The Rising Dragon

[Monkey Monk]

In silence Caliga stared at the wall. What was it? Where had it
come from? Why was it there? His emerald eyes stared intently
at the barrier, his fingers slowly running over it's surface. Quite
suddenly his hand shot to his back, feeling as if he had been
wounded. A fiery pain had shot through his flesh and an odd
sensation had swept throughout him. However the feverish
inspection his fingers gave forth found no wound to explain the
brief pain. He was summoned forth from his inspection by Lina's
query to Misty. Slowly he turned around to face them, expecting
the answer as well. He opened his lips after a moment, seeing
that Misty did not fully answer by her hesitation. However,
instead of words, a painful cry passed his lips as he fell to his
knees on the ground.

His palms pressed to the floor as he panted heavily. The pain
had returned ten fold. It felt as if something was pressing
against his flesh. Quickly he took off his coat and ran his hands
over his shoulder blades, indeed feeling something pressing his
skin outward. His livid green eyes snapped open wide as the
pain magnified. Once more he let loose a sound of excruciating
pain, this time due to a most horrifying and majestic action. From
his back twin pillars of pale blue, leathery flesh shot out. Blood
spurted from the pillars as they snapped open and revealed
themselves as wings. Soft, thin membrane was placed between
long, finger-like extensions set through the wings. Light faded
through the flesh as he continued to clutch his hands tightly. It
hurt greatly, but already his skin was healing around the base of
the wings and literally fusing them to him. The new appendages
were stretched out wide and dripped blood slightly. What was
happening to him?

[Mama Z]

Lina listened carefully, for once her sickness spared her the pain of passing out. She frowned looking down at her brother, hearing him groan slightly again. Why would some one try to posion them? Did they prehaps know of their small secret that had lasted for years and years? It was probable, but almost unlikely. Thats when Cal began to scream. Head jerked up which almost made her dizzy and the next thing she knew, he was on the floor with two rather sticky looking wings coming from his shoulders. Both hands reached up to cover her mouth.

His transformation was getting worse. She watched as the blood which caked the lowerhalf of the wings began to form a hard thick crust, fusing wings to body like glue. Setting her brothers head down on the floor, she rushed over and knelt down besides the poor lad. 'Cal, are you alright?' She asked, not yet wanting to touch him just in case of more pain.

[/color]

[Felypsa]

Misty put her face in her hands, unable to focus, unable to think, unable to do much of anything. She wanted to run off to the kitchen and grab some plates and start delivering them, or rather take a long draught of water, or even just wash dishes. Yes, for the first time, Misty actually wanted to do dishes. It’s better than this…

Heartrending screams tore her from her self-piteous reverie. She looked up, shocked, and screamed herself when she saw what was going on. This was too much. Seeing pale draconic wings burst from Caliga’s flesh was the straw that broke the camel’s back—no pun intended. “This isn’t normal!” she cried. “This can’t be real! Oh, why, why did I ask you to come into my inn that night? You’ve ruined everything, you—I can’t—!” After that, Misty was no longer coherent. It was not clear whether she was talking to Lina, or Caliga, or both. She had just about lost it, collapsing against her own hand-made wall of solid fog.

She didn’t actually mean any of it. If she were in her right mind, she would never say such things; she would never regret the friendship of Lina, Richard, and even Caliga. But the accumulating events were proving too much for the poor girl to handle. She used to daydream, wanting adventure. Adventure came to her, but she found it was not what she wanted it to be. She had been too secluded, too close-minded, too inexperienced to accept or deal with such complex, crazy events as the ones playing out before her.

The fact that she might not be as normal as she originally thought crushed her. She only wanted to fit in. She didn’t want to any different from the next person. Creating walls of sublimated fog was definitely not normal. Her association with the winged, scaled man before her was definitely not normal. Too much weirdness. Misty began to weep into her hands, longing for the days that were no more.

Once she cried herself out, she caught sight of Richard, and the abandoned rag beside him. She weakly crawled over, seeing something she could maybe handle. Poisonous champagne was not normal either, but it spared her from having to deal with the man with the wings. Distraught, distressed, dismayed, and depressed, Misty gently wiped the damp cloth on Richard’s face. “Please wake up,” she murmured softly, “and tell me everything’s okay.”

[Monkey Monk]

"Murderer....cold blooded murderer...death by my
hand...Caliga...murderer...killer of the shadow...death lurking... I
am...a killer...slayer of innocent...death by my hand...they call
me...Caliga....I am a murderer, killer of the shadow, death
lurking in every crevice. They call me Caliga, Man or Darkness. I
am a murderer..." Caliga's emerald eyes rolled about sickly as he
spoke out. His words were truth, but not directed to any. His
past had returned to him with the sprouting of his wings. Every
detail had come to him, every question answered. It horrified
him, almost as much as his transformation horrified Misty. His
ears were deaf to words spoken to him. In a flash the events
that had occurred before his temporary amnesia returned.

There sat Caliga in a booth, his boots resting upon the table.
He was a wondrous, handsome man, one who many sought
after and even more received. He had the reputation of being a
man who killed for a living and killed efficiently. His methods
were unorthodox and brutal. This day he was waiting for a
rather wealthy client who desired a rather annoying target
removed. Everyone knew about the mage that lived in the
mountains west of this northern town. The duke desired the
mage, who lead a rebellion, dead. With the mage's death the
rebellion would fall and the duke would remain in power. Not
that Caliga cared. All that mattered to him was the payment.
Eventually the duke arrived, acting as one who was
inexperienced in the art of stealth. The sight of the old man with
his cloak hood up in the middle of summer made Caliga laugh.
Hurriedly the client sat down before the supplier.

"Just give me the money so I can get this job done. I know
exactly who you want exterminated. Don't bother with theatrics,
you suck at them." He received a stare and then a small pouch
of gold that made the assassin sneer. "I expect full payment
now. None of this 'half now, half later' bull shit." The duke looked
as if he was about to protest, but stopped when Caliga put his
hand on the hilt of his sword. Quickly a much large sack of gold
flopped onto the table. Sweeping up the money, Caliga walked
from the inn. He loved how he had not given his client an
opportunity to speak. Such dominance always appeased to him.

For three days Caliga strode through the mountains, searching
for the lair. When he found it the night had been around for
several hours. Stealthily he traversed through the caverns.
Quite suddenly a ball of flames shot through the air, gouging his
cheek. He didn't know the mage had a dragon. No bother.
Quickly he leaped forth at the beast and slashed with his sword.
However as he soared through the air, a spaded tail pierced
through his chest. Blood shot through the air as he grunted from
the blow. The dark, crimson liquid ran free from his mouth as the
world plunged into darkness.

With a groan Caliga fell to the floor. He did not hear Misty's
words nor did he hear Lina's question of concern, having been
lost in his memory. Could he really be a killer? Could he really
have killed so many just for money? How could he have been so
cold? The worst question that plagued his mind burned white
hot. Was he still like that?

[Mama Z]

He heard the screams. Felt the pain of confusion and some anger and of course, just pain itself. He himself felt confused as he traveled alone through the fog of his dream. Physically his brows knitted in confusion as he felt something damp touch his face, and a voice. It wasnt Lina's, no it was some one elses. Some one younger, some one afraid.

Slowly, he felt the fog clear and he was able to at least crack his eyes open. He peered through his eye lashes, everything was slightly blurry, like waking up in the middle of the day. He waited a moment then they fell open further. Blue eyes looked around briefly thing up at the person who was holding the wet object. Misty? What was going on? He remembered Lina suddenly getting up, being dizzy then that was it. It was quiet, were they in a room? He heard whispers though and lightly turned his head to look in the direction of what appeared to be Caliga..with wings?

[/color][/size]

Zerlina turned to looked at Misty as she started going into a frenzy. Words of hate spilled from her mouth and Lina opened her mouth to help calm her but eventually she calmed herself, crying in her hands. Lina took in a deep breath, trying to calm her own flashing nerves and her weak stomach. Then Cal began to talk, saying things she almost couldnt believe. Murderer..I was a murderer...

She took a cautious move backwards, not fearing him per se, but fearing him of what he might be able to do if he had suddenly lost it.

[/color][/size]

[Felypsa]

Finally, there was some relief to her anguish. Richard awoke, and Misty gave a glad cry, even though it was evident he wasn't feeling entirely up to par. He was groggy. She saw where his line of sight went, and followed it, giving a deep groaning sigh. Caliga looked the worse for wear. Luckily, Misty could not distinguish the words he was muttering, or else she would have freaked out...and who knew what she was capable of.

And then Caliga fell to the floor. Misty winced at the sound of impact. It seemed to bring her back to her senses a little. "Oh, this is terrible," she muttered, putting her hands to her face. Gently she got up and extended a hand to Richard, who was also on the floor. She kept her countenance carefully calm. If Richard accepted her hand, she would help him stand up, then would pull over one of the seats for him to sit down on. She cast a look around their newly-made little room, and heaved a sigh. There was not much to work with. She wished for her kitchen so she could be at least useful.

Next she went over to Caliga and did the same courtesy for him, carefully ignoring his new appendages despite their size and abnormalcy. "You need some rest," she stated stoically, still expressionless, though she kept her hand out in case Caliga would decide to take it. If he did, she would also get a chair for him to sit down in. She walked over to Lina, rubbing her forehead. What a headache.

She looked at Lina then looked at the wall. She approached it scientifically, analytically, not emotionally or whimsically. She placed her hands on the wall and gently pushed it. It seemed quite solid. "Well, we have to figure out how to get out of here," she remarked. "I need supplies to help you, and if we stay in here long enough our air will run out." She seemed incredibly passive when she related these facts, surprisingly unemotional. It was as if she had used up all her emotion only moments before in her great outburst, and now she was reduced to nothing but cold hard reason. She pushed the wall again. "I wonder if it will go away?" She looked at it, then gave up and fiddled with her emerald ring. "This is unfortunate."

Suddenly, the wall dissolved into fog again. It was still murky enough to hide them from the others, but now they could make out the dim shapes of the humans beyond and hear quiet murmurs. Misty stared and rubbed her forehead again, inhaling deeply. "This day just keeps getting better..."

[Monkey Monk]

Caliga's mind was swarming with images, memories, and voices.
Voices of victims begging for mercy, voices of clients saying who
they wanted killed, voices of suffering. His eyes began to water
in pain and frustration as the voices in his head litterally were
hurting him. It felt as if sharp needles were piercing the matter
of his brain, causing him to wince. Slowly his head rolled up to
look around. Lina moving away from him. She must know the
truth. She must know he is a murderer. Misty approaching him,
trying to help. The poor girl. She didn't know the horrible truth
yet. How could he live like this? Knowing he was a murderer,
someone who had killed without question was tearing him
apart. The truth was far from what he had fantasised about.
Now the world was crashing down upon him.

Firmly but gently he pushed Misty's hand away from him. A
feeling of undeserving washed over him. He still was having
trouble remembering things, but atleast he knew why he was
like this. It was indeed a punishment. A punishment for the
countless crimes he had committed. But why had the mage
wiped his memory clean? What was a punishment if the one
punished did not know why it was so? Maybe the amnesia had
been the punishment. Maybe the state he was in was some sort
of biproduct of what had happened to him. Either way, one
question remained. Why had the magic weilder kept him alive
instead of letting the dragon finish the job? Caliga felt as if his
life was no longer under his control, as if someone was pulling
the strings. Being unkind to his friends would not change that
though, and as a second thought he allowed Misty to aid him
into the seat. Once he was in the chair, his wings slowly
enveloped his body and hid him from the world. He just needed
a few moments to compose himself.

[Mama Z]

Richard had long since sat up, a headache brewing over the horizon. What the hell had happened. [/color]

The young demon watched them both carefully, not sure if she should trust Cal fully yet or trust Misty not to have another breakdown. Tiredly she ran a hand through her hair and looked at the semi-transparent wall. How were they supposed to get out of her. A cough moved up through her body and she instantly covered her mouth to try and surpress it and the blood she felt burn up along her throat. [/color]

[Felypsa]

Misty looked around at their little group. They were all in very bad shape, including herself. She wanted to do something to help them all, but could do nothing. Nothing! She moved through the fog, but it was thick and her clothes and hair were soaked in moments. She put a hand to her temple, feeling a headache throbbing there.

Suddenly, a voice rang out through the swirling haze. “Misty! What in damnation is going on?” A huge, bearlike man pushed his way through the fog, his dark brown eyes blazing as he regarded the four youngsters. “Who in hell is responsible for all this?” he waved at the thick mist around him. “Was it you?” he pointed a thick, chubby finger at Caliga. He glared at the dragon-man, seeing his wings. He did not freak out, but instead seemed to get angrier; his countenance turned redder. “You freak, what have you done to my inn?!”

Misty, in contrast, turned white. She stood in front of Caliga, crossing her arms firmly. “No Daddy, it wasn’t him. Someone gave Richard and Cal drugged champagne, and they passed out. They’re innocent. And Lina and Richard are the ones who played for us two weeks ago. It’s not their fault.” She met her father’s gaze squarely.

“Then whose was it?” The innkeeper’s dark gaze was penetrating.

Here, Misty faltered. She still couldn’t accept the fact that she was the creator of the mist and the wall. “Uhh…” she said feebly, not sure what to answer.

[Monkey Monk]

Caliga closed his eyes as he remained sheltered in his wings. He
heard Misty's father approaching and accusing him of the mist
wall. Then he heard Misty faltering in telling who had done it. His
mind reeled as he tried to think of something that might be able
to help her. But what could he do? His brain didn't seem to want
to perform it's duty properly at the moment. After several
minutes of simply sitting there in silence, he decided finally what
he had to do. Slowly he rose to his feet and looked at Misty's
parental figure. For a moment he stood there, collecting himself.
At last he spoke up, looking down to the floor with guilt as he
told the inn-keeper what he wanted to hear. "It was me sir. I
lost control of myself and cast up the mist wall."

To Caliga, this was the best solution. He did not want Misty to
suffer the anger of her father by confessing it was truly her who
had made the anomaly. Not to mention he could sense that she
didn't want to admit she had done it. He did not know if the
others would believe him, but he hoped that her father would. If
he was to be cast forth back onto the streets than so be it. He
had learned to live the life of a homeless man once and could do
it again. Misty however, was obviously not ready for such a life.
She was still young and sheltered from the world of magic and
mystical creatures. Sure, these few weeks had brought he a
long way, but she was not truly ready for the world of the
unexplained. She still needed the comfort of certainty. With
concern he looked over to Lina, seeing her body jerk with a
suppressed cough.

[Mama Z]

Richard looked at Lina, confusion still gracing his features. Her eyes were slightly pleading, letting him know silently they all had to get out of here soon. She had waisted too much energy and now was suffering from it. He stood up shakily, thinking maybe there was something he could do. After a small wave of dizziness he approached Cal and the pub keeper. 'It was no ones fault. Just a...freak accident.' He explained though he saw none of it, and didnt know who really did create the foggy wall.

[/center][/color]

[Felypsa]

Misty closed her eyes slowly as Caliga spoke up. She felt such a confusing mixture of emotions: intense gratitude, intense guilt. Cal was taking her off the hook; he was saving her. And a small, irrational part of her yearned so badly to believe that what Caliga said was true that she might have even thought it was true. But she couldn’t completely hide from reality, no matter how much she wanted to.

She was at a dilemma. She could say nothing and let her father cast out the nonhuman. And wasn’t that also what she wanted, a little? He frightened her still, though she had adjusted to him somewhat. What would sway her? Her desire to be normal and get rid of all abnormalcies in her life…or her shame of shying away from the truth? Misty stood and debated internally, whether to interfere or just let it go, let herself be saved. Cal was doing her a favor. The question was: did she deserve it? Did Cal deserve the punishment that was meant for her?

Even if Caliga went away, a part of Misty would still know that she was the one who was abnormal. That would come back to haunt her time and time again. She couldn’t get rid of it like she could get rid of Cal. She would be punished sooner or later—why not take it sooner, and spare Cal the same pain?

Misty opened her eyes at last. “Daddy, no. Caliga’s just saying that to be nice. So’s Richard. It’s not true. I’m not sure how it happened, but…somehow, I created that wall.” She braced herself for the penalty. “Please believe me…don’t hate Caliga.”

The innkeeper had taken a menacing step towards Caliga, ready to throw him out of the inn for good. But then his daughter spoke up, saying words he never thought he would hear from her mouth. Shocked, he turned around to face Misty. Through his passionate anger, he could see how much it took for her to tell the truth. He didn’t like it at all, but the fact that she was his daughter and she spoke the truth softened his rage only slightly. “It doesn’t matter that he didn’t do it,” he said roughly. “He’s still no longer welcome here. Look at those—wings!” He pointed a trembling finger at Caliga’s new, frightening appendages. “We can’t have him here. As for you, Misty…” He paused. This was hard.

“It was time for you to go out on your own and experience the real world anyway,” he said softly. “I think you should leave. You can take all your belongings, and you can come back only if you have nowhere else to go…but it’s time for you to take your life into your own hands.” He nodded firmly, hugged Misty with one arm, and started to walk away. He stopped, and turned back. “As for you musicians…you’re welcome here anytime.” He grinned wolfishly, then his face became more serious. “Good luck, Misty. I think you can handle it. You’re strong.” Then he walked away to the kitchen, ready to resume the monotony of his life, leaving his daughter standing there fighting off tears.

[Monkey Monk]

Caliga sighed as what he had tried to prevent occurred anyways.
He let his head bow as he gazed to the floor. His mind had
known that if Misty's father knew of her abnormality that he
would send her off. Although Caliga had predicted a rather
heated argument between the two, not the simple parting that
had occurred. Slowly the dragon-like man pushed through the
wall as well, closing his eyes as he did so. He went upstairs and
grabbed his things, throwing them into a pack. What little
possessions there were only half filled the carrying device. As he
went to the door several moments later, he paused to look at
the one place that had been the closest thing to a home he had
experienced for years. With a sigh, he went back down stairs.

When he arrived, his wings were tucked down beneath his coat
with the pack holding them down. It was hard to notice the
appendages now. Without a word he walked out the front door
and looked around the streets. Once more he was out searching
for a life in which he could live. He did not expect the others to
desire his company, which was why he had walked out without
seeing if they would follow. He pulled his hat over his eyes and
closed the opening of his coat to hide his scaled chest. However
as he prepared to walk off, a thought made Cal stand where he
was. How come Misty's father didn't seem too surprised by the
wall that had appeared? He couldn't help but think that the man
who owned the inn was hiding something.

[Mama Z]

Richard could not believe what he was hearing. Just like that, the barmaid was dismissed. In all his years of living and dying, it was more then rare to find a parent who loved their child dearly and just let them go like that. Infact, Richard was sure this was the first time he had ever encountered such a thing. He swallowed, closing his mouth even though he didnt realize it had fallen open. His gaze followed the bruly man then snapped over to Caliga as he walked out of sight.

It wasnt till he felt Lina nudge him in the arm did he look down at her, one arm just wrapping around her protectivly, knowing she was more then weak. Too much excitement for a dying body. Then Cal walked out, the two glanced at each other and Richard nodded his head. Releasing his sister from his hold he chased after Caliga. 'Caliga wait...' He pleaded spotting the demon-man thing not too far off. He licked his lips trying hard to think of how to put exacly what he wanted to say. But with nothing else to figure, he settled with, 'Where do you plan on going?'

[/color][/size]

For the first time in a few years, Zerlina was in near tears. The emotional state of the barroom was far from normal. From the pain in her lungs to the pain of seeing Misty in such a state of shock was unbareable and she ran to the only form of support she really knew. But when Richard left, knowing already what he ahd to do for his friend, she leaned against the table, wheezing a little bit.

She looked at Misty, feeling great sympathy for the young waitress. Leaning off the table she moved towards her with determination of not showing her weakness now. She wrapped one arm around her while the other hand rested on her shoulder, much like a big sister would when trying to give decent adive. 'Come on, lets go get your things and you can stay with me for the night, alright?'

[/color]

[Felypsa]

So that was it. In a single moment, Misty’s life had crumbled, shattered, into irreparable fragments. Familiarity: gone. Comfort: gone. Love: also gone. Everything Misty lived for had dissipated like that troublesome wall of fog she had created. To say she was crushed would be an understatement. Misty was lost.

She awoke centuries later. At least, that’s how it felt. As if she’d been asleep for years and years. What woke her was Lina’s affectionate embrace. Needing such care, Misty leaned into the hug and began to cry, just a little. No sobs. No wails. Just tears pouring down her cheeks. She was oblivious to her surroundings, to the customers who had long since edged out of the way of all the drama, to Caliga’s abrupt departure, to Lina’s attempt at concealing her weakness. At long last—Lina’s words penetrated her thick barrier of shock. Misty nodded once, then silently went to retrieve her belongings.

Up in her room, she gazed around it and committed it to solid memory. This was her home. And it just may be the last time she would see it. The realization caused a fresh tide of tears, and it was a long time before Misty could gather together her possessions. There wasn’t much. Just her savings in money, her clothes, and her weaving materials. Plus…a gift from her deceased mother, a simple threaded necklace with beads. It was not extravagant or even beautiful, but its sentimental value made it irreplaceably precious. Misty placed it around her neck and swore to herself never to take it off.

She threw everything else into a chest, and was somehow able to lug the heavy thing down the stairs. With one last wistful glance at the inn, she approached Lina, then left The Rising Dragon…perhaps forever. Caliga and Richard were already outside. Misty placed her chest down and stared at them, unseeing. She was staying with Lina tonight. Apparently that meant staying with Caliga too. Ironically, she did not find that thought as repulsive as she would have before. For all her shock and grief, she still remembered his noble attempt to save her—and she would never forget it, too.