Fantasy Magical Mayhem

[StarryKnights]

Smoke billowed into the air, clogging the lungs and blinding the woodland creatures making their desperate escape from the flames. In a large clearing, hidden away in a secluded forest, a towering structure was burning. Centuries old architecture crumbed and was reduced to rubble as the flames overtook it, inside, the motionless bodies of the dead were consumed and slowly turned to ash. When the dust settled there would be nothing left but ash, and a dark stain on the forest floor, and that was exactly how the king had wanted it.
Over the course of several weeks the Imperial Army had torn through the countryside, on a mission to root out all mages and monsters and destroy them. The chaos had started months ago, when monstrous creatures had began appearing deep within the forest, specifically around the monasteries where fledgling mages were taught the specifics of there arts.
Those bearing the mages mark, the unique sigil that identified them as a student or practitioner of one of four unique brands of magic, were to die. No matter their age, sex or position, all mages were to be exterminated, along with the "monsters" the mages were credited for creating.

No one knew where the creatures were coming from, or why they were there. All that was known was they were wreaking havoc wherever they went, and the people's fear grew greater with each passing day... This fear forced the king to act...the war mongering fool knew only way to eliminate the threat.
The best way to exterminate a pest is to destroy the next which they call home.
The Temple of Gaix was the last temple to fall, a pillar in the magic community it was here an elusive few were trained in the arts of spirit calling, also known as summoning magic. A powerful and rare mage, summoners, also known as spirit tamers, were once the crown jewel of the king's royal court. They now were all either dead or imprisoned deep within the castles dungeon, along with all other mages. All...except one...

A slim, orange fox darted through the forest, at its heels was a tall, lanky man dressed in tattered and scorched black pants, a formerly white shirt splattered red and a jacket. Eyes wide he looks back over his shoulder and pales as he sees the flames seem to be gaining on them.
"Can't you do something about those!?" He cries, looking ahead he just manages to duck under a low hanging tree branch blocking his path. The fox doesn't break stride, but it does reply in a clearly aggravated tone.
"Perhaps if we weren't running for our lives! Just move faster!"
The man sucked down a deep breath and a hand moved to his left side, where warm, sticky blood coated his fingers.
"Yeah, move faster, easier said than done with a blasted hole in my side!" he snaps back at the creature, who took a sharp left turn, leading the man downhill toward what looked like a ravine.
"Uh...Yumi..." the man began to slow as uncertainty took over, but with the fire hot on their tails there wasn't much of an option but to keep running. All Caster could really do was trust the blasted creature to lead him to safety...at the moment running was taking up all his energy, what little wasn't going toward ignoring the pulsing pain in his side.

The fox put on a burst of speed, and before Caster could even question it, she took a flying leap off the side of the ravine, and landed with a little splash into the running water alone. Feeling the heat of the flames on his back, all Caster could do was suck down a huge breath and silently offer up a prayer to any god who might've been listening as he jumped.
For a split second everything went black as the icy cold waters rushed in over his head, kicking Caster gasped and sucked down a breath.
Thank the gods the river's current wasn't violent, it carried the injured mage and his familiar down stream, away from the forest fire stemming from the fallen temple.
Caster struggled to keep his head above the water, if it hadn't been for Yumi he might've gone under. Each kick gave him a sharp reminder of the injury on his left side, thanks to a solider and a well placed blow from a sword.

With a little help from the fox Caster managed to paddle his way to shore, crawling onto the banks the man gasped as he sucked down air.
Everything was a bit on the fuzzy side...but he couldn't afford to pass out here.

Maxie Rosalee

 

[Maxie Rosalee]

Syreiss watched the smoke flood the forest like fog. She had given up on trying to pry the arrowhead from her leg.

There was a amalgamation of strange emotion in her that she couldn't quite place, although she was never very good with emotions. It seemed to be a mix of dread, disgust, and exasperation. The deepest part of this forest had been her most frequent home. It was far enough from humans that they didn't pose much of a threat, but a few still managed to get lost within the woodland and made for fun snacks. Now, the tangled, dark trees and canopy were becoming charred skeletons. Humans and fire. What a horrible combination.

She hadn't expected it at all, and she wondered if a part of it was her fault. A small flock of harpies had made their home in the deepest part of the forest, where humans whispered tales about monsters coming with her jagged talons to take you away. They weren't completely wrong. It was a comfortable place for a small group to make a home. Even if they did occasionally have spats over remains, not being particularly social creatures, it was a comfortable place. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, rings of fire began to burn within the forest, inching closer and closer to where they were. In arrogance, Syreiss fully believed the humans wouldn't come near.

But they had. And she payed for that mistake. A rain of arrows, steel, and fire had come upon them so suddenly, slaughtering all of them. Syreiss only was able to make it out for sheer luck, though not without an arrowhead lodged firmly in her thigh. She found refugee in a rocky enclose, dragging a corpse from the flock to make it seem she had died. It seemed to work, and the army had marched on. Dark mahogany blood stained her body in patches. She had tried to get the arrowhead out, but it just made the blood flow even more. Was it poison? She had no idea. So, she eventually just stopped, and the blood had been reduced to a trickle.

As she sat in her stone haven, hearing the thunderous marching pass by in the distance, a flare of anger rose in her. So what she snacked on a few humans (or maybe more than that)? So what she liked to terrorize them by singing wondrous melodies that lured them to their deaths? It was all in good fun. And now they burned her home and tried to kill her. The only fun part about humans was hunting them. They didn't even taste that great.

Once the army seemed far enough away from her, she hopped out of her enclose and peered out. The smoke was getting thicker, making it hard to breathe. The fire must have been getting worse. Syreiss took that as a sign that she should be on her way. She saw the corpse of the harpy she used as a decoy, the one called Pesephise, riddled with arrows and burn marks. Syreiss took a moment to cynically thank her dead body for saving her own skin. Flapping her wings, she jumped into the air and took flight, the effort causing several dark spots of blood to drop onto the rock beneath her.

As she soared on the wind, flying over a small river, something on the banks caught her attention. She fluttered down closer for a look. With sharp eyes, she saw a human, nearly passed out on the shore. Anger once again rose in her. She deduced that it might have been a member of the army who must have gotten left behind.

He'll make a nice quick snack. Let's see you burn everything when you're ripped in pieces and in my gullet.

Syreiss carefully fluttered down towards the bank and landed softly in front of him. Her clawed feet marked deep grooves in the soft earth.

StarryKnights

 

[StarryKnights]

"Holy...shit...owwww"
Caster groaned as he rolled onto his back, staring up at the sky he couldn't help but chuckle a little. "And what in the hell is so funny?" Yumi snapped at the injured man, though her eyes showed she wasn't angry. The fox was exhausted, she didn't typically use up so much magic... Between the fight at the temple and running for their lives, she was thoroughly spent and she knew Caster had to be feeling even worse.
As it stood the man was just laying there, laughing, staring upward and watching as the sky was streaked black with smoke.
"...God...we really fucked this up...didn't we Yumi?" His laughter stopped, causing the fox to raise her head.
Her eyes shifted downward.
"I...I thought we'd make it in time Caster...".
They'd left as soon as they could, and barely stopped along the way. Word of the attack on the Temple of Gaix had sent Caster into a frenzy.

Yumi rarely saw him get so worked up over something but this... This had truly put a fire in his belly, and sh knew he'd wanted to warn the masters of the impending betrayal.
King Fallton was insane, his orders has caused the deaths of countless mages, and mage initiates. Yumi shuddered as the screams of the children...those poor poor children that had been taken in by the temple... They'd had no where to go, the temple had been a safe place and now...it was their tomb..for however long it took for the entire building to burn. She'd met Caster there, the spirit still remembered the day she felt a tug on her essence, pulling her from the spirit plane and into the world of man. She never expected her master to be someone so young, Caster was barely old enough to be tying his shoes, let along casting ritual magic.
The man had been raised at the temple, with Elder Mccaran acting as a mentor and father figured for the displaced soul.
She didn't know much about his life before they met...Caster kept that information hidden, despite the bond they shared there were still secrets the mage kept from her.

He was so distrustful...it had been his paranoia that had driven a wedged between him and his fellow mages at the temple, eventually Caster decided it was best to move on. The two set out into the world, with Caster searching for more ancient relics and tombs. They hadn't gone back in years but today had been different. Yumi knew Caster had wanted to save those people...and he failed.
They failed.
"...I'm sorry Caster...". The fox sighed and inched closer to her master. For a moment there was no reaction, and Yumi perked up, fearing the man had fallen unconscious. With his injuries it was best if he remained awake...if he passed out Yumi knew she couldn't move him.
She relaxed as Caster placed a hand on her head, and scratched her ears just how she liked.

"...It wasn't your fault...we were both off our game. And we were both late...".

With a groan, the mage sat up, clutching his injured side with one hand he looked about. They seemed to be alone, and the fires hadn't jumped the river yet. Hopefully this side of the forest would survive...
"We should get moving Yumi...I've heard tales of other kin residing in these woods...".

Other kin, the term used to describe the supernatural beings that had been found in this world. Most people referred to them as monsters...and rightfully so. Most were described as inhuman creatures, which preyed on wayward men and woman alike. Caster had yet to meet one in his travels, and he wasn't looking to change that now.
as he attempted to stagger to his feet a shadow was cast over the pair, immediately Caster's gaze moved upward, his mismatched eyes widened as he spotted what could only be described as a winged woman with massive claws come swooping down.

"Oh god damnit" he swore as the creature landed in front of him.
Yumi sprung up growling, she glared up at the creature, her eyes, one silver and the other gold, shone with an intelligent, but angry light.
Caster managed to stagger to his feet. "I really don't have time to be dealing with...who and whatever you are, other kin". He spoke calmly, but there was an edge to his voice and the man was on his guard. He didn't know if this thing could even understand him...

Maxie Rosalee

 

[Maxie Rosalee]

Syreiss watched in surprise as the human made it to his feet, though he staggered in his stride. She had thought him to be near-death. An easy prey. Though hunting the humans was a fun sport, she didn't have time for it when there was a wall of flame and ash heading their way. A small fox growled at his feet, and she looked curiously down at it. It looked like it would make a nice dessert. She felt the wind snake in between her gray feathers. Her mind slowly inched away from the thought of food and more towards escape. The wind was fueling the fire, and bringing it towards their direction. Smoke billowed over them in curtains. No doubt the fire would be upon them soon. It was like a ravenous creature, eating up everything in its path. And she knew that the wind would scatter the embers even more.

She wondered what she should do with him. Her wings could out-fly the fire without a doubt, though she wondered about the arrowhead lodged in her leg. Him, on the other hand...could he outrun the fire? It was cathartic to think that he would burned by the very fires he started...or so she assumed. But...a growing mix of anger and arrogance overtook her. She was still upset about him and his crew burning the forest she lodged in and trying to kill her. It would be tempting to simply eviscerate his torso with her talons and feast on the viscera.

He suddenly spoke to her, and she was surprised to hear his edged voice. His little furred friend also jumped to his defense, her eyes glowing. Thanks to the gift of song all harpies possessed that allowed them to sing and speak many human languages, she could understand him.

Other kin? She thought both amusingly and irritably. So, that's what they're calling us now.

Another gust of wind hit her in the face. It made her realize, as much as she hated it, that he was right. The fire was approaching ever closer to them. She took a step backwards, eyes narrowing. Her nature made it hard for her to run from prey. Especially one as easy as this. Her wings outstretched, ready to fly and leave him behind to burn.

"I hope you enjoy burning in the fires that you created. See how you like it." She hissed unpleasantly, her voice sharp as nails.

StarryKnights

 

[StarryKnights]

"You think I did this!?' Caster scoffed at the creature, and while he was clearly annoyed, he didn't appear to be afraid. Internally he hoped this creature would just leave so he could figure a way out of here...
The fire was quickly approaching, the wind grew hotter and hotter as the flames drew near. It must've jumped the river somewhere along the way...that did not bode well for the forest's survival.
One more casualty of the king and his alloys endeavor.

"We didn't cause this you witch!" Yumi spoke up, her voice reverberated in the air around the pair.
She was always so quick to jump to his defense, Caster couldn't help but chuckle at how worked up she was getting. All this over a other kin... He studied the creature, and was surprised at the fact it could speak. He'd heard stories of winged other kin that lured unwitting men to an early grave with heavenly music. He wondered if that was what he was dealing with here.
The creature could definitely fly...in fact it seemed poised to take off any second now.
Caster wasn't so lucky, he'd have to find his own way...

His eyes widened when he spotted the arrow sticking out of the creature's leg. It had blood red feathers and a black shaft, marking it as one of the imperial army's. In that case the arrow might've been poisoned. Even if this thing got away she could die...
If only he could fly as well.

A grin came to Caster's face, and he took a shaky step forward.
"you sure you want to fly off. What's your hurry? The poison on the arrow will kill you soon anyway".
Yumi looked up at her masted, confused.
"...Caster...?" she spoke, but this time, only her master could hear her voice. "What are you doing?"
Caster spread his arms, revealing the injury on his side. The stab wound had been seared shut by Yumi's fire, but the injury wasn't fully closed yet.
"...We both hat the people who did this...the army...the guys in the armor. They attacked you...and their hunting me. Way I see it...we could...both benefit from a temporary team up here".
he chuckled.
"the enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that nonsense".

Caster didn't really have a back up plan for if this fell through. He doubted he could outrun the flames in his current condition.

Maxie Rosalee

 

[Maxie Rosalee]

Syreiss's wings became still posed. He didn't start the fire?

She became a little confused. Then what was he doing in the forest? She had seen him lying on the river banks and had assumed he was one of the army that caused everything. Why else would he be here? Were the humans killing other humans too? There were too many questions running through her mind. Not enough time to answer them. Her feathers ruffled a little bit, but she decided it wasn't worth the time. She still didn't care about him and decided she might as well just leave him there. The fire would take care of him.

His fox companion spoke up, and Syreiss glared at it. What a tiny little thing. How could a meal like her be feisty? She considered just snatching her up and flying away to dine on some place else. But it probably wasn't worth the time. She would find a small meal elsewhere. Still, it did make her think at the back of her mind. She had just assumed this purge was a collective group effort with all humans backing it up. What was this human's purpose? Was he an enemy of the others? The way they had defended themselves so passionately seemed to show that there was a lot of emotion behind it. Syreiss didn't know the truth about the situation. Oh, well. Not all questions could be answered.

She gave a small, irritated caw. Backing up a bit more, she gave one flap of her wings, ready to take off and perch on some mountainside.

"you sure you want to fly off. What's your hurry? The poison on the arrow will kill you soon anyway".

Syreiss freezed. Wait, what?

Poison? Was there really poison? She unconsciously glanced at her leg. Human poisons weren't strong enough to kill a lot of monsters. He was probably lying. Or...was he? She remembered the other dead harpies. While it was likely they simply died of sheer injury, as is possible for monsters, could some of them have died from poison? The human might know what he was talking about. Her feathers fanned out, giving her a larger and poofy look. She was beginning to get very perturbed. Of course, she could just fly away and ignore him. But, what if he was right? What if she found a new perch, only to die agonizingly slow from the arrow?

The flames were approaching. She didn't have time to think. Options were flitting around in her head, and she wasn't sure what do. The urge to fly away was very tempting. But...

"Poison." She repeated. "You're lying. It won't kill me."

Will it? Syreiss added a bit silently. The doubt kept her grounded.

StarryKnights

 

[StarryKnights]

Caster grinned. Gotcha, he thought.

"Oh...well can you really take that chance? Fly off and leave us if you want, and you'll die later... but if you take me with you...". he took a step forward, arms held up in the least threatening manner he knew.
"We'll fix you".

"Caster!" Yumi hissed, looking from the creature and back to her master. "You don't have the strength to summon Marva...or anyone else for that matter!". Her voice rang clear in Caster's mind, but he ignored her.
Summoning another spirit in his condition could be fatal, and if he died...Yumi went with him. Such was the contract between a familiar and their master. Marva and the others didn't have such a contract but Yumi...Yumi was bound to Caster for the rest of her days.

The mage was bluffing of course, he had no idea if the arrow was poisoned, and even if it was, it might not have been enough to kill this creature. He could only hope this thing was as paranoid as him when it came to what ifs.
The fire was closing in quickly, Yumi grew antsy as rabbits and squirrels went running past, fleeing the flames.
"I'm afraid we don't have a lot of time...other kin".
Caster wavered where he stood, the act of standing up was taking its tool. The smoke was also growing thicker in the air, making it harder to breathe.

If this thing didn't give him a ride out of here Caster was fairly certain he'd die. His life hung in the balance and it was up to thing winged humanoid thing to decide. These creatures were not known for their sense of mercy, but this one seemed to be fairly intelligent. Ideally she'd make the smart choice.

Yumi looked from her master and then back to the creature. It seemed uncertain...and angry, she hoped Caster knew what he was getting into. The air was getting thick with smoke, Yumi coughed as it entered her lungs. Whatever they were going to do, they needed to do it fast.

Maxie Rosalee

 

[Maxie Rosalee]

Okay, things were starting to get serious. Syreiss couldn't tell is the mage was telling the truth or not. When it came to human poisons, obviously he knew better. She could take the chance, like he said...she could either be healed and fine, die, or be crippled and in pain for the rest of her days. So, a one-in-three favorable outcome. That wasn't a majority.

The human surprised her when he stepped forward and offered to fix her. Now, that was something she didn't except. She was completely thrown off guard. In her head, she began to consider his offer. What was the word of a human worth? Not very much. Humans lied all the time. But, so did most monsters. Everybody lied. She could try and carry him somewhere safe yet close. Just enough so that he could fix her up and they could both be on their way...or she could just eat him. The way it was, they were both trying to get something from each other to save themselves.

A wall of fire began to eat at the forest around them. The smoke became unbearably thick, and Syreiss could feel ember jumping onto her feathers. There was no time. Without a word, her great wings hoisted her up into the air. She stayed there, hovering for a bit, staring at him with non-human eyes. For a moment, it seemed she would turn right around and leave him to die. She slowly inched away from him.

Then, in a sudden moment, she flew above him, and her giant bird-like feet began to clutch him. Her sharp talons pierced his clothes and uncomfortably dug into his skin, but not enough to draw blood. With some effort, she hoisted him up into the air. It caused a flare of sharp pain to run up her injured leg, and near-black blood began to ooze out of the wound once more. Syreiss hissed in pain, but continued flapping her wings until she hoisted them up into the air, above the canopy.

They soared together on the wind.T he ash from the fire was thick in the air as well. Syreiss scanned around for a nearby place to land, just temporary.

"You better keep your word, or I'll rip open your stomach and feast on your viscera." She cried over the wind. Her head darted all around them. "Now, look for a place where we can land before I drop you." She wasn't entirely joking about that last part.

StarryKnights

 

[StarryKnights]

Caster wasn't sure if this was going to work. He was a fairly good liar, and when the chips were down he could sell some pretty far fetched shit. It paid to be adept at the art of manipulating others when you are out for yourself. But this was pretty big, even for him. Assuming she did save him, Yumi was right. He didn't have the strength to summon another spirit...he'd have to over extend himself or dismiss Yumi, and neither of those options were very appealing. Still though, it all hinged on whether or not this creature believed his lie about the poison.
Oh dear gods please let this work...

He offered up a silent prayer to any god that would listen, but for a moment it appeared they were going unanswered. The fire was closing in, Caster could feel the heat on his skin now. Frightened, Yumi wove herself between his legs, still wary of this monster. She knew if this thing flew away they were dead...perhaps Caster had accepted that as well.
"Caster..." she spoke softly, looking up at the man as the creature took a step back. It spread its wings and for a split second Caster thought the jig was up.
Burned to death...not exactly how I thought I'd go...
The mage sighed and glanced down to his familiar as the creature took to the air. "I'm sor- AHHH!"
His apolegy was cut off as a pair of sharp claws and heavy feet landed on his shoulders.

Caster was ripped off the ground, and Yumi just had enough time to jump into his arms as the monster took to the air. The pair watched as flames engulfed the area they had just been standing. A shiver ran down Caster's spine.
"Well...this was...unexpected..." he laughed, looking up at the creature. He had a wild look in his eyes. "Didn't think you'd actually...well you know, save us".
Yumi breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, she might try and kill us when she finds out you lied you big dolt.
She cast a scowl at her master, but all he did in response was scratch behind her ears again.

They'd bought themselves more time...and that was all Caster needed. At the creatures suggestion he began searching for a patch of land they could safely descend to, it seemed the monster wouldn't be able to keep them aloft for long. Scanning the ground below he spotted a large lake. Known as Lake Myrta, it was named after one of the greatest summoning mages to come from the temple.
And there was a small, rocky island just off the shore...they could land there.
"Worry not my feathered...uh...acquaintance. I shall keep my word'. Caster spoke as he pointed to the lake. "Now, make for the water, specifically that small patch of land just off shore. The fire can't follow us there".

Maxie Rosalee

 

[Maxie Rosalee]

(I'm very sorry about the late reply! Classes just started x_x)

Syreiss craned her neck and squinted. Through the faint haze, she could see the island the human was talking about. A tiny, dark dot that seemed to be dropped into the large lake. Syreiss knew that the lake existed, but had never gone near it that much. She didn't care much for water or for getting wet. She flapped her wings vigorously before extending them out, gliding downwards towards the island. The wind swept through her gray feathers.

"Might be a rough landing." Syreiss casually noted.

She was coming in hard and fast, and the pain was making it harder for her to land properly. She gripped the human tighter, trying to make sure her sharp talons didn't stab through his shoulders and wound him. The wind whipped up even more around them, and Syreiss bent her legs inward. The island came up a little faster than she expected. The ground rushed up towards the two. She let out a mild squawk of surprise. She wondered if she should just crash land into the earth still grabbing on to him...but decided that might kill him.

Instead, when they were just an inch off the ground, she suddenly let go of him while she careened forward. Her talons now free, she extended them outward and dug them into ground to slow herself. Lucky she had dropped him, or he might have been her landing pad. Large, cut rows in the ground marked where she landed, and with an undignified, thump, she landed on the ground. More pain shot through her leg. After getting up, she examined it again. Turns out, her landing had caused the arrow to travel even deeper inside of her. Wonderful.

She hobbled over to the human to make sure he had survived the landing. They were so fragile sometimes.

StarryKnights

 

[StarryKnights]

(( no worries, school is kicking my butt right now too ))

Rough landing? Caster glanced upward at the creature and then back down at the water. Sure, why not, just toss him to the dirt, of hell, just drop him into the water. Either beat being burned alive. He tensed as he felt the creature's grip on his shoulders tightened, if she tore into him he'd be even more screwed as he already was. As it stood his side was throbbing, and with all the smoke in the air making it difficult to breathe the mage was having issues remaining conscious.
He shook his head and held tightly to Yumi, the fox kept him there mentally...
The ground rushed up to meet them and the creature let out a squawk at the same time Caster proclaimed "Oh SHI-"
The rest was cut off as he was dumped unceremoniously onto his ass, he fell face first into the dirt.

"...ow...".
The mage pushed himself upward, wincing at the pain in his side. Yumi laid in he dirt, not unconscious, but unmoving. The poor little fox looked like she might be sick...but Caster knew that was because he was running low on magic. Scooping the creature into his arms he cradled her gently.
"...it'll be okay Yumi...". The fox stared up at him, her mis-matched eyes wide and silently pleading.
Please don't dismiss me...y-you know I don't like that!
Caster sighed, he could hear the fox's thoughts as clear as day. "It's only...temporary my dear".
With that, he tapped Yumi on the nose, and with a little poof, she disappeared into a tiny, orange cloud.

Once she was gone Caster felt a little more clear headed. He looked up at the creature as it approached him.
He couldn't help but chuckle at the insane situation he was in. This other kin had saved his life... such a thing was complete madness.
"Alright well...you actually saved my ass, so I suppose that means I have to keep my end of the bargain...". He shook his head and laughed. "Though doing so might kill me anyway...but hey, what's life if not...risky?" he chuckled, his voice sounded a touch manic.

To say Caster wasn't quite all there would be an understatement.
The mage took a deep breath, muttering ancient magic under his breath he called upon the power of a different spirit.
he didn't have the strength to summon them fully, but he only needed a fraction of their power to heal this wound...
His hands began to glow a soft, sea foam green color, he looked to the monster.
"...Pull the arrow out".

Maxie Rosalee

 

[Maxie Rosalee]

Syreiss was almost startled when she saw the little fox the human carried with him seemingly vanish into thin air. Was that...magic? She had heard of magic of the humans, though she didn't know much about it. The monsters who had bled into this world were of magic as well, but she wasn't sure if it was the same kind as the humans used. Syreiss began to wonder and ponder if that had something to do with why the humans were burning the forest, but she dismissed the thought. She was hoping that she could eat the little animal for a snack after everything she went through, but it didn't seem like a very practical goal at the moment.

"Alright well...you actually saved my ass, so I suppose that means I have to keep my end of the bargain...". He shook his head and laughed. "Though doing so might kill me anyway...but hey, what's life if not...risky?"

Syreiss rolled her eyes. She had half-expected the human to bolt, but she had to give credit where credit was due. He was keeping his end of the bargain. She didn't say anything, just wordlessly pointed her injured leg in his direction.

When the caster was suddenly bathed in a green light, Syreiss jumped back in shock. For a moment, she wondered if he was going to attack her and kill her with some strange human magic. The thought of him backstabbing her caused anger to flare within her. She spread her wings and hissed, but stopped when he said:

"...Pull the arrow out".

"What?" She squawked, confused. So he wasn't trying to kill her...but what was he doing, then?

StarryKnights

 

[StarryKnights]

Caster blinked, the hissing didn't phase him.

"...Pull. the arrow. Out". he repeated, motioning to the arrow in question. "Unless you'd rather me heal it with it lodged in your leg?...It would make for a wonderful conversation starter".
The man cracked a grin.

"Like, hey big monster lady how'd you get that arrow in your leg, and then you can tell this wonderful story of the human who saved your feathered ass". he laughed at his little joke, but it stopped abruptly as the pain in his side flared up.
"Look you...other kin, if I pass out I can't heal you, so hurry up".

He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up, channeling the energy of one of his more powerful contracts was tiring normally...let alone when he was injured. The mage wavered where he stood, after he dealt with this creature he had the issue of finding a way off this little island and to a safer location to recover.
And then after that he needed to try any survivors from this attack and help them...assuming there were any.

The army was good at exterminating their targets, Caster feared he may be one of the last summoners left. It was a sobering notion, but not one he could dwell on at the moment.
"Any day now my dear".

Maxie Rosalee

 

[Maxie Rosalee]

With every word the human said, Syreiss became even angrier. How dare he make fun of her? He was nothing but...a walking troublemaker. His whole species was. They had no claws or wings or even brute strength like many of the monstrum. All they did was set things on fire. And breed. Oh God, did they breed. Syreiss wondered for a brief moment if rats and humans were related to one another.

"Like, hey big monster lady how'd you get that arrow in your leg, and then you can tell this wonderful story of the human who saved your feathered ass"

Syreiss's feathers ruffled up, making her look much larger and threatening. She hated the way humans were so caustic. If he had been any other creature, he would be dead now, his entrails everywhere as she devoured them. In a split second, Syreiss's logic melted away and she seriously considered just eating him. Again. You save me? You can barely save yourself. Even in her pride and arrogance, though, she had to grudgingly admit that doing what he ordered her to was probably the best thing to do.

"Any day now my dear".

"Fine, you walking piece of soft meat. And don't call me dear."

With fine claws, she deftly began to spread the wound open slightly to better grip the arrowhead. Ignoring the pain and blood, she grabbed it and began, with effort, to pull it out of her body. She wasn't sure what he would do when she was done with the task.

StarryKnights

 

[StarryKnights]

Caster chuckled as the creature got all puffed up. "Oh...did I hit a nerve?" he snickered.
It probably wasn't wise to piss off something that could easily kill him, but given his light headiness, and the fact he could barely see straight meant he probably wasn't going to be surviving this anyway. The least he could do was make good on his word and heal the damn bird.
He snickered again as she snapped at him, and then watched with hazy eyes as she removed the arrow.
"Ooooh, that looks like it hurts' he winced as the arrow head was finally tugged free of the flesh.
he clicked his tongue before placing a glowing hand on the injury.

"Okay, noooow hold still, and this shouldn't t-take long...". the man's words began to slur as the world tilted sickeningly. He shook his head and took a break to steady himself as he focused.

Slowly, the torn flesh mended under his touch, the green energy numbed the area it touched as the magic slowly worked. if he'd had the strength Caster would've summoned Marva, the spirit who's power he was calling on. As it stood he could feel her presence at the back of his mind, along with Yumi.

Both were concerned for their master, as per usual he wasn't listening to reason and throwing caution to the wind. It took several minutes, but when Caster removed his hand the harpy's wound had been healed.
All that remained was a small, raised scar where the arrow had been.
Caster flashed a grin at the creature.

"S-see, that wasn't so...bad...". he wavered and nearly fell to one side as he tried to speak. "Was it...dead?" he chuckled and flashed a smirk at the creature.

Maxie Rosalee

 

[Maxie Rosalee]

The human magic startled Syreiss. She gave out a light shire of surprise, almost flying away. At first, she assumed it was malicious magic. Though, with amazed eyes, she saw her exposed skin and muscle beginning to mend itself. It was as if invisible hands were sewing a needle and thread through the wound. The pain slowly disappeared. She could feel the magic working deep inside her legs, seemingly going through her vein itself.

Her wound had completely closed up, and all that was left of its existence was a mild scar. Syreiss bent down to expect it. It was a faint pink line of flesh that stood out from the rest of her gray body. But it could've been much worse. Syreiss didn't know that humans possessed such a penchant for healing magic. Other creatures much like herself had all different sorts of magic, but very few, she could recall, had healing powers of this kind. In a small way, it fascinated her. Syreiss then realized she was feeling gratitude towards him. She did her best to pack it down, feeling a little irked that she had to feel in any way indebted to him. But at the very least, she could acknowledge that he had helped her. That's it. As a way to pay her debt, she ignored his little smart comments and decided not to eat him. With their mutual deal done, Syreiss assumed they were done. She prepared to fly away to find a new home.

However, as she was preparing to do so, the human suddenly fell over to his side. She jumped, startled suddenly. She peered behind her shoulder, wondering if she should just leave him there. She mulled it over in her head briefly. Finally, with a small swallow of pride, she eventually hopped over and nudged him with her foot. Was he going to be okay? He didn't look like it...

She nudged him again for good measure.

StarryKnights

 

[StarryKnights]

Caster groaned as he was nudged, his eyes fluttered open.
Why was everything sideways?
At the back of his mind he felt a flurry of activity, most likely it was Yumi trying to spurr the man into action. He pushed himself up and managed to avoid falling face first again.
Rubbing his eyes, he looked up at the monster woman. "Y-your still here...w-well that's...surprising". he chuckled.
he didn't have the magic to try and heal himself at the moment, he'd need some rest in order to do that. Of course, passing out here out in the open was a death sentence. Sure he was out in the lake...but eventually the kings forces would find him. One way or another, they'd ensure that the mage died that day.
Despite the dire situation, the mage couldn't help but to crack a smile.

"You know...i-in any other circumstances...me-meeting you would've been one hell of a learning opportunity". he chuckled.
Most people, mages included, were not a fan of the monsters that had been leaking into their world. The average man feared them, due to the fact the majority of these creatures were adept at killing. Mages could make decent money hunting them, so most looked down on the beasts as lesser creatures.
Caster found them to be fascinating, perhaps it was because he drew his powers from beings of another world. Though he didn't often run into other kin, when he did, he usually tried to avoid conflict when he could. Sadly the majority of other kin were not as...amicable as this one had been, though the mage suspected the only reason she hadn't eaten him was because she needed his help.

Now that she was healed though...he couldn't help but wonder why she was still here...or why she hadn't eaten him and moved on.
"I hope your not considering eating me...I-I probably won't taste very good". His words were slurring now, and remaining upright was a feat.

Maxie Rosalee

((sorry for the late reply, I had a surprisingly busy week thanks to school xD ))