Another World

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The words coming from Markus left Lucien feeling unsettled. He had known last night that there was something important to be spoken about but it seemed that they kept getting interrupted. He hated the feeling he got when he thought about leaving Leila alone but she was a big girl and could take care of herself. He pulled out a piece of meat for Tumn and tossed it to the dragon. He nodded to Markus with a smile. Information was a necessary thing that he needed to survive in this world whether it be good or bad. If Markus knew what was going on and Leila couldn't bring herself to tell him, that could very well hinder him. He decided a little white lie wouldn't hurt her.

He wrapped his arm around her stomach from behind her and pulled her close to him. Leaning down he pressed his lips to her shoulder. "Laveti aroonz," he whispered in her ear, and just because he knew it would bother her not knowing what he said, "It means love you," he explained. Turning back to Markus he nodded again, "I'll be ready in a moment, just need to change my clothes real fast." He walked into his room and dug through the bags of clothes he bought yesterday. He pulled out a navy blue set of shorts and a light gray tshirt to wear for today. He pulled his boots back on and walked back out of his room. He was anxious to learn what knowledge Markus had to offer him.
 
Leila smiled as Lucien wrapped his arm around her, tempted to just lean back into him and have him hold her that way for a little while. She didn't, but she did look up from making her tea as he whispered to her. The question was right on the tip of her tongue when he explained what it meant. She laughed a little and nodded, turning to watch him go to his room to dress. Taking the cup, now full of steaming water, over to the table, she sat across from Markus and warmed her hands on the porcelain.


"It is good to see that you two finally spoke of your feelings to each other," Markus commented. Leila looked up, startled, but before she could say anything he continued on. "Before you ask how.. It was the way you two looked at each other. Anybody would have known." Leila blushed a bit at that and looked down with a smile, looking up only when Lucien came back out.


"I love you too," she murmured to him as she hugged him tight after sliding out of her chair and going over to him. After a few moments she let go and Tumn finished off his meat, trotting over to watch Lucien leave. Markus got up and walked out the door, then waited for him. "Don't be gone too long - and don't harass him," she scolded Markus, then shut the door behind them once they were both out.
 
Lucien smiled, just looking at her made him happy. He ran his fingers over the scales on Tumn's head as he opened the door for Markus and then followed him out shutting the door behind him. He was quiet on the way down the stairs, a feeling of dread filling him. Something turned over and over in the pit of his stomach. He knew this wasn't a talk he was going to like but it would be necessary information. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm his nerves as they exited the building and started walking down the street.

"So, what's the bad news? Should I be expecting an old lover of Leila's to come and try to best me for her?" he joked. He was trying to make the mood light even though his insides her rolling. He hadn't liked the man's face last night when he had wanted to speak originally and liked the look even less this morning. He knew he was in for some trouble, he just hoped it wouldn't end up hurting Leila.
 
Markus blinked and stared at Lucien for a moment before realizing that he was joking. He shook his head and was silent for a moment as they walked, waiting until a few people passed before he spoke.


"Odd of you to mention that, Lucien. You're actually right, though it's not Leila's heart that you should be worried about," he mused, then paused and searched for the right words to say. "A little over a year ago, a member of the air people came to our town. They're able to work with air the same way that we work with water - wind, cyclones, all that sort of thing. Generally air people and water people get along fairly well, and this young man was no exception. He was kind, charming, and willing to work," he described, but his tone was anything but happy. "It didn't take long for him to start getting close to Leila," he added, glancing at Lucien.


Leila smiled at Tumn and finished up her tea, then took care of everything and wandered into the bathroom. She took a nice, short shower, then stepped out and dressed. Having the apartment to herself was a bit odd, but she didn't mind it too much because she knew Lucien would come back eventually. She plucked a book from a shelf and went out to the balcony, setting up her hammock in the sun.


"Ah, bliss. I think we should just relax today and go find a job tomorrow, don't you, Tumn?" she said as she flicked open the cupboard. The dragon huffed in agreement and sprawled out in the living room, snoozing in the cool shade.
 
Lucien's body tensed, his jaw clenching. Just the thought of her being with another set him on edge. But she had to have had a life before he got here. Its not like she had been waiting for him to arrive. She had no idea who he was. And now he had swooped in and snagged her. But he hadn't taken her away from her life, he had just been added to it. She still had her friends she could hang out with and he wouldn't even dream of asking her to have Tumn live elsewhere. Even though he was sometimes jumpy around the creature because of his past he was getting used to him and the little beast was growing on him.

He looked at Markus, the man's face was drawn as if giving Lucien this news was not exactly what he wanted to do but it was necessary. He was sure Leila was going to tell him but it was better that he know sooner rather than too late. He took a minute to calm his energy down before speaking. "I take it you are telling me this because you suspect this man will be arriving here soon? Don't worry Markus, I will not cause a scene. I love Leila and I want her to be the happiest she can be. And if that means without me, then so be it. But I will hear her say it to me, not anyone else." What he didn't voice was the fact that there would be a fight, maybe not a physical one but a verbal one, he wasn't going to give her up easily.
 
Markus listened to Lucien, nodding slightly. This was what he had expected to hear, and it made him beyond glad to know that Lucien really did love Leila and cared more about her happiness than his own desires. However, that wasn't all that he needed the boy to know.


"I'm not worried about something like that, Lucien. See, after Leila started falling for Carrick, things started.. changing. She stopped spending time with her friends and I didn't see her for days at a time. At first nobody worried because it's easy to get caught up in love, and she always seemed happy. But.. Carrick phrased things in a way that I didn't like. I did a little digging and found out that the boy was not exactly what he claimed to be. Of the air people, yes, but he also was working for the soldiers," he described, then sighed and shook his head.


"There are things about Leila that are hard to describe to a person that is not.. what we are. Trust me when I say that she could probably decimate this entire city on her own and still have energy to spare. She doesn't realize it - we've gone to great lengths to keep her thinking that she's normal because we don't want her to feel alone. The issue is that Carrick saw what we all know. He saw a potential weapon. I ended up forcing him to leave, but all Leila knows is that he vanished without a trace. She was heartbroken for a while but got over it eventually, and now she's happy again," he went on, then paused and looked over at Lucien. "Carrick was here, last night, in the crowd. I saw him when Leila was singing. We tailed him and he left town without even speaking to anybody.. but I think he saw you."


Leila got a tall glass of ice water and went out to the balcony, flopping down in her hammock. Perfection. She glanced at Tumn as he got up and toddled over sleepily, laughing a bit at the lazy dragon. After a moment she opened her book, but then she heard a thud. Blinking, she looked at Tumn and saw he had fallen asleep mid-step. Odd. She frowned and got up, walking over to him.


"Hey, are you alright? You really should spend more time sleeping at night rather than rummaging around in the cupboards for food," she teased with a smile, then paused when she saw a spot of blue against his golden scales. She tugged it free and stared at it. A dart of some sort. What in the world was this. "Tumn?" she asked uneasily, straightening up to glance around. A hand from behind clasped over her mouth and she let out a muffled shriek before realizing that it smelled.. odd. She tried to lash out at whoever it was, but she passed out before she even made a water spear.
 
Lucien felt his blood start to boil as Markus continued his explanation. "Do you think he was trying to manipulate her? Control her perhaps? They soldiers tried to kill her when we went back for Tumn and they would have tried the first time if I hadn't stopped the lot. This Carrick is dangerous. And he was here? He is tracking her," by now Lucien was pacing back and forth. His mind was going a mile a minute. Protection was first and foremost at the top of his brain. She wasn't safe if he knew she was here. Not if he wanted to use her for the soldiers.

He scoffed at the man's last statement, "I still stick out that badly do I? Leila gave me these tattoos because she thought I would fit in better." As soon as he said that he stopped. Maybe these markings would be able to help him keep her safe or perhaps a key to something. He ripped his shirt over his head, "Markus I need to know what these mean. I have one on my arm that Leila told me she had seen on others and thought it meant warrior but she never got around to telling me what the markings on my chest and back mean. Could they possibly help me keep her safe?"
 
"Manipulate her? Probably. I think his idea was to get her to fall hopelessly in love with him so that she would agree to anything he wanted. The controlling is a definite. He wanted to get his hands on her - she would make the army unstoppable, but she doesn't want to fight. Most of my people don't. Regardless of whether Carrick is tracking Leila or not, he left. I just wanted you to be aware of what was going on," Markus explained, then paused as Lucien tugged his shirt off. A smile played around his lips and he pointed to the ones across his chest. "These mean she loves you, very deeply if I'm not mistaken. The ones down your spine are varied - some for honor, some for respect, a few for family. In general, it's obvious the one who marked you cares for you," he said, watching Lucien's reaction.


Tumn came around several minutes after he had fallen and immediately began searching the apartment for Leila. There was no sign of her. Growling deeply, his body shuddered and he began to change. His scales vanished, replaced by smooth skin with a golden tan. Yellow eyes grew smaller and earned a more human-esque ring of white, and floppy copper locks floated on top of his head. The claws vanished, replaced by normal fingers and toes. Last to go was the tail. All that remained were his slit pupils and a few small patches of scales hidden all about his body - apart from that, he was a man. Thankfully he had thought to include clothing in the transformation.


Running down the stairs barefoot, he went straight for Lucien and Markus. Approaching them rapidly, he took a deep breath and tapped Lucien on the shoulder.


"Leila's gone."
 
Lucien wasn't going to let his paranoid feelings run loose on Markus. If he said Carrick was gone, he was gone. "I thank you for the information Markus. I'll keep an eye out for any foul play. I probably should return back though. I don't feel comfortable leaving...." his heart jumped a mile when he felt the tap on his shoulder and his sentence was completed by a strange voice. His worse fear had come to life. He spun around to look at the male figure instantly on the defensive but something was familiar about this being. He had seen dragon polymorph into a human before. Some of the more magically inclined dragons of his world had performed the trick, and this being had the tell tale signs.

"Tumn?" He wasn't positive but it was a guess. This man had the same yellow eyes the small dragon supported. "What happened? Can you catch her scent anywhere?" His eyes instantly wandered the streets, searching every open space he could possibly see. And then he was moving towards the apartment, looking for any trail of residual magic that may have been used to transport her without being seen by the other water people. He made sure Tumn was following him, he knew he was going to be his greatest ally in finding Leila.
 
Markus nodded at Lucien, then paused and let his eyes flick to the young man now vying for the foreigner's attention. He frowned slightly, eying Tumn closely before he noticed the eyes. Well, about time the dragon made use of his human form. Before he could feel satisfied about it, Tumn had spoken and he felt as though his stomach sunk to the ground. It was impossible. He had watched Carrick leave himself. Yet he knew that Tumn would not have let Leila out of his sight willingly - the dragon was very watchful and responsible, even if he didn't seem like it.


"Yes, it's me. I'm not sure what happened. She was on the balcony with a book and I was inside, in the shade. I went to go lay with her instead and then.. I don't know. I blacked out, I suppose. When I came around, she was gone. There's no sign of her in the apartment at all," Tumn said hurriedly, shaking his head in denial of the scent. It was like she had vanished into thin air. He followed Lucien, and Markus trailed after both of them, clearly anxious and blaming himself.
 
Lucien couldn't help it, when Tumn denied that he had her scent he put on a burst of magical speed and rushed into the apartment. He stretched out his arms and let out a wave of his magic, scanning for anything magical being used in the last half an hour. He saw nothing. He thought maybe since Carrick was an air person he had used that to get Leila out of her apartment. His heart sank. He didn't know this world and had no idea where he would have taken her. He waited for Tumn and Markus to catch up.

Once he heard them come through the door he turned. "Where would she have been taken? Is there a head quarters that the soldier's leader is? Or maybe she would have been taken to Carrick's home city? You two will have to be my guides as I am new to this world. Point me in a direction and I will find her. And if I find out it was Carrick that did this, he's a dead man." His face was hard and cold as his brain went into war mode, his eyes once again emanating the blue glow he had been suppressing. He didn't care what he looked like right now. If the water people didn't want to fight that was fine with him. He would save the woman he had fallen in love with, even if it meant doing some less than savory deeds.
 
Markus and Tumn caught up to Lucien a minute after he had made it to the apartment. The dragon-turned-man just stood and watched Leila's lover, while Markus was more interested in looking around himself to see if there was any sign of what had happened. He plucked up the small dart from the balcony and frowned at it, wondering what it was for. It looked empty, as if it once held something. Pondering, he wandered back over to Lucien and shook his head.


"There are headquarters for the army but I doubt she would have been taken there. It's too obvious and there isn't really a spot to hide her. They just have tents and such - no fortress or anything spectacular," Markus explained, then frowned. "You should not be so violent. Carrick or not, the important thing is finding Leila, not exacting revenge."


"Carrick deserves more than death," Tumn interjected, his yellow eyes hard as he looked at Markus. His entire body was tense, and there was no way that he was going to argue the matter. Wisely, the older man didn't say anything more about the matter. "Carrick's home city is useless. If it's him, I know where she is," Tumn went on, looking over at Lucien.


Leila woke up, sprawled on some sort of smooth floor. Upon examination, she realized it was glass. In fact, she was surrounded by it. She sat up and saw that she was sitting in a massive glass bowl, with steel bars crisscrossing over the top. It was very thick and coated in something that she suspected would resist cracking, and a faint static noise caused her to think the bars were likely holding an electric current.


"Do you like it? I thought that a fishbowl was most appropriate," a voice said, and she turned to see him standing outside the bowl with a grin. Carrick.
 
Lucien pondered the thought of him being too violent then shook his head. Carrick had, whether he knew it or not, declared war and he didn't take war lightly. He was not thinking outrageously, his thoughts were calm, collected and logical. "I'm sorry Markus but I stand with Tumn on this. Using someone and manipulating them is unforgivable." He nodded to Tumn, "I will need a couple of supplies and then I will be ready to go. We will find her and figure out a way to bring her home safely. And then we'll deal with this Carrick."

He turned to enter the kitchen, pulling out the small pouch of sapphire stones. He laid them along the counter and dusted about ten of them. He knew his power wasn't limitless but his father had taught him a trick for times of battle. He kneeled down in front of the dust and said a short incantation at the end of which he inhaled deeply, the dust magically finding its way into his mouth. The dust would be stored in small capsules inside his mouth and upon uttering a word would burst one by one as he needed them to. He would only have to protect his face. If they all burst at the same time he would experience an overload of power and bad things would happen.

After the ritual was done and he could feel the capsules set he walked into his room and pulled out his belt that held his sword. With a burst of speed he quickly dressed in his world's clothing and wrapped the belt around his waist. He grabbed his cloak and secured it to his neck as he walked back out to Tumn. "I am ready to go. Lead the way." He only hoped they would find her in one piece or else the soldiers would have a really bad day, not just Carrick.
 
"Carrick, what is all this? Why am I here? I thought I'd never see you again after you randomly left," Leila said, frowning. She was upset that her former lover would just show up and.. kidnap her? What was the point? Instead of looking annoyed, though, Carrick just grinned and shook his head.


"You still don't know, do you? No surprise there. There are things that your dear friends haven't been telling you, darling. They hide the truth from you out of fear and loathing. None of them truly care for you, they are only scared of your power. They think that if they don't tell you, they can keep you under control. You are not of the water people, Leila. Your mother may have been but your father was something else entirely," he said lowly, his voice a hiss. Leila blinked and stared at him, shaking her head in rapid denial.


Tumn nodded and waited for Lucien to prepare, turning his bright yellow gaze on Markus. The two simply stared at each other for several long minutes, seemingly having a silent conversation. Neither blinked until Lucien announced that he was ready. Markus gave in first, blinking and looking up at Lucien with a slight nod. With nothing more than that, he walked out. Tumn turned and eyed Lucien.


"Good. Come," he said simply, walking out of the apartment and down the stairs. He walked down the sidewalk without glancing back at Lucien, knowing the man would follow. Once they were out of town and had a big enough space, he paused and rapidly morphed into his dragon form. It wasn't going to be enough, he realized. "Step back," he grumbled in clear English, then began to stretch and change into his fully grown form. He growled a bit in discomfort, then settled down and laid on his belly with a wing tipped down for Lucien to climb up.
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[[Very. Very. Big. xD]]
 
Lucien followed Tumn wordlessly. There was nothing to say. They both knew their mission and were both determined that it would succeed. Once they got outside the city he watched as the human male turned back into his dragon form wondering what he thought he would accomplish in such a small form. When he heard the words he spoke clearly as if he were still human, he raised his brow but stepped back. He wasn't sure what was happening until the dragon's form started stretching. He backed up even further to give him enough room, not knowing how big he was going to get. He winced a bit as he heard muscles stretch and reform and bones snapping and crackling as they grew to the enormous size of an adult dragon.

He stared in amazement for just a moment, marveling at the beast before him. He had seen so many dragons grow slowly in the hatchery. He had truly missed raising them and then training them. He knew exactly how to ride a dragon, how to meld his body to fit between the wings and move so that he would feel nearly weightless as the gigantic wings allowed them both to soar through the sky. He remembered how exhilarating it was. He smiled and climbed onto Tumn's back, positioning himself just right and leaning forward. He rested his hands on either side of the dragon's neck, petting him twice to let him know he was ready for the ride. Leila was waiting for them.
 
Leila tried to beat her way out of the fish bowl, but it was no use. The glass wouldn't even crack. In an act of desperation, she tried pulling the moisture from the air to use as water, but just as she grasped onto her power, she collapsed. Dazed, she realized that a jolt of pain had caused her to fall to her knees. She reached up and ran her fingertips over a smooth, cold metal headband that sat in her hair. It was a collar, she realized. Just a disguised one.


"You like that? I had it made special, just for you. It's even a nice shade of green to compliment your hair, my sweet. If you touch your power without my permission.. well.. you know what happens," Carrick said with a grin, taking her blank look as questions as he went on. "I want you to work for me, Leila. Destroy who and what I say, whenever I say it. If you do well, you get rewarded. If not, I will kill the foreigner, and then I will kill you."


Tumn waited until Lucien was all settled, then swooped his wings down in a single beat. Just like that they were off, soaring up into the clouds and swooping into a tight corkscrew to loop back the other way and start the travel. There was a long way to go, but by this method it would only take a few hours, maybe less.
 
Lucien moved his body with Tumn's as to not hinder him one bit. Just to be soaring in the air was invigorating, he hadn't done so in more than fifty years. He couldn't completely enjoy the experience though, his mind wandered to Leila, who she was with and what she must be enduring. He wondered if it was his fault. Perhaps he had called attention to her again. She had thought Carrick to be a lover that disappeared when in fact he was trying to use her in unsavory ways. The more he thought about it, the more cold he felt. He hoped they would find her where they were going. But if they didn't he had full intentions of searching the entire world for her if he had to.

When he could tell they were getting closer to their destination, his hand reached down for his dagger, pulling it from its sheath. His thumb pressed over the second blue gem inlaid on the hilt and he encanted a spell. This gem turned his dagger into a small energy shield, so where his enemy would only see a small dagger, there would in actuality be a three square foot invisible shield. He prayed that he wouldn't have to use the third gem. It was only on there for emergency situations and the spell was devastating so he didn't relish the thought of using it. He activated his cloak using the ancient tongue, the cloak would allow him to transform into a wolf temporarily, giving him the keen senses and dodge of the animal.
 
"No!" Leila cried out, but Carrick just smirked at her. She tried again and again to lash out at him, until the pain became too much to bear and she was left sprawled on the bottom of the tank. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to catch her breath, just staring up at the metal bars. Carrick pressed a button and water began to fill the tank from an unknown source. It only filled about two feet, but given how wide the tank was, it gave her plenty of ammo. The problem was that she was too exhausted to use it.


"If you attempt to hit me with it, you will be in pain again, Leila. Do my bidding. You'll be out of there soon enough," he said soothingly. She sat up and looked down at the water, then up at Carrick. Realizing that she couldn't fight him, she looked away. "Good girl. Now. Follow the mental commands," he instructed, and she began to be trained.


Tumn didn't say a word as they flew as fast as the dragon could manage. After a while, he dipped back down below the clouds and began to scan the landscape. The sun was starting to set, making the trees and fields below look as though they were ablaze. In the distance, a large black mass marked a fortress that few knew existed.


"The secret hold of the army. Mainly for weapon storage," he rumbled, his voice like thunder mixed with a growl. He flew toward the spot, coming down for a landing in a nearby clearing since just flying in would be way too obvious. Now that he was this size, he could not shrink back down. This was going to be a problem if they were going for discretion.
 
Lucien surveyed the land as they flew over it. There wasn't going to be an easy way for them to get in and back out. And there wasn't a real easy way to tell how many people were around either. The fortress looked solid enough but every structure had a weakness somewhere. He knew they probably didn't have a whole lot of time to find her without being detected and if they were seen too early it could be hazardous to her health. As soon as Tumn landed he slid to the ground and looked up at him.

"Well, we can do this one of two ways. Either you can be a distraction, get everyone's attention and keep them busy while I find her, but please god don't get yourself killed. Or you can shift back into your human form and we can each start at a different end and work towards the middle to find her. Either way its us splitting up. You know your strengths. Which one do you feel more comfortable with or do you have a better idea?" He had known Tumn would be his greatest ally in this endeavor, he just hoped, for Leila's sake, that the dragon didn't get hurt.
 
Carrick was feeling mildly disappointed. He had been all geared up and hoping for a challenge, but Leila was proving to be disturbingly easy to break. She didn't even try to hit him when they took her out of the bowl and redressed her in form-fitting armor that would protect her better when she fought for them. In fact, she barely made a sound, even when he commented on how attractive she looked. He called her pet names and even stroked her cheek, but she didn't even flinch. Disappointing.


Every command that he gave her, she did. He could easily sense that she had lost the will to fight him. Was it truly that easy? Threaten the foreigner and she just collapsed like that? Idiotic woman. Getting all riled up over some guy that hadn't even looked like he could defend himself. Pfft. Carrick was hoping he'd hunt Leila down - he was already planning on forcing Leila to be the one who killed him. Delicious vengeance for her turning him down the first time around.


Tumn considered the options, shaking his head back and forth a bit. Even crouched down, he was higher than the trees. A worthwhile distraction. After a few moments, he nodded and let off a low growl.


"I will.. distract them..." he said slowly. It was very difficult to speak English in this form, but there was no other way to communicate with Lucien. With that, he jumped up and flew over to the fortress, spitting large balls of acid at the stone and roaring to get their attention.
 
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