The Forgotten Zodiac

Dagan had nearly reached Morgan when the wolf appeared. Now, as more of them could be seen running out of the forest, he hurried to awaken the Elect. Morgan's magical skills made him much more valuable in combat. Dagan took the long sliver and rolled it across Dagan's hands and forearms. The horn, once disconnected from its owner, dissolved after being exposed to substances harmful to their owners. Conveniently enough, unicorns were poisoned by very similar things that humans were. Morgan should be revived almost immiedately.
Unlike Virellis, Alexander was expecting the attack. Also unlike Virellis, he was prepared to respond with combat. He leapt to the side and swung his sword out so it struck the beast across the chest. Simultaneously, he started a simple fire spell, which funcitoned like a flame thrower.

The werewolf screamed as his fur ignited, and he fled, taking cover in the bushes. But he was quickly replaced by more. Four more. One of them threw Virellis aside, while another tore into Dagan's carriage. Tried to, at least. It was a lot sturdier than it looked. Another came at Alexander from behind--but was no sooner stopped by something unusual. He just...froze. "Not on my watch," Morgan growled, wires spreading from his lying form. He was quick to roll away from the fourth wolf, which attacked furiously.

"Get them! Kill them all, forget about prisoners!" The first one roared, emerging from the smoking bushes, his fur burnt down to skin in patches.

Alexander uttered the spell again, and his sword burst into crimson flame. The spell and sword were both designed so that it wouldn't burn him, but they allowed him to strike his enemies with a burning sword. As soon as he processed the wolf behind him, he spun with his sword and slashed across its throat. A black arrow thudded into the carriage, having narrowly missed his head.
Now that he'd awoken Morgan, Dagan pocketed the sliver and turned, just in time to see the arrow thud into his carriage. From separate pouches, he pulled one long, red feather and a handful of grey scales. He held the feather up while he moved toward the forest and rubbed the scales down it. The scales began to glow red, and the caretaker threw one at the nearest wolf. It exploded with a loud pop. One of the unmentioned uses for phoenix feathers and wyvern scales was the reaction they had when combined.

The werewolf snarled furiously, clawing at the smoldering bits of the scale that were caught in its fur. It threw them back at Dagan, then let out a howl at the sight and smell of the fallen werewolf and the blood pooling around him. The fur and muscled shape were gone in a flash, leaving just a skinny young man with a slit throat and a look of alarm frozen on his face.

Morgan's wires caught another, but they were not to be fooled more than once. The spellbound guard let out a pained cry as an arrow lodged itself in his arm, and a werewolf he hadn't seen lodged its teeth around his hand, ripping the wires to shreds.

There were already too many of them. Virellis could very well be bleeding to death, Morgan was now injured and without his wires, and his hand was still lodged in the werewolf's mouth. He twisted in time to avoid a lunge from another, but Morgan knew he couldn't hope to survive like this. None of them would make it.

"Alexander! Dagan! Close your eyes and keep 'em shut, or so help me...do it now!" He snapped, lashing out with his foot at a wolf going after Alexander again.

Alexander dropped to the ground and closed his eyes as instructed, curling up to make himself a smaller target for the archer. He set his sword down on the ground next to him, though he gripped the hilt tightly. Not that it mattered, of course. Unless Morgan hurried up with whatever he was planning, they'd all be dead.
Dagan, scattering his handful of scales, dropped behind a tree to also be safe from the archer. He closed his eyes obediently, though he had no idea why Morgan demanded it or even why he trusted the fighter enough to do so. Probably because it was his only option.

Morgan didn't have time to check if their eyes really were closed. He shut his own eyes, and withdrew his left hand from his pocket. Instantly, the illusion spells guarding the appearance of his left arm were broken. It changed in the blink of an eye. The smooth, normal color of flesh changed and twisted into an ugly black with an almost metallic sheen. Red grooves carved out where his veins and arteries were, all the way up his arm and halfway on his shoulder. Spikes worked their way from the back of his hand halfway up his forearm, and his fingers were tipped with brutally sharp claws. In the center of his palm was a slitted eye, much like a dragon's or a snake's.

When Morgan opened his own eyes, it was plain to see that his two normal eyes had changed to match the one on his hand. The change was abrupt enough - and surprising enough - to stop nearby werewolves in their tracks, causing them to stare for a crucial moment.

That moment was time enough for Morgan to leap into action. It was simple; he grabbed the muzzle of one attacker, enduring the thrashing and desperate clawing attacks. Two seconds. Less than that. They dropped dead under his grip, one after another, with hardly a scream. Those who remained alive fled in sheer terror. One by one, they fell as Morgan persued. Only a couple got away. Including the archer, who was one of the first to run for it.

The deed was done. Morgan pulled his tattered, bloody half-cloak over his left hand, holding it there in spite of the pain in his right arm from the arrow, bite marks, and now claw wounds. Among all the corpses there, not one of them had shed blood. The only blood on the ground and his cloak was his own. The Elect knelt before Alexander, letting out a ragged sigh. "You can open your eyes now." He kept most of his arm, particularly his palm, hidden from sight.

((What's with his arm?

Also, Dagan's supposed to fix Vi with the magic stuff, right?))

Alexander rolled to the side and sat up quickly, observing the scattered bodies around him. The bandits were gone, scattered in fear, but the barricade remained in place. Rising, Alexander strode across the road, stepping over the now-human bodies, and stopped in front of the road block warily. "Now we just have to figure out how to remove this thing without hurting ourselves."
Dagan rose when he heard Morgan speak to Alexander. He ran toward Virellis and knelt next to her to examine her wounds and feel for a pulse.

((Morgan will explain if Alexander asks, naturally.

Certainly possible. The unicorn horn sliver will keep out infection, that's for sure. Her wounds aren't that deep, but as mentioned before, Sirens are delicate creatures. They never were built for rough situations of any kind. Somewhat pampered, you could say, but easily taken out of commission with a well-placed wound.

Also, how would you feel if I started uploading this to dA? This is magical. I like it a lot.))

Virellis' pulse was strong and her breathing steady. When Dagan attempted to pick her up, she flinched and opened her eyes, about ready to scream. A Siren's scream could force just about anyone into unconsciousness. Thankfully, she realized it was Dagan before she could release the wail. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against his shoulder, trembling terribly. Her leg was broken and she had severe cuts on her side, along with scrapes and bruises from being thrown, but she was very much alive.

"We could attempt to go around," Morgan stood, sliding into the driver's seat of the carriage, ignoring the fact that his blood would probably stain the comfy leather. "I don't suggest touching it. Nanoneedles, I think they're called. Too tiny for the human eye to spot. Dunno how many of them. Could be all over the thing...maybe we should have that Wyvern help destroy it..."

((Upload away. We'll need an actual title, though. You can't just be like "SAGE AND BUN ARE AMAZING LOVE US I DO".))

"Shh, shh." Dagan lift Vi gently, rubbing her back to calm her down. Walking as smoothly as he could, the man transported her to the back of their carriage and gently lay her down on the wood. All of the animals, who had been freaking out the whole time, expressed their great alarm and concern in various ways. The unicorn nuzzled her, the wyvern hissed out the door, the phoenix flapped its wings and screeched above her. Yet, these noises were also comforting in a way. Each creature was expressing concern for her, trying to defend her from the world, or fix her in some way. Lowell was taking no time to listen to the creatures, despite how absorbed he usually was with them. He reached onto a shelf nearby and retrieved a jar of ashes. Normally, they would be completely unhelpful for wounds; but these were no ordinary ashes. This was their limited supply of phoenix ashes, the ashes that came when the adult phoenix burned itself into an egg. He licked his fingers, dipped them in the jar, then began gently applying the mixture to Virellis' side. She wouldn't bleed to death from a broken leg.
Alexander nodded at Morgan and gestured for him to attempt to get the carriage around. "I'll go check on Lowell and Virellis."

((xD Okay, give me suggestions. It can have something to do with the Vatican, Noblemen, anything of the sort.))

"Alright." Morgan nodded, setting the horses into motion. "Make sure Vi is alright, okay?"

By the time Alexander made it to the back of the carriage, Virellis' wound was slowly closing. The ash was making all manner of hissing sounds, and it was clearly painful, but it was helping. Thank goodness. She was still awake, too. "Calm down, dears, I'll be okay." She soothed her animal friends, particularly the Wyvern. "It's okay, Brutis...it's okay," She soothed, running her fingers over his chest scales.

((MAGICAL REFORMATION: REVENGE OF THE WOLF. I dunno. This one is hard to name.))

With both Dagan and Vi in the back of the carriage, the animals were nearly calm when Alexander came running up. Sadly, his presence sparked a relapse in the animals behavior, Brutis especially. The animal flapped both wings, even the crippled one, and stepped over his Siren mistress, hissing audibly. Alexander stepped back, both hands raised in a sign of surrender. "You can call him off. I just came to check on Vi's injuries. Anything I should worry about?"

((How about something nondescript, like 'Fireweed', or 'Pheonix Lament'?))

"Brutis, honey, calm down..." Virellis murmured. The Unicorn neighed and nudged the Wyvern, attempting to push him back. "I'll be fine, Alexander. But I shouldn't move for the remainder of the trip...my broken leg will only get worse if I do. Dagan, darling, would you drive the carriage the rest of the way?" It was a moot request; with her leg in its condition, she had already stated that she shouldn't be moving. Therefore, she shouldn't be in the driver's seat of a carriage, sitting up and inadvertantly having to stand whenever something happened.

((Chronicles of Alexander Finnagin: Rise through the Flames.
I'm joking. Naming it after my character would be super arrogant. What about 'Siren's Lament'? We can make it applicable if Virellis ever cries, and it is interesting.))

Before Dagan had to reply, Alexander offered himself. "I can drive perfectly well, Dagan. Would you prefer to stay back with her? The road could get quite bumpy; she might want someone to help her stay stable." Since they had already survived the only likely major problem, it wasn't a problem for Alexander to be out of his carriage. Admitedly, he would lose some of the time on paperwork; but doing papers on the road made him somewhat sick to his stomach anyway.
Dagan looked over at Vi from his position by the unicorn, which he'd taken after manuevering Brutis back into his nest. "I guess that would be okay, if it's what Vi would prefer." He shrugged and went back to calming the unicorn, the only remaining creature, besides the wyvern, to be skittish. "Vi, I was going to put you in the empty stall and try to cushion your leg with blankets. Would that movement hurt too badly?"

((She would probably cry a lot. And Siren tears are special. So I suppose that would work. But the story is hardly about Virellis.))

"I think that would work," Virellis pushed her upper half up a bit, propping herself up on the elbows. "Just...slowly, okay?" As Dagan worked, she spoke to try and keep her mind off of things. "Yes, if you would drive, Alexander, that would be much appreciated..." She murmured, wincing a bit. The three of them jumped as there was a crash from outside.

"Road's all clear," Morgan called, though whether his voice was weak from distance or wounds was undiscernable. Up ahead, Morgan had managed to get the carriage around, then use some ropes to attach the blockade to the back of the carriage. It had toppled over very quickly, and it was easy to push most of it to the side of the road. If the pile of corpses wasn't enough to ward off curiosity, Morgan had used some of Alexander's ink to write on the back of the sign, 'do not touch', to attempt to prevent a poor unfortunate soul from attempting to clean up the mess, as they would be unaware of the nanoneedles.

((Who's the story about? I feel like it's supposed to be about Alexander and Morgan, but I find Dagan and Virellis much more interesting.))

"All right." Alexander backed away from the carriage, slowly so that the animals wouldn't get upset all over again. Once he was a suitable distance away, he spun on his heel and jogged toward the front and Morgan. "Morgan, we've gotten though this attack. There likely won't be another one, so I'm driving their carriage. Dagan will need to help stabilize her leg." It was more a statement than a question, though it wasn't entirely such. If Morgan objected, strongly, he would offer to trade carriages.

((I find Morgan much more interesting. Especially considering that I was going to have him seem like a traitor at one point and throw Alexander off a roof to his supposed death, but he winds up being caught by clotheslines and lowered safely to the ground so he can make a getaway, but Dagan and Virellis only saw the throwing part and so they react harshly to it and stuff.))

Morgan looked almost dead for a long moment. The blood had dried on his clothes and face, and he bore a very haggard expression. He still held the cape wound around his hand, keeping the palm out of sight. But the way he slouched in the driver's seat suggested that his wounds were deep.

He turned his head slightly in Alexander's direction for a moment. Then he looked back to the road. "Alright." He said softly. "I don't suppose we have many other options. We'll be in Lanstul by sunrise if we hurry. I don't want any of the townsfolk to see us in this state. Someone might get the wrong idea."

((Dagan and Morgan are the bestest, then. But that is not the right question. Who is the story ABOUT?))

Alexander glanced Morgan up and down quickly, but he decided not to say anything to his bodyguard. If Morgan needed medical attention, he would either have to say so or provide it himself. He'd likely only be offended if Alexander offered help. He mounted the transport carriage and picked up the reins, calling back to Dagan and Virellis "We're starting off now."

((Alexander and his puffiness. And Alexy still needs to ask Morgan about his arm, dun'cha know. Saving that for later?))

The trip back home was long and unforgiving. But by the time the sun was just peeking over the horizon, Morgan and Alexander were pulling into the noble's private stables. "We're here," Morgan announced. "I'll have Moria call the discreet doctor." He nodded. "You think you'll be alright until then, Vi?"

"I'll be okay...are you?" She pouted at him. "You look awful...you should rest."

"I will. Later." Morgan turned. "For now, I'm going to change and get myself cleaned up. And...put more illusion spells on this arm. Call if you need anything, Alexander. I'll hear."

((Mmkay. So, what about 'Rise of the Phoenix'?
He wouldn't ask that on the road, or around Vi and Dagan. He'll asked later.))

Alexander exited the carriage and walked around to the back of the carriage, perching himself on the floor with his legs still outside. "Did you manage the trip all right, Virellis?" The animals were much more accepting of Alexander's presence now that they'd met him before. It wasn't only that, but they'd been calmed by Vi and Dagan's combined presence.
Dagan, after getting Vi comfortably situated, had fallen asleep on the wooden floor between all of the creatures. He'd blearily awoken when the carriage came to a halt, and the man was now sitting up and yawning widely. "We there, then?"

((How about just 'House Finnigan'?))

"Yes, we've arrived." Virellis nodded, pushing herself up on her elbows again. "Dagan, sweetie, you're going to have to carry me inside." Brutis, the wyvern, made a small whimpering noise and helped her sit up a bit before sniffing her injured leg again. She winced and pushed his nose away. "No, Brutis, I want Dagan to do it. Thank you for the offer though, love."