• Solo • Smoke and Darkness, Part 2

[Doran]

Part 1

Vhalar 65, Arc 720

The son of Ziell had been dreaming of an alternate version of Viden for a couple of cycles now, a Viden that occasionally resembled the real world to such an extent that he would have wondered if he had inherited his father’s gift of prophecy, had been able to remember things more clearly.

In that alternate version of Viden, a mysterious faction had risen from the shadows. One of their assassins had almost managed to kill the Chancellor of the Academy of Viden, an elderly Eidisi by the name of Sheud Fahe.

Their ultimate target was none other than Yvithia herself though, Doran’s Immortal aunt.

They wanted to make the city theirs.

Furious, because they dared to touch his home and target his family, Doran had decided to stop them – and gather allies. There were few people that he could trust though. One of his most surprising allies was Smoke, a former enemy of his, an Yludih poisoner who had suffered at their hands.

Sometimes, the Mortalborn dreamed of this dark Viden several nights in a row, and sometimes, entire seven-trials passed, and the story hardly ever continued where it had stopped.

Sometimes, the story continued a few breaks or even a few trials or cycles after the previous installment.

And sometimes, it did not seem to be linear at all, but suddenly switched to an event in the past.

Such things don’t matter as much when you are dreaming a non-lucid dream and the memories of said dream are hazy at best when you wake up though.

[Doran]

“Master, I hope that you do not mind me asking, but do you really think that this woman can be trusted?” Elias, Doran’s oldest servant that had worked for him since Etzos where he had been worshipped as a hero for something that he regretted deeply nowadays asked. “You were the reason she was sent to prison once. I cannot imagine that she doesn’t still bear a grudge”, the dark-haired, dark-eyed human remarked.

“I do think so”, the son of Ziell replied in a calm tone of voice. He was not mad at the mortal at all for asking such a question. On the contrary, he appreciated the fact that he thought about such things. Having said that, he gave Elias a sign to follow him down the hallway, away from his study where Smoke was staying, for the time being, and to his laboratory.

“She wants to stop them just as much as I do, and besides, I gave her a truth serum in order to verify her claims”, he revealed at which Elias’ eyes widened briefly. “I ask you to keep an eye on her nevertheless while I’m gone though”, he continued. “I trust Smoke, as much as I anyone can be trusted in these times, but she has a tendency to rush into things head-first, without thinking about the consequences.”

“If she tries to leave, even if it just is to get a few things from her place, stop her. I do not think that she fully realizes how dangerous Viden is right now”, he remarked. Smoke had been the one who had told him about the plans to kill Yvithia, but the Yludih poisoner sometimes lacked a bit of common sense and possessed a fiery temper.

At this point in time, it was impossible to tell who in Viden could be trusted and who was in league with them or already being controlled by them. It was entirely possible that they would try to capture her again the moment that she left his home and the wards that were keeping them all safe so far.

He was just about to open the door to his laboratory and walk in, when he noticed the questioning look that Elias gave him and raised an eyebrow fractionally as a consequence.

“Where are you going, Master?” the mortal asked. “If I’m allowed to know”, he added, aware of the fact that the Mortalborn kept a few secrets, most of them out of necessity.

“Scalvoris”, he replied curtly. “I should be back before the end of the trial though. Do you remember Alannah? I want to try and recruit her to our cause, and see if I can track down that man that I met in the Sweetwine Woods, while I was harvesting reagents.”

“He might be able to help us as well”, he explained before he hesitated for a moment and finally spoke, knowing that Elias would likely be confused about that. “I did consider contacting Yvithia directly, but it is entirely possible that they are keeping an eye on her and on everybody that tries to contact her – and will try to stop them.”

“When I arrived in Viden, all those arcs ago, my aunt already knew that I was there before I revealed my presence to her. It seems as if they managed to keep their presence from her so far, maybe because she never recovered from that disease completely. She might still be watching me and eventually try to give me a sign though”, he mused, furrowing his brow very lightly. He didn’t like that he had to rely so much on guesswork and vague hypotheses rather than facts when it came to this conspiracy.

And besides that, assuming the Immortals’ intentions and trying to predict their behaviour struck him as wrong as well, almost as a sign of arrogance and blasphemy, in fact. Yvithia had not regained her full strength after that peculiar disease that she had suffered from though. She was still quite weak.

Maybe, he realized, that was why they had decided to strike now, while the city’s leader was not at her full strength, and while people were distracted by those peculiar weather phenomena that had begun to take place on a regular basis, including the storm that had caused the device that they had implanted in Smoke’s arm to malfunction.

When Elias had no more questions, but simply inclined his head, he finally entered the laboratory in order to take a few items that might be of use to him with him to Scalvoris.

But a few moments later, he left Idalos and stepped into the world of dreams. Emea was one of the few places where they were unlikely to be able to watch him and follow him.

With that thought in mind, he made his way through one of the doorways and to an old friend.

[Doran]

When the son of Ziell exited Emea, he found himself in an office which came as a relief. He had been worried that he would appear at Alannah’s side while she was teaching a class, or in a meeting with her colleagues – or worse yet, while she was with her partner, although he considered the likelihood of the latter being the case to be rather small.

He let his gaze drift across the relatively plain furniture and the shelves filled with books for a few moments before he turned to face the single occupant of the office, just as she became aware of his presence. Their eyes met, and a moment later, the red-haired human woman that sat behind the big desk at the window abruptly dropped her pen.

“Professor Thetys”, Alannah’s voice trembled just a little bit before she regained her composure. “I didn’t know that you would be visiting me to-trial, otherwise I would have made preparations. You said hat you wouldn’t travel to my brand unless it was …” She paused for a moment and narrowed her eyes. “Did something happen? Is there anything that I can do for you?”

“I need your skill as a cryptographer and linguist”, the Mortalborn spoke in a serious tone of voice and inclined his head in a greeting. “Something is happening, something quite concerning. So far, only Viden seems to be affected, but I do not know if it will stay that way. I would not ask you for your help if there were another way”, he added.

Alannah met his gaze for a moment before she abruptly rose from her chair, walked over to the door and locked it. Having that done, she sat down again and told him, “Now, we can talk. This does not sound like a conversation that should be interrupted by anybody. What exactly is happening in Viden, professor, and what can I do for you?”

“You helped my family and me a couple of times since that trial. I’m happy to finally be able to return the favor”, she added before she gestured for him to start speaking.

[Doran]

They spent almost half a break talking, quietly, so that nobody that walked past the locked door would be able to hear them. Every now and then, Alannah asked a question, but for the most part, she listened attentively and with a serious expression on his face. Finally, she penned a note for the Dean, that an urgent matter had come up, and that she would have to take some time off before they walked to her home so that she would be able to get a few things.

Before long, they were on the way to the Sweetwine Woods, to meet with another acquaintance of Doran’s, a man that simply called himself “Wolf”. Most of the residents of Scalvoris simply knew him as a recluse that occasionally sold wood to the various townships, but the Mortalborn was aware of the fact that he was so much more. He was intricately familiar with the wilds, with rare and obscure creatures, and a survivor through and through.

His knowledge of the flora and fauna of Idalos would be invaluable.

It was just as the hut where he lived came into view that a message reached Doran though – he had given Elias one half of a set of magical scrolls before he had left Viden. Something had happened. There had been an explosion at the Halls of Ivy. It seemed as if he had less time than he had thought – if the explosion was indeed related to the conspiracy.

It was just then, as the dream had was at its most exciting, that the Mortalborn woke up, as one sometimes did, furrowing his brow slightly as he wondered about it. Even as he left his bed in order to get dressed and start the trial - he would have to be at the Academy early, as a science fair was taking place there - the memories faded though.

[Avalon]

Review Rewards

Name: Doran

Points awarded: 10
Magic xp:None

Knowledge:
Non-lucid dream

Skill Review: Non-lucid dream


Notes:
Oh my! Conspiracies abound! I love this take on non-lucid dreaming. Your writing of the npcs, especially the depth and detail, are amazing - as always. I love learning bits and pieces about character's npcs (in this case - Elias) and even though it was a non-lucid dream, I really enjoyed reading him.

Your writing of Doran always leaves me satisfied. The word choices are wonderful and there is such a subtle nuance to his personality that I find intriguing. I always want to know more about him and you help bring out that curiosity in the reader.

The description of this alternate Viden was vivid and well-crafted. Great job all around!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!

Avalon