Time Keeper (a magistream story) (Ch. 15)

[Phoenixwildfire]

1. This is not really a keep story. It takes place in the same time/world/magistream as Keisin and Pheona- but you will not see them or anyone else in this story. I LIED.

2. This will be different. I wanted to give myself a challenge. How is it a challenge?
Well how about we write a story from the view of someone who's.... blind?
It's worth a shot- might be fun.

3. As always, post to get a new chapter from me Please try to be patient!



Songs for characters:

Spoiler

Hunter-


Stella-


Solinur-

Prologue:

The dark man stood in a tower overlooking a ravaging volcano, smiling down at the cages of creatures that he had set down around the room. It had taken many years to collect all of the creatures from around the world- the easiest of them to acquire had been the experiment itself.
Humans with no magic were so easy to kill. It had amazed him how little defense they had- a man had gone after him with a sword. A sword of all things. What the hell would a human do to a sorcerer with a sword?
He let out a sharp laughter at the memory, making someone in the room gasp with surprise. He looked down at the small girl in the corner, who whimpered in fear as his eyes settled on her. The frightened girl was chained to the ground, so she was not able to scramble far enough away as she could have. Instead she just sat at the end of the chains, watching him with wide red eyes, her black hair falling into her face.
He took out a book, scribbling a few notes about the girl's appearance between going through the list of creatures to use in the experiment. The sorcerer smiled eagerly, anxious to get started. This experiment was the result of years of research in magical creatures. He had had to meld with the magi, pretending to be one as he walked through the streets of their cities to find the proper books for information.
Hopefully it would all be worth it. If this worked...¦ he would be greatest sorcerer in the world. He would be able to create a new race. A perfect race, with all the features he desired. He smiled down at the young girl as she cowered beneath him.
He opened the book to a former page, looking around at the cages to do a last tally. Ebbene shark... check. Tarsier... check. Razan lemur... check. Last but not least... several Cascara butterfly.
The sorcerer looked at the butterflies as they fluttered wildly in their mesh cage, trying to escape.
He set down the book, smiling eagerly before raising his hands, the red amulet around his neck glowing brightly. He laughed in triumph when all the creatures and the girl started screaming in pain, the room filling with his bright red magic.

[freakazoid]

OMG AWESOME
Can't wait for more! /stalking

[Phoenixwildfire]

Now for an actual chapter

ch. 1


He was gone again.
The woman felt to the wall, feeling the familiar cold stone beneath her palm as she pressed against it to stand herself up. She groaned as her legs unfolded, stiff from sitting on the stone floor for too long. She blinked her eyes, an old habit from when she was a child before she had lost her sight. The world around her was the familiar darkness she had known for years. She had grown to love the darkness- it enveloped her in its warmth, letting her hide in it when there was nowhere else to go. She walked along the wall, using her palms to guide herself, and her feet shuffling forward to find the floor in front of her. A small squeak sounded from behind her, followed by a small tugging on her shirt and a small weight on her shoulder.
“Hello, Remmy." She said softly, reaching up to feel for where the jerboa rat was before patting him on the head affectionately. “Time to start things again. What time of the day is it?"She asked, unable to see whether it was night or day.
The jerboa squeaked twice, holding paws full of her hair to keep his balance as she started carefully making her way down the spiral stairs, her feet stepping forward ahead of her cautiously.
“Day? Oh good- I didn't sleep it away again." The girl smiled, sighing in relief when she felt a flat surface in front of her. She hated those stairs- she couldn't remember how many times she had missed a step and tumbled down the stairs to the bottom, battered and bruised.
She moved along the wall toward her familiar station, feeling for the stone she was supposed to fill for the day. This one felt smooth- it must be Monday. He always left her a smooth stone on Monday.
She raised her head when a noise sounded from the other side of the room, wondering what would make that noise now that the sorcerer had gone on one of his journeys again. He shouldn't be back for several days.
Remmy put a small paw against her cheek to calm her, letting her relax when her friend motioned that the noise had been nothing.
She sighed in relief and held the stone, pouring her magic into it again. She didn't know why he always wanted her to fill these stones. He had told her to start ever since she remembered being a small girl, trapped in this tower. Ever since then she had been terrified to even attempt to leave. She knew where the door was- she could probably leave the tower right now if she wanted to. But...
She reached up to feel the scars around her eyes, terrified at what she must look like. It must be terrible to see a woman with such gruesome scars, and the irises probably opaque and strange. She let her hair fall around her face again, knowing that she could never leave on her own. She wasn't able to defend herself in the real world.
She looked up when she heard hoof beats from outside, looking in that direction in surprise. It sounded like someone was coming up the path to the tower- but the sorcerer didn't ride a horse. He despised creatures- saw them as nuisances.
“Stay here. I’m going to go see if this is the place we’re looking for.” A deep voice said from outside- a voice that was strange and unfamiliar.
The woman gasped in shock, setting down the stone and swinging her hands behind her as she backed up until she met the stone wall. Oh, how she wished she could find a place to hide herself!
Boots started climbing the stairs that led to the room, making her breath quickly in terror as the door opened, closing her eyes and flinching in fear as someone entered the room, the rush of air from the door opening hitting her in the face.
Metal against metal sounded, a rustle of cloth followed by a gasp of surprise. Remmy chattered angrily against her shoulder, jumping off her to continue chattering protectively in front of her.
“Woah.” The man’s voice said in surprise, another rustle of cloth sounding. A low confused growl sounded from beside him, making him chuckle in amusement. “Yeah, I know. They didn’t tell me anyone else would be here. You don’t think she’s the sorcerer, do you?”
The creature the man had come with growled again in disapproval. Whatever the creature was, it sounded large as metal sounded against metal again, the sound making her flinch.
“Don’t hurt me, please.” She whispered, trying to press herself against the wall as much as she could.
“Hurt you?” The man scoffed. “I’m not going to hurt you. Where is the sorcerer who’s supposed to be here?”
The woman looked up toward where the man was talking, blinking in confusion. “He left a few days ago for a journey to the south. He won’t be back for quite some time.”
An amused growling chuckle sounded, followed by a groan of frustration and the sound of flesh hitting stone. “Damn it! How am I supposed to finish my final quest now? This was the last thing I had to do!” He yelled in frustration.
“Q-quest?” The woman said in confusion. “Who are you?”
“Oh. The name’s Hunter- I’m a battle magi. This was my last quest before I finished my studies… damn, now what can I do? There’s a general lack of evil sorcerers around here.”
“Evil sorcerers?” The woman said, feeling Remmy crawl back up to her shoulder again. “Why would you want to kill sorcerers? I thought magi were evil.”
The man scoffed in disbelief. “Well some, but most aren’t. I think you’ve been in this tower too long. Aren’t you a magi?”
“No. I’m just a human. I wasn’t born with any magic.”
A short silence followed, and the man let out a laugh of disbelief. “I’m highly doubting that. From your appearance you have to be either a magi or a sorcerer.”
“Appearance?” The woman squeaked in fear. He didn’t think she was disgusting, did he? Was he recoiling from her, without her even knowing?”
“Yeah- your hair first of all, it’s… strange.” The man said, after finding the right word. “Nice, but strange. Different. Why, can’t you …”
The woman looked up for the first time, letting her hair fall from around her eyes. She heard a hiss of pity from the man, followed by a short silence.
“Oh. I’m sorry- I didn’t…. uh…”
“It’s alright. It happened a long time ago.” She looked away in shame. She must look terrible to get a reaction like that.
The man let out a sigh, an awkward silence falling between them. “So, do you have a name?” He asked.
The woman bit her lip nervously as she fought to find her name… she had been called nothing but ‘girl’ or ‘woman’ for years… she didn’t even know how old she was anymore.
“I… I don’t remember.” She said finally, tears filling her eyes at the realization. She didn’t even know who she was… she was so pathetic.
“Hey- it’s alright. Have you been in this tower your whole life?”
She shook her head quickly, trying to wipe away the tears falling down her cheeks. “No. I was a little girl when he took me from my parents and brought me here. He did something… strange. I haven’t been able to see since then.”
The man shifted, metal and cloth sounding again. “Well that does it, then. I’m taking you with me. No way am I letting a pretty woman waste away with an evil sorcerer. Come on.” He moved toward her, grabbing her wrist with a large warm hand. She was too shocked by ‘pretty’ to realize he was picking her up until she was in the air with a cry of terror. Where was the ground?! She clung to him in fear, unable to feel anything but his powerful muscles as he moved down the staircase toward the door.
“I haven’t been outside before.” She managed to squeak out in fear before she heard the sound of the large wooden door to the tower creaking in front of them.
“Don’t worry- I won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll head to The Keep and see if anyone can find out what he did to you.” The man said, his voice loud now that it was right beside her head.
The woman nodded, feeling Remmy hanging onto the cloth of her shoulder as she bounced up and down while he walked. She reached up to hold the small rat gently in her hands, smiling at his small squeak of thanks.
“What is the creature you came with? It sounded… large.” She said nervously, hearing another set of feet walking alongside him.
“Oh- that’s my kuras tiger Silver. He’s nice, don’t worry.” Hunter said, stopping so suddenly she let out a cry of surprise.
“Sorry- I’m going to put you on my elk, okay? It’s pretty tall, but I’ll be right up behind you.” He shifted her weight in his arms, hoisting her with a grunt of effort high into the air, making her squeal in shock at the sense of height. She felt her leg bump something large and furry, hooking her leg around it when she assumed it was the elk. She settled down on the creature, hearing a deep snort as bells jingled from its head as it moved.
She felt him climb up beside her, putting his arms on either side of her to grab the reins. She blushed at the contact, realizing that he was keeping her from falling by wrapping his arms on either side of her.
“Ready? He runs pretty fast, but I won’t let you fall off.” He said from behind her, his body warming her back as the gold air chilled her front.
“Yeah.” She said, unable to help let out a small squeak of surprise when the elk lunged forward. She reached backwards out of habit when she started falling in that direction, grabbing handfuls of his clothing in her fists for balance.
He chuckled in amusement as the air rushed passed them, pounding hooves sounding from beneath them as they rode.

[SeaCrest]

Phe, you torture me >_>

*smacks sorcerer* Wait...she wasn't born with magic?? Then why...

...

*confuzzled*

Anyway - post!

[freakazoid]

Love it, as always. Remmy sounds adorable.

[Phoenixwildfire]

Ch. 2


“Alright- Blitzen is starting to get tired. We should probably stop and make camp for the night.” Hunter said from behind her, as the elk snorted with each stride as it ran, the fur against her legs damp with sweat.
“Alright.” She said, not really knowing what he meant by ‘camp’. She had never travelled before.
She felt the air slow down as the elk’s strides slowed, eventually coming to a stop as it panted. Hunter hooked his arms around her waist, setting her on the ground before hopping down from the elk himself.
“Stay here, I’ll get some wood to make a fire. Silver will stay with you to keep you company.” Hunter said, before his footsteps faded into the distance.
The woman bit her lip nervously as noises sounded from the wilderness around her, the strange growls chirps and howls making her uneasy.
She felt a large body sit down beside her, a low reassuring growl sounding from what must be Silver.
She looked toward him, holding a cautious hand out, wondering if the tiger wouldn’t want her to be touching him.
He moved over so that her fingers reached into deep rich fur, a low purr sounding from him. She smiled and moved her hand through his coat of fur, feeling powerful muscles underneath the thick pelt. She contacted metal and flinched back in surprise, feeling the metal actually coming from the tiger’s skin… what kind of creature grew metal armor from its body? It seemed very strange.
“Looks like you’re getting along fine with him.” Hunter said, walking back over in front of her. A large clamor of branches sounded as they dropped to the ground. Hunter kneeled next to them with a rustle of metal and cloth to start building the fire.
“Does it hurt him to have metal growing out of him like this?” She asked, running her hand along the smooth, cold metal.
“No, not at all. All kuras tigers are born like that- it’s normal for them to grow armor like that.” He put sticks together with small clicks before a warmth came from in front of her. She smiled at the comfort, her cold skin finally warming.
“Is it dark yet, is that why it’s so cold?” She asked softly, running her hand through Silver’s fur.
“Yeah. Another reason I wanted to stop for the night.” Hunter said, walking over and sitting next to her. He let out a soft sigh and sat silently for a moment. “So, I was thinking… if you don’t know your real name, why not make one up?”
The woman looked over at him in confusion. “Make one up?”
“Yeah- just pick something you like. Something you’d want to be called.”
She looked forward thoughtfully, wondering if that would be a good idea. She had hoped she would remember the name her parents would give her- but that innocent little girl had died long ago. What she was now had nothing to do with her former life.
“Stella.” She said softly, looking at him. “Does that sound like a good name?”
“Use whatever you’d like. Stella sounds good to me.” He said, his cloth rustling as he laid back against the grass with a long sigh. “So, you said you weren’t born with magic- but you obviously have some, right?”
“Yeah.” She said softly. She had never talked with anyone other than the sorcerer… she didn’t really know how to react or what to say. “I’m not sure all that I can do, though. Some of it scares me.”
He sat up again, watching her for a minute. “How is it scary? Do you have fire or earth magic?”
Stella bit her lip uneasily. “I’m not sure if I have magic that’s similar to anyone else. He made me what I am- I don’t even know everything he gave me.”
“’Gave you’? What do you mean by that?” Hunter asked in shock.
“I’m not sure- he just said that he gave me magic. I don’t really know how he did, or even why.” She said softly, hooking her arms around her legs as she held them against her front. “Is… is that bad?”
“No, not bad, just concerning. It does explain a few things, though. Especially the way you look.”
“How do I look? I’ve never known.” Stella said, looking over at him. She was terrified to ask- she hoped the answer wouldn’t be as bad as she thought it would be.
“Well…” He said, turning toward her with another rustle of fabric. “You won’t get angry with me at all?”
Stella shook her head, letting her hair fall over her face nervously.
“Alright, your hair is black- except… well, normally a person’s hair reflects a lighter color- but yours… it reflects in different colors somehow. Sometimes when the light hits it, it’s like the light reflecting off a stained glass window. It’s…strange. Your eyes are white, but they’re not scary or anything if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“What about…” She put her hand up to the area around her eyes, feeling the scars around her eyes.
“What?” He asked in confusion.
“I thought…” She felt the ridges of scars, wondering if she was imagining them or not.
“What, do you have a scar or something? I didn’t see it.” He said simply. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that kind of thing. You look fine.”
Stella smiled and nodded, not knowing what else to do. “So, is it safe to sleep out here?”
She heard him chuckle and bit. “Yeah. Besides, if something attacks us you have a warrior magi with you. Nothing bad will happen, I promise.” He said, laying back down again.
Stella moved a bit more away from him before lying down as well, hearing Remmy squeak as he settled down on her waist, curling up against her hip.
Stell ran her hand through the grass on the ground, smiling softly at the prickly feeling of the blades before drifting to sleep.

[SeaCrest]

Omigosh you evil sorcerer. You made her into a human cascara butterfly!

Oops...*hides last part*

Huh...so there are no scars, but she can feel them? O_o

[freakazoid]

Oh Stella, you sound so beautiful.

[Phoenixwildfire]

ch. 3

Stella woke up hearing the clang of metal and rustling fabric. “What’s going on?” She asked, sitting up.
“We should get going. I’m just packing Blitzen for the trip. I went hunting while you were asleep- don’t worry, Silver was here with you- so we have plenty with us for the journey.” Hunter said.
Stella nodded, looking over in the direction the noises were making. “So, what sort of quest were you on when you found me?” She had been wondering that the entire time- he had said ‘final quest’ when he found her.
“Oh- see at the Keep they teach different kinds of magi to be the best in their element. Well, I have the element of earth- more specifically vines. I decided I wanted to become a warrior magi, specializing in fighting tactics and using my magic to ward off evil sorcerers and magi. To finish my training I had to do one final quest- a test I guess you could call it- to kill an evil sorcerer and bring back proof. He wasn’t there, and I’d rather not fight on his own ground when he comes back. I’ll go back again once I drop you of at the Keep.”
Stella nodded, looking downward sadly. She didn’t want to be ‘dropped off’ with strangers. Especially if they found out what she could do…
“What? Did I say something bad?” He asked. She heard footsteps come toward her, and felt the nearness of him as he kneeled next to her.
“No, I’m just… worried. They don’t know me, and I’m not sure how they would react to me.” She said softly. Remmy squeaked as he ran up on her shoulder, sitting down in his usual spot.
“Hey- a jerboa rat!” He said. “Those don’t normally bond with people easily.”
“Yeah, Remmy’s been my little buddy for a long time.” She reached up to pet the small creature with a finger, smiling at his happy squeak.
“Well, he seems quite fond of you.” He said, a smile in his voice. She looked up at him, wishing she knew what he looked like. He sounded young- indeed he must be if he was still finishing his training. Was he her age? She wasn’t even sure how old she was. “Can… can I see what you look like?”
A small silence came over them before Hunter moved closer to her. “How would you do that?”
She leaned forward, feeling the ground until her hand met one of his legs. She kneeled on her knees in front of him and reached forward, her useless eyes staring ahead at where she thought he was.
Her fingers contacted cloth, her palm resting on a wide expanse of powerful muscle. He cleared his throat nervously, shifting beneath her as she felt the vibrations of his cough through his stomach. She moved up and felt a metal plate covering his chest, held on by straps around the sides and around his neck. A cloak fell over his shoulders, her fingers running over the hem of his shirt before coming to his face. She looked down nervously as she ran her fingers lightly over his face, his skin heating beneath her hands. High cheekbones, angular features- his shoulders and chest were broad and built from his training. Oh my… he must be incredibly handsome. She took her hands away quickly, wrapping them in her dress nervously.
“Thank you. I was wondering.” She whispered, looking away from him.
“No problem.” He said, his voice filled with an emotion she had never heard. She felt his hand wrap around her wrist as he helped her up and guided her over to the elk. “Same as before- I’ll lift you up and be on after you.”
She nodded and was flung upwards, hooking her leg around the saddle of the elk before feeling him against her back again. When his arms hooked around her she blushed at the vision she’d made of his face. She didn’t quite know what to do now… how should she act? She decided to stay silent as the elk moved forward, quickening his pace to a gallop.


The next day, they rode through a large meadow, Blitzen’s hooves pounding against the ground as he ran. Hunter gasped and slowed the elk down to a stop, remaining silent as they stood still.
“What’s wro-“ Stella began, but stopped when his hand covered her mouth.
“Keep quiet- it might not hear us.” He whispered softly to her, clicking gently to tell Blitzen to back up slowly. The elk backed away, a loud snort sounding from in front of them.
“Shit, it saw us.” Hunter growled as a loud strange roar sounded. Hooves came running toward them, Blitzen dancing out of the way as it passed. Stella felt heat burn the air around them, flinching from the sensation.
“What is it?” She said in panic as Hunter dropped her to the ground and jumped down beside her. She felt a rush of air as he spun a rod of some sort, a strange crackling sound coming from it.
“It’s a Delroch- they’re not very nice.” Hunter muttered, grabbing her by the waist and moving her as it charged again. He moved swiftly and she heard a pained yell from the animal.
“Of course Silver would decide to hunt now.” He muttered, his other arm still around her waist. He moved them as the Delroch charged again, heat filling the air as Hunter yelled in pain, the rod dropping to the ground with a wooden sound.
“Shit, not good.” Hunter growled in pain as the Delroch snorted and roared from a distance as it prepared to charge. Stella looked in that direction and closed her eyes in frustration, knowing there was no other way now…
She took a step away from Hunter, moving out of his grip. She closed her eyes and raised her hands, letting her magic flow through her.
When she opened her eyes, the world was filled with vibrant colors- streams of magic filled the air in rainbow hues around her, the plants glowing a bright green. She looked to Hunter and saw him glowing with the same green magic, his expression shocked as he stared at her.
She had been right- he was handsome.
She turned toward the Delroch, who burned with red magic as it stomped the ground angrily with a hoof, red flames shooting out of its nostrils.
Stella glanced hesitantly back to Hunter before letting out a long sigh- she wished she could do two spells at once to keep him from watching- but she had learned long ago that was impossible.
She raised her left hand, a white sphere surrounding the Delroch, freezing it in place. It didn’t move- not even breathing. She dropped that hand and raised her right, closing it into a fist.
The Delroch cried out as the grass beneath it waved at a rapid speed before wilting. The creature’s fur started to grow dull and gray with age, muscles shrinking as it grew thinner and feebler. It fell to its knees when it couldn’t hold its own weight, gasping loudly for air.
Stella looked away, hating to watch as the skin and muscles melted off the dead creature, leaving only a skeleton behind on the ground. Even that turned to dust in a few minutes. She lowered her hand, the white sphere fading and the dust blowing away in the wind. Her head spun for a minute as she stood, turning to look at Hunter.
He was still staring at her, his expression filled with shock- but now it held horror as well.
She had been afraid this would happen. The one person she hadn’t wanted to see her full magic had just seen her kill a creature with it.
If the magi find out what you are capable of, they will try to kill you.
The sorcerer’s warning rang through her mind as she watched Hunter. Terror filled her at the thought of him trying to kill her, making her take a step back in fear.
“Wait-“ He rise a hand to stop her, but was too late.
She ran into the forest behind her, tears filling her eyes as the trees glowed green around her. She cursed loudly when her magic ran out, the world fading back to darkness around her. She stumbled on something and fell against a tree, holding her head in pain as she fell against the trunk.
She felt the world start to spin and sat on the ground. She had used too much magic. The last thing she remembered before her mind went blank was the memory of Hunter’s horrified expression.




QUESTION: does anyone have a keep with a healing magi near North east of Voltar?

If no one else does, I'll probably use April if that's alright with you, Yellow.

[freakazoid]

That's fine with me. :3
Aw, poor Stella. HUNTER BE NICE.