Orchenia glances at the cut wincing.She thought I can't let my guard down now, or I get more hurt. The cat fights with explosions and lights. She tried enclosing herself in darkness bending the light around her away. She silently begged that this might work.

(Don't worry, I'll try :) There's always a first time where I have to try something new, and I'll get better at it)

"Don't yell at me or anything, okay? I'll tell you a story... and you'll understand the problem." He ran a hand through his ruffled hair and leaned against a tree that seemed to randomly appear next to him o3o.

"There was this underground kingdom, where the people lived very well, had high living standards, and everything was awesome. Nobody went above ground, though, since nobody bothered to; they simply didn't need anything from the outside. The kingdom spanned thousands of kilometers underground, so trade was efficient and well, so the kingdom was in short, self-sufficient. The royal family was nice to everyone, and they got along. At least, that was what people thought." He paused, thinking.

"But that wasn't the truth. On the outside, the royal family was perfect, but on the inside... the parents were great, don't get me wrong, but the children... there were two boys, the elder, the prince and heir to the throne, and the younger, the spare. The elder was always mean and bullied the younger, but the younger brother took the blame and kept it inside of him because he had no reason to show his true feelings, so he became rather isolated from everyone and took up the practice of magic. The elder did too, although just to prove he was better than the younger. When the elder was about 19 years old, he bewitched the queen, twisting her mind and making her think that the younger brother needed to die, and so she attacked the younger brother. In self-defense, the younger brother killed his mother. Of course, then the elder brother did a lot of behind-the-scene work and covered up, making it look like the younged brother had murdered their mom. The king was angry, very angry, as you imagine, when he discovered the second brother had 'murdered' his wife, and tried to kill that son, but the elder had everything prepared, and with a smirk, proposed that the younger brother be exiled. So the second brother was exiled, cursed to stay in this black forest until the end of his life. Hundreds of years have passed... and I've gotten no sign from brother, although... he's still out there, looking for his younger brother, wanting to kill the second by his own hand." He finished and took a deep breath, lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The memories are hard on me..." He said as he dropped his hand and looked at you sadly. "That's the problem. People are out for blood, and I can't leave this place... yet."

You head north and enter a lush jungle, leaves and exotic fruits everywhere, bird you've never seen before flutter by over your head, and small critters jump around, chasing each other with high-pitched laughter.

The shadows bend around you, temporarily expelling the light as you land, hard on your side. The sharp blades of light float outside your shadow barrier, restless.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=50963&page=198#1972 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 12/16/2017 at 7:28 PM (Don't worry, I'll try :) There's always a first time where I have to try something new, and I'll get better at it) "Don't yell at me or anything, okay? I'll tell you a story... and you'll understand the problem." He ran a hand through his ruffled hair and leaned against a tree that seemed to randomly appear next to him o3o. "There was this underground kingdom, where the people lived very well, had high living standards, and everything was awesome. Nobody went above ground, though, since nobody bothered to; they simply didn't need anything from the outside. The kingdom spanned thousands of kilometers underground, so trade was efficient and well, so the kingdom was in short, self-sufficient. The royal family was nice to everyone, and they got along. At least, that was what people thought." He paused, thinking. "But that wasn't the truth. On the outside, the royal family was perfect, but on the inside... the parents were great, don't get me wrong, but the children... there were two boys, the elder, the prince and heir to the throne, and the younger, the spare. The elder was always mean and bullied the younger, but the younger brother took the blame and kept it inside of him because he had no reason to show his true feelings, so he became rather isolated from everyone and took up the practice of magic. The elder did too, although just to prove he was better than the younger. When the elder was about 19 years old, he bewitched the queen, twisting her mind and making her think that the younger brother needed to die, and so she attacked the younger brother. In self-defense, the younger brother killed his mother. Of course, then the elder brother did a lot of behind-the-scene work and covered up, making it look like the younged brother had murdered their mom. The king was angry, very angry, as you imagine, when he discovered the second brother had 'murdered' his wife, and tried to kill that son, but the elder had everything prepared, and with a smirk, proposed that the younger brother be exiled. So the second brother was exiled, cursed to stay in this black forest until the end of his life. Hundreds of years have passed... and I've gotten no sign from brother, although... he's still out there, looking for his younger brother, wanting to kill the second by his own hand." He finished and took a deep breath, lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The memories are hard on me..." He said as he dropped his hand and looked at you sadly. "That's the problem. People are out for blood, and I can't leave this place... yet."

Iist pulled Uje (who was probably still in a trance) close and leaned on him while listening to the mage's story. She frowned, a bit angered over the sibling hatred, sympathetic to the younger brother in the story, who was probably the white-haired mage in front of her now. "That's sad...you don't deserve any of that," she commented. "I wish there were a way for you to leave this forest." She wondered if there could possibly be a loophole that could allow him to escape, letting him live longer and stand a better chance against his brother.

She looked back at the pentagram behind him. "So what have you done over the years? What was it that you did just now?"

He winced. "I don't have to stay in this forest, but if I leave... I will be killed. Call me a coward if you'd like, but I want to live long and see the world more, maybe even take a chance at love or something." He smiled bitterly. "I suppose being trapped here is worse than death, but I'm waiting for a day to escape. The spell I did back there was to block scrying... My brother is the hunter, and I am the prey. He tries to track me down with magic like I am some sort of beast, and he wants to kill me. Easy-peasy, so I block his attempts."

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=50963&page=198#1976 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 12/16/2017 at 8:12 PM He winced. "I don't have to stay in this forest, but if I leave... I will be killed. Call me a coward if you'd like, but I want to live long and see the world more, maybe even take a chance at love or something." He smiled bitterly. "I suppose being trapped here is worse than death, but I'm waiting for a day to escape. The spell I did back there was to block scrying... My brother is the hunter, and I am the prey. He tries to track me down with magic like I am some sort of beast, and he wants to kill me. Easy-peasy, so I block his attempts."

"I don't think you're a coward. I wouldn't blame you for wanting that." Iist looked around at the dark forest that surrounded them, which seemed to be the same sight she's seen for many hours thus far. "There's much more in the world and I think you deserve a chance to see it like any other person. Your brother is a monster for trying to hunting you down." She blushed at the mention of love, but she couldn't imagine the mage being interested in a mere human, especially when his life was so tragic. She still wanted to do something for him.

She rubbed her arm. "Well...if it's company that you'd want, and if it's alright for my companions, we'll remain in the forest to look for clues to the Creator's Portal. Do you know your way around this place?"

"I know this place very well... I've been here for what, the recent six hundred years?" he laughed, snapping his fingers as the tree he was magically leaning on disappeared. "I've gotta face him some time if I ever want to get out, but... I don't know. He's powerful, you know. The whole kingdom's behind him. Which means, if you want to help me out, you're going to have to help me overthrow him, otherwise he'll be constantly hunting for me. Plus, if he catches me, I don't know... torture, followed by a public execution? I don't understand why he hates me, but he does."

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=50963&page=198#1978 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 12/16/2017 at 8:49 PM "I know this place very well... I've been here for what, the recent six hundred years?" he laughed, snapping his fingers as the tree he was magically leaning on disappeared. "I've gotta face him some time if I ever want to get out, but... I don't know. He's powerful, you know. The whole kingdom's behind him. Which means, if you want to help me out, you're going to have to help me overthrow him, otherwise he'll be constantly hunting for me. Plus, if he catches me, I don't know... torture, followed by a public execution? I don't understand why he hates me, but he does."

"Sounds like...a hefty order." Iist scratched her head. "I don't think I have the power to overthrow your brother. I'm not a mage. But if I could help, I would." She looked over to Focus and Uje, her companions that held more power than her, but she felt like Focus might not be willing to help him if he wronged her in the past. "I can understand why you're staying here though."

She looked to Focus. "What do you think about all this?" she asked.

As you turned to Focus, you see she's smirking and has raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you like somebody..." She teased, bumping you on the nose with her snout. "He's done stuff to me in the past, but I suppose he has reasons for it... I think it's good. I'm a dragon mage. I can do magic. You guys can fight!"