Harry Potter: Vel'ilstaer: Stormraven

Vel slept soundly through the cycle, his leg healed, the only semblance of him being aware of his knee healing was his grasping below it fighting the urge not to let out a murmur of pain. Druidic healing hurt! Eve wrapped her arms around him.

Vax who was on watch felt his heartbreak "Vax if you're near him when he wakes up that's going to make him feel a whole much better." Vax turned to see Neville had woken up and the boy gestured for him to take a seat.

Vax did so, soon enough he was joined by Keyleth and the pair bedded down next to their son. Vax smiled softly as he saw Eve, weave her draconic arm to his knee. Slowly his son removed his hands from it.

"This is a surreal sight, Vel having an uninterrupted night's sleep." Neville murmured to himself, unaware that Vex and Percy were keeping an ear open as Neville rambled to himself. "How so?"

Neville turned to find Vex looking at him "How so?"

"Vel'ilstaer had a link to Dark Practitioner and the side effects included vivid nightmares. Some of the really, really, bad ones had the rest of us sitting with him nearly all night; he paid us back by assisting us with our Homework."

Vex winced and wiped away the tears building in her eyes. There was so much she had missed, but that was in the past; in the past, it would stay. She'd focus on making sure her nephew was a decent and respectable man with a wild side as well. She had to prevent some of her twin's dumb tendencies.

"Get some sleep, Percival and I will take watch."

The rest of the night went by uneventfully, however, as the group were having breakfast, several blurs broke the treeline. "We have company!"

Vel'ilstaer sat bolt upright, crossbow in hand. The attackers were about three feet tall, wielding massive sickles that seemed almost as tall as they were "Fucking Redcaps!"

Neville looked at them "I thought you said to punt the Redcaps? Fuck you, Vel, I'm not punting those little shits."

"Totally agree…Reducto!" The spell infused crossbow bolt, boomed impacted an aforementioned Redcap in the head, detonating violently spilling flesh, blood, cap and eyeballs everywhere.

The spell woke Eve, who'd stirred as her pillow jerked upright. Her eyes narrowed, her hand lifted as bolts of flame, quickly shifting to acidic green melted another. "Vel…what the hell?"

"Attack by a small psychotic band of Fey by the name of Redcap…I believe the plural is either Redcaps or Redcappers…"

"Vel'ilstaer, right now, I could not give a damn about the correct term of being attacked by Redcaps other than the fact we're being ATTACKED by Redcaps." Eve snapped as she focused a purple light surrounding her hand as she let out a pulse of energy throwing two of the psychotic fey backwards with definitive sounds of necks breaking.

Vazzyr stared at her "How do you know that! That's Dunamancy! A secret of the Kryn Dynasty!"

Eve looked at the Drow girl with a raised eyebrow "Is it now? Now that we must discuss it later, my grandpapa discovered it and taught me. Enough, chat later and slaughter now!"

Neville and Dean were hard at work, or rather, Neville was casually swatting the Redcaps that Dean had levitated. That wasn't to say that Neville hadn't taken injuries, he'd taken a few. But the blows hadn't brought him low, his nature as a Paladin had marginalised the damage but still, it hurt.

Vox Machina meanwhile was in their element. The Younger Adventurers watched as Vax, seemed almost to fade from view only to unleash a barrage of daggers into an unsuspecting Redcap before vanishing. Keyleth was nearby Vel and was bringing down lightning bolts with the utmost precision before shifting into an avatar of the elements.

Vex was covering everyone from upon high, on her broomstick, shooting arrows with precision and getting no end of curses from the Redcaps. For all their famed speed and strength, simply being high above them was enough to vex them severely.

However, there seemed to be no end to them. The situation was deteriorating at a rapid pace when twenty green cloaked strangers melted out of the treeline, effectively pinning the Redcaps between the two forces. "Vax'ildan Vassar? Vex'ahlia Vassar?" The Leader asked, pulling off his helmet.

"Yes, Captain?"

The Captain turned, he smiled softly "We were dispatched by all dispatch from Syngorn to find you and guide you to the City, apparently…"

"You were late, Captain of Syngorn and you did a bad job of clearing the path for us. Fortunately, it was only Redcaps, but regardless thanks for the assistance." Neville rumbled, wincing as Vel'ilstaer placed his hands on the open wounds and channelled his natural healing through them.

"And I think you should treat us with a bit respect as we did save you, by all…"

"You try and claim life debt, I claim blood feud." Vel growled levelling Condemnor at them.

"Vel'ilstaer Korren Vassar, calm down, put Condemnor down…The Captain is an old friend of your Paternal Grandfather…He's alright." Vex ordered, keeping her eyes on her evidently volatile nephew.

"It's good to see you and your twin are still alive after all this time…I was concerned that you'd died, regardless of your status, you were some of the best students I had. Vel'ilstaer, was it? I apologise, I didn't mean to cause upset or outrage but it is justifiable."

Vel paused and reluctantly lowered the crossbow "I…apologise for the brash response."

"Now if you all could follow us, there are much viler things lurking around."

Vel nodded and with that the group of ten rangers and their esteemed guests, snuck and marched through the twisted trickery of the Feywilds, those not easily influenced by the nature of the Feywilds managed to keep the group safe. Although that didn't stop Vel himself from nearly becoming attached to a body snatcher plant.

Then they saw it, the 40ft high jade walls, the simple yet elegant towers and the reflection of the perfect crystal blue waters of the various lakes that reflected against the perpetual orange and purple skies of the Feywild. "Aunt, Dad…you didn't say that…"

"Syngorn was beautiful…no. Vel, darling, your brother and I were forcibly brought here when we would have much rather stayed in Byroden. But it was destroyed when we were ten and thus we were sent here. We stayed, but then we left…due to us and by an extent you…are going to have a hard time due to your heritage of being a half-elf."

Vel, Dean and Neville grinned "Well, it appears I'll have to educate them…"

As they arrived at Syngorn, even Grog could feel the weight of the protections on Syngorn. "You managed to planar shift the entire city…"

"We did. The protection of Elven society was paramount. We're not so arrogant that it was Elves only, it got as many elves out as possible and anyone who was close at hand." A Ranger explained as they reached the gates the fortified gates were already moving to admit them.

Standing immediately in front of the gates within the Twins eyesight was the one person they were hoping to avoid. Vel immediately noted the eye-wateringly close resemblance Vax had to the man. "Vax'ildan, Vex'ahalia…it is good to see you again."

"Father." Vax replied curtly "...Good to see that you survived."

Syldor nodded "You and colleagues may follow me. I will gladly put you up in my residence."

"Er Vel, what does that mean?" Grog blurted.

"It means, Syldor, is willing to house us on the condition that we behave. That is if he's doing this as his role as Ambassador of Syngorn."

Syldor stiffened "Vax'ildan, who is Vel?"

Vax trotted over "He is to me, what you were. An absentee father, although my mistakes were caused by another man's single-minded delusions of grandeur. Vel'ilstaer is my son."

Syldor paused, turned, and looked at his Grandson. Coal-black eyes held the Green. Syldor's mouth turned upwards in a slight smile, the defiance in his grandson's eyes echoed his sons. "Vel'ilstaer, you have your father's stare and build but your mother's colouring." Keyleth blushed "It is good to meet you, now, an explanation from all of you is best had behind closed doors."

"Vel, your Grandfather's a hard man."

"He might well be Aunt. But he does not contend with anyone I've met so far." A hand bopped him lightly on the head.

"Vel'ilstaer, behave, or consider your free-roaming privileges in Whitestone revoked for the next three weeks." Keyleth warned, Dean and Neville were about to comment "Do you two wish to join him? I might not be your guardians but from where I'm standing the pair of you aren't much older than he is…"

Vel sighed "I won't promise to behave, but I promise that I won't be starting anything."

Keyleth deadpanned him "I'll take whatever victory I can get…"

"I'm sorry mum…I just wished I had this when I was younger."

"If things had gone that direction you'd be in Zephra, with your Grandfather whilst I went out and completed my Aramente."

"The quest to bend the elements to your whim and become the Leader of the Tribe…"

"Yeah, how'd you…"

"I listen."

The streets were wide and bustling, elven and human law officers were milling about; quite a few waved and cheered at Vox Machina's presence along with a few shouts of 'How many of those Dragons have you killed?'

Vel's eyes flickered to Percy who nodded, Vel jumped up onto a nearby stool "We've taken out the Devourer of Hope, Umbrasyl…or the Ancient Black Dragon."

That sent murmurs and cheering "You got proof, Half-breed?" A haughty voice called.

Vel tracked it to a group of young Elven males. Vel, dropped down, making a full display of holstering his weapons, with Neville and Dean following. The gang of three faced down the gang of eight "For your information you inbred, hick, I've got the skull and a few other bits and pieces. I was going to ask people where I could find a skilled smithy for a commission or two but I'd rather settle for seeing you fine gentlemen facing down an Ancient Dragon and killing it."

That caused the young elves to blanch "We should challenge you for besmirching our honour…"

"Honour or ego? Honour is earnt by doing deeds for the greater people…Ego…" Vel snorted "...you're demonstrating a lot of it. Send a missive to the Vassar estate if this is the road you wish to walk down."

With that Vel turned to Dean and Neville "I think that's everything."

Dean smirked "I think you broke them with admittance that you're residing with the Ambassador…that and he's related to you. Let's go, besides, I want to know what you're planning with the Dragon remains."

"Armour, some weapons and turning the head into a either a drinking vessel or bedside cabinet."

"You know you could just hang the fucking thing…make a brilliant cloak holder." Dean summarised as they darted down the street to catch up with Vox Machina.

The house was impressive. It had the presence of that of a manor house, but somehow despite its vastness and the many, empty rooms it felt much like home. Although to the Twins no matter how luxurious it was, it felt very much like a familiar jail, a gilded jail, but a jail or the same. "The rooms are prepared, I had a feeling all of you would be arriving at some point. Please take your possessions up, get settled in and then lets discuss what has brought you to Syngorn."

"Syldor, must you really bring up business straight away? Surely decorum and discussions pertaining Syngorn's Foreign Affairs can await until the morn?" A woman retorted coming from the kitchen, her hands caked in ink.

"Devana…"

Vax and Vex stilled, this was the woman who their father had later married "...it is unwelcoming that…" Syldor began when Vel's temper got the best of him.

"Unwelcoming that your own children born from a mortal? That you sullied your oh so important and obnoxious elven bloodline with that of a lowly human? Or was it because my deceased grandmother was of a lower class? I've only heard a little of my father and aunt's upbringing here with you…" Everyone could feel the tension rise.

"You insolent…"

To Syldor's surprise his own grandson daringly rolled his eyes at him "Whatever words you wish to say have no impact on me. Here I was with a faint bit of hope that you'd ACTUALLY be relieved to see them again after a catastrophe hit Tal'Dorei…"

Devana snorted "Young man, you do have a fire to your words. You're not wrong, Syldor has always been reluctant to bring the pair of you up Vax'ildan, Vex'ahlia. It annoyed be greatly that I wasn't able to meet you until now. Syldor, have you seen Velora? She's not in her room."

Syldor sighed "She has probably snuck out to go play at the park."

Vel perked up "I'll find her…and…deter any unpleasentness."

Devana cocked her head "And how would you do such a thing?"

"Ask nicely, give orders then shock and awe…hopefully no-one should get hurt only damage sustained should be to the ego. Otherwise, Aunty, be prepared to pay bail."

Vex sighed "Eve, please ensure my…"

"You won't have to worry, I'll keep Vel'ilstaer on a short leash."