Also if anyone has a suggestion for a better name for the thread, feel free to do so. As you can see I wasn't trying to be very creative with it.
- All stories will be added to the original post at some point
Story 1: "Dragon" GDrive Version
Spoiler
Securing the last of his bags to the saddle of the fiery horse, Matthew took a deep chilly breath. Winter had taken over the keep, and so it was much quieter than usual as many fire creatures had left for warmer lands. Matthew had no doubt that the Callisto islands were filled with many of the migrating creatures, and many magi who had decided to enjoy the warm weather. While others have to work. The man thought bitterly as he climbed into the saddle and gave the command for the Pesadelo move forward through the snow.
Sure investigating a reported dragon attack was important, but honestly the majority of the time these "creature attacks" turn out to be some sort of trick of the eye or some sort of. That, or they turn out to be completely harmless creatures that just happen to look menacing but are actually harmless, like his mount. Perhaps that wasn't the best example, Wisp had plagued him with many nightmares when she was young in order to test him, and he knew she would do so to others if he asked her too. Still, she never caused any physical harm other than a few burns. Whatever this job turned out to be like, someone else could have dealt with it. Perhaps someone who didn't mind risking frostbitten limbs.
Sighing, Matthew pushed those thoughts away as he pulled his fur lined goggles over his eyes. "You know where we’re going girl, let's get this over with. Run!" Matthew commanded the horse and held onto the horn of the saddle. The Peseldelo took off without holding back, and all the magi saw from the back of the beast was the blur of the changing surroundings as they passed. The first time Matthew had ridden Wisp, once she had stopped burning him every time he tried to get on, he'd been nearly knocked off from the speed alone.
The scene changed from the colors of the forest to the long stretch of barren white after an hour of riding, and a half hour after that the brown form of a wooden village came into view. “Slow down, Wisp.” He told the creature, and she responded by easing into a trot. Patting the horses shoulder in thanks, the mage began whispering a spell of illusion. The flanks of the beast turned a more natural black and her mane of red fire appeared as one of silky black hair. “There we go, we shouldn’t be attacked by any angry mobs today as long as you don’t burn anyone… Please don’t burn anyone today.” Matthew begged her, adding a silent again to his message. Wisp merely snorted irritably at his comment, seemingly offended that he thought she had no self-control.
The first thing that came into view as the pair neared the village was an old, unpainted wooden barn sitting next to a small, equally old looking wooden house. If no one was nearby Matthew would have thought that the buildings were uninhabited, or at the very least left unmanaged during the harsh winter months, but the amount of people said otherwise. By the looks of it, it seemed that the entire town had crowded around the area of the crumbling structure.
“Whoa there traveler, the village is off limits. There’s a dragon holding up in there.” One of the villagers approached, a middle aged man whose hair seemed to of migrated from his head to his chin. Matthew had to sigh, why did people never seem to understand that he was a mage? You’d think they would get the hint that when a man came wearing a cloak and wielding a staff, right after you sent a letter to the keep requesting help, that said man would be the mage you requested to help you with your problems. He had to take a deep breath before replying, "Actually, I’m here about that. Someone from this village sent a letter to the keep asking for help with that.” He tried his best to sound polite enough and keep from using the bitter tone he was consistently scolded for. “Oh, I see! I was doubting whether or not anyone would come, but it seems that Nathan’s trust in you mages wasn’t misplaced.” The villager seemed relieved that the village’s problems would soon be solved. “It seems so. Well, I’m going to have to look around the village now so stay put and don’t let anyone too near the remains.” He replied bluntly, already starting to nudge Wisp forward with a gentle tap of his heels.
“You don’t need anything? No information? No backup?” The man asked, jogging to keep up with the mage.
“Nope.” Matthew replied, allowing Wisp to take off in a trot without asking.
The barn wasn’t too far from the rest of the village, and thus it only took ten minutes to reach. “If it’s a dragon, it’s quite a young one.” The mage commented as he dismounted, taking a moment to look around at the surrounding area. “Wooden houses charred but still intact for the most part. A fully grown dragon would have decimated this place if it was enraged. Wonder if this poor thing got lost or something. Huh.” He thought out loud, stopping when he noticed an arrow on the ground. “Broken.” A small bird chirped as it peaked its white and blue head out of Matthew’s coat pocket.
“So you finally woke up, huh? You know what that broken arrow means Blueberry?” The mage asked the Gamilara Phoenix.
“Um.” The phoenix said as it worked his way out of his mage’s pocket.
“Dragon?”
“Think smaller.”
“Numbul?”
“Well, I suppose that's a possibility too.” Matthew said with a slight grin on his face as he imagined the villagers running from a small rodent that would've probably turned to stone at the sight of them. The small ball of feathers and fire that was Blueberry wasn’t exactly made for combat, but he always helped to improve his magi's mood. A talent considered priceless to those who had to deal with the its mage.
“What now?” The bird chirped curiously, flying up to Matthew’s shoulder and cozying up to the side of the man’s neck. Making sure not to burn him, of course.
“Now we follow the trail of ashes and find the overgrown lizard. If I'm lucky, that is.” He replied and started following the trail of burn marks left on the side of the houses.
A dozens houses down and the group stood in front of a house with its doorway burnt down and a trail of charcoal leading inside. Matthew and Blueberry followed the trail indoors, while Wisp stayed outside. Most of the living room furniture on the inside had obviously been put through some fire damage, and as soon as he turned to look he saw the culprit.
“Anaugi.” Blueberry remarked quietly, correctly naming the creature in front of them.
“Yep, the poor thing. Must’ve hitchhiked on a caravan or grown too big to be a pet, and come inside looking for warmth and shelter. Poor thing is lucky to be alive.” Matthew said as he crouched down next to it and began to cast a heating spell over the pale, slumbering creature.
Almost as soon as the spell was cast, the creature groggily opened its eyes and looked at the pair hovering over it with a groggy expression.
“Big Anaugi.”
“Certainly bigger than the ones I’ve seen at the keep. I guess I can see how the villagers could confuse… her for a dragon. Sorta.”
~~~~~~
“I’m assuming this is your dragon?” Matthew asked as he lead the Anaugi by a loose harness constructed of rope
“Yes. Why exactly did you bring it here.” The villager from earlier responded, eyeing the reptile nervously as the Magi drew closer to the barn.
“I’m taking her back to the keep, and I need to borrow a wagon, or a sled, so I can get there before she freezes to death.” He replied, swearing he could feel Wisp glaring at him as the word “wagon” fell out of his lips. He made a mental note to give the Peseldelo a nice meal once he got back.
“S-sure. There’s one in the barn, right this way.” The villager responded nervously and began to jog to the farm. Matthew moved to follow him but was stopped by a rather short teenage boy with a bag slung over his shoulder. “Sir can you take me with you? The keep teaches mages right, and I have magic so please just take me with you.”
Matthew sighed, hoping this kid wasn’t just wasting time that could be used to get to his warm bed faster. “Alright, what makes you believe you have magic.”
The boy’s brown eyes lit up with hope, and he quickly removed his gloves. Slowly he managed to summon a weak flame within his palms that threatened to go out with the winter wind. The feat seemed to take a toll on the boy as his breathing became heavier, but he held it until he was sure that the mage had had a good long look at it.
“Alright, come help me get the lizard on the wagon.” Matthew said, running his hands through his black hair while he wished he could still be warm and lazy in the keep.
"What are we naming her?" Blueberry asked, referring to the Anaugi.
"Nothing, we're not keeping her."
"Orange?"
"No."
"Olive?"
"No."
"What about Dragon? Everyone thought she was one."
"Don't encourage him, boy."
"Dragon!"
Matthew sighed. This was going to be a very, very long trip home for him.
Sure investigating a reported dragon attack was important, but honestly the majority of the time these "creature attacks" turn out to be some sort of trick of the eye or some sort of. That, or they turn out to be completely harmless creatures that just happen to look menacing but are actually harmless, like his mount. Perhaps that wasn't the best example, Wisp had plagued him with many nightmares when she was young in order to test him, and he knew she would do so to others if he asked her too. Still, she never caused any physical harm other than a few burns. Whatever this job turned out to be like, someone else could have dealt with it. Perhaps someone who didn't mind risking frostbitten limbs.
Sighing, Matthew pushed those thoughts away as he pulled his fur lined goggles over his eyes. "You know where we’re going girl, let's get this over with. Run!" Matthew commanded the horse and held onto the horn of the saddle. The Peseldelo took off without holding back, and all the magi saw from the back of the beast was the blur of the changing surroundings as they passed. The first time Matthew had ridden Wisp, once she had stopped burning him every time he tried to get on, he'd been nearly knocked off from the speed alone.
The scene changed from the colors of the forest to the long stretch of barren white after an hour of riding, and a half hour after that the brown form of a wooden village came into view. “Slow down, Wisp.” He told the creature, and she responded by easing into a trot. Patting the horses shoulder in thanks, the mage began whispering a spell of illusion. The flanks of the beast turned a more natural black and her mane of red fire appeared as one of silky black hair. “There we go, we shouldn’t be attacked by any angry mobs today as long as you don’t burn anyone… Please don’t burn anyone today.” Matthew begged her, adding a silent again to his message. Wisp merely snorted irritably at his comment, seemingly offended that he thought she had no self-control.
The first thing that came into view as the pair neared the village was an old, unpainted wooden barn sitting next to a small, equally old looking wooden house. If no one was nearby Matthew would have thought that the buildings were uninhabited, or at the very least left unmanaged during the harsh winter months, but the amount of people said otherwise. By the looks of it, it seemed that the entire town had crowded around the area of the crumbling structure.
“Whoa there traveler, the village is off limits. There’s a dragon holding up in there.” One of the villagers approached, a middle aged man whose hair seemed to of migrated from his head to his chin. Matthew had to sigh, why did people never seem to understand that he was a mage? You’d think they would get the hint that when a man came wearing a cloak and wielding a staff, right after you sent a letter to the keep requesting help, that said man would be the mage you requested to help you with your problems. He had to take a deep breath before replying, "Actually, I’m here about that. Someone from this village sent a letter to the keep asking for help with that.” He tried his best to sound polite enough and keep from using the bitter tone he was consistently scolded for. “Oh, I see! I was doubting whether or not anyone would come, but it seems that Nathan’s trust in you mages wasn’t misplaced.” The villager seemed relieved that the village’s problems would soon be solved. “It seems so. Well, I’m going to have to look around the village now so stay put and don’t let anyone too near the remains.” He replied bluntly, already starting to nudge Wisp forward with a gentle tap of his heels.
“You don’t need anything? No information? No backup?” The man asked, jogging to keep up with the mage.
“Nope.” Matthew replied, allowing Wisp to take off in a trot without asking.
The barn wasn’t too far from the rest of the village, and thus it only took ten minutes to reach. “If it’s a dragon, it’s quite a young one.” The mage commented as he dismounted, taking a moment to look around at the surrounding area. “Wooden houses charred but still intact for the most part. A fully grown dragon would have decimated this place if it was enraged. Wonder if this poor thing got lost or something. Huh.” He thought out loud, stopping when he noticed an arrow on the ground. “Broken.” A small bird chirped as it peaked its white and blue head out of Matthew’s coat pocket.
“So you finally woke up, huh? You know what that broken arrow means Blueberry?” The mage asked the Gamilara Phoenix.
“Um.” The phoenix said as it worked his way out of his mage’s pocket.
“Dragon?”
“Think smaller.”
“Numbul?”
“Well, I suppose that's a possibility too.” Matthew said with a slight grin on his face as he imagined the villagers running from a small rodent that would've probably turned to stone at the sight of them. The small ball of feathers and fire that was Blueberry wasn’t exactly made for combat, but he always helped to improve his magi's mood. A talent considered priceless to those who had to deal with the its mage.
“What now?” The bird chirped curiously, flying up to Matthew’s shoulder and cozying up to the side of the man’s neck. Making sure not to burn him, of course.
“Now we follow the trail of ashes and find the overgrown lizard. If I'm lucky, that is.” He replied and started following the trail of burn marks left on the side of the houses.
A dozens houses down and the group stood in front of a house with its doorway burnt down and a trail of charcoal leading inside. Matthew and Blueberry followed the trail indoors, while Wisp stayed outside. Most of the living room furniture on the inside had obviously been put through some fire damage, and as soon as he turned to look he saw the culprit.
“Anaugi.” Blueberry remarked quietly, correctly naming the creature in front of them.
“Yep, the poor thing. Must’ve hitchhiked on a caravan or grown too big to be a pet, and come inside looking for warmth and shelter. Poor thing is lucky to be alive.” Matthew said as he crouched down next to it and began to cast a heating spell over the pale, slumbering creature.
Almost as soon as the spell was cast, the creature groggily opened its eyes and looked at the pair hovering over it with a groggy expression.
“Big Anaugi.”
“Certainly bigger than the ones I’ve seen at the keep. I guess I can see how the villagers could confuse… her for a dragon. Sorta.”
~~~~~~
“I’m assuming this is your dragon?” Matthew asked as he lead the Anaugi by a loose harness constructed of rope
“Yes. Why exactly did you bring it here.” The villager from earlier responded, eyeing the reptile nervously as the Magi drew closer to the barn.
“I’m taking her back to the keep, and I need to borrow a wagon, or a sled, so I can get there before she freezes to death.” He replied, swearing he could feel Wisp glaring at him as the word “wagon” fell out of his lips. He made a mental note to give the Peseldelo a nice meal once he got back.
“S-sure. There’s one in the barn, right this way.” The villager responded nervously and began to jog to the farm. Matthew moved to follow him but was stopped by a rather short teenage boy with a bag slung over his shoulder. “Sir can you take me with you? The keep teaches mages right, and I have magic so please just take me with you.”
Matthew sighed, hoping this kid wasn’t just wasting time that could be used to get to his warm bed faster. “Alright, what makes you believe you have magic.”
The boy’s brown eyes lit up with hope, and he quickly removed his gloves. Slowly he managed to summon a weak flame within his palms that threatened to go out with the winter wind. The feat seemed to take a toll on the boy as his breathing became heavier, but he held it until he was sure that the mage had had a good long look at it.
“Alright, come help me get the lizard on the wagon.” Matthew said, running his hands through his black hair while he wished he could still be warm and lazy in the keep.
"What are we naming her?" Blueberry asked, referring to the Anaugi.
"Nothing, we're not keeping her."
"Orange?"
"No."
"Olive?"
"No."
"What about Dragon? Everyone thought she was one."
"Don't encourage him, boy."
"Dragon!"
Matthew sighed. This was going to be a very, very long trip home for him.
Thank you for reading!
