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Description
Scales of Fayt:

Chapter Eight:

We got in the car, and started for my home, leaving the oddity of the day behind us, relaxing as we blended in as just another car on the road.  I turned the radio up, and for a bit it was like nothing had happened.  That illusion was broken by my phone ringing.  I turned the radio down, and answered.

“Talk to me.”

“Hey, it's Greg, and we need to talk, can you come by?”

I paused, covering the mouthpiece to my phone, “Amber, I've got a friend that says he needs to talk to me, you mind if we drop by there first?  Or  would you like me to drop you off at my place?”

She looked over, “He knows about you and your changes?”

“He was the first outside of myself to know about them, guy's a herpetologist.  He sounds kinda urgent.”

“Fine, you sure he's trustworthy?”

I grinned, “Fairly sure, I have no reason to suspect him to have been dishonest or untrustworthy at all so far.”

“Alright.”

I uncovered the phone, bringing it back to my ear.  “Yeah, I can swing by, we'll be there in a little.”

I flipped the phone shut, but not before hearing him say, “We? Who's with y-”

I casually steered towards the shop, wondering what was on his mind.

-------------------------------------------------

I pulled into the shop about half an hour later.  The store was closed, which figured it was getting late again.  I parked the car, and hopped out, Amber followed suit.  We walked up to the front, and I knocked on the door, it was opened by a smiling face.

“Good to see you again, well, in the flesh anyways, I caught you in that news report, you've become something of a celebrity.”

“Yeah, I hate the limelight though.”

He looked at Amber curiously, “So who's this now?”

“Greg, this is Amber, Amber, Greg.”

They exchanged handshakes before Greg ushered us inside.  He closed and bolted the door behind us, and motioned for us to follow him into the back.  Amber was a little nervous, that much was apparent from her demeanor, but she came along after seeing how I was perfectly fine with being led into the dark back of the building.

My curiosity hadn't died on the drive over and I asked, “So Greg, what was so important that you needed to see me?”

He turned with a grin on his face, “I'd be more than delighted to tell you.  You see, all of my life I have taken after my grandfather on my father's side, he was an odd man, proclaiming to know things of magic that man has not known for centuries.  His claims involved creatures that were fantastical in nature, and coincided with many legends and myths, but his tales were slightly different than the ones from olden time storytellers.  They ranged from complete opposites, to near parallels, but the biggest differences with them was the fact that magical creatures were always portrayed differently with his tales, none of them were the ruthless, mindless monsters that feasted upon human flesh, and sought nothing but death.  There were a few like that but they were usually killed of by an amalgam of humans and other magical creatures, seeking to restore balance to the land.”

I cut him off, “So, you knew what I was turning into?”

He paused, “Not exactly, I had my suspicions, but that was the extent of it, I didn't want to say anything until I was sure for fear of putting false expectations in your head.  As soon as I heard that you had set yourself on fire, I knew that you were indeed a dragon, as I had begun to suspect.  Back to my story though, not all humans were fine with magic, especially those that had no control over it, they both feared and hated the magical, resenting the power that they had.  A coalition formed, in secret, and started to plot the destruction of magic, so that the non-magical would be the supreme masters of the world.  Anyone that caught wind of their plot was quickly and viciously dealt with, and no trace was left behind as to who did it.  This group worked their ways through the hierarchies of the world, and slowly started to reform the world, teaching the new generations that magic was inherently evil, and that they should have nothing to do with it.  They slowly worked it to where magic was outlawed and magical creatures that were in their boundaries were swiftly killed on enslaved.  Out of this corruption another group was raised, much akin to the new lords of the land, only their aim was to save magic, and overthrow the governments that had shunned those that had helped them so many times before.  They knew that they would face overwhelming odds, and the growing dissent among magical beings, who had started to fight back fiercely against those that would destroy them.  These two factions soon forged into on cohesive faction, with one purpose: to save magic, and the balances that it protected, no matter the cost.”

At this point both myself and Amber had become entranced by the tale, hearing of our heritage as beings of magic was enthralling, to say the least.  The spell was broken temporarily, by a small screech of pain from Amber.  She clasped her hands over her mouth, as both Greg and I watched as she entered one of her final transformations, her head shaped to one more fitting on an eagle's head, and a sharp, hooked beak sprouted from her face, parting the plumage that had been covering her mouth.  As soon as it had started it ended, and she looked  up at both of us, feeling her face, feeling what had changed.  She took a deep breath, and asked, “So how do I look?”

I chuckled, “Astounding, this is fascinating to watch as it happens to another, how do you feel?”

She shook her head slowly, “It hurts, but it's almost gone now.”

Greg had stopped talking completely, allowing time for Amber to recover from her sudden change before he continued.  “Now that that's done I'll pick back up on my story, where had we gotten to?”

“One faction, protecting magic no matter the cost.”  I said.

“Right, they banded together to save magic, calling themselves the Aegis, and set forth to overcome what would be impossible odds.  The efforts that they put forth were heroic, to say the least, but in the end it made little difference.  Magic was driven to the brink of extinction, and several races were lost, never to be heard from again.  It is suspected that they no longer exist, except in myths.  It was decided in the Aegis that magic would be suspended, forced into hibernation to await a new day, one where humanity would have forgotten about it, or at least dismissed it as a silly story, and nothing more.  They infused every magical creature that was still alive into a human, to pass the essence along through the generations, allowing it to come back and flourish.  After that had happened the Aegis disbanded, leaving to each household or member that was in it a small heirloom, to pass along to the next generation, along with the tales of the past.  My grandfather, and myself are two of the remaining Aegis members, and we'll have to alert the others that the time has come for us to complete the steps that the past set for us, and welcome in a new age.”

I nodded, if the Aegis had members that were still around then the other group probably had people waiting, just the same, to set right the 'mistakes' of their past.  I aired this concern immediately.  “Greg, if you're a member of this society that has lasted for how many centuries, then there are those that will be working against you as well, correct?”

He stood up, moving to a spot on one of the walls, “Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if they had members left too, which is why I'll be needing this.”  He tapped on a spot on the wall, and it slid in, revealing a well hidden compartment.  He removed a small disc-like object that radiated power from it.  “This is one of the remnants of magic that was left behind, only a magical being or true Aegis member can use it, it can sense ill intent, and prevents those that would use it for evil from doing so.”

“Handy little failsafe, huh?”  I heard Amber ask.

I nodded again.  “You wouldn't know how to get more would you?  It would be far more secure than talking on cell phones.”

He shook his head, “Unfortunately, I don't know, but there should be a way to make more, we just have to find it.  I'll give you a call when I've managed contact with the other Aegis members, and have set up a meeting place, we'll have much to discuss about the future of magic, and I don't think any of us want to miss that, right?”

Both Amber and I shook our heads fervently, we definitely wanted to help shape the newly reawakened Aegis organization.

He turned back to us, “Well, I think I've kept you long enough, you should probably get back home, and be careful, not everyone is a friend.”

I nodded, taking in the solemn nature of his warning to heart.  We headed to the door, thanking him for the information, and started back for my home.

“Well that was enlightening, wasn't it?” I heard Amber ask.

“Yeah, it really was.”

-----------------------------------------------

When we arrived at my home it was dusk, and no-one was around to be seen.  We got out of the car and I unlocked the front door quickly, and let us both inside.  I shut the door deadbolting it behind me, and started closing blinds.

“Don't want anyone to find out who we are quite yet do we?”  I asked in a somewhat bemused fashion.

“I suppose not, do you think that we'll be attacked if we are exposed?”  She asked nervously.

I nodded, “No doubt about it, there are many people that have been indoctrinated to believe that magic is inherently evil that they might try to quash us anyways, even without the support of that anti-magic syndicate.  Don't worry about it though, we've got at least a few more days before anyone will be organized to do anything against us.”

She didn't look re-assured, and honestly I wasn't really convinced of my own words, I figured that if some lone nutjob wanted to hurt us he'd take a shot without thinking things through first, and do it as soon as he had located us.

“I'd suggest getting yourself situated, you might be here for a while.”  I suggested as nonchalantly as I could.

“Yeah, things are just getting  interesting.  This oughta be a fun ride.”  She grinned at me.

Description
Scales of Fayt:

Chapter Eight:

We got in the car, and started for my home, leaving the oddity of the day behind us, relaxing as we blended in as just another car on the road.  I turned the radio up, and for a bit it was like nothing had happened.  That illusion was broken by my phone ringing.  I turned the radio down, and answered.

“Talk to me.”

“Hey, it's Greg, and we need to talk, can you come by?”

I paused, covering the mouthpiece to my phone, “Amber, I've got a friend that says he needs to talk to me, you mind if we drop by there first?  Or  would you like me to drop you off at my place?”

She looked over, “He knows about you and your changes?”

“He was the first outside of myself to know about them, guy's a herpetologist.  He sounds kinda urgent.”

“Fine, you sure he's trustworthy?”

I grinned, “Fairly sure, I have no reason to suspect him to have been dishonest or untrustworthy at all so far.”

“Alright.”

I uncovered the phone, bringing it back to my ear.  “Yeah, I can swing by, we'll be there in a little.”

I flipped the phone shut, but not before hearing him say, “We? Who's with y-”

I casually steered towards the shop, wondering what was on his mind.

-------------------------------------------------

I pulled into the shop about half an hour later.  The store was closed, which figured it was getting late again.  I parked the car, and hopped out, Amber followed suit.  We walked up to the front, and I knocked on the door, it was opened by a smiling face.

“Good to see you again, well, in the flesh anyways, I caught you in that news report, you've become something of a celebrity.”

“Yeah, I hate the limelight though.”

He looked at Amber curiously, “So who's this now?”

“Greg, this is Amber, Amber, Greg.”

They exchanged handshakes before Greg ushered us inside.  He closed and bolted the door behind us, and motioned for us to follow him into the back.  Amber was a little nervous, that much was apparent from her demeanor, but she came along after seeing how I was perfectly fine with being led into the dark back of the building.

My curiosity hadn't died on the drive over and I asked, “So Greg, what was so important that you needed to see me?”

He turned with a grin on his face, “I'd be more than delighted to tell you.  You see, all of my life I have taken after my grandfather on my father's side, he was an odd man, proclaiming to know things of magic that man has not known for centuries.  His claims involved creatures that were fantastical in nature, and coincided with many legends and myths, but his tales were slightly different than the ones from olden time storytellers.  They ranged from complete opposites, to near parallels, but the biggest differences with them was the fact that magical creatures were always portrayed differently with his tales, none of them were the ruthless, mindless monsters that feasted upon human flesh, and sought nothing but death.  There were a few like that but they were usually killed of by an amalgam of humans and other magical creatures, seeking to restore balance to the land.”

I cut him off, “So, you knew what I was turning into?”

He paused, “Not exactly, I had my suspicions, but that was the extent of it, I didn't want to say anything until I was sure for fear of putting false expectations in your head.  As soon as I heard that you had set yourself on fire, I knew that you were indeed a dragon, as I had begun to suspect.  Back to my story though, not all humans were fine with magic, especially those that had no control over it, they both feared and hated the magical, resenting the power that they had.  A coalition formed, in secret, and started to plot the destruction of magic, so that the non-magical would be the supreme masters of the world.  Anyone that caught wind of their plot was quickly and viciously dealt with, and no trace was left behind as to who did it.  This group worked their ways through the hierarchies of the world, and slowly started to reform the world, teaching the new generations that magic was inherently evil, and that they should have nothing to do with it.  They slowly worked it to where magic was outlawed and magical creatures that were in their boundaries were swiftly killed on enslaved.  Out of this corruption another group was raised, much akin to the new lords of the land, only their aim was to save magic, and overthrow the governments that had shunned those that had helped them so many times before.  They knew that they would face overwhelming odds, and the growing dissent among magical beings, who had started to fight back fiercely against those that would destroy them.  These two factions soon forged into on cohesive faction, with one purpose: to save magic, and the balances that it protected, no matter the cost.”

At this point both myself and Amber had become entranced by the tale, hearing of our heritage as beings of magic was enthralling, to say the least.  The spell was broken temporarily, by a small screech of pain from Amber.  She clasped her hands over her mouth, as both Greg and I watched as she entered one of her final transformations, her head shaped to one more fitting on an eagle's head, and a sharp, hooked beak sprouted from her face, parting the plumage that had been covering her mouth.  As soon as it had started it ended, and she looked  up at both of us, feeling her face, feeling what had changed.  She took a deep breath, and asked, “So how do I look?”

I chuckled, “Astounding, this is fascinating to watch as it happens to another, how do you feel?”

She shook her head slowly, “It hurts, but it's almost gone now.”

Greg had stopped talking completely, allowing time for Amber to recover from her sudden change before he continued.  “Now that that's done I'll pick back up on my story, where had we gotten to?”

“One faction, protecting magic no matter the cost.”  I said.

“Right, they banded together to save magic, calling themselves the Aegis, and set forth to overcome what would be impossible odds.  The efforts that they put forth were heroic, to say the least, but in the end it made little difference.  Magic was driven to the brink of extinction, and several races were lost, never to be heard from again.  It is suspected that they no longer exist, except in myths.  It was decided in the Aegis that magic would be suspended, forced into hibernation to await a new day, one where humanity would have forgotten about it, or at least dismissed it as a silly story, and nothing more.  They infused every magical creature that was still alive into a human, to pass the essence along through the generations, allowing it to come back and flourish.  After that had happened the Aegis disbanded, leaving to each household or member that was in it a small heirloom, to pass along to the next generation, along with the tales of the past.  My grandfather, and myself are two of the remaining Aegis members, and we'll have to alert the others that the time has come for us to complete the steps that the past set for us, and welcome in a new age.”

I nodded, if the Aegis had members that were still around then the other group probably had people waiting, just the same, to set right the 'mistakes' of their past.  I aired this concern immediately.  “Greg, if you're a member of this society that has lasted for how many centuries, then there are those that will be working against you as well, correct?”

He stood up, moving to a spot on one of the walls, “Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if they had members left too, which is why I'll be needing this.”  He tapped on a spot on the wall, and it slid in, revealing a well hidden compartment.  He removed a small disc-like object that radiated power from it.  “This is one of the remnants of magic that was left behind, only a magical being or true Aegis member can use it, it can sense ill intent, and prevents those that would use it for evil from doing so.”

“Handy little failsafe, huh?”  I heard Amber ask.

I nodded again.  “You wouldn't know how to get more would you?  It would be far more secure than talking on cell phones.”

He shook his head, “Unfortunately, I don't know, but there should be a way to make more, we just have to find it.  I'll give you a call when I've managed contact with the other Aegis members, and have set up a meeting place, we'll have much to discuss about the future of magic, and I don't think any of us want to miss that, right?”

Both Amber and I shook our heads fervently, we definitely wanted to help shape the newly reawakened Aegis organization.

He turned back to us, “Well, I think I've kept you long enough, you should probably get back home, and be careful, not everyone is a friend.”

I nodded, taking in the solemn nature of his warning to heart.  We headed to the door, thanking him for the information, and started back for my home.

“Well that was enlightening, wasn't it?” I heard Amber ask.

“Yeah, it really was.”

-----------------------------------------------

When we arrived at my home it was dusk, and no-one was around to be seen.  We got out of the car and I unlocked the front door quickly, and let us both inside.  I shut the door deadbolting it behind me, and started closing blinds.

“Don't want anyone to find out who we are quite yet do we?”  I asked in a somewhat bemused fashion.

“I suppose not, do you think that we'll be attacked if we are exposed?”  She asked nervously.

I nodded, “No doubt about it, there are many people that have been indoctrinated to believe that magic is inherently evil that they might try to quash us anyways, even without the support of that anti-magic syndicate.  Don't worry about it though, we've got at least a few more days before anyone will be organized to do anything against us.”

She didn't look re-assured, and honestly I wasn't really convinced of my own words, I figured that if some lone nutjob wanted to hurt us he'd take a shot without thinking things through first, and do it as soon as he had located us.

“I'd suggest getting yourself situated, you might be here for a while.”  I suggested as nonchalantly as I could.

“Yeah, things are just getting  interesting.  This oughta be a fun ride.”  She grinned at me.