I'd personally like to thank "Minuit" For giving me constructive criticism! Go you! You spoke the truth! Well, anyways, sorry, but I had 4 chapters done already, and I try to keep them all around the same length. And each chapter is about something different. So these ones may be short, but I'll definitely try to lengthen them! Thanks again, Minuit!
The Mage's Tale
Chapter 2- Life or Love?
Sage stared in awe at the tall boy before him. He had long azure hair held back in a black, silk ribbon, and his body was covered in the most pure silk there was. It was a deep, royal blue, silver stars embroidered across the hems. His bright blue eyes twinkled as he smiled at the awestruck elf.
"Rowen?" He muttered, which was just about the only thing that he could get out. Rowen smiled and walked over to the other.
"Sage, you turned me back. Well, you and Mr. "I'm going to kill the prince of Escaldia"." Sage stumbled to him knee, bowing before the prince.
"Your Majesty, I am sorry for all the trouble that I have caused you." Rowen laughed.
"Trouble? All you've done is save my hide. I'm sorry for my outlandish behavior to you earlier, now please, rise to your feet." Sage nodded as he stood, at the exact time Cye and Ryo ran into the room. Ryo groaned when he noticed that nothing had happened.
"Aww man! I always miss the good parts." He grumbled as he turned back to Cye, sulking.
"There there Ryo, it'll be Ok."
"But what if there isn't another explosion?" He whined as Cye patted his back.
"It's Ok. We'll make you an explosion." Ryo's face lit up.
"We will? Yay!" Rowen gave the two an odd look and shook his head, turning his attention back to the blonde elf.
"Well, so, you ignored me as the horse, but when I turn into the hot human boy, it turns into you being all nice. Well that is rude!" Sage blushed.
"I am sorry sir." He stumbled. Trying to form words in the right manner for the Prince.
"Sage, don't call me sir. You are my FRIEND. You don't have to call me sir."
"Well, personally, I don't see why you'd call him sir, or your majesty anyways. He's little. I could take him on!"
"Ryo!" Cye warned as the demon sighed.
"You are SO bossy master. Let me have a little fun." Ryo begged, but was silenced by another glare from Cye. Rowen turned to Sage, who was slightly red in the face.
"Rowen, what about Cale?" Rowen turned to see that the blue haired mage was gone.
"Well, doesn't seem like we'll be seeing him for awhile."
"He's going off to Talpa."
"Wait, you're the prince of Escaldia. That makes you the White Mage!" Sage exclaimed as Rowen sighed.
"Yes, I am. But I don't get my powers until the day of my 16th. That's why I had to say those things. I thought that he could turn me back. If I had been a Horse. Unicorn."
"Pegasus." Sage muttered as Rowen glared at him.
"Shut up."
"Sorry sir." Sage said with a blush. Rowen rolled his eyes at being called sir, but decided to continue.
"Anyways, if I had been a "Winged Unicorn" upon my 16th birthday, I would not have gotten my powers. And Talpa would have free reign over the world. But now I must find him." Rowen sighed.
"It is my duty to protect these lands and all that live on them, but I can't do it alone." He shook his head.
"I am lacking one piece of the puzzle. The summoner."
"Summoner?" Sage asked in confusion as Rowen nodded.
"Though I fight the battle, the Summoner seals him away, using the four elementals. They are dragons, I think. Oh, its all so confusing." He muttered as Sage approached him. He gently took the prince's arm and led him to the chair that Rowen had tripped over moments before this whole incident had occurred.
"Relax Rowen. None of this matters for two weeks. Just make yourself scarce to the Black Mage so that he cannot bestow another curse on you, and then you can worry about it when you turn 16, OK?" Rowen nodded slowly.
"Well, it does us no good to stay here in the lair of Talpa's follower. We better get out of this town, and soon. Come on." Again Rowen nodded as Sage helped him to his feet.
"Umm, sir. I think that it would be of your best interest for you to get new clothes. Someone may recognize you otherwise." Rowen nodded as Sage led him out of the house.
~~~***~~~
When the four travelers awoke, it was to a loud commotion outside of the town. Rowen gave Sage an odd look as the two slunk out of the building, Cye and Ryo following closely behind.
"What's going on?" Cye asked the nearest person, who turned to look at him.
"We have just heard news that in Helkta, Miss Date of the Wizards Academy and her lower class are being held hostage!" Sage's eyes widened.
"WHAT!?" He exclaimed, horror ridden on his face.
"My mother and one of her classes is being held hostage? What is the ransom? Who is doing it? When did it happen?" Sage's breaths were coming out in gasps by now, as Rowen patted the blonde elf's shoulder.
"Don't worry Sage, we'll go rescue her."
"Well, It's the students of one of her classes! She didn't know, but some of her students are actually spies of the master Wizard Talpa, and he found out that her son is a friend of the white Mage. So he had them take her, and the other two students in her class that weren't sent by Talpa, to hold them hostage! Wait, did you just say that she is your mother?" Sage nodded rapidly.
"Yes!" The woman that they had been speaking to winced.
"I pity you then. Talpa is ruthless. If she and the two students live it will amaze me." Sage trembled at the woman's words. His father had left him, and if his mother died, then who would he have left? He felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his shoulders, and he turned to look at Rowen, who's face held a sympathetic look.
"Come on, It will take us awhile, but why don't we travel to see her? Maybe you can use your spells to stop them."
"Spells?" A wicked grin formed on Ryo's face.
"I like spells." He muttered with a grin.
"Don't worry Sage. Put me in a room with them, and I can kick some evil ass!" Sage smiled faintly.
"Thank you for your effort Ryo, but I think that this is something that I myself must take care of." Ryo's face hung at the prospect.
"But you can help." Sage finished as Ryo beamed.
"Yay!" Sage quickly slung his bag over his shoulder, checking the pouch tied to his belt that had his healing herbs, should anything go wrong and they were in a place where they couldn't use magic. He glanced back at his sword to make sure that it looked sharp enough, which of course it did. He always kept it in perfect condition. He turned to Rowen, smiling at the "Archer." He had found out that Rowen was experienced in one weapon, the bow and arrow. With his spare money, he had snuck off during the night and bought everything that they would need. Rowen was now clad in a blue tank top, a pair of loose white trousers, and hair pulled back with a strand of elastic. He had brown boots that went mid-calf, and an off-white bag to carry his true outfit. Prince Touma was now stored away quite nicely.
Cye was now dressed in a pale blue tunic wrapped snuggly over a black turtleneck. A pair of denim pants covered the bottom half of his body, and a set of two daggers were hidden in each one of his tall riding boots. Cye was trained well with the knife, though mostly for cooking. Sage laughed at the thought.
And lastly, Ryo was in a tight black top much like Cye's. Sage had guess wrong on the size, so the clothes were a little snug, but Ryo didn't seem to mind at all. Actually, he seemed to enjoy the extra attention he was getting, even though he got plenty because of his long, leathery wings. He wore a deep scarlet tunic, and long, black pants that flowed loosely around him. He had a sheath across his back, which held his twin katanas. Ryo had admired his sword a lot the night before, and Sage knew that Ryo wasn't strong enough to heave around that large of a blade, so he had settled on getting the demon two smaller blades. Sage smiled in satisfaction at his friends as he began to walk to the entrance of the town.
"Goodbye, hometown." He muttered as he turned to his friends once more.
"Come on guys, lets go."
~~~***~~~
The trip was taking longer then they had thought, since after much begging, the map had been given to the illiterate Ryo, who ran them in circles for about 6 hours till Cye had taken the map away from him, and set them on the real course. It was nightfall by the time they were half way, and even though Sage protested immensely, they finally persuaded him to go to sleep. Unfortunately, Sleep was not one of the things on Ryo, the night owl's, mind. He had other plans. Like the tiny little thing he had seen fluttering around earlier that no one else had noticed, not even the keen hearing elf. He smiled as he slowly snuck away from their camping spot.
~~~***~~~
"Ahh! What or should I say who are you!?" Ryo grinned to the tiny creature before him.
"I am a demon."
"Well then stay away from me!" It retorted, trying to fly away but instead crying out in pain from its broken wing.
"Aww, poor thing! Do you need help?" Ryo said with a wicked grin. The tiny fairy gasped, and pulled away.
"You keep away from me!" It yelped as Ryo grabbed it.
"Let go of me!" It exclaimed in a high pitched, squeaky voice.
"You shall be my pet! I shall name you…" He grinned wickedly.
"Tinker Bell!"
"Ahh!" The fairy exclaimed.
"I'm a guy! I'm a guy! Not some sissy little girl fairy! And my name is Kento, not "Tinker Bell"!" Ryo laughed hysterically.
"You are fun! I'll take you back to Sage and have him heal you!" Ryo giggled.
"Too bad all I know is black magic." Ryo stated as he patted the fairy's head.
"Master says that I can't have a pet. But since you're hurt, he's bound to let me keep you!" Ryo grinned as he skipped back to the camp.
~~~***~~~
"Sage!" Ryo yelled in the elf's ear, as the blonde boy leapt to his feet, panting.
"What the hell was that for Ryo?" Sage exclaimed, highly aggravated with the young demon.
"Sage! I found a hurt fairy and I need you to heal him!" Sage sighed as he yawned.
"Ok, where is he?" Ryo opened up his palm to reveal the tiny fairy. Sage gingerly picked up the small creature.
"He's so small."
"I am not small! Well, I'm not small where it's important!" The fairy exclaimed as Sage gave him an odd look.
"I really don't get what you mean, but oh well." The fairy rolled its tiny eyes.
"Never mind. Stupid Elf." He muttered.
"Hey! Do you want me to heal you or not?" Sage asked as the fairy winced.
"It hurts, I'll be good." Sage nodded as he quietly healed the fairy's wing.
"Ok, now you may go free. And Ryo, he is a living creature, not your "pet"." Sage waited for Kento to fly away, but instead he remained perched in the blonde's shoulder.
"Why aren't you leaving?" He asked Kento, who shrugged.
"Can't."
"Huh?" Sage asked curiously as Kento fluttered off his shoulder, bringing them face-to-face.
"Because if someone rescues me, I have to grant them 3 wishes. Like a genie." Sage looked at Kento oddly.
"So, You're stuck with Ryo until he makes three wishes?" The fairy nodded.
"Basically." Sage shrugged.
"That's interesting. So I guess that you are now in our group." Kento shrugged.
"Guess I am until the demon makes three wishes." Ryo grabbed Kento and pulled him close.
"You are just so cute and little! I think I wont make a wish! Because then you'll have to stay with us, and you can be my pet! You get to meet my master! His name's Cye, and he's pretty nice, though he is really into being nice and stuff, which is a bummer. But he's cool anyways. And guess what? Rowen is a PRINCE! It is soooo cool! His name is Prince Touma. He's the prince of… of… "
"Escaldia." Sage muttered as Kento turned to the elf.
"Is he always like this?" He struggled out as Ryo continued hugging him. Sage just nodded as Kento sighed.
"Can you get him off me?"
"Sure. Hey, Ryo! Look! It's a duck!" Ryo's eyes widened and he dropped Kento, sending the tiny creature falling to the ground. Sage managed to catch him, and lifted Kento to his shoulder.
"Actually, I was just saving Kento. Ryo glared at Sage.
"Well, that was mean." Sage shrugged.
"Well, come on guys. Let's go to sleep. I have to save my mother and her students, I just have to!" the other two nodded as they took their resting places and fell into the depths of slumber.
~~~***~~~
Sage and Ryo were abruptly awakened by Rowen screaming. Sage was immediately to the aid of the prince, until he realized WHY the prince had screamed. It seemed that Rowen had meet Kento.
"Why the hell is there a flying thing near me? Why?" Sage laughed.
"Rowen, he's just a fairy. His name's Kento." Kento fluttered up to Sage, landing on the elf's shoulder and taking a seat.
"He's TINY!" Sage shrugged.
"So?"
"I don't like things small enough to fit up my nose!" Kento glared at the prince.
"Hey! I resent that remark! I'm too big to fit in your nose, the hole's too small. Now I could fit in a different hole, AKA…." Sage cut off the fairy before he could finish.
"Kento, that is enough of that." Cye grinned from where he stood over the camp fire, cooking a few eggs for breakfast.
"I think he's cute. He's so little." Cye giggled as Kento's face went red.
"I am NOT cute!" He exclaimed as Sage patted Kento's head with his finger.
"Yes you are. Even I'll admit that. Now can we hurry up and get going? I want to find my mother before it's too late."
"Sage, First we eat breakfast, OK?" Sage shook his head.
"Not Ok. Three lives are depending on us. You guys can stay here and eat for now. I'll go ahead, Ok?" The others were about to protest as Sage bolted away.
"I'll follow him." Kento announced as he flew after the elf.
~~~***~~~
"Wesnia!" Sage exclaimed as he ran up to one of the nearest people in the city. The brunette turned to him and sighed in relief.
"Sage! Thank goodness you came! They've been keeping your mother, Sally, and Little Wufei captive! He's only 15, and in the senior class. They're all 19, he couldn't do anything, even with the fact that he is the strongest spell caster, along with your mother. But wait, where is the white Mage? I see no one with you!" Sage sighed.
"I ran ahead. He and my other friends are coming." She nodded.
"Please, Sage, save them."
"I'll try." He stated as he ran off towards the Academy. He was tired from his previous running, but it didn't matter. He had to press on. He had to save them. Busting down the door was easy enough, he just kicked it and pressed on it with magic at the same time, and it flew right open.
"Mother!" He exclaimed as he saw the onyx haired woman tied up, along with the two other students. He turned to Dais, Sekhmet, Dorothy, and Kayura, anger flaring in his eyes.
"Ransoming my mother and her students. The nerve. Well, I have a deal to make. Me, for their safety. You know that I am more important to The White Mage. I would have more impact on him giving himself to you. Why harm the innocent?" Kayura turned to Dais.
"He has a true point." She turned to him.
"Fine, but not using Magic." Sage nodded as he stepped towards the four ex-students. They un-did the restrains on the three hostages, as Sage stepped forward. He watched at the two other students bolted out of the room, but his mother was more reluctant to leave, especially at the site that they slapped her son to get him to give them his hands to be tied.
"Mom, go!" Sage warned as his mother sighed in defeat, and ran out of the room as well.
"Heroic effort, elf boy. But that was a dumb move on your part. You better help your little friend gets here soon. We wouldn't have hurt them, but you, well, you're a different story." Sage took a deep gulp as one of the other men tied up his feet. The blonde female grinned as she gagged him, a teasing look in her eyes. He couldn't help but glare at her, and received another slap for his efforts. He winced, his one cheek red, but he said nothing.
"Actually, it's friends."
"Humph." Dorothy stated as she turned away. Sage glanced up at the surroundings. He had a sudden thought about the other class. Did these people have them stashed away somewhere as well? He shrugged off the thought, and concentrated on finding out about these people. He struggled to get in a more comfortable position, and was greeted by a kick to his shin, curteousy of the white haired man. Sage closed his eyes and ignored the throbbing in his shin. He suddenly wished that the others were here. Anything to stop these monstrous people.
~~~***~~~
"Guys!" Kento exclaimed as he flew to his friends, panting slightly.
"Sage gave himself to them! He traded himself to free the hostages!" Rowen's eyes went wide.
"Sage did that for his mother?" Rowen shook off the confusion.
"Come on, we have to move quickly then! We can't risk them hurting Sage! I would never let myself down if something happened to him because of me." That was the problem. Rowen didn't want Sage too involved. He didn't want Sage hurt. But slowly the blonde was getting deeper and deeper into the mess, and Rowen couldn't help it, though he tried. He cared too much about the blonde, more then anyone else he'd ever known. Much more then his half-wit father and more then the mother that abandoned him. As he thought deeper of the swordsman other foreign feelings filled him, ones that he had never felt towards another. He shrugged it off. Puppy love and a strong friendship. That was it. Nothing more. He turned once more to Cye and the others.
"Come on." Cye sighed as he ran after Rowen, who had chosen that moment to bolt.
"When are you going to tell him?" Cye asked as the other two flew behind.
"Huh?" Rowen asked, still running.
"How you feel about him? When are you going to tell him?" Rowen shook his head.
"There is nothing but comradeship." He stated, starting to run low on breath.
"Comradeship my ass! You are both madly in love with each other, and too shy to admit it! And it isn't taking you anywhere!"
"Who says that I want to go somewhere? I am a prince. I am the White Mage. He is just an elf. Bound by tradition, I have to marry other royalty, or someone of a high status!"
"Love knows no boundaries!" Cye panted, as Rowen shook his head.
"I can't! I am allowed to have a fling, a mistress and all those pleasantries, but I have to marry by age 18, and he is not a person that settles for being a mistress!" Cye shook his head.
"Who made up these stupid rules anyways? Love is blind, but it has no limits! There are no rules to who you may and may not love in your life!"
"Its family tradition!"
"Well, you're the White Mage, you're special. You get to break a few rules! The world owes you anyways."
"Who says that I'll live to see the rest of the world?" Rowen stated quietly as Cye gave him an odd look.
"What do you mean?" Cye came to a halt after Rowen did the same.
"I can't love him. I wont let myself. I probably wont even live to 17, and I don't want him to love me then have his heart broken when I die."
"Die?" Cye questioned, not fully understanding where Rowen was coming from.
"The white Mage before me was twice my age, and he lost to Talpa. He had so much more experience then me. And then the Summoner died calling the dragons to stop Talpa long enough for the White Mage to be reborn. And the Summoner, he had a child. A tawny infant was without a father for all his life. The child is only a few months older then myself."
"But you went without a mother." Cye pointed out as Rowen sighed.
"But I had her till my 5th. He had no one, ever. No father to look up to, to play with, to teach him new things. It must have been awful." Rowen shook his head.
"That is how Sage must have felt." Cye looked up in shock.
"Sage has not father?" Rowen shook his head.
"His father slept with his mother then left. His mom gave birth to him and was alone." Cye frowned.
"I guess that makes two of us. Fatherless I mean. I had mine till I was about 1 month, at least, that's what my mother said. I wouldn't know. She said that he was a great man, and that someday I'll be just like him, though I doubt I could if he's as good a man as she says." Rowen gently hugged Cye.
"I feel sorry for you. Though my father does hate me, at least I have one."
"I doubt he hates you." Rowen's eyebrow rose.
"You don't know my father, do you?" Cye shook his head.
"Are you two done with the heart felt talk? We have a Sage to save!" Ryo exclaimed from high above them.
"We're coming!" Cye called out.
"Come on Rowen, let's go." Rowen nodded at they made their way to Helkta.
~~~***~~~
"Kayura, you really should take anger management classes." Sekhmet noted as Kayura laughed.
"What's the need if you have a perfectly good stress relief right, Here!" She laughed as her fist made contact with Sage's stomach. He keeled over and held back the urge to retch. He felt an elbow ram into his spine and he cried out in pain. All he heard was the echo of laughter coming from his captors.
"Good point Kayura!" Dais stated with a laugh. Sage grunted in pain as a fist pounded into his chest. Sage felt the air in his lungs stolen away from him, as he gasped for any air he could get.
"Hey, Dorothy, have you noticed that even as an elf, this guy is pretty hot."
"Now that you mention it…" Sage looked up in horror at the group, especially the two hormone driven females eyeing him like a piece of fresh meat, which he technically was.
"Please no…" He begged slightly, getting a round of laughter from the others. The blue haired woman teasingly un-buttoned the top button of his shirt as he gasped, body rigid if fear, the lack of air no longer mattering to him. All that mattered was that a bunch of people out to kill his best friend were about to do things to him that he simply didn't understand why. He'd been raised with a mother who hadn't taught him the first thing about sex and hormones, and he didn't take schooling like that. He took magic schooling, which was far different. He felt his last button being un-done, at the moment the door burst open.
"Lay one hand on him and die!" Sage smiled weakly at Rowen.
"I'm fine." He muttered, breath still unusually shallow.
"I'll be the judge of that! As the Prince of Escaldia, I demand that you unhand him!"
"And as the future White Mage, we demand that you allow us to kill you, or he dies." Rowen watched the woman slid a dagger from out of her sleeve, and slid the cool metal over Sage's throat.
"Now, would you really want to kill an innocent virgin knowing that you could have had your way with him?"
"Rowen!" Sage warned, but Rowen ignored him.
"Truthfully? I want to fuck him senseless. But with the fact that he is the key to us killing you, I'll have to pass. So who is it going to be? You or the elf?" Rowen watched as the thin blade ran over the smooth flesh of Sage's neck. At that moment Rowen would have given anything to feel that sweet ivory flesh under him, to take Sage then and there (The bondages giving his some x rated ideas), but more importantly then his hormones, save Sage and screw him later.
"I am the White Mage and am needed to save the world. But he is the most important thing to me in the world."
"Hurry up, boy, or I decide." Sage whimpered as the blade dug painfully into his neck causing blood to seep through the thin marking. Rowen averted his eye from the boy.
Cye didn't like this. Cye didn't like it one bit. Killing the love of Rowen's life, or saving the world. And love was a hard enemy to win against, though Cye could tell that deep down, saving the world was more important then the one life of the elf. And Cye wouldn't go for that. Oh no, Cye would not let this happen, he would not let one friend die and another be left heartbroken. Anger flared in the boy as he turned to Ryo. His friend, the little demon that was more child then teenage, more human then ethereal, and clueless of the turmoil going through Rowen. Ryo didn't realize what death was, and what it meant. Cye was pretty sure that Ryo could talk to the dead, so death meant nothing to the raven-haired boy. And then there was Kento. Barely a day into their group, and he already knew of the impending sense of justice within the fairy. And this was not justice. And the look on Kento's face told just that. That he was not pleased with the circumstances presented. And the flame grew brighter in Cye. Anger welled up within him, filling him with its very essence. He couldn't stop what it was doing. The words slid from his mouth like liquid, uncontrollable.
"Wrath Of Leviathan!" He screamed, his voice echoing through the room. And then came the tidal wave, along with the largest thing Cye had ever seen.
"Leviathan…." He muttered with wide, frightened eyes. He had done this.
To be continued….