Guild Wars 2

( Hey guys, this is the proised full story that I pulled the “Mesmer vs Elementalist” segment from. As always thanks for all the support! Its because of y’all that I really believe I could actually make it as a writer, and that revelation has both boosted my confidence and altered my goals for the future! The story starts off a bit slow, I’ve been told, but picks up once the violence starts. =P Apologies for formatting errors )
• Part 2
• Part 3

“Is it difficult? To love someone that you cannot be with?”

Those words, and the condescending tone in which they were spoken, stirred Karayan Dedria from his meditations. The red-and-purple sylvari was sitting perched on a particularly strong leaf on a particularly massive tree in the Caledon Forest. Unlike most sylvari, Karayan had developed a bit peculiarly; after being born into the world, he began to grow six uncommon wing-like appendages (similar to the seeds of a maple leaf) on his back. Large iridescent leaves had grown across his entire frame from his chest to his legs to give him a sort of “robed” appearance, perhaps suggesting that it was always his destiny to become a mage. This was one of his favorite spots in the woodland because of the stunning view it gave of the entire forest, and because of how difficult it was to reach. It made him feel unique, empowered, and most of all independent. Just like…

“Vinesta. I am speaking about your favored human of course, Sprout.”

It was a familiar voice, one that always carried an air of haughtiness and superiority. Kar inhaled deeply to sublimate the impulsive frustration building in him and turned his head to offer a slight smile to Aeoldyn, a fellow Sylvari, mentor, and … friend? Not quite. The purple-skinned Aeoldyn had no desire or use for friends -a fact that he seemed to repeat often- and with his blunt, straightforward personality he was a very hard person to like. Aeol had also developed a differently compared to most sylvari; he had no leaf-like hair as much as rows of sharp poison-tipped thorns on his head, his vibrant purple skin was highlighted with a cool cerulean bioluminescent glow in stripes on his chiseled face, backlit his eyes, and emanated from various spots on his body. His eyebrows and chin seemed to branch just a bit off his face, and his ears came up in a fey-like point. His body seemed sculpted in the proportions of a warrior, with a solid, almost-muscular chest (as muscular as a leaf-skinned slender species got), and chiseled arms. The leaf formation on his forearms had shaped into what looked like gauntlets, and the stem that made up his spine sprouted three hardened, curving leaves that wrapped around his shoulders like guards. Aeoldyn walked and talked as if he was always the smartest person wherever he was, and had an insatiable fascination with how sentient minds worked and the connection between choice and emotion. It was that very same curiosity that fueled Aeol’s vicious mental experiments and studies on what he dubbed the “races of lesser importance,” which included Skritt, Quaggan, Ogres, and Human.

Karayan kept his tone respectful, but it was plenty clear he was not pleased with being disturbed; especially with such negative news. “Aeoldyn, it’s good to see you.” Aeoldyn’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed a bit, as a knowing grin tugged at his lips. Several awkward seconds of silence passed without him giving a response, Kar nervously glanced around and ran a hand through his crimson Mohawk-styled “hair” while waiting before Aeol finally responded. “Sorry. I was waiting for the pointless formalities to be over with. Anyway, as I was saying, it is obvious that you’re smitten with her –which, by the way, is terrible that a mesmer is so transparent about their emotions– but you do know that nothing good could ever come from such a coupling.” A soft red glow flushed from Karayan’s cheekbones. He wanted to shout at Aeoldyn that his personal contemplations were none of his business, but a more important question stopped him. “… How do you know that?” He asked, keeping his expression impassive despite the impulse to punch the smug sylvari in the face. Aeol’s condescending smirk widened just a bit more; he was always happy to explain his thought-process to fools. “You mean besides the obvious visual cues? And the way your tone subtly shifts when you speak with her? Why, I pulled the knowledge straight from your mind of course.” Kar hadn’t meant to ask how Aeoldyn knew about his feelings for Vinesta as much as how he knew nothing good could come from his relationship, but that last sentence had him rocking back on his heels. “You.. You what? You invaded my thoughts?” Aeoldyn responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. “People like to pretend their thoughts are private, but all prominent races are creatures of art. We want to be understood, thus the body language and shift in vocal tone when trying to make a point. The more emotional we become, the harder it is to conceal our thoughts,” he shrugged, “and young sprouts like you are just filled to the brim with emotions.”

Karayan didn’t quite know what to say, he felt… “Like right now! Perfect example.” Aeoldyn beamed, “You are feeling stunned, invaded, and more than a little outraged. Who does he think he is to just waltz into my thoughts? Can all mesmer do that? Wow! He’s speaking my thoughts moments as I think them, this guy is such a… ” Aeoldyn paused, staring right into Kar’s annoyed eyes. “Oh, that is a very rude word.” Karayan had come to this little refuge for peace of mind and wasn’t quite in the mood for any kind of argument, either physical or verbal. He blew a long sigh as he stood up; looking at Aeoldyn with eyes that perfectly reflected how tired he was of this conversation. “Well, thank you for that,” he said, every word dripped sarcasm. “My life is that much brighter due to your delightful insight.” He turned his back to the purple Sylvari and walked to the edge of the giant leaf he had been perched on, staring down at the 100 foot drop. Kar knew that Aeoldyn knew he was thinking about Vinesta, and that just made him want to get away from his “elder” that much more. Without glancing back to Aeol, Karayan vanished in a sudden burst of purple flames.

Left alone, Aeoldyn’s condescending smile slowly melted. Had his lesson been taught? He had come to warn Karayan about keeping his mind properly guarded from other mesmer. Aeol spoke about Kar and Vinesta in order to spark the anger in him that would allow Aeoldyn entry into his head but… Maybe there were better ways to get his point across. If he had only succeeded in dampening Karayan’s mood without actually teaching his fellow mesmer anything, then that wouldn’t do at all. Aeol knew that Kar didn’t want to see him, but maybe it didn’t have to be Aeoldyn that taught the lesson…

—-

Lions Arch was a smorgasbord of different cultures, ideas, and beliefs. It was a loud and busy place where everyone hustled and shuffled past eachother with some sort of agenda. Aeoldyn hated loud, crowded places and that was exactly why Karayan had come here. He didn’t mind the noise or the crowd much, because here he wasn’t some strange curiosity or inferior to anyone else. Here he was just one of many, another spice in the big melting pot of the city. He was sitting in a tented outdoor bar, sipping a glass of “water” (Water from the Grove and water from here were so different in quality that Kar had a hard time even calling it the same drink.) and amusing himself by watching the passerbys go on about their lives. A fight had broken out between a pair of Skritt and a Hylek and instead of stopping it, most people were placing bets and passing drinks, elsewhere a promiscuous human wearing far too much makeup and far too little clothes offered suggestive questions to any norn or human that passed her by, and then of course there was Vinesta approaching him from the west looking every bit as glorious as he always-

Wait. Vinesta?

Kar’s grip tightened on his glass at her approach, and he alternated from looking at her to his drink with a slightly awkward smile on his face. Vinesta glided up right beside Kar and took the seat next to him, giving a smile and a nod. “Well met Kar, I didn’t expect to find you here today.” The Sylvari sat just a little bit straighter, nodding at her. “And yourself,” Reflexively his eyes roamed her body, and as usual she was fantastic. The velvet red wraps around her eyes may have smothered her powers at one point but did nothing to conceal her beautiful face, with soft skin devoid of any noticeable flaws. Her straight brown hair flowed down past her shoulders, stopping at her shoulderblades. Like most scholars, she wore robes but hers were form-fitting yet comfortable and flexible. Whenever they were close, Karayan would remember a soothing melody in the back of his mind –the same song from his dream- that reminded him just why this particular human was so precious to him. He always had a hard time speaking to her, so captivated was he in her presence, but just sharing a drink with her was more than enough to brighten his day. When the bartender came Vinesta also ordered water, and turned to glance at Kar. “What brings you out to Lions Arch?” Kar paused before responding.

Vinesta was blind, she almost never looked directly at his face like that. And water? Humans preferred wine at a bar, and there was a certain brand Vinesta always asked for. Frustration began to well inside of Karayan, but instead of showing it he simply sipped his glass and stared at Vin. “What do you want from me, Aeoldyn? Isn’t it beneath you to play childish tricks for the sake of amusement.” His lips hadn’t moved, but he projected his thoughts as loudly as he could. Vin also didn’t move beyond sipping her glass, and stared right back at Karayan. “Ooh, clever Sprout. I even went so far as to project Vinesta’s song into your mind and you still discovered me. Maybe there’s hope for you after all. I do not want anything but to enlighten you, I-” Karayan Dedria had enough. He cut Aeoldyn off, “You know what I think? I think you spend 20 hours a day alone and contemplating about life since you have no friends and no one can suffer to be around you for more than five minutes at a time. You study and explore people’s thought processes and invent frivolous philosophies because quite frankly there’s nothing else for you to do! You were the one who told Vinesta, who then told me, that our lives are defined by the connections we make but you don’t really have many connections do you?” They sat there staring for quite some time, locked in a mental debate, somewhere along the way Aeoldyn’s illusion of Vinesta had faded. The elder Sylvari’s facial expression did not shift in the slightest, it seemed to Kar as if he was frozen with his face locked in his customary inquisitive stare. Several tense seconds of silence yet again passed before Aeoldyn finally replied in a deadly calm voice.

“… I do not appreciate disrespect. Draw your weapon.”

“Um.. What?” Karayan barely heard the words. For the briefest moment he had felt an odd sensation, sadness? Anger? He knew for a fact it wasn’t his own.

Aeoldyn’s blades –two ornate longswords – flashed into his hands, right in the middle of the bar! Karayan could see thin violet vines begin to creep from the swords’ crosspiece, up into the blade, and down to Aeoldyn’s hands; burrowing into his wrists. Aeoldyn didn’t look angry –he rarely ever did– but he did stand from his stool with his blades drawn. Other patrons spewed complaints back and forth, Aeoldyn ignored calls like “Hey shrubs! Take yer squabblin’ elsewhere!” and “By the gods can I not go a single day without someone getting into a fight?” while he slowly raised one sword to point it at Karayan. “Back up your words with action or take better care when you speak them.” Karayan, though he was in no mood for a fight, had one hand behind his back ready to draw his staff. “Aeoldyn be reasonable, I do not want to fight you.”
“Oh, so not only are you weak minded, but a coward as well? Vinesta would be proud.”
Kar narrowed his eyes. “You know very well that’s not the case. It’s just-“
“Just what, Karayan Dedria? So desperate to pretend to be human that you have adopted a surname. For what? Do you plan to sire a lineage?”

Karayan narrowed his eyes.

“I told you that nothing good would come of you trying to couple with a human,” If Karayan could blush, he would’ve at the ambient chuckles he heard from the bystanders. “Do you think she wants to be with an infant –by human standards– with no experience in the real world? Whom she cannot even have a child with? You are a pet to her, Sprout. A curiosity project, loyal and needing attention like any puppy or kitten but absurd to try and love like one of her own kind. You-”
The younger Sylvari had enough. “Just.. Just shut up.” Kar growled through gritted teeth.
“And what did I tell you about mental defenses, boy? Your mind is an open book to me again.” Aeoldyn’s superior grin had returned, and he spun to face the circle of people now crowding around the two combatants. The bartender had moved away from behind the bar and was walking around, taking this opportunity to encourage bets and pass around drinks. Sure fighting in Lions Arch was illegal, but it brought great publicity. “Shall I tell these people about your dream? About how your entire life is based around a human that does not even share your devotion to her? About ho- .. Oh my.”

Aeoldyn wasn’t sure when it happened, and neither did the audience, but suddenly there were five Karayan Dedria before him. Mesmer magic had a habit of manipulating the weave between time and space but it often took years of practice and experience to be able to cast so quickly, there was only one other person whom he knew could augment their illusion magic via raw emotion: Vinesta.
“Well, that is moderately impressive.” Aeoldyn congratulated, but if any of the Karayan could hear him they gave no sign. As one they had all drawn their staves and as one the all pointed their open palms ominously towards Aeoldyn, threatening to loose bolts of shredding chaotic energy into his body. “One last chance.” Karayan warned. “Stand down.”

“Please, Sprout, spare me the theatrics.” Aeoldyn, swords in hand, shrugged helplessly before his body seemed to suddenly burst in a shower of sparks and dancing purple lights. The crowd gasped in unison as one Karayan lurched forward when a sword burst out from his chest, the others soon followed as an image of Aeoldyn appeared behind each image of Karayan and backstabbed them. All of the illusions faded as one, yet neither of the two Sylvari remained. One patron, who had voted for Aeoldyn, scratched his head. “So.. erm. Does that mean I won? My plant killed yours.” Another, whom placed is coin on Karayan protested. “Oh yeah? So where is he? Ye ain’t getting’ an ounce o’me coin till I see some proof.” Tensions began to run high in the bar as people, already inebriated with drink, began to dispute payment over the brief fight. “Preposterous!“ One Asura shouted. “It’s painfully evident that-“

KSSHHING! In a high-piched chime and flash the two combatants appeared in the middle of the ring of bystanders. Aeoldyn’s blade flashed for Karayan’s skull, creasing the scalp of a shattering illusion. Karayan appeared on the bar stand, firing a crackling bolt of unstable purple energy into Aeoldyn’s chest and causing him to burst into flames. Like Kar, Aeoldyn shattered into a burst of magical energy, leaving only the younger Sylvari in the makeshift “arena”.
Karayan looked around, relying more on his sense of touch to “feel” Aeoldyn’s magical energy than to actually see the rival Mesmer. He kept one hand firmly grasped on his staff and his eyes darted to-and from, knowing Aeoldyn could strike at him from all sides, could even attack Kar in his mind. Several long seconds went by, an eternity in a fight, yet Karayan could see nothing unusual. Everything was quiet.

Too quiet.

It wasn’t long before Karayan found out why, and his eyes widened. Everyone in the bar spoke at the exact same time, “You continue to impress, Sprout.” Their faces were blank and impassive, though some Asura seemed to be twitching and squirming at the sudden mental intrusion. Kar noticed how their eyes were glowing a soft purple and he could feel the emanations of Aeoldyn’s magic radiating from them. The elder mesmer had possessed everyone in the bar!
“But you have made a critical error in fighting me in a place with so many vulnerable minds.” One Asura spoke, drawing an angular pistol from his belt and quickly firing it at Karayan. The bullet passed through him harmlessly, and the image of the Mesmer fell apart like shattered glass. Kar reappeared on the roof, panting more from the shock and disgust of seeing a mesmer abuse their power so callously than from the exhaustion he was starting to feel. “Those people have no part in this!” Kar screamed mentally, knowing that Aeoldyn could hear him wherever he was. He received no response beyond a sudden and rapid thumping noise coming from below him. It started faint, but rapidly got louder and louder; the thunderous footfalls of a charging Norn. Kar gritted his teeth and braced himself, fully prepared for raging Norn to come blasting up to the rooftop to attack him. He gripped his staff tighter, focusing his magic through it, as he listened intently until the footsteps sounded right beneath him. The Norn shouted a warcry, Kar narrowed his eyes.

Without warning a sword flashed down from behind Karayan, slicing a gash into his side. Kar stifled a yelp as he vanished, hearing Aeoldyn’s laughter echo behind him. When the Kar reappeared, now standing atop of the iconic lion statue in the middle of the always-busy town square, Aeoldyn was right in front of him. Aeol’s swords flourished through defensive ‘figure-eight’ loops as he approached the younger Sylvari, finally lashing out with a straightforward thrust that forced Kar to tuck his hips in and hopped back. The second blade swung horizontally over the first, aimed to swipe across Karayan’s eyes and Kar’s only defense was to lean as far back as he could. Their gaze locked for a moment, Aeoldyn’s eyes flashed purple as he suddenly violently bombarded Karayan with a serious of discordant mental images and emotions, and Karayan’s world went spinning. It was only for a moment, but he could not think straight and could not regain his balance. For that instant he could taste sounds, hear scents, and visualize vibrations as if all his senses had been criss-crossed. With a simple kick to the chest, Aeoldyn knocked the dazed Karayan off of the statue and sent him plummeting head-first towards the ground. Kar scrambled to try and clear his thoughts, to try and focus before he hit the ground. His mind was already beginning to fight the effects of Aeoldyn’s assault, and the young mesmer refused to give in to panic. As the haze in his thoughts began to fade he started to whisper the beginnings of a spell.

…But he hit the ground first, and his world went black.

Oh, please tell me you plan on continuing this. This sounds entirely too much like a cliffhanger! And as you know, cliffhangers often have resolution.
Unless their stories go unfinished.
And it really would be a shame if this went unfinished.

Selana Firestone.6389:

Oh, please tell me you plan on continuing this. This sounds entirely too much like a cliffhanger! And as you know, cliffhangers often have resolution.
Unless their stories go unfinished.
And it really would be a shame if this went unfinished.

it says “part 1” does it not?

Ah. I suppose it does! Forgive me, it was rather late where I live, and my brain was quite addled. I certainly look forward to seeing part two!

Ty! =D part two coming today, actually.