Wanderlust: An Essek Thyless Story

Chapter 1: Vermaloc

As Verin pleaded Essek exhaled and dropped his invisibility revealing himself. Wearing a similar Xhorhasian garb and a deep green cloak decorated with Nicodranus patterns and charms from all over. Most of the Traveler, thanks to a certain blue tiefling he was fond of.
Essek dropped his hood showing his once beautiful face now haggard, and exhausted and his hair was overgrown. It was falling into an asymmetrical bob. To many, this was just a Drow, a Kyrn but to those close to Essek this was nothing like him.

Essek went to speak but was practically tackled into a bear hug by his taller younger brother. Verin embraced his big brother as it had been years since they had seen each other. Essek, albeit reluctant usually towards affection, returned the hug. Not as strong as Verin but he let the world stop for a second just to be with his brother. The first person he bonded with.
Quickly he cast Detect Magic to make sure it wasn't a trick but this was no illusion, this was Verin.

"Rin...it's been far too long..." Essek spoke shaky and somewhat relieved his brother didn't think differently of him.
"Ess! You got that right bro! What the hell happened?!" Verin pulled back holding Essek's petite shoulders. "They all keep telling me you're a traitor, you're an enemy to the Dynasty and trying to convince me you're not my brother!" His eyes shake with emotion. "No matter what you've done, you'll always be my big brother. Did you murder someone?"
"What? No! I mean in self-defence and they were undead frost giants..." recalling the Aoer adventures he had in recent years.
"F-frost giants? You?"
"I know I can hardly believe it myself but I did have some help from my friends."

That foreign word coming from Essek perked Verin's ears. "I'm sorry, did you say friends? When did you get friends? I'm... not jealous or any bro..." he folds his arms and hides the touch of jealousy but is more curious about these friends.
"Trust me I wasn't expecting them myself but this isn't the place for a casual conversation brother. I have to go..." Essek took a step back from Verin.
"Wait?! Hold on, you haven't told me anything about the rumours?!" Rin reached his hand out to stop his big brother.

Essek stopped his eyes trembling with anxiety to tell Verin the truth.
"It's...all true. I took a beacon and tried to study it on a logical scale but I made my bed with the Empire. I must lay in it with my sins..."
The wizard averted his eyes from his sibling to the autumnal floor. Under his cloak he was readying a token for teleportation...he couldn't see which he had chosen as his friends had made a few for him.

Verin gawked at the other and was stunned but he shook his head not in disbelief, just denying it. "No! No that's not what happened! It's a misunderstanding..."
"Verin! It's true I took the Beacon and experienced it! Not only did I commit treason of the highest degree but blasphemy! If I go home I am a dead man!!" Essek was so serious he yelled the last sentence in undercommon. "Trust me I know a handful of people who'd side with you." A small smile crept on the lavender Drow, "I can't stay..."

A moment of silence befell the brothers until Verin spoke.
"I'm coming with you..."
"You would do such a thing?!"
"Well I've made my choice and I choose not to believe your crimes, Ess..."
"You have a career and a life in Rhosona?! It's reckless of you! I'm on the run! Why in Exandria would you do that?!"
Verin sighed and rested his hand on his brother's shoulder, "Because...you're my big brother that's why..."

A warm quiet filled the brothers, but Essek shrugged the other's hand off.
"Ess...I don't like how the Dynasty is trying to use me to get to you. Mother is even one-sided and pulling strings to have me stationed wherever you're sited. She removed me from Bazzoxan and I cannot stand the idea of not only being a puppet but...betraying you Essek." There it was, Verin wasn't this vastly superior echo knight, his eyes gleamed with brewing tears as he felt like a child again.

He didn't like being a pawn to access Essek, especially in the past knowing his brother was a prodigy of arcane nature. So he removed himself to the most mundane station so nobody could use him in that way anymore.
The soldiers at Bazzoxan were more genuine and didn't care about Dens or connections.