Kaldon Voidwing's Story

Kaldon glided across the blue black night sky over Meadhold, his black wings fluttering majestically in the wind almost invisible. He pulled them in close and landed on the beach with a muffled thump as he hit the sand. The shores of Meadhold were lined with one tourist trap after another, from ice cream shops and arcades to taverns and fancy beach front restaurants. Kaldon had only one place on his mind, though, and he weaved his way through the tourists as he made his way to a small tavern away from all the major sights of the city called The Baited Hook. He walked into the barely populated bar, the bar tender was a tall skinny woman with long dark brown hair, he green dress hidden behind a stained bar apron that was once white. She was Human in race, native to Meadhold. A tiny bell above the door rang as he walked in.

“What’ll it be?” She asked without looking up from the bar she was whipping down.
“Hello, Brandie. How about some information, oh and an Elven vodka?” Kaldon said in a voice that had a cautious tone.
“You bastard!” She shouted as she looked up at him. “You got a lot of nerve showing up here after what you did to me.” She came from around the bar and slapped him across the face.
“Okay, I might have deserved that.” He admitted, rubbing his cheek.
“Might have?! You left me at the altar you piece of”
“Hey now!” He interrupted. “I didn’t leave you at the altar, it was an arranged marriage and I told you a week before that I couldn’t go through with it.”
“Yeah and now my sister is married one of the worst blacksmiths in all of Bloodcoast.”
“Look, it never would have worked, we didn’t love each other. But, anyway, that’s not why I’m here. I need information. I need to get in touch with Landon. Have you seen him lately?”
“Why do you need to talk to him? That dirty gilled pickpocket hangs out around the tourist bars, you know that.”
“Look, I found something and it’s got some power to it. It’s giving me visions; I need to talk to an oracle.” He said as he pulled out the hilt and showed it to her.
“He was here about a week ago. Is that thing what I think it is?” She said as she grasped the severity of the situation.
“I don't know for sure, but I think so.Did he say where he was staying?” He asked.
“Under the docks by the arcade.”
“Thanks.”
“This isn’t over yet, Kaldon. There’s still the matter of the cancelled wedding.”
“Yeah, sure I’ll talk to you next time I’m in town.” He said casually as he walked out the door and practically ran off to the docks.

"This is....so much better...." Victor murmured, plucking uncomfortably at his shirt. The night breeze blew a salt flavored chill over the three as the trio of thieves meandered down the boardwalk. Victor fought back a pained groan as his shirt rippled against a raging sunburn that covered the majority of his upper body thanks to the mandatory afternoon tanning Kylin had enforced. Even Ro-an had been panting visibly by the time Kylin's interest turned to the array of seafood restaurants in town. It was problematic the way they wordlessly allowed themselves to endure such obvious tests of obedience. He glanced at Kylin, now several shades more caramel than was usual but otherwise sporting his satisfied smile. His narrow eyes glinting in the decorative lighting that lined the shops and taverns. "Why did you have us come here again? As much as I love a...dreamy sun filled vacation....this isn't really my sort of element."

Victor's gaze followed a small gaggle of women dressed still in their bathing outfits with little more than light flowered shawls and skirts to protect them from the chill ocean breeze.

"We needed a holiday...a...refresh so to speak. Enjoy it. Even people like us need to enjoy the finer things in life every once in a while. I bet they make amazing drinks here. I'm in the mood for something tropical. What do you say, Ro? I know you like fish. I bet they have nice draft beers here too." Kylin's gaze flitted from shop front to tavern sign and he nudged Ro with his suggestion. It seemed they ran out of shops on the dock when Kylin brought them to an abrupt stop. "Perfect."

He would choose the most shifty looking shack on the beachway. Victor thought. He didn't complain, neither of them did but as they were about to walk in a very peculiar looking Avian walked out. It was as if a switch had been flipped in Kylin's mind, he shoved elbowed Ro-an roughly causing him to step outside of his path and bump into the man.

"Augh- sorry, my mistake." That scuffle of fur and wings was all Kylin needed to reach over relieve the man of his wallet and whatever interesting thing he kept in his outward pocket. He bounded lightly to the bar without missing a beat to leave Ro to utter his clumbsy apologies.

"Give me something tropical, and the biggest mug of something frothy for the tiger" Kylin beamed at the woman and slid Kaldon's own bills across the counter to her. He slipped the other strange object into his pocket out of view, he'd investigate it later after a few drinks. "What sort of fresh catches do you serve here?"

Kaldon was in such a hurry that he barely noticed the giant tiger therian even after the collision. He certainly didn’t notice the other avian take his stuff from his pockets. He began to run as fast as he could and in spite of the fact that his armor was made from an ultra-light alloy, he still felt slow. His raven-like wings were causing too much drag even though they were pulled in close to his body, they were catching the breeze and trying to lift him as he ran. Finally, he gave up and flung his wings out and flew low to the ground in the direction of the docks, skimming along the surface of the waves as they sloshed along the shore. He saw a light glowing from under the docks and he flew toward it before pulling in his wings once more to avoid hitting the pillars holding the docks up. He walked up to the source of the light; a bunch of nexus crystals in a barrel. Nexus crystals were an abundant gem that emitted a harmless form of radiation causing both light and heat. There was only one person there by the barrel. It was Landon. A skinny, very fit, merman. His hair was a long sea foam green and his webbed fin-like ears pointed out through it. He wore no shirt and only a slightly tight pair of purple shorts. His skin was tan with a greenish hue.
“Hello, Wings.” Landon said in a laid back tone.
“Hey, Gills.” Kaldon joked back.
“So what brings you down my way?” He asked with a seductive tone finding its way into his question. “I’m afraid I don’t have any of the cute little fledglings you have a taste for, but perhaps you’d be willing to get your wings wet?”
“Look, I don’t have time for the usual pleasantries, no matter how pleasant.” He grinned back. “I need to get in touch with an Oracle. You know how to get in touch with a lot of different people, do you know where I could find one?”
“What do you need an Oracle for? I mean, I knew you had expensive taste, but…”
“Oh, for fuck sake!” Kaldon interrupted. “Get your mind out of the sewer. I found a hilt from a blade of some kind, every time I touch it I get these creepy visions of death and destruction. They’re vivid and realistic, as if I were there in person. Only an Oracle can tell me what’s going on.”
“Can I see it?”
“Yeah, here…” He broke off as he searched his pockets for the hilt. “Shit it’s gone! Where could it have… the tiger! He caused the distraction and the avian lifted it.” He suddenly realized what happened.
“Shit, dude. That thing sounds valuable; you need to get that back before he tries to sell it. While you do that, I’ll get the word out in the ocean that I need an Oracle.”
Kaldon flew off back in the direction of the bar. He loaded an image of the hilt from his memory into his optic implant and set it to scan on all visual wave lengths for it. He got to the door of the bar and flung the door open. He scanned the room and found a match in the pocket of the avian he had seen earlier when he scanned him using the x-ray spectrum of his implant. Now how to go about getting it back from him without making a scene.
He walked up to the avian and tapped him gently on the shoulder. “Excuse me, sir? I believe you may have come across something that… I lost. I don’t care if you keep the cash, but I would like the hilt back. It has sentimental value.”

Ro-an grunted in concern the moment the doors to the tavern flung open again and he glanced sidelong at Kylin just as his beer arrived for him. Victor had muttered some nonsense about keeping his head clear for danger and had ordered an iced coffee instead. As promised Kylin twirled a flowery umbrella between his teeth a decorated dish of crab and mussels splayed before him along with some sickeningly sweet beverage in three discernible colors fashioned after the tropical sunrise. Kylin felt the tap on his shoulder and leaned back in his barstool, letting it tip dangerously as he looked upside down at the stranger. He spit the umbrella at his face and smiled teasingly. "Dunno what you're talking about, sir. Want to try some crab? It's really good." He offered a leg to the man balancing effortlessly on one chair leg. Only Victor seemed to have the shifty look of someone with bad news written all over him as he stared at Kalden with his sunken dark eyes, daring him to make a scene in there. Ro-an didn't seem to notice him at all, enveloping his attention over the massive seared fish he had been served.

Kylin let his chair fall back to its natural position and his eyes widened as he stared at Kaldon. "Are those real cybernetics? I've always wanted some! Let me see!" Without warning he leapt to his feet and grabbed both sides of Kaldon's face to bring it close to him. He stared into the man's eyes, turning his face to see where the machine met the man. "You have very nice eyes. Can you see through things??!"

He lowered his voice abruptly to a whisper, an eyebrow arching as his eyes glinted. "Can you see me naked right now? That would be cool. A little creepy though. You're not spying into my pockets are you? I know I did it first but that's unfair, you have robot eyes."

His cheery tone slowly seemed to drip away as he spoke, his smile growing false, making it seem as if if he found out the man had been taking a peek inside he'd poke both of his eyes out. He let the man's face go and leaned back on the bar, crossing his arms. He spoke in a louder tone, so that the nearer people could hear him speak, irritated and offended."I don't know what you mean by hilt, I find it a bit rude you're assuming I had something to do with your misplacement."

Kaldon saw through this avian’s little game. The kid was arrogant and headstrong. He had no idea that Kaldon knew most of the staff as well as half the regulars. The only reason he wanted to avoid making a scene was because he didn’t want to embarrass Brandie. He could see now that, in order to get the hilt back, he would have to take this kid down a peg or two.
After the kid had raised his voice in an attempt to defuse the make a scene, Kaldon gave a huge grin. It wasn’t a normal grin; it was the grin of a confident person who knew more than he let on. He knew it was pissing the kid off as well. He turned and took a seat at the table directly behind the three thieves and took his helmet off which made him look even more intimidating as the scar from his injury was visible from the middle of his left eyebrow to the middle of his cheek. The optic implant was completely contained within his skull and what looked like a blank white lens filled the socket where his eye would normally be.
“Well, as a matter of fact, yes I can see into your pockets.” He sneered at the trio. “I can see the hilt in your pocket, but I can also see so much more. I can see through your fancy armor there, I can also see every major vital organ in your body, as well as both of your friends.” His grin widened as his optic projected little red dots all over the bodies of the three of them. “And you know what’s great about this little thing?” He tapped the optic implant. “It’s not just a tool, it’s a weapon. All I have to do is think about it and you’ll all have so many laser holes in you that you’ll look like fancy cheese. However, there is the matter of the armor you and your kitten there are wearing. If it’s anything like mine, a simple laser would be reflected and we don’t want a bunch of innocent people getting hurt.” Suddenly all the dots disappeared except for a single dot in the center of each of their foreheads that moved along with them as the targets were locked. “You guys know what burning flesh, bone and brain smells like? Do you want to? I mean, I don’t even have to kill you. I could lobotomize the three of you and make a salad.” He started to chuckle at the joke. “Get it? Because I’d have three big vegetables. And that’s just the optic implant, you don’t even want to know what this thing can do.” He lifted his left arm and held his hand in a rigid position, the claws at the fingertips of the armor, though actually a part of the cybernetic prosthetic, looked like talons. His hand then began spinning like a power drill. His tone quickly shifted to a serious one as he stood up and took a step closer to the kid and stopped the whirling hand. "So, fledgling, are you going to hand over the hilt?” He asked as he ran a finger up his cheek to his forehead. “Or do I have to mess up this pretty face of yours?” His tone seductive yet scary at the same time.

For the first time in a long time Kylin was taken completely by surprise.

He hated surprises.

His momentary speechlessness broke immediately however the moment the word fledgeling came sliding out of this Avian's slippery little tongue. Slight strands of his rich cherry blond hair trembled as he straightened his stance his cool blue gaze darkening as he fought to remain neutral in his expression. He could feel so many eyes on him, too many eyes, how had he missed the fact that they were familiar with the bastard. He stuffed his hand inside the turqoise overhang that went over his armored arm and draped partway across his back and yanked the hilt out of the pocket hidden within the ripples of fabric. Victor, who hand put a hand on his own hilt and moved halfway to standing peered over at Ro-an who had clenched his massive paws into fists. They had no qualms with shattering the peaceful controlled environment of the tavern the moment Kylin asked them to

"If you honestly think someone like me is anywhere near comparable to those.....preteen cumsluts you no doubt hire any time your crotch gets clogged you are sorely mistake-..." He gasped slightly and his eyes glazed over as in the midst of twirling the handle between his finger tips something jolted up his arm completely bypassing the wards in his armor and yanking his mind out of the moment. Flashes of images, sounds, smells, and scenes poured directly into his mind and in the moment it took for his grip to fail on the hilt and for it to hit the ground the apocalyptic forwarning was completely transplanted into Kylin's mind. "Ah-...."

He blinked, hard and put a palm to his forehead. "What the......fuck..."

He immediately kicked the hilt across the wooden floor away from himself. "Take the damn thing, it's not worth this shit. Get the fuck out of my face and let me eat my damned food." He made a dismissive swipe with his hand as if shooing an abnoxious stray and sat back at the bar, turning his back to him. He was infuriated. He could feel the bartender's raised eyebrows and Kaldon's amusement. Fucking lasers. Fledgeling. Ugh. Victor sighed and leaned forward on the bar letting his sword arm relax. "We're not finished here are we..."

"Fuck no." Kylin muttered. He was going to have to do a little research that afternoon, and quickly, before the fucker flew on to the next tavern fifty miles from there. If he wanted to pay that little humiliation back he'd have to get three steps ahead. Game on.

Kaldon picked up the hilt from the floor, sure to pick it up using his prosthetic arm. He could tell by the way he trailed off that he had a vision as well, most likely of a similar nature to the ones he had himself. He overheard the spooky-looking one say something about this not being over. He wasn’t terribly worried and he knew that the avian’s friends wouldn’t be able to track him well if he took to the air, and he was hardly the type to do his own dirty work. As he got to the door he briefly considered telling Brandie to cut them off, but he figured they had enough humiliation for the evening.

He walked outside and with a couple of flaps of his wings, he was high into the air. He wasn’t looking forward to where he was going. He hadn’t been there in years, not since the incident. Kaldon landed in the forest at the edge of the town, folded his wings close to his body and made the rest of his journey on foot. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was being followed, but he shook it off thinking there was no way those lackeys could have followed him. After about a mile of walking into the woods, he found his destination. It was a giant tree with a huge root system below. The root system was so massive that it had created a cave below the tree. However, nobody would have known this simply by looking at it. When Kaldon was a teenager he would visit the little ocean-side town every summer at his parents’ summer home. On one of these trips, he had discovered this cave and had set up a holographic projector that was powered by theta crystals which could power a small dwelling like this one, along with the projector, for several thousand years before degrading in power, he enjoyed having a place of his own. He walked right through the small entrance to the large cave by walking right between two big roots even though it looked like solid rock he was able to walk right through the hologram. Once inside the cave he turned on the lights.

Kaldon knew it would be a few days before Landon could get word out about needing an oracle. It would be even longer before he would know if there was even one still alive. He gathered some fire wood and got a small fire going in the fireplace. As he stood there warming himself he looked at the mantle. There, staring him right in the face, was a pain like a fire-dagger to the heart. It was just a simple photo in a small frame, a picture himself and another young man. The person in the picture was his former lover. He was another avian, with a golden shade of blonde hair, thinner and leaner than Kaldon. His skin was a light bronze. His name was Dylex Talon, they met during the great territory war. While Kaldon was in the bases designing weapons to gain the upper hand, Dylex was on the front lines using those same weapons. While in the mess hall one day, Dylex noticed that nobody would sit with Kaldon because he always seemed strange, a little too good at his work and always talking about it. Dylex loved finding out how things worked, especially the weapons he was using in the field. The two became fast friends, and soon after they became more than friends. After the war and Kaldon’s accident, Kaldon had the unpleasant task of telling Brandie that he couldn’t go through with their arranged marriage. She didn’t take it well and, until today, he had tried to avoid seeing her as much as possible. He and Dylex lived there in that cave for about a year, getting supplies from other nearby cities, before the two of them decided to go visit Dylex’s parents in Forestien. However, as they landed in the jungle where Dylex’s parents lived, the two were attacked by a pack of reptilian therians. Kaldon was knocked out first from behind and wasn’t able to do anything to help Dylex. He woke up in the hospital beaten and bruised. Dylex was not as lucky. He was beaten so severely that he had died from his injuries in the night. It was not clear why they were targeted, but all of their money was gone.

Now, as he stood there looking at the last thing he had to remind him of Dylex, tears began to roll down his cheeks. He replayed that night in his mind over and over, searching for anyway he could have saved him, but it didn’t change the fact that Dylex was gone. “I miss you, baby.” He whispered before he set the picture back on the mantle, kissed his fingers and pressed them to the lips of the picture. He turned to go to the bed in the bedroom area of the cave when he heard branches breaking outside. It sounded like something was hunting. He turned out the lights, not that anyone would have seen them, and peered out through the one-sided hologram looking into the night forest using his infrared heat-sensing vision, but saw no signs of anything larger than a raccoon. He brushed it off as nerves and went to bed.

The violent rumble of Ro-an's motorcycle rolled and settled to a guttural purr as he skidded to a stop a mile off from the treeline. He shut the engine off and peered into the wall of shadow before him just as Kaldon disappeared into the trees. It would be easier to tail him now, nothing more than tracks and scent trails, just like he was taught as a cub.

Sure, approaching in a motorbike was the last thing one would suggest in a stealth mission to tail someone but he was after an Avian and no amount of running, even on all fours would keep him in sight. Ro doubted the man was concerned enough to watch the traffic below anyways. He didn't know Kylin. He didn't know what a spiteful bastard he was.

"The man'll learn..." He muttered. Ro-an smirked to himself and climbed off of his bike. He tugged the gauntlets tied to his belt off and slid them onto his paws, clenching and unclenching his fists, ready for a fight just in case. He walked across the clearing separating the road from the trees and followed the light, hardly noticeable trail Kaldon had made beforehand.

"Follow him, and keep him here, whatever it takes" Kylin had ordered. No doubt he was planning to do some recon and research of his own. It was beyond him what it was he wanted with the Avian aside from putting him in his place, but Ro intended to do exactly as he was told.

Ro-an had arrived at the tree with the hologram. He slowed, crouched and narrowed his eyes just as the tip of the man's black wings phased through the false stone.

He waited...for ten minutes...then twenty, then his impatience got the better of him and he stood. As long as the man stayed there in Meadhold he could do as he pleased. Why the hell not see the man face to face. It was the honorable way to go about all this as opposed to sneaking around and ambushing. He rose to his feet, brushed dirt from his shins and strode boldly up to the facade. "Winged man, I know you're here, I'd like to speak to you face to face."

"Winged man, I know you're here, I'd like to speak to you face to face." Kaldon heard a deep voice yelling from outside. How was that possible? How could he have avoided detection? He got out of bed, and poked his head out of the false rock. “Of course, I was just set to night vision, not x-ray. He was behind a fucking rock.” He muttered to himself as he saw the therian standing there. He noticed the gauntlets on the tiger’s paws that had been loosely tied on his belt at the bar.
“So, I’m assuming you’re here because of the incident at the bar?” Kaldon said as he walked out of the cave. He wasn’t exactly prepared for a fight, he’d taken his armor off, which made his cybernetic arm look incredibly out of place, he was wearing nothing but a pair of burgundy boxers as he walked out into the night. He was unarmed, but he knew that feline therians often lived by a code of honor and it wasn’t likely that he would attack an unarmed person.
“Look, I don’t know what that fledgling has on you, but my grievance is with him, not you. He took what was mine, I got it back and that should really be the end of it. Don’t you have some sort of moral code? You know I’m in the right here. Is his pride really so fragile that he would send you to fight me just to get the hilt back? Is his ego so easily bruised?” He took a few steps closer to the tiger. “So how about you come inside and tell me what’s really going on here? I don’t have anything to eat in there, but I could brew up some tea or something.”

"Kylin has nothing but my loyalty, your grievance with him is also with me as should he decide to brawl with you it would be my fists to throw the punches. I didn't come here to attack you without reason or warning, only to make sure you don't fly away." He looked down at his hands and pulled his gauntlets off one after the other before tying them to his belt once more. He put up his empty palms as a show of disarm. "I would gladly accept your hospitality."

He lowered his head to step in being quite a bit larger in height and peered around Kaldon's living space. His gaze hesitating momentarily on the small potrait on the mantle. "Kylin doesn't put effort into anything that doesn't offer him gain. He's a thief but every pocket he dips his hands into has something of intrigue and worth inside it. I fully believe he can measure that worth simply by looking in the face of the man he steals from. When I met him...he'd taken everything I carried with me but what he was after was the iron loyalty of a Nafir tribesman. That was the value he saw in me. Your wallet and even that weapon piece probably held only a fraction of his intrigue. I don't know what it is."

"The fact that you got him to return most of what he stole from you-" Ro-an chuckled as he settled into a nearby seat, "That was actually rather amusing. The hilt....what is so special about it anyways?"

Kaldon wasn’t entirely sure why he trusted this tiger all of a sudden. Maybe it was the fact that he took off the gauntlets, maybe it was that he did in fact have a code of honor. Whatever the reason he knew that this guy wasn’t here for violence.

As the Tiger spoke of Kylin and the way he picked out his targets, Kaldon couldn’t help but wonder what it was about himself that intrigued Kylin, was it the cybernetics, the rare black wings or just his thirst for fun and adventure? Kaldon went about trying to figure out what kind of tea to make and found some mandarin flavored herbal tea in a glass jar in the pantry before he got the water on the stove.
“So your boss, Kylin, he wants you to keep me from flying off, huh?” He said as he briefly sat down. “I guess he’s coming back to get the hilt. Well, I got a couple days before Landon will have any word on an oracle, so I can wait.” He got back up to check the water, it was almost boiling. “He is a thief, and a damn good one too if he was able to steal the loyalty of a Nafir tiger. I’m sure he went about taking it in the most honorable way.” He rolled his eyes with sarcasm. “As for what he sees in me, or what he wants from me, who knows? Although, I guess if he comes back here and still wants the hilt, we’ll have to fight each other. I suppose it’s only fair that you know what you’re fighting for.” He poured the water over the tea filters and the scent of oranges filled the air. He set the cups and pot on a tray and brought it out to the coffee table. “Sorry I don’t have any sugar or honey, I haven’t been here in like eight years and I haven’t had a chance to go shopping.” He sat down again. “Okay, about the hilt. To be honest, I’m not a hundred percent sure what it is, but it has some freaky power to give visions, disturbing chaotic visions that seem to be from the future. Here, try it yourself. I’m pretty sure Kylin had one when he gave me back the thing.” He chuckled as he grabbed the hilt from a small satchel under his chair with his cybernetic arm and tossed it to Ro-an. His eyes glazed over as he was hit with the vision. He took it back from him with his cyber arm. “All cultures have legends, I’m not sure what the Nafir have or anything, but from what I’ve been told every era has come to an end in the same way. A force of evil comes to power, there’s a war or battle, and then a force of good defeats it. Every era has ended this way except for one, the third era. Back before technology had advanced to the level of magic, the most powerful users of the darkest forms of magic got together with the mutual goal of destroying the world and rebuilding it in their own image. They created a sword and imbued it with their powers. They were going to rip a whole into the underworld with it and destroy the world with an army of undead. However, none of them could agree on who was worthy enough to wield the weapon and this lead to a battle between themselves which ended with all of them killing each other and shattering the blade in the process. The wise men of the time scattered the shards and pieces of the blade all over Gialpha and buried them. Each piece is said to be infused with a different form of vile magic power. I believe this is the hilt of that blade and that it possesses the power of vile prophecy.” He sipped his tea and sighed. “So, if this is what Kylin wants, and it’s not just a weird thing for my cybernetics, I’ll give it to him. However, keep in mind that this thing will attract evil. He’ll probably sell it to the highest bidder if he doesn’t get killed by some vile person who actually knows what it is, and you’ll have to live with the guilt of letting it all happen. Or you and your crew could help me find a way to destroy it. Of course that’s if it actually is the hilt of the blade, that’s why I need to talk to an oracle, to find out if it’s the real deal or just some cursed sword hilt.”

"Kylin is the best thief I know." Ro-an admitted, chuckling a deep rumbling laugh. For a split moment, at the mention of the theft of his loyalty he allowed a fond smile to curl the corners of his lips. "Whatever he wants with you I can guarantee it will tickle the competitive edge in you if you have one. He has a way of doing that, in more ways than one. You are obviously far stronger physically and...well technologically, there's no way he is going to accept a basic physical fight unless he knows he has an edge."

For a moment he remembered Kylin's ice blade, he doubted considerably that that alone would be able to dispatch someone with such significant alterations, it would have to be well aimed. His fight with Kylin had been completely without armor, a situation he had manipulated into being by knowing his weakness for honor and a fair fight. He was distracted from his thoughts as the citric scent of tea wafted towards him, strong to his senses but pleasing anyway. He accepted his cup thankfully. "Don't worry about it the natural flavor is well enough for me."

He blew at the steaming beverage and chanced a sip just as Kaldon brought out the hilt and tossed it to him. He caught it and experienced first hand the rush of prophetic visions. His expression darkened as he set the hilt down on the table, not fond of touching the thing. "Yes...historically my tribe has had a...wary truce with magic. Most therians can't make their own magic, only wield it through blades and armor so of course we would have our ledgends warning against it, curses and dark things like that. We value hard work, trade, and technique above any quick an easy magic trick."

He leaned his elbows against his knees and scratched the fluffy soft white fur on his chin as he listened, and nodded sharply. "Yes its very likely he just wants to know enough to know who best to sell it to. I on the other hand...I agree. It should be destroyed. It's near impossible to change Kylin's mind about things once he's set but...I will attempt to change his mind about this. It would be the right decision to help you destroy it...or allow you to at the very least."

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Kylin had found himself in Landon's lap.

Persuasion has many different steps and paths, it was more of a dance or a chess match than it was a well structured argument. When talking to a certain person you must first and foremost know what tickles their giving side. For some it was mutual benifit. For others, kindness and a genuine nature, sometimes it was understanding, sometimes bribery and a firm upper hand, and of course there was also sex.

Kylin was absolutely NOT about to have sex with this sea bastard. He had standards. There is no telling what sort of sea dwelling crabs and parasites he had living in his precious treasure. Or what manner of weird fantasies he entertained, no matter how romantic it sounded, being taken in the rush of the waves it wasn't worth the sand friction and drowning potential and Kylin hated the water.

No, he wasn't going to let him remove his clothing but he'd entertain him some. Landon had his hands in a lot of pockets. Prostitutes on land and sea, thieves like him, mercenaries. If anyone knew anything about anyone it was him so Kylin strode up to him dressed in light airy clothing that bore his light chest the fabric rippling in the sea breeze over his carefully honed musculature, thin and strong. Landon had met him once before and recognized him at once. "Ah, you must be the one who stole from Kaldon..." He'd laughed, his eyes stuck on the striking visage of the winged man in angelic clothing. "A bit chilly to be wearing that, isn't it? Especially for a land creature like yourself. What do you want so late at night?"

"I want to know what you know. Kaldon, the hilt. The visions. He told you to seek an oracle for him didn't he."

Landon merely laughed, sitting back amusedly. "Whether or not he did is no one's business but mine and his."

"Whether or not I do something for you in return is no one's business but yours and mine" Kylin replied. They were silent for a moment, Landon weighing his options. That was when Kylin had strode over and taken a place in his lap, drawing his chin up to look Landon in the eyes. "You're close with him aren't you? Friends? Exes?....no...Friends."

"Associates." Landon said, smiling. "Listen, you have the hilt don't you? You probably know more about it than I do, I haven't even seen it."

Kylin scowled. "I don't have it."

"He's alot stronger than he looks, isn't he. Smarter too." Landon grinned, this irritated Kylin and he stood up, turning his back.

"This is a waste of my time. If you get any news from an oracle you tell ME first. I'll make it worth your while." He fished out his cash card and flashed it at him meaningfully. "My next run is coming in soon I can add 0s to your account as well."

Kylin looped his arm around Pike's and patted his forearm lightly smiling. His tone about as promising as a honeyed dessert. "Trust me you will get what you are owed and more, as long as you leave all my men in one piece."

Victor was giggling, tipsy still. "Ro-an is Kylin's big boy. He's had it for him since the day they met. Strong as hell, could probably punch out those smilers you love so much."

"Quiet, Victor, don't be an ass." Kylin said dismissively. "I'm this close to sending you back to the inn and letting Pike give you a black eye. I have to go there anyways to get some things."

Their detour wasn't a long one, they were staying in a recognizable inn covered in gaudy tourist lures, not a cheap stay, which wasn't unlike Kylin. He liked to indulge on the gold he earned dishonerably. A good portion of the money he'd stolen from Pike abd his own hard work had gone into a vacation rather similar, except with more prostitutes which he'd actually bought for a few other mercenaries. Not to say he didn't join in. They were attractive mercenaries. He had been incredibly disgraceful in his past. Kylin changed, forced a coffee into Victor's hands and had them wait a few moments while he survayed for signs of where Ro-an had gone.

Ro-an's bike was visible in the weeds outside the wooded area that Kaldon hid in. Kylin clambered through the window and explained their heading.

"Aaah right, Brandie'd said something about a house or...tree or something." Victor mumbled.

"You're useless. Stay here, Victor. Even if we did fight you'd probably just fall over. Lay down, Pike and I can handle this, right Pike?" Kylin gifted him a wink and his wings shifted along his back, "I hope you can still keep up!"

Kylin went to the window again and let himself fall backwards out of it, spinning in time to spread his wings and catch lift. A few strong thrusts and he was soaring upwards, more silent than the coastal winds.

----------------------------

Ro-an glimpsed at his watch. "Kylin should be here soon, its half past midnight."

He got to his feet and stepped outside to check, tipping his head up to catch a scent.

“Just like old times.” Pike smiled before jumping out the same window. It wasn’t too high so he landed on his feet. While he was not nearly as fast on land as he was in the water, he was still faster than any human could ever be. He ran as silently as Kylin flew and kept perfect pace with him, though it was difficult to keep an eye on him as they got into forest. He was barely able to see the avian as he soared over the treetops, only occasionally seeing his creamy wings reflecting the moonlight. He found himself glad that it was a clear night. He slowed his pace when he saw Kylin drop down below the tree line and land gently on the ground. He looked at the huge tree and saw a rather large tiger therian standing in front of it. “Oh this must be the Ro-an that the little human was talking about. He is a big boy; I can see why you would have a thing for him. Of course, I can see why he’d have a thing for you as well.” He smiled looking Kylin up and down before laughing. “Ooo, and who’s the big buff avian with the raven wings and the lovely tight boxers? He looks kinda hunky. Is he one of yours as well?” He asked as Kaldon walked out through the false stone door.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kaldon contemplated the possibilities of the hilt falling into the wrong hands. He barely noticed as Ro-an stood up and stepped outside. He came to his senses as the tiger passed through the doorway. He stood up and followed him to see Kylin and an unknown shark coming toward the tree. He leaned in to Ro-an, not taking his eyes off them. “Who’s the shark?” he asked in a hushed voice.

Kylin punched Pike in the shoulder and hissed, "Shut up, it's not like that."

He kept it vague on whether he was referring to his feelings for Ro-an or Kaldon's association with them, it applied to both so perfectly. Pike was not the first to misunderstand the complication that was Ro-an and him. Fact of the matter is it was very unlikely that he'd fall for anyone, especially outside his species. His trust when it came to his body alone was guarded enough, his trust when it came to the emotional side of him was near impenetrable. Ro-an was...close though. He had to admit to himself, on rare occasion that Ro-an's iron clad honor was very appealing. He was incredibly strong, and...well his fur was quite soft and very nice to rest against.

Kylin did not love Ro-an though. Ro-an's love was useful. It caused him to work harder than he himself realized to make the impossible possible and occasionally...that was necessary. He was Kylin's big boy, his big bodyguard. His knight piece out to protect the queen.

"I have no idea who that is." Ro-an replied, his tone as growl as it would get. Immediate distrust caused him to grip the tie on his gauntlets.

"Relax, Ro, he won't eat you unless I tell him to." Kylin said casually striding right up to them. He stood right in front of Kaldon and looked him in the eyes. "We're coming in."

"Ah! Pike-Ro, Ro-Pike. And that's....that's Kaldon..." Kylin explained turning after he'd passed the two. He did allow his eyes to take in the undergarments for a bit. "Aren't you cold? Nevermind you can stay like that. I like seeing where your weapons are."

Ro-an huffed, displeased by Kylin's explanation of Pike. He looked the shark over, words dancing on his tongue causing his whiskers to twitch slightly. "What's your plan, Kylin. It seems like stealing the hilt is rather pointless it's too hot and no one is going to buy a weapon piece unless they know what it does."

"Which is exactly why Kaldon here is going to tell us what it does. So far I know it gives visions which is valuable. Pike here seems to think its a......a...." He looked to Pike. "What did you say it was? Obsidian piece? Obscurian piece? Something valuable sounding."

"Its dangerous, Kylin, we should destroy-" Ro-an started.

"Hold on. What has he told you, Ro-an?" Kylin asked putting his hand up to quiet the others. His eyes narrowed at Ro-an at the possibility of having knowledge hidden from him.

"There are a lot of ledgends out there. This piece is no good for sale. The powers we're dealing with are on a whole different level."

"And not selling it is going to get me what? Good boy points?" Kylin spat. He turned his gaze to Kaldon."Give me one reason the three of us shouldn't just kill you and sell it anyways. For example, do we get to sell you instead, balance the cost?"

A smirk crept across Kaldon’s face, the same smug grin he back at the bar. “Wow, your moral compass only points toward the gold doesn’t it?” He snickered. “You must be the most uncultured avian I’ve ever met. It’s the Oblivion blade, it’s a legend older than the fuckin’ Nocturnal War and you seem to be the only avian to have never heard of it.” He bent down and grabbed the hilt with his cyber hand from under the chair. “As for why you aren’t going to kill me, well, there’s still this.” He projected laser dots on to everyone’s head. “But threats aren’t necessary because, unlike you, I’m a man of honor.” He turned to Ro-an and gave a sympathetic look. “I told you I’d give it to him if you couldn’t convince him to destroy it.” He turned back to Kylin and tossed the hilt at him. “It’s all yours. The hilt, the money you get from selling it, the guilt when you realize that whoever buys it is probably going to try to destroy the world. This is only one piece of the oblivion blade, but if one surfaces the rest will surface soon after. If the blade is re-forged it can be used to open a portal to the underworld. So, by all means, if cash means more to you than the rest of the world, if you can live with that guilt, go ahead and sell it, but you won’t be able to enjoy the spoils for very long.” He turned to Ro-an again. “I’m sorry. You seem to be the only one in your little group that understands the severity of the situation. In another time I would have gladly fought by your side. Men of honor are rare lately. Come and see me if you ever want to get away from him, chances are we’ll all be fighting for our lives soon enough, better to be fighting on the side of honor.”

Kylin looked down at the hilt, heavy in his hands and studied its appearance for once actually looking at it. Ro-an was silent, watching him, he himself seemed to have decided not to respond to Kaldon's remarks, it was Kylin's time to speak.

"I really do hate people like you, Kaldon. All honor and grace until it comes to someone you don't like. One evening and you're ready to leap at the chance to make a judgement on my moral compas and intelligence. I'll wager you expect I used trickery to get Ro-an on my side as well and somehow have him blackmailed to stay with me. What the hell is a warrior like him doing with a low rent thief like me."

Kylin tossed the hilt back to Kaldon and crossed his arms across his chest and chuckled. "Why would you just give something like that up anyhow? Your moral compass must be flawed if just handing something like that over is an ok thing to do in your mind. Especially after you so readily flaunt how disgustingly powerful you are. Somehow standing back and putting your hands up in surrender takes away your guilt. You're not doing this because it's 'the right thing to do'. It's obviously a distraction and a curiosity."

Kylin's gaze flicked around the room until they landed on the photo on the mantle. "A distraction from him maybe?"

He took a few steps forward until he was standing directly in front of Kaldon. He looked him in the eyes, his focus switching between Kaldon's very different looking gaze. "Gold..."

"Tell you what, when this is all over you will pay me. You'll pay me in one kiss. A proper one, on the lips no complaints and no half-assing. I stole from you because you looked interesting, because I liked your stride and I followed you here because you pissed me off with your cocky attitude. There's room for only one narcissist here and that's me. I'll help you destroy the hilt because Ro-an thinks it's the right thing to do and we work together as a team. You don't know it yet but you'll need me. I know a lot about magic-infused weaponry."

“Oh my fucking gods, finally!” Kaldon exclaimed. “Was that really so hard?!” He started laughing. He had hold his sides and laughed for a good five minutes before he saw the confusion on everyone’s faces. He finally caught his breath. “Seriously, this is the first time you’ve been honest with me since you met me. Of course you’re right, my own moral compass would have to be pretty fucked up if I were just gonna hand something that powerful to you and not think twice about it. Thing is, I knew you weren’t as morally devoid as I said you were, I knew you cared about the fate of the world, even if it was just because you live here. The problem was that the only way to get you to be honest about it was to wound your pride.” He chuckled and threw an arm over Kylin’s shoulder. “Good gods that was hard to do, but the morality thing seemed to be the best way to do it. Why else would someone as noble as Ro-an stay with you if there weren’t some good in you? Sure this whole thing is a bit of a distraction and curiosity, but not from Dylex, more from the monotony of my life in the jungle as a weapons smith. As for Dylex, he would have wanted me to be happy and move on. Also that was years ago.” He ran a finger down Kylin’s cheek and gave him a wink. “Oh, and by the way, you better make room, because I’m just as much a narcissist as you are.” He grabbed ahold of Kylin’s blue shall and pulled him close to where his face was mere inches from his own. “Consider this a down payment for helping to destroy the hilt.” He pressed his lips to Kylin’s and forced his tongue into his mouth, giving him a deep passionate kiss. “After we’re done destroying this thing, I’ll give you something much better.” He laughed at the shocked look on Kylin’s face. “Oh and I know you aren’t just doing this because I wounded your pride, or because Ro-an wants you too, but because you know it’s the right thing to do, that hilt needs to be destroyed. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go get dressed.” He walked into the other room and started putting his armor on.

“Uh… what the hell just happened? Did he just pull a 180 on Kylin?” Pike asked Ro-an quietly. “My gods they’re both so screwed up in the head, they’re… perfect for each other.”

Kylin was frozen in place, staring at the spot where Kaldon had just stood the feeling of his lips still fresh in his mind. Speechless, again fir the second time in just one night Kaldon had managed to take him completely off guard. Kylin refused to face Pike and Ro-an until the heat in his face cooled down from the temperature of the sun, but there was no hiding his breathlessness. 'Fuck....get a hold of yourself...' he thought, coldly. He clenched his fists, then let them go, lost as to how he ought to properly react. A shamefully large portion of him was tempted to burst into the back room and interrupt his dressing. He had never felt less sure of his actions before.

Ro-an was furious. He felt immediately the moment Kaldon took hold of Kylin's shawl a mistake had been made in leading them all there. "No." He growled

"They're going to tear each other apart." He stated, for Pike to hear. He turned and left the tree, unable to bear the stench anymore. Ro-an might have been a noble soul but even he was a mere therian man subject to jealousy.

Kylin finally snapped out of his shock and he knocked on the back room door. "So....what is your...grand plan, since you're so sure of all of us. Why are you dressing, its past midnight and we don't have an oracle."d

Kylin was frozen in place, staring at the spot where Kaldon had just stood the feeling of his lips still fresh in his mind. Speechless, again fir the second time in just one night Kaldon had managed to take him completely off guard. Kylin refused to face Pike and Ro-an until the heat in his face cooled down from the temperature of the sun, but there was no hiding his breathlessness. 'Fuck....get a hold of yourself...' he thought, coldly. He clenched his fists, then let them go, lost as to how he ought to properly react. A shamefully large portion of him was tempted to burst into the back room and interrupt his dressing. He had never felt less sure of his actions before.

Ro-an was furious. He felt immediately the moment Kaldon took hold of Kylin's shawl a mistake had been made in leading them all there. "No." He growled

"They're going to tear each other apart." He stated, for Pike to hear. He turned and left the tree, unable to bear the stench anymore. Ro-an might have been a noble soul but even he was a mere therian man subject to jealousy.

Kylin finally snapped out of his shock and he knocked on the back room door. "So....what is your...grand plan, since you're so sure of all of us. Why are you dressing, its past midnight and we don't have an oracle."

Kaldon laughed at Kylin’s question. “Sheesh one kiss and you’re set on keeping me in my underwear. What kind of boy do you think I am?” He opened the door, wearing a different set of armor than before, a lighter set that fit more like normal clothing. He smiled at the obvious look of frustration on Kylin’s face. “My plan is simple really. It’s clear that this is the hilt to the oblivion blade, I think we’ve established that without the help of an oracle. What isn’t clear is how many other pieces are left of the shard and who is looking for them. You say you know a lot about magic-infused weaponry, well here’s your chance to prove it. I’m assuming you can use the hilt to track the other pieces of the blade, so I figure you can prepare for that here, and I’ll go out and get any supplies you need in order to do so. After we track down the pieces, we’ll figure out a way to destroy it then. Simple right?”

Pike followed Ro-an out of the tree. He could see the pain on his face. “You care about him don’t ya?” He asked as he came up next to him. “Sorry to be so thoughtless back there. My big mouth works faster than my brain sometimes." He turned to look the tiger in the face. “Does he know that you care about him? I get that your relationship with him is complicated, that’s the only kind he knows how to have. But keep in mind that Kaldon kissed him, not the other way around. His relationship with Kylin may be new, but it doesn’t negate anything that you two have.”

Kylin's ears went red, again but he decided to ignore the comment. He thought on Kaldon's words, it seemed like a decent plan actually. His brain instantly began filing through his knowledge in search of creating the best spell that would allow them to find the other pieces. It was going to be interesting. He blinked, "Alright..."

Avians largely were not known for being magical creatures, however there were many ways to utilize magic without creating it yourself. It was a taxing business requiring endless patience and intelligence, researching a ritual that actually worked and performing it in a way that is useful for the specific task at hand, Kylin had done so much experimentation and meddling on his own that it became like a hobby of sorting out near impossible jigsaws or completing complex calculus equations. His specialty was of course weapons and armor being that his family had always been elbow deep in the embers of a forge.

Kylin was then pacing around the hollow tree rolling the hilt between his bare palms, examining it as it sent its visions jetting through him. He needed to understand it in order to locate the other parts of it. Who created it? What magic did they use. He could almost feel it tingling against his fingertips, it was as unique as a fingerprint. Every once in a while he paused and listed a multitude of strange items, sounding off as if he intended to make some obscure potion. "I'll need three sprigs of ivy, a fist full of those bloodroot seeds, do you have a fire pit? The fireplace will do just fine. You'll need to stop by the book store and get me the oldest tome they have on the ledgends of this thing. I need to see the stories. If we do this right the hilt will tell us itself."

Ro-an's shoulders slumped slightly as he stared out into the pitch black, he watched a rabbit peer out at him before dashing off into the foliage.

"Of course he knows....He knew more about me than I knew about myself the moment he robbed me." The way his voice broke off was telling, the poor cat was lost to Kylin the moment he set eyes on him. He looked to Pike. "You....me...Victor....we're predictable. He has me exactly where he wants me to be...right beside him and three steps behind. It doesn't take a genius to see that surprise is what gets him fired up."

"But you're right...no man is as loyal as I. I will stand with him....regardless."

Kaldon thought about the herbs Kylin had instructed him to find. He hadn’t been in this forest for years, but, provided there had been no major land development in that time, he was pretty certain he could find them. The ivy was growing on the side of the tree and was no big deal, but bloodroot seeds were harder to find. Bloodroot was actually a large fern that was known to grow around graveyards, the roots of it were a deep crimson red. It was often believed that the blood of the dead was leeched out, giving them their morbid name.

“I think I can find all that stuff, but as for the books, I think I have something better than some old stories.” Kaldon smiled. Though it seemed like he was getting ready for a suicide mission, he couldn’t help but smile knowing that nearly everything he did that was unexpected got Kylin a little more flustered and frustrated and that seemed to be when he was the most himself and the only time his guard was down. He went to an old oil painting on the wall and took it off the wall. There was a small keypad. He entered a short sequence of numbers and pulled open the small door. There were a number of small valuable items in the safe, but he took out a thick book before closing the door again. It had a faded red leather cover and the pages were a sepia tone. It was something that was common among avian families. It was known by many different names, but the most common was the family tome. The book was passed down from one generation to the next and the most important events of that generation would be recorded from the point of view of the owner of the book. The Voidwing tome had been passed down over the course of three eras and nearly nine hundred generations. The book was the tenth volume and the other nine were in is house back in Fogmarch.

“Here.” He said as he set the book down on the table. “I think it’s Jalmor Voidwing’s story.” He thumbed through the book until he got to the second person’s story and it was that of Jalmor. “Here it is, he wasn’t the most noble branch in my family tree, but he did keep good records of everything. I believe he called the whole ordeal the Vile Negation. He was a servant to the vile mage of necromancy. It’s all there in the book, tells the whole story of how all the evil mages had trust issues and destroyed their own creation.” He gave Kylin a pat on the shoulder. “I’m gonna go get the other ingredients. Hope this helps.” He then went out the door and flew off in the direction of the nearest graveyard.

Kylin's expression actually softened when his gaze fell on the book. He gently took it from the table feeling the weight of Kaldon's ancestors in his arms. There was something incredibly beautiful about it, all that history that belonged completely to Kaldon. Kylin's family tome was lost to him, he didn't even recall seeing it among his brother's possessions and his parents...well they'd died a long time ago. He sat crosslegged and ran his fingertips gently over the book's pages. Kaldon seemed to have an uncanny way of cutting through his veil, setting out sides of him he'd taken great care about keeping tucked away especially from strangers like himself. His impulse driven rage, he'd acted without planning properly, without noticing important things, his competitive nature set him on a march to his doorstep and now they were there he was there helping him. What got to him worse was the fact that he didn't know at all if he could trust Kaldon. He was clever, read him like a book, and physically stronger than all three of his precious men, Pike included.

Kylin tensed slightly when Kaldon touched his shoulder, unsure what to expect anymore, but once he left he placed the book back on the table in order to scour the kitchen. "Ro! Come in here I need you."

Ro-an came as he was called,

"Get to your bike, call Victor tell him to bring my coal, some of that Naril dust I have it in a jar in my pack. The incense I got from east Sunrage. I also need him to bring his sword." He paused and glanced around the tree. "Oh and candles. Just grab the whole herb pack I have in the side packet its a little zipper pouch stuffed full, smells like Morrinweed root."

Kylin dumped the rest of the tea from the kettle and set about starting the fire in the fireplace. Ro-an stayed by his side for a moment.

"Kylin-...."

"Ro-an..." Kylin looked up at him, knowing full well what thoughts swam behind his big amber eyes. "I trust you know that I can handle myself, correct?"

"O-...of course I do..."

Kylin got to his feet and looked Ro-an straight in the eyes, his arms crossed across his chest. "You've been with me longer than anyone else has. Pike...knew me before but....you...you understand how I work better than Victor even...You know what my needs are, a challenge like this....Ro-an I have to trust that you can be as strong and as loyal as you've ever been for me. No one can do the things you do."

Ro-an's whiskers twitched but he voiced no response, simply nodding before turning to complete Kylin's request.

Kaldon had flown a good ten miles to the nearest graveyard. He could see the sun beginning to rise on the Eastern horizon as he gently touched down in the graveyard. He didn’t want to come to this specific cemetery, but it was the closest one and time seemed to be a factor at the moment. He looked around the outer edges by the fences searching for any sign of the bloodroot fern. He finally found a small fern in the corner near a mausoleum. He grabbed the leaves and scraped the seeds from underneath into a small leather pouch.
“There you go again, trying to save the world.” Kaldon heard a familiar voice behind him. Kaldon stood up sharply and slowly turned around to see a non-caporal, glowing vapor in the form of Dylex.
“I’m doing what I can.” Kaldon replied. “I wish I could have saved you.”
“There was nothing you could have done, babe. The thugs took us by surprise.” He said as his form began to shimmer out a little bit.
“I miss you. Are you in a better place?”
“It’s amazing, but I can’t rest if you’re holding yourself back because of me. I know you just met him tonight, but it’s clear you like this Kylin guy. The last person to steel from you lost an arm, but this guy got a kiss.”
“He does rile my blood.” Kaldon blushed.
“Look I don’t have a lot of time here, I just want you to know that I don’t blame you for my death and I don’t want you to be so hung up on me that you don’t move on with your life. I’ll always love you and I know a part of you will always love me, but share your love if you find the right person. However, you might not want to move too fast, some guys get scared off by that.” And with that his form faded away.
“I love you.” Kaldon whispered.
He took to the skies once again and flew back toward the tree. The sun was at his back filtered through the trees as he landed in the forest at his treehouse. Pike was still standing guard outside as Kylin hadn’t given him any orders. He grabbed a few sprigs of ivy off the tree as walked into the house to find Kylin still nose-deep in his family tome.
“I got the stuff you asked for.” He said as he put the pouch on the table. “So, where’d you learn all this stuff about enchanting? Avians are usually more attuned to technology than magic. The only magic I know is all the stuff related to alloys and minerals. I couldn’t enchant a sword to save my life, but I could tell you what minerals to use to create a sleeping powder or what metal to make your sword out of to conduct different types of magic.” He chuckled.