The Heroes we Are

by Proud-Dust

Mage and Knight 2

The Heroes we Are: Chapter 2: Mage and Knight: Morning of Interlude

Magic flowed through this room. As easily as air, magic exalted its breath in the workshop of wonders. The workshop was filled with an eerie quiet, as if it was merely the calm before the storm. The sound of mystic elixirs brewing hummed a tune in the silence. The crack of an ashen dawn hadn’t shown its light through the window quite yet.

Noble Colours kept on through with her slumber, sleeping through the hum of the chemicals. On the desk she laid there in a sprawled position, unaware of décor or conduct. It was as if she didn’t care where she slept as long as she had a solid surface to rest her head. The magician remained indifferent to the mannerisms her room had acquired over the years: the crinkle of wore parchment, the boiling of magical liquids and the crank and turn of various contraptions more magical than mundane in use and craft.

Despite this cacophony of tones assaulting her ears, her head remained still. She had gotten used to the sounds that lurked about her workshop for years. She kept on with her eyelids fixed, her nostrils shifting up and down for air and her mouth taking in air and letting out empty words. A husky feel in her throat buzzed through as she breathed. As if she was awake, her mouth slipped slightly into a serene smile. A sluggish magician in a lazy morning, nothing could ruin this idyllic scene.

The thunderous roar of the alarm on her desk pounded down like hammers against an anvil.

A slight acknowledgement of the nagging noise came as her smile turned into a grimace. Her eyelids still remained shut. She moved her hooves, a crick of activity echoing through the workshop, and tried to remember where she had put the infernal contraption. Finally her hooves found the blaring device before her brain could.

Without rhythm, without beat, she started pounding at the enemy of sleep. A brazen force moved her hooves and they started to thrash at the alarm. Signs of impact started to show with each passing hit, the imprint of her hooves showing the extent of her fury. Finally, when it became abundantly clear that her normal wrath wasn’t going to cut it, she cracked one eyelid open.

The sheen of magic enveloped her right hoof and with it, the hoof of destruction mercilessly smashed through the alarm. The crack of gears being smashed apart thundered through the room. The gears and parts shot across the workshop. A clattering sound of the gears landing with a thud became the last melody that the alarm would ever sing again.

A weary groan escaped her lips. She was already awakened up by the raucous ringing of the alarm now. She decided to lift her body off her desk. As her torso moaned a mild discomfort, she considered what her plans for the day would be.

The NMM would probably have a new assignment for her to complete. She had to wake up soon and arrive at the headquarters in a few hours.

The magician of the workshop, with a clearer head than before, opened her eyes to the place she called home for years now. She smacked herself in the head to further snap her head into focus. The aroma of tea lingered in her tongue. The lingering scent of lilies roamed free in her thoughts. The formulas were mulled over in her mind. The incident last night…

The events under the moon were put under the lens of remembrance’s gaze.

A creature darker than the night itself rushed at her, a beast whose skin was as pitch-black as oblivion itself. Its white eyes peered at her with a mindless gaze, engraving its glare into her memory. Using her mystic eyes, she stopped the charge of the beast. It didn’t completely stop the charge of course. The creature was still in motion when she used them. With the crash and crunch of bones and flesh against earth, the beast stopped its mad rush.

Examination of species was still necessary to clarify which habitation it came from. After subjugating the subject, she examined the creature in great detail. With hooves skilled in the examination of creatures of unknown and otherworldly potential, she scanned the body for any clues to its identify.

Nothing, nothing pertaining to any pre-existing species was found from thorough examination. She sighed. It simply meant giving it to the NMM for further research and experimentation. Admittedly it wasn’t so bad, a little discomfort here and a little prodding there. Still, it was a long ordeal and no one loves being exposed to every eye in sight.

She carefully crossed the streets of Canterlot. She had another job to deal with, her original purpose which she forgot for a second. After a while of walking through the darkness of Canterlot, she found two thugs on the street. The moonlight revealed them to be unconscious and badly injured. The brown unicorn was twitching and gasped for whatever air he could get. The grey unicorn was convulsing and moaned a lifeless scream.

She called the others and ordered the capture of the creature and the two thugs, lifting them with magic. With that, they carried them off to the ‘underworld’ of Canterlot. The Noble Magic Ministry, a den of magicians and witches alike all devoted to the words of the Colours family. A place of heresy with conjurers and phantasms alike, all committed to the advancement of magic and the examination of fantasies.

It was a place of infinite discoveries and infinite questions to match the zeal for knowledge. Her brows furrowed with regret. She threw that creature into a den of zealous magicians, thirsty for more of the mystical and mysterious nature of unknown beasts. She shuddered. It’s said that the tireless fervor of knowledge outlast thousands of years with some of its current magicians. Some magicians there are said to have forsaken their original bodies to carry out the pursuit of greater truth and discovery.

Noble sighed. The memories of last night were pushed aside for more pushing matters. She had to leave for work soon.

She decided to leave after applying the right cosmetics. With a weary body, she crawled straight to the washroom she installed a few years ago. She barely used the thing for more indelicate matters. A shower once a day, dapping of blush and curling of eyelashes were what she used the washroom for the most part. It was a rather lavish expense on her part. Yet, as she came out of the washroom, an exotic beauty came out, unspoiled by sleep or weariness. It almost made the waste of bits worth it to allow such a blossoming lily come out.

She walked across the workshop to her wardrobe, clothes do make the lady and these clothes will make her the best lady. Magic glowed its ethereal touch onto the cloaks and robes that made their company in the wardrobe. Finally the hands of magic pulled out a cloak.

A luxurious cloak of ancient design, sanguineous red dyed the salamander skin scarlet. That cloak lay suspended in the air of the workshop. The shine of golden patterns adorned the majestic ensemble through the edges. The insignia of the scarlet lily was laid on the center of the cloak, outlined by the gold features.

She wore the cloak with pride in her heart and strength in her soul, a refined flower in the magician’s workshop. As she fitted the blood dyed cloak on her, she picked out a flower out of the vase on her desk, the one decorated with scarlet lilies. She picked out one out of the grandiose vase. She placed the lily onto her mane, a red flower blossoming on a golden landscape.

After the fitting of the cloak, she fastened the cloak with her chain, petal patterns linking the two red flowers in place. Satisfied with her appearance, she went out.

The crack of a new dawn gave her a cordial greeting, her face coated in a new day’s light. She trotted across the stone laden streets. A wave of faces greeted her as she carried onward to the headquarters. But they weren’t those of greeting or acknowledgement.

Stallions and mares were charmed by the otherworldly beauty. A mare whose allure was paralleled by only gods was the sight their eyes were fixated on. This was not some perverse attraction, only a creature of unequalled grace could attract the sight of every eye in sight without fail.

Her footsteps echoed through the streets as if her presence captured even the air around her. They carried her to the construction site that had been worked on for months now. A theatre was apparently being built here. She graced her eyes to the toil of the burly stallions working on the stage.

The pieces of fresh wood were suspended by magic alone, the unicorns dutifully doing their job. The pegasi soaring about were putting the finishing touches on the theatre’s roof. The earth ponies were sweating through the carrying of more wooden planks. It seemed like a united front on the ponies’ part.

She waved a genial hoof to the workers, even giving a little air kiss for their efforts. A gesture that told more of her personality than the lavish cloak fluttering gently in the dawn’s wind would tell.

The construction workers’ hearts were captured by the mere acknowledge of the regal beauty. Some of the unicorns dropped their heavy wooden planks onto the heads of still gobsmacked earth ponies. Some pegasi stopped fluttering in the air and dropped down. The shock dropping the pegasi’ mouths and allowing them to eat dirt as they landed head first.

She chuckled a bit at the show of folly, an amusing bunch they were. She grinned at them with her dazzling pearly whites. The majority of them fainted from it, their infatuation-filled skulls crashing down on the earth. Some of them managed to say an eloquent ‘uh?’ as their mouths laid open for the world to see.

She turned around and curled her mouth upward, an unseen smile. She cantered along the stone-paved streets. She went about a few meters when she heard a familiar sound. Whistles, a symphony of lewd infatuation ringed through the street. Sometimes some of the construction workers would even follow her at times. She knew the construction workers did it out of playful affection. She didn’t care. She welcomed this more than the beauty captured eyes that followed her everything she went.

Her hooves carried her forward, the headquarters expanding as she got closer. She then took a scenic route. She still felt some eyes looking at her. She spotted an alleyway and decided to take the unorthodox path. She walked into the belly of Canterlot, the alleys, and let the shadows take her in.

The stench of rotten apples, long forgotten by neglectful ponies, filled her lungs. The sight of garbage bags, the seams being gnawed away by waste’s corroding taste, became her world. The silence of the alleys would tell exactly how many people walked through here. The scraps of crates, paper cups filled with black sludge and ooze that resided on the ground told her how decrepit these streets truly were.

She tried to ignore the unpleasantness of this place. A silent mocking curse passed through her mind. How fallacious to push away the ugliness of this when she was about to do worse. Her footsteps stopped short and with that, the sounds of footsteps long overlapping with hers echoed long and clear through these desolated streets.

She smiled with just a stretch of her lips extending. She would give them a moment of respite before they spoke. She turned around. Her eyes saw two unicorns draped in pitch-black cloaks with deep blue trims on their edges, the kind of cloaks unsuitable for summer mornings.

The same fabrics found on the magicians they put in jail last night. She narrowed her eyes. The faces and color of their coats were obscured by the alley’s shadows. The one on the left was of a stockier build, his cloak barely fitting him. The other one on the right was lankier, his cloak lightly fluttering through the alley. She cleared her throat to let them speak their demands.

The stockier built unicorn stepped forward, a tiny gesture that took the tone of this confrontation.

“You put our agents in jail. We would like to respectfully ask you to let them go.”

Noble’s face remained passive. She knew this conversation would start like this. She did silently laugh a little at how transparent these ponies were. Depending on how she reacts to this might decide if this turns violent. With that in mind, she kept her silence.

The unicorns remained adamant in their demands, staring her down. The unicorn that spoke continues onward.

“We are working a glorious cause. The more you resist it, the more you resist the path to true salvation.”

Noble started to feel an annoyance towards these loose lips. Her hooves remained fixed on the ground, to stop her from smashing their mouths. It took all she had to keep herself from ruining her chances at more information.

“Why do you not understand the glory of our dream? The gravity of our salvation outweighs the needs of the royalty. Why do you not understand that?”

Noble bit her lips, her teeth digging into her flesh. Whatever words would come out of her mouth now would only contain mocking spite. Whether she could keep her silence would decide how this would end.

“Join us, Noble Colours, in our dreams of saving the world.”

Noble took her silence far enough, a small chuckle escaped her lips. The laugh came out slowly but surely bursting out of her lungs. She took great pleasure at the looks of her confused confronters. Jeering words spat out of her lips like acid corroding flesh.

“Glorious? Salvation? Please. The fact that you feel the need to skulk in the shadows means you’re ashamed to show off your true colors. You’re not saviors. You’re cowards and bullies gathering under a banner of self-proclaimed salvation.”

That set them off, she thought. She couldn’t see their faces but the feral snarls coming from their capes were a fair clue to assume agitation. They started to crouch down their legs, ready to strike. A sneering growl escaped those obscured lips. She narrowed her eyes, the prelude to a fight.

The well-built unicorn on the left projected a glow, its horn brandishing intent to kill. Noble knew that the unicorn was enchanting its hooves to smash straight through flesh. The thinner unicorn on the right unleashed its light, the respite before a fight. A blinding light shined and a sword materialized. A simple tool perfect for cleaving limbs off faced the scarlet magician.

Noble knew the conduct of violence far too much. She knew the conduct of mages and magic wielders far too well. Knowledge of tactics, habits and rules of magi were merely some of the tools she needed to subjugate them. She, who inherited the name ‘Heretic Hunter’, was a terror who could purge all mages.

This fight… wouldn’t require any of that expertise at all. She didn’t need to face them as a magus. Simply forcing them down was good enough for these hoodlums. The stale alley air was suffocating. The air filled with the tense nature of anticipation. She let one breath of air into her lungs to signal the start of the brawl of spell casters.

The sword wielding unicorn rushed first, the cleaver upraised to tear her head off. A furious wind screeched as the violent blade swung through.

Too easy, Noble thought with a clear head. She easily side-stepped the sword and smashed her hooves against the side of the blade. The cold steel shattered far too easily, the particles lingering in the stagnant alley wind.

The now weaponless unicorn gaped in surprise. Noble took note of that. Apparently, they didn’t research all of her abilities. This would make it much easier for her then. The thinner unicorn took a few steps back, the sign of retreat.

The muscular unicorn on the left charged forth, a ferocious wind lunged at Noble. A strong hoof that could destroy flesh was thrown with merciless precision, aiming to obliterate Noble’s heart.

Noble read the charge with perfect clarity and proceeded accordingly. Her horn shined a brighter light in the alley. Magic reinforced her hooves in a spell that would match the rushing hoof coming at her. She punched at the charging menace, preparing to test her mettle at the opposing hoof.

Two hooves rushed through the air, the moment before victory or defeat for both of them. The collision of flesh against flesh smashing at each other echoed a resounding crack in the desolated alley.

However…

“-Herk!?”

The victor remained standing, the loser crumpled to the ground. The pain of having the bones in his hooves shattered compelled the downed unicorn to howl in agony. His ally bore witness to this display of pain and began to retreat a few steps even further, poised for an uncertain retreat.

Noble stared at the two unicorns in silence. Two thugs barely prepped in a fight of magic going up against her? It was a foolish idea with a predictable ending.

She started to leave, she had nothing left to spare for these two. Her footsteps resounded through the empty alley. She left behind the unicorn still mulling his poor life choices and the one retreating-

She went about three meters before a sword swished past her cheek.

She turned her head sharply, only to nearly meet a sword straight at her. She twisted her head away from the blade, only letting the blade draw a smidge of blood from her face.

Her eyes diverted to the unicorn shooting these edged arrows. The gaunt unicorn she thought had retreated had simply retreated to a magic contest of long range. Out of thin air they were conjured, blades of average craft. These blades, aiming at her head, were shot with a certain precision unlike the unicorn’s prior timid actions. They sliced through the air and bustled through with a violent force.

One by one, the arrows darted through, launching at Noble to pierce her flesh. She knew these attacks were no longer the rash actions of a thug. These were the calculated actions of a magus. Pragmatic and efficient were the use of these arrows. To the grasp of a magus, magic becomes a child’s toy. A magus is one with power to mold and craft weapons and tools made to further one’s goal.

Noble knew it was the time to unleash her true skill as a magus. Against this rain of blades, she emptied her mind of all distraction. Molding her mind into a state of focus, she began an incantation to accelerate her ritual. With a clear head, Noble chanted a spell to protect her from the bolts launched to tear through her skin.

“Ignis!” Noble called out. The lorica echoed. She felt the weaving of magic surging through the outer part of her salamander skin cloak. The rise of temperature tingled out the air. The flames came out young at first. They cried with a timid bawl before roaring with a vicious wrath. The flames trailed through her cloak with a raging fury. They emanated a ferocious inferno able to melt any metal that bore its edge at Noble.

As the blades came in contact with the raging flames, they dropped like flies. As they fell, only a slightly melted surface coated their edges. The irritating odor of melted steel filled the stale air. This scene, like the monotony of everyday life, repeated for a long time. Only when the shower of swords stopped, did Noble release the unwavering flames from sight.

Noble arched her eyebrows. This pause wasn’t the kind that invited a foolish offense. She noted the huffing of the lanky unicorn, his body lagging up and down in exhaustion. He was spent in terms of magic energy, a magical gem exhausted of stored energy. Noble darted her eyes to the downed unicorn still clenching his broken hoof. She finally got them.

Noble walked closer, her hooves advancing towards them. Her eyes narrowing the further she stepped forward. When she finally came close to the downed unicorn, her eyes peered into the two, as if peering into the ugliness of their hearts.

“You tell your organization that I’ll be hunting them down to the ends of Equis. That, no matter what atrocity they commit, the eyes of the Heretic Hunter will always follow onto them. I will be waiting at the end to serve as judge, jury and executioner to them… understand?”

A gulp and nod from the both of them gave the only approval Noble needed. She turned away from the two thugs. Her footsteps were the only sound the alleys cared to echo. As she walked closer to the streets, the rays of a morning’s sun bathed her in the warmth that the alley would never carry.

Noble wasn’t naïve, she knew that she had let two agents of an evil organization go. She knew she could have arrested them. She also knew that the other agents would respond in kind by wrecking havoc on the townspeople, prompting the release of those earlier and recently incarcerated. It was better to keep a lower profile of prisoners. It wouldn’t matter how well-disciplined the organization was, there were always a few bad apples in the orchard.

There was also the matter of their injuries, let them report their scuffle and her shown abilities. Let the report lure the others into a false sense of security. She welcomed the possibility they would attack her, thinking that the injuries she caused were the full extent of her magic. An unfortunate realization awaits all foolish enough to face her.

Lastly, her threat against the organization gave them a name to concentrate their rage and frustration. Let them oppose her, face her and understand defeat by her. She should be the only target they need to go after.

A smile crossed her face. The magician crossed the streets with a sense of a job well-done in her heart. Finally her hooves took her to the NMM headquarters. The place she considered kind of like a second home. The rustic feel that emanated from the building, the aged wooden exterior for all eyes to behold, the grainy touch of the door when you opened your eyes to a new world inside. All that and the piney scent she whiffed from afar reminded her that this was a home away from home for years now.

The rough feel of the door became a touch she’d been accustomed to for years now. The first time she opened the door, the prick of unfamiliar touch had bitten her. Now the feel of the door became one of the reminders that told her she was back to the same place she’d been to for years.

The door swung open, she opened her eyes to the same sights she’d seen yesterday morning. The same old countertop for serving drinks to any patrons who came by. The same black leather chairs and sofa for clients to get comfortable on top of the red carpet draped on the floor. The same bright light that tried to give warmth to the room, but instead added to the air of a cultured room shined at her.

Even the same dragon behind the bar counter was wiping the countertop, the same dragon whose presence has remained a fixation around here. A dragon with bloody crimson scales, stained by past experiences, and fangs and claws that told too much of the life he led before today. Now his claws were wiping the stains of yesterday with a simple cloth. He heard the door open and turned his weary eyes to the sight of Noble. An aged smile creased his face.

“Good morning, milady,” he said with a genial humility. Noble raised his head high to meet the dragon’s smile. It wasn’t that hard to begin with, this dragon was woefully under the average height of an average dragon. A runt of his species, he was only an underestimated 7 ft 11 inches. His head couldn’t even reach three quarters to the ceiling. His wrinkled wings were shrunken from a long life and probably wouldn’t even reach the ceiling if he spread them out. What he lacked in stature, he more than made up for in age.

“Good morning to you as well, Firebrew,” Noble returned the greeting with a courteous reply. This old dragon had been in her life even before she was born. Firebrew was like an uncle to her, always ready to impart words of wisdom to her. He was honestly the only adult of her current age that Noble let into her life. Even then, the relationship wasn’t of a special nature of sorts. He was bound to the Colours family. The words he gave her were no different from the ones he would give to another family member. A cold feeling breezed through Noble’s thoughts. It’s better this way.

“How are the prisoners?” Noble inquired. The ones she and the rest had captured last night.

Firebrew looked her straight in the eyes, “The two thugs are reflecting their actions in a cell as we speak and as for the creature last night…” He looked rather cross with Noble. Noble knew that face. The face he gave when he was about to scold her. “Now, Noble, I’ve always supported your justice but weren’t you a little rough with him?”

Noble gave Firebrew a withering glance. “That’s none of your business.”

Firebrew stood his ground. “He deserved basic kindness.”

Noble said, “You think I didn’t give him that?”

Firebrew arched his scaly brow. “Perhaps it must’ve crashed down the ground like his body did,” he said with a straight face.

Noble stood there with a look of feigned indignation. This was a regular occurrence when she was scolded by Firebrew. He would reprimand her, she would tease him and he would say something so straight-laced that she had nothing to say to that. “Whose side are you on? Where’s the unwavering loyalty?”

Firebrew stood up straight. “I own my loyalty to one pony of the Colours family, and that pony is not you.”

Noble sighed. She honestly could say nothing to such a serious statement. Any teasing remarks out her mouth now would strain the relationship. This wasn’t the first time he reprimanded her. All she could do now is apologize and make reparations. “I’m sorry, Firebrew. I guess I forgot myself then.”

Firebrew relaxed his stern look and gave a humble bow, “As long as it doesn’t happen again, milady.”

A regretful sentiment brushed Noble’s thoughts. “I can’t make any promises.”

Firebrew brushed that comment aside, “There is always merit in trying, milady.”

Noble smiled, a bitter expression painted her face with the color of melancholy. “Don’t I know that…” she mumbled to no one in particular.

Firebrew kept his silence. He knew far too much about the emotion behind those seemingly careless words. He knew too much of her life to mistaken such sentiments for anything less. He knew better than to disrupt her moment of contemplation. Noble stared into space for a while, long enough for Firebrew to go on finishing the last few polishes of the countertop. After a while, Noble snapped her head to focus and turned her attention at Firebrew once again.

“Any new requests?” she asked with a professional tone.

“Not at the moment, milady,” Firebrew answered.

“Have you heard from Gleamed Jewel?” Noble pressed on.

“I haven’t heard from the Jewel family yet, milady,” Firebrew continued to answer.

Noble muttered a silent curse through her mind. It had been five days since she asked for a favor from the Jewel family and, still, they haven’t opened their doors or hearts to her. Then again, she resigned herself to the fact that the nobility had superficial relations between each other. A darkly humorous irony passed through her mind, the great Canterlot nobility couldn’t even spare the compassion for one favor.

“Thank you, Firebrew, now if you’ll excuse me…” Noble headed for the inner door. The door in front of her, on the opposite side of the outer door, opened to a corridor that the usual client wouldn’t have the authority to enter. She inched closer to the door with every groan of the floor. She stopped just short of the door.

“Firebrew, it would be in your best interests to disregard any voices you hear soon,” Noble suggested to him in a commanding tone.

Firebrew tilled his head and scratched his worn ears, “I’m sorry, milady, would you kindly repeat that? My age has apparently told my ears the news early,” he said in such an innocuous tone.

Noble smiled. Firebrew was always like this. She could only hope that he would never change in the future. As she started to open the door with her magic, she turned to him. “I’ll give him your regards as well.”

“Who exactly, milady?” Firebrew called out mildly with a smile that betrayed his intentions. Noble had to hand it to him. He always knew how to follow through, a true follower to the end.

The door flung out with an abrupt breeze, her magical grip opening the door. The sudden motion allowed the air to circulate in this stuffy room. Noble walked past the door, only a creak whining in the air as the door slowly closed. Noble continued onward.

She opened herself to a dimmed hallway. She took a few steps before revealing herself to the light of the corridor. The corridor led left to the upstairs and right down the dungeon. Wooden doors with a polished sheen surrounded Noble. A shining light coated the corridor, the light reflecting off the polish of the wooden doors. A name and a department title were engraved into the walls beside the doors. As she walked right, towards the dungeon, she noted the various departments passing her eyes: Tempest Talon – Weather Manipulation, Spook Speak – Soul Magic, Autem Mort – Miracle Invocation, Messiah Seer – Divine Thaumaturgy.

As she walked towards the stairs leading to the dungeon, the creak of a slightly opened door groaned across the corridor. Noble frowned slightly. Damn it, Messiah, why can’t you learn to close a door properly. Noble walked past the door opened by just a crack and continued downstairs.

The groan of her footsteps against the wood echoed through the dungeon as she descended down the stairs. She finally reached the stone floor of the dungeon. The same feeling she had, every time she came down here, encroached her, the initial chilling touch of the stone as it slowly warmed with every step of her hooves.

The glow of candles brightened the dungeon, greeting her eyes to the sight of five jail cells. Noble walked past them, iron bars separated her from those captured. She chuckled. They were reinforced with multi-layered magical enchantments able to weather brutal punishment, but they were iron bars nevertheless.

She first visited the two ruffians from last night. They occupied the second cell from the left. She stopped short of their cell and examined their condition. The brown one was still sporting a swollen bruise on his face, the purple spot overlapping with the natural brown of his coat. The grey one was still asleep, a drought of calm clouded over him.

Her expression darkened. The fact that villains, like these, still existed irritated her. She had lived a few years now, years devoted to hunting mages of unfathomable terror, beasts that forced fear into weak hearts and demons whose list of cruel deeds stretched past their life spans. Not once, in these years stained in blood and tragedy, did Noble resign herself to evil nor turn jaded at its existence.

Noble’s purple coat bristled violently. Noble took note of that. Perhaps this was an omen, she thought. She stopped examining the two agents and started for the creature from last night. The very end of the dungeon, where the last jail cell was, was where she found him laying there.

She crept closer at the bars and waited for his awakening, her eyes lingering at the creature’s unconscious demeanor. His eyes were closed and it was as if he was hugging himself for warmth. He looked so peaceful, the kind of experience you would only get from an out-of-body experience.

Noble wondered what he was thinking in that head of his. From the expression only, Noble guessed he was thinking about halcyon days. Nevertheless, she waited, the day growing wearier with the dripping of wax from the suspended candles keeping light. The crack and cackle of soft embers with the ongoing tap of fresh wax hitting stone reminded Noble of the time she spent down here.

A groan came first. A twinge of consciousness moved the black being on the other side of the bars. His movements were accompanied by the rattle of the chains. Noble watched as the creature sluggishly opened his white eyes, darted them all around the cell, and finally fixed their gaze at her. They stared at each other for quite a while until she spoke.

“I am Princess Noble vi Colours and I would like to ask… what ARE you?”

Comments

[Horatiojones]

Proud, I just, you know, love this.
I mean, seriously, this imagery is intense.
Though, I will admit, your story is going to have be very long, if this is what occurs in this amount of words.
Not that that's a bad thing

[AppleTank]

So Colors found Notus after he got punted?

[Glassed]

Too many details for my tired eyes
Great story bro. If I had anything to add, it would be that you maybe could do a bit more in the dialogue-department.
Description and details are important, but there IS such a thing as going overboard.
-Glassed

[kragor]

I demand moar!
This story is amazing!

[RealityDowngrade]

My goodness, I feel so bad that I haven't read this sooner, but it's just so jarring to read something where the author goes, "You know what, screw the unintelligent, smart people can read too." In short, it's quite... refreshing to see something that agrees that I have at least some level of intelligence, and makes a story that is rather pleasing to read to boot (don't get me started on ones that know readers are intelligent and DON'T make an interesting story *cough* most "literary classics", especially those that are called so by pretentious yuppies now-a-days *cough* )

[Judoon_Warrior]

Is this story dead?

[GarrusVakarian]

3625512
I'm gonna go with yes