Child of Aidon
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SND [5] Shai
🕑 Added 2024-07-29 15:12:11 +0000 UTCBjorn and Freja swallowed hard as they saw the scene before them. The courtyard was full of spectators, all of whom were collectively holding their breath at the scene before them. Many of them were not Freja’s race and this would have been their first time seeing a dragon. They would have heard rumors of course but few outsiders believed anyone could tame the draconic creatures. Yet there it was, in the middle of the courtyard stood Thrand, the massive lesser red dragon, alongside Lord Ulfar Salstar and Lady Ingrid Salstar, the nobleman and woman who ruled this domain.
Thrand’s presence was overwhelming. The air seemed to shimmer in heat waves around his crimson scales and Bjorn could taste the unrelenting power that if unleashed could raze a city. Thrand was large, his size dominated the space, dwarfing everything around him. There was a garden where he had landed but he spilled out into walkways towering over the roofs of even the dormitories. The bricks beneath his feet were crushed into dust by his sheer weight despite being magically reinforced.
As Thrand exhaled, plumes of smoke curled from his nostrils. The temperature seemed to rise with every passing moment. There was a primal fear that landed on anyone that crossed the dragon's gaze. It was an instinctual recognition that before them was a predator that to it they were all prey.
Freja took her first shaky step out of the dormitory. Julie grabbed Freja’s wrist, spun her around, and gave her a long emotional hug. She reached out and dragged Mat into the embrace as well.
“Be sure to send a letter to me and Mat,” Julie said as the trio released. “And don’t let that ass hat get his way. Promise me you’ll be alright.”
“I promise. As soon as I can, you will hear from me,” Freja stated.
Freja’s wind hands, which had been dutifully following with her books, also took the bag Julie had been carrying. She turned and approached her parents. When she was just a few feet away a figure jumped from the dragon's back. He landed with surprising grace and despite the large fall. The boy looked at Freja with a self-satisfied grin. He was a few inches shorter than Freja, but was a spitting image of Lord Salstar if he was many years younger. That was to be expected as he was the Lord’s only son and Freja’s younger brother; Ragnar. The boy had on a blue suit to his fathers red, and instead of a wand he wielded a staff with a large orb at its end.
“Ah, sister dear, it is nice to see you again,” Ragnar said with a vicious smile. “I heard you successfully summoned your familiar.”
The boy sounded like he was reading from a script and Bjorn could not help but notice how staged everything seemed to be. There was something going on and Bjorn liked it less and less with each passing moment.
Freja stopped in front of Ragnar and bowed her head. “Master Ragnar, the pleasure is all mine.”
Bjorn got the sense that Freja knew what was going on. She tensed up and Bjorn could taste the fear and shame in the air. Ragnar seemed to be displeased in Freja’s response as if he was prepared for a different outcome. Bjorn got the feeling that Ragnar was prepared for Freja to stand up to him and was disappointed she didn’t. He turned around and looked at his mother for guidance, she nodded and he turned back around to face his sister.
Ragnar's smile vanished. “What is with the formalities, sister? Oh, let me guess, you heard I am next in line to take over as head after dad since big sister Helga is no longer with us.” He paused for a dramatic over-acted flare. “You know what that means, right, Shai? Don’t worry, we are siblings, please, let me see your dragon. Of course as a member of the Salstar family you summoned a dragon.” His performance seemed to have reached the zenith as he paced around Freja, eyeing her up and down. “I mean it would be a complete shame and dishonor that a Salstar would even attempt to summon anything else, right?” He pretended like he just noticed Bjorn. “Oh, what is this little ugly thing? Don’t tell me you disobeyed father.”
“His name is Bjorn,” Freja whispered.
Ragnar grabbed Freja by her antlers and threw her to the ground in front of their father and mother. Freja had to hold onto a hissing Bjorn, who was eager to fight in her defense. The Lord and Lady stood impassively, their expressions neutral and unreadable. However Bjorn could taste their pride; they had been planning this for a while.
“I am sorry, what was that?” Ragnar yelled. “Don’t talk back to me, you're a failure. From today on you are a Shai and I have taken the right to be an heir from you! The Forest Father blesses those who are his true children and I am blest, the Salstars are blest but you are a blight that does not belong. I will show you what a real Salstar should be able to summon.” He snapped a finger. “Vilja, here.”
There was an electrified rush of wind as a new presence announced itself. A shadow rose into the sky from Thrands back then turned and twisted in the air. A dragon pup flew down, her sleek form cut through the winds with effortless grace despite her young age. The performance did what it was supposed to as a new silence fell on the courtyard. Everyone was transfixed on the black meteoric flight as the young dragon beat her wings in a smooth rhythm.
The Vilja landed next to Ragnar with a final graceful final swoop. The pup’s scales shimmered with a deep, inky black, a telltale sign of a lesser storm dragon, renowned as one of the strongest variants among the lesser dragons. She was small now about the same size as Bjorn, but everyone was fully aware that this was just the beginning. One day that dragon would command storms and lighting with the same ease that Thrand commanded fire.
Ragnar stood all the prouder now that he had his familiar. His eyes flicked back and forth between his parents, who he desperately wanted to impress. His chest swelled with pride, a young boy basking in the recognition of his power. Beside him, Vilja, the lesser storm dragon pup, stood tall, her scales gleaming in the sunlight like polished obsidian.
Bjorn, sensing the growing tension, managed to free himself from Freja’s grip. He positioned himself between Freja and her kin, his long neck arching in defiance. Ragnar merely laughed at the display, seeing the small, long-necked drake as an odd, unimpressive creature. His laugh was tinged with arrogance.
Vilja saw Bjorn differently than her master. The moment her eyes locked onto him, she freaked out. Her body trembled as she squawked cries of fear and bloody murder. Her wings fluttered in frantic panic in an attempt to flee but she was too scared to even lift off properly she scrambled backwards tripping on her own tail. Bjorn could taste her instincts screaming at her to flee. Ragnar had to rush to calm her down before she could take off.
“What has gotten into you, Vilja?” Ragnar asked as she bucked him off of her. “Calm down, it’s just some stupid lizard.”
Thrand turned his attention to the group due to the commotion and looked down at the little Bjorn. He also backed up, lowering his head as if to hide behind Lord Salstar. The Lord was shocked that even his dragon was affected, even afraid of the small creature in front of him.
“Posioner.” Thrand said in a low rumble that sounded more like crushing rocks.
The Lord got control of the large dragon with a simple wave of his hand, unlike Ragnar. The Lord’s displeasure now turned again into anger at the scene before him. The Shiagaunt would have removed the Freja properly but his son losing control of his familiar made them look weak, which was not acceptable. This was supposed to be a display of strength over the cancer in their family that was Freja. A Shai that would soon be excised.
“Get control of your familiar, boy,” Lord Salstar snapped. He turned his attention to his daughter on the ground. “Get up Freja, we are leaving.”
“Ragnar.” Ingrid chastised.
Freja grabbed Bjorn, this time being sure to hold him tighter so he could not escape.
“What did that little monster do to Vilja?” Ragnar screamed in outrage, the mask of his performance broken. He walked over to Freja, who was still picking herself up, and kicked her in the side, causing her to fall over. “She’s never acted like this before. What did your freaky little familiar do?”
“Ragnar, enough. Or do you mean to further shame yourself,” Lord Salstar said in a deep rumble.
“But it was her. She did something,” Ragnar protested.
“Excuses Ragnar? You think I want to hear them from my heir?” the man asked in a rhetorical tone. “Take Vilja and get out of my sight. You have done enough. Ingrid love, take him.” He turned to Freja. “With this the shiagaunt is complete, come.”
As the two talked Freja once again stood up, her head down to hide the pain she felt. The pain that Bjorn could sense all too well. He could taste her anguish, her torture, her hatred and every ounce of her fear, and it broke his heart. If he could, he would rip those entitled pricks apart. For now at least all he could do was hiss and watch them closely, as either were more than capable of killing him in an instant.
***
Thrand and the noble family were gone; they absconded with Freja right after Ragnar lost control of his familiar. The spot where the massive dragon landed was already being repaired by groundskeepers. Students were expected to continue their studies as if what had just happened was normal. Mat and Julie were mortified, and several many other students looked the same. Those of Freja’s race had already started mocking her for being a failure of a noble who was kicked from her family, calling her something Mat had never heard before: a Shai.
“What was that?” Mat said. “Why didn’t anyone do anything?”
Julie's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and she still had a hand over her mouth. “I-I don’t know, Mat.”
“What you all just witnessed was called a Shiagaunt,” Ms. Dimii said to a small group of stunned girls a few feet away. “None of you have to worry, it is a complex tradition.”
The Dorm Mother’s voice instantly gained the two shell shocked student’s attention. Mat and Julie looked at each other for a moment as the initial surprise gave way to questions they wanted answered. Nearly all of the students that huddled around Ms. Dimii were also human, with a smattering of elves and a single goblin. They were all worried about what they’d just seen, and obviously shaken by the fact that the Lord of the domain let his son terrorize his daughter out in public.
A tall elf girl asked, “Can that happen to us? I mean, he just abused his daughter in front of all of us.” She looked more and more like she was going to hyperventilate. “Can the Lord of this place just show up and…”
Ms. Dimii cut the girl off before she worked herself up any more. “No-no, the shiagaunt is a tradition to disown a family member who has dishonored their family and was in line to become an heir. It is a form of public shame on the individual that has caused the disgrace. It may have appeared brutal to many of you, but I can assure you what the Lord did is completely legal and an accepted practice only under those extenuating circumstances. Everyone here is completely safe.”
“What’s going to happen to Freja?” Mat asked.
The crowd all nodded along with the question, many of them still shaken by the brutality of the Shiagaunt.
“The rules around the Shiagaunt are pretty clear,” Dimii said calmly. “ They will give her money and some stipulations about not using the family name, and then she will be released to start her life over. The fact that she was the daughter of a noble means she will be given enough money to travel wherever she wants and place down roots easily.”
“So, she’ll be fine?” Julie asked.
“Yes, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about,” Dimii said with a small but reassuring smile. “If you all have any other questions about the Shiagaunts you can read about it in the library, in the cultural section.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Now I know that this was more excitement than usual in the morning, but you all need to get to your classes before you’re late. I will not be writing any excuse passes for you all.”
The crowd that had gathered slowly dispersed. The girls felt assured that at the very least the Shiagaunt was not something that could happen to them. A few students stayed to ask the Dorm Mother other questions related to their rooms, but they were quickly answered and moved on. Mat and Julie were the last students around the Dorm Mother. They were Freja’s best friends and had more questions as to the safety of their friend and her whereabouts.
Dimii kept her tone light, but there was obvious worry behind her words. “I understand you both want more information, but there is no set location for where a family has to take a dishonored family member. Freja should be fine, though. They will give her money, and when she settles down I’m sure she will send you both letters.”
“Is there nothing else we’ll be able to do but wait?” Julie asked. “Please, Ms. Dimii.”
Ms. Dimii looked them both over. “Right now, no. All we can do is wait to hear back from her. Just remember they can lose track of time quite easily; it comes with the longer lifespan. Now all students need to get! I was serious about not writing any passes today.”
The two students felt there was more to the story, but just like Ms. Dimii said, if they wanted to find out more about the Shiagaunt they needed to look it up for themselves. They dropped the subject and hurried to their classes.
***
The ride on the back of Thrand was smooth as the large dragon followed the ebb and flow of the wind. The cabin on his back was large and decorated for nobility. Gold and red interiors and upholstery in booths around the windows. Above them fancy chandeliers with magic stones lit the space. Even a couple of servants to serve the Lord and his guests, and a separate section for preparing meals.
“I don’t know what happened. She was fine then she just went berserk.” Ragnar said.
“We will get to the bottom of it, Ragnar. Vilja is young, she will need more training.” Ingrid said her voice calm and methodical. “It is not that she lost control that is the issue. You lost control. One day you will be as powerful as Lord Ulfar. Do you know what will happen if he loses control? The magic inside him would react, Thrand would react and we would all be dead. Being powerful makes you better but it also means you must hold yourself to higher standards.”
Freja’s mother Ingrid was also present, but she hadn’t so much as looked at Freja. Ingrid was the same race as the rest of them but with notably lighter skin and white freckles along her neck. Bjorn guessed that she might be a different ethnicity within the race.
“With me being the heir now does that mean I have to go with father?” Ragnar asked.
“Yes, all heirs must be taken by the current family head. It is a tradition for all of Yuhia to ensure that our next generation is strong.”
“Love, that is enough.” Ulfar said. “I will discuss his actions and what happens next later. Leave that conversation for me.”
Ingrid nodded. “Of course Lord Husband, Ragnar is yours to shape.”
The Lord sat in a special seat near the front of the cabin at a desk. Behind him was the banner of the Salstar domain, which Bjorn had yet to find out the name of. The Lord was going over some paperwork while smoking from an ivory pipe. The servants were both elves, sisters by the look of them. They were at the beck and call of everyone other than Freja, whom they ignored completely.
Freja and Bjorn sat alone in a booth with a closed window. She gently petted Bjorn, emotions all over the place. Meanwhile Bjorn decided that, now that there was a lull, he could finally go over some things with Failsafe.
“So, the skills were interrupted when we were going over them,” Bjorn said mentally.
“Ah, yes!” Failsafe exclaimed. “I actually had to make some changes, given the new information about you being a familiar and all.”
Bjorn opened his menus with a thought and looked over his status.
Status Menu
Name: Bjorn Salstar
Species: Unknown
Level: 0.02
Vitality: 1
Restoration:1
Constitution: 1
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 1
Stamina: 1
Magic: 1
Magic Regeneration: 2 (+1 from bond)
Page 1 of 2
Skills Analysis
Reincarnation Failsafe
An incomplete reincarnation magic and your best friend that has your back no matter what!
Venomous Bite
Magic Cost: 0
You have a neurotoxic venom which can be injected through a bite with your fangs.
Poison Puff
Magic Cost: 1
You can mix your venom into the air using magic creating a small area of poisonous gas. This gas will reduce the health of those inside. The wider the area of effect, the less effective the poison.
Poison Scratch
Magic Cost: 1
You can infuse your claws with neurotoxic venom, making even small scratches fatal over time.
Familiar Pact Connection
Magic Cost: -1
As a familiar you are receiving +1 to your magic regeneration
Dragon Repellant?
Passive Skill?
Dragons seem to dislike you for some reason and show hesitation and fear around you. More study needed.
Page 2 of 2
Failsafe cleared his nonexistent throat. “So what I was going to tell you is that right now you can use one spell, hence you only have one point in magic. The magic cost on your spells is one point. As long as you are near Freja you should regain that point of magic once every twelve hours. Should you be separated you will lose that bonus and it will take probably twice as long.”
“That is ridiculous right? Why does it take so long?” Bjorn asked.
“Did you forget you were just born yesterday?” Failsafe responded. “You are a newborn; the fact you can use magic at all is crazy.”
“So only my natural venom doesn’t cost any mana. What’s that Dragon Repellant thing you added?” Bjorn asked.
“Just an observation. Ignore it for now,” Failsafe stated.
“Do you have any idea how potent my venom actually is?” Bjorn asked as he stretched on Freja’s lap.
“We won't know until you use it,” Failsafe said.
“Some experimentation would be nice if only I could talk,” Bjorn sighed.
“Right, remind me I might have come up with a way for you to get stronger faster, but we’ll need to kill something for me to test it out,” Failsafe said.
“We need to kill something? Will a bug do?” Bjorn asked.
“Not unless it can use magic,” Failsafe responded. “Because I’m a magical construct I can actually absorb and manipulate mana. It’s not much but that’s how I’m able to function without draining your mana constantly. Right now I am running on free mana out in the atmosphere, also called ambient mana. But when something dies its remaining mana can be absorbed. I’ll even gain some of their experiences as well as a memory or two. If I can store some of that mana I can introduce it to you in a manner your body will absorb.”
“That sounds like cultivation,” Bjorn said without even thinking. He then lifted his head and thought about it. “How do I know what cultivation is? That is cultivation, right?”
“I believe sooo… or something like it. Maybe? Look-look, both of our memories are incomplete, so either it is or it isn't and I just invented a brand new way to grow stronger,” Failsafe said almost dismissively. “The important part is getting stronger as fast as possible so we can get our memories back.”
Bjorn set his head back down on Freja’s lap. “That reminds me. If I die before that can you reincarnate me again?”
“Once you reach level 410 I should be able to. If you die before that we’re just going to be regular dead,” Failsafe said. “However, if you hit level 410 and croak, in our next life both of us will lose all of our memories and we won't be able to recover them. This you and the you from your first life will be dead in a sense.”
The smooth motion of the dragon’s wings came to a stop as Thrand landed abruptly. Lord Salstar stood up from his desk, smoke pipe in hand. He walked over to Freja, standing over her, and before she could even react a soft white light ring appeared around her and Bjorn’s necks. The ring dragged both of them out of the booth as they struggled against it. The door to the cabin was opened, and the two were thrown out.
