Sarz

Bio credit for the story goes to ArcaneShadows and can be found at her shop here by clicking this link

Name: Sarz (Sar-Zes)

Combat classes/disiplains: Paladin and melee combat expert


(story by ArcaneShadows[over all part 1])

Sarz knows he is a very great dragon. He knows what to do in a fight, he knows what to do with friends, and he knows what love truly means. But all of these things that he knows, can be told to no one. Can I trust you to keep a secret?

Oh, good. I probably shouldn't be doing this; I could get in big trouble. But I think you should be able to learn Sarz's secrets. You must be very great as well. I can see from the look in your eye. I do hope you're a trustworthy person, for these secrets are not taken lightly. Many a dragon would kill you to know them. And if you did happen to tell anyone, I would have to kill both you and them. Are you ready to take the risk? If so, keep reading. But if you've gone chicken feel free to close this page right now.

Ah, so you're still here. Brave dragon. But not necessarily smart. Well, enough talk. Let's go.

Where are we going, you ask? Well, we're going to see Sarz himself. Where did you think we'd go? To the movie theater?

I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Araizar. Sarz's friend. I mean, uh, mate. I've known him since we were both little hatchlings. And what's your name?

Oh. Interesting. You are smart. Ya'know, I wouldn't give away my name either, but Sarz shouts "ARAIZAR!" at the top of his lungs every time I walk in his cave, so I figured I'd just tell you earlier instead of waiting for him to do the honor. Oh, we're here. Great! And here he goes!

"ARAIZAR!!!!!"

A bright pink guardian charges out to meet you. He is covered from head to toe in shadowscale armor, and he holds a silver, pointy looking sword. His indigo eyes gleam in the moonlight.

"What took you so long? And who's this dragon with you? I've already told you, Araizar, I don't want visitors." Sarz shouts.

Oh, you'll warm up to him quickly, don't worry! Sarz may seem hard as a shell, but on the inside he is actually very kind.

It's okay Sarz, this visitor just wants to talk for a little bit.

"Fine." The dragon mutters.

Sarz leads you into his den. It is covered in sparkling magenta treasure. Sarz's eyes glint as he surveys his goods. He leads you to a table studded with jewels, where a cups of steaming hot tea and piles of small, glittering crystal cakes lay.

"So I heard you want to talk." Sarz muses, a bit more kindly this time.

You look to Araizar for support. He is curling himself around a comfy, soft blue and white pillow that has on the front ARAIZAR embroidered in purple silk. The sky colored Nocturne looks up and motions to you to speak with his tail.

"Yes." You stutter.

"About how great I am. Is that right?"

You feel unsettled. It is like this dragon can read your mind.

"Yes." You repeat.

"Well." Sarz settles into his chair, submerging himself in fluffy pillows.

"I guess that's a long story. About how I got my greatness. But I guess you do really want to know, don't you?"

You nod your head earnestly.

"Very well." Sarz clears his throat, waits a little while, clears his throat again, and then he begins.

"When I was a young dragon, I had no friends, except for Ariazar here. Well, I had no friends for a reason. It was because of my relationship with Ariazar. Other dragons thought it wasn't right to love a dragon of the same gender. At the time, I had felt mixed emotions about this. I wanted friends, but I wanted Araizar too! I didn't know what to do. But then I realized you should love who you want to love, no matter who it is. And if others don't like who you love, too bad! They have no control over your life, and if they want to be a control freak about it, they have to look somewhere else. But don't think I figured this out by myself. Araizar and Manis did most of the thinking work."

With this, a giant Manticore struts out from behind an assortment of pillows. He yawns, displaying bleached white, extremely sharp teeth. The Manticore, Manis, scans you disdainfully and then turns to lay beside his master, eyeing a bird circling the trapped corners of Sarz's cave.

"Oh yes. This is Manis. My familiar. I've known him since he was born, and we've been friends ever since.

You shift in your chair uneasily. Sarz seems to notice.

"Don't worry. Manis won't hurt you unless you purposely provoke him."

Manis smiles at you as if he would be happy to be provoked.

"Now, continuing. Maybe I should tell you about why I like my master so much. You have a master? No? Oh, well, I guess you don't really know how it feels then, but I can try to describe it to you the best I can. Well, I've always been really protective towards my master, as well as dragons I deeply care for. I love my master with all my heart - cause they're always getting me new apparel and gene scrolls. Oh, I can't wait to get that new gene thingy, I think it's stained or something. But anyways, that's why I love my master so much. But you know the thing I also love? Battle!
Oh don't be scared, I wouldn't hurt you. I just like the thrill of fighting in general. And I also love cleaning and sharpening my armor, feeling that excitement of preparing myself for battle. And for that, I haven't lost a battle even once. Never."

You are moved by this. This dragon is stronger and wiser than you thought.

"One weird thing that always seems to make other dragons uncomfortable is touching each other. We've all been taught since we were little hatchlings to keeps our wings, talons, and tails to ourselves. But I've always liked to be touched."

Sarz rolls onto his back,showing his belly, a very trusting gesture for a dragon since their bellies are the softest part of their body.

"Do you mind?" He asks.

You slowly begin to rub a talon over the Guardian's soft stomach. He gives a sigh, and then flips over.

"Thanks! Now I believe it's time for me to sleep. Araizar can lead you back home if you want. No, you can find your own way? Very well then. It was nice to meet you!
Make sure you share my secrets with no one. Just remember. Love who you want. Love what you want. And be what you want! Farewell, brave dragon. May our paths cross again."

(story by ArcaneShadows[over all part 1])

Bio credit for the part2 story by Disillusionist (over all part 7) goes to Disillusionist and can be found at her shop here by clicking this link

(part2 story by Disillusionist ([over all part 7])

Once we’d ascertained everyone else was all right, I turned my attention to Manis. My poor Manis...He needed immediate care. I cradled him as gently as I could as we headed to the infirmary. I could heal him quickly enough with my magic, but at least there, I would have access to supplies in case the wounds were worse than they appeared. With Shade-touched beasts, you could never tell at first glance how bad the damage really was.

We arrived at the infirmary soon enough. The feral manticore hadn’t carried Shade poison in its claws, thank goodness....I could safely heal the injuries now. I spread my paw over Manis’ shoulders, where the wounds were deepest. He growled as the magic took hold; another dragon might’ve been frightened by that and the twitch of his tail, but Manis and I knew each other well. I knew he wouldn’t strike me, just as he understood that the magic was there to heal him, not hurt him further.

Still, I couldn’t help heaving a sigh of relief as the wounds closed. Manis winked up at me. “Hey,” he chortled, “I’m not dead yet.” And that rascal, that brave and beautiful rascal, he licked me straight from chin to brow!

What I could do then? I laughed at him, of course. It was a great relief to be able to laugh after those tense discussions, and then the shock of seeing him nearly killed by that rogue manticore—

“Poor thing,” Manis sighed. I couldn’t help staring at him in shock. “What d’you mean by that?”

“He must’ve been hungry, Sarz. I’m guessing he went into the trophy room because he was starving and smelled traces of meat. Some of those bones were kind of new.”

“And I neglected to secure the trophy room last time I was inside.” I couldn’t help cursing myself. I’d made much about the trophy room being off-limits to others, yet I’d failed to secure it from a hostile intruder! And Manis had very nearly paid the price. “If Verisal hadn’t been there—”

“Yes, Verisal.” Manis sat up then. He looked straight at me; I knew what was coming next, but damned if I was going to leave right then—not after what’d happened to him.

“Verisal...She was so upset.” Manis sighed.

“You heard her?”

“I’ve got very good ears, Sarz, remember? She thought we’d...deceived her.” His ears and tail drooped. I could feel my own spirits sinking, too. Verisal’s words still stung—I suppose it was because there’d been some truth to them. We hadn’t exactly been transparent with her and Thalissi. Thal, bless her, had seen right to the heart of the matter immediately, but Verisal...Oh, she seemed very stubborn.

“Do you think she’d...give us a chance? Manis?”

“Yes.” He nodded firmly. His white eyes glinted with conviction. “Ariazar’s been with her for some time; from what he’s told us before, she won’t just run out on us. Sarz...The reason she reacted so strongly was because she cared, she really did.”

Manis’ wounds were mostly healed by now. I took some more supplies from the shelf. A bit of healing ointment and some bandages...I wouldn’t drain myself by doing magic, and the results would be just as good. He would be right as rain by tomorrow.

“Manis, we’ll have to make things up to Verisal and Thalissi, and you’ll have to help me out. Fighting is all I know.”

“Mm...” He reached out, lazily stroked my chin with his paw. “If I were you, I wouldn’t sell myself short in that department.”

“Come now, I’m being serious.”

“So am I.” The bandaging was complete, and I helped Manis stand up. He stretched carefully, spreading his batlike wings. “Right now, Verisal seems really unsure about us. She likes us, Sarz—I can tell that much. But she thinks we just want to use her, and now she’s thinking that her notions of us were mistaken all along.”

“Are they?” I hated to imagine what she was feeling about us.

“Honestly, Sarz, I can’t answer that right now.” Manis raised his head. His eyes momentarily grew distant. “You know, I recall something Ariazar said once, something he pried from one of those books of his....”

“Yes.” I couldn’t help wincing as I remembered Ariazar. He’d looked so distressed, too....I’d have to make things up to him as well. But he would insist that Verisal come first, so...

“It’s a saying: If you want to be loved, be lovable!” Manis grinned, showing off all his sharp, neat teeth.

“You’re saying I should seduce her?”

He gave a great roar of laughter. “I don’t think you’re quite ready for that yet, Sarz—and no, that’s not like you at all. Let her come to know and appreciate the real you.”

I still couldn’t wrap my head around it, and I told him so. “I’ve got a real headache right now.”

“Yeah, it’s been a really stressful day....I hope it won’t get worse. OK, maybe we can talk about it later. We have other things to take care of, anyway.” He sighed deeply. “That other manticore...Poor thing. We’ll have to bury him....”

I left Manis to recuperate and hopefully think of something that would mitigate this mess. Things were very tense in the lair right now. As I reentered the trophy room, I noticed that Verisal and Ariazar had gone. Ariazar had probably coaxed her out; I hoped they were getting along well together.

It would be up to me to bury the slain manticore—I never took manticores as trophies, and I didn’t aim to start now. Verisal would probably find the idea repugnant as well, since she was already partnered with Artemis....As I picked up the intruder’s body, I looked around the trophy room. A fat lot of good I’d done, blustering about how it was supposed to be secured—that hadn’t helped anybody. Perhaps it’d been a useless conceit, nothing more. And perhaps it needed to change....

~ ~ ~
I told Ariazar about my plan first. “Are you sure about this?” he asked me. “I mean, it’s your trophy room...your special place, you know?”

“Yes. I know.”

“That’s a pretty big shift for you. Verisal’s words hit you hard, didn’t they?” He was smiling, and he looked a bit sad, but not, I knew, because he was jealous—rather, Verisal’s accusations had stung him, too. He understood what I was getting at; he just wanted to make sure.

“Ariazar, you trust me, don’t you?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. He looked a bit confused by the question, but he didn’t hesitate.

And I told him, “That’s why we’ve been able to stay together so long. Even when everyone else was laughing at us and telling us it wasn’t right, we stayed together, you and I, because we trusted each other.”

His faint smile told him that he was beginning to understand. Still, he couldn’t help teasing, “I thought it was just because we couldn’t get enough of each other’s good looks.”

“Hah! That’s a hefty bonus, honestly.” I couldn’t help bending close and nuzzling him. Even when he was feeling under the weather, he still did his best to cheer me up. I was always grateful for that. “No, Ari...If we’re gonna make this work with Thal and Veri, we’ll all have to trust each other. I’m sorry, but I don’t think your approach with Verisal was the right one.”

He hunched down. “Yes...I’m sorry, too. She’s still a bit huffy about things. Now that I’ve had time to reflect on it, I don’t blame her, either. I was kind of stupid, Sarz....I wanted to impress her and just kept on saying the things she wanted to hear. I’m so sorry you got roped into this.”

“I would’ve gotten roped into it sooner or later. How is Thalissi, by the way?”

“She’s also a bit confused, but she’s not as angry as Verisal was. I think...she actually likes the idea. She likes you, anyway. I’m hoping this idea of yours will help her warm up to me.”

“Same for Verisal. Not to mention Artemis.” I straightened up. “Right, Manis should’ve talked with ArcaneShadows by now. We’ll have to go talk with Artemis, and then we’ll invite Thalissi and Verisal, too.”

~ ~ ~
A few days later, I waited by the trophy room door. Manis was already fully healed, and he stood by my side, lazily washing one paw. I was shifting back and forth, and the sound of my claws must’ve annoyed him, because his ears twitched and he frowned. “Nervous?”

I nodded, and he laughed gently at me. “Sarz, you’ve faced down Wartoads before—I should know; I’ve seen what’s behind that door.”

“This is different.”

“How so?”

My smile must’ve looked a bit sickly to him. “I don’t care about the Wartoads as much as I do about Ariazar, Verisal, Thalissi, and Artemis.”

“OK, so you do have a point....Look steady. They’re on their way.”

Ariazar rounded the corner, and I was a bit gratified he looked as nervous as I did. He understood what was at stake here. He was closely followed by ArcaneShadows, who looked as sphinxlike as ever. Thalissi was close behind them, and she seemed cautious but hopeful. Verisal and Artemis brought up the rear. Both of them looked cool and calm, though I caught a disapproving glance from Artemis. Well, I suppose she would be protective of her dragon. Anything that made Verisal unhappy (i.e. me) was bound to get that haughty, scornful glare.

I managed to lift my eyes away. I cleared my throat and said to them, “Thank you for coming here, everyone. Erm, how’s everybody today?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” Ariazar answered dutifully. Thalissi’s reply was similarly positive, but Verisal and Artemis just nodded to me.

I decided to speed things up. “A few days ago, my dear friend, Manis, was attacked in this trophy room by a Shade-touched manticore. Thanks to Verisal’s quick actions, he was saved and escaped with nothing more than minor injuries, all of which have already healed. Verisal...” I looked directly at her. “Manis and I—and also Ariazar and ArcaneShadows—are deeply grateful to you. You saved the life of someone we all care about....You have our sincerest thanks.”

Ariazar, ArcaneShadows, and Manis all ducked their heads and thanked her. It was a bit awkward, since she still didn’t look very friendly. But she answered us, “You’re welcome. I only did what any decent dragon would do,” and she smiled ever so faintly.

“But even before Manis was attacked, we...had some problems. I’ve given a lot of thought to your words, Verisal,” I said, even as her smile disappeared again. “Ariazar and I—and Manis and ArcaneShadows—we wanted to try making things up to you. Perhaps if you got to know us better...it would change your mind? Would you give us a chance?”

I had expected her to protest, and maybe to accuse us of deception again, but her reply completely surprised me: “What about Thalissi?” she asked. She turned to look at the Ridgeback, who’d been standing by silently, alone. I realized then that out of the four of us, Thalissi was the only one who lacked a familiar. Poor, dear Thalissi...She had all the hallmarks of a hard, sad life; you couldn’t miss that wary look in her eyes. But still, she’d been the first to defend Ariazar and me when Verisal had gotten angry with us. She had a great heart....Would she also be willing to share her love with us? —All of us?

But as I was saying...I was quite surprised. I blinked and said, “Of course Thalissi is welcome, too! That’s why I invited her here. I was about to address her next, actually....”

“I’m all right, Sarz. Don’t worry about me,” Thalissi said in a low voice.

I was concerned—surely it couldn’t be that easy? “Trust her, Sarz,” I reminded myself. “That’s what this is all about. She seems all right, so maybe you should trust her for now....”

And so I gestured to the trophy room. “Some of you have wondered why this room has been off-limits for the longest time. It’s been my own special place, where I keep treasures and souvenirs from past battles. I didn’t trust anyone else to maintain this place, not even Ariazar. But the recent events have made me rethink that....It’s time I changed my ways.”

And I opened the door and gestured for them to come inside.

~ ~ ~
Since Manis had been recuperating, it’d been up to me to clean up the trophy room to accommodate visitors. I’d done my best; at the very least, I’d cleaned up the worst of the dust. I’d also repaired the old chandelier and lit it, and the place was now a lot easier to see. The trophies had been dusted off and arranged, too.

Ariazar was particularly impressed. “It’s changed a lot from when I saw it a few days ago! Sarz...You did this all by yourself?”

“I had to. Manis was still in the infirmary...Don’t poke me, Manis; you know I was stating a fact, not an insult.”

“It’s...amazing.” He sat back and was quiet for a moment. “I never knew you’d accomplished so much.”

“Neither had I.” That was Thalissi’s voice. She was still half-in and -out of the doorway, and now she looked uncertain. Almost scared...

“I’ve been at this for a long time,” I admitted. I reached over, gently nuzzled her shoulder. “Hey, don’t be shy. Have a look around. Or, um, this isn’t your sort of thing? I guess, um, some dragons aren’t into monster trophies and battles, hey?”

“It is fascinating,” she said simply. She moved past me and bent to look at a collection of Toridae hides. Manis and ArcaneShadows drifted away, too; I could hear Manis pointing things out and ArcaneShadows dryly answering, “Like you would know; isn’t this the first time you’ve really been in here?”

Ariazar remained at my side. I bent low to murmur to him, “What d’you think?”

“It’s...It’s amazing, it truly is. Sarz, this is all so amazing!”

I couldn’t help it; I bowled him over. He flopped back comically and pulled a face. “Ow.”

“I wasn’t talking about the trophy room, Ariazar. Look at Verisal and Artemis. What d’you think?” Verisal and Artemis had been the first to move away from the group. They were examining the Elk heads and antlers I’d mounted upon the wall. I couldn’t hear what exactly they were saying.

“That Artemis, she’s a tough one, but I think she defers to Verisal. Verisal did save her from getting eaten, you know.” Ariazar gave me a sympathetic look. “Tell you what, I’ll go charm Artemis for a while. You can approach Verisal then. Talk to her, Sarz. Tell her some stories. A big, strong Guardian like you...You can handle it, I know you can.” The admiration in his gaze shone true.

I felt a great weight flow off my shoulders then. I knew that I’d made some big mistakes, so it was an incredible relief to have the unconditional support of Ariazar, Manis, and ArcaneShadows. I watched as Ariazar flitted to Artemis’ side. He murmured something to her, pointed to a collection of bones, and as she followed him, I approached Verisal. “So, um...What d’you think?” It was awkward, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“It’s very...interesting.” She’d noticed that our friends and familiars were all looking around the room, and she looked expectantly up at me. “Well, Sarz? Are you going to show me around? You owe me that much, at least.”

I silently agreed. And I was happy to oblige her. After all, what dragon doesn’t enjoy bragging talking about their feats of strength? I couldn’t help wondering why I hadn’t done this earlier; it was incredibly therapeutic.

So I led Verisal around the room. We paused in front of my favorite trophies, and I told her stories of the monsters I’d battled, the dangers I’d faced. I had been to nearly every monster-hunting ground in Sornieth, and I had the spoils to show for it. Clouddancer hides, Shalebuck and Rambra horns, Parda feathers...I watched as Verisal lifted a staff. “This is from a Longneck Magi!”

I nodded. “I challenged them in the Arena, and they were kind enough to accept. This belonged to one of their matriarchs. It was her last match, and after I bested her in combat, she decreed that I should take her staff, as she was retiring after that.” I couldn’t help smiling at the memory.

Verisal smiled back, too. “It sounds like you had a lot of fun,” she remarked. The air thawed considerably then, and as we continued looking around, she began asking questions. Verisal, as Manis and I had noticed, was no slouch at combat. Behind that refined gaze was a very quick mind and some very agile reflexes. With further practice, she could be a great warrior....I was only too happy to answer her questions and give her more advice. There were other reasons, too, of course.

Finally we came to the end of the tour. We were standing by the door again. Ariazar and the others were still drifting around, but Verisal and I stayed where we were. “So...How was it?” I inquired.

“You are a great fighter,” she said after a moment. Her voice was quiet now.

“Yes...I sort of have to be. I started early: After Ariazar and I left our birth clan, it was just the two of us.”

“Even then?” There was a slight chill in her voice.

“Even then,” I agreed, as steadily as I could. “Our families and friends mocked us. Two male dragons hoping to start a family—they said it was stupid. They couldn’t understand that we loved each other.”

Verisal turned to look at me. She didn’t seem angry now, just confused. “Then what about Thalissi and me? Didn’t you invite us to live with you just to have children with you?”

“Verisal...If it had been only for that, we wouldn’t have bothered getting to know the two of you better. Ariazar and I...We like you and Thalissi very much. Having children would make us very happy, it’s true—but if that’s not what you want, we won’t hold it against you.”

“Why ask the two of us, then? Why not just...?” She looked at Thalissi. There was something in that gaze that surprised me once again. Verisal...She didn’t seem jealous or angry about Thalissi. If I had to put a word to it, I’d say she seemed...protective.

And so I relaxed a little bit, and a small chuckle escaped me. “Because we like you both, Verisal. And I don’t mean we like one of you more than the other. We love the two of you equally because you are who you are. Thalissi is gentle and you’re really steady, and that doesn’t make you better or worse than each other; it just makes you different...and we love the both of you just the same for that.” I smiled down at her. “Love’s not a limited resource, Verisal—believe me, I would know, and so would Ariazar. We grappled with the same issue when Manis and ArcaneShadows came along, and, well...here we are.”

“I’ve never...encountered anything like this before.”

“I’d be surprised if you had.” I glanced around the room again. It looked a lot better now, and not just because it was lit and clean. Hearing Ariazar and the others laughing and talking...It gave the place a brightness that went beyond light and flames. The place seemed lighter now, and more alive. “You know,” I said to Verisal, “I didn’t give you this tour to soften you and the others up. I wanted you to get a better idea of what I’m like—and I hope you like what you’ve seen so far.” It sounded a bit presumptuous even to me, and I automatically ducked my head in embarrassment.

“It’s amazing....Well, so are you, Sarz. You and Ariazar both. And Thalissi, of course.”

“Ari and I have made some mistakes. We hope you and Thal will give us the opportunity to make up for them. And Verisal...We’d love to get to know you better, too. I mean, you and I, we met only a few days ago, and it’s been rather awkward....But thank you so much for coming this far with the rest of us. I’m sure I speak for Ariazar, Manis, and ArcaneShadows when I say we’re looking forward to spending more time with you, Thalissi, and Artemis.”

~ written by Disillusionist (254672)
all edits by other users

(part2 story by Disillusionist ([over all part 7])


(Sarzs Familiar character sheet (the beginnings and parts of this character sheet also by ArcaneShadows)

Name:Manis (Mane-IS)
Gender:Male
Personality:Thinks rather highly of himself, protective of his friends, loves to cuddle with Sarz when he´s not chasing off intruders.
Backstory: Sarz found Manis as a manticore baby while he was battling monsters. He took Manis in and he has been Sarz´s familair and well as had a polyamorous with him and Ariazar ever since.
Appearance: Sharp white fangs, glowing white eyes, has a huge, puffy red mane, large bony wings, well muscled, short yet sharp claws, and a scorpion-like tail that he likes to curl around Sarz.
Likes: Hanging out with his friends, protecting Sarz, eating birds and intruders in
Sarz´s cave, playing with ArcaneShadows
Dislikes: Not eating intruders, fish (he thinks they taste too squishy), being away from Sarz.
Friends: Sarz, Ariazar, ArcaneShadows.
Enemies: Not really any at the moment.