All Chapters of Aries Ascendant: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

   A long time ago, the freedom of riding Heru was something that I dreamed about, locked away surrounded by spellbooks and test tubes.  He would fly past my window, his wingtips lightly brushing the stone and steel bars like a whisper of greater things to come.Now, I fear his judgement and have earned his disgust.  I think.  He's an older dragon than most of them were, so he's more skilled in hiding his thoughts and emotions from a partner.  Or former partner.  I'm not sure what we are anymore.  I cough.  I feel his words rumbling in his deep chest before he flicks his head and speaks."Any guidance on where you want me to go? Or do I fly aimlessly again today?"  There is a small edge in his voice."I don't see anything to fly towards," I counter, standing.  Swaying with his wingbeats, I step closer to his neck, and look around for a few minutes.  At what?The sands

  My hands blister but I finish the fire and racking with tools from my pack and small summons for other supplies. No Nakiil needed, I could barely tell that the many goats I'd stolen drained a tiny amount of its power.  "That's good," I muttered to myself. "No magic drain in this realm, no commonplace occurances of magics, no competition, low requirements."  I thump my forehead in frustration. Speaking aloud was a bad habit that Heru had lectured me about time and again, I was glad he wasn't around to hear -"I'm gone for a few hours and you already relapse.  I think I'll have to take a pinion for that and make you pluck the other for yourself, unless you like wobbly flight," Heru quips.  He's used some magic of his own, floating the cleaned, dressed, and butchered goats behind him in a weird train of food.  "Why did you summon so many? You're going to have to vault half of these," He continued."I didn't ask you to b

     I can't see.  I can't speak.  I can't feel anything but the burning from my wrist and I'm slightly aware of the wind brushing past my body.  I shake my head vigorously and focus on the wind.  My vision clears slightly.Heru is unconscious, black flames licking at his scales where the black tendrils of Hell had gripped him so tightly, and I'm not far behind.  We are free falling, down now, and I can feel the realms shattering underneath us as we crash through each dimension.  I begin to lose my vision again as I start to try to control our crazy descent.  My eyes brighten until they glow, all I can see is the countless holes we have left in each place, crossing this way and that with each other.  I find a place that looks relatively unscathed by our rapid escape and begin to move us towards it.  Heru groans, but he isn't conscious yet.  Too bad, I could use t

   "I'm surprised he was able to stay awake for so long," the boy replies.  "I had to help the both of you here, but he refused to leave you, or let me take you and come back for him.""That sounds exactly right," I laughed sarcastically as I began to unwrap my leg.  "What is your name, and what type are you?""I'm Orion," he replied.  "I was suprised to find another person named after the stars, but it seems like we are a match!" He laughed, then stopped instantly as I glared witheringly at him."Aries is a star for you, interesting," I replied, unwinding the last bit of bandage.  He was right, the poison had come close to liquifying the poor plants he'd stuffed into the bite mark.  They were soupy at best.  "It is not a star for me, but a promise.""Promise of what?" asked Orion. I shook my head.  "What type are you?" I asked again."I'm not sure what you mean. I'm a studen

   "OH! Oh, uhhhhhh...." Orion stares at me as if the words for what he needs will appear floating in front of them. Well, he is a mage, even if a weak one, so perhaps they will."A velkhorn, and like he said, a cart, is fine, uh, if you could summon one that isn't, ah," he appeared to be...blushing? "Isn't...what?" I asked.  He looked at the ground, turning a deeper shade of red.  "Isn't what, Orion?""Isn't in ...heat." he said, faltering.  "They're very aggressive and tempermental when they are.""Ah, you said 'crazy as a velkhorn' earlier, that's what you meant.  No need to blush, Orion," I slapped him on the shoulder.  "Birds do it, bees do it, velkhorns and fleas do it.""Fleas?" He looked almost crossed eyed now."Never mind. I've already got the image from your memory.  Here we go."  I still don't use the Nakiil, and draw the velk and cart into existence