The Mysterious Synizn

When Fred shook the dizziness away he saw that he was no longer in the library of the demifoxes but in a cold, stone room that looked more like a wine cellar. In fact, one wall was lined with large, round, wooden casks. And the rest of the room was just as ordinary. A few benches, some rickety chairs, a wall cabinet, guttering lanterns strung from the ceiling. If this was the abode of the mysterious Synizn, well, it wasn't exactly what Fred was expecting.

As for the man himself, Fred wasn't sure what to expect. Not only was Synizn rumored to be a mage steeped in knowledge of magic and the occult, but it was said that he was a werebear. And also, Fred had not forgotten the man's outrageous claim that he was in fact a dragon and not a man at all. What would such a man look like? The scraps of story that Fred had heard from the knights of the Duchy Hillton had not really been specific about Synizn; he was just another dark and mysterious character that lived in the uncivilized southlands of Ryngaerd. As for what Astra had been able to tell him, it too was not much to go on. The amazon rangers who patrolled the border between Ryngaerd and Aqualaria were aware that he existed and that he roamed between the mountains of the Goth and the southern reaches of MalBoncton. They had heard many stories about him but much of it seemed to be just that, stories. And as long as Synizn did not cross over into Aqualarian territory the rangers didn't care what he was since he wasn't their problem.

But at the moment he was most definitely Fred's problem. The mage had whisked him away to this place with such ease that Fred knew, whether he was a werebear or not, Synizn was most definitely a powerful sorcerer. The only question then was whether he was a friend or a foe. Fred looked around the room again and realized that there was one other question as well. Just where was Synizn?

"Welcome, Lord Fred," a voice spoke out startling the Duke's son. Fred twirled about and saw a figure rise from a chair hidden in the darkness of an unlit corner of the room. It was a man. The man. Synizn.

Fred eyed Synizn warily as he walked into the light. He was middling sized, not a short man but not so tall as Fred was (or rather as tall as Fred used to be). He had thick, black, curly hair and a beard that grew out from his face like a tangled matting of fur. His hands were large and thick, the nails dark and jagged. His shoulders were wide and sat imposingly upon his burly frame. But it was Synizn's eyes that drew Fred's attention more than anything else. They were black, as black as night. But they shone with an intensity as Synizn walked up to him.

And then Fred realized that Synizn's eyes weren't fixed upon him, but upon the Crystallic that he held in his hand.

"It's gone! The Crystallic is gone!" Ringroot wailed through the cloth that covered his mouth. If only he had been there, protecting it, but that had not been the case. When the mob first struck Ringroot had rushed to the scene of the attack. But when it just as suddenly dispersed Ringroot was filled with a terrible dread and ran as fast as he could to the library. The black gas had almost completely dispersed by the time he reached Arkas. And by that time it was far too late. Arkas dozed upon the floor where he had fallen and the Crystallic had vanished just as completely as Astra had. A quick check proved that Fred too was now missing. Ringroot gnashed his teeth and cursed his stupidity. He had been caught completely off guard and tricked more easily than his pride would have liked. But that was unimportant right now. The only thing that mattered was the Crystallic. But he had no idea where it was nor could he presume to know who it was that had taken it. But if Synizn was the one who had it then Ringroot feared that his hurt pride was the least of the pain that would soon be felt and he would not be the only one who would suffer.

Fred held the Crystallic tightly. It was the only bargaining chip he had with this unknown mage, he wouldn't just hand it over blithely. Not when he didn't know if he could trust him or not and Fred had every reason to distrust him, not least of which was the fact that Synizn was a self-confessed dragon-friend. But Synizn held the power to restore Fred's humanity and if what Malachi had said was true then he only had five days left before his humanity was lost forever. He was running out of time. What choice then did he have but to hand the Crystallic over to Synizn? That was the reason, after all, that he and Astra had come to Walants. But now that he was with the man Fred was not so sure that he wanted to give something as powerful as the Crystallic to a man he did not know. And of course the fact that Synizn had kidnapped Astra and used her as a hostage did nothing to make Fred feel particularly inclined toward helping the mage.

Synizn though seemed to expect nothing else. He held out his hand and said, "I'll take the Crystallic now."

Fred stared at him and wondered what he should do. There were just too many mysteries about the man. Who was he, really? And why did he want the Crystallic so badly - was it just to cure himself of his lycanthropy? Fred worried that handing it over would mean aiding some kind of dragon plot; he certainly did not want anyone else to fall victim to the Crystallic's apparent transmutative powers as he and Astra had. But then, neither did he wish to remain trapped in the form of a demifox for the rest of his life. 'And I also don't want to end up dead at the hands of a bloody sorcerer,' he reminded himself. Not that he really needed to considering the fact that he was unarmed, in unfamiliar territory, and with a man who wielded unknown magics. All in all it was Synizn who had the advantage here, and one wrong move on Fred's part could prove to be the knight's last. So once again Fred wondered what choice did he have but to hand the Crystallic over to the mage?

Synizn was obviously unhappy with Fred's hesitation but he was even less happy when Fred finally replied.

"No," Fred answered, but before Synizn could respond Fred added, "Not until you take me to Astra and not unless you swear that you shall restore the both of us to our rightful forms." Fred knew that he risked Synizn's wrath with his demands but he refused to simply hand over the Crystallic like some fetching dog. If Synizn struck him down with his magic then that would be the end of it regardless of what he did. On the other hand, even if Synizn did give his word, Fred knew that he had no reason to believe that it would mean anything. Still, Fred felt obliged to extend him the courtesy of his knightly class. That was how he had been bred. And although Fred knew that Synizn was at best an unsavory man he also hoped that the mage would appreciate the deference that was being offered him, and return it in kind. If he didn't then Fred would just have to deal with him as he would any worthless scoundrel, assuming he lived long enough that is.

1. Synizn responded by...

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree