Behro by Firelight, pt. 2
Mar. 10th, 2010 09:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
windhoverApologies to the f-list for the spam; I just want to get these re-posted asap.
earlier that day…
Three months after the Queen’s defeat, former First Angel Aimhlaide sat in a quiet café in the human city of Behro, going over the notes for his most recent assignment.
After the Queen’s assassination, Aimhlaide had rather suddenly found himself without a place in the world; he had grown accustomed to life aboard the airship Russati, and the comforts it offered. But the things he had been forced to do as the Queen’s right-hand-man had never quite sat right with him, and she had taken an unnatural interest in his tendency to go berserk… He felt no pain over her death, but it had been a long time since he was last free to do whatever he pleased, and so he had yet to settle into any position. He still wandered Anaaius, even though it was growing more dangerous with the Silver Dragon’s ever-increasing power…
His eyes narrowed. The Silver Dragon had tricked the once-invincible Queen into allowing him to enter Anaaius, and had accordingly slain her when he lost any use for her.
The Silver Dragon was certainly no stranger to Anaaius, not by any means; over two thousand years ago, when the dragons were the dominant, most populous race of this world, the Silver Dragon was a powerful god, and the de facto ruler of the dragon race. However, humans and kitsune—the “fox people,” as they were called—began to enter Anaaius, led by their patron goddesses, Amaterasu and Inari. They soon outnumbered the dragons—as well as the other “higher species,” the Sages and feni—and their presence infuriated the Silver Dragon, who set about a plan to expel the lesser races from Anaaius for eternity. But there were other dragons who felt no ill will towards the other races, and thought that coexistence would be more convenient; they banded together and overthrew the Silver Dragon, forever exiling him from Anaaius. Afterwards, the group of five that originally rebelled against him, known as the Shi Tennin, rose to become the new gods of the dragon race.
But all this time, the Silver Dragon had been plotting his return to power…and now he was finally able to enact it.
Aimhlaide, meanwhile, wasn’t entirely sure exactly why he had taken on this mission. While it was true that the Silver Dragon had killed the Queen with his own hands, Aimhlaide felt no exceeding desire for vengeance. Except… The look on Estara’s face, as the Queen’s persona died away with the rest of her body—
“Please… Avenge me…my Angel…”
Aimhlaide inwardly grimaced. He never knew why Estara had been so taken with him, except that it might’ve had something to do with the Queen’s sick interest. There was only one person he could ever devote himself to, and that…
“Excuse me, sir, but do you plan on ordering, or should I ask you to leave?”
Aimhlaide looked up at the waitress, who was standing expectantly with an annoyed look on her face. It was the third time so far that she had come around. “Yeah. Get me another glass of water.”
She was holding a tray in one hand, and she moved the other to her hip. “Water here is free, so technically you’re not ordering anything.”
“Then I’ll pay you for a coffee. Just leave me alone for a while.”
She gave an exasperated sigh and stalked away, leaving Aimhlaide to study his notes. He wasn’t sure why he had been hired for this mission; his employer, the organization called Orion, had plenty of capable agents, and with their level of reconnaissance, they were surely aware of his past with the Queen. Also, there were far more strategic places for him to be posted in order to intercept the Silver Dragon’s attack, and it seemed unlikely that he would target such an out-of-the-way building…
The bell at the door tinkled, and two figures entered. Aimhlaide glanced up to see them, but immediately turned away, praying he would remain unnoticed. As they walked past, he decided it was safe to risk another look.
The taller man had a confident stride and a young, handsome look to him, even though Aimhlaide could tell his human appearance was merely an illusion. His sleek, silver-white hair was carelessly tied back at the nape of his neck, and fell elegantly to the small of his back, spilling messily over his shoulder; he briefly lowered his sunglasses, revealing slitted pupils and pale blue eyes. The shorter man appeared to be much younger, probably in his late teens or so; he walked with a cocky swagger, and his lean, lithe frame was slightly slouched. His short, coal-black hair was streaked with white and blond, and his eyes, though initially appearing human, were colored bright gold.
There was no mistaking the identity of the older man, but the younger one… He was sure he had seen him somewhere before… Wary, he decided to listen in on their conversation.
“Tch… Hey, boss. When’s our brawn gonna show up?”
“Have patience, little Yuki,” the older man said quietly, without turning to face him. “He has his own duty to perform for now. When he is done, we shall know.”
Yuki, the Silver Dragon’s highest-ranked subordinate. Despite his age, he was exceedingly skilled at stealth magicks and renowned as a master thief. His exact lineage was a source of mystery, but he was known to have dragon’s blood, which explained his alignment with the Silver Dragon.
“Man… He sure is taking his sweet time,” Yuki growled. “A Sage, man… You sure we can trust him?”
“He won’t break his word. Of that, I am sure.”
A Sage… Aimhlaide felt uneasy. He had only ever known three Sages, and while he could be certain that two of them would never pose any sort of threat to him, the third… He sincerely hoped it wasn’t him.
“Well, he gives me the creeps. Always so quiet… Damn, it’s like he’s trying to sneak up on you!” Yuki shuddered. “Say, boss. What are we doing here, anyway?”
“No reason.” He turned on his heel and started to walk out, Yuki following close behind. “This little café… It’s awfully tacky.”
He glanced over his shoulder, and for the briefest of fleeting moments his gaze met Aimhlaide’s. Aimhlaide could detect a hint of a smile on the Silver Dragon’s lips.
The fifteen minutes that passed after they had gone were the some of the tensest that Aimhlaide had ever experienced. The Silver Dragon obviously recognized him, and Aimhlaide couldn’t tell what he was planning. When would the first attack be? Did the Silver Dragon know of Orion’s plan? Did he even know that Aimhlaide was involved with Orion in the first place? He couldn’t leave the café, in case there was someone lying in wait for him outside…but, then again, what if the café itself was a target—?
“Here.”
He snapped back to reality and discovered that a cup of coffee had been placed in front of him. He looked up to see the waitress from before. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“You said you would pay for a coffee,” she said with a shrug, “so I figured I’d get you one anyway.” She paused. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
Aimhlaide glanced up at her again. She was a pretty young thing, with dark hair in a short bob and bright brown eyes. “What?”
“Um, well… You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to…” She fidgeted uncomfortably. “Are you… Are you a…a dragon?”
He paused, and found himself suppressing a laugh. “No, no… I assure you, I am nothing of the sort.”
“Oh… Okay.” She seemed relieved. “I-I was just wondering, because… Well, I’m not from here originally—I live in Anchor…”
Aimhlaide figured that small talk might help him calm his nerves, so he decided to humor her. “Why are you in Behro?”
“I’m not that talented,” she said sheepishly, “and I couldn’t find any work in the metropolis… For now, I’m just a class-C migrant worker until I can find something permanent. But, anyway, I’d heard that dragons were starting to make trouble in Anaaius, and I thought… Well, with your aura, I can tell you’re a non-human—right?”
He looked out the window, answering her question with a single nod. He wondered what the Silver Dragon had in mind.
“Right… You don’t see a lot of those in Behro anymore. They don’t have to hide themselves in Anchor, but they’re still pretty restricted… Sorry, I’m rambling again. Anyway, I’ve gotten pretty good at reading auras, but yours… I just can’t tell.”
He was only paying half attention. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, so… I don’t want to seem rude, but I was curious… What are you?”
Aimhlaide blinked. The question did seem extraordinarily rude coming from a resident of Anchor, but he supposed that her stay in Behro had softened her sensitivity. He continued to look out the window, and smiled. “I am—”
He was interrupted by a deafening explosion and the sight of a building just down the street suddenly in flames. He stood up at once, alarmed; it was obviously the Silver Dragon’s doing, but why had the attack been made so soon?
“Whoa, what was that?!”
Aimhlaide glanced back over at the waitress; he had nearly forgotten her presence. He glanced back up to the burning building just in time to see a long, sinewy serpent wheel out of the smoke and direct his reptilian gaze towards the café. He saw white light gathering around its form, and knew that they were all in grave danger.
“Get down!”
The next thing Aimhlaide became aware of was an immense, crushing pain in his back, and the smell of smoke. He opened his eyes to see the waitress’s frail, human body beneath him, her eyes squeezed shut in fear. Her quivering told him she was still alive.
Damn— Why was he wasting time with this?
He gritted his teeth and braced himself, then flared his power to free himself from the debris that had been pinning him down. He stood up hazily to find that the entire building had been destroyed, and the likelihood of other survivors was probably nil. He heard explosions in the distance, and serpents darted across the pinkish sky like insects. He looked back down to the waitress, who saw the destruction with fearful eyes, and extended his hand to her. She took it, shakily pulling herself to her feet.
“What… What just happened…?”
Aimhlaide still gazed out at the city, searching for the Silver Dragon’s location and trying in vain to quash his growing urge to protect the waitress. Her death would mean nothing to him, nor his mission—she was merely collateral—and yet…
If she died because of him… It wouldn't be something he would want, would it?
His eyes narrowed. A cold expression came over them. “Behro is under attack. You have to get out of here.”
“What? Wait, what about you?”
Aimhlaide turned away from her. “I have a mission to complete.”
Without another word, white wings unfurled from his back, a sword appeared in his hand, and he ran towards the carnage.
The waitress watched him leave, and calmly dusted herself off. She checked her pocket to make sure her communicator hadn’t been broken in the blast and ensuing chaos, and, finding it perfectly unharmed, switched it on.
“Auster, come in—it’s me. … The angel? He’s gone. The post was just destroyed, but I’m all right. Awaiting further orders, sir.”
earlier that day…
Three months after the Queen’s defeat, former First Angel Aimhlaide sat in a quiet café in the human city of Behro, going over the notes for his most recent assignment.
After the Queen’s assassination, Aimhlaide had rather suddenly found himself without a place in the world; he had grown accustomed to life aboard the airship Russati, and the comforts it offered. But the things he had been forced to do as the Queen’s right-hand-man had never quite sat right with him, and she had taken an unnatural interest in his tendency to go berserk… He felt no pain over her death, but it had been a long time since he was last free to do whatever he pleased, and so he had yet to settle into any position. He still wandered Anaaius, even though it was growing more dangerous with the Silver Dragon’s ever-increasing power…
His eyes narrowed. The Silver Dragon had tricked the once-invincible Queen into allowing him to enter Anaaius, and had accordingly slain her when he lost any use for her.
The Silver Dragon was certainly no stranger to Anaaius, not by any means; over two thousand years ago, when the dragons were the dominant, most populous race of this world, the Silver Dragon was a powerful god, and the de facto ruler of the dragon race. However, humans and kitsune—the “fox people,” as they were called—began to enter Anaaius, led by their patron goddesses, Amaterasu and Inari. They soon outnumbered the dragons—as well as the other “higher species,” the Sages and feni—and their presence infuriated the Silver Dragon, who set about a plan to expel the lesser races from Anaaius for eternity. But there were other dragons who felt no ill will towards the other races, and thought that coexistence would be more convenient; they banded together and overthrew the Silver Dragon, forever exiling him from Anaaius. Afterwards, the group of five that originally rebelled against him, known as the Shi Tennin, rose to become the new gods of the dragon race.
But all this time, the Silver Dragon had been plotting his return to power…and now he was finally able to enact it.
Aimhlaide, meanwhile, wasn’t entirely sure exactly why he had taken on this mission. While it was true that the Silver Dragon had killed the Queen with his own hands, Aimhlaide felt no exceeding desire for vengeance. Except… The look on Estara’s face, as the Queen’s persona died away with the rest of her body—
“Please… Avenge me…my Angel…”
Aimhlaide inwardly grimaced. He never knew why Estara had been so taken with him, except that it might’ve had something to do with the Queen’s sick interest. There was only one person he could ever devote himself to, and that…
“Excuse me, sir, but do you plan on ordering, or should I ask you to leave?”
Aimhlaide looked up at the waitress, who was standing expectantly with an annoyed look on her face. It was the third time so far that she had come around. “Yeah. Get me another glass of water.”
She was holding a tray in one hand, and she moved the other to her hip. “Water here is free, so technically you’re not ordering anything.”
“Then I’ll pay you for a coffee. Just leave me alone for a while.”
She gave an exasperated sigh and stalked away, leaving Aimhlaide to study his notes. He wasn’t sure why he had been hired for this mission; his employer, the organization called Orion, had plenty of capable agents, and with their level of reconnaissance, they were surely aware of his past with the Queen. Also, there were far more strategic places for him to be posted in order to intercept the Silver Dragon’s attack, and it seemed unlikely that he would target such an out-of-the-way building…
The bell at the door tinkled, and two figures entered. Aimhlaide glanced up to see them, but immediately turned away, praying he would remain unnoticed. As they walked past, he decided it was safe to risk another look.
The taller man had a confident stride and a young, handsome look to him, even though Aimhlaide could tell his human appearance was merely an illusion. His sleek, silver-white hair was carelessly tied back at the nape of his neck, and fell elegantly to the small of his back, spilling messily over his shoulder; he briefly lowered his sunglasses, revealing slitted pupils and pale blue eyes. The shorter man appeared to be much younger, probably in his late teens or so; he walked with a cocky swagger, and his lean, lithe frame was slightly slouched. His short, coal-black hair was streaked with white and blond, and his eyes, though initially appearing human, were colored bright gold.
There was no mistaking the identity of the older man, but the younger one… He was sure he had seen him somewhere before… Wary, he decided to listen in on their conversation.
“Tch… Hey, boss. When’s our brawn gonna show up?”
“Have patience, little Yuki,” the older man said quietly, without turning to face him. “He has his own duty to perform for now. When he is done, we shall know.”
Yuki, the Silver Dragon’s highest-ranked subordinate. Despite his age, he was exceedingly skilled at stealth magicks and renowned as a master thief. His exact lineage was a source of mystery, but he was known to have dragon’s blood, which explained his alignment with the Silver Dragon.
“Man… He sure is taking his sweet time,” Yuki growled. “A Sage, man… You sure we can trust him?”
“He won’t break his word. Of that, I am sure.”
A Sage… Aimhlaide felt uneasy. He had only ever known three Sages, and while he could be certain that two of them would never pose any sort of threat to him, the third… He sincerely hoped it wasn’t him.
“Well, he gives me the creeps. Always so quiet… Damn, it’s like he’s trying to sneak up on you!” Yuki shuddered. “Say, boss. What are we doing here, anyway?”
“No reason.” He turned on his heel and started to walk out, Yuki following close behind. “This little café… It’s awfully tacky.”
He glanced over his shoulder, and for the briefest of fleeting moments his gaze met Aimhlaide’s. Aimhlaide could detect a hint of a smile on the Silver Dragon’s lips.
The fifteen minutes that passed after they had gone were the some of the tensest that Aimhlaide had ever experienced. The Silver Dragon obviously recognized him, and Aimhlaide couldn’t tell what he was planning. When would the first attack be? Did the Silver Dragon know of Orion’s plan? Did he even know that Aimhlaide was involved with Orion in the first place? He couldn’t leave the café, in case there was someone lying in wait for him outside…but, then again, what if the café itself was a target—?
“Here.”
He snapped back to reality and discovered that a cup of coffee had been placed in front of him. He looked up to see the waitress from before. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“You said you would pay for a coffee,” she said with a shrug, “so I figured I’d get you one anyway.” She paused. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
Aimhlaide glanced up at her again. She was a pretty young thing, with dark hair in a short bob and bright brown eyes. “What?”
“Um, well… You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to…” She fidgeted uncomfortably. “Are you… Are you a…a dragon?”
He paused, and found himself suppressing a laugh. “No, no… I assure you, I am nothing of the sort.”
“Oh… Okay.” She seemed relieved. “I-I was just wondering, because… Well, I’m not from here originally—I live in Anchor…”
Aimhlaide figured that small talk might help him calm his nerves, so he decided to humor her. “Why are you in Behro?”
“I’m not that talented,” she said sheepishly, “and I couldn’t find any work in the metropolis… For now, I’m just a class-C migrant worker until I can find something permanent. But, anyway, I’d heard that dragons were starting to make trouble in Anaaius, and I thought… Well, with your aura, I can tell you’re a non-human—right?”
He looked out the window, answering her question with a single nod. He wondered what the Silver Dragon had in mind.
“Right… You don’t see a lot of those in Behro anymore. They don’t have to hide themselves in Anchor, but they’re still pretty restricted… Sorry, I’m rambling again. Anyway, I’ve gotten pretty good at reading auras, but yours… I just can’t tell.”
He was only paying half attention. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, so… I don’t want to seem rude, but I was curious… What are you?”
Aimhlaide blinked. The question did seem extraordinarily rude coming from a resident of Anchor, but he supposed that her stay in Behro had softened her sensitivity. He continued to look out the window, and smiled. “I am—”
He was interrupted by a deafening explosion and the sight of a building just down the street suddenly in flames. He stood up at once, alarmed; it was obviously the Silver Dragon’s doing, but why had the attack been made so soon?
“Whoa, what was that?!”
Aimhlaide glanced back over at the waitress; he had nearly forgotten her presence. He glanced back up to the burning building just in time to see a long, sinewy serpent wheel out of the smoke and direct his reptilian gaze towards the café. He saw white light gathering around its form, and knew that they were all in grave danger.
“Get down!”
The next thing Aimhlaide became aware of was an immense, crushing pain in his back, and the smell of smoke. He opened his eyes to see the waitress’s frail, human body beneath him, her eyes squeezed shut in fear. Her quivering told him she was still alive.
Damn— Why was he wasting time with this?
He gritted his teeth and braced himself, then flared his power to free himself from the debris that had been pinning him down. He stood up hazily to find that the entire building had been destroyed, and the likelihood of other survivors was probably nil. He heard explosions in the distance, and serpents darted across the pinkish sky like insects. He looked back down to the waitress, who saw the destruction with fearful eyes, and extended his hand to her. She took it, shakily pulling herself to her feet.
“What… What just happened…?”
Aimhlaide still gazed out at the city, searching for the Silver Dragon’s location and trying in vain to quash his growing urge to protect the waitress. Her death would mean nothing to him, nor his mission—she was merely collateral—and yet…
If she died because of him… It wouldn't be something he would want, would it?
His eyes narrowed. A cold expression came over them. “Behro is under attack. You have to get out of here.”
“What? Wait, what about you?”
Aimhlaide turned away from her. “I have a mission to complete.”
Without another word, white wings unfurled from his back, a sword appeared in his hand, and he ran towards the carnage.
The waitress watched him leave, and calmly dusted herself off. She checked her pocket to make sure her communicator hadn’t been broken in the blast and ensuing chaos, and, finding it perfectly unharmed, switched it on.
“Auster, come in—it’s me. … The angel? He’s gone. The post was just destroyed, but I’m all right. Awaiting further orders, sir.”
