Dragon's Dogma - A Forgotten Tale of the Arisen and his Pawn Chapter 4: A Jealous Rage, a dragon's dogma fanfic

Chapter 4: A Jealous Rage

Being at the cathedral, so early in the morning allowed them to acquire an errand from the priest. The very sight of the Arisen and his pawn told the priest that they were traveling and it was his chance to see if they wanted to acquire some coin while on their journey. There had been a few incidents near the abbey on the outskirts of the city and few dared to go there while massive beast prowled the area. But an Arisen and his pawn, the timing was too perfect and the coin was too great to allow such a chance to slip by.

"If you're lost, your map will serve us"

"I know but I can't tell where we are on the map" the other pawns repeating words had become a nuisance and he began to wonder if maybe they would've been better off if it was just him and his main pawn. They had been walking for leagues the entire day and an endless amount of dead trees didn't make navigation any easier. Wolves and bandits were always nearby but thanks to the precision of his ranger and strider it didn't seem to be a problem no matter how many lay in wait for them.

The day went by with much walking, hiding from detection of any beast so as to avoid a pointless fight. Even so, monsters grow bold by night so setting up a small camp in the middle of a thick forest was the only thing left to do since the oil they brought for the lanterns had nearly run out. They would wait out the night until the break of morning and head out again afterwards.

"Didn't I tell you not to eat those mushrooms?" he had demanded an answer from her.

"But master we could not have known they were poisonous unless we ate them" her protest to jump in danger for her master annoyed him.

"That doesn't mean you have to eat them to find out"

"But you said you were going to eat them to see if they were poisonous or not"

"If I ate them then you would have found out"

"That's why I ate them master" her main pawn had taken a mushroom out of his hand and stuffed it in her mouth to verify its contents.

Although the poisons affect were only temporary, her wellbeing was his main concern. She had no expression but he could tell she was ill. Anger, it was between the both of them, although at the moment saying what they were both thinking was not relevant to the topic at hand, they were both angry at each other. One for trying to protect the other while ignoring each other's concern.

"I don't care I was going to try out the mushroom so no one else had to get poisoned"

"But I already did and sacrificed myself on your behalf"

"I told you before; you don't have to sacrifice yourself for anyone"

"I didn't sacrifice myself, I made this decision on my own" when did she learn how to argue with her master? He thought.

The other two pawns just sat by the fire not making any expressions or comments just awaiting their next orders from the Arisen that had picked them out. He almost wished they would pick a side and say something, but even so it wasn't their fight to begin with it was just between him and her.

"Fine, the next time don't sacrifice yourself for anyone understand"

"I said I didn't sacrifice myself for anyone I am still here master" hearing her say master at the end made him want to say something else but he would rather drop this argument.

The company of four sat and ate in silence after the yelling finally died down. No doubt making any more noise in the middle of the night would only attract unwanted attention. With plenty of venison hunted during the day and provisions of fruits and vegetables acquired in the fields, having enough was never a problem when they sat down at the end of the day. In fact, Gran Soren was bountiful in harvest which was why the city was prospering and would have continued if not for the wyrms coming.

She had gotten up for a moment and started to walk off in silence, still having a bit of anger from earlier he asked with all haste.

"Where are you going?"

This time he wasn't sure if he saw her expression change since it was still too dark.

"To use a trunk master" he could almost hear her annoyance from the fight before, her own way of saying nature calls. It was still too dark with no light from stars or moons, so he ordered one of his female pawns to accompany her while she was out; he was left with the male pawn to guard their camp.

"Women eh how troublesome?" he said to his remaining pawn once she left. He wasn't really expecting an answer from him since all he could do was follow orders.

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She had gone far enough, away from the camp, she didn't have to worry about being seen it's not as if she cared though. He had seen her naked before and likewise her him, but a call of nature was something she felt she would die if he saw. Things have begun to change inside of her, ever since that fateful day when she met him, she knew her being resided in his command and would welcome death if he so chose it for her. Since she began learning about the world, death started to seem so far away, she was sure that he would never order her own death but was no longer sure she was ready to die unless it was for him; it's why she ate the mushrooms. Before, she would not have disobeyed an order, but now she finds her mind straying off, at times she sees open fields which bear her the desire to run endless and free. At other times she cannot help but want more attention from the one she calls master. There have been times where she wants to ask him directly what all this means but cannot find the words and so stays silent, something inside her had begun to change and she was becoming conscious of it.

She was done with her business and checked again to make sure she was properly dressed and well buttoned. She picked up her staff, and looked at the other female pawn signaling to her she was done only to find her mutilated the next instant she looked up.

He sat by the camp fire wondering how he would apologize for his behavior, she had saved his life more times than he cared to count but she was also starting to become different. The pawn he once thought he knew was slowly starting to disappear, the feeling felt familiar but he didn't want to admit it. She is a pawn nothing more, once he takes back his heart he will not need her anymore and maybe just maybe he can find another peace. But what is peace? He pondered on this and began to panic on the inside. Go back to the tedious life he once had? Wait for death at the edge of a boat again? His breathing started increasing rapidly as his thoughts for her and what she meant started to stir confusion.

It was blocking her path back to the camp, she ran in the other direction, she wasn't thinking about crossing their path but her mind came back to reason and the panic in her legs took off without her minds permission. To be honest, it may have been the best choice, she needed enough distance to conjure up a spell and buy some time. Thanks to the trees in its path, it was slowing down the vicious brutes as it chased after her, for the sight of women excites ogres especially during mating season. She managed to float into a tree; a scared cat running from a dog, she had but a few seconds to leap into the next tree before it came crashing down before the giants. She won't be able to keep this up, the time to conjure and the time to act are both relevant when casting, if she had had him by her side she would have enough time for a distraction and a finisher. But thinking about him is meaningless at the moment, she was alone and she had to accept that no one was there with her. No time to even leap, the brutes fell the tree she landed on with ease and her magic to keep afloat and out of reach was only limited two or three more jumps, it was all she could manage with the pace the brutes were coming at her. But not yet, she didn't want to die yet, there was still so much she wanted to experience, so much she wanted do, things she had not tried, words she had not said, words that haven't been said; said to him.

The last tree had come down, she was falling, it wasn't enough to kill her in fact with the magic still keeping her afloat it would soften her landing but the ogres would be on her within seconds as soon as she hit the ground.

With his pawn wrapped tightly around his arms her magic coursed through him allowing him to leap into the air and spring them to safety. Had he been a few seconds later, the ogres would have ripped her apart. The backup provided from the strider allowed the arrows to fly into the beast's eyes giving them the chance to leap to safety. He had sensed she was in danger the moment he thought he had heard something abnormal, his legs had carried him to her and now the fight for their lives began.

"Are you okay? Speak to me!" his words were filled with anger toward himself for not noticing the situation earlier. She snapped back from the trauma of death closing in on her.

"Yes, yes master I am all right"

Cries of an ogre in pain carried off through the woods and into the night, the striders arrows had found its mark near the ogre's eyes. He put her down; no command was needed for the next course of action, stand and fight for the battle had just begun.

She immediately found herself speaking in the ancient tongue, his battle lust had returned and he charged the beast with every intention of scaling it and making sure his razor sharp blade found its mark. The blind ogre didn't even see his blade coming as it fell to the ground twitching going cold and lifeless. The second ogre was still crying out in pain shielding his remaining eye from the striders arrows, an easy mark for an able swordsman. The Ogre cried out one last time that echoed through the entire woods and a sorceress fire was soon upon it, knocking it to the ground, while a blade ripped open an amazing bag of blood at the center of its throat. Two ogres slain, it was a fine prize to return with its remains. The strider put away its bow and proceeded to exclaim:

"We have triumphed" but the victory was very short lived as the next opponent claimed the striders life knocking him down crippling his body with its enormous fist. Again, it attacked, and blood gushed out like an insect that had been stepped on.

The Arisen and his pawn looked in horror, the beast had not cried out in pain, it was calling out to his brothers and they had found the culprits responsible for murdering their kin. A family of bloodthirsty ogre's had found them and the battle would rage on until the blood spilled would atone for their sins. Had he his ranger and strider they would have acted as decoys to allow one more spell but the ogre's charged with all ferocity. Running was the only logical thing to do, some of the trees still held the ogres at bay but the smaller trees were thrown in their direction making it difficult to run and leap as the mountain of wood came crashing down. Their feet brought them to a ravine that was close to a cliff, it would not be long before they ran out of road. Their next decision would either have to be to stand and fight or leap to the bottom, with all due haste the cliff was coming in sight and the foul beasts were closing the distance. At the last moment she turned back and readied herself preparing the flames to rain down upon their enemies, he had read her thoughts the moment she stopped at the edge.

"Master, please escape while I hold them"

To hell with that! At the moment before the ogre could grab him, he leaped on her taking her into the cliff and down to certain death; she had finished weaving the spell before he felt her body being thrown down into the cliff and plummeting towards the ground at an alarming speed. Fire exploded at the cliffs edge consuming the ogre's and sending them off the cliff. With one last chance, he took his sword and stuck it into the rocks holding the pawn and his Arisen in place at the edge of the cliff nearly dislocating his shoulder to which he cried out in pain. She woke up from the trance the spell had put her under and began grabbing on to the nearby rocks on the cliff. She knew if he sustained any more weight, then he was likely to fall.

"Hold on master"

He had lost his grip of the blade as it fell to the bottom and was now using his good arm to hang on to the rocks at the cliffs edge. This was a very difficult challenge thanks to her, she allowed flaming rocks from the cliffs edge to almost send them down with the ogre's and now they were on the verge of getting crushed or falling to their doom, yet he could not be happier that his main pawn was still alive.

They hung at the cliff's side for their lives depended on it; the rocks had stopped falling but his arm was at the limit where he couldn't move from his position.

"Are you all right master?"

"I have seen better days that much is certain"

Making their way to the bottom was still too far to even attempt, who knows where the bottom was, the best choice they had was to make their way back up but it would prove to be a difficult challenge with his arm nearly shattered; there was no sign of the pain going away anytime soon.

They had escaped the ogres but now death was upon them with a different smile beaconing them to cross over; to let go. On the one hand she could climb up or down since her injuries were minimal, at the same time what would she accomplish then? By the time she was either at the bottom or top he would have lost his grip he knew this and so he started to speak to her once more.

"It seems I had a moment of jealousy when they came after you"

"Master this is no time to jest, if we make it to the top there may be a chance"

Her words were assuring but empty on promise.

"I am sorry about before, if I had not gotten angry at you this would not have happened"

"No master it's my own fault for disobeying your orders"

His consciousness was beginning to fade; the pain was now shooting up and down his entire body. They had been hanging on for a while, the impact of the fall had nearly dislocated his arm and it was finally beginning to take its toll.

"I am happy I got to meet you, if you are to follow my orders then live your life as you see fit…" The impact might have cracked a few of his ribs on his way down, he wasn't sure, but he did know that his strength was beginning to give out and with one final look at her face he had fallen unconscious and lost his grip.

"NO!"

This could not be the end of him for she was sure it would be the end of her. The moment his eyes closed and he began to fall she had let go as well. She would not have it, either he lived or her life was forfeit she would not allow his life to end if she wasn't beside him.

"Master, I shall not let you die"

The sign on her hand began to glow and the voice would echo through her head, she screamed out to all knowledge, to the end of the glowing light from her hand to his chest.

"Let me save you"

"DO YOU WANT TO SAVE YOUR MASTER?"

"Yes"

"EVEN AT THE COST OF YOUR OWN LIFE?"

"My life has no meaning without him I will sacrifice all that I am for him"

A sadistic laugh would echo and say.

"WELL SAID YOU PATHETIC MORTAL"

Her mind was open, the chain was unlocked, and the knowledge of the rift would pour into her soul. With that instant she knew it; she knew the information, the ancient tongue from heaven and earth that would save him and her.

"MAELSTROM!"

The heavens and earth had answered her call as a giant whirlwind reached toward the sky, the winds were now at her beck and call and she commanded them as she commanded her fingers. Slowly decreasing speed, slowly taking him and her into its eye, they were set on the ground as gently and softly as a breeze.