The Darkness Within (closed for BeautifulTrauma)

Enrick sat at the table he had claimed near the door of the Lady Luck Tavern in Daggerford. He knew that being closer to the door, he was less likely to be caught up in a brawl. He had long since tuned out the noise and focused himself inward, turning to the innermost parts of his mind. There he pictured the pulsing power that fed his psychic abilities, encased in a fortress, surrounded by a complex twisting maze, and a shifting labyrinth. He had learned early on how to block unwanted entries from his mind. It was one of the first things he had learned when he had begun exploring his powers.

When you were a powerful Psion it did not just open up new powers and possibilities to you; it opened you up to a whole world of threats. One had to constantly be able to protect yourself from mental attacks. He touched the tendrils of power and felt it vibrate with the anticipation of being formed from raw power into a manifestation. Instead of doing that he simply touched it, let it gather under his fingers.

A familiar voice resounded in his skull, the only voice that could easily penetrate his defenses. “You have as much grace as an Elephant that has just been set on fire. I could do this much better you know.” He ignored the chirping voice of his Psicrystal and ducked instinctively as a mug of ale went sailing over his head. The Psicrystal had given him enough warning that it was coming.

The current of power flowed from the heart of the bastion and ran throughout his mind. This was a meditation practice called becoming Psionically focused. It did not spend any actual power, but it held power in the mind and allowed for a Psionic practitioner to perform acts that were powerful, and sometimes seemed beyond mortal with enough effort and training. As he opened his eyes, their green surface glowed with purple energy for a moment, then the energy dissipated.

A familiar figure entered the establishment just as the brawl behind Enrick began to heat up. He rose from his chair in an attempt to both close the distance to his longtime companion, and friend; as well as get clear of the melee.

A dwarf came crashing into his chair; destroying it. Enrick tried to shift his weight to keep from falling on the dwarf, but unfortunately, he didn’t quite succeed. He went down hard, his short spears haft jamming hard into the dwarf’s armored gut.

Enrick’s unarmored skull bounced hard against the sticky wooden floor and he fought to stay conscious. Blood matted in his short red hair; hair that was the color of autumn colored leaves. He felt the darkness creeping up on him and instinctively released a short burst of Psionic power. He bolstered his fortitude just enough to keep himself to slipping into the inky blackness. He was trying to gather his wits, he felt himself being pushed to his side and then found himself on his back again. His ears were ringing and he turned his head toward the door and noticed a familiar pair of boots, charcoal pants. “Tish, your late.” He stated in a tone that was his trademark lack of emotion.

He didn’t get a chance to say anything else. The dwarf had picked up his spear and drove it down into his gut; point first. It was a testament to the fine craftsmanship of the elves that he was still alive. The gleaming chainmail absorbed a very direct blow and caught the head of the spear. This dwarf was strong. Normally he would have given the bastard a warning before retaliation but the dwarf had already made him bleed and now was legitimately trying to kill him.

His eyes glowed dark red and in front of him, a shimmering shapeless mass materialized It was roughly seven feet and appeared to be humanoid, except for the fact that it had a Rhinoceros’ head. The beast threw its head back and let out a roar that echoed throughout the common room. Everyone stopped fighting to stare at the beast in stunned awe. The beast did not play so nicely. It slammed into the dwarf a bowled him over ass over teakettle.

Enrick’s spear clattered to the floor forgotten.

The creature did not stop there, it charged headlong into the melee of bodies and began grabbing the nearest person, tossing bodies, and throwing them against other people, tables, posts, walls. Enrick stood up on wobbly legs and tapped one of the many tattoos on the back of his hands. If anyone looked closely they would notice all the Tattoos were roughly the same design. The object glowed, then vanished and the skin on the back of his scalp knitted back together, stopping the flow of blood. He then scooped up his spear.

”Smart use of the construct, but no effort put into making it unique or appealing. You just gave it brute force and set it to work. You should have let me design it. I could have made it truly terrifying.”

The Psicrystal was speaking out loud, not using their telepathic link. It rarely did use the telepathic link. It felt that it’s ideas needed to be shared for the entire world. “Shut up.” Enrick snapped. It was never a good sign when he was outwardly showing emotion. He was having to use up resources that he had stockpiled for their mission on a bar brawl? Oh, he was not in a good mood. It showed on his features.

He was not unattractive. He had a strong jawline, broad shoulders and some lean muscle to his figure. What normally put people off was that his features were a bit too perfect, too youthful, add this to the fact that he often tended to have a bland character until you pushed him the wrong direction and people just simply didn’t get along with him.

Also, people did not understand Psions, they feared them more often than not. Where mages and priests were common place, he was an anomaly. Mind flayers used Psionic powers, so obviously he must be evil too, right? Foolish narrow-minded fools; with narrow perceptions of the world. The crowd was now turning on the construct en mass. He commanded the construct to his side and stretched out his hand. “That will be enough. I have not yet killed anyone, but the next time I will not be firing non-lethal shots.”

Leave it to Tish to make an entrance. Their personalities often clashed, but there was an unshakable bond between the two that had developed over a singular fact; being outcasts. It was this unique fact of life that bound the unlikely duo together. Even when their goals were different when their motives were different, their ideas differed, they always stuck together.

He watched the Eldritch blast sail over several people to hit the big man and winced. He knew what was to come next and it was not a pleasant thing. She took her place next to him and he felt comforted by her nearness.

He listened to Tish’s speech as she modified her voice and let out a quiet chuckle. She enjoyed doing that to people. Where he was often methodical and succinct she was often the proverbial wrench in the works or the unaccounted variable. More often than not it made them more effective than it would be otherwise. Early on in their adventuring days he had tried planning detailed strategies with Tish and just found that he could talk for days and she was still going to go her own way if she found a crack in the armor. Still, she was extremely smart, so he did not mind her improvisation, she had a surprising mind for tactics when it counted.

He felt her tail probing, looking for injuries. It always slightly irritated him, and he often slapped it away; never viciously but more almost in play. It was just an odd thing to experience. It wasn’t like the two had ever been intimate when she started using her tail to lift his clothing it just felt strange. Still, he knew she meant well. She grabbed him by the shoulder and looked him over. She started flashing fingers and he reached up with his hand to gently touch her face. “I have mended my wounds. Thank you for your concern, my friend. I believe we have more pressing concerns. The fear this rabble had of us is starting to wear thin. Come, let us make a tactical withdrawal and then we can discuss our mission.”

He raised his hand to show her that one of his tattoos of body adjustment was gone from the back of his hand where it had been this morning as proof that he had healed himself with Psionic power. Then he reached out and grabbed a broken piece of a chair, smiling. “Oak, perfect. This will do the trick.” He touched the reserve of power inside his mind again which was somewhat smaller than before and pulled power from the reserve once again. “Forgive me Tish. I need you to buy me 1 minute of time. This power takes longer to manifest than others.”

The Psicrystal crawled toward the shoulder closest to Tish and chirped “I did not try to talk him down. The dwarf did try to kill us and the brawl needed to be stopped. However, he did it with such mundane action. No flare. Like this power he is manifesting, it is going to be hideous! No style or aesthetic at all. Simply function, no flare. Why do I put up with him honestly?”

The wood in Enrick’s hand began to glow green and a similar light started to grow outward from the Astral Construct’s hand. At first, it was small but gradually grew bigger and bigger. As the wood began to take shape it was clear it was a reproduction of oak wood created simply from Enrick’s will. It was starting to look like a door almost with a few differences. Several long and very sharp looking spear-like protrusions sticking out of the front. “Almost done.” He used the table leg to deflect an incoming object, this was not a mug of ail. He pulled it back and noticed a knife sticking out of wood.

The final touch four protrusions on the back side that almost looked like spearheads. They extended out about four inches in length. Not too soon either, the crowd was pushing in and Astral Construct was starting to swing it like a spiked shield. He looked at the door and noted no one had managed to get behind them. He switched to a language he knew they both spoke fluently and he doubted anyone there could understand, Infernal. The words coming out of his mouth were harsh and guttural.

“Alright. All done. We just need to back out. The construct is just going to use this to seal the door shut behind us. It’ll disappear after 2 hours, and they have first-floor windows they can crawl out. This beats having to drop bodies on our way out.”

Someone was getting a little too close, he looked ready to lunge. Enrick hurled the chair leg with the knife still embedded at him without hesitation. It struck him hard on the shoulder and he went down, melting back into the crowd. “I’m running out of non-lethal ways to fight back Tish, we have to go.”

He pulled the crossbow from his hip and loaded a bolt. As he loaded a bolt the crossbow did what it always does when drawn for the first time in a battle, it began to sing inside every mind within fifteen feet of Enrick. ”Fly. Fly away. Into darkness, into light, into heart, stealing might. Set me free and let me sing! All I want to do is fly until I hear the widow’s cry.” It was a risk of making Psionically enhanced weapons. They sometimes became embedded with small fragments of personality, not enough to have an ego or intelligence, but enough to broadcast a low-level telepathic field sometimes.

Enrick turned toward Tish and couldn’t help but laugh. “Great, now on top of everything else they think I’m a murdering psychopathic bard. Cheers!”

They made their way back to the door frame just as someone tried to sneak through on Enrick's side. The man charging forward was human and wielding a short sword. Not the most ideal weapon but he might be able to wield it in the tight confines left. Enrick didn't hesitate, he fired the crossbow. The bolt struck the sword and though it was a light crossbow there seemed to be some extra force behind it. It didn't just knock the blade from the man's hand, it drove it against the post. The blade hit the post and then there was a second impact a heartbeat later and the blade snapped in half.

"Time to go!"

He wrapped an arm around Tish's waist and pulled her out the door first, then followed immediately afterward. The construct exited the door and then pulled the object into place. The door frame groaned and wood splintered in protest, but the makeshift barrier was now set in place. The construct started to follow Enrick and then dissipated. The duration of the power had run its course just with seconds to spare. He let out a sigh of relief and released Tish.

"So, we should go pick up our package then I suppose. You are right though. Splitting up in town is not a good idea."

Tish had never intimidated him. She had never struck him as bizarre or something to be feared. When he encountered her, he had evaluated her quite quickly and given her a fair chance to prove who she really was. This was a chance she was rarely afforded, and she had shown her quality to him. Despite her quirks, they had become fast friends and the bond between them had solidified back when he had still been human. Little did she know that she had known him before he had made the transition to Elan.

His willpower was tremendous, while those very same small minded fools who feared her fell victim to her simple cantrip, he shrugged off the effect without the slightest effort. She had no fear of using powers like this with him nearby; with a mind as strong as his and all the contingencies and training in place even if he somehow did fall victim to the effect at first his mind was trained to realize he was under the influence of an unnatural effect and to snap himself out of it. It was one of the many uses for autohypnosis, but one of the more useful ones. It even allowed him some small amount of control over his body. If he were unconscious and bleeding to death his body would work to staunch the bleeding and keep him from bleeding out. For him mind over matter was not just a saying, it was a reality.

He had not seemed upset when her power didn’t quite completely deflect the blade the way she intended, he simply smiled at her. “Hey, it didn’t hit my face.” She had done what he asked and purchased the time they needed to make good their escape.

He listened to her reasoning for the delay and nodded. “Fair point. Maybe next time I will go with you to purchase the supplies. It may smooth things over, and keep things like that from happening again. It was not only a waste of time but a waste of energy. I doubt we will be welcomed back in that tavern any time soon, despite the fact that we were just defending ourselves.”

He nodded his head. “We can check, knowing him he is dragging his feet and wasting our time. Remember the last job? We waited for two days because he had to rework a hilt three times. I am not in the mood to have my time wasted after that.” His eyes flickered with the untapped power reserves that he held ready to release; glowing a pale green before he took a breath to calm his mind. It did no good to vent his anger to Tish. She had done nothing wrong, hell she had saved his ass.

He watched her keeping pace with him, watching him to make sure he was okay. He actually stopped and reached out to touch her cheek lightly. It was his turn to look concerned. “You are not injured, are you? I was actually making some preparations of my own. I meant to give you these before people started throwing mugs at me.”

He seemed to be intently focusing and after a few seconds three of the tattoos that he had used to heal himself slid from beneath actually slid across his skin and across her smooth pale flesh. They formed a chain from the contact point on her left cheek down her throat and into her leather armor.

“You remember how to use them right? Just tap them and they activate for a burst of healing. Soon I won’t have to buy them, I’ll be able to make my own. I’ve been studying how to do it. I’m almost there. Oh and you can move them anywhere you want just by thought. If you don’t want them marking up your beautiful face.” He touched her cheek softly, with affection, then pulled away. He often did things like that; showed her warmth and affection that he never displayed to anyone, ever. He never gave it a moment of thought because the transition to Elan had burned some spark of his humanity away, it had created a strange disconnect in how he related to people. It was not that he did not care for her, he did truly, and he meant the words that he said; he just did not think about the impact that they might have, or how they might be viewed by her.

The task done he began walking again and made his way toward Derval’s Smithy. The noise and the smell were enough to make him want to leave immediately. It always affected him that way though. Clenching his jaw he crossed the landing and walked into the shop, with Tish shortly behind him. Dwarves swarmed about working on various projects, but he sorted through each one, he knew each one by name, and a great deal about them actually. A lot of Tish and Enrick’s work came from here, so they spent a lot of time either purchasing supplies from or conversing with the dwarves. Finally, he found Derval himself and as he walked by Aranal he bowed his head in respect; the dwarf mopped his sweaty brow and nodded in acknowledgment. It was only proper to show deference to an elder in dwarven custom. “Derval!” The dwarf was furiously working a piece of superheated metal with a hammer. He turned his filthy face toward Enrick and Tish and grunted.

”It isn’t ready yet. The load was too heavy and the axle for the cart broke. I’m making a new one right now. Come back in a few hours.”

That was it. They were dismissed so simply. He traded looks with Tish, then quickly walked out of the shop. He felt like his ears were going to ring with the sound of hammers striking metal for the rest of his very long life. “So I guess that means we have time to kill. Lunch it is, my treat. It is the least I can do for getting you into a bar fight.” He offered a soft chuckle.

Enrick had observed the myriad of mood shifts Tish telegraphed as they had made their way toward the smithy. He appreciated the fact that there was no deception between them. There was one person he knew he could trust and count on outside of his own people. He never really went back to his own people often. The Elan were fairly nomadic when they were Newmade and Made. It was not until they reached Eternal or Culler that they started to come back to Elan lands because they became an important part of Elan society. Until then they were expected to journey out into the world and gain in knowledge and strength.

He had wanted to tell Tish for some time now what he was. How would she react when she knew that short of actually being killed he would never die? He would be this age forever, his body would never break down if he chose to as long as he had Psychic power to spend he could choose to never eat or drink again. For all intent and purpose, he looked human, but he was actually far from it. He was not supposed to reveal this information, their race was very secretive about their existence, but he trusted Tish in a way he could not explain.

These thoughts were mulling around in his head and he seemed lost in thought. Even his irritation at the damned dwarves inept ability to properly distribute the load of a wagon cart was gone. Something snapped him out of his thoughts, however. The muttered and looks the two dwarves were giving Tish caught him and pulled him out of his thoughts. A rare flash of emotion crossed his normally neutral face. It was like watching a thunderstorm break upon a beachhead. He closed the distance in three steps, his face dark, turning red with anger. Enrick never lost his temper, perhaps it was the bar fight, perhaps it was Derval, maybe it was just all of it. He was definitely sick of people shitting on Tish.

He was not a warrior, he did not have a warriors strength, but adrenaline gave him the strength to take his spear and drive the point through the wooden goods bench in front of the two muttering dwarves and the snapped their gaze up at him in shock and horror. No one had ever seen the cool-headed Psion in a rage before. His voice was almost as wicked as Tish’s had been in the tavern earlier under whatever wicked effect she had used to augment her vocal pattern. “Do we have a fucking problem? The next person who glares at my dearest friend who I would give my life for is going to find out what it is like to have their mind ripped apart, while their bones are rattled apart by sound waves. If they are lucky I might let them die after that. Do we have an understanding? Good. I’ll be taking this as payment for the insult you have paid this beautiful woman.”

The dwarves were too busy cowering in fear to react to him snatching up a worked silver bangle with a few well-cut onyx stones seated into it, spaced evenly across the surface. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship and while not magical, was certainly something to look at.

He followed Tish as they turned toward Water street and took a deep, calming breath to regain his composure. He barely saw anything, he felt numb and he tasted ash in his mouth. He was moving in step with her because his mind was able to function autonomously, but inwardly his was struggling with what just happened back there. Why had he reacted that way? People always treated he and Tish with disdain, why had that time set him off? Something was tickling the back of his mind, but he couldn’t quite touch it, something that he didn’t recognize; something from the past.

A familiar voice pulled him from his thoughts and brought him back to the present. The smells were not as offensive as the blacksmith, so he was able to at least relax some. Though even his Psicrystal was eerily quiet. “Hello, Agnes. Yes, it seems that Durval doesn’t understand you cannot load all the weight of a wagon in the middle. So we came for a visit.”

He listened to the back and forth as he settled next to Tish, his eyes flicking to hers for a moment, then flicking far away. Something was eating at him clearly, he was agitated; he was never agitated. Their relationship worked because Enrick was always the calm placid pond and Tish was the chaotic storm. Right now Enrick was turmoil and Chaos. At her question, he nodded his head “Pork is fine with me Tish. Whatever else you want too. I told you, my treat.”

He glanced at Agnes for a moment “Also Agnes can I get a glass of water? I think the heat of the Smithy got to me.”

He waited for Tish to make the order and then produced the bangle he had stolen from Derval’s shop. He handed it to Tish. “Here. I thought you might like this. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to wear it or not. I mean you have armor on, but you could also put it on your tail I suppose if that wouldn’t be uncomfortable. If you don’t want it I can always give it back.”

He paused, looking into her eyes again, drawing a heavy breath. “I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me. Those fucking dwarves expect us to respect them, but we bust our asses to deliver their goods, we risk our lives so they can turn a profit and they look at you like you are a pit fiend when they know you really are a good person. I just wasn’t going to take it from them, not from them. They know better. If Derval gets his granny panties in a bunch about it I’ll work the job for free, that should sort it. You deserve better than that, not just from them, but from everyone. I wish they could see you like I do.”

He let out a quiet sigh. “We live in a world of small minded people, Tish. They see only what they wish too. The idea of broadening their perspective is so terrifying that it would completely destroy their worldview. Well, all we can do is make them look the fool.”

Agnes arrived with a cool glass of water and he thanked her. Handing her a full piece of gold despite there being no charge for the water which she graciously accepted. Agnes had found out very quickly that serving outcasts and treating them as equals was quite profitable. Providing them a place to feel welcome where they did not feel threatened or persecuted was something they paid well for. She arrived shortly afterward with their meal which he also tipped heavily for. “Thank you, Agnes, as always you are a wonderful hostess.”

Her warmth did not go unnoticed. He did not even protest to the presence of her tail touching him. He seemed to actually be enjoying the touch and her warmth. The turmoil in his façade lessened just a bit and he closed his eyes. Tension he hadn’t realized he was holding in his shoulders melted away; she could feel it fall away as his back relaxed. Then she drew the prehensile digit away and he almost told her that he did not mind it. Something kept him from opening that door.

Her delight as he offered the gift eased the shadows that played over his features quite significantly. This was by far the most emotion Tish had seen Enrick display in a single week, let alone one day. There must be a significant burden on his mind to keep him so unbalanced. The man was normally an unflappable monolith of calm, yet now it seemed something was awakening inside of him that she had never seen before out of him. That was not entirely true actually. If she thought back far enough in their friendship just before his month long absence he had been more emotive than he was now. He had told her he was going for some special training, but that was a cover story for his transformation from Human to Elan.

When he had returned there was an aloof nature about him that had not been there before. He was the same intellectual that he had always been, but without some of the warmth and emotional range he once had. Those emotions had not really surfaced even when they were in dire circumstances, though it seemed now that something was stirring inside his soul that was calling to what humanity still remained inside of him.

“I am pleased you like it. I truly am.” The kiss on his cheek was well timed. He seemed to want to say more but had no real way to say what he wanted to say. Normally so articulate he found himself reaching for something with a phantom limb and trying to use that limb to lift a boulder. In the depth of his heart and even in his mind he knew that he cared about Tish. His mind processed it as a friendship, a kinship brought about by mutual circumstance. Two loners who finally had someone to rely upon; yet his soul suspected something deeper than that, and it was rare that he let his soul do any talking. This was a strange sensation.

She spoke, telling him that she was fine with his treatment but he knew the words were hollow even before she rambled on. He knew that each person that treated her that way bit into her soul and though he was no mighty warrior a piece of him wanted to shield her from that pain as much as he could. He knew that it was much harder for her to blend in than it was for him and he felt a deep sorrow for her. What must her daily life be like having to mask herself constantly? He felt a pang in his heart for her. As she spoke it was his turn to squeeze her hand in offerance of comfort.

”someone like me

Bile and rage rose in the back of his throat but he masked it well as he held onto her hand. However, the Psicrystal that she had so aptly named Primadona chirped and gave away his mask. ”Oh Tish. He took offense to you saying that. He is trying to hide it the poor fool, but to him you are more precious than anything. Hearing you speak about yourself like that breaks what little of a heart he has.”

Enrick turned to the crystal and fixed it with a firm glance. It glowed as if it started to say more, but was cut off mid sentence. Clearly Enrick did not like having his inner most thoughts laid bare like that. The crystal floated back into his tooled leather holder on his left breast. “Of course I can fix stupid Tish, and I would burn the world for you to do it. However, I do not think such drastic methods are required. You have proven to these people that you are a good woman and they simply need reminding that boorish behavior will not be tolerated just because they are in a foul mood. Educating stupid people is well within my purview. I’m quite smart you know.” He offered her a playful smile.

She seemed really frightened that something was going to happen and he was going to be taken from her. He squeezed her hand tighter. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. That does not mean I will tolerate letting people who we know spit on your good name. I refuse to allow it. You have worked too hard and done too much for too many people. You deserve recognition for your deeds, not derision because of your lineage. Just because some of your kin choose a darker path does not mean you walk this path, and they know this about you. The simple truth is Derval was working them extremely hard to forge a new axle. I saw them working on it. They were pissed off and knew they could not badmouth him, so they spat their venom at you. Cowardice is no excuse to mistreat you, which lets face it is often the root of most hatred.”

He smiled as Agnes returned and took a few sparing sips of water. He found that the talk with Tish had managed to soothe him and the water was not really what he needed, just a way to work through what had happened. Still she knew him well enough to know there was still something bothering him. He smiled slightly and nodded his head. “I’m happy to speak with you about what is on my mind. I think it is well past time. I have been wanting to share this with you for a while but…” he paused, glancing around for a moment with a soft sigh. Then he continued. “You will understand when I explain.”

Agnes returned with the prepared meal and once more Enrick paid as well as for a handsome tip and on top of it he said: “Agnes after we are done we’d like a room for a couple hours if you could arrange that unless you are full?”

He had paid for a full night despite only requesting for a few hours and Agnes went off to fetch one of the maids to prep a single room. She didn’t give them any looks, or question the single room. Enrick and Tish always shared quarters wherever they went. Just as they had found out earlier today splitting up for any reason was simply a bad idea.

Enrick at his meal without heart, his mind obviously focused on the conversation to come. He finished most of the plate and then pushed it to the side. When Agnes came to ask if the food was alright he nodded and then she informed him the room was ready.

Once Tish had finished he stood slowly with a deep breath. “Shall we?” He glanced at the key and followed the stairs up with Tish in tow until they reached their room. He entered the room and waited for Tish to enter and then locked it behind them both. He set his pack down on the bed and ran his fingers through his short fiery red hair. Patting the bed next to him as he looked up into her eyes. “Sit please? What I have to say may be strange, might even upset you. I need you to understand I am not supposed to tell you. I am sworn to secrecy, but you are the most important person to me in the world. If I cannot tell you this secret then it was not worth it.”

He waited for her to sit and then he turned his gaze toward those crimson orbs which many people found so terrifying, but he just found entrancing. “I am not human Tish. I was human when we first met. When I left for that month long Psionic training, that was a lie I was supposed to tell all my loved ones. Turns out the only one I had to tell was you. The rest of my family had long since disowned me for my natural powers. Psionics manifest in a young child that have the natural gift almost like demonic possession. Strange smells, objects moving at random, things appearing then vanishing at random. One time I was angry with my father and he went to strike me, I pushed him telekinetically across the room. When they finally figure out that you are not a demon if they figure that out they just assume you are some unnatural creature like an illithid. Which is stupid of course, Psionic powers manifest randomly in all races. I manifested unusually strong, but and I began honing my skills, that was when we met, when I was living on the streets. I was working small jobs for the adventurers guilds on occasion but not much, no one would work with me long. Everyone is scared of Psions. Who wants to work with someone who has the power to read your mind? I don’t have any of those powers, I have not attained them or focused my efforts in those areas. Still this is the sort of things people are afraid of. So I sought out people who are natural Psions. There is a race called the Elans that seek out powerful and gifted Psionic humans. They cannot reproduce sexually so this is the only way they can create more of their kind. They take humans and perform a ritual on them that changes them from human into an Elan. When I came back I was an Elan. I looked the same but I was completely different.”

He paused for a moment then he continued. “There are many reasons to choose this path. What I did not anticipate was two things. The first was how much I would come to cherish your friendship. Keeping this secret from you has been a festering wound in my soul. The second is that living forever sounds fantastic on paper, but I didn’t realize it would cost me something in the process. I think I have lost the ability to feel emotion as much as I used to.”

He paused again and then frowned “I think I buried the lead there. Outside of death by some manner of murder or accidental death I’ll never die. I won’t ever age, my body will not break down, technically as long as I have psionic energy to burn I do not have to even eat or drink.”

He turned to her completely and took both of her hands in his. Staring into her eyes, his gaze full of sorrow. “Forgive me for not telling you sooner. I am not supposed to tell any non-Elan about my identity. They are extremely secretive and unless I have great need I am not even allowed to return to the Elan capital for another eleven years. We are supposed to go out and seek power and knowledge, then return with it to keep our society current with the world.”

His voice became softer. “I made this choice before you and I became close like we are now. I think perhaps I would have chosen a different path now. Though I’d be nearing thirty five years old by now if I were human. I’d be slowing you down as an old man at this point. My life would be half over. It would have been worth it. I have spent it with the only person who has never given up on me, or betrayed me.”

As they neared the top of the stairs it was clear that apprehension; no perhaps abject terror marked every step she took. Perhaps she thought he was going to dole out some sort of punishment instead of confess what was in his heart? She looked like she was about to bolt at any moment like a terrified rabbit. She gnawed nervously at her lip. He had no idea what was going through her mind, but it took a moment to finally get her to relax. Once he finally did the words had come tumbling out like a rushing water fall. She curled her tail around him and created a circle of intimacy to share this one real secret he had from her and out the words came.

When she finally spoke it was his turn to relax and let the tension ease out of his shoulders. “Thank you Tish. I never imagined that our partnership would bloom into a lifelong partnership. Before I met you no one stuck with me for more than a mission or two. I truly regret having to deceive you, but when I did I assumed it was inconsequential anyway. I certainly never expected you to be around when I returned. “

He let out a chuckle and then looking inwardly he spoke quieter “No one has ever been there when I returned before. It was a new feeling.” He quietly traced his thumb over the back of her delicate hand. Admiring the contrast between her violet skin and his lighter pale tones. As their fingers laced together he let out a smile. She is beautiful. Even if the rest of the world does not see it I do. She is beautiful not only because of her looks, but because of who she is. She lives with such a burden and she carries herself with a ferocity and passion that I never had. Even when I was human I always lived such a restrictive life. She lives wild and free like a primal elemental force.

He listened to her talk about how she felt and he smiled. Shaking his head ever so slightly he corrected what she said. “I still feel emotion. It is just deeper inside me than before. Though when it comes to certain things that emotion is easier to reach. You are a special case. My emotions for you are about as close to the surface as any emotion ever will be. I think that may be why sometimes I send confusing messages. Or when the emotions come in short bursts. I am learning to access them all over again. It is like learning to talk all over”

He smiled at her word and nodded. “We all do what we must to change our fate. We are both in a better place than we were right? Even if we were presented with measurably bad choices, they were obviously better choices than staying how we were. Our power gained have allowed us to carve out a life together, to seek out our own goals, to keep each other safe. We have both paid a price sure, but for these things I think they were prices worth paying.”

He paused and frowned as she clutched the medallion, but then continued. “I never expected that my confession would cause a betrayal. I know you very well Tish.” He absently brushed a lock of raven hair behind her horn and smiled. “I wanted to tell you the truth because hiding it from you felt wrong. You are the only person in the world who I give a damn about. You deserve to know the truth.

He saw her eyes flicker brightly and her body go limp. Though he did not have the ability to astral travel, he recognized the signs well enough. He quickly took her limp body in his hands and gently cradled her in his hands. He was concerned, she had never done this before that he was away and there was some agitated conversation with the necklace previously before this happened.

He knew the rules of Astral Projection and she was safe as long as he protected her body and the dimension she went to was a direct pocket dimension. So he draped her across his lap gently and simply held her until her journey was done. There was nothing else he could do as much as the knowledge tasted like ashes in his mouth.

He was not privy to the conversation that was happening between the Deity and Tish. All he could do was stroke her face gently and wait for her to wake up. It was either something he did, or a message the God wanted to send to his disciple, either way he was not sure, but without warning the medallion around her neck lifted from between her breasts and touched him on the chest.

Unprepared and pinned beneath her body he had no way to dodge the attack. It discharged eldritch energy into his body and blasted him against the wall hard. The haphazard push did not damage Tish, but it did deposit her upon the floor. He released the stored Psychic energy in his mind while spiraling through the air to allow him to twist in the air with dexterity he normally would not have possessed. Even using a hand to vault off the floor he helped cushion the blow to the back of the wall as he prepared for it. The air rushed out of his lungs loudly and sparks danced in front of his eyes.

He didn’t have time to let his guard down or be knocked senseless, he could already sense another attack gathering energy and he was hurt badly. He wrapped his hands around the fountain of power inside his mind and formed it into a barrier of force around his body, covering himself in an invisible suit of armor. The next attack was absorbed by the armor, the wicked beam crashing into the invisible force and simply being absorbed.

The disembodied voice he had never been allowed to hear before offered an amused chuckle. “Not horrible Elan. You are quick on your feet. I can see why she likes you. Still you distract my disciple too much. Why shouldn’t I just kill you now?”

Enrick raised his hand and gathered the psychic energy, preparing to shatter the damned amulet and be done with this meddling God, then he stopped. As long as Tish was in his pocket dimension she was a bargaining chip. If he destroyed the Amulet Tish would die instantly.

”Very impressive. You know quite a bit about astral travel. You will be a useful tool as long as you no longer obstruct Nethtish’s progress. If we have to talk again I’m going to rip you apart with Eldritch Power.”

Enrick pushed himself off the wall slowly and took a few shaking steps forward. He spoke in the infernal tongue so there would be no miscommunication. “kasssh k’nilk abi kabika balhibin bahdi bo.” (The next time we talk my constructs will be gangbanging you) He spat and he heard more laughter as the presence faded. That was when he heard Tish’s frightened voice and he staggered away from the wall and collapsed next to her with a groan.

Coughing to the point that he had to mop blood away from his lips he clutched her against him. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. Your back. I’m here Tish. Everything is okay.”

Contrary to his attempt to reassure her things were not ‘Okay.’ His shirt had been all but destroyed by the Eldritch blast, his skin was blackened, and several of his ribs were obviously broken. Despite his obvious discomfort he ignored it all through force of will and clutched her tight against him. “Are you okay? Being involuntarily ripped from your body like that can do permanent damage to your psyche. Though perhaps because of the link you share with your deity there is a special circumstance, I don’t know. I just know that if a mortal tried that you could kill someone, or drive them insane. Well more insane then you already are my dearest friend.”

With a rueful laugh he kissed just in between her horns and stifled a cough. “You had me scared to death. I can’t Astral Travel. I guess I’ll have to learn how so you can’t leave me behind anymore.”

When she looked at him he shook his head. “You didn’t do this. Your Deity is just the jealous type. So I’ve added killing a God to my to do list. No big deal.”

She seemed to be having a hard time with sight when she first came back to the Prime. If that was the only ill effect she suffered she was damned lucky. He let out a sigh of relief and immediately regretted it. Wincing in pain was his scorched skin pulled against his bruised ribs. The urge to cough was ever present and his breathing rattled in his chest. There was some internal bleeding that had settled in his lungs for sure.

She cleared her sight and reacted to his condition with urgency “The Nine Hells it is…” she pulled his tatted shirt away from the wound to get a better look at it. He relaxed and let her continue her inspection. He knew better than to protest the ministrations. There were very few times that Tish got pushy, but when he was wounded she went to great lengths and tended to throw caution to the wind to aid him. He knew better than to bother halting her now, this was going to happen, and besides, she was an expert in working with Eldritch magics. It was better to have her expert eyes examine it to see just how bad things were, she would have a better chance of appraising the damage than anyone other than an actual healer.

“Astral Travel?” She questioned. Then she stammered out “I don’t know what that was… but clearly… I… I…” He shook his head with a smile. Gently touching her forearm as he made an attempt to sit up that ended in a fit of coughing, but he managed to make it to a better-seated position. “Your mind and spirit were forcibly removed from your body and transferred to the Astral plane. The Astral plane is one of the easiest planes of existence to travel through, it links almost every plane in existence. You can get almost anywhere from there. Not only does it support most forms of life, but you can also get to the Elemental planes, The Nine Hells, The Abyss, Celestia, Pocket dimensions. I don’t know much about the Deity you worship, but I imagine he’s not got enough juice to have a very large plane. Likely a pocket dimension.” He paused for a moment to force down a cough and then continued. “Not even a Godly feat that, I could create a pocket dimension if I gain enough power. So can arcane spellcasters of sufficient power.”

“Wait, what? The Keeper did this to you?!” She looked down at her amulet and frowned at it. “How? Why?” She shook her head in disbelief and sighed heavily. “I need to commune more… I… I’m so sorry this happened to you… This is all my fault.” Her lip quivered a moments regret washed over her: how could she have let this happen? Her eyes fell and paused on his hand. She quickly grasped it in hers and tilted it so that she could see it better—the one he mopped the blood away from his lips with—and sighed heavily again.

“How well I was holding your unconscious body and the amulet just floated and hit me straight in the chest. It flung me against the wall. I managed to use my Psychic focus to cushion the impact and avoid some of the damage, but the initial eldritch blast I was totally unprepared for and couldn’t have evaded even if I was prepared for it, I had your unconscious body in my lap. The second attack I managed to deflect.” He paused and met her gaze and let that sentence hang cold in the air. He was injured, but there was a second attack that he had completely negated. She might have woken up to worse damage, or a corpse.

He continued, squeezing her hand gently. “The why of it I believe this was a warning. He claims I am distracting you, but this was not him dealing out a punishment. This was a warning shot to stay out of his way. He told me the next time we talked he would kill me. Meaning of course if we had to talk again there wouldn’t be a talk.” Again he let it sink in for a brief moment, then continued in a wry tone with a smile. “Not wanting to be outdone I told him the next time we talked my constructs would be gangbanging him in infernal.”

“I don’t see us going anywhere today unless we can convince a cleric to assist you…” She patted her left hip for her coin purse and pulled it off her belt. Her head remained bowed as she pulled it open and started thumbing through what little coin she did have. “We could manage it… but… can you walk?”

Before he could reply a fit of coughing finally broke through and overcame him, this one was violent. He saw sparks of light flash over his eyes as he struggled between the need to cough and the need to breathe as well as the sharp sparks of pain that shot through his body from the burns and the injured ribs.

By the time he could make sense of worse again he could feel the cool glass of a potion in his hands. For a long moment, he didn’t say or do anything but just breathe deep and ragged breaths. Then he set the potion on the floor next to him. He was listening to her, but he was still gathering himself. The blood that he wiped away from his lips was not as dark as the crimson liquid of the option.

“I have clothing to spare. That is not a problem. There was no real damage to the room so we won’t have to pay Aggie for anything or explain anything. Take this back, Tish. I am more than able to walk to the temple. It will be much cheaper to go to the temple than to replace a potion. You have inspected the wound, some bruised ribs and some burns, I’m not going to die if I move. I can suppress the effects of the injury with a skill until we make it to the temple. No one will even know I am injured.”

He glanced at his pack and then to her. “You were not gone long. Less than half an hour.” He closed his eyes and seemed to gather himself. Not only did his breathing sound better, but the color of his burn looked less intense. The area around the injuries was flushed with fresh, oxygenated blood. The color returned to his face and he reached back to pull off his ruined shirt. As he moved he did so with no indication of any pain at all. He pulled off the shirt and tossed it into the flames of the small fire.

Then he got to his feet and took a poured some water from the pitcher that had been set out for them into a mug. He took a long, deep pull to of the cool liquid, then he walked toward his pack. There was some bruising on his back but it wasn’t that bad. She could see old scars, most that she had been there when he received them and she had stitched up, or helped patch. This was not the first time she had seen him without his shirt.

“Autohypnosis won’t heal me unfortunately and it only works on me, but it is very good for ignoring wounds, breaking fear and charm effects once they have taken root. It can even work if I have taken a wound that would be near fatal and leave me to bleed out. My body will automatically work to stop the bleeding, just as if you were there trying to do it. All I’m doing right now is telling my mind to ignore the pain.” He pulled out a neatly folded shirt and slid it on easily. He didn’t bother to tuck it into the top of his pants, the priest would just be taking it off shortly anyway.

He extended his hand and motioned to Tish. “Come on. Let's head out. We still need to check on the dwarf after this, unless you want to put him off until tomorrow and take the day?” He shrugged “Either way let’s head to the temple of Tempus. It is the closest, and the most likely to not balk at the sight of a Tiefling. We can go half and half on the cost, this really wasn’t your fault, but I know you feel guilty.”