AUTHOR'S NOTE
You guys… I cannot express just how long I have been waiting to write this chapter. Chapter Six was a real struggle for me, and I've been planning this chapter for quite some time so I'm hoping it goes a bit more smoothly.
This chapter will focus more on Sybille for once. I feel like I've ignored her a bit too much, especially since she is the first pawn I ever made!
Just a note, to those that are aware of the game's timing: I'm aware that the Cockatrice only shows up in Soulflayer Canyon after the quest "Honor and Treachery" has been completed. As I'm sure you can tell from Brynn now having four pawns, I'm not terribly obsessed with making things in this fic match the game perfectly.
WARNING: This chapter contains nonsexual spanking between two females. If this offends you then it's probably best to not read. But seriously though, if you're reading chapter seven I would think spanking doesn't offend you!
A note to other players: If you like my fic and you play Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen on the Xbox 360, you can actually hire Sybille, Axel and Mez! Merry does not belong to me, so she's not available for hire from me. If you're interested, Axel is under my main account, under the GT KinuHana. Mez is under the GT KitKatKatticake. Sybille is under the GT SuihankiChan. Keep in mind, though, at this exact moment, Axel is level 92-ish… while Sybille is in the 50's and Mez is in the 60's. I regret to say that I'm a horribly slow leveler thanks to my poor health. If you'd like to hire my pawns but they're too expensive, please feel free to message me and let me know, and we could be friends and you could use them for free, if you like.
Thanks for reading!
Arisen cautiously made her way about the rocky, crumbled floors of the Soulflayer Canyon, looking around quietly, watching for Harpies. She didn't like the feel of this place, everything was so confusing and it felt like she was walking in circles.
"What exactly are we looking for, Master?" Sybille asked, eyes wide, looking all about in curiosity.
"Fedel has told me that a very important letter was stolen from his messenger just outside of this canyon," Arisen explained, "they said the animal that attacked their cart was a rather large bird, though he ran away so quickly he couldn't get an accurate description…"
"I see…" Axel said quietly, not wanting to draw attention to the group, "mayhap that desecrated cart outside belonged to the messenger?"
"Aye," Brynn muttered, cringing as the memory of the ruined cart crossed her mind - the poor cattle that had been pulling it had been completely eviscerated. "I have searched the surrounding area and found nothing," she sighed, "this is the last place I could think to look.
"Dead end," Mez sighed, "ah, though it looks as if we can slide down this bit of land." Before waiting for a response, the Strider jumped down and began to slide, the other pawns following suit. There was nowhere else to go, so Brynn shrugged and also followed, sliding down the rocky slope.
After sliding for a bit, she felt a hand grab her arm, and she almost screamed until she realized it was Axel. "Sliding all the way down will just land you back where we entered, it seems," he explained, pulling her over on to the rise in the land that he and the others had jumped on to.
Brynn blushed a bit at her own ignorance, climbing toward the others, "aye, thank you, Axel."
Sybille growled inwardly, her jealousy of Axel having grown exponentially since they had rescued Selene around a week ago. It seemed no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't be as helpful, strong or impressive as the Ranger.
They slowly made their way through the canyon, before Sybille stopped, pointing down a corridor with her staff, "Master, it looks as if this goes down into the earth – t'would be an apt place for a larger creature to dwell. Might the beast that destroyed the cart live down there?"
Brynn thought for a moment, before nodding her head and drawing her daggers, "aye, 'tis a good idea, Sybille."
The small Mage smiled triumphantly at the praise, tailing closely behind her master as she made her way down into the cave. As they got closer, they could hear deep, slow breathing that sounded as if it could be from a larger creature. The closer they got, the louder it sounded. Their lanterns slowly lit up the cavern, and suddenly the body of a humungous avian monster came into view. They all collectively held their breath for a moment, waiting to see if it would move. Luckily, the beast seemed to be asleep.
Sybille looked at it in wonder, "it bears the head of a cock…" It was such a large creature, covered in shiny, black feathers, and its head resembled that of the roosters they raised in town.
Axel put his finger up to his lips, as if to ask the Mage to be quieter. He whispered softly, "'tis a Cockatrice… t'would likely be best not to wake it, we can easily find the letter whilst is slumbers."
Brynn nodded quietly, "aye, Axel is right, we shall look for the letter and then get out as quickly as possible.
"We could take this bird," Sybille protested.
"'Tis not a question," Arisen whispered, "t'would be far safer to be quiet and get out – I do not know enough about Cockatrice to be confident about this. We will find what we need and then get out." Merry, Axel and Mez nodded in agreement, while Sybille huffed, frustrated.
As the others looked around quietly for the letter, Sybille stood in place, watching the large bird sleep. She didn't understand why they were all tiptoeing around the beast – it was just a bird! Probably like a Griffin. She could easily burn its wings and ground it. Despite how small she was, Sybille's fire spells were rather advanced, and her past successes with Griffins had her quite confident that she could easily torch this Cockatrice. She simply knew the Arisen was only avoiding the beast because Axel said they should. Why did she trust his opinion on battle so much more than hers? She could be helpful. She could be strong! She'd just have to show them. The young pawn slowly raised her staff, charging the most powerful fire spell she could muster.
The others were carefully probing the cave for Fedel's letter, checking beneath rocks and hay, and inspecting all the little nooks and crannies. As Arisen turned around, her eyes widened as she saw her Mage ready to unleash a barrage of fire spells on to the beast. Before she could scream for her to stop, Sybille let loose a powerful blast of fire toward the Cockatrice. The bird was immediately woken from its slumber, shrieking as the fire singed its feathers. Its eyes immediately locked on its aggressor, charging toward her.
"SYBILLE!" Brynn shouted, the rest of the pawns springing straight into action. Merry pulled her longsword off of her back, using it as a shield as she shoved Sybille out of the way, putting herself in the path of the rampaging beast. It reared its head back, spewing a poisonous gas that completely surrounded her. Merry coughed hysterically, rolling out of the cloud as her body began tingling and her vision became blurry.
Mez jumped onto its back, latching tightly and hacking away at it with his daggers to distract the bird from the poisoned pawn on the ground. Sybille watched worriedly – she had NO idea this thing could spew poison! Axel ran to Merry's side, rifling through his pouch and pulling out some leaves of Mithridate. He handed them over to his friend, saying hurriedly, "eat…"
Merry nodded, slowly opening her mouth and chewing the bitter leaves. She winced a bit, "I should have seen that coming."
Axel sighed, "I don't think any of us honestly saw that coming."
While Merry recovered, Sybille sent out a fire enchantment to both Mez and Arisen's weapons. Brynn stood by her pawn protectively, drawing her magick bow and pointing it at the monster. She immediately fired several shots, the energy ricocheting off of the walls of the cave and landing on the Cockatrice. She looked down at the small pawn, asking firmly and evenly, "what in the Maker's name were you THINKING?"
Sybille whined a bit, "we can take this thing! Why tiptoe around it like cowards when we can torch it? 'Tis just a bird, like… like a Griffin!"
"'Tis no Griffin," Axel spat, helping Merry up and to her feet, "'tis NOTHING like a Griffin! This creature is far more violent and dangerous, and we have not the means to fight it right now!"
Sybille shrunk down a bit, stammering, "w-we can fell it… birds hate fire!"
"'Tis not its hatred of fire that I doubt," Mez said, struggling to stay latched on to the beast, "'tis what it is capable of spraying out of its maw that concerns me!"
"We need to go, and we need to go now," Brynn said, rather panicked, repeatedly firing at the gigantic bird.
Merry and Axel wasted no time running for the door, and Mez leaped off of the creature's back. Sybille ran out in front of the Cockatrice, screaming "NO. I shall not run!" She lifted her staff, firing a barrage of fire spells, occasionally throwing in an ice spell. The longer she fired, the more her heart sank – she was hardly making a dent on the bird.
"Sybille," Brynn said firmly, "we are lea—"
Before the Arisen could finish her sentence, the monster reared its head back again and spewed a putrid gas right at Sybille. This gas was different than the gas it had used on Merry – Sybille cried out in pain immediately on impact. Axel drew his bow and showered the bird in projectiles, while Mez latched right back on to its back. Brynn and Merry pulled Sybille away from the monster as she cried out in pain, "i-it hurts!"
"What hurts, Sybille," Brynn said worriedly, looking her pawn up and down "be specific…"
"My joints," Sybille whimpered, "'tis hard to move a-and my skin, it feels as if it is being torn!"
Merry checked the girl over, face going pale and looking to the Arisen, "Master, the beast has afflicted her with petrification."
Brynn panicked, watching the pawn's skin slowly grow harder, crying out loudly, "have we any Secret Softener?
Every pawn checked their supplies, but all of them came up short. Merry stayed calm, looking to Brynn, "Arisen, if we do not get her curatives soon, she will fade back to The Rift."
Sybille visibly gulped – she had never actually been hurt badly enough to be sent back to The Rift. Still, there was a job to be done, and she wasn't ready to give in that easily. The youngest looked up at the Arisen, saying bravely, "Master, you still have to find the letter, please, do not stop on my accou—"
Brynn immediately cut her off, pulling out a ferry stone, "nonsense, we are going straight back to Gran Soren to get you a cure."
Sybille whined a little, "Arisen, t'will be fine… I cannot die! You can just pick me up at the Rift Stone when you find the letter…"
"I do not want to hear it, Sybille," Arisen said firmly, "we are going, and that is final." The youngest crossed her arms and stared at the ground, feeling absolutely ridiculous. Brynn called out, "all of you, gather 'round, we are leaving!"
Mez hopped off of the rampaging Cockatrice that he was just barely keeping under control, joining the rest of the group as they gathered around Arisen.
Sybille protested still, grunting in pain as her flesh hardened, "I shall be f…f-fine… I cannot d—"
"I do not CARE if you cannot die, Sybille," Brynn said through gritted teeth, "'tis obvious you are in a great deal of pain right now and I do not relish in that thought." The Arisen's tone was getting more and more tense, and so Sybille chose to stop pushing the envelope, just hanging her head a little.
Brynn tossed the ferrystone up in the air, transporting them away right as the beast charged for them. Bright light encompassed them, and as it faded they found themselves in the Craftsman Quarter of Gran Soren. By the time they arrived, Sybille could hardly walk – her joints and skin had hardened exponentially. Every step she took made her whimper in agony; she had never experienced a pain quite like this. Seeing how badly she was struggling to walk, Mez stopped the girl, gently hoisting her over his shoulder. Sybille wanted to protest to uphold any little sliver of dignity that she had left, but the pain she was in was so great that she knew there was no way she'd be able to make it to the Fountain Square. She just stayed quiet, doing her best not to move to avoid extra pain.
Brynn hastily led the group toward the Apothecary, gasping a bit as she used every last bit of stamina that she possessed to get there as quickly as possible. When she finally reached the booth she leaned on the table, saying between breaths, "secret softener… please!" Mez and the other pawns finally caught up with her; the woman took one look at Sybille and could tell she was in dire straights. She quickly filled the bottle, and Brynn shakily dug through her pouch, hurriedly forking over the required gold. She knew Sybille couldn't die, but seeing her in this kind of condition was bringing back some very bad memories.
Mez cautiously sat the Mage on the ground and Brynn inspected her carefully. She had almost lost the ability to move and struggled for several moments to open her mouth. Merry crouched on the ground next to the girl, gently helping to pry her mouth open with her fingers. With the Warrior's help, they were able to slowly pour the mixture into her mouth. Brynn asked gently, "are you able to swallow?" The youngest nodded as well as she could nod, considering the circumstances, struggling to slowly and carefully swallow the softener.
It took a few tries, but she was eventually successful, sighing in relief as the pain slowly began to ebb. The Mage slowly stretched out her jaw, followed by her arms, and then her legs. As Sybille began to move, the rest of the group let out a collective sigh of relief. Brynn felt as if her legs might give out from underneath her - the stress of seeing Sybille like that had really taxed her. Merry slowly helped the girl to her feet, making sure she was able to stand on her own before finally letting go of her arm. The pawns stood in silence, staring at the Arisen and somewhat holding their breath as she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose, frustrated. There was a long, uncomfortable silence as they all waited to see what Brynn would say. Finally, she opened her eyes, pulling yet another ferrystone out of her pouch and throwing it into the air without even saying a single word.
As they arrived at their new location, the pawns looked around, trying to make out their surroundings to figure out where the Arisen had taken them. As the light faded, they were able to see the familiar, humble gate of Cassardis – Arisen's hometown. Brynn headed straight inside the gate without a word, the pawns following closely behind her, all except Sybille – she was trailing behind just a bit. None of them asked any questions, they simply followed her as she made her way past the inn and inside her home.
"Ah, Arisen, it is good to see you," Selene smiled, "how does the day find you?" The girl was finally all settled in, feeling comfortable in her new home.
Brynn stood there for a moment, contemplating just how to respond to that. She didn't want to worry Selene but she didn't want to lie to her either. "Selene," Brynn began, dancing around the question, "have you gotten the chance to walk about Cassardis yet?"
The girl shook her head, "I am afraid I have not had the chance yet…"
Arisen smiled warmly, "I need to speak with Sybille about a few things, mayhap you and the others could spend some time in the markets, and maybe they could show you the beach as well." She looked to her pawns, "if that is alright, that is."
Both Mez and Axel immediately knew what kind of 'talk' they would be having, and both nodded their head in understanding. Sybille gulped a bit, not quite sure what this talk would entail. Merry smiled at Selene, before saying, "of course, Master, we would be glad to show her around."
"Would you be alright with that, Selene?" Brynn asked, not wanting to force her.
The girl nodded up and down, "yes, I think it would actually be quite nice to get some air. I would gladly visit the apothecary here, and I don't believe I've ever been to a beach before…"
Brynn nodded, pulling out her pouch and sorting through some of her gold, handing a portion of it over to Selene, "please, go enjoy yourself – you need it after the past few weeks.
Selene looked at the coins in her hand, eyes wide, "Arisen, are you quite sure you want to—"
"Aye, aye," Brynn smiled, patting her on the shoulder, "I am sure. Now, go enjoy yourself."
A small grin crept across Selene's face, "thank you Arisen, truly."
"'Tis not a problem, not at all," Arisen insisted as Mez gently guided Selene toward the door, "have fun." As they piled out the door and the door shut, there was a long, awkward silence. Brynn sat down on the bed, once again rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. Sybille cringed at the silence, not sure what she could say to diffuse the situation. After a good, long while, Brynn finally just said in disbelief, "what in the Maker's name were you thinking?"
The Mage bit her lip, stuttering stubbornly, "i-if it had not petrified me we would have easily defeated the damned beast."
"Is that all you care about?" Arisen asked in disbelief, "we could have easily gotten in, gotten what we came for and then snuck out. In fact, I very clearly remember telling you that that was exactly how I wanted it done." Sybille looked down at her feet, shuffling about in place before looking back up at her Master, not completely sure of how to respond. Brynn sighed, again rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Sybille, 'tis easy to tell that something is bothering you. How you acted today was completely out of character. What in the world has been going on inside your head?" Sybille returned her stare to her feet, simply shrugging. Brynn took a deep breath, "do not act as if you do not know – it may be easy for pawns to lie to humans but you are mistaken if you think you can so easily lie to me. I will ask one last time, what is going on?" The small Mage shuffled from foot to foot, biting her lip nervously. She couldn't tell the Arisen what was bothering her. She shrugged yet again, feigning innocence.
Brynn sighed – she was more like Braelynn than she had noticed before. She did her best to steady herself, and to convince herself that what she was about to do was for the best… but that was harder to do with Sybille than it had been with Mez and Axel. She couldn't leave this unchecked though, or the past could repeat itself and Sybille, one of the pawns or even Brynn herself could get injured, or worse.
As the Arisen was carefully thinking everything over, Sybille pulled her out of her reverie, trying to look strong and confident, placing her hands on her hips as she said, "I did not do anything wrong."
Brynn stared at the younger woman for a moment, taking a deep, slow breath… before calmly walking across the room and taking a firm grip of the Mage's ear.
"A-Ah!" Sybille cried out in surprise, "Master what… w-what are you doing?"
Brynn guided her across the room by her ear, "whatever it takes to get through to you, Sybille."
The Mage was confused and had no idea how to respond to this situation. She simply followed the Arisen, wincing as her ear was tugged on.
Brynn sat down on the edge of her bed, releasing Sybille's ear and grabbing ahold of her arm. Firmly but gently, she pulled the small Mage over her lap, careful not to tug too roughly on her arm – she wasn't completely sure if the pain from being petrified still resided a bit in her joints.
Still in shock, Sybille went over Brynn's lap without a fight. After laying there for a few moments, her eyes widened into saucers, pressing her palms into the bed and trying to push herself back up, pleading, "A-Arisen, please, not this!"
Brynn sighed, wrapping her left arm around the girl's waist to keep her held in place. It suddenly became very apparent that Sybille had definitely seen Mez get punished that day at the Rest Camp. The Mage had wanted to question him about what had happened that day, but she didn't want to be rude, or embarrass him. Now, though, she was wishing she'd asked him about it when she had the chance! Sybille whined loudly as she was pinned in place, squirming about to try to get off of her lap, but to no avail. Arisen gently lifted the back of Sybille's crimson colored robes, carefully keeping her held in place as she also lowered her undergarments. Sybille squeaked, kicking a leg out and panicking slightly, "M-Master please I-I—"
"No, Sybille," Brynn scolded, keeping a good hold on her waist, "'tis apparent that this needs to be done." She did her best to sound firm, but sounded far gentler than she wanted to as she let out a quiet, "I am sorry." Before the Mage could even respond, the Arisen lifted her hand up in the air, landing it firmly on the pawn's backside.
Sybille jolted forward, yelping and pleading, "A-Ah… OW! Please Arisennnnn!"
Brynn sighed – Sybille really was just like her, sometimes. She held her breath for a moment, before landing a quick flurry of spanks, ignoring the pleas.
When the youngest realized that her attempts to be sweet and pathetic were apparently failing, she switched over to being confident and brave. "I did not do anything wrong!" the girl said firmly, doing her best to suppress the yelping and whining threatening to escape her lips as each swat landed.
Brynn kept herself calm and collected, alternating sides and spanking a bit harder now, asking evenly, "Sybille, just how much did you know about Cockatrice before you decided to attack the creature?"
Sybille squeaked and whined loudly as the spanks got harder, crying out, "I thought it would be similar to a… A-AH! A Griffin!"
Brynn took a deep breath, shaking her head and doing her best to stay calm, swatting firmly as she questioned, "and WAS it similar to a Griffin?" Sybille blushed a bit in embarrassment, burying her face into her arms, not wanting to answer.
The Arisen sighed, stopping the barrage of spanks for a moment and saying gently, "Sybille, I asked you a question. Was the Cockatrice like a Griffin?"
Sybille chewed on her lip a bit, muttering quietly, "no, Arisen…"
"No, it most certainly was not," Brynn said, picking the spanking back up. She slowly inched her way down to the sensitive under curves of her cheeks, saying firmly, "I told you that we were to leave the beast be, did I not?"
The Mage gasped and yelped, jolting forward and kicking her legs as her under curves got all of the attention. She whined loudly and whimpered, "a-aye Arisen, you d-did! Pray, let me up!"
As the girl kicked and squirmed about, Brynn carefully repositioned herself so she was pinning Sybille's legs between her own, not wanting her to fall off her lap and hurt herself.
Sybille grimaced as not only was she not let up, but her legs were pinned as well. As Arisen picked the spanking back up, Sybille did her best to squirm, but couldn't get very far. Brynn thought for a moment, wanting to carefully form her words. "Sybille, you have been acting completely out of character as of late, and this incident with the Cockatrice has only made that more obvious," she said gently, but firmly. She asked evenly as she spread the burn between her bottom and under curves, "what is it that is weighing so heavily on your mind?" Sybille whined as the more sensitive area of her backside was targeted, biting down on her lip and trying to kick. Brynn took a deep breath and continued to crash her hand down on to the pawn's bottom. She softened her tone a bit, "I know you have a reason for acting as such – I am not angry, I simply want to know so I can aid you."
The youngest whimpered as the burn settled in her backside, muttering into her arms childishly, "y-you will laugh at me…"
Brynn blinked, immediately staying her hand, "I will do no such thing!"
Sybille chewed on her lower lip, saying quietly, "you will not l-like me anymore…"
Arisen frowned, unwrapping her left arm from around her waist and gently running her fingers through the girl's golden colored hair. She said gently, "there is not a thing that you could say, nor do, that could ever cause that to happen." She could feel Sybille's body tense and shake over her knee, and so she softly rubbed the pawn's back in wide circles, reassuring her, "you have my word, Sybille."
The pawn slowly relaxed at the Arisen's gentle touch, her shaking beginning to dissipate. Still, she trembled just slightly, trying to form her words. Brynn gave her the time she needed, simply glad she was no longer denying that something was wrong. Sybille chewed on her bottom lip for a few moments, before mumbling hesitantly, "A-Axel is so much better than me…"
Brynn stopped rubbing her back, completely freezing. That was what this was all about? She did her best not to chuckle about how childish that was, keeping in mind Sybille's age, and the promise she'd made just a few moments prior. Arisen took a deep breath, saying carefully, "Sybille, you are a Mage and he a Ranger. Your skillsets cannot really be compared—"
"He has had to rescue me s-so many times," Sybille interrupted, "and he destroyed that Golem with such ease, he… h-he did not even flinch!"
"Sybille…" Brynn said gently, "he is ages older than you, and myself, for that matter. He is bound to be stronger than us, especially after living in that dank, dangerous lair for over two centuries."
"He was right when he first called me weak…" the Mage muttered into her arms, "I can hardly protect myself, let alone the Arisen."
Brynn chewed on her lip for a moment, trying to figure out how to respond to her pawn. She sighed, wrapping her left arm back around Sybille's waist and raising her other, bringing her hand down firmly on to her bottom again. The girl yelped loudly, whimpering slightly but no longer attempting to kick, simply squirming a bit. Sybille whined a little yet again, saying before the Arisen got a chance to speak, "'tis true! I am w-weak and I always will be! You know it well as truth, I know you do, M-Master – you are overly protective of me and you… y-you never look to me for aid o-or when we're in dire straights. 'Tis always the others you ask f-for aid! 'Tis always the others you ask to fight. 'Tis… 'tis because I am weak…"
Brynn landed a few more smacks before stopping, tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice wavered, "do you not wonder why you have one blue eye and one hazel eye just l-like me? Or why you have a series of scars on your arm despite having no memory gaining them?"
Sybille stayed quiet for a moment, before admitting under her breath, "a-aye, sometimes…"
Brynn rubbed the bridge of her nose for a while, explaining slowly, "when first I awoke from my encounter with the Dragon, I knew naught the path that was laid before me, nor what I was meant to do with it. All I knew was that I was alone." She wanted to let Sybille up to tell this story, but she knew how stubborn the Mage was, and figured they weren't done yet. "When Rook first appeared, I was elated to learn from him that I would soon have a traveling companion – that I didn't have to be alone anymore, like I had been the past three years…" Arisen did her best to keep herself held together, not wanting to scare the pawn. Sybille kept quiet, feeling privileged that the Arisen would allow her to know such intimate details. Brynn took a deep breath, "as I stood in front of that Rift Stone at the Encampment, waiting to meet my pawn for the very first time, all I could think about was how wonderful it was going to be to not have to be alone anymore." She trembled just slightly, voice wavering lightly as she admitted, "I do n-not think I was prepared for what I saw when you landed into my world for the first time."
Sybille's heart sank – was she not what the Arisen had wanted? She slowly turned her head, looking back at Brynn and asking quietly, "i-is there aught wrong with me, Master?"
Arisen felt a lump in her throat when she saw the look on her pawn's face – the look of heartbreak and fear. She scrambled to explain herself, "N-NO! No, Sybille, most definitely not!" She softened her voice, taking her free hand and running her fingers through the pawn's hair, "there is naught wrong with you. Pray, forgive me… I articulated my words rather poorly." Brynn felt instant relief as she felt Sybille's body relax from the reassurance.
The pawn kept her head turned, gaze still on the Arisen, "why then, were you so shocked from the sight of me?"
Brynn chewed on her lower lip as she felt the Mage's inquisitive gaze holding on to her eyes. It took several moments to gather her courage, before saying bluntly, "because… b-because you are the mirror image of my younger sister…"
Sybille froze in place, eyes wide. She had no idea how to respond to something like that. She stuttered, "y-your sister? You… you have a sister?"
"Aye, I…" Brynn's voice wavered, "I had one."
Sybille stayed silent for a moment, understanding what the Arisen had just implied. She said quietly, "I… I am sorry for your loss, Master."
Brynn sighed and stroked the pawn's hair gently, staring blankly at the wall and tracing her fingers over Sybille's long bangs, which had been pulled back into braids, "there's naught anyone can do about it now."
There was a long silence between the two, before Sybille finally spoke up, not able to help herself. "The… the scars on my right arm…" she began hesitantly.
"Oh, no," Brynn assured her, understanding what Sybille was asking. "They are not from…" she struggled to finish her sentence, "from her death." The Mage winced, able to hear the pain in her Master's voice. Arisen continued, "my sister was a courageous girl, and ever stubborn. Being five years younger than me, and also a very petite girl for her age, our parents oft were very protective of her and… and I'll not lie, I was protective of her as well." There was a long pause, but Sybille didn't interrupt, wanting very badly to hear the rest of the story. After what seemed forever, Arisen took a long, drawn out breath before continuing, "around eight years ago, when I was but eighteen years old, our parents went out on their boat, like they had many times before… but this time they did not come home." Brynn explained slowly, "t'was… t'was several days before they w-washed up on shore. To this day, no one knows what happened." She did her best to keep her voice from wavering.
Sybille didn't understand what this had to do with her, but she kept her patience, saying quietly, "I… I am sorry, Arisen."
Brynn shook her head slowly, "t'was hard on me, aye, but poor Braelynn was but thirteen years old – it crushed her and changed her in ways I had not expected. She became obsessed with becoming stronger, insisting I teach her magick. My parents were accomplished in arcane magick, and began teaching me around her age, so I saw no harm in it. After all, we were all one another had, and I could see that learning magick was her way of trying to keep some kind of bond with our parents." Brynn seemed lost in her story, voice cracking a little, "I told myself there was no harm in t-teaching her, but over time it became apparent that she was out of control from grief. She would spend hours outside the gate with my old training staff, hunting goblins. After a few weeks, as I was preparing to go out looking for her, I heard a horrible scream come from the gate. Quina barged in to my home, telling me to come quickly. I followed her to the gate, to see my younger sister curled up on the ground, cradling her arm. When I finally coaxed her to let me see, I could see that her entire arm was covered in blood, deep gashes just… scattered all about." Sybille winced at the thought, staring at the scars that littered her arm. Brynn sighed, "after a few days of medicines and healing magicks, we finally got her pain and fever both under control. Once she was able, she told me that she hadn't noticed the sun setting, and that a rather large hoard of goblins had cornered her. She tried to fight, but there were too many of them, and that was when she tried to run, tripping and falling. They went to attack her face, and she blocked with her arm. Somehow through the pain she was able to escape, just barely making it through the gates of Cassardis."
Sybille pulled her head up and out of her arms, staring at the scars that covered her right arm. She had never been particularly bothered by the scars, but had often wondered about their origins. It was difficult to ignore them since her Crimson Robes had only one sleeve, and it covered the arm that bared no scars. After a long silence, Brynn gently prompted, "what are you thinking about?"
Sybille bit her lip, afraid to say what she was thinking for fear of bringing her Master more pain. Arisen placed her hand on her shoulder gently, trying to encourage her to speak. Sybille sighed, saying slowly, "I… I am wondering what became of her, Master." Before Brynn even had a chance to respond, the pawn said hurriedly and apologetically, "I am s-sorry!"
Brynn patted the Mage's back gently, "calm yourself, you need not apologize for your curiosity." It was only natural for her to be curious of the girl she had been built to resemble. Even with the reassurance, Sybille whimpered, feeling that she had grieved the Arisen enough that day. Brynn sighed again, gently taking Sybille's robes and lowering them to give the pawn some privacy, though keeping the undergarments where they were, around her knees. Arisen slowly helped the Mage to her feet, positioning her so that she was standing between the Arisen's knees, facing her. Sybille gasped a bit in surprised as she was lifted to her feet, averting her eyes to the ground.
"Sybille, 'tis alright to want to know where you came from," Brynn said softly, trying to make eye contact. Still, the pawn kept her eyes downward, rubbing her hand over the scars on the opposite arm, slowly. Arisen sighed, just deciding to continue with her story, "after that incident she luckily became much more cautious. When she went hunting, I would accompany her. Over the next five years, we had honestly become inseparable, brought so close together by our parents' passing, perhaps." Brynn took a deep breath, preparing herself to tell the rest. "One winter, I became exceptionally ill. Confined to my bed, I could not accompany her on our usual hunts. I… I promised her I would go hunting with her the moment I recovered, yet it appears she was itching to go out more than I had known…" Brynn summoned all the strength she had to complete the last bit of her tale, still attempting to get Sybille to make eye contact. The pawn kept her eyes glued to the floor, but kept her ears open nonetheless. Arisen sighed, gently placing her hands on the girl's shoulders before continuing. "Whilst I slept off my fever, she snuck out with her staff. Over the years she had gotten ever stronger, and we had expanded our explorations a bit past the Encampment, toward the Witchwood. When I awoke the next day, my fever had finally broken, but Braelynn was nowhere to be found. In a panic, all of Cassardis put together a search party of sorts. Quina, Valmiro and I extended our search past the Encampment and up the hill leading to the Witchwood. That…" Brynn paused, halting her story.
As Sybille listened to the long pause, she finally lifted her head, wondering why the Arisen had gone quiet. Her eyes flew open a bit, seeing Brynn's lip tremble and her eyes brim with tears. The pawn asked quietly, "Master…?"
Brynn squeezed Sybille's shoulders gently, voice wavering, "that was where… that was where we found her, c-crumpled up on the ground." Her voice became high pitched, almost whining painfully and she began shaking as she relived the memory from just three years prior. "The… the things the Iron Hammer had D-DONE to…" tears rolled down her face, "to my poor little s-sister… they… th-they…" Brynn couldn't finish her sentence, taking one hand off of Sybille's shoulder and cupping it over her own mouth to stifle the cries threatening to escape.
Despite the Arisen's best efforts to hide the pain etched into her face, Sybille could feel the grief pouring off of her Master. She knew they had confronted the Iron Hammer Bandit Clan in the past – that must have been horrific for Brynn. The Iron Hammer had actually raised one of the newest inhabitants of Cassardis, Pike. Pike originally became known to the people of Cassardis as a thief, there simply to steal goods from their Apothecary and Grocer. After setting up a bit of a trap to catch the thief, the Arisen had caught him in the act, red handed. After a long evening of speaking with both Pablos and Brynn, Pike revealed to them that he no longer wished to live his life as a thief. With their help, he slowly built a new life, becoming an apprentice to Pablos at the inn in Cassardis. Sybille often saw him at the church when he wasn't at the inn, always praying. Despite his turning over a new leaf, Sybille was shocked by the fact that Brynn had never been anything but kind and understanding to the young bandit, considering her past with the Iron Hammer. She knew the Arisen possessed an iron will, but that was baffling, and against anything she'd ever learned about humans in her lifetime.
Sybille stayed silent for a moment, unsure of what to say, before saying slowly, "I… I am sorry if I am not able to live up to her image, Master…"
Brynn's eyes shot open, and she landed a firm, swift smack on to the pawn's backside. Sybille yelped out in surprise, hands flying back to cover her bottom, looking at the Arisen in shock. Brynn placed both hands on the girl's shoulders again, saying firmly but looking at her with gentle, pleading eyes, "pray, if you take aught away from this conversation, do not let it be that."
Sybille looked to her Master confusedly, "A-Arisen…?"
Tears streaming down her face, Brynn kept her eyes locked with the Mage's. "You are not Braelynn," she said, taking her hands off of her shoulders, cupping her pawn's face instead and saying firmly, "you are Sybille." The Mage's eyes widened – as silly as it seemed, she had never considered the fact that she was an individual. "Aye," Brynn said, "I'll admit that I am a bit protective of you, but I cannot help myself, and I… I pray you'll forgive me. 'Tis not only because you bear the likeness of my sister, but because of the person that you have grown to become… a person that I hold dear and want to protect!" Sybille felt an unfamiliar lump rising in her throat, her face heating up and eyes tingling. Brynn continued, slowly composing herself, trying to make herself very clear, "I'll not have you growing up believing you are 'just a pawn.' I'll not have you believing that you are but a shadow of another. Aye, when first I brought you in to being I almost believed you to be my sister, but you are not. You are Sybille and you have value of your own."
Sybille stared at the Arisen in pure shock, completely unprepared to hear what she had just heard. She felt her face get even hotter, eyesight blurring from the very foreign tears pooling in her eyes. She knew how the majority of mankind saw her, and she had always known that her Master had never agreed with their views of her, yet still, hearing such fiery, passionate, loving words come out of Brynn's mouth was so shocking and overwhelming. She tried to focus on the Arisen through her tears, stuttering wearily, "M-Master…"
Brynn kept her pawn's face cupped gently but firmly in her hands, her own tears still lightly streaming down her cheeks. She kept her eyes locked on the pawn's eyes, "I'll not have you spend eternity believing you are but a weak shadow of Braelynn. You are strong, brave and far more capable than you credit yourself. You are not weak in the slightest, and have nothing to prove to me or any other. I am simply over protective. I… I do not wish to hear you speak so poorly of yourself ever again, Sybille, do you understand?"
Sybille's jaw gaped just a bit, bottom lip quivering, hot tears falling down her face quietly. She held her breath for a moment, shoulders shaking before she almost explosively broke down into a fit of sobs, knees buckling beneath her.
Arisen gasped a bit as the pawn's legs gave out, moving her hands from Sybille's face and immediately hooking her arms under the other girl's to prevent her from falling to the ground. She gently lifted the Mage so she was once again between her legs, but swinging her over a bit and sitting her on her right thigh, an arm wrapped securely around her to keep her supported.
Sybille shook violently, looking up at Brynn confusedly as she sobbed loudly, dabbing her face with her sleeve and trying desperately to stop the barrage of tears from falling. She gasped for air, beginning to panic, "A-Arisen, w-what… what i-is this?"
Brynn pulled the girl in closer, wrapping her other arm around her as well. "You are crying," she explained gently, "do not panic, let it happen…"
The Mage was not that naïve – she knew what crying was. She simply didn't know it was something that she was capable of, and didn't know it would feel like this. She had heard a lot of strange noises coming from the Rest Camp the morning Arisen had 'spoken' with Mez, but she had never considered that the sounds she'd heard at the end had been crying. She'd never once conceived that Mez had been crying or that pawns cried at all, for that matter. Yes, she had seen Merry cry many times after each nightmare she'd had, but now Sybille knew that Merry was grieving her Master. That Sybille could understand very easily. She felt that for sure if she ever lost Brynn, she would lose herself. She'd always assumed that it took an extreme tragedy for a pawn to show this kind of emotion – she was wrong. Perhaps it was all of the strong emotions pouring off of her Master, or the stories of Braelynn's life and death that sent her over the edge. Maybe it was the sudden realization that she was an individual and that her Master actually liked the way she was.
There were so many unfamiliar thoughts and feelings rushing through the pawn's head, making it increasingly difficult for her to calm down. She was unbelievably overwhelmed and felt as if she was being crushed, finding it hard to breathe.
Brynn could see that the girl was struggling to breathe from the panic. She rubbed her back in large, gentle circles, instructing her softly, "'tis alright… let it happen, do not fight it." She ran her fingers through the Mage's hair, "trust in me, Sybille."
Sybille pulled her head up long enough to study the Arisen's face, and Brynn simply greeted her with a gentle smile. She knew she could trust the Arisen, and she wanted to, but she was terrified. However, Brynn's face seemed forever genuine and honest. As Sybille locked eyes with the Arisen she bit down on her bottom lip rather hard, tears renewing and running down her cheeks. She did her best to hold the outburst back, locking her lip in her teeth. Brynn softened her expression, cupping her pawn's face in one of her hands, asking gently, "do you trust me, Sybille?"
The Mage stared at Brynn for several moments, before nodding her head quickly and fervently, breaking into a fit of sobs and yet again collapsing against her Master, crying shakily, "a-aye! I… I d-do!"
Brynn sighed in relief, wrapping her arms around the girl and saying quietly, "then you must trust me with this, aye?"
Sybille buried her face in to the Arisen's shoulder, beginning to sob louder, simply nodding her head, crying too violently to speak.
Brynn held Sybille closer, keeping her arms wrapped around her protectively. "Good girl…" she praised, stroking her hair gently. The Mage sobbed harder, shaking her head from side to side rapidly. Brynn blinked, asking slowly, "what is it?"
Sybille just cried, shaking and slurring her words as she explained "m'not good!"
Arisen frowned, "Sybille…"
"I h-have done naught but worry you, Master!" The girl shouted, body trembling, "it seems I… I j-just keep letting you down," she squeaked the last few words out, having a difficult time getting air.
"Sybille," Brynn whispered softly, cupping her face with one hand yet again, trying to get her to make eye contact. The girl whined quietly but slowly complied, looking up at the eyes that so closely mirrored her own. Now that she had her attention, Arisen assured her, "you were drowning in overwhelming feelings that you had never experienced before, and you made a mistake. 'Tis all it was – a mistake. A misunderstanding."
Sybille chewed on her bottom lip, trying to hold back more tears, protesting, "b-but…"
"No…" Arisen interrupted gently, "t'was but a simple mistake, and it is over now. It does not make you a bad pawn." Sybille said nothing, she just began crying again, burying her face into Brynn's cloak. Arisen held her closer, stroking her hair softly and saying, "you have already been punished, stop beating yourself bloody over it." She kissed the top of the trembling pawn's head, "you are a good girl."
Part of Sybille wanted to fight Brynn on how childishly she was treating her… but the other half wanted rather badly to accept it and embrace these strange feelings and the need to be looked after. She decided to go with the latter, melting into the Arisen's arms whilst losing herself in thought. She wanted to calm down but her body wouldn't let her just yet. The pawn finally let her muscles relax, resting her head on Brynn's shoulder and letting the tears happen. Arisen said nothing more, simply rocking Sybille back and forth, humming gently.
It seemed to go on forever, but soon enough the Mage's tears began to dry, cries dying down into quiet whimpering. Brynn let out a sigh of relief, and Sybille laid against her exhaustedly. The silence was almost deafening, and it seemed obvious that there was still something going on in Sybille's head. Brynn finally asked, "what is on your mind?"
There was an even longer silence, and then the Mage blurted, "I-I would like to purchase an Archistaff, Master…"
Brynn blinked, "an Archistaff? You wish to become a Sorcerer?"
Sybille wiped her face with her sleeve, sitting up and nodding slowly, "perhaps… perhaps I am not as weak as I first thought." Sybille mused, "but I want to be stronger, still." She chewed on her lower lip, "I'll not do it, if you do not wish me to, Arisen."
Brynn thought for a moment, before smiling, "do what will make you happy, Sybille."
The Mage grinned widely, but it soon faded, "I would not be able to heal you and the others anymore, Master, not with an Archistaff."
Arisen patted her head gently, "we can just bring more Greenwarish."
The girl's smile quickly crept back on to her face and she threw her arms around Brynn. "Thank you, Arisen!" Sybille exclaimed, happy that something good came out of this rather painful experience.
Brynn chuckled lightly and hugged the young pawn back. "You need not thank me, especially after what I just did," Arisen said a bit grimly. As an Arisen, punishing Sybille was one of the hardest things she'd ever done. It was horrifically difficult with Mez and Axel as well, but Sybille was basically blood. Because the Mage had literally been plucked from her very soul, they shared a very peculiar bond.
Sybille shook her head from side to side, fiddling with her robes a bit. "'Tis alright. Perhaps it is best that I know where I came from, and I… I am sorry that I was so stubborn, and that I made you fear for my safety, Master." She looked up and into Brynn's eyes, "I promise to be less impulsive and jealous in the future." She was insistent that the Arisen had done only what needed to be done.
Brynn's whole body finally relaxed, relieved that her pawn was not upset with her, or worse, afraid of her. She wrapped her arms around the girl tighter, just unbelievably relieved.
Sybille hung on to the Arisen loosely, finding herself finally completely relaxed for the first time since Axel's arrival. Brynn simple held her close, letting the pawn unwind. Suddenly, a knock came at the door to the tiny house. Arisen gently helped the girl to her feet, before getting up herself and kissing Sybille's forehead. The pawn smiled a bit and gingerly inched up her undergarments, wincing just a little as the fabric raked across her sore backside. Brynn gave her some privacy, heading to the door. As she opened the door, she found Mez leaning against the outside of the house.
He smiled, saying gently, "the others are still in town. I thought that perhaps, considering the circumstances, it would be better if I came alone to see if we could come back yet." Before Brynn could respond, Sybille peeked out from behind her Master. Mez looked the girl over, noticing the bloodshot eyes and the blushed, tear-stained cheeks. He agreed that Sybille had deserved the spanking, but having been in her shoes before, he couldn't help but empathize. He knelt down to Sybille's level, asking her sympathetically, "are you alright?"
Sybille wiped her face one more time with her sleeve, before nodding vigorously and smiling widely, "Arisen has told me that she will buy me an Archistaff!"
"An Archistaff?" Mez asked, "you are going to be a Sorcerer?" Sybille nodded again, a huge grin gracing her face. The Strider couldn't help but chuckle, seeing the Mage's big, goofy smile. He was well relieved that she was so excited and happy despite what she had just gone through – she sure bounced back quickly! "You will make a fine Sorcerer," Mez assured her.
Sybille smiled and looked back to the Arisen, "Master, when can we get the new Archistaff?" She was brimming over the top with excitement and anticipation, longing to learn her new skills.
Arisen grinned, "let us gather with the others and figure out when our path will next take us to Gran Soren, aye?"
Sybille nodded slowly, wishing they could do it sooner, but understanding why they needed to wait. This day had been enough adventure for one day, anyway. She was still a bit overwhelmed and also exhausted from both being spanked and also having been petrified earlier in the day, though the pain in her joints had long since passed. Despite how painful the last hour or so had been, Sybille felt completely renewed, and excited to take on life. Her own life.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Well, that took me a lot longer to write than I expected. My health has been very, very bad and I was also very picky about this chapter, as I felt it was very important, Sybille being Brynn's main pawn, and all. In the beginning of this fic, I wasn't sure just who Sybille was. Now, though, I'm becoming more and more confident of Sybille's character.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that you're having a great holiday season!
Thanks so much for reading!
-Johnna
