WELCOME TO "AWAKEN"
Part 35 - Silhouettes and Saviours
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Part 34 - Plans and Predicaments
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“It's time to go, Silgren. We appreciate your help out here.” She smiled at him and tugged his sleeve to redirect his attention. She pointed back towards his friends by the grass-line. When Silgren looked over, he spotted a man with a child in his arms, running towards his friends. An older child was right along beside them. “We'd taken shelter in the cellar,” she informed him, clearly still quite shaken. “It started to flood with water when we heard the commotion out here. When I came upstairs and noticed you by the window, I was so rel-” She'd cut herself short, her eyes widened and locked onto something behind Silgren.
When Silgren turned around, he was shocked to see a water-wisp of considerable size. By his guess, it had to be over three times the size of the others. Another one rounded the corner of the destroyed log cabin and caught up to the first. The young woman and Silgren stared at these monstrous creatures. These fiends seemed to take a moment to analyze the beings that had been causing them such trouble, but the moment was short-lived. The tell-tale flicker of one set the other into action, and both fiends began precipitating a collection of large, icy daggers.
Part 35 - Silhouettes and Saviours
The number and size of large icy daggers increased before Silgren's very eyes. He barely had a moment to contemplate his mortality and impending death, when the final flickering of the oversized water elementals met his weary eyes. In a last attempt to save what he could, he grasped for the woman just behind him and tried to push her out of the way. Launched with deadly intent, the daggers of ice had reached the size of his arm and were now incoming. As the two of them fell, Silgren felt a sharp burning in his left shoulder and leg, followed by an over-encumbering numbness. A moment later, a loud, rumbling explosion went off nearby. The white-hot pain throttled his vision into a field of blindness as hey lay on the ground, reliving brief flashes of his existence.
A mumble of indiscernible words clouded his thoughts as a second explosion rocked the area. A faint calling of a name familiar to him rang in his ears while he tried to maintain consciousness. After being rolled over onto his back, Silgren opened his eyes to the sight of the woman he pushed out of the way, followed by the face of Mayval saying something he could not quite understand. A black silhouette passed overhead, then a third explosion went off. The clouded sky was dragged over his sluggish vision before he could even realize he was being dragged feverishly, arm in arm, by Mayval and the other woman. The dulled sounds of a healing spell were the last thing Silgren heard as the sight of Yavahne fell from his vision.
[Original Art created by hypexals-spiral]
Silgren awoke to pressure around his shoulder and leg as Hartelos finished wrapping shreddings of his shirt tightly around the wounds. A few firm smacks on the face caught his attention, bringing him into a moment of lucid awareness.
“Silgren!” cried out Mayval, while Hartelos hoisted him up to a sitting position. “Get yourself together. More are coming.”
Silgren looked around at his surroundings, noticing he was back near the area of the first encounter. Silgren started to speak, “W-what is—” but he was cut off by a strangely reassuring caw. He looked to his left to see Kogg with his head cocked in great concern. “Kogg?” called out Silgren, grasping at the wound in his shoulder. “You came... ba—” muttered Silgren grasping at words before he lost consciousness.
When Silgren regained consciousness he was being carried by multiple people. A black, lofty-guardian silhouette in the sky, glided gracefully overhead once more. He now knew it to be Kogg and felt a wave of warmth wash over him. The in and out visions of the sky passed by him. Soon enough, the sound of a door opening and the cessation of the cold rain on his face reassured him even more so, that he was safe. He heard brief arguing over something about heat before the sound and warmth of a crackling fire began to make him feel well.
Silgren came to once again, nearly choking on water. His vision focused on Mayval. She was holding a cup of water up to his lips, which he grabbed hold of it and drank. Looking around the room long enough, Silgren determined he was now at Mayval's place. The windows had been covered up thoroughly with what seemed to be anything they could find. A wave of panic came over him, and he feverishly sat up despite the pain. A brief smile from Hartelos passed his field of view when he looked away from the fire. While he braced himself upright with his right arm, Silgren pleaded with a flurry of garbled words, “Put the fire out! They will be lead-”
Mayval cut Silgren off, “We have some time before they realize where we are.” She readied a fresh bandage and cut him off before he could speak again. “Kogg bought us some time back there. We all owe him a great deal.” A soft smile fell across her face. “We'll put the fire out soon, but in the meantime, you need to-” Her words fell short of his ears as he slumped over onto his back and lay silently, barely aware of what was happening.
Kogg stood atop Silgren's pack of scrolls and pecked at it while cawing softly for Mayval's attention. She looked over her shoulder at Kogg, then instructed Hartelos to open it up for him. After seeing what this large raven was capable of with his own eyes, Hartelos didn't spend a moment bothering to question the reason. Kogg hopped off the pack and waited anxiously. Hartelos crouched down and undid the leather strap, then sat the pack upright, fully open. Kogg walked over and looked inside, pecked some scrolls out of the way and pulled out one bound in yellow twine. Hartelos watched quietly with admiration and curiosity as Kogg removed another scroll, and another after that until he had two of each colour aside from those bound in blue twine.
“Kogg, what are you up to with those scrolls?” Hartelos queried.
Kogg picked up a scroll bound in yellow twine with his beak. A soft glow illuminated the scroll and then faded as the glow transferred to Kogg and encompassed his feathery body. A moment later, that glow faded too, with Kogg performing a short dance and ruffling all his feathers. Kogg carried the scroll over to where he'd decided the 'discard pile' ought to be and returned for another. Hartelos observed while Kogg drained the magic within the scrolls and absorbed it into himself to replenish what he'd expended throughout the recent battle. Kogg flung the last scroll aside and then flew up to perch on the back of a well-made wooden chair where he sat silently with his eyes closed. Hartelos brushed his wet hair back with his right hand, completely lost for words.
Awaken
Part 01 - Message to Orvus
Part 02 - The Lake Beckons
Part 03 - Night of Rest
Part 04 - The Tomb's Secret
Part 05 - The Deep Gouge
Part 06 - Dismay Down Deep
Part 07 - Orvus Restores Order
Part 08 - Magic Sans Scroll
Part 09 - Clear Path Provided
Part 10 - Trace The Key
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Poem 01 - Immortals of the Aegis
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Part 11 - Eigin Rooted Magic
Part 12 - Ancient Koaj'kah Magic
Part 13 - Elemental Wisp Infestation
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Poem 02 - Elemental Call Song
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Part 14 - Kogg's Aerial Ace
Part 15 - Fiendish Fiery Foe
Part 16 - Water Wisp Woe
Part 17 - Home Sweet Home
Part 18 - A Blessed Breakfast
Part 19 - Ships At Sea
Part 20 - Gifts And Favours
Part 21 - Tea By Flame
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Poem 03 - In Verlys Valley
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Part 22 – Command The Flame
Part 23 – Verge Of Discovery
Part 24 – Guispira Of Algen
Part 25 - An Alchemist's Toil
Part 26 - Seek The Symbols
Part 27 - Mayval's Farewell Gift
Part 28 - Sea's Horizon Quartet
Part 29 - Solidarity in Silence
Part 30 - Breakfast Before Dread
Part 31 - Rest and Reaction
Part 32 - Enchantments and Engagements
Part 33 - Designs and Delays
Part 34 - Plans and Predicaments
Part 35 - CURRENT