Right now this is a lot of backstory and filler I know, but it's trying to set the mood. Also, in a stroke of my incredible genius, I misspelled the title, so hooray for me. The title is supposed to be "The Descent" instead of "The Decent." Next Chapter will be moving the story along a lot more and will really show the beginning of Callum's "Descent." I will say no more, take that for what you will.
Rayla woke in the middle of the night. She turned over to find the bed empty, Callum was gone. She sat up slowly and looked around the room. She noticed his shirt laying on the floor. She sighed inwardly, He must be having those nightmares again. She threw on her own shirt, grabbed Callum's shirt, and headed to the top of the Spire.
It was a beautiful night, clear of clouds, with a crescent moon, and the stars. She could see why Callum enjoyed flying at night so much. With her elven eyes, she could see him smiling broadly, enjoying the night. She smiled as she watched him, one of her favorite pastimes.
His expert flying always mesmerized her, the way he so effortlessly moved about in the sky. There were times when she wished she could be up there with him, flying by his side. Both she and Callum had searched Lujanne's many texts on moon magic, since that was her Arcanum, but had found nothing. She was content to just watch anyways.
Callum continued to fly circles around the Spire, he found an updraft that carried him high into the night sky. He soared directly upwards stalling a few hundred feet above the Spire, he leaned backwards into a flip. This was his favorite move, he tilted back slowly, taking in the stars and the moon as if he was lying flat on his back. Then he began to fall and he tiled back even further coming into a dive.
He noticed Rayla sitting down on the edge of the Spire, right where she tackled Viren off the edge. He remembered the fear he felt when he thought he would never see her again, or get to tell her how he felt about her. He pushed those thoughts from his head. He saved her, he jumped off the spire after her and caught her.
Callum dove down and at the last second pulled up and shot right over Rayla's head. She shouted in surprise, and Callum landed on the Spire, doubled over in laughter. Rayla, however, didn't find it nearly as amusing as Callum did.
"Ya nearly took my head off, you idiot!" She playfully kicked his arm. Callum had fallen to the ground laughing. "You should have seen your face, oh it was beautiful." He said in between laughs. "Was?" Rayla questioned as she sat down next to him. Callum eventually calmed his laughter enough to sit up. "Was, and still is." He kissed her cheek.
Rayla laughed. "You're lucky you're cute." She kissed him back. Callum flexed his arms. "It isn't easy looking this good." Rayla's face went stone cold, but the ever so slight grin at the edge of her mouth and the mischief in her eyes gave her away. "Are ya trying to get thrown off the Spire?"
Callum laughed again. "That doesn't work, remember?" Rayla just rolled her eyes and laid back on the ground. "Stupid prince." Callum laid down next to her after putting his shirt on, reminiscing about the first time she had thrown him off the Storm Spire.
A year and a half ago, Callum and Rayla were training at the top of the Spire. Rayla was teaching Callum how to handle her swords, he was decent, but by no means an expert.
"C'mon Callum, every member of the Dragonguard at least knows how to use a sword." She was taunting him. "I'm an honorary member Rayla, besides, I'm much better with a staff." Rayla just smirked at him. "Honorary or not, as long as you're here, you're under my command, and I'm telling you to ready your sword."
Callum rolled his eyes. "Fine, if you have to pull rank to win an argument I guess." Rayla jumped at him. "I did have to pull rank." She swiped at his side, and he easily blocked. They exchanged a few more blows before Callum retorted, "But you just did."
Rayla, already tired of this, just sighed. "I'll make you a deal, I win, I'm right. You win, you're right." Callum smiled and took up a defensive position. "You're on."
They battled all over the top of the Spire. Ducking, diving, dodging, all while exchanging blows with the swords. Just as Rayla was gaining the upper hand, Callum quickly drew a rune in the air. "Aspiro." And he blew her off balance, giving him enough time to put Rayla on the defensive.
"No fair!" She called out as she blocked an overhead strike. "All is fair in love and war," Callum replied as they locked blades. Rayla smiled as she got close to his face, and kissed him straight on the lips. Callum faltered in complete surprise and earned a kick to the chest.
"No fair!" He said as Rayla stood over him and pointed her sword at him. "All is fair in love and war." She replied, imitating his voice. At this Callum grinned and then knocked her sword aside and returned her chest kick. Then he drew another rune in the air. "Fulminis."
A bolt of lightning shot across the training area, aimed at Rayla's center. Rayla barely has enough time to dodge and get away unscathed, the front of her shirt however, specifically the area around her breasts, was not so lucky. Callum quickly tried to apologize, but that did little to stop her wrath.
Rayl had gone red in the face when she realized exactly where the lightning bolt had torn her shirt. "YOU IDIOT!" She shouted as she drop-kicked Callum sending him off the edge of the Spire. Callum yelped in surprise as he suddenly found himself moving towards the ground at a very fast pace.
"CALLUM NO!" Rayla shrieked as she realized what she had done. She collapsed to her knees in relief as she watched him summon his mage wings and start to fly. "Oi Captain! Everything all righ?" Xavier, an Earthblood elf and a member of the Dragonguard came running up the stairs, Ibis came running as well.
"We heard shoutin and thought somethin was wrong." He explained. Rayla just sighed. "No, everything's fine, thank you though." "Um, Captain Rayla...your shirt…" Ibis pointed it out to her. Rayla went red and quickly covered herself up.
"What happened here?" Said a Sunfire elf, Jamal, who handed her his shirt. She thanked him and as she went to explain, Callum shot up from the sky and landed with perfect grace on the ground in front of the group. "What happened here?" Jamal repeated. "Training accident." He said, nervously rubbing the back of his head.
"Training accident?" Ibis repeated, sounding skeptical. "Yes, and one that is all his fault," Rayla said with an accusatory glare in Callum's direction. Callum threw his hands up in defense. "You pushed me off the top of the Spire." Xavier, Jamal, and Ibis all looked shocked. A chorus of, "What?", and, "You pushed him off the Spire?" came from Jamal and Ibis.
"Well, to be completely accurate, I was drop-kicked off the Spire." Xavier lost it and started howling with laughter. "No way mate! I can't believe you let yourself get DROP-KICKED off the Spire!" Rayla was still unamused by the situation. "He deserved it." Callum looked at her with mock shock. "Deserved it? I did try to apologize you know, but you were too busy drop-kicking me."
Rayla just froze, her eyes seemed to glaze over, as she said to Callum in a voice colder than ice. "Callum, you have three seconds to run, before ah send ya off the Spire again." Callum actually looked genuinely scared. "Three." "I told you I tried to apologi-" "Two." "Now Rayla hold on a se-" "One." She launched herself at him, sending Xavier into another fit of laughter that put him on the ground. Callum went over the edge of the Storm Spire for the second time that day.
Callum smiled to himself at the memory, he loved Rayla with all of his heart. They looked at each other and smiled. "The stars are beautiful tonight." Rayla silently nodded her agreement. "But not nearly as beautiful as you though." Rayla laughed a little. "Sappy prince." Callum put an arm around her. "But you love it when I talk to you like that."
"Weeellll." They both laughed. "Do you want to come back inside?" Rayla asked him. Callum looked thoughtful, for a moment. He looked around the night sky, from the moon to the countless stars in their indescribable beauty, to the indescribable beauty at his side that he called his own. He knew exactly where he wanted to be. "No. Right here with you, is exactly where I want to be."