A Journey Amidst The Ashes (Sienna/Draven/Open)

[Seth]

As soon as Dusk fell on Mythregal, Seth stepped out of the shadows of a nearby shelter and into the dim lit street of the pub from the night before. He stood, waiting on an Angel named Sienna and a Vampire named Draven, so that he could begin his trek to learn more about what caused a village his father protected to burn down. Seth would have left that very night, but Draven had been injured in the pub, and needed time to heal. Although the pub was said to be owned by a vampire, that did not stop those against the supernatural from getting work there. With Draven’s wound fully healed, Seth did not have to worry about fighting for the vampire in the events that they were noticed. The next night was a clear night, and an Autumn chill filled the air. Seth looked around the darkness of the street corner, waiting for both to show.



The events from the night before did not go unforgotten. Seth was well about his wits in keeping a keen eye out for any would-be attackers, who would want revenge on Draven for the night before. Some would simply kill him on basis for what he was. With whispers of events transpiring around the Vampire clan, many targeted the undead as enemies in every region, despite many choosing to live in peace. Draven seemed to have a kind spirit in Seth’s eyes, but there was also more in him, like all other vampires. A primal thirst for blood, which every vampire was cursed with. Seth felt hypocritical for being suspicious of a helpful vampire, while trying to protect him, but it all seemed too odd.



Someone sent Draven, that much he admitted, but even when Seth pressed further, he dodged the question all together. It was as if he wanted to explain, but something kept the vampire’s loyalty in check. Someone was using Draven as a pawn, and Seth feared that he was now caught in some game cloak and dagger with an opponent that was still in the shadows. Watching. Waiting. Holding their breath.



As a few moments passed, Seth heard footsteps behind him. Turning slowly, he looked to see who was walking up behind him.

[Draven]

Draven awoke to one thing on his mind, blood. He needed it to finish healing. If he took human blood there was the risk that he would take too much and kill the person. And animal blood was not as effective. But he had no choice. He found the local butcher and talked him into letting him have the blood from slathered animals. Once it was done, and he had cleaned up he made his way to Seth.

He would give anything to be not there. But if it meant that in the end he would be free from Chris, and be with Adele, he would do it. He could have jumped from roof to roof, but he wanted to not draw attention to himself. Last night proved how dangerous it was for a vampire. He kept his hood over his head for that reason. He heard of few people talking about the vampire attack at the tavern last night as he walked. The big scary vampire attacked the poor bar tender. Who was victorious in slaying the vampire with a steak through the heart. People love a good story.


Draven walked up to Seth slowly. "Ready to do this," he said . "Don't worry I ate. No one you know." He said with a laugh. "Calm down it was animal blood from the butcher. But the look on your face."

[Deleted]

As dusk fell, Sienna finished making preparations and making sure people wouldn't miss her too much... And more importantly, that she would still have a job when she came back. She stepped outside and immediately noticed the crispness of the air as Autumn hung heavily in the tree branches. Things were quiet for now and if she didn't know better, she would almost say that it had an eeriness to it. She looked around in the darkness and sighed, before biting her lip and pulling her hair up and out of her face. She wasn't scared, that wasn't it. She just didn't like being out here like this, not knowing what to expect and whether or not she was walking into a trap. She sort of trusted Seth, though she has just met him and she knew for a fact that there was no way she trusted Draven, so it was interesting to say the least.

And she could still be wrong about this, she could be going about this all wrong… Who knows, maybe Seth and Draven were working together and she was walking into a trap. No, there was no need to be paranoid now, was it? No, definitely not, it wasn’t necessary whatsoever. At least, she really hoped that it wasn’t necessary. In all honesty though, she really didn’t know anything about Draven, or Seth. Though she knew a bit more about the latter than the former. If it came down to it, though, she would fight her way out of it, because that’s actually exactly what she always had done. She pulled her robe further around her and walked towards the voices that she heard, that were familiar to her. It was time that she bit the bullet sooner or later and it might as well be sooner.

She of course had heard every story about the vampire attack last night, well, she had been there, which was reason enough for many people to ask her to tell them what she had seen. She had kept herself calm and made it look like she didn’t remember too much and it had just been a blur to her. Of course, that was a lie, but she couldn’t risk people finding out that Draven was still alive and well. When she noticed Seth and Draven, she stopped and stood in the shadows for a moment longer, before grimacing when she heard what Draven said. She then walked closer and looked at both. “Yes, I’m sure our looks were worth it to you. Let me just be so kind to tell you that no human being will be hurt that will go unpunished, got it?” This really was going to be a long trip.

[Seth]

Seth turned to find Draven behind him, and when the vampire mentioned having already fed, but it being nobody that Seth knew, the vampire almost found a red hot hand belonging to Seth around his throat. Instead, Seth’s eyebrow raised almost into an angry gaze. Sienna joined soon before Draven spoke, but her retort told Seth how she felt about the joke too. Seth would have agreed with her vocally, but the small, crooked grin on his face said all that he needed. However, the grin faded as quickly as it appeared, and it was up to Seth to get them moving. “Are we ready to begin this?” He asked as he motioned for Draven to lead the way to their destination: a destroyed village, burnt to the ground by an unknown culprit. Many believe that the culprit was the legion of dragons that protected the village. Seth wasn’t so sure, and sought to clear both his father’s name, and avenge his father.

Throughout the walk, Seth felt this overbearing presence about him. Like his walk to Mythregal in the first place, he felt as if he was always being watched. As if cruel eyes were upon him from the black heavens, watching from an unseeable realm. There was a chill in the air of night as they walked about the rural outlands of Mythregal, but to Seth, it felt as if there was an icy breath that crept its way down his spine. Normally, Seth welcomed the cold air, despite the fact that he could burn things with his hands, but for the next couple of nights, Seth was on high alert as he traveled with his two companions.

They had to stick to the shadows at all times, normally traveling throughout the mountain sides, and through hidden paths when Seth lead them through a detour through the forests of Arnul. Draven held the parchment with the map upon it. Although Seth thought about asking, he knew that the result would be the same as the night Seth first asked. Draven was bound not to say, that much was certain. The way he held onto his hand, Seth recognized the magic. Dragons had a similar spell that they used when intruders would not tell them their intentions, however the spell the dragons used made people talk. This spell made Draven silent. Seth wondered if he could counter it, but he was not sure if it would be a good idea. If the spell turned out to be more of a curse, then using any spell, even if it was Draconic in nature, could prove catastrophic on Draven. Although Seth was unsure if he could trust Draven just yet, he did not want to gamble whatever sort of life the vampire had.

There was much that he wanted to know about the vampire, but it seemed as if he was warded against any real poking and prodding of questions. Seth could cast a draconic spell that would allow him to retrace his steps back to the village when they got there, and just follow Draven back, but at the same time, Seth could also just find the vampire later, and question him then. He was a bounty hunter after all, and he could find anyone. Regardless, Seth could not give up his questioning now either.

“Why are you not allowed to tell us about who sent you?” Seth asked Draven as they were crossing beaches of the Sinsul Ocean, heading closer towards more forested areas, much like Arnul, but less dense and with much smaller trees. Perhaps Seth could start there, and maybe pick up enough to get a lead from Draven.

[Draven]

"Just because someone has fangs Sienna does not mean they will use them." It was one of the reason Chris wanted out of this body. It was also changing Draven's mind as well. Before becoming possessed by Chris Draven was your normal care free vampire,Killing to feed. But then came Chris and now Adele. They each showed him what taking a life meant.

Draven smiled as Seth pointed for him to lead the way. He was no guide, he bearly knew what lay ahead. He only had what Corvin had said and the parchment in his hand. He wished he had never made that deal with Corvin. He would be with Adele and saw to it that Merry was safe. But that was not fair to Chris, who wanted his own life with Merry. This trip would give him lots of time to think, maybe too much.

As they walked Draven felt a pain in his hand. The same hand that glowed when he first made the deal with Corvin. He held it with his other hand and moaned a little from the pain. He was doing as plained why was this damn thing hurting?

Draven pressed on not letting it so too much. Vampire's were not know for let the cold bother them but even he could feel the cold crisp air on his skin. At night when they stopped to rest Draven just sat by the fire and kept to himself.

As they got to the Sinsul Ocean.Seth asked Draven what Draven was waiting on. He knew it was a matter of time. "Well If I could tell you a would." He said as once again he has to rub his other hand. "Cause you have to know by now this all means nothing to me. And what ever quest this is. I would rather be in the company of someone else."

[Deleted]

Sienna felt her heartbeat speed up a little when she saw the small, crooked grin on Seth's face and smiled back at him, before turning serious again. She nodded when he asked of they were ready to begin this. She took a deep breath when he motioned for Draven to lead the way, getting ready to follow him herself. She wasn't exactly too happy to be going to a destroyed village that was burnt to the ground, but she wasn't alone. Her eyes soon found Seth's face and she put a hand on his arm. "Are you okay?" She asked him softly. Her eyes were on him, filled with worry, before falling on Draven. She saw what was going on with him, but she did not think it was her place to say anything about it, she barely knew him. And that certainly meant that she didn't trust him. She looked at Draven when she heard what he said about having fangs and using them or not and crossed her arms over her chest. A smile crossed her lips briefly as she thought how easily she could silence him, but they needed him and it wasn't in her nature. She wasn't an angel like that.

When she heard Seth's question to Draven, she looked at Draven and nodded, wanting to know the same thing. She quickly enough let her eyes wander the beaches of the Sinsul Ocean, lost in thought and nostalgia for a moment. She quickly enough shook this off of her, as she knew all too well that she couldn't get lost in her own head when there was a mission. A purpose. She looked towards the trees and pulled her jacket closer around her shoulders. "Would you? Really?" She asked, sounding a little skeptical. She smiled a little when he said that this all meant nothing to him and he would rather be in the company of someone else. "Figures."

[Seth]

When Seth felt her touch on his arm, he looked back at her with softened eyes and listened as she asked if he was okay. Placing a hand on her own, he smiled and nodded. “I just can’t shake this feeling as if we’re being watched is all,” Seth replied, “ever since we left Mythregal, it has felt as if something’s watching from a distance. Something dark.” Seth lightly traced his fingertips across Sienna’s hand for momentarily as he moved his very warm hand from her own. He looked her in the eyes, his body warming further and his heart skipping a beat slightly. Suddenly, his suspicions were gone for but a moment and yet all he could do is crack a smile and reassure her that he was fine. After all, for him, he had an angel at his side.



Seth wondered why Draven simply could not tell him who sent him. Many possibilities swam through his mind, but more so as to why their mystery person wanted to remain anonymous. Something was keeping Draven from speaking, and Seth had to wonder if it was a spell, or ransom that kept his tongue still. Part of what Draven said about not caring about this, Seth knew was true. He had no reason to really care, but at the same time, he told Seth a lot. The fact that he was a stranger to Seth meant that the person that sent him was smart, but they probably could not just send anyone. They needed someone that could potentially cover their tracks, and who better than someone that knew what it was like to be hunted? They just needed a little motivation.



“And who is the person that has won your heart?” he asked Draven, “You could at least answer me that. You may not care about any of this, but you probably know enough by now to know that I can be trusted with that much.”



The shoreline was peaceful, as countless waves crashed against the pebbly sands of the beach. Seth recalled a scouting exercise that he underwent at these shores as a child. Unbeknownst to many, were the many sand dunes that existed along the beach. They were safe along the shoreline, as the moon shined above the sea, giving it an illuminating glow, much like an Aurora Borealis in the sea. The sand itself shined silver in the moonlight, but as beautiful as it was, the many sand dunes were enough to swallow a grown man whole. How deep they went were unknown, but it was implied that the dunes released the bodies back out to sea, as many corpses were found back on shore later. Beautiful, yet treacherous. Fortunately, not all of the shores of this area was so polluted with these dunes, so it was relatively safe.



Soon, Seth stopped to a sudden halt as he suddenly began to feel strange. Suddenly, visions of fire and destruction came through his head. People running in fear as homes collapsed in flames, stone temples collapsing. People trying to escape, but only falling to flames. Visions ending, Seth pulled a dagger from underneath the back of his cloak. Holding it forward, it suddenly extended into a spear. With his great strength, he bolted into a sprint towards the end of the shoreline towards the forest line. As if led by some unseen force, Seth traversed the dense, forested area for what seemed like miles before he came to a stop. As soon as his body and senses were his own again, he only took a quick breath before looking around. He heard movement, but from where?



A sudden arrow whizzing past his head told him the location. Readying his spear, Seth held out a hand, causing the collapsed enclosure ahead of him to explode, sending debris everywhere except his immediate direction. Taking a look at the archers behind the stone, he noticed their dirtied rags of tattered clothes and markings and knew immediately as to what they were: Looters.

[Draven]

Draven gave a cocky grin toward Sienna. He thought of controlling her dreams when they set up camp. And she fell asleep. Just to make her mad. Maybe it was the fact that she did not like him. Or that she was judging him on being a vampire and nothing else. In any case he was going to have fun with this.

He watched the waves crash against the shore as he was taken off gaud by Seth's question. He was asking about the girl that won his heart. But she was more then that to him. She saved his life. He did not mine telling about Adele. He was in fact proud of her. "She offered her blood to me after I was injured to the point of almost death. She was on no mind tricks of any kind. She trusted me, after only just meeting me."

Draven looked over to Seth who seemed to be staring at nothing. He looked like he was in a trance. "Seth! Seth!" He called out but nothing, Then in flash, Seth took off running. "What?" Draven looked at Sienna unsure of what to do. What else could he do but chase after him. With his speed he got their just as Seth did.

What he found was an ambush. Draven caught an arrow heading in his diction just as Seth sent debris everywhere. Draven covered his head in defiance. "Friends of yours." He asked.

[Deleted]

Sienna looked back at his eyes, loving how soft they were for a moment, just a moment. She looked at their hands and smiled. "We'll be fine. Even if someone is watching us." She said, feeling sure of this. She looked down, feeling slightly enthralled by his touch and let her own hand drop to her side. "After all, you are not alone, I am still here as well." She then said softly. She knew that with him at her side, she didn't have to worry about anything. She didn't trust Draven very much, which didn't all have to do with him being a vampire. After all, she wasn't biased really. How could she be? There however was something off about Draven. Something that she couldn't quite put a finger on.

She listened to Draven's story, looking ahead of her. "She must be a fool. Or maybe just naive... In any case, if she could break through your defenses, she has to be special." She said, with a sigh, giving in a little on this.

She had heard the stories about the dunes, about the water and knew of its treacherous nature. She knew too that with how the dunes were polluted, they didn't have to worry much longer. It was fairly safe and it mattered most that people people believed that. Probably more than whether or not they would believe it themselves. When Seth stopped, so did she, looking at him with a worried look in her eyes. Her eyes widened when she saw the dagger extend into a spear and went after him without a second thought. She didn't call his name, knowing that he probably wouldn't hear her anyway. When he stopped, she did too and looked at him, more worried now than ever.

Sienna took cover when she saw what happened and looked at the looters. They didn't look very old and immediately, she wasn't sure if they should be harmed or not. "Seth..." She said, looking at him. She then looked at Draven, warning him with her eyes not to attack yet. They were human, or at least seemed that way. It would be a waste of their time to kill them.

[Seth]

Looters were common when villages fall. Some were peaceful, while others were outright dangerous. The problem was both had no issue in defending themselves from intruders. You only knew which was which until after they either killed you or left you alive. Seth rationalized to not hurt any of them, but not take them lightly. Even with his durability, it was not hard to land a well placed enchanted weapon on him. “Wound, don’t kill.” Seth uttered to Draven and Sienna as he launched forward with his spear pointed outward at his side.

As Seth ran, he took a deep breath, counting the looters he saw immediately. A total of six in all, not young, but not old either. From the looks of them, they were experienced. Three that Seth first saw were either horribly scarred, or missing a limb. The others stood behind these three, possibly the ringleaders of the group. They held the bows, while the ones in the front held crude instruments to be used at weapons. When Seth finally saw the weapons and the glint of blood on them, he realized that these guys were not going to be the peaceful types. As the front three charged to meet Seth, two ran ahead, weapons raised above their heads, but with a sounding crash, their force was met by a block from Seth’s spear as he held it out sideways. Although the two attacking looters were trying with all of their might to break Seth’s hold on his spear, they could not move his arm, which held the spear in place with massive strength that was well hidden within him. With a fast flex of his torso muscles, his arm raised upwards and threw both men backwards into the air and over the tree-line, as Seth turned to further block a rear assault from the third charging looter. The weapon in this one’s hand was a piece of metal that he was not ready to let go of. Suddenly, Seth’s free hand began to glow and his eyes changed color. Gripping the metal instrument with his free hand, the weapon began to glow red hot like Seth’s hand, forcing the Looter to drop it and howl in pain at his scorched palms. Dropping the now-melting piece of metal, Seth looked at the Looter, now in the fetal position, as he held his hands tightly to himself, looking at Seth in fear.

Suddenly, Seth heard his name and looked back towards Sienna. His eyes widened before turning back to their normal look, and his hand suddenly stopped glowing. It was what happened when his draconic nature took over his human side. Seth was hot for battle when it came to combat, but stopping took effort. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled back to normal again by just looking at Sienna. Soon, Seth was clear and focused again. “Sienna…” Seth uttered back under his breath.

[Draven]

"Seth,Sienna, it is so wonderful that we know each others names. No need to keep saying them." With in seconds he grabbed one with his left hand as he punched him with his right. Then jumped up wrapping his legs around the man's neck. Swinging downward he flipped the large man over. He was on one knee as he slowly looked up at them. "Little busy here."

He ignored Seth's powers. He had seen to much to be phased by things. He was just glad he was on his side. He still did not know what Corvin wanted with Seth. But he had to go through with this. The ghost inside him was a pain in the. He punched someone who was charging toward him. The smell of blood was in the air. It only fueled his attacks. He was disapointed that he could not kill. He wanted to. He would not harm an inncent life. But someone who wanted a fight with him was fair game.

"Is that all of them?" He wondered as he put down his last. As he looked at them he noticed how much Seth was looking at her. And how much claim his face was when he did so. He knew that feeling all too well.

[Deleted]

Sienna knew that looters were normal when a village fell, she'd heard enough stories about this to know it was true. She knew they could be dangerous, but most of all, they were desperate, which in its own might make them even more dangerous. Hearing Seth's words to wound but not kill, caused her to nod, though she wasn't sure if they needed to be attacked at all. Watching Seth attack like he did, caused her to look on in worry, wondering what went through the man's mind. She knew that there was a possibility that her own feelings for Seth were getting in the way of her rational thinking, but that was a worry for another time. Another moment. She watched Seth attacking, knowing she could not stop him, but also not getting ready to attack, herself. The assault before her was enough to make her very worried for Seth's wellbeing, as this wasn't by any means something normal... Or, well, what someone would consider as normal anyway. After all, none of this was really NORMAL. They were all supernatural beings, all having come across looters that might or might not be human. None of this made a lick of sense.

Seeing his hand glow just as the weapon was glowing, caught her off-guard for a moment, as she looked at Seth, wondering if there was anything she could do. She looked at his eyes and noticed that those kind, beautiful eyes of him had changed color as well. She watched it unfold before her and swallowed. Thinking she couldn't do a damn thing, she had called out his name, wanting to get through to him and when she finally seemed to do so... She looked back at Seth, worry on her face. She slowly walked closer when he was turning back to his normal self bit by bit and grabbed his hand, squeezing it slightly. "Seth, it's okay... It's okay." She said softly, in an attempt to calm him down and assure him a bit more. She wasn't planning on letting him go or giving up on him so easily now that she had seen this side of him. She still believed he was a good man, even though he didn't always seem to believe it himself.

Her eyes then went to Draven, with his remark and rolled her eyes. She felt something snap inside of her, for this behavior, as it made no sense whatsoever. She wanted to smack him, hurt him, do something but most of her attention was still on Seth. So, she decided that it was best to just try and hurt him with her words. She was just so freaking angry with his heartlessness. "Oh, yeah, it's so great that you think yourself better than us, I forgot that you basically don't have a lot of feelings." She said. She knew that she was the only one who hadn't attacked someone, who had stood by and not done something, even though she so easily could. It had been a choice of hers not to attack, even if that might make it seem like she stood idly by. She nodded when Draven asked if that was all of them. "Yes, though there was no need to use this excessive violence, they are trying to survive as much as anyone else." She said calmly, with a hint of coldness in her voice.

[Seth]

As the last looter vacated the area, Seth took a moment to control his breathing again, his eyes wild from combat. It was the dragon heritage within that heated his blood, making him hunger to the combat of those around him. It was all within the nature and nurture of the Fire Clan. Hundreds of thousands of years worth of tradition, taboo, conditioning to breed god-like warriors that lusted for combat as if the act of fighting itself was their truest love. All of this and more was written into Seth’s genetic code. A code that allowed him to do things he could never do as a human, but made him less than human.

When Sienna touched his hand, he remembered once again as to what it was to feel another kind of warmth. There were the fires of combat, yes, but even now, those fires were mere wind chills compared to the warmth that set over Seth when she held his hand. It distracted him momentarily, and reminded him as to what it was that made him human. “I...I’m…” He tried to say. He was going to apologize for his brashness, but she spoke and said it was okay. His Battle Master, the one that trained him in the Rites, would have punished him if he had hesitated. There was no room for mistake. No room for hesitation. A true draconic warrior was to strike like a serpent, and devour their prey with an onslaught of carefully planned, yet violent attacks. With her, all of that inner anger that he fought so hard to control washed away. He looked at her a moment more before turning his sights towards Draven, whose comment broke the silent looks.

“This...is the place, isn’t it?” he asked Draven, “This is the village you were to take me to?” As if Seth even needed to know the truth, he looked around the entire area and saw nothing but ruin. Buildings that were toppled by fire laid collapsed upon themselves, along with the scorched ground beneath their feet. Seth looked around the area, which reeked of the sulfur from the fire, and at long last, Seth finally spoke. “Dragons couldn’t have done this…” he uttered, his eyes falling down upon the burnt remains of what might have once been a human body. Everything about the entire area seemed wrong to Seth. The bodies, the toppled homes and buildings, everything. None of it should have been here if dragons attacked. Even a single dragon could have left nothing in their wake, if they put their mind to it. Dragon fire almost didn’t even leave ash.

“A dragon wouldn’t have left anything behind, if one attacked a village,” he spoke, “something else had to do this. Even the scent from the charred remains smell wrong.” Seth could have performed a spell to find out, but it would take time.

[Draven]

Draven pulled the map out and looked at it once more. His eyes looking from it to what was left of the village. He had so many question but could not ask any of them. He hated being on any spell. To be forced to obey. Something he was not used to. He was the one that could force his will. He felt helpless. He was the guide for this yet he was clueless as to what was going on. But it was all for Merry. The ghost stuck inside him would stop at nothing for her. Problem was that Draven was along for the ride, like it or not.

"Yes, this is it." He turned the map one way then the next. Trying to make some since of it. "You know why we are here Seth. Don't you. " He looked around and smelled the air. "This place smells of death. I hate it. "


Draven walked toward Sienna once close to her, he whispered. "Stop judging me. I have more feeling then you will ever know. For you have no idea what am capable of for the ones I love."

In his mind Chris recalled the look on Merry's face when he asked her to be his bride. The love in her eyes. Then when he was in Draven and he saw when she was told Chris was gone. He thought is she learned the truth that he was now a monster that kills she would be scared of him. That was why he left.

He walked back over to Seth. Putting the map back in his pocket. "The look on your face shows it all. What are you thinking."