Pagan Gods: Of Brotherhood and War

Characters:

You are not logged in. - Madison Jones

You are not logged in. - Asher Ouellet

The Author:
With the Mystic Indigo Gem recovered from the the ruins under the old bar, the next part of Madison Jones mission is underway. The gem has been critically drained of power from its idle use for over a century. The gem needs to be recharged, and so Madison brings it to the one place he knows of that is overflowing with untapped mana… the realm of Dahvin the Defiant and his son Bjarg the Demigod, the Pagan God Forest.

Madison Jones:
I return to the forest once again, my destination again for Lake Crystarium. My purpose this time however isn't to enchant a weapon with untapped mana of the land, but instead something more dire. With me I carry a special crystal, its beating heart cold and frail. I make my way through this pristine land of untouched splendor, wearing a pair of cargo pants, a backpack, my jacket removed and tied around my waist. The gem lays around my neck on a silver chain, almost as though it were a pendant.

Asher Ouellet:
I decide to wander around in the forest a little bit after my last encounter with Minotaur, I can't get it out of my head. But I am also aware that I need to distract myself, and that is when I hear some footsteps, coming from the depths of the forest. Hiding behind a tree, I start watching the person who is coming and on his way. There is a handsome dude who wears casual traveler clothes, but his silver chain on his neck is pretty alluring. Decide to have some fun, and play a harmless game, I take out my bow and arrow, and as soon as I see he pass in front of the tree I was hiding, I aim with my weapon, and shoot an arrow that is going to land directly in front of him to attract his attention on me, and the first thing he is going to see will be my smiling face with a mischievous grin.

Madison Jones:
I jump as the arrow lands. I knew this land was dangerous, but I was expecting a more supernatural threat and less of a common hunting weapon. My first instinct is to perk up defensive, getting ready to dodge more, but then I see the hunter giving me a playful smile. I return it with my own, my hands coming up in the air to show I mean no threat. "I'm not trespassing am I? Still new around here."

Asher Ouellet:
I start chuckling as I see you just raise your hands innocently to show me you mean no harm, and put my bow and arrows behind my back again as I approach you slowly. "Nope you didn't... I was just too excited to see a new "human being" on these lands... Liked my first impression?" I say as I give you a wink, and extend my hand for a handshake. "Asher..."

Madison Jones:
I extend my hand as well seeing your friendly demeanor.

You are not logged in.

"Madison Jones. I'm a bit new around here. Well a bit new to all of this." As I shake your hand, as I gesture to the forest. "I'm more of a city boy who likes to head out hiking every now and then, often going to a lake and camping. Untouched wilderness like this, not normally my style."

Asher Ouellet:
I continue to watch your face, and listen carefully, and laugh again as I listen to your last statement. "I see... I don't know about the "untouched" part, but these areas are definitely not the safest places... Hiking sounds good too, but it should make you feel better if there was someone to stick around with you..." I give you a sincere smile, then continue "Nice to meet you Madison. I'm not the best expert around here either, but I believe I know the place of that lake. I can take you there if you want..."

Madison Jones:
"Oh, the lake I camp at is actually out in Canada... I think." I scratch my head with a nervous laugh. "There is one I am looking for one around here though, I can sense it. I've only been there once though and would love the company." I smile and then pick up your arrow for you. "Perhaps this place is more touched than I realize, but to me, I've never felt such a pure source of mana before. This realm... well it seems like something out of legend. Do you live here?"

Asher Ouellet:
I take my arrow from your hand, and listen to your words with deep interest. My face returns more and more serious as you talk about some kind of sensation and mana source. I look at your face carefully as I hear your question, not answering at the moment, and just look into your eyes to sense if there is magic power in you. My eyes start to glow, and get brighter as they meet with your gaze. Not answering your question, I ask my own "Are you a sorcerer or a magician? why do you look for a mana source?"

Madison Jones:
"Woah, I'm not here to cause trouble." I say as you start to get serious. You can indeed sense that there is something inside of me, a strange power source, clearly magical but more primal with hints of darkness to it, your sight seeing a faint amber aura around me. Beyond that though, you also see the pendant is magical in nature, a completely different sense to it. It's indigo gem radiates a faint aura, one filled with a cold dryness similar to ice.

Madison Jones:
"Bjarg has labeled me a 'Dark Magician', though I don't completely know why. I've learned that I can tap into mana and do things with it, minor tricks like make items. He has given me permission to use this land to practice my skills. My mission here today is different in nature though, and a bit more than a fun romp in the woods."

Mystic Indigo Gem

Asher Ouellet:
Seeing you are panicked a little bit, my eyes and facial expression soften. But my eyes continue to make eye contact with yours as you talk. My blue eyes get brighter and sparkles in my eyeballs. The magic radiating from your body and from the necklace is different which makes me interested more. After you stop talking, I give you a weak smile, and start talking in a sincere tone. "I'm sorry to disturb... I don't have the best experiences with magic if I have to be honest... Didn't mean to be rude... That sounds interesting, and I would like to see what you are capable of doing with those "labeled dark" magical tricks..." I mumble, and gesture the road. "This way... Let's see what your different mission is..."

Madison Jones:
I start traveling with you, more than happy to chat as we talk. "I'm completely self taught with my abilities. It's been a bit of a wild ride. I asked Plato to teach me, but he seems way to busy dealing with some big red star cult, so I'm on my own. I work at a mystic bar called The WelCum, you should swing by sometime." Traveling is pretty straight forward, and we have plenty of daylight ahead as we walk.

"How about you, Asher? You seem to have some magic in you, what's the story there?"

Asher Ouellet:
I nod as you tell me your story, and chuckle as you invite me to the bar where you have been working. The road and the path are cool enough to enjoy the day, but my gaze hardens again as you ask me about my own power. Taking my eyes back away from yours, so that the glowing and sparkling effect of my eyes decrease, I take a deep breath, and grunt. "It's... A bit complicated... I don't usually talk about this with a lot of people, and I..." I can't complete my sentence, inhale deeply again, and look at your face once again, eyes start to sparkle. "Let's just say I am carrying some druid blood..."

Madison Jones:
"Oh, I see. Seems like a hard topic to talk about. I'm worried about talking too much about my stuff... because of hunters. Not like you I hope at least, but people who might try to kill me for being unusual." I let out a sigh as I hop over a large tree root, "It's bad enough being hated for being gay, but for also this stuff, it's a lot. I have a feeling you might understand that though."

Asher Ouellet:
My sparkle more as you open up and tell me how much you are feeling uncomfortable with sharing your secrets. I give you a supporting smile this time, and pat you on your shoulder. "Yeah... I guess I can relate to that... But I am not one of those hunters, let's say... You don't need to be scared of me..." Then my face turns into a bit more playful mode. "I can't believe a person would like to kill a handsomeness like you..." Then show you the lake as we arrive. "It's right there by the way..."

Madison Jones:
"Yep, this is the place." I walk over to the firepit I made last time I was here. The lake itself is pristine, pure, clear as crystal. There is a large tree connected to it, no doubt cleaning the water of any toxins that. The whole area is breathtaking, and I can help but to reach over and take your hand as I look it over again. "Can you feel it? The lake is... gentle. It feels like... when a person holds me after a match. That's what drew me here before."

Asher Ouellet:
I look at Madison as he walks towards the lake which gives a relaxing vibe to a human. Then your hand grabs mine, and I look at your own hand before I turn my eyes on yours again as you talk, giving a gentle squeeze to your hand. I stop, not sure what to say or not, questioning myself if I should reveal my true feelings or not. But I decide there is no threat that may come from you towards me now. "Yeah... It's somehow... Peaceful... It's so sad that the living beings in the world cannot be as gentle as this lake..." I mumble, and lead you to the lake, walking to the edge of it while still holding your hand, and look at my reflection that is drawn by the lake.

Madison Jones:
"Yeah, humans have their problems. They seem to always quarrel with each other, and unlike me and my wrestling partner, it doesn't always end with a peaceful lovemaking." I kick off my shoes and start to wade into the water releasing our hand. "There are countless books all about the art of waging war and trying to control each other, even some of the martial arts I learned were rooted in killing. It's a mess." I remove the gem from my neck, and begin to dip it into the water, it's indigo radiance starting to increase in brightness.

Asher Ouellet:
I watch as you take off your shoes, and start walking into the water, and I watch you carefully as you deeper in the lake, examining your reactions and behaviors carefully as you take off your necklace, and dip it into the water. My eyes start watching the magical radiance that surrounds the lake as I open my mouth. "I wasn't only referring to humans actually... But yeah, I can't deny the contribution of people in this unstoppable mess... Sorry about the unpleasant fights you had with your wrestling partner..."

Madison Jones:
"Oh, most of my matches are pretty good. I've become more picky about opponents though since when I started, some of them could be pretty... ruthless. Now I only take on opponents who I know will respect me, that's all beside the point though." The gem continues to grow brighter, but at this rate it may take a half hour to an hour before it is fully 'recharged'. "The world is a mess, some coming to a place like this, it's really relaxing. Do you live out here, Asher?"

Asher Ouellet:
I nod to your words, and reply back as I sit down on my butt next to the lake, watching the radiating sensation with deep interest. "I do... At the moment... Not sure how long I will hang around here, but in the time being, I will be staying in this forest..." Then my eyes go back to your handsome face again, and as soon as our eyes meet, my eyes start to glow, as usual. "You adventurers never stop travelling, and their lives are unpredictable, right? I'm sure you can understand..." I say playfully, and give you a wink.

Madison Jones:
"Yep, surprises around every corner. Some are pleasant, some not so much." I think about placing the gem on a rock, but decide it is too valuable to risk it disappearing in this domain. I come back your way and sit next to you, keeping the gem dipped in the water while holding the chain. "I never thought my life would go in this direction. I was chasing the path my dad laid out. Never thought I'd be coming to mystic springs and recharging magic gems."

Asher Ouellet:
I chuckle again as I hear your comment, and watch you as you sit down next to me. "well... Life is filled with lots of surprises... I never thought I would be a "different" hunter either. But here I am, right here, right now, speaking with another sorcerer who says this wasn't his expectation from life..." I sigh deeply then, my eyes watching the lake. "What was the path that your dad laid out for you, and was it something you were craving to live?"

Madison Jones:
"Well..." I get a dumbfounded look on my face. "He was a sex wrestler, and I was following in his footsteps. He died when I was 11, and I was really inspired by him until..." I trail off, "It's not a happy story. I'd rather not rehash it again. If you wanted to know it though... I could show it to you." My hand begins to glow with a glint of amber light as I hold it up for you.

Asher Ouellet:
My eyes narrow as you extend your hand to me to grab you, and I give you a cocky and confident smile. "Unfortunately, you are not the only one who knows how to use magic..." I say as I start staring deep into your eyes, my eyes start to get brighter and brighter, almost like they are like big blue diamonds that force you to keep looking at them. "But if you are uncomfortable with sharing it, I would respect it..." On the other hand, my eyes are almost telling you something else, affecting your mind with some kind of weird magic: 'You won't feel any regret and sadness while showing your memory.. I will make sure it won't happen...'

Madison Jones:
Not being the most aware of magic techniques myself, I stare into your eyes and feel strangely calm about the topic. Normally it brings sadness and anger, but as I recall the events of the night, I am strangely calm and collected. My hand stops glowing as I speak, "Sure, I'll tell you. I thought my father had died in a blaze I probably started as a child. Then one night 15 years later, he showed up when I was training to be a wrestler, beat me up real bad, and forced himself on me. He did this while trying to convince me I shouldn't be a wrestler, probably thinking I couldn't take it." My tone, as you might expect from your ability, is eerily calm about this.

I start to shake my head a moment later, fighting the magic effect. "Why did I say... Oh..." I sigh, "Did you really want to know all that?"

Asher Ouellet:
My jaw drops as you tell me about the harsh childhood and the hard experience you had with your father, and suddenly grab your hand and give it a gentle squeeze. My eyes continue to glow as you suddenly start questioning yourself why did you tell this, and my eyes' magical effects suddenly surround your mind one more time, screaming and ordering to your mind again: Forget that you told these to Asher... The latest memory you are remembering is offering to show the memory of yours. Then as if nothing happened, I hold my hand inches away from yours, just like I listened to your offer, but do not hold it. "It's your choice to show it to me or not... Share it with me only if you are going to feel more comfortable afterwards... "

Madison Jones:
My hand begins to glow again with some amber energy as I shake my head with me having a strong sense of deja vu. "Right, here I'll show you the events." I take you hand and mentally feed you the events of that night, the night he showed up out of the blue and assaulted me...

Montague Jones

After a moment of us being mentally connected I pull my hand away showing some sadness. "There's a lot more than happened after that. That's just when things flipped in my life, and when I ended up going off with Volos for the first time..."

Asher Ouellet:
I pull my hand back as I am finally done watching your memories from your perspective, I gasp out loudly, as I have just returned to the normal world right now. Taking some deep breaths as you mention someone named Volos, I look at your eyes again. My eyes are still glowing, but they don't say anything to you at the moment. "i see... That was... Pretty hard..." I sigh again, slowly raising to my feet as I continue to look at you. "I don't know if this is going to make you feel better, but... You are not the only person who experiences hard things like that... I can see where you are coming from..."

Madison Jones:
I look at the gem, it seems nearly as bright as it can get from soaking up some mana. "I know there are a lot of people out there with bad things happening to them. I don't really think I'm special in that way. That night though, it broke me." I go ahead and stand up as well, pulling the gem from the water and placing it around my neck again. "Thank you for seeing my story."

Asher Ouellet:
I nod again, a bit sad still after hearing the story, and watch you grab your gem, and place it on your neck again. "No... Thank you for telling me your story, and trusting me..." I mumble as I approach you slowly, and wrap my left arm around your neck to pull you into a tight embrace, letting you feel my emotions for a while before I pull myself back. Now there is again a sincere smile on my face. "Maybe next time when you come, I may show you one of my own experiences..."

Madison Jones:
I accept your embrace and hug you back, holding you there for a good moment longer than you might have expected. When we separate there is that friendly smile you've seen a few times since we started travelling. "I think I would like that. As a bartender, I like listening to people's stories." I grin sometimes, "...and maybe speculating a bit. I have a pretty active imagination."

Asher Ouellet:
I laugh as I see you are grinning and make a comment about speculating, pat your shoulder gently. "Yeah, I can assume that too. I will definitely stop by that Bar... Not the usual places that I am hanging out generally, but it's good to make some differences, right?" I wink at you, and take a step back. "But I need to head back to the forest now, if you excuse me... Duty calls... It was a pleasure to meet you Madison..."

Madison Jones:
"Thanks for the company." I smile and turn, heading back the way we came.

Published: 2021-11-17, viewed 43 times.