SYLIS
“Quicker!” Sylis instructed. Lana punched his hands as fast as she could, her enthusiasm for the fighting lesson non existent. Her muscles ached, her knuckles burned, and her forehead was beaded in sweat. This was not how she expected her return from the Hags to be like. In fact, it felt more like a punishment when she had made a concerted effort to not run head strong into the fight. Apparently being polymorphed into a cat was just another sign of her weakness.
As she finished her set, Lana shook her arms out before bracing herself on her knees. She was tired of training for the day. It had been the fourth day in a row that Sylis had pushed her in his new endeavour to make her a better rogue. Considering they were stuck on the flying airship, it was really the only thing to do besides walking around, eating food, and sleeping.
“Come on. One more set,” Sylis ordered. Lana ran her tongue across her taut lips. Many thoughts flitted across the surface of her mind. She was annoyed with the incessant training, yet part of her sore body reveled in becoming stronger. Lana wished Sylis wouldn’t work her so hard, but there was something exciting about seeing him without his shirt on, on the ship deck, shining in his own perspiration as he worked with her. Yet she missed Rin and his sweet nature. It had been eleven days since she last saw the Halfling.
Eleven days!?
The day after Rin returned home from Faela’s healing ward, Lana returned to the Bringers of Hope guild. She was reluctant, but with the promise of seeing Rin soon and his kiss upon her lips, Lana met with Rasuvius and handed him the bill from Faela. It was agreed that Lana’s earnings would go to paying back her debt. He then asked her to gather the other guild members of her group for he had their next mission ready.
Lana knocked apprehensively on Sylis’s door. The fight they’d had still stung, yet a mixture of guilt worked in as she thought about what she had done. Why did she drag Rin into her mess? What would happen if Sylis found out about Rin and her?
You can do this, she coached herself.
Why? Why not run away with Rin?
Because Sylis will always be able to find you.
That thought made Lana freeze with dread. Sylis’s Dean could scry her whenever. He did it once already. The Elf had shown Lana to Sy before they ever met. And one day Sylis would be able to scry her. A feeling of trapped lined her stomach.
The door opened up to the wizard standing there. His platinum blonde hair was freshly cut and his icy blue eyes pierced her own. Sylis gave a surprised look to see Lana. She smiled back, though her eyes were filled with worry.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“Hey,” Sylis parroted back. After a few awkward moments, the wizard gently took Lana into his arms, hugging her.
“I’m sorry,” she said fighting back the tears. Lana was sorry for being angry with him, afraid of him, and betraying him. She meant it, though at the same time she knew she wasn’t about to right her wrongs. Her temper was thin, Sylis would alway be able to find her, and Lana wasn’t about to stop seeing Rin.
Lana should have felt worse, especially when he whispered back, “Me too baby girl.” Instead gratitude filled her and she couldn’t deny that Sylis loved her. In a way she knew she did, even if it wasn’t in the same way.
They had only a few minutes to reconnect, each taking turns to say how their week went. Sylis had gone to see his mother and Dean. Lana told him mostly of her time about Jessie, handing him the picture she drew for him and telling Sylis the truth about her. This lead to her revealing her past- or at least why she was sent to the asylum.
“I wish I had the courage to kill my father, that bastard,” Sylis had commented. The words made Lana flinch a little. When she had killed her mother, Emma, it was no easy decision. Of course she would have rathered Emma had lived, but she was dying. For six years Lana’s mother’s lungs slowly deteriorated to the point she was bedridden and barely able to breathe. It was an act of mercy that put Lana in the asylum. There was no bravery or courage behind it. Just love.
Soon Lana resumed gathering the other member of her’s and Sy’s group; Shard. When the three of them joined their guild leader in the conference room, they were joined by another group. Lana had seen them around the guild. There were the two half orcs, Brugg and Don. Don was a druid and wore an elk skull like a mask. Brugg wore furs and was from a tribe that followed the ways of the bear. There was a man, who wore knight like armor, named Chance. And the woman who wore a dire wolf headdress, named Hey You.
All seven were instructed that on the morning they would leave to destroy the Hags that have been behind a lot of the misfortune in Sharn. Lana shuddered as she remembered the Demon from three weeks ago. Her heart then dropped when she heard that it would be a week long trek on their airship.
Two weeks away from Rin? She had thought then. It still weighed upon her mind, even with their success against the Hags. Lana anxiously awaited the remaining three days to reunite with Rin.
*Thmmp*
Lana lost her balance as Sylis suddenly brought his hand around and hit her in the shoulder. He quickly used his other hand to keep her from falling. Lana looked up at Sylis as she got her bearings again. Sylis was always a step ahead and her annoyance with him reignited.
“Hey, you’re going to get better baby girl,” Sylis said, seeming to read her thoughts.
“How do ya even know any of this?” Lana asked, “I mean, you’re a Wizard aren’t ya?”
Sylis beamed a smug smile. “My mom’s a particularly well trained Rogue. She taught me what she knew to give me an edge.” When Lana didn’t comprehend, Sylis added, “You know? Spell casters tend to only be as good as their spell. I happen to have the Rogue arts as part of my skills too. Enemies will have to try harder to take me out because I know how to read a fight and utilize stealth to my advantage. And since you’re rather quick, I figured I’d teach you what I know. You’ll be kicking me around soon enough.
“Now remember,” Sylis went on, walking around Lana, examining her posture, “you always want to anticipate a fight. It’s when you put your guard down that you open yourself up for attack,” he then lashed out a fist at Lana’s shoulder, she barely flinching out of the way.
The Wizard smiled, “Now that’s more like it!” He then wrapped Lana in his arms and kissed her forehead. “I love you. Let’s go get some lunch,” he said. A grin worked across Lana’s lips. She moved out of the wizard’s arms and took his hand in hers. Though she missed Rin, she was happy that she had Sylis. And with him, she was going to become someone great.
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