Shara Loyalty Trial

Shara sat rigid in the courtyard of the guard house in the capital of Thedale. The massive tyrian was far too large to fit inside the building where her companion Yadira was speaking with the captain of the guard. The unlikely duo had become regular sights to see around this place lately. From their dramatic arrival to their unfortunate discovery in the local oasis the two female reoseans had been making regular visits to the guard to provide statements and get updates on their situation. The duo was currently hiding out in the capital city while they waited for their stalker to either finally move on or get captured, preferably the latter, but unfortunately the black tyrian had proven to be just as elusive as he is formidable. Shara wanted nothing more than to hide away somewhere where the psycho could never find her but she still needed to live, she had needs and desires and being holed up in this city was not what she wanted to do with her life. She stared at the door to the guard house waiting impatiently for the decision the guardsmen would make. Her companion Yadira still needed to complete her loyalty trial and unfortunately for them both the local obstacle courses had taken significant damage during the last sand storm and were temporarily closed for maintenance. The only option they had was to camp out for the night somewhere outside the city but with their unwanted follower, that was also not an option.

Shara scuffed her claws nervously on the sandstone bricks as she waited. She highly doubted the Trial board would allow for them to have an exception for this task and yet she really couldn't think of an alternative. The pale faced tyrian frowned in frustration as she unknowingly applied too much pressure to the soft stone beneath her, easily digging her claws into the soft bricks below her. Just as one of the nearby guards was about to ask her not to destroy their courtyard Yadira threw the door of the guardhouse wide open and came excitedly trotting up to her companion. The red runner smiled broadly as she greeted her companion, her eyes filled with excitement that she hadn't seen since before their trip to the oasis. Following slowly behind the red runner was the captain of the guard, a middle aged human who even she could tell was considered extremely attractive to the local women. The human had a gallant beard and exceptionally chiseled muscles, he carried himself in such a way that conveyed his years of experience and power. Every time Shara saw this man, his mere presence put her heart at ease, even though he was tiny in comparison to her, the human's confidence and compassion put her heart at ease. Yadira trotted up to her companion and excitedly announced the guards decision. "Great news!! Sir Eckhart came up with the perfect way for us to complete the Loyalty trial while still being safe!" Shara blinked in surprise at the runner's words, hope filling her chest for the first time in ages. "Really?" the pale tyrian asked excitedly, leaning uncomfortably close to the human. Sir Eckhart gave a weary smile as he did his best to conceal his unease. The pale tyrian was unlike any he had seen before, its face angled and twisted in an unfortunate way. Its massive body was thicker and more muscular than any he had seen before and the way she carried herself was off putting and alarming. It was less that she walked around in the awkward way tyrians normally do, but more like she leaned and shambled around like a unnervingly graceful zombie.

It had taken a lot of getting used to the bizarre tyrian but once he had gotten to know her, he realized the tyrian was actually very normal despite her off putting appearance. Now after nearly two months of knowing her, he found her odd face almost beautiful. Though he was interested in how the tyrian was able to see with her eyes perpetually closed he knew it could be considered rude to question others deformities. He raised a hand both in greeting to the tyrian and to tell Yadira that he would explain the rest. "That's right. After reviewing the wording of the trial regulations the trial goers merely need to 'stand vigil, whilst the remainder of their group slumbers or are otherwise engaged' the rules make no mention for the actual location said vigil needs to take place." Shara tilted her head in confusion, not entirely sure what the captain was trying to explain, but he continued his explanation. "Therefore it is perfectly legal for you to guard your companion just inside the city gate. Shara, would you be willing to join the night guard and guard the southern gate tonight?" Shara's mouth dropped open as she finally understood what the captain was proposing. All she needed to do was take turns guarding a city gate with Yadira tonight? Could it really be that simple? The captain continued, "You of course wouldn't be alone on this shift. The normal night guard would be performing their normal duties while you perform your vigil... Well what do you say?" The captain gave a broad smile and extended his hand in a gesture welcoming a hand shake. Shara returned the captain's toothy smile before gently placing the side of one of her talons against his palm.

A few hours later, at the southern gate Yadira was busy setting up a large makeshift sleeping area just inside the gate. The spot where they would be camping was more of a docking station for carriages and merchant sleds to pull over to be searched by the guard but the spot was the perfect size for the two to camp while staying out of the way of the normal city traffic coming and going from the city. Shara was over by the gate itself along with Captain Eckhart, explaining the situation and debriefing the guards on what to expect. When Yadira had finished her camp prep she trotted over to them and listened in on what was being discussed. Yadira joined the conversation right at the tail end when the gate guards were saluting the captain before returning to their duties. Sir Eckhart turned to the duo and gave them a reassuring smile, "You should be all set now. I have some duties to attend to at the East gate but as soon as I am done there I will stop by to check and see how you all are doing." Shara smiled and thanked the captain for all that he has done for them which he modestly dismissed with a shake of his head. With a final goodbye the captain quickly mounted a vayron who had been waiting for him and hustled off into the crowd of city goers. Now left alone together, Yadira excitedly displayed their sleeping arrangements to the tyrian. Shara was surprised by how large the vayron had thought to make the beds and she smiled appreciatively at the red runner's consideration.

Yadira offered to take the first watch which gave Shara a much needed moment to rest. Since the previous incident the tyrian had barely slept and Yadira was starting to get worried about her. Shara smiled thankfully and accepted the runners' offer to go first. Shara quickly made herself comfortable on the large bed and sleepily watched the passing townspeople. She found the gentle murmur and chatter of daily town life soothing, being surrounded by tons of people certainly helped her feel more secure as well. As she listened to some merchants argue she found herself dozing off into a much needed sleep. Yadira watched her companion quickly fall into a deep slumber and couldn't help but chuckle at the odd tyrian. With her eyes perpetually closed it was hard to tell if the tyrian was actually asleep or if she was just laying down but the gentle rhythm of her breathing gave away that the tyrian was no longer awake. Turning her attention back to the bright sands beyond the gate, the red runner quickly followed one of the gate guards to a perch on top of the wall with a small tent for shade. This spot was the perfect place to not only keep an eye out on the desert beyond the town's walls but also let her see Shara sleeping down behind her. As the guard parted ways with her to return to his own patrol, Yadira smiled and pulled the hood around her neck loose. Two more sets of eyes along her neck were just barely visible when she pulled her shaw down. She usually kept her extra eyes closed as she found the expanded perspective to be disorienting but while sitting still like this, having a few cracked open would be perfect to keep an eye on all directions all at once.

Yadira sat on guard for the remainder of the afternoon and well into the evening, watching the brilliant light of the sun steadily lower beyond the horizon and the deep blanket of night rapidly descend upon them. With the departure of the Sun, the blistering heat that plagued the desert also rapidly faded away. The burning heat was replaced with a bone chilling cold that made the vayrons breath visible. As the runner kept watch, she saw one of the guards who was getting off shift stop by the sleeping tyrian and pull one of the large canvas blankets up over Shara. Yadira smiled at the simple act of kindness as the guard thankless covered her friend before heading off to return to his own home. The people she had met here in the guard were truly wonderful people and she had rapidly formed feelings for many of the guards men. They were all so kind and welcoming to her and Shara, and even when they encountered ne'er-do-wells they were always neutral and even handed. She could tell that Captain Eckhart was a wonderful leader who disciplined and trained his men exceptionally well. As she sat and watched the twinkling light of the stars in the night sky she couldn't help but wonder if it would be possible for someone like her to join the guard as well. Just as she was beginning to imagine herself as a guardsmen something caught the attention of one of her extra eyes.

The red runner turned her head in the direction of the movement and stared out into the dark desert. The moon was barely more than a sliver in the night sky and tomorrow night would surely be a new moon. The desert was at its darkest and the back lighting of the city did not help her see at all. Yadira stared out into the desert for what felt like an hour, something was there. Something had definitely moved. She scanned the landscape carefully but no matter where she looked she couldn't see anything other than sand and shadows. She frowned, uncertain as to whether she should raise the alarm, mention the chance she might of seen something to one of the other guards, or dismiss the movement as her imagination. Before she could make her decision a gentle pat landed on her back. Startled the arachne vayron turned to see the source of the touch and was surprised to see one of the guardsmen. "You've been on duty long enough," he gently said while giving the runner a kind smile. "It's about time for you to trade places with your companion." Yadira returned the guards smile before glancing back to the desert nervously. The guard noticed this and asked, "Something wrong?" he asked which Yadira turned her nervous gaze back to him. "I thought I saw something moving out there in that direction." She pointed off into the distance with the guard following her gesture. The guard frowned and stared off into the direction she had indicated, his frown deepened as he stared before quickly turning his kind smile back to the red runner.

"Tell you what, on your way down to wake up lady Shara, would you mind stopping by the guard shack and telling them to send Ecnatsissa up here for me?" the guard asked the runner with the same gentle tone and kind smile. The runner tilted her head to the side Ecnatsissa? She hadn't heard of or met a guard named that yet, maybe she only worked the night shift? She smiled at the guard once more before agreeing to do so before heading down the wall. The red runner quickly made her way over to Shara and gently poked and prodded the side of the tyrian's head until the sleeping tyrian started to rouse from her slumber. "..mm.. wh.. what?" Shara groggily blinked awake and Yadira caught a small glimpse of her eyes. It was only a flash but she thought she saw gold and green. The red runner blinked, something had felt off the moment Shara's eyes had opened but as soon as they had closed everything felt normal again. Yadira couldn't figure out why that sudden feeling had washed over her and disappeared so quickly but she shook her head to dismiss it. "Come on Shara, it's your turn!" The red runner gave the tyrian a toothy grin. "Halfway there!" The sleepy tyrian rubbed the corner of her eyes groggily before also smiling and returning her expression with determination. "Halfway there." The red runner stepped out of the way to let the tyrian stand up and stretch and as she watched her companion get up and moving, she remembered what the guard had asked her to do. "Oh! You go ahead and head up top of the wall, I need to stop by the shack before it's my turn to sleep." Shara nodded her head sending off her friend before clambering up and onto the top of the wall to stand beside the guardsmen who had sent Yadira down below.

The red runner padded over to the guard shack and knocked on the door. The muffled sound of laughter could be heard from inside, and when one of the guards finally opened the door, the delicious smell of food wafted out from inside. "Oh hello little lady!" The older guard greeted Yadira, his wrinkled face had large laugh lines indicating he had lived a long joyous life so far. "What can I do for you?" The guard asked as a couple other guards inside called out to elderly soldier asking who it was. "Good evening sir! I just wanted to let you know that sir Jarold asked me to request another guard named Ecnatsissa join him on top of the wall." The red runner conveyed the other guards message politely and with a smile but as soon as she spoke the name the sound of merriment died inside the building and the old man's face visibly stiffened. "He asked for Ecnatsissa?" The old man's voice was firm and insistent in clarifying the statement. Yadira immediately felt confused and a little scared by the reaction, inside the building she could hear hushed murmurs and the sound of armor moving quickly. She glanced around the old man and saw the other guardsmen were quickly gearing up. "Y-yes he did. Why are you- What's going on?" The red runner asked nervously while taking a step back. The old man noticed the confusion on the vayron and gently patted her shoulder. "It'll be alright my lady. Please take shelter in the shack." His firm reassurance was punctuated with a request that was actually an order as he firmly guided the red runner inside. As she entered the guard house the other guardsmen rushed past in full battle armor. "Wait, no. Shara is up there! She needs to hide too!" The red runner tried to push past the soldiers to get back outside but multiple guards stepped in the way to block her path. "Don't worry about her. We'll send her down to join you in just a second." One of the soldiers reassured the red runner before all of the soldiers hustled out the door, shutting it firmly behind them. Leaving Yadira to sit dumbfounded and terrified in the guard shack.

Meanwhile on top of the city wall, Shara joined the guardsman who was staring off into the desert. "Good evening, she greeted." The guard didn't look away but she saw him give her a broad smile as he returned her greeting with enthusiasm. Shara turned her gaze off into the desert as she got comfortable on top of the wall. The space was a little tight for someone so large but thankfully she could stand on the wall with only her tail and the ends of her wings sticking off the back. As Shara watched the desert beside the guard she thought she saw something move out in the distance. "...?" she made a small noise as she gazed out at the desert. The guard beside her stiffened, his fear that she would see it too was immediately confirmed as the large tyrian activated her wind magic. A faint white glow formed in front of her chest, barely visible to the guard standing beside her. The human watched in awe as a swirling ball of wind formed in front of the tyrian. Shara concentrated on the ball, pouring magic into it slowly and carefully over the course of a few minutes before finally launching it out into the desert at mach speed. The small ball of wind disappeared from sight before reaching its target and the human wondered if the tyrian had misjudged the distance. The other guards Yadira had unknowingly summoned came clambering up the steps of the wall asking for a report of the situation just as the desert suddenly detonated. A deafening muffled boom echoed across the dunes, sending shock waves and piles of dust flying in all directions.

The ground shook and windows within the city rattled from the force of the blast. The guards stumbled and stared at the pale tyrian in shock as Shara stood from her perch and spread her wings wide. "Get ready." Her voice was firm and determined as she warned the guards of what was to come. The guards looked at the place that had just exploded, incredulous that anything could survive such a blast but much to their shock a large black figure was emerging from the crater. It was impossible for them to tell what it was from this distance but considering everything they had been warned against and the fact that it survived what they had just witnessed spurred them into action. One of the guards grabbed his horn and blew into it, alerting the entire city guard just as they had done the day of the duo's arrival. The chorus of horns joined together as Shara slowly activated her magic once more. Her magic might be insanely powerful but it took forever to activate and it was exceedingly difficult to control. The winds raged against her magic fighting and refusing to bend to the tyrians demands, but Shara was stronger than nature's whims. An ominous sound like high winds blasting through a long tunnel roared over the wall as eight orbs of glittering white magic formed at the tips of the fans of Shara's twisted malformed wings. The guards stumbled back from the radiating winds reverberating off of the tyrian as Shara finished activating her magic. As the guards tried to call out to Shara to get her stop their voices dried up in the middle of their throats. A foreboding feeling of pressure washed over all of the guards as Shara opened her eyes wide. The guards' eyes, battered by the high winds, were stuck open in terror as they stared up at the pale tyrian. Her eyes were a shining gold, brighter than any gold coin freshly minted. The iris had deep pronounced grooves that almost looked like the aerial view of a mountain range and there was no sign of sclera. Her pupils were surrounded by a ring of blood red color and the pupils themselves were a brilliant emerald green that glittered like an actual gemstone.

Shara raised her wings even higher and with a powerful leap she launched herself up and off the wall. Across the city, guardsmen rushed towards the South gate but Shara knew they would not arrive before Gigante reached the gate. She had to hold this monstrous creature off for as long as possible. Without the need to protect others and with no structures around to worry about, Shara could finally unleash the full might of her magic. Shara soared over the dunes faster than she had ever flown before. Her heart thundered in her ears as she stared at the rapidly approaching insane smile of the tyrian who had been tormenting her for so long. Even though she was still terrified of him, she was tired of living her life in fear. Sitting right beside the fear in her heart was rage, pure and primal hatred for the being who wants to kill her, and a deep rooted desire to return his malice in kind. Yadira forced her way out of the guard shack after the explosion and arrived at the top of the wall just in time to see her friend clash with the dark tyrian. The black tyrian tried to use his preferred hit and run tactics but after the initial slam Shara used one of the orbs of magic at the tip of one of her wing fans to launch a beam of high speed wind like a laser at the black tyrian. The beam slammed into the black tyrian's stomach right below his ribs, winding him. Shara smiled in satisfaction as she heard him gag and cough but she wasn't done. The tyrian roared, her already odd sounding voice echoing across the dunes like the sound of her magic orbs but amplified and far more terrifying.

She spread her wings wide and aimed all eight orbs at the black tyrian, who barely had enough time to react to the onslaught. High speed beams launched at the tyrian who barely managed to avoid them by dropping down into a nearly suicidal dive toward the desert floor. He managed to pull up out of the dive at the last possible second but still needed to launch himself up off the crest of the dunes with his hind legs. The laser beams of wind magic didn't stop at the initial volley, Shara maintained the beams and twisted herself in mid air to follow the black tryians escape. Gigante grit his teeth as he rapidly maneuvered himself closer to Shara and lashed out at her chest with his talons. When he was this close Shara found it difficult to angle the magic toward herself and this slight delay in activation was just enough for Gigante to take advantage of. The black tyrian smiled as he viciously attacked the pale tyrian. The two locked talons and yanked at each other as the two plummeted from the sky, with both their wing talons and hind leg talons locked none of their wings were free to try and fly. The guards back on the city wall could only watch in horror as the two combatants slowly fell from the sky. The flying division of the guard rapidly flew past them overhead trying desperately to reach them in time. Leading the charge was Sir Eckhart whose eyes burned with righteous fury at the sight of the black tyrian who had not only been tormenting the two visitors but who had also killed a member of the guard. He swore this would be the night he brought this beast down.

Shara and Gigante slammed into the sand of the desert, sending a cloud of dust flying in all directions and obscuring the flying guard's vision as they approached. The horrifying screams, growls, grunts, and screeches of two tyrians locked in combat could even be heard as far away as the city wall. Yadira trembled powerlessly as she watched along with the remaining guards of the southern gate. Sir Eckhart finally reached the two tyrians and gave the order for his men to surround the two. Neither of the tyrians noticed them as they continued to launch blow after blow at each other tearing at each other with such fervor the guards who had met Shara previously were shocked that such a gentle tyrian was fighting so brutally. Sir Eckhart tried to order the tyrians apart but they didn't listen, perhaps it would be better to say that neither of them could hear the small human at all over the brawl. Sir Eckhart ordered his men to move in and as soon as the signal was given the winged guards rapidly descended on the two. As soon as Shara saw the other tyrians and winged vayrons join the fray she lashed out and managed to land a solid blow on Gigante sending him skidding back. Now with the two separated the guardsmen were able to rush in and grapple with the black tyrian. Shara panted heavily as she watched them fight wide eyed. The foreboding feeling of pressure had followed the tyrian and when the guards had rushed in it had fallen on them too. The only ones who seemed unaffected by the bizarre feeling exuded by the pale tyrians eyes was Gigante and Sir Eckhart.

When he saw that his men had finally brought the black tyrian down and under their control he turned his attention to the heavily panting Shara who was lost in a trance as she stared daggers at Gigante. Sir Eckhart cautiously approached the pale tyrian and called out to her gently. "Shara... Lady Shara? Can you hear me?... Lady Shara!" Shara finally heard the captain and forcibly dragged her eyes away. "Captain..." she croaked out between gasping breaths. Now that the adrenaline of the fight was leaving her system, the tyrians body trembled uncontrollably and her limbs felt weak. She stumbled and staggered but a few of the extra guards caught her and supported her from underneath. "Whoa easy there. You," the captain quickly pointed to one of the remaining guards not assisting with anything. "Assess the lady's wounds, provide any first aid that's needed before transporting her back. Lady Shara, please rest easy. We have him now, he's not going anywhere." The guard quickly saluted his captain before following his orders, though he did find it a little hard to approach the off putting tyrian. Shara noticed how uncomfortable everyone else was and quickly closed her eyes once more, dispelling the curse that afflicted them. The guards who had been holding the wriggling Gigante down quickly got to work binding the tyrians' wings and muzzling the black tyrians' snapping jaw. When the black tyrian was fully immobilized Sir Eckhart stepped forward and glared down into the psychotic yellow gold eyes that were filled with fury as the group stopped him from reaching his prey. The guardsmen awaited his orders patiently, willing to carry out any command the captain gave. "... Bring him in." Using every once of restraint in his soul, Sir Eckhart resisted the desire to be done with the black tyrian here and now. He was not above the law, he was not judge, jury, and executioner and no matter how much he wished he was, his duty was to uphold the law.

His men saluted and hoisted the black tyrian up to carry him off, sir Eckhart turned back to Shara to find the pale tyrian fully collapsed and unconscious. The guard he had assigned to first aid was already running up to him to report her status. Before even fully hearing the grave condition of the pale tyrian, he quickly gave the order for the remaining men to assist Shara back to the city. He sent an additional guard ahead to summon the healers and clerics to meet them at the gate once more. As Sir Eckhart mounted his companion once more, he gently patted Shara's neck as the pale tyrian was carried off toward the city. She did remarkably well, now it was her turn to rest.