Chapter 409: CHPT 409: Hybridized
Despite what-- should've been, the welcoming warmth of the fire Claude and his hybrid pack sat around, he couldn't help but fight off a shiver than ran across his skin like the unseen fingers of a phantom.
His very owns stalking apparition. It came in the form of all the realizations and telling's of Rollan's past. His origin. His truth. Before his days as a Drunken forest walker simply asking a young mentally unstable Shape-Shifter for help. Before his days of Druidry and betrayal. Before it all. The beginning.
In a world at war. Desperate to attain a sort of peace in the midst of Vampiric conquest, Dwarves leaving the people of Gevaudan's Gulch to the Wolves, and greedy Huntsmen in search of Excalibur. Radical Hexblades and Witches came with an idea...
And in times of desperation. Radical ideas.... they just don't seem so bad. Maybe in a natural setting, the idea in question wouldn't have been as bad.
But based on it's only two living results, Claude could only see it as such. Bad.
The union of Man and Elf. Rollan and Liam. A Lost Druid, and a Kingpin of Demons. For reasons he couldn't yet explain, it reminded him of Romulus and Remus.
Opposites. Extremes. Placed in the same circumstances, stimulated in vastly different ways. But empowered, nonetheless.
And just like the two brothers made Shifter gods, Rollan and Liam were a mystery. Even more so after Rollans final words.
"I'm twenty-seven."
"The fuck?"
"Shiiet.... you must've looked fourteen when you came out, huh?" Cassidy remarked in disbelief.
"Came out of where?" Ma asked innocently. The Satyrs seated at her sides copied her confused facial expression as best they could.
Cassidy looked at the three and chuckled to himself, "Awe hell..... what a trip this all is."
Claude took a bite of his food, the juices that dripped from the hot meat wetted his dry tongue, "Yea no kidding..."
Silence fell once again. Claude looked up to find Rollan staring. He knew Claude had more questions. Naturally, who the hell wouldn't?
"How..."
Cassidy and the others quieted.
"How are you only twenty-seven.... I mean-- no offense, Rollan. But you look like you're coming up on fifty." Claude asked.
Rollan raised his hands, "No offense taken, Monsieur. This is exactly why the project was abandoned...destroyed.... forgotten, hm?"
"I don't understand." Claude said.
"Let me explain." Rollan started, "After these..... interested... ehh, humans, gained clearance to begin these trials they started right away. Trapping and locking up Elves in the hundreds in camps. Ranging anywhere from Silver to high Gold. Oui, it was bad."
"But why Elves? I mean they could've went with the Orcs-- or the Dwarves. What made them choose Elves?" Cassidy asked.
"Simple. Two reasons, human. Elves are terrifying-- but beautiful. And they had a Magic that the Witches and Wizards were sure would save the people of Gevaudan's Gulch, hm?" Rollan answered.
"Aether Sense?" Claude said, remembering the ability he'd unlocked weeks ago due to his own Elven heritage.
"No, Monsieur. Aether Magic." As Rollan said it, he raised a hand and Claude watched the impossible happen.
FWSHHH!
The flames sputtering from the campfire flickered and twisted in a vortex, spinning fast enough that the winds around it began to scorch the grass near the flames. As the flames continued to spin and twist, a portion fell into Rollan's hands.
And then he sat there. Calmly playing with a chaotically spinning ball of flame. He had control of two Elements.
Suddenly, Claude remembered something. Back during the fight with Liam. After he'd defeated Cyrene, he was about to be consumed by a wall of blue flames, only for reasons he couldn't understand, they'd been thrown back into Liams face. And he was saved.
"That was you....Rollan." He thought before saying, "You have multiple Elements?"
Cassidy clicked his teeth, "Well ain't that just unfair."
Claude still didn't understand the Hunters lack of surprise.
Rollan tossed the flame back into the campfire as if it were a discarded golf ball. "You see, Monsieur. With Aether Magic, the question isn't how many Elements..... its which one gets the job done in that moment? Do you know what I mean, hm?"
Claude's eyes widened, "So you have..... all Elements."
Rollan didn't nod or shake his head. He simply continued the story, "You see, the Magical Scholars of the Gulch found out about Aether Magic. They called it a Universal Magic. Elves used it to create..... massive cities, homes in the mountains, the shadows, they used it to destroy-- compressing the air around their enemies until they were crushed by unseen hands. They used it to control and manipulate their worlds into what they desired. They used it communicate with the beasts within..... to step into different dimensions and move about their lands completely unseen by even the best trackers. Aether Magic was the Gulch's saving grace, Monsieur. And they had a way to gift it to humanity."
Claude suddenly realized why he could never hear Rollan moving around in the forest-- why he always seemed to be suddenly just... appearing. He shivered to himself as Rollan continued.
"Through mixing the Elves with their best willing Human warriors, they began searching for ways to raise an Aether-Bound Hero. A savior of the Gulch. We were called Javelins, hm? A name fitting for what was only meant to be a weapon. A weapon that could be pierce through the unbreakable wall of adversity looming over the lands."
"What went wrong?" Claude asked, sensing the downhill was on the come up.
"Everything. Everything went wrong, Monsieur." Rollan said. He almost sounded defeated in those moments.
"At first, oui, it was promising. Beautiful babies welcomed into the world. Healthy, intelligent, fast growing. The deficiencies became clear quickly. Birth defects were higher than what should've been possible. Some Javelins died minutes after their birth, others had stunted limbs, frail bones, Mana sickness, multiple eyes, missing ears, blindness, sporadic aging....."
"Blindness and sporadic aging...." Claude repeated in a whisper. That was Rollan.
"Only a few years ago-- I didn't look much older than Liam." Rollan said.
"....And Mana sickness." Claude added, "You said you were still recovering when I first met you-- you barely had enough Mana to use Natural Vision and that was after days of doing nothing."
"Your memory serves you well, Monsieur." Rollan said, "Like my Elven mother, I was born with a natural affinity towards Nature and incredible Mana reserves. My father was a Human-- a Tank with an affinity for Fire. Jean DeMarco-- he was better than most. Because of my human side, I became adept at wielding Nature Magic. Manipulating it-- not controlling it. So much so, that even though I was blind, I learned to see as I do now. That combined with my physical gifts is what kept me alive-- kept me from being a complete failure."
Claude suddenly remembered his buffened state when he activated his Elemental Shroud. He was massive-- even compared to Claude's fully transformed state.
"Your father..... you said he was better than most-- what do you mean by that?" Claude asked.
Rollan cleared his throat--
"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. I swear I do." Claude quickly said.
Rollan raised a hand, "No, no. It's fine. I told you, life as a Javelin was not..... good, hm? The Hexblades, Wizards and Witches may have had radical ideas. But the Humans they employed didn't always feel the same. Some just needed money-- some were degenerates... foul minded humans looking to cash in on the wildness of it all. Laying with an Elf. That was all it took for some, Monsieur."
"Lust can be poisonous." Cassidy said, sounding more grim than before.
"Oui, it can." Rollan agreed before continuing, "And for this reason, many children were raised by two parents that hated them. An Elven mother-- ripped from her world, and violated in ways better left unsaid, by a man who couldn't care less about the child he'd brought into the world..... only hoping the young boy or girl could bring them enough money to live happily. Can you imagine how this must've been when that child was deemed a failure?"
Claude looked up following Rollan's words and found that tears leaked from his blind eyes.
"No.... No, I couldn't imagine, Rollan. Not at all."
Rollan cleared his throat, "Me and Liam were failures. My eyes went white by age five and my Mana began taking days to recharge fully at six, hm? Liam murdered his mother at seven."
That sounded about right.
"Most Javelins deemed as failures were because of obvious physical deformities-- but Liam. Liam's incorrectness was rooted deep within his mind, no? I remember.... some days he'd be the only ray of sunshine in that place-- even after his father would beat him senseless. Other days he looked like death, he tried to kill his friends. He was ill, Monsieur. His mind as scattered as my magic."
There was only silence. Rollan continued.
"Even so. I tried to be the Savior of the Gulch. My father Jean, he was a Hero-- but he was raised as a Knight of Arthuria..."
"[Soldier.]" Arne cut in.
Rollan continued, "He knew what was happening was wrong-- he tried to fix things. He stopped many things...he tried to teach me right and wrong, Monsieur. And he tried to learn to reason with my Mother. They were truly friends by the end..... as odd as that sounds. Two prisoners in their own way, hm? A man in a dying land and a woman labeled as a Monster, surrounded by unnatural chaos. I worked for the future they saw, hm?"
"And what future was that?" Claude asked.
"Unity."
Claude was reminded of Romulus once more.
"I just had to learn my Elven abilities-- how to use them with the power of the System. And then I could save everyone, Monsieur-- I could help Liam. I could free my mother; I could make my father proud to call his son an Elf."
"What happened?" Claude asked.
"Like I said before, Monsieur. Everything. More defects were born. Liam grew darker-- more insane. I had to watch him as much as the guards did. I learned the secrets of Aether Magic-- I learned why so many defects were born."
Claude and the others silently questioned him.
"It's simple, Monsieur. Aether Magic does not like Human magic, hm? The two rarely mix well. The magic of the Aether, and the System seem to have origins that oppose one another. My blindness set in after I awakened my Aether-- so did my sporadic aging. At first we all thought it was..... ehhh, instant evolution. My body being brought to it's strongest state faster than normal. But then..... the more I used Aether Magic, the harder it became to use Nature Magic...."
As Rollan said this, he moved his hand to the ground, and Claude watched as barely a few blades of grass rose to meet his touch. Using Aether Magic severely weakened his Nature Magic.
"Manipulation and Control. This world prefers one over the other, hm?"
"So..... some of you could use Aether Magic but that was it?"
Rollan shook his head, "That was not it. Aether Magic is incredibly taxing. Many children died in training, left as hollow husks sucked dry by their own absorbed Mana. And the more it was used the more it.... ehhh, the more it had a hold on you. It became an uneven mix within. Slowly, it looked as if Elf and Human were not meant to be. That was when me and Liam overheard plans to disband the project."
"They were going to erase you all." Claude said.
"Liam went nuts. For once, I joined him. All the work I had done-- all the pain and loss I tried to overcome with the thought of a better future in mind. And they were just going to..... take us away....ehhh, as if we never even existed. Me and Liam were unstoppable that night. They never saw us coming. We burned every compound to the ground before sunrise. I tried to free as many Javelins as I could-- I tried to save my father, only to find that he was dead."
"Liam." Cassidy said.
"What gave it away?" Rollan questioned.
Cassidy spit out the bone he was chewing, his eyes still hidden beneath his hood, "Liam is a classic case of vengeful mania. He was erratic as all hell. His emotions hit highs and lows seemingly at random. And I saw him that night with the rest of ya. He wore pieces of Elves and Humans. To demean-- to dehumanize. The simple sight of you, gave him a psychotic break. I reckon he hates Elves-- even Monsters, and Humans because he saw clear weakness in both. Not only did he see weakness, but he saw the love both had for you. He was confused. Deranged. He even had the same Monster summoning ability as our Wolfboy over here, but his was twisted. It didn't listen to him. Demons are simpler in that regard. Simple evil. Simple intentions."
That was right. Liam was a HellSlayer-- surprisingly enough. He was amazed that Cassidy caught that from his vantage point.
"[Impressive deductive skills. Maybe you should keep him close, Claude.]" Arne suggested.
Rollan nodded, "That's right, Hunter. He killed my father, he wanted me to join him in being the weapons they made us to be. I said no, hm?"
"I take it he didn't like that." Claude guessed.
"No. So, I fled. I disappeared, purposefully using my Aether Magic to age myself up. And blend in with the grizzled adults of the Gulch. And then I traveled for a few years, living off completed Tangents and Coven Raids. And then one day while I was training in a forest, a man wearing a blindfold and a green cloak found me."
"A Druid." Claude said.
Rollan nodded, "And here we are."
"So you went with the tree walkers... and Liam found the Demons." Cassidy said.
Rollan nodded, "But he was apart of something bigger. He knew things, Monsieur. He spoke of Scorned Shifters-- I feel that he was referring to you and your kind."
Claude shook his head, "That doesn't sound familiar to me... there's no way he should know."
"[Oh for the love of absolute fuck!]" Arne suddenly cursed.
"Maybe I do." Claude corrected, causing everyone to look at him oddly.
"[No. Bloody hell. Not right now.]"
"Alright. We're talking later." Claude replied to Arne.
"He also spoke of a Midnight Order." Rollan added.
"Midnight Wardens."
Claude and Cassidy said the name of the Guild at the same time.
The two looked at each other reflexively.
Now it was Rollan's turn to look confused.
"Fishy guild...apparently very fishy." Cassidy told the Druid.
"I see." Rollan said, "A Guild with possible connections to Demons sounds like terrible news."
Speaking of terrible news. He already knew the Midnight Wardens were bad news-- and apparently they were in places other than SkyHaven. Interesting. Other news he'd just learned of stayed clearer in his mind for many reasons.
"Rollan. If you look fifty at a little over twenty.... how old will you look at fifty?" Claude asked.
Rollan shrugged. He knew what Claude was truly asking, "My lifespan is mainly determined by my use of Aether Magic. I've got years left, Monsieur. Then again, there's the rare chance..... I could age twenty years tommorow..... I could age twenty years in a hundred..... I could age a hundred in two days. Who knows, hm? My life has been eventful, full of failures to both sides. But, Monsieur. Teaching you has been a success. It has helped me understand what my father must've felt all those years ago, hm?"
A lump suddenly formed in Claude's throat. He sat in silence as he watched Rollan.
"I didn't save you to have you just die tommorow." He thought.
Suddenly a lightbulb went off in Claude's mind. A disastrous lightbulb housing a lightning storm that rained fireballs of terrible results and even worse implications.
"Rollan. What if I could hel--"
"[No.]" Arne interrupted. His voice as hard and sharp as steel.
"What?! His life is even more fucked than mine! He has a better understanding of the world, and control of magic." Claude argued.
"[No, his life is not more fucked than yours, you arse! His life is sad, but he made it out. Your life is sad, and you're a rare species being hunted by a vengeful Shifter god that's been forcibly evolving his race over who knows how long. Your school bully also happens to be a promising member of said race. Demons also love your hate. The strongest Hero in the world wants to turn your ass into a bloody rug-- oh yes, the strongest Hero who is also the father of your school bully. Also you've been chosen by a god that wants you to try and stop it from eating the world. Oh als--]"
"ALRIGHT! FUCK!" Claude stomped the floor and caused the grass around them to explode in growth.
"What's the matter, Monsieur?" Rollan asked.
Claude dropped his head into his hands, "Nothing, Rollan... I just want to help. I want a win.... god dammit."
"[Claude, do you understand why you can't change Rollan into a Lupine? I'm not saying this for no reason.]"
"..."
"[Claude, don't you understand? Rollan is already Malformed.]"
Claude growled to himself.
Somebody off to his left replied with a groan and stretch in the grass.
"God damn, Claude. What are you angry about now? Didn't we defeat the Demons? Smile or something man."
Ursula's voice filled the silence as if she were always a part of the conversation.
She sat up in the grass, rolling her massive shoulders and cracking her neck before freezing.
"Holy hell..... it's the Satyr that spit on you-- is that a Banshee?!"
Ma flew over to Ursula and began hovering around her. Ursula iced up her arms defensively. "Personal space, spirit lady!"
"Hey guys??!?!" She yelled out.
"You were much prettier when you were sleeping." Ma said.
"Girl fuck you!"
Cassidy began laughing loud enough that he startled his hounds sleeping at his feet. The Satyrs tried to copy him, hooting and beating their chests like wildmen.
"Well, Monsieur." Rollan started. His voice cut through the sudden chaos with ease, "You said you wanted a win, no? I think we have one right here. At least for now. The touch of the desert is no more. Your power grows, and you're learning. Let's stay on this path. Walk the branches of this oak with me, Monsieur. At least for now, hm?"
"Yea..... alright, Rollan. Thanks.... for everything."
"My pleasure, Beast of Beasts."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
_Avatar0FFury_
_Avatar0FFury_ Well. Many things have been cleared-- even some things ppl didn't know needed to be. Anyway let me know what you think of this chap and thanks a bunch for reading! Also thanks for the powerstones Sonuis, Shazcam, Bop_, TheLucidParagon, Deadra606, Demosura, OSIRIS, Shadowwolf1928, ominous_reader, train_master, Amith_Sydney, Krystian_Chaney, krissch_, alex99, Bored_Soule, Bonb_Crusher, Alex_Bjs!
(Also peep Claude initiated the idea of changing someone. HEHEHE...... I won't say too much else lol.)
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