wickedfangharpg - Tumblr blog

wickedfangharpg · 1 month ago

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Tfw you touch a magic mirror and find out the hard way that you're not human, and now there's a chance that a demon is going to find out and murder you about it (so relatable) (happens all the time smh)

Biiig chunk of story under the cut! (this isn't anywhere near all of it btw 🤣 There's just so much I can't put it all in one place like that XD)

Characters:

Daros Fallow (Right) Alex McArthur (Left) [Belongs to FearOfFaith ]

As the sun began to show itself and bathe the room with its light, the scent of food cooking filled the air from the kitchen. Muffins, sausage, bacon, something maple, and most prominently apples, most likely baked into a sweet treat.

It was around this time when Daros had made his way back to Alex, offering a soft greeting as he came into the room.

“Good morning, how are you today? Sleep alright?” The lamia hummed as he moved to Alex’s bedside.

The doctor was all business, and Alex was fine with this. He was feeling miraculously better, which was saying a lot. But better was not best. Curtis and Rath were trying to give him space, he assumed. Or rather, Rath would have to handle Curtis's hand-wringing. The pair would reappear in Alex's life later. Sighing, Alex opened the book, trying to avoid the hunger that gnawed at his recently-patched insides.

He started the book. When Daros arrived, he grinned and set it aside.

“Like a rock,” he laughed softly. “Good morning.” Despite any lingering pain, his eyes were bright and his smile cheery.

“Good to see you,” he stated, and it seemed he meant it.

Daros was elated to find Alex so lively and bright-eyed, reflecting the positive mood in a slight smile, albeit one that didn’t show any teeth.

“You as well, you seem well-rested,” The lamia hummed, sitting in the chair beside the bed. “I presume the doctor’s already seen you, has anyone fed you yet?” He inquired, having seen Salvatore on his way to getting his own breakfast and rather wondering if Alex had had anything himself yet.

“Yeah, well, not much else I can do,” laughed Alex, motioning to himself. “The doctor is…brisk, and made it clear I’m not to overdo it,” he snorted. His eyes glittered, and his mouth watered. “I have not,” added the man, shaking his head softly. He paused for a moment, making sure the book he’d started was secure on the bedside table. Then, he glanced up at Daros with what could only be described as a wolfish grin.

“Suppose there’s no hope in begging you to let me go down?” He said, only teasing. “I can eat up here and sit still for…a day or two,” he chuckled. “Before I go crazy, and end up bouncing off the walls. Although…you could mention to Dr. Lynch that I’m more likely to pull stitches if I get bored and start DIY-ing something because my brain won’t shut up,” he joked easily.

“So, I suppose I should be grateful I’ve even got bedrest to complain about,” he continued on breezily. “Because there was that ‘I almost died’ bit I keep forgetting about.”

The lamia wasn’t terribly surprised to hear this, nodding along. “Well then, we’ll have to fetch you something for breakfast in that case. If you’re feeling hungry, that is,” He decided, getting a hint from the look in his eyes that this was the case.

A soft chuckle as the other joked with him, shaking his head. “It would be a poor idea for you to be up and about so soon, but I understand your restlessness. I’ve been sewn up and stuck in bed before myself, I was bored out of my mind,” He laughed.

“Lucky for you though, we do have a wheelchair in the closet here. Doctor won’t have reason to scold us, and you get to see beyond this room without popping a stitch.” He offered with a faint shrug.

His eyes sparkled, not so much because of the food, though it did make his stomach growled. But the idea of getting out and about sounded great. Grinning conspiratorially, he nodded. Emphatically, Alex said: “Oh, that's perfect!”

He thought for a moment. “Can we go down and eat with the others? I know that Rath is probably having a field day getting my uncle to stop pacing a hole in the floor.”

Daros quite liked that idea, giving the other a nod as he rose from his seat. “I was going to suggest it myself actually, I think that’s a great idea,” He hummed, heading to the closet to pull out the wheelchair.

It didn’t quite resemble that of a modern wheelchair, rather taking the appearance of an ordinary dining chair - for the standards of the estate, that is, finely carved and sporting a soft cushion - which had had its legs replaced with wooden wheels instead. Handles had been affixed to the back for one to push it around with, although the wheels could be turned by the one sitting in the chair as well.

“Fair warning though, I do believe the doctor has you on a liquids-only diet for now, presumably until your guts have healed enough to not risk coming apart again, or something along those lines,” The lamia continued, dusting off the chair and grabbing an extra pillow before returning to Alex’s bedside.

“I’m sure those two have been worried sick about you, I’ve never seen Rath take off in such a hurry before then,” He mused, handing the pillow to the other. “Hug onto this when you get up, your wounds will hurt less when you move that way,” He informed, although steady yet gentle hands would aid Alex into the chair to whatever degree the human needed.

“Yeah, well, I can’t blame the guy,” Alex chuckled. “And I’m rather not fond of unnecessary surgeries, so I guess just…blend up whatever you gotta,” he teased. “Or rather, juice and other liquids will do fine,” he assured Daros. The chair seemed…odd, but he wasn’t about to question it. He grabbed the pillow and did as Daros suggested. It really did prevent the expected sharp pains from running through his abdomen, and he couldn’t help but smile as he settled.

“Yeah, well, the guy was a mother hen before this,” Alex laughed. “I’m sure he’s at his doggy wit’s end trying to keep calm,” Alex sighed. “But…we’ll make an appearance, and that might help,” he said, nodding firmly.

He wished he could help, but the wheels were far too small and far down for him to roll himself like a modern wheelchair user. And he wasn’t in any shape for all that bending and twisting anyway. So he just…sat…letting Daros take them where they needed.

It was a relief to the lamia that Alex didn’t mind his limited options, he would have felt bad otherwise to have him see the others eating regular food when he himself couldn’t. “I’m told our cooks do a wonderful job of making limited diets not taste boring, you’ll have to inform me if that’s true or not.” He chuckled.

Moving behind the chair once Alex was settled in, Daros spoke while he wheeled the other out of the patient’s ward, through the infirmary and into the main hall. “I’m sure they’ll be much happier seeing you so much further from death’s doorstep,” He said in almost a snicker before they reached the dining hall, the table already largely populated by residents having their breakfast.

There was no shortage of pastries and tea on the table, although most had a proper, nutritious meal in front of them. Friendly banter around the table could be heard over the piano softly playing in another room, though Alex’s presence drew quite a few eyes his way. He was new here, of course everyone was a bit curious to meet the newcomer.

Daros budged over a vacant seat so he could stop Alex at the table, seating himself beside the other. It wouldn’t take long for a maid to come by and inquire what they were having, to which Daros asked for tea for himself and whatever Dr. Lynch - who was a few seats down the table from them - had prescribed for the human. Though, Alex was apparently allowed to have whatever he wanted to drink alongside whatever it was the maid had returned to the kitchen to get for him.

Alex was happy to think that he could assuage Curtis's worries. As Daros led them towards the table, he got himself lost in thought. The dining table's chatter and clatter jolted him back to life. He smiled, smelling the breakfast scents that made his mouth water. Before he greeted those he recognized, he ordered a tea and broth that both satisfied his liquid only diet.

Before he'd had even a moment to breathe, Curtis was there, ruffling his hair with a wide grin. He was careful not to hug Alex or jostle him, but the relief in his eyes was clear.

“You're awake,” he exclaimed, still grinning broadly. “And in one piece…mostly.”

Alex laughed softly, rolling his eyes while he shooed Curtis back to his own seat.

“Yeah, it takes more than a quick trip below to kill me,” Alex snarked.

Rath had been sitting by Curtis at the table when Alex was wheeled in by Daros, relieved to see the other looking surprisingly well considering what’d gone down the day before.

“Good to see you conscious and alert,” The demon smiled, resuming his breakfast after Curtis had returned to his seat. “We’ve been worried sick, do you know how close to death you were?” He added, albeit in a lighthearted tone.

Soon the maid would return with Alex’s broth, and tea for both him and Daros. The broth was well-seasoned, and the tea of the herbal variety to further aid Alex’s recovery and thankfully sweetened with honey to mask any unfavorable flavors.

Daros had his tea plain, glad to see the relief on Rath and Curtis’ faces while he sipped his drink. “I was thinking of showing him around the estate today, assuming the doctor approves,” He said, turning towards Salvatore.

The doctor, who was in the middle of scoffing down a muffin, paused to glance between Alex and Daros. “It’s fine as long as he stays in the chair, can’t have him popping any stitches. I have to go to the hospital today so I won’t be around to take care of that if something happens during the day.”

“Too close for my liking,” Alex agreed, shuddering. He thanked the staff who brought his broth and tea, drinking both down with gusto. He had to force himself to slow down, so that he didn't make himself sick. It was so tasty that he found it rather a tall order.

As Salvatore gave the go ahead, provided he stay in the wheelchair, Alex grinned.

“I'd love to go on a nice, guided tour,” he added, to assure Curtis and Rath he was (a) fine, and (b) volunteering for this of his own free will. Curtis seemed worried, but relaxed with a deep breath and a nod.

“Just…be careful,” he begged.

“When am I ever not?” Alex asked, fluttering his eyelashes in the manner of a spoiled brat child. Curtis bit back a number of retorts - showing how deeply worried he'd been. Normally, Alex was nor above receiving his sharp-tongued-wit.

“Ok, I'll sit perfectly still,” he promised, less impishly.

“You better.”

“Soooo, can we go then?” Alex asked Daros. He didn't want to rush the Lamia, but his breakfast was quickly finished.

Daros was glad to see Alex eating so eagerly, taking his time sipping his own tea while the others conversed amongst themselves. He chimed in however, when Curtis expressed his concern.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on him,” He assured, soon finishing his tea. That did, at least, ease Rath’s mind on the matter; he knew the lamia to be reliable and attentive, he was fairly certain Daros could keep Alex out of trouble.

The lamia chuckled a little as Alex so eagerly asked to get going, giving him a nod. “I’ve no reason to linger, we can go now,” He smiled, rising from his seat then to excuse them from the table.

“I suppose the second floor up won’t be terribly viable today, but there’s more than enough ground floor for today anyway,” Daros pondered aloud as he wheeled Alex out of the dining hall, “This is actually one of the largest estates in the kingdom, excluding those of royalty of course,”

Just outside the dining hall, the space opened up into a huge living room sporting a piano among other instruments, a fireplace large enough for a person to easily stand in, several chairs and couches, a chandelier and some coffee tables. Glass doors opened up into a raised garden outside, overlooking the barns and pastures and apple orchard, the view largely framed with old growth forest and a portion of the city.

Curtis seemed assuaged by this, nodding. He wasn't sure he was totally happy with the idea, but he wasn't going to dash Alex's hopes. Not after how much the young man had been through. He worried too much, he told himself.

Alex laughed at the idea of the stairs, rueful that they'd be cut off for today. But he grinned as Daros showed him around the first floor, explaining the size comparison between the land and that of royalty.

“This is all so cool,” he blurted, eyes roaming left and right as he grinned broadly at every new wonder he laid eyes on.

“It’s nice, isn’t it? I’ve only lived here a few years now, but I quite like it here.” Daros hummed, bringing Alex down a wide hallway.

He showed him the library - one that sprawled wide and harbored shelves which required a ladder to reach the top of. Then the study across the hall, the billiard room, and the lounge, essentially a smaller living room.

The lamia gave pause while they were in the hall however, when Malacus came around the corner calling his name, jogging over to the pair.

“We got a situation outside,” The goblin informed Daros as she stopped just by him.

“Can it wait?” The lamia asked, he would much rather continue getting to know Alex.

“A deer got itself caught up in the old clothesline,” Malacus explained, “Your brother is out there now trying to take care of the situation, and it’s not going well for him.” She added with some amusement in her voice.

“Dammit,” Daros muttered, knowing all too well how prone his brother was to getting himself hurt doing stupid shit. “Uh– wait right here, I’ll try not to take too long,” He said to Alex, before hurrying off to get the situation sorted out.

The hallway proved exceptionally quiet when no one was around, save for the footsteps of the occasional maid or resident somewhere out of view.

Daros had, in that moment, left Alex right beside the door to where they stored cursed and heavily enchanted objects, many of which were potentially hazardous. The lamia had no concern for this in his assumption that the door was fully closed and locked as it always was, but it just so happened that whomever last went in there had left the door ajar.

Alex never was very good at sitting still. Being trapped in a chair for the day made him less excited than ever to sit around. He would have shrugged it off as some sort of clinical ADHD errant want, but the slightly open door caught his eye. Once, twice, thrice he glanced over. He fidgeted. Surely, if he was supposed to stay out, the door would be closed, right? He was ever a curious creature. As a child, he’d wanted to know where every road went, and imagined the great wonders just on the other side of the yellow striped lines as they disappeared into hill country.

He moved closer.

It wasn’t exactly easy to wheel himself around, but he found it manageable after a moment. The shiny knick-knacks drew his eye. He found himself amazed. He of course wasn’t blatant enough to pick them up and play with them. But for one, he was trying to wheel himself around without popping a stitch, and for two he never had a very good idea where his body existed in space.

So when he brushed against one of the various objects, he froze, hoping he hadn’t knocked into anything that might break. For an instant, all seemed well. Then, everything was very, very not-well. Something like a sudden itch, a burning and searing erupted from his shoulder blades. For an instant, he wondered if it was from the sigil which was now proudly scarred into his skin.

But that couldn’t quite explain the bright, iridescent white and gold wings which sprouted with sudden, firm demands to be seen and felt.

He nearly knocked a whole shelf over, with the sprawl of them. The man slapped a hand over his mouth, covering a scream of abject surprise and shock. He made no sounds, careful not to alert anyone of what might be happening. He found it nearly impossible to control the extra, flailing limbs, but eventually he managed to fold them against his spine, and the remains of his clothing. Great, he was gonna have to borrow something with wingholes cut into it???

He finally, after a moment of deep breathing to control his volume, allowed himself one tiny utterance.

“What…the…fuck?”

Daros hadn’t been outside for too long - having found his brother somehow also tangled up in the same mess as the deer when he got out there, much to his amusement. He managed to calm the deer enough to untangle it and his brother, and everyone would leave the situation unharmed.

Relieved to have that over with, Daros made his way back into the manor, walking quickly as he felt bad for making Alex wait nonetheless. The lamia gave pause, however, when he came to the hallway where he’d left Alex to find the other very much not there.

‘Dammit, where could he have gone?’ He thought to himself, making his way down the hall. He nearly went straight past the room of cursed objects, if not for the door having been left more open than earlier.

He paused, eyes widening when he realized where Alex had gone and hurried inside.

Sheer curtains dimmed the daylight flooding in from the windows, shelves packed with mostly evenly-spaced objects and trinkets, most which appeared normal and harmless at first glance. The worst of them were kept locked in a box tucked away or within a glass case, many were too high for one to reach from a wheelchair anyway.

But it had been one of the largest pieces in the room that Alex had brushed against; a silver mirror, one of a few they had around, each covered with a sheet. Alex had only brushed against its frame, more than enough to reveal his wings even without seeing a reflection.

The lamia had come inside half expecting Alex to be possessed, injured, unconscious, cursed, or some similar terrible fate. To find him with wings sporting frankly the most stunning plumage Daros had ever seen, would have been the last thing he’d expected.

He froze upon seeing the other man, taking a moment to process this sight.

“Alex? What happened?” He inquired with poorly-masked alarm in his tone, shutting the door behind him. They didn’t have any objects that gave people wings, did they?

“I didn’t…the door was open…I I promise, I wasn’t trying to snoop,” he rushed, eyes wide and terrified. “I just…my elbow, I brushed against something and then…THIS happened,” he waved, wincing when that pulled at his stitches. He breathed raggedly, calming himself and lowering his tone.

“I have no fucking clue how this happened, but uh…I guess it did?” He stated, eyes still wide. “I didn’t mean to cause any harm I just…I was curious, and I didn’t…I swear, I didn’t mean to do anything wrong,” he was hyperventilating again, and took a few breaths to try and steady himself.

“Is your boss or is your boss not a demon of some kind?” He asked, face blanching. “And am I in deep shit?”

Seeing Alex’s panic served as a reminder to Daros to not freak out if he could help it at all, though that was easier said than done. Nonetheless, the lamia schooled his expression as best he could as he made his way over.

“It’s okay, you’re not in trouble,” He reminded the other, mind still racing as to what on earth they were to do about this as he scanned over Alex’s new wings. “We’ll figure this out–” He paused when Alex asked about Rath, his face paling a little.

“We’ll figure this out,” He reasserted, half to himself. “No one can know about this, if Rath finds out…we just need to figure out a way to hide the wings,” He thought aloud, moving to Alex’s side to get a better look at him.

A hand briefly reached to touch the feathers, however he gave pause just before he would have touched them - remembering that perhaps he shouldn’t touch them without Alex’s permission, he pulled away again.

He glanced toward the mostly-covered mirror, then back to Alex. “Try to fold them in as much as you can and hold them still,” He instructed, pulling the sheet off the mirror.

The mirror itself, while potent in magic, couldn’t cause any physical harm, so he had no concern for keeping it uncovered for a while. It was rather the glistening, high-purity silver which made up the frame that it had to be covered, so the metal wouldn’t be so bothersome to any vampires coming into the room. Daros figured someone might be pissed off finding it exposed, but it’d have to be fine.

He draped the sheet around Alex’s wings and shoulders, careful to tuck it around him so it covered the appendages under the guise of being there to keep him warm, doing his best to make the extra bulk of the wings appear like excess fabric.

“This will have to do for the moment, until we can find a better solution…I’m not too well versed in illusion magic, but I suppose I’m going to have to learn real fast to get these hidden.”

Alex tried to keep calm, really he did. But it was not common that the man sprung wings in the middle of the morning, so he wasn’t exactly sure WHAT to do about it all. He nodded, trying to fold in the appendages to the best of his ability. He struggled to make sure that he wasn’t going to fall out of the chair. It was not quite comfortable, but he made it work. The very idea of accidentally brushing against the mirror again made him shudder. What else might it uncover if he wasn’t careful?

“Yeah, something will have to turn up,” he stated firmly. There was no way he was going to get into more trouble. Even if it meant avoiding Rath at every turn. What on earth might Curtis think? What did this all even mean?

Something piqued his interest.

“Do you…think this might have something to do with why I lived? Through all the…” he gestured wildly, to get his point across. ‘The crazy shit’ he seemed to be implying. He sighed.

“I mean, it does seem to make a good case; I should have been dead six ways from Sunday. No offense to Dr. Lynch, but there wasn’t much left to stitch.”

Daros hadn’t any need to think on Alex’s question, giving a nod without hesitation. “Most likely. Angels, as far as I’m aware, are known for being resilient and extremely difficult to kill.” He explained, albeit quietly out of worry one might eavesdrop from beyond their view.

“If these wings are even from angelic traits…the good news is, if we can find a way to prove you’re not angelic, we won’t have reason to hide them.” He added, going quiet when he opened the door just a little to peek outside, ensuring that at least there weren’t any demons about before he would wheel Alex out.

The lamia brought Alex to the study, an often-neglected room when they had a full library and office rooms to work in. Despite this, there wasn’t a speck of dust to be found.

“Alright, um– I’m going to see about finding any books on illusion magic,” He thought aloud, locking the door behind them so no one could simply walk in at any point. “It might get uncomfortable keeping your wings folded like that too much, it might be a good idea to stretch them out now while no one’s around.”

Alex wasn’t sure what to say, but he nodded nonetheless, agreeing that perhaps Daros was onto something with the “find out what is going on, and pray it’s not Angelic in nature” bit. He did as he was bidden, flapping the white and gold instruments free of their binding. It felt sore, and itchy, like a scab, where they protruded from his skin. Otherwise, they didn’t seem to hurt. He shrugged his shoulders, mindful of his stitches.

He watched Daros, his blue eyes intent as he waited. He itched to help, to crack open a book or two himself but…he’d rather not touch anything else today. For very good reason. He watched, keen on finding something, anything that might help. Even if all he could do was silently cheer on Daros.

“And what if it…IS angelic?” He asked, brow raised as he sat calmly, wings still flapping lazily. The breeze stirred only a tiny bit of the papers about. “What then?”

The lamia scoured over the bookshelves in the room, fingers lightly tracing over the titles to better keep his frenzied mind from missing what he was looking for. He knew the exact volume he wanted, certain it was in here somewhere.

Daros only briefly paused as Alex voiced the very question that he dreaded himself, eyes locked on what he was doing when he resumed his search.

“Then…we will have to ensure that not a soul ever finds out,” He answered more grimly. His gaze shifted down as he caught sight of what he was looking for, crouching a moment to pull a book from the shelf.

“Angels are few and far between these days, most left this world after they lost the war,” The lamia explained as he moved to take a seat near to where he’d parked Alex so he could scan through the pages.

“Rath comes from a family of angel killers, to my understanding,” He went on, “His father had become known for slaying one single-handedly, with nothing more than a single dagger. Now that he’s gone, Rath lives under the pressure of living up to that legacy; to accomplish a feat of similar or greater magnitude. He’s been looking for an angel to kill ever since he first arrived here, and we’re all under obligation to report any evidence of such creatures, should we find any.”

Realizing how that might have sounded, he glanced up at Alex. “I won’t do that,” He quickly reassured, “But we can’t be certain about anyone else. I’d like to think Rath wouldn’t do you harm, but…you’ve seen how his family can be. I’ve yet to see any semblance of cruelty from him, but I’d rather not risk getting a glimpse of it.”

Daros had never known Rath’s father, but he’s heard stories. How sadistic he’d been, how full the dungeon used to be with his prisoners and how ill-received any news of failure was taken. Apparently everyone had been on edge around Rath the first few weeks of his time at the estate, thinking it would be much the same. The lamia felt lucky he had only ever known the much more lax and friendly dynamic around here, especially after getting so many visions of what Sika had done to Alex.

“Fucking…lovely,” Alex muttered, the wings pulling in automatically. He shuddered, wrapping them around himself, as though they could protect him. The gold glints in the feathers glowed in the light, though he wasn’t sure if that was from their own glittering, or simply a reflection of the light around them. He bit his lip, chewing it awkwardly.

“After Sika, I really don’t want another one of the siblings trying to kill me,” he mused, shaking. He could almost smell brimstone, and found himself mentally anguishing for air. The pain seared mentally as strong as it had physically only a day or two ago. PTSD was not something he would have guessed a winged, possibly angelic creature might have to face, but…here he was.

And to be fair, until today, he’d thought nothing more of himself than a moderately replaceable human. He didn’t have what people called “good self worth” or “self esteem”, rather he had a crippling sense of humor and irony instead. But he was afraid, and that seemed to make his brain rattle and scramble all the easier. He noticed the wings were flapping, nigh of their own terror, and took a deep breath. The movement stopped.

“So…uh…just…pretend these aren’t there forever. Got it. Seems doable,” he shrugged. “Not like I’m going to be Scooby-Do’ing my way through life and praying Rath never makes an unexpected house call,” he muttered dryly.

Daros glanced up from his book as Alex spoke, observing the way those wings shined in the light. ‘There’s no way he’s not angelic,’ He thought to himself with a sigh, that certainly looked like a reaction of light magic against the sun beaming into the room, to him at least. He hoped he was wrong.

“It’ll be okay…I won’t let that happen to you again,” He decided quietly, even if he may not be able to stop Rath should the demon come for them. He could damn well try, and perhaps if they played their cards right, they could succeed in keeping this secret.

The lamia didn’t like seeing the other afraid, shaking and wings beginning to flap with alarm at the very thought of being at the mercy of a demon again. He was like a wounded dove in a cage; frightened and trapped, yet kept for his own safety. He would have had the mind to reach and place a hand on Alex’s arm in that moment, if it wouldn’t mean getting feathers to the face immediately.

Eyes returned to the pages in the book, though Daros still listened when Alex spoke again. Well…when he put it that way, it sounded a lot less viable than initially thought. Daros was well aware that many creatures must hide their true nature around others like this, but surely not 24/7? Keeping his wings hidden indefinitely didn’t seem…healthy, the more Daros thought of it.

“I know it’s daunting at the moment,” He replied softly, “But let’s just focus on right now for the time being, maybe we can figure something else out later,” He offered, sighing and shaking his head after a minute. “I’m just not sure what else can be done right now. What are we to do, run away?”

Alex calmed himself the best he could. With his body slowly coming to grips with the fact that he was not in imminent danger, he found his heart slowing. He neatly folded the wings to his back. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he nodded. There was little to do but face the day as it came.

“I can't run,” he sighed. “Not after watching Curtis fall apart,” shuddered Alex, wishing the memories would blur and fade. Dissociation helped, but these were flashbulb memories - the exact opposite of “checking out” in the moment.

“Either Rath never finds out, or I risk getting ganked,” he sighed. “Still, chosen family means a lot,” he told Daros. He held his head up, even if his lower lip wobbled. He had to be strong.

He felt his pulse quicken again, though not so much from fear. It was touching that Daros offered to keep him safe, even if they both knew that was fruitless.

“Thanks…for all this,” he offered up meekly. He wasn't sure what else to say.

#art #digital art #artists on tumblr #oc #original character #fantasy #fantasy art #my art #angel

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wickedfangharpg · 2 months ago

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Melcor found a human in his swamp! Story under the cut~ (Horse and rider on the right do not belong to me)

Melcor had taken his remonter mare Arsenic out for a ride about the swamp, largely just for the sake of doing so. Arsenic was an absolute hellion to deal with, taking most every opportunity to kick or bite while on the ground, and turning on him anytime she managed to throw him off. It wasn't a flaw on the angel's part as a handler; simply the typical attitude of the breed. Melcor was grateful how replaceable limbs are for him.

Today had been a good day for them; Arsenic was trudging through the water and mud without issue, and didn't panic when steady-looking ground faltered beneath them.

Something caused the pair to give pause, however, Arsenic's ears perking to listen. Barely within eyeshot through the trees, they could spot movement up ahead, and it wasn't a deer or crocodile this time. Ever curious of those who enter his domain - this swamp hadn't been here until he moved in the area, after all - he urged his horse to move closer to investigate.

"Try not to bite anyone unless I tell you to this time, okay?" He murmured to the mare, giving her neck a pat. Of course Arsenic couldn't understand him, but who doesn't talk to their horses?

Ryo and Connor navigated the swamp carefully. Their horses, a Slavko stallion named Stanko, and a KWPN stallion called Pharaoh, seemed to grow more hesitant with every step. Both disliked the mission the guild sent them to do. Find and end that swamp monster - task that shouldn't be all that bad, right?

"Why a swamp..." Ryo complained and urged Pharaoh to walk faster, "This place is full of mud-stuff, predatory animals such as crocodiles and let alone that monster. But the worst thing about all this is you, Connor."

Connor slightly smirked in response but quickly turned into his usual concentrated self, "Then you'll go left, and I'll go right. Use your whistle if you find something."

Both nodded in agreement, which was probably not the best idea. They rarely work together as it often ended up in a fight between the two and a creature that got away because of it. But Connor was sure this rime would be different. There was nothing that could go wrong, which is why he suggested to split up.

By the time Melcor had drawn close enough to see what they had sensed was a horse and rider, the pair had already split up far enough that he only saw Ryo and Pharaoh picking through the terrain. How fascinating! It'd not been long since the last time a traveler came through these parts - he had fun scaring them off - it was rather unorthodox to have another so soon.

He guided Arsenic so they were out in the open where the stranger could see them, waving to make his presence known before making his approach.

The angel most assuredly looked rather out of place here. Aside from being alone in the wilderness with no camping or survival equipment on hand, Melcor - as always - was rather well-dressed and entirely free of any grime or muck from traversing the swamp.

"Well well, I wasn't expecting to see anyone else out here!" He greeted with a friendly grin, stopping just a short ways off so Arsenic couldn't reach for a bite. "What brings you out here, friend?"

It would be a lie to say Ryo wasn't surprised to be approached by a stranger in this area. Let alone someone like the man in front of him. One could say that Ryo envied him for a few seconds, as he himself didn't manage to stay all that clean from the mud.

He stopped Pharaoh as soon as the stranger made himself known. When the unknown pair approached them and only stopped a short, but still somewhat far enough distance, Pharaoh felt a bit uneasy.

After Melcor picked up the conversation, Ryo was silent for a short while, tho it felt like an eternity for himself. That guy in front of him didn't fit into the swamp, but something about him made Ryo want to engage.

"Uh, hello there. I didn't think I would meet anyone here as well," he only now made a quick wave in response to the wave Melcor gave, when coming into Ryos field of vision. "What am I doing here? I love legends and mysteries! I heard from the townsfolk that a giant mutated crocodile is hanging out here. I know It probably isn't real, but I wanted to see for myself! I photograph legends, i was also looking for Nessy a while back."

Lies.

Melcor was a little surprised by this, but so far Arsenic was actually being good; even though she was eyeing the other horse and rider with what the angel thought looking like a sort of scheming glare. He kept a firm hand on the reins just in case.

Typically, it is not easy to lie to an angel. They recognize mannerisms and behaviors from beings before anything else, and pick up on the differences when people are not being truthful. However, it was a whole lot easier when one is a stranger to the angel in question, and Melcor had no reason to cast doubt on this human.

"Really! Now that is fascinating, now I'm curious," Melcor mused, "I come through here now and then for a bit of pleasure riding, it's good training for the horses, y'know? I wouldn't be too surprised to find a mutated croc out here." He glanced out toward where the water was deeper, looking back toward the human again.

"My apologies, I've failed to introduce myself. My name is Melcor," He said with a nod toward the other. "I'd say I'm fairly familiar with this area. If you'd like an extra pair of eyes looking out for the crocodile, I'd be happy to help out for a bit," He offered with a smile.

Ryo carefully listened to what Melcor had to say and made sure to keep an eye out for the stranger's horse. But the... beauty of the man made Ryo somewhat blind to the fact that everyone you meet could be a possible danger.

"Training horses is good, yes," he responded to the words that somehow managed to stay in his mind while observing Melcor.

He stayed silent for a minute after Melcor's introduction and smile.

"You have a beautiful fa- Name!! And more eyes are probably for the best. Looking together as a pair is always better," he stumbled before realizing he should also introduce himself, "I'm Ryo. It's lovely to meet you."

Melcor picked up on the little slip-up in Ryo's words, though said nothing of it and masked his slight amusement behind a friendly smile.

The angel hadn't yet decided what he wanted to do with this one. Maye he'd drink his blood and add another corpse to his collection, or perhaps he could simply seduce him and get a little snack out of him while he sleeps. Or, he could always just let him go. Nonetheless, for the moment he was more than happy to entertain himself with the extra company. Ryo seemed awfully sweet, after all.

"I must say, you have a lovely name yourself. It's good to meet you," He nodded toward the other respectfully. "It looked like you were headed eastward, right? You'll have better luck finding the bigger ones north of here," He advised, keeping his distance enough to not allow any sort of scuffle between their steeds as he steered Arsenic around so he could ride alongside Ryo. "What got you into this sort of thing anyway, if I might ask?"

Ryo was screaming internally. Melcor had 100% catched his full interest and if there wasn't the Hunting Quest, he would've probably asked him out for Dinner or alike already.

"Past me didn't like my Name actually... but, saying that is nice of you. Really!" He paused a while, thinking carefully about the phrasing of his next words. "A friend of mine did. Thank you for the advice regarding the direction. I'm more of the action and searching kind of guy. I split up with the brain of his hunt. Not that I would hunt that mutated thing... Don't get me wrong! I just wanna see if the Sayings are true."

"Really? I can hardly fathom that. But, I suppose, names do feel different when they belong to you," The angel mused, only half watching where they were going in favor of giving Ryo the majority of his attention.

"Honestly, I'm the same way." He chuckled, "I prefer to let other people do the boring parts of the work when I can," He finally looked ahead of them to carefully wade through a shallow part of the water, guiding Ryo through where it was safe.

"Oh of course not, it's probably just trying to live it's life," He mused on the matter of the crocodile.

"They're not the mindless beasts humans make them out to be anyway. Did you know they like flowers? The pink ones especially. I've been trying to plant water hyacinths in some areas for them, but it's been...more difficult than anticipated. I'm not exactly a gardener," He laughed.

Ryo was wary about his surroundings, but wasn't able to catch himself getting lost in Melcor's web. He would follow him through whatever way the Angel might lay out for them.

"Names usually mean more to the ones using them, than the person it belongs to," he responded before silently acknowledging Melcor's response about letting others do the heavy work.

It was strange to Ryo that someone who seemed to know the swamp so well, wouldn't pick up on his lie about that crocodile. But drawing the attention to that wouldn't prove to be useful, so he just kinda enjoyed not having to worry about it.

"I wasn't aware that they do. Good thing my shampoo doesn't smell like flowers, or else I would've needed to watch my head," he shortly let his hand run through his pink colored hair. It was something he grew to hate for a while, but slowly, he regained his love for that color. His natural brown hair just wasn't it, and the ones around him only knew him colourful after all.

"But I can relate to your gardening struggles. All plants in my studio usually leave me in less than two weeks..."

"Wise words there, I'll be sure to remember them," Melcor mused, leading the human onward. The further north they went, the deeper the waters became, and the less dry and stable land they had to tread on. But he wasn't wrong; this is where all the larger crocodiles dwelled, and they were more frequently spotted as well.

Nonetheless, the angel knew exactly where to go where it wasn't too deep for the horses. Strangely, any crocodiles that would have been in their path yielded readily and got out of their way.

A chuckle for the comment about his hair, the angel had to admit he rather liked the color himself. Humans have such interesting ways of changing their appearance without shapeshifting, it fascinated him sometimes.

"Good for you they don't eat the flowers, though if I were them I can't say I wouldn't be tempted to steal one as pretty as you," He flashed a grin Ryo's way, though moved on from the subject nonchalantly afterward, as though he hadn't just flirted so hard.

"Are you from around here? I don't believe I've seen you around the nearby towns before,"

Pharaoh was quite unsure about their surroundings and was unhappy with their current Situation. He wasn't one for swimming, let alone in most likely muddy and disgusting swamp goo... But he pushed himself for Ryo's sake it seems.

Ryo was stunned by Melcor's flirt.

There was a long pause until he regained consciousness and was semi-able to comprehend with what the angel continued.

"I.. uh... Originally? or now?" he stumbled, until eventually recovering a few of his senses, "I'm from the area of Thunder Bay in Canada. So, not quuiiite from here... But some myths are worth the travel," he answered truthfully.

"What about you? You really seem to know your way around."

Arsenic, meanwhile, had grown quite used to the swamp...she hadn't been fond of it either when she was taken in by the angel, but over the weeks of training and existing in this place, she didn't mind the muck so much. The mare kept an ear angled back as they pressed on, listening to the other pair intently while keeping eyes sharp for potential threats.

Melcor tried to mask his smug amusement by Ryo's reaction, the other did look so cute while flustered like that.

"Interesting, I heard it's quite cold up there," He mused, though had to think a moment as the question was returned to him. He couldn't exactly say where or how he came to be, nor did he really know the exact whereabouts of his true origins; the place he was created in would be unrecognizable now that it was no longer a battleground. What humans even called that region nowadays was beyond him.

"I wasn't born here, but I've been here for a long while," he answered, "Long enough to know my way around, at least. My home is a bit secluded, I find need to cross through here to get to town."

The angel wasn't going to lie, so he worked his way around the things he'd rather keep hidden. While angels were capable of lying, they always did have a tough time with it; and so they deceived through other means instead.

Ryo couldn't help but envy Arsenic and Melcor a bit. They live secluded, so they don't have to worry about how others perceive them. Having a swamp between you and others would be awesome... especially if you need to know your way to get through.

He always worried about what others think of him. Almost everything Ryo did was for others... His designs, his songs, his performances... He rarely did anything just for himself.

"Canada is cold, but lovely. You should totally come visit if you need a break from your croc friends," Ryo laughed and then smiled at Melcor.

Already kinda heartbroken when thinking about leaving the Angel behind, after killing the entity he was set on, he fell silent.

"I certainly could," Melcor chuckled. He didn't mind the cold too much, in fact it was rather the heat that bothered him more than anything; but nothing a nocturnal lifestyle couldn't fix. If only he could keep such a sleep schedule with his horses. He found it best to compromise with the equines by working with them during the day and doing more important tasks at night when he needed his energy.

By now they'd wandered rather deep into the swamp, the angel rather began to worry they might come upon something they shouldn't if he wasn't careful.

"Hey, you said you had a friend joining you out here? Do you suppose they're far?" He inquired when they stopped briefly on a small land mass.

The pink haired had always preferred warmer, or better medium climates. He disliked the feeling of being cold... aside from that, Canada had a great place in his heart and although it was his Life long dream, he wouldn't exchange Paris for his now home town.

Ryo was kind of caught off guard by the last question - he had already forgotten Connor's involvement in this quest.

"We separated... He went to the opposite path from mine. But I don't know for sure if we're heading in the same direction now, I kinda lost track." Ryo had to admit. Although he had a watch that could show locations and send messages, it had little use in this area.

Melcor almost found some kind of smug amusement in the way Ryo had lost track of where they were going, how easily the human simply followed him deeper into the swampland. The angel might as well have kidnapped him without Ryo even realizing.

But alas...at this point, he couldn't bring himself to harm this one. Ryo was just too sweet, and frankly Melcor thoroughly enjoyed his company over that of being alone.

In fact, he was rather tempted to create some kind of crocodilian beast for the human to see. He was well aware there weren't any mutant crocodiles about, he found he didn't want the other to be disappointed. But then, ah...then Ryo might leave once he is satisfied with his sighting. Perhaps it was better to come up with some excuse to keep him a while longer.

"We're quite far in now, it might take a while to get back to the nearest town at this point. Do you both have camping gear in case it gets too late?" He inquired with a glance towards Ryo.

Ryo was usually not one to easily trust strangers, but something about Melcor had clearly left his mark and caused Ryo to grow recklessly. Melcor was right afterall: Ryo indeed had no idea where they are or were going.

The human felt bad for having lied to Melcor earlier. There was no mutated crocodile... but it was certainly to late to track back.

"We do. I can try page my partner out location, he has most of the supplies," Ryo took a look around, oblivious to the Plans Melcor had been thinking about. But something that really worried him, were the crocodiles. Surely, they wouldn't try to eat them.. right...? Maybe Connor had already been attacked?

Pharaoh grew a bit nervous under the growing worry of his rider.

"That might be a good idea," He agreed with a nod, looking over when he noticed the growing nervousness from Ryo and his horse.

Logistically speaking, this would be an opportune time to make some kind of move. He could whisk Ryo away and keep him forever, no one would ever know what became of him. He could break off from the other and take out his friend to get him out of the way beforehand, in case he'd make things difficult. The angel refused yet another opportunity however, turning to Ryo again.

"Would you like to go look for him together?" The angel offered, somewhat against his own judgement. He would have preferred to set up camp somewhere nearby and allow the other to find his way to them. But alas, as much as he would rather keep their alone time together...he found he rather didn't like seeing Ryo worry. Not to mention, they couldn't exactly set up camp if Ryo's friend was the one with all the supplies anyway.

"That is, if you even want me around through the night," He added with a chuckle.

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