#marcus arcon

He moved through Arcon's workshop slowly. Wyrren wasn't where he should have been, but he knew he had to be in here somewhere.

He found him laying close to the wall, out of the way. Arcon had probably just left him there. He moved over to the half-elf, jostling him slightly. "Hey, little stone, look at me. Are you awake? Can you move? What did he do to you?"

Everything hurt. Everything hurt so much more then before. Wyrren didn't want to move. He didn't want to be moved, and Calcipher wasn't as gentle about it as he would have liked.

He finally opened his eyes, and focused on the teifling, but gave no other indication that he was conscious. Calcipher let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"You're leaving with a few others tomorrow. I don't know where. I don't know if you'll come back." Calcipher took a shaky breath, trying to calm down. "Arcon's really not happy about it, and for once I agree with him."

Calcipher paused. "he took it out on you, didn't he?"

Wyrren made the slightest of nods. he moved slowly, but he managed the gestures. 'Don't want to leave you here. Will you go?'

He shook his head "They won't let me. I tried, I begged, but my master wouldn't have it. I'm sorry. you'll be on your own."

'Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone then. I'll come back for you. I promised.'

"I guarantee nothing. Someone has to be the idiot."

Wyrren closed his eyes. He was tired. He didn't want to go. It had been too long. He had gotten used to it. They would both be alone again, and Wyrren didn't know how long he could handle that. He knew he wouldn't last alone.

Wyrren cracked open his eyes one more time as he signed. 'Can you stay? Please. I don't want to be alone. I'm... afraid.'

Calcipher nodded and sat down, moving Wyrren against him for support. "I promise I won't leave you. Not until I absolutely have to. You should rest." Wyrren took a long moment to look at his friend, before finally closing his eyes again.

Calcipher stayed that way, quietly talking until he was sure Wyrren had fallen asleep. He wouldn't leave. He wouldn't sleep. He would stay until they had to take him. He promised.

***

Arcon grumbled quietly as he passed through his workshop, looking for the notes he had forgotten. The wizard stopped in his tracks as he noticed eyes watching him.

Calcipher sat cross legged on the floor, glaring up at Arcon. Wyrren lay unconscious across him, a arm draped protectively over his shoulders.

He looked from Calcipher, to Wyrren, then back again, locking eyes with the tiefling. Neither of them moved.

"Calcipher."

"Arcon"

"You're not supposed to be in here"

"No. I'm not."

finally Arcon moved to one of the tables, and resumed his search, still glancing at the tiefling. "I assume you don't plan on killing me while you're here, otherwise I would likely already be dead."

Every muscle in his body desperately wanted to, but if he did, they would have to run. He'd thought about it before, but where would they run to? They would be followed. The Keeper wouldn't let him go that easy.

"As satisfying as it would be. No. It wouldn't change anything. He'll still be gone tomorrow. Killing you would just make things worse." Running from here had never been a viable option. Not for him. Not without help.

"Why did you just leave him here?"

"Not worth the effort to move him. He wasn't in the way." Arcon grabbed a stack of papers then began to leave. "You have three hours. Do what you will with that. Just don't touch anything."

then he was gone. Leaving them alone.

If he could just run faster, just a little farther, he was almost there, he could almost reach him. Wyrren could see him.

Calcipher was hanging from the edge of where the floor had been moments ago. Wyrren knew the fall wouldn't technically hurt him, and the fire wouldn't do much, but there was something else down there, and it didn't sound friendly.

Calcipher's claws scrabbled against the floor as he tried to get a hand hold. Wyrren slid across the floor and grabbed his hands, trying to pull him up.

"You can't do this all by yourself idiot. I'm slipping. I don't have any foot holds." Wyrren shook his head. 'Shut up, I'm trying to help you, you asshole.' He was helping, only a little bit, but he was helping.

Calcipher looked over as the gem in Wyrren's left hand began to glow stronger, then looked down into the hole. They both knew what that meant. It only took a few seconds, he wouldn't have enough time.

'No no no no no no. not now, not now!' he had him. Wyrren had him. If he just had a little more time he was sure he could pull Calcipher up. 'Just let me help him. Just this once! Please...'

Calcipher looked back up at Wyrren with a sad smile "Listen to me alright? It's not your fualt. I'll be fine. Trust me, okay? I'll be fine... Theres nothing you can do." And then he was gone.

Calcipher took a breath, bracing himself, then he jumped off. He would have to fight.

***

Wyrren slammed his fists on the floor in frustration, he had been so close. He glared up at Arcon, standing on the other side of the room. "Oh? Were you trying to do something?"

Wyrren moved to charge at Arcon but quickly fell back to the ground as pain began to shoot through his arm. Lightning coursed through the mark on his hand going almost to his shoulder.

"Ah ah ah, none of that Brackenstone. You should know better." Arcon's smug smile was infuriating. He knew exactly what he had done.

He simply left Wyrren there, curled up around his arm, crying. He was angry. He was frustrated. Most of all he felt helpless.

Arcon looked over the half-elf as he stirred slightly. He wouldn't be able to move, so it didn't disturb his work. "waking up now that you can breath again are you? Good. That means you can listen." Arcon wasn't happy with the current situation. irritation dripped from his voice as he spoke. He had been disturbed from something it seemed.

Wyrren's eyes slowly focused on the man standing over him. He clearly wasn't very lucid yet, but it would do. "The enforcer very nearly collapsed your airway, and if you had been left there much longer you likely would have choked to death. Your lucky I wasn't terribly occupied when you got here, though if you keep this up, eventually I'm going to just let them kill you."

Arcon grabbed another tool and began closing the wound around Wyrren's neck. "I've fixed what I felt was necessary. breathing shouldn't be a problem for long, though it will be very uncomfortable until it fully heals. Your voice box has been damaged, but it's not like you were using it for much anyways, so I left it. Might be interesting to see how it heals"

Arcon could tell the paralysis would start to wear off soon. Good. That meant he could return his work. He stood up and began cleaning his hands, watching the half-elf as he did so.

"Now get up. You still have work to do. Like cleaning up this mess." He sent a shock up the boy's arm to make sure he didn't pass out again, and to get him moving faster.

Wyrren jolted into a sitting position, struggling through both the pain and the remaining paralysis, he began to move as ordered.

Arcon moved to leave, saying "Remember Brackenstone, there will be consequences for this. Starting tomorrow. Pressing or not, I don't appreciate my work being disturbed"

The keeper shoved Wyrren further into the room as he spoke "This ones all yours Arcon. It's a shame really, He had potential as an enforcer, but he's considered a flight risk now. try to make him last, will you? hate to see him go to waste."

The wizard smiled as he picked up a gem from one of the many tables, examining it. "don't worry. I'll make good use of him."

The keeper turned to leave, Calcipher in tow behind him. Wyrren caught his eye as they left, giving a small smile.

The tiefling paused in the door, gaving a sad smile in return and waved goodbye. leaving Wyrren alone with his new master.

Arcon briefly looked him over before grabbing a hand full of tools. "Hmm. Left handed. Half-elf. sleep spells won't work then. Unfortunate. you'll have to be conscious."

The way he grinned as he spoke told Wyrren he found that far from unfortunate.

That didn't bode well at all.

***

It had been a few days since he'd been deposited into the care of Marcus Arcon. Wyrren thought the branding had hurt, but it paled in comparison to what Arcon had done. The branding had been over quickly.

His hand still hurt around the gem now embedded into it.

"Hey..." Wyrren turned toward the sound to see Calcipher crouched by the window, arm stretched out towards him. "Would you... would you like to look at the stars again? We'll stay close so you don't get in trouble, I promise."