eaten, now would we?”

Josk then led the way up the winding path past the barely tamed wilderness that seemed to spill over the gates and into the backyard, past the sinkholes whose waters were a deep and beautiful blue, past the fragrant Rose Althea and finally stopping beside Arashi, who was curled up beside the orchard where Niko had left him. The dragon lifted his large, spiked head and yawned widely, revealing gleaming purple teeth that were as sharp as the spikes on his body. Josk bowed slightly to the dragon. “Good afternoon, Arashi. I trust you are well?”

The dragon shrugged as Niko trotted over and started taking off the saddlebags. I would be better if my Rider had attended to the saddlebags first and taken a little present with him, but alas. The world is not as perfect as it could be. The deprecating words were broadcast to the elves and the boy, though a glimmer of amusement still lit up the shockingly yellow eyes. Arashi snaked his head closer to the boy, sniffing at him. You are the two-legs-round-ears-strange-tongue that Niko does not like. He turned to Josk while Niko started digging through the bag for the feathered one. Why have you brought this one, broodmate-of-my-Rider?

Josk mimicked Arashi’s shrug. “For a little demonstration, Arashi. You need not worry too much about it.”

The dragon snorted, withdrawing his head when he felt Niko’s sense of triumph at finally finding the pouch in which the feathered one was hidden. So long as you do not break him. He is not even a fledgling yet.

Niko tsked as he returned to Josk and Ace, the pouch in hand. “We would never break my brother’s precious apprentice.” He paused before adding, “Not on purpose, at least.”

[Amur]

Ace didn’t like the direction this was going; Mentor Josk was being far too light right now, when only moments ago he had been perfectly willing to scream the entire clearing down. Ace was already on guard, especially after he had clapped Ace on the shoulder in a manner that was friendly, there was far too much about this situation that Ace was already beginning to dislike. However, he had already admitted that he knew that he wasn’t getting out of whatever was going to happen, so he stopped himself from protesting. Even as Mentor Josk saw fit to lead Ace onwards by placing his hand on Ace’s shoulder.

And before they had even left the clearing they stopped.

Mentor Josk stopped to tell Ace that he “needed” him to say something in the ancient language... Or, swear something. Ace paused as he ran that small piece of information through his mind and then thought back on what little he knew about the language –most of it having been from Baldur- and while his overall knowledge on the language was... Poor at best, he had been taught the importance of knowing what he was swearing to before blindly making any oaths using the language; his brother had made such importance very clear.

“An’ why would I swear this oath when I have no idea what I’m swearin’ to?”
He asked very cautiously, only to get a look back from Mentor Josk that killed any further questions that Ace may have had. He fell silent, it was a perfectly reasonable question, which meant that Mentor Josk must have had some kind of plan and those were rarely anything good... He remained silent a moment longer, trying to find some way to worm his way out of the request. However, when none presented itself to him Ace could only sigh in resignation.

“Fine.”
He mumbled begrudgingly. The next long while was spent by Ace listening to and repeating the words that Mentor Josk said to him. Ace was still on his guard, attempting to mispronounce various words in such a way as to make the word complete nonsense without Mentor Josk realising , of course all of Ace’s attempts to do so failed since Mentor Josk simply stopped and made sure that Ace pronounced the word he had intentionally mispronounced properly.

It eventually became apparent to Ace that his plan wasn’t going to work and he dropped it completely.

Once the deed was done Ace simply fell silent and allowed himself to be led away, there was no point in trying to find a way out of whatever was going to happen now. He would have to deal with things as they happened, and if worst came to worst he could always talk to his brother about whatever happened, couldn’t he?
---

Ace hadn’t bothered keeping track of the time that had been spent walking; he was far too busy trying to really work out what was going on. He couldn’t help but run possible reasons and scenarios as to why Mentor Josk would be bringing Ace to his manor. However, none of them sounded in the least bit reasonable. His task met with continued failure until the scenery around him seemingly changed, it took him a moment to notice that the walk to the manor had come to an end.

It took a moment for Ace to really notice where he was stood and be shocked by the fact that he had no idea where to look. There was just so much around that seemingly demanded his attention that Ace couldn’t help but be disoriented by what he was seeing. So much so that as he started walking in the direction he thought was the direction he should be walking in he found himself being pulled back toward the spot he had originally started in.

“Well, I ain’t got any idea where I’m goin’ do I, Mentor Josk? Jus’ lead the way an’ I’ll follow. I ain’t as stupid as ya’ seem to think I am.”
He mumbled in response to Mentor Josk’s following suggestion. He couldn’t be sure, but it almost sounded as though there was an attempt to intimidate him somewhere in there. Ace dismissed that thought though; there were clearly multiple dangers that Ace knew nothing of in this place.

Once they had resumed walking Ace was once more struck by the previous feeling of not knowing exactly where to look. If he looked at one detail he missed another, after spending so long having very little to look at this was a shock to Ace. In the end he simply rationalised that there was simply too much to take in for a single trip here and simply focused on the path ahead, intentionally ignoring the rest of the scenery around him, stopping as Mentor Josk did.

What the Fire Breather said next confused him, but, he mostly ignored it. Even though he could hear what the Fire Breather had said it had been an answer to Mentor Josk’s question. It was as he addressed Ace that the young Pyromancer couldn’t help but roll his eyes and fold his arms over his chest...

The terms that he used were confusing, but after some work Ace had managed to translate what the Fire Breather had said. Clearly “two-legs-round-ears” meant human, and “strange-tongue” was obviously the way he saw Nirvanian Common... Clearly forgetting that Ace was presently the one speaking the strange, foreign tongue so that they could understand him...

“What!?”
Ace asked, over-exaggerating a clearly faked tone of shock.

“Ya’ mean he dun’ like me!? An’ after all this time I thought that he was jus’ usin’ some ‘strange’ foreign custom to show me how much he loved me.”
He continued, making no effort whatsoever to hide the thick sarcastic tones that had worked their way into his voice.

“Well, I jus’ dunno what’s real anymore.”
He finished off, still making no effort to hide the sarcasm in his voice. He actually managed a small chuckle moments later.

“Way he treats me; I may as well be close friends with a Hunter of some kind.”
He observed calmly.
---

Aimé felt movement and struggled to keep himself still. He felt another mind contact his and immediately tried to take the opportunity to make his offer again. They had to see sense, they just had to. However, the wingless that did contact him simply told him to remain silent and not to speak unless told otherwise.

Why!? Why couldn’t this wingless see that Aimé was trying to tell it what it wanted to know?
---

And now they had started talking about him as though he wasn’t there. That was enough to frustrate Ace to a degree, if they were going to talk about him they could at least pay him the mind required to acknowledge his existence... Though he did admit to himself that he was starting to become concerned about what they were saying... Demonstration? “Break him”? It took whatever little self control Ace had not to start conjuring fire... Not least of all because he was clearly out-matched, but mostly because he had already been scolded today for using his Pyromancy and he really didn’t want to push Mentor Josk any further.

He kept silent however, and simply stood still... Clearly he had nothing to add to their conversation, so he wouldn’t make the effort to do so.

[Elloria]

Arashi watches the two-legs-round-ears-strange-tongue closely. It has spoken in a most disrespectful tone and clearly has not been taught to respect its superiors. What has Niko’s broodmate been doing the past two years – playing games with the not-quite-fledgling? Before his Rider or the broodmate can say anything to the not-quite-fledgling, Arashi snakes his head forward again. His head – all sharp angles, sharp spikes, and eerie glowing yellow eyes – looms over the much smaller, much weaker thing. He tilts his head so that he is peering directly into its eyes, holding its gaze until it begins to fidget. It then mumbles some sort of apology before giving the excuse of how Niko has…‘pissed it off.’ The dragon says nothing for a few more moments, letting the foolishness of the not-quite-fledgling’s words fill the silence. You are too young to have earned respect from others, child. You are not strong. You are not even particularly powerful. You have done nothing to warrant your arrogance and sense of entitlement. If you wish to be treated with respect, child, then you must first show respect to others. This is not the land you came from, child, and you would do well to remember that. You are the foreign one and you are at our mercy. The world does not revolve around you, child, and it never will.

Arashi pulls his head back and settles it on one paw, his eyes still fixed on the not-quite-fledgling. He wonders if all two-legs are so self-centric. Surely everyone realizes that nothing on this earth is greater than dragons and all else is miniscule and unimportant before them.

Niko snorted at the thought that flashed through Arashi’s mind after the dragon had loomed forward and privately spoken with Ace. He rather desperately wished to know what the dragon had said, but for whatever reason Arashi had chosen to keep the conversation strictly between himself and Ace. The brothers shared a look before shrugging in unison. Dragons – what could one do with them? Without giving Ace a chance to do much more than sputter at Arashi, Josk and Niko moved the boy towards the towering cypress tree and through the backdoor into the kitchen. The few servants that were present turned to the opening door…and stared in shock at the appearance of the head of the house, his brother, and what appeared to be a young human. Josk looked at them coolly. “The usual rules apply,” he said simply as he marched Ace past the gawking servants, out of the kitchen doors and into the main hallway. With nary a pause, the trio turned to the right and followed the curving hallway past the library and the long expanse of wall that marked the space occupied by the family head’s study until they reached the large stairs that were carved into and circled around the heart of the tree. “Down we go,” Josk said cheerfully as he steered Ace towards and down the stairs. “I am afraid we have no time for a proper tour,” he added as they passed the landing to the basement of art galleries – catching only a glimpse of the open public gallery and all its artwork – and continued past the wine cellar to the entryway for the second subbasement, where the stairs ended. Unlike the art galleries and wine cellar, the walls of the entryway were little more than magically packed and sealed earth. They were neither smooth nor pretty – but they weren’t meant to be, either. The doors that marked the entrance to the subbasement, on the other hand, were monstrosities – there was no other word for them. The twelve-foot tall doors were carved with intricate designs of strange, horrifying and twisted creatures for which there were no names in any language – only strings of descriptions in the Ancient Language. Interwoven between the creatures were glowing lines of the Ancient Language, though few even among the elves would understand how the words were laid out for the text seemed alive and mobile. Flanking the doors were two snarling dragons, crouched with their wings outstretched.

“You would have a place where you could do work at home. How very fitting that it is down here,” Niko remarked, amusement brightening his tone greatly.

“Of course. One cannot limit work to just the workplace. Besides, not all of what I do down here is for work.” Finally releasing Ace, Josk stepped forward until he was at the doors. After a moment of contemplation he reached out with his right hand and touched one of the glowing lines of text, seemingly at random. The text flared brighter until the light drowned out the doors. It pulsed and writhed briefly before fading away to reveal a simple, empty archway where the doors once stood. Smirking, Niko pushed Ace forward – earning a grumble from the teen – and followed his brother and the boy into The Vaults. The group paused just inside The Vaults, triggering the boom that signaled the closing of the doors. They were now standing in the Anteroom – the massive circular room that served as the starting point for the dozen or so paths that wound through the labyrinthine Vaults. “Hm…which path is it today?” Josk mused, eying each path carefully.