Elias Cinderstorm - A short sorcerer with dark long straight hair, right side of his torso and his right arm is covered in red scales, signifying his draconic heritage. Well built, athletic.
Snow Ardos - A tall, mottled purple skinned tiefling, always accompanied by his white barn owl familiar -Quartz. Snow is a Wizard, of a rather slim build.
It rained heavily that night. Lady Moon hidden beneath a thick layer of storm clouds helped none, as the only thing that lit Elias's way were thunderbolts and the tiny flickering flame he coddled in his palm.
He was limping, Using his glaive as a crutch or a walking cane. His heart was thumping akin to the thunder's roar. He was close, he knew it. He recognized that rock, and the stream that crossed the path. "Just a little bit more," he argued with himself as he fought with the insurmountable tiredness that weighed on his shoulders and eyelids. "Just a little bit more."
It took him about an hour, but then the relief washed away the exhaustion as he saw the tip of snow's tower. He pushed forward, barely stepping on his right leg as he hobbled towards it. The Climb up the few stairs was a pain, but the sorcerer was extra careful not to slip on the wet stone and he reached the wooden door.
Elias leaned himself on the door and started to catch his breath, but then he slammed his fist against the door, and he shouted out "SNOW! Please open the door, It's me, It's Elias, please!" The desperation in his voice was clearly audible and surprisingly unlike him.
He banged on the doors a few more times, and then they opened, and Elias fell in.
"What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night." Snow said with a candle in his palm. He was wrapped in a purple bathrobe and looked extremely groggy.
Elias picked himself up from the floor, resting most of his body weight on the glaive. "Snow, you, you gotta help me." He got closer to him, grabbing him by the bathrobe, his voice pleading, desperate. Trembling.
Snow snapped his fingers and the lights in the room lit up with blue, cold flames. "Alright, just sit down and tell me what happened." He answered with his warm though concerned voice.
Elias stumbled forwards, grabbing onto the nearest chair and sat down. He let out a relieved sigh, as he's been walking for almost a week with no rest. He put down his hood revealing that his head's right side was almost entirely covered in scales, most of the ones on his face have been forcefully plucked, leaving red marks and scabs. His eye now fully yellow, Iris crimson red, with a vertical pupil. But the most defining new feature of his face was a single horn growing alongside the top of his scalp ending in a sharp point.
"Oh gods." Snow whispered.
"I..." Elias started and rubbed his eyes in embarrassment, his voice cracked as he continued "It, has been growing, I couldn't hold it back. It's been slowly overtaking me." The two buttons holding up his cloak were undone and the cloak fell to the ground behind him. "Bout of anger here and there, I couldn't hold them back. They're growing stronger, and I feel like I'm on a hair trigger. But a week ago..." Elias paused as the fresh painful memory flashed in his eyes. "I was out of money, no food. Starving, honestly. It went so bad that I blacked out, but when I came back I was face deep in a deer carcass, and then it started to spread again. But the second I felt it cover the rest of my leg.." Then there was a moment of silence as a single tear rolled down his cheek as he hung down his head. Both of his hands went down to his right leg and pulled up the leg of his trousers up. Revealing a clawed, dragonlike digitigrade leg, all covered with dark red scales, tipped with sharp talons. "I could feel my bones break, hear muscle and sinew rip as my leg turned to.. this."
Snow sat there frozen in place, his eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar, struggling to let out a single word. Last time they saw each other Elias's scales were barely getting onto his thigh, and now, all it took was two years.
"Elias, I don't know what to say" he finally closed his mouth, his long tail swished behind the chair. He leaned in and took a look at the leg. A big sigh later the Tiefling had straightened his back once more and looked at the sorcerer's face. "Elias, you look like shit, let me prepare you a bed, we can talk about it in the morning, when you're rested, when was the last time you slept? Showered? Eaten?" He questioned.
"Maybe six days ago? And I ran out of rations two days ago. I've been in a lot of rush." Elias replied with a heavy sigh."I don't smell that bad."
"Oh sweetheart, you smell absolutely abhorrent, repugnant, even." he said and stood up, the tail still swishing in concern. Snow put his palm on Elias's shoulder, who flinched upon the touch. "Come, take a shower. I'll leave you some clothes, and make you some food."
Elias sniffled and stood up, he stumbled at first, but then Followed Snow up the stairs, which were a mighty challenge for the sorcerer. But eventually, one step at a time, they got to the bathroom section of the tower.
Snow opened one of the drawers pulling out some of Elias's old clothing he's stashed for later. Elias took them and closed himself off in the bathroom. The journey to the mirror was difficult, He rested his palms on the sink and took a deep deep breath, and then looked forward. In front of him was a shell of a man. Dirty, face full of old scabs, with eyebags big enough to sleep on. He moved his claw to pick at the scales, but a single thought of displeasing Snow knocked that idea out of the park. Each piece of garment slowly, over time, fell into the laundry bin. He scratched his ass and stepped into the shower.
Despite the leg working fine now, Elias remembered the moment very vividly. He was standing above the mangled corpse of the deer. Then there was an audible SNAP, and incredible warmth around his breaking tibia. He collapsed to the ground grasping at the leg with a scream stuck in his throat. His breathing fastened as he could feel the flesh in his calf move, snapping like strings on a guitar. Bundle. By. Bundle. Everything in front of Elias's eyes went pure white, as the pain was overwhelming. Then the leg snapped again, another bone, as if a twig. He felt as if his leg was about to burst open as the bones shifted and regrew in horrific tempo. Creating a new joint underneath his palm felt like It was full to the brim with molten steel, just taking its shape, Not yet ready to be cooled down.
The burning sensation of the flesh fusing back together at a new angle. Fresh skin stinging. Until it just. stopped, Leaving a pulsing pain, exaggerated by the slightest movement of a brand new muscle.
He fought back hard to keep composure, to not break in the shower. He grabbed the soap and started washing himself as he started to slowly crumble. He managed to clean all the gunk inbetween his scales and wash his hair without collapsing completely. Small victories. The Sorcerer walked out of the bathroom, dressed, and almost bumped into Snow.
"See, you look better already. You feel any better?" Snow questioned, shifting his weight to the other leg.
"Not exactly," Elias replied shortly. The confidence that once resided in this man seemed to be fleeting, or gone. He wasn't even looking Snow in the eyes like he used to.
But it was clear that he felt better in his presence, there was maybe a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Come, I've made some food." Snow started, walked in a little closer to Elias and gently, ever so slowly took his palm. "We'll take care of this first thing in the morning. I promise." he whispered softly. Elias's hand gripped his tightly.
They stumbled to the kitchen, which smelled of freshly cooked meat among many other herbs that were strung all over to dry. Elias sat on the stool, where a fresh meal of cooked chicken, potatoes and some greens was waiting for him. He didn't even wait for cutlery, and started almost literally inhaling the food.
