Yes. Another Keep story. I blame Phoenixwildfire for the inspiration.
Also, just to get this cleared up, while most of the characters and critters here will be from MS/MS based, some will not be. This is just a personal twist and it's something that I feel will give the main male character more depth and more of a tragic past.
AND if I ever stop posting for long periods of time, feel free to PM me and nag. :sadtard: I probably stopped 'cuz I'm lazy like that. I can also post the characters as they appear if people so desire. Also, sometimes I will tweak critter colors/appearances to suit me.
I may also use strong language.
EDIT: This is Consort - Link The artist is DarrkestDrow
List of Chunks
Chunk 1 -- this post
Chunk 2
Chunk 3
Chunk 4
Chunk 5
~~~
Consort soared over the Keep, his large black form causing some alarm amongst the smaller prey creatures. Despite the fact that Pegasuses were reputed to be sweet and gentle creatures, he was mean and nasty tempered, and wielded a sharp tongue. His master was the only person he was kind too, and even then just barely.
Lucian watched from his room in the Keep. He wished he could join his friend in flight. He hated being at the Keep. Too many formalities and human females. Of course, most everybody in the keep thought he was human, so the petty females that often gathered around him didn't know what they were doing to him when they flirted. He just wished he could go home his castle in the northern part of the Alasre Mountains.
But no, Archmage Thane was suspicious about the Dark Brotherhood and their connection to all the disappearances of some stupid travelers. Lucian thought, scowling. He knew who was killing the travelers, and it certainly wasn't the Dark Brotherhood.
Consort hovered in front of the window, the wind from his flapping ruffling Lucian's black hair. Consort's icy blue eyes looked at Lucian curiously. "Thane is here with the leader of the Brotherhood. You might want to go down to the waiting hall."
Sighing, Lucian left the window sill. Another long day of questioning. He knew who was killing all of the travelers, but he suspected Thane was just trying to get somebody to fess up. Tossing on his black robe, Lucian left the room and practically glided down the hallway to get down to the waiting hall.
Hazel raced out the stairs. Archmage Thane was here with the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, Doug. She will get him to fess for the crimes of the Dark Brotherhood. Her parents were victims of the killings, their lifeless bodies found on the trails, bloodless and horribly tortured or viciously ripped apart before they died. Hazel felt tears falling down her face as she entered the hallway... and collided with Lucian.
They both fell to the ground in a heap. Lucian struggled to sit up, holding his head and glaring at her with his dark indigo eye. She shivered slightly; Lucian always stuck her as slightly... off. Hazel glared back in turn, her tears forgotten. She hoped that he didn't notice her tears.
"Watch where you're walking next time!" She snapped, struggling to get up.
Hazel shivered again as she felt a cold wisp of air against her neck. "Maybe you should be more polite to your elders, little girl." Lucian hissed. "Or next time, all your pretty red hair will find itself on fire."
Hazel watched Lucian glide down the stairs, his pale, almost white skin seemingly absorbing all color from the torches and reflecting back. If she didn't know better, she would've swore that he wasn't human. She raced to catch up with him.
"It's not polite to threaten people like that Lucian. Besides, you can't be any older than I."
Lucian eyed the short human. She wore the green robes embroidered with brown, which meant she was strictly an earthmage. His black, markingless robes didn't mean anything to the other magi. Even those that dabbled in the dark arts marked their robes. He followed his own rules, and as such, he picked his own colors, even if nobody else could see them. He looked sober in contrast to her bright colors. His hair was black where her was red, her eyes a tawny yellow where his were dark. Even her skin was a beautiful tanned color. She infuriated him. He really wanted to take her to his castle and have his way with her. Her blood was bound to be delicious.
"I am far older than you might think, girl, you had better lighten up and be respectful." Lucian hissed. Hazel thought she saw fangs.
The pair reached the waiting hall at the same time. The Archmage and the elder mages of the keep were already there, waiting for them. Hazel was the strongest Earthmage in the keep and was personally wounded by the killings, which were the only reasons why she was allowed to these meetings. Lucian was mostly an enigma to the other magi, but most of them knew of his tendencies to use sorcerers' magic, despite the fact he was a certified mage.
"Ah, here you are!" Thane said. "We were beginning to wonder if we needed to send somebody up. Let's get started."
Lucian and Hazel sat with the other magi, facing the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, Doug. He was tall and pale with fair hair and sharp eyes.
"Doug," Thane started, "What do you know of the killings?"
"Only that the Dark Brotherhood is accused of doing them, and that they tend to happen near Arkene." Doug relied frostily. This wasn't the first time he was brought here. "And, as I keep telling you, it is not I or the Brotherhood that is doing them."
The debate went on for several hours, Hazel the loudest voice. Lucian looked bored as he sat in his chair. He rarely spoke at these debates, nor did he particularly care for them.
"You know," he started, his icy voice silencing the debate, "Doug obviously doesn't know anything about the killings. Just please send him on his way and figure out something else to try and find the killer. These debates are old and wearisome, and unlike the rest of you apparently, I have a large amount of creatures at home that demand my attention." He stood up to leave, fed up with the debates. He was going to leave whether Thane liked it or not.
Thane glared at him. "Well, Master Lucian, what do you have in mind?"
"Send some magi up there where the killings happen most often. I'm sure that they'll be able to figure out what's going on." Lucian said.
Thane thought about it. "Fine. You can go, as well as somebody else."
Lucian whirled around. "What?" He demanded, shocked.
"Your keep isn't that far away, so you'll be able to do whatever it is you need to do and help find the killers as well." Thane said reasonably. "Surely it won't kill you to do it. I'll even lend you one of the magi here to help. Who wants to go?" he said to the crowd in the room.
Nobody volunteered right away. Hazel slowly stood up. "I will go, Archmage." Her eyes flat. "I will find the ones who killed my parents."
Doug also spoke up, much to the surprise of everyone. "I will also send my son, Kaden, with. He would like to find the one who killed his mother."
Hazel and the other magi stared in surprise at Doug.
"You didn't tell us that," Thane said mildly.
"You never gave me the chance," Doug said dryly.
Lucian hissed in displeasure. He hated strangers in his home, and it was going to be hard to keep his human form for much longer.
"Fine. But they will be the only ones allowed to come with." Lucian glared at everybody in the room. "You have one hour to pack and pick which critters you wish to bring. Make sure you pack warm clothing." Lucian stomped out of the room.
Hazel glared after Lucian. Bastard. She left the waiting hall and ran to her room, leaving the other magi breaking up to go about their studies. Reaching her room, she flung open the door and stomped in. Silver chirped at her friend curiously. The gryphon's feathers were a deep, glossy black. Her name came from the fact that her fur was an unusual silver color.
"Silver, we're going to go with Lucian to find out who killed mama and papa." Her voice choked, and the held back tears from earlier came flooding out. Silver padded over to her human, embracing her with her wings. Hazel sniffled, the tears still flowing. "Please help me pack, Silver. We're leaving within the hour."
Doug walked outside the keep to the little camp that his followers had hurriedly set up. A gray blob detached itself from the group to race to him. On it was perched his son, Kaden. Doug raised his hand in a waved, which Kaden gladly returned. Kaden's Tevera enox halted before Doug, pawing wildly at the ground and almost bucking off his young rider. Kaden politely refused to get bucked off.
Doug looked at his son. Kaden possessed the strong, sharp features of his mother, as well as her sky blue eyes and rich brown hair. Kaden was lithe and tall, and he reminded Doug so much of a wild cat.
"Kaden, go pack up your belongings. In an hour you and Red are leaving with Lucian and Earthmage Hazel to hunt down the killers."
Kaden's eyes flashed eagerly. "Yes, father." He wheeled Red around and galloped to the camp, eager to pack. He had waited for this chance, and he certainly wasn't going to pass it up.
Note: Thane, I hope you don't mind the fact that you are a character in my story.
Note 2: Wanna be a character here? Don't be afraid to ask. ^^
